Make some noise (Big Big Train) (LP 2147 - 2150)

Big Big Train  Gathering Speed (Vinyl, English Electric Recordings, 2004) ****  

Big Big Train  English Electric: Full Power (Vinyl, English Electric Recordings, 2013) ***

Big Big Train  Folklore (Vinyl, English Electric Recordings, 2016) ****

Big Big Train  Grimspound (Vinyl, English Electric Recordings, 2017) ****  

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Fopp; HMV

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Fighter Command (Gathering Speed)

Gear costume: A Boy In Darkness (English Electric); London Plane (Folklore) 

Active compensatory factors: Gathering Speed is a lovely concept album dedicated to those who fought in the Battle Of Britain. 

I really like Gathering Speed a lot. It builds, is assured, and has the beautiful voices of Laura Murch and Sean Filkins. The latter is especially extraordinary - full of depth and passion.

I'm a bit of a sucker for the Battle Of Britain aircraft, which helps as I buy into this concept from the start. 

And trains!

Full Power is a combo pack - English Electric part one and two albums plus an EP. There was a time when I played this double CD a lot when I first bought it - especially the first part (CD 1). 

It's tough to hang in there for a double CD regardless of the artist (The Beatles are exempt of course).

By this time David Longdon was the lead vocalist and it took me a while to adjust to his Peter Gabrielesque style. Adjust I did though, and his tragic accidental death in 2021 was hard to take.

Folklore, another beautifully package album, is a really cohesive album musically (like Gathering Speed), thanks to Longdon writing half the songs and long time member, Greg Spawton, contributing the rest.

Following hard on Folklore's heels was Grimspound. It's a kind of a linked release as a number of songs were left over from Folklore (as you can tell by the linked cover).

Where do they all belong? If I ever come across any other Big Big Train albums I'll snap them up. I'm on their mail order list so I keep tabs on the band as they negotiate fresh challenges. Unfortunately, living in NZ means limited access to great prog acts like Big Big Train.

Victorian brickwork (Big Big Train) (LP 264)

Big Big Train Merchants Of Light (CD - RSK Entertainment/ English Electric Recordings, 2018) ***

Genre: Prog rock   

Places I remember: FOPP (London)  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Swan Hunter




Gear costume: Folklore 

Active compensatory factors: I have a soft spot for Big Big Train. Their blend of folk, rock, with prog tendencies is right down my musical alley (boy).

The vaguely Gabriel-esque vocals by David Longdon (visually, the least likely rock star on the planet) are excellent and there are enough musical subtleties going on via Rachel Hall's input to provide BBT with their own tasteful, unique sound.

This is a double live (I love double live's as you know) and the band use the best of their recent performances at the Cadogan Hall (London) for a wide ranging setting out of their impressive stall.

Where do they all belong? It's very English and so BBT suits my present circumstances perfectly. It was on high rotate in the Purdmobile as we explored Hampshire recently!