Author Topic: Big Big Train v. "The Likes Of Us" OUT NOW; European Tour Sept/Oct 2024!  (Read 108437 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #140 on: May 02, 2017, 03:55:47 AM »
I couldn't resist and listened to Grimspound in my car a few times and - WOW what an album! I love that their music is getting more old-fashioned from record to record. Also I feel like this album sounds a little more (I don't know if you can say it like that in English) wooden in terms of arrangement and instrumentation than Folklore & especially Underfall. More woodwinds, more violin, less horn, trombone, trumpet. Which makes Grimspound more of an English Electric follower to me, although it is obviously a Folklore companion. That can be heard in three songs I think. Just in terms of sound it reminds me more of EEFP.

I also noticed the H/Marillion influence on Brave Captain, and saw that David thanked the members of Marillion in the liner notes. Only thing is - Marillion have never managed to put out an album so organic, unified and beautiful as the last few BBT albums were. In my opinion.
Rikards influence can be heard very much on A Mead Hall In Winter, a thought that came to my mind before I read the liner notes. And in fact, he and (I think) David wrote this awesome song. Great to see that Rikard can have some influence in the bands composition. I would love it if Nick would do the same. Good to hear some Nick vocals on AMHIW though, even if it's only for a few lines. I think it would be cool to hear some more Nick/Rikard vocals. This band has three members in them who are or used to be lead singers in a band!

I still have to listen to it a lot more, but it seems like my vinyl won't arrive today either  >:(  I'm starting to be a little afraid that it got lost somewhere :(

The Station Master thing sounds awesome, thanks for the info! I would love the old tunes rerecorded since I never really got into them. But arrangement can do a lot with a song, therefore I think they will make something awesome with those songs.
any rock can be made to roll

Offline soupytwist

  • Posts: 2725
  • Gender: Male
  • Star Trekkin
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #141 on: May 02, 2017, 04:46:01 AM »
As someone who only listened to this band a week ago, I think Grimspound is the weakest album I've heard so far,  I still really enjoy it a lot - this band are amazing.  I just rate Folklore and Full Power slightly higher.    I'm actually downloading 'The Underfall Yard' and 'Far Skies Deep Time' as I'm typing this, so really looking forward to listening to them later on today.   Great band!

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #142 on: May 02, 2017, 10:05:23 AM »
The Underfall Yard is still their strongest album in my opinion.
any rock can be made to roll

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #143 on: May 02, 2017, 06:35:24 PM »
So I did some more digging around the web with regards to Station Masters, and found a BBT blog post that says:
"We also had time to record drums for some tracks for Station Masters, including Make Some Noise and new versions of Fighter Command and Summer's Lease."

This was from December of 2011, when they were recording English Electric, but as we all know, "Make Some Noise" would eventually make it to an EP and English Electric Full Power, so it's definitely not going to be on Station Masters (as far as I know).

"Fighter Command" comes from Gathering Speed and "Summer's Lease" from The Difference Machine, so the Filkins-Era albums are definitely getting some re-recordings done, but with 3-4 hours worth of time to fill as 3 volumes of compilations, that only covers less than 18 minutes of music (unless they somehow add or take away from the original songs and alter the length drastically).

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline soupytwist

  • Posts: 2725
  • Gender: Male
  • Star Trekkin
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #144 on: May 03, 2017, 02:21:53 AM »
I read an interview online a couple of days ago regarding 'Grimspound'.  It was originally going to be a companion EP to Folklore called 'Skylon' from leftover material from the 'Folklore' sessions.  However they were on such a rich vain of creativity they basically wrote and recorded a new album and the only one song that was going to be part of 'Skylon' made the new album, the title track 'Grimspound'.  Also there were extra songs part of the 'Grimspound' recording that didn't make the album.  So in theory they still have the songs originally intended as the 'Skylon' EP (appariently there is a song called Skylon) and another batch of songs from the 'Grimspound' recording to air at some point!

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #145 on: May 03, 2017, 04:42:19 AM »
I am getting more and more into this album, and this band. How great are their arrangements?? Makes other prog bands' instrumentations like Spock's or NM Band look pretty uninspired..

Also the lyrics! Far away from Fantasy stories, monsters, "I love God so should you" and "I love you and miss you". Remember the lyrics for WINKIE? No? You should read them right now, it's very interesting  :omg:
any rock can be made to roll

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #146 on: May 05, 2017, 11:41:02 AM »
Grimspound has reached 45 in the UK Albums Chart, Big Big Train's first appearance in the chart. And it's at number 1 in the Rock Album Chart, which is awesome!

Offline soupytwist

  • Posts: 2725
  • Gender: Male
  • Star Trekkin
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #147 on: May 12, 2017, 04:37:19 AM »
Absolutely loving this band.  Full Power and Folklore are fast moving up my list of favorite albums of all time and Grimspound and the Underfall Yard aren't far behind.  I found 'Lost Rivers of London' yesterday from the Wassail EP - and it's yet another great song.  I'm a bit nervous about going further back into their catalog with a different singer.   Whats the general consensus here?

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #148 on: May 12, 2017, 05:36:06 AM »
The Difference Machine is a fantastic album and Sean Filkins' voice is actually not too different from David. I didn't even notice the difference in the beginning.

I could never get into their albums before TDM though.
any rock can be made to roll

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #149 on: June 21, 2017, 09:05:18 AM »
Surprise announcement of a new Big Big Train album, The Second Brightest Star, coming this Friday (23rd June). 40 minutes of new tracks (7), plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Now this is what you call being on a creative roll!


Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #150 on: June 21, 2017, 01:26:06 PM »
I am super excited! Already ordered the colored vinyl. Anyone heard the new song yet??
any rock can be made to roll

Offline soupytwist

  • Posts: 2725
  • Gender: Male
  • Star Trekkin
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #151 on: June 22, 2017, 03:39:20 AM »
Surprise announcement of a new Big Big Train album, The Second Brightest Star, coming this Friday (23rd June). 40 minutes of new tracks (7), plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Now this is what you call being on a creative roll!

Wow.  Seriously Holy Fuck.

Only a day to wait!

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #152 on: June 22, 2017, 02:38:42 PM »
This new album also answers the question of what happened to Skylon, the title track for the original Folklore-companion EP, before it became the full-length Grimspound album.

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. Grimspound (Out on April 28th)
« Reply #153 on: June 23, 2017, 06:34:17 AM »
Anyone got their download link already?
any rock can be made to roll

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #154 on: June 24, 2017, 05:04:22 PM »
I bought my CD BurningShed, but being the impatient bastard that I am, I also bought the download from their BandCamp, so I got my album yesterday morning a few hours after it went up (which was something like 3:45am - I had given up seeing if it would go up early by like 2am and fell asleep). I've spun it about 3 or 4 times, but most of that has been casual listening (at home, at work), but for the couple times I've listened to the new (first seven) tracks intently, they're pretty good. Quite a bit different for BBT, but still fitting into the material that they've produced since the English Electric albums. By coincidence, the four longer tracks of the first seven are my favorites, but the other, shorter tracks have their charm as well.

The extended "Grimlore" tracks offer new insight into songs we've already heard, but it's nice to hear the connection between "On The Racing Line" and "Brooklands", as well as a new prelude to "London Plane", as well as an odd reprisal at the very end of the album. You'll definitely hear similar themes and melodies throughout this collection, but as a stand-alone album, it's definitely not as strong as Grimspound or even Folklore (my favorite of the three total).

Either way, as BBT fans go, we've been super spoiled in the last 13 months, getting practically 3 full-length albums with over 3 hours of new material. And they STILL have the 3-disc Station Masters collection coming out, as well as a double-disc concept album that they have been working on!!! It seriously boggles my mind at how much material they've put together in recent years!

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #155 on: June 26, 2017, 01:42:35 AM »
I bought my CD BurningShed, but being the impatient bastard that I am, I also bought the download from their BandCamp, so I got my album yesterday morning a few hours after it went up (which was something like 3:45am - I had given up seeing if it would go up early by like 2am and fell asleep). I've spun it about 3 or 4 times, but most of that has been casual listening (at home, at work), but for the couple times I've listened to the new (first seven) tracks intently, they're pretty good. Quite a bit different for BBT, but still fitting into the material that they've produced since the English Electric albums. By coincidence, the four longer tracks of the first seven are my favorites, but the other, shorter tracks have their charm as well.

The extended "Grimlore" tracks offer new insight into songs we've already heard, but it's nice to hear the connection between "On The Racing Line" and "Brooklands", as well as a new prelude to "London Plane", as well as an odd reprisal at the very end of the album. You'll definitely hear similar themes and melodies throughout this collection, but as a stand-alone album, it's definitely not as strong as Grimspound or even Folklore (my favorite of the three total).

Either way, as BBT fans go, we've been super spoiled in the last 13 months, getting practically 3 full-length albums with over 3 hours of new material. And they STILL have the 3-disc Station Masters collection coming out, as well as a double-disc concept album that they have been working on!!! It seriously boggles my mind at how much material they've put together in recent years!

-Marc.

Wow that sounds pretty good!! I can't wait to hear the album, I hope it arrives with the mail today. I am very interested in the last three songs, it sounds like they might close the trilogy with themes from the previous two albums, which might make this trilogy super awesome.
I hope, the Station Master thing is coming out someday, I love the sound of this BBT incarnation. But I have not heard of any new concept album they've been working on! With all the stuff they've been putting out, that sounds pretty crazy :D Where did you get that information?

Thanks for the mini review :)
any rock can be made to roll

Offline soupytwist

  • Posts: 2725
  • Gender: Male
  • Star Trekkin
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #156 on: June 26, 2017, 04:10:40 AM »
Got to wait till I get to hear this unfortunately.   The one review I managed to find so far kind off mirrored 'The Letter M' thoughts above - decent enough but mostly a B-Side quality (2 or 3 instrumentals) compared to Folklore/Grimspound.  'The Leaden Stour' being the standout track.

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #157 on: June 28, 2017, 03:07:40 PM »
Wow that sounds pretty good!! I can't wait to hear the album, I hope it arrives with the mail today. I am very interested in the last three songs, it sounds like they might close the trilogy with themes from the previous two albums, which might make this trilogy super awesome.

As of yesterday, Tuesday the 27th, I hadn't received my copy from BurningShed, but it takes awhile for things to cross the Atlantic and get to my home, so I'm patient. I'm just happy to have it digitally, and in high quality! Yes, this trilogy of albums certainly rivals the work they did between English Electric, The Underfall Yard and Far Skies Deep Time. This whole run of albums might be one of my favorite run of albums by any band I've come to know and love! There's so much depth and detail in their music, there's always more to discover and love with each listen!

I hope, the Station Master thing is coming out someday, I love the sound of this BBT incarnation.
I, too, hope that Station Masters will come out soon, though having TWO albums this year has spoiled a lot of us Passengers (what BBT fans call ourselves in the BBT Facebook group), so I'd be VERY surprised if the first of three Station Masters albums comes out between now and the end of the year, but they have been working on those tracks for quite a few years now, so who knows!


But I have not heard of any new concept album they've been working on! With all the stuff they've been putting out, that sounds pretty crazy :D Where did you get that information?
Greg Spawton is pretty open about what they're working on when commenting and replying to fans on Facebook, so when I made a comment about how English Electric, Folklore, and Grimspound all have E-F-G as their first initials, he said that their next album (and concept double) has a working title that begins with the letter H, though now that we have The Second Brightest Star, if you consider if a full-length album and less of a companion to the albums before it, it breaks the alphabetical streak of album titles. Ah well...


Thanks for the mini review :)

You're quite welcome! Big Big Train have fastly become a Top 5 band for me in the last few years, and they seem to impress more and more with each major release (and I say major release because, despite being album length, TSBS, to me, is still a companion to Folklore and Grimspound, so it's not *really* their next full-length major album in my eyes, just a collection of bonus tracks that were taken from or inspired by the sessions that birthed Folklore and Grimspound).

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #158 on: June 29, 2017, 12:15:20 PM »
Maybe Station Masters will be released through the course of 2018-19, then the next album of new material in either late-2019 or early 2020 (which is only 3 years away, bizarrely).

I was thinking earlier about what to call TSBS. It's too long to be an EP or a mini-album, but it also doesn't feel like their 11th studio album, because a little less than half of it is expanded versions of tracks from FL/GP.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2017, 12:21:29 PM by RoeDent »

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #159 on: June 30, 2017, 06:46:10 AM »
Of course I have and love The Second Brightest Star by now, and I feel like this album just makes the other two more perfect! It fits in perfectly, rounds up the whole thing as a huge trilogy.
any rock can be made to roll

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #160 on: June 30, 2017, 09:08:10 AM »
I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.

Day 1: The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #161 on: June 30, 2017, 11:53:43 AM »
I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.

Day 1: The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star

I have definitely thought of this as well, and have done plenty of listens with those first two sets. Don't forget to include "Kingmaker" in with FSDT (if your copy has "Master Of Time" - "Kingmaker" makes a great opening track for the EP, and it turns it into a 6-track, album-length adventure that is one of my favorites to listen to front to back).

Of these, it seems like each course gets longer and longer. Day 1 would be 01:52:04, Day 2 comes in at 02:15:11, and Day 3 totals at 03:39:04 (though, if you don't include the original cuts of "On The Racing Line", "Brooklands" or "London Plane", then it goes down to a slightly more manageable  03:11:05).

It's astounding to think that they've released 7 hours, 18 minutes, and 20 seconds of studio material in the last 8 years, and they've got even more to come!!!

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #162 on: July 01, 2017, 04:55:04 AM »
I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.

Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star

FTFY
any rock can be made to roll

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #163 on: July 01, 2017, 01:48:37 PM »
I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.

Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star

FTFY

Is TDM part of the Albion cycle? I thought it started with TUY, when David Longdon joined. The band have never included TDM as part of it when talking about it. It's always "the sequence of albums starting with The Underfall Yard".

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #164 on: July 01, 2017, 11:55:09 PM »
I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.

Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star

FTFY

Is TDM part of the Albion cycle? I thought it started with TUY, when David Longdon joined. The band have never included TDM as part of it when talking about it. It's always "the sequence of albums starting with The Underfall Yard".

As far as I know, TDM is *not* part of the Albion Cycle, which only includes TUY up to, and concluding with, TSBS.

I think the intention of adding TDM is because the material released on FSDT including songs from the TDM sessions - "Brambling" and "The Wide Open Sea". Of the others, "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for TUY as part of a suite, and was the Anthony Phillips cover "Master Of Time". With regards to the remaining song, "British Racing Green", after doing some research, I stumbled upon the BBT blogspot from an entry 7 years ago, with a comment by Greg Spawton responding to a question:
"BRG goes back as far as English Boy Wonders. We found it too depressing for that album (it's not a very cheerful tune. Subsequently, one or two 'echoes' of the song found their way onto Bard.

More recently,we asked Nick to work up a drum part for the original tune and then handed it over to David to re-work it.

In a nutshell, the words and the tune are the same as the original song but the arrangement is very different (we have allowed ourselves to show a bit of our love for Prefab Sprout and 10cc.)"

So there you have it, the history behind the five tracks from Far Skies Deep Time. Oh, and of course, "Kingmaker" (the alternate track 1) comes from their second early Demo, The Infant Hercules, their first foray into re-doing old music for their new line-up, and without knowing if it's true or not, probably the spark that lit the fire for them doing Station Masters, now that they've had a stable line-up since 2009. I've always wanted this line-up to go back and re-record TDM, as a sort of "Zeroth Album" by this line-up, to have it fit consistently with their material since Longdon and D'Virgilio joined in full capacity, but that's probably not as likely.

...unless of course they go "Full Power" on us and release a TDM/TUY/FSDT compilation, restoring whatever suite "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for, as well as combining "From The Wide Open Sea" and "The Wide Open Sea" into a cohesive piece. Throw in "Kingmaker" for anyone who doesn't own it physically (like me when I luckily started collecting PROG magazine, and it was featured on their 18th issue's free CD), and you've got a complete collection of material that birthed the Albion Cycle!

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #165 on: July 02, 2017, 11:33:27 AM »
I'm beginning to entertain the idea of doing a sort-of marathon of the entire Albion cycle. I can't do it yet, as I need to get FSDT and TSBS, but it could split quite nicely over the course of three days.

Day 1: The Difference Machine/The Underfall Yard/Far Skies Deep Time
Day 2: English Electric Full Power
Day 3: Folklore/Grimspound/The Second Brightest Star

FTFY

Is TDM part of the Albion cycle? I thought it started with TUY, when David Longdon joined. The band have never included TDM as part of it when talking about it. It's always "the sequence of albums starting with The Underfall Yard".

As far as I know, TDM is *not* part of the Albion Cycle, which only includes TUY up to, and concluding with, TSBS.

I think the intention of adding TDM is because the material released on FSDT including songs from the TDM sessions - "Brambling" and "The Wide Open Sea". Of the others, "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for TUY as part of a suite, and was the Anthony Phillips cover "Master Of Time". With regards to the remaining song, "British Racing Green", after doing some research, I stumbled upon the BBT blogspot from an entry 7 years ago, with a comment by Greg Spawton responding to a question:
"BRG goes back as far as English Boy Wonders. We found it too depressing for that album (it's not a very cheerful tune. Subsequently, one or two 'echoes' of the song found their way onto Bard.

So there you have it, the history behind the five tracks from Far Skies Deep Time. Oh, and of course, "Kingmaker" (the alternate track 1) comes from their second early Demo, The Infant Hercules, their first foray into re-doing old music for their new line-up, and without knowing if it's true or not, probably the spark that lit the fire for them doing Station Masters, now that they've had a stable line-up since 2009. I've always wanted this line-up to go back and re-record TDM, as a sort of "Zeroth Album" by this line-up, to have it fit consistently with their material since Longdon and D'Virgilio joined in full capacity, but that's probably not as likely.

...unless of course they go "Full Power" on us and release a TDM/TUY/FSDT compilation, restoring whatever suite "Fat Billy Shouts Mine" was intended for, as well as combining "From The Wide Open Sea" and "The Wide Open Sea" into a cohesive piece. Throw in "Kingmaker" for anyone who doesn't own it physically (like me when I luckily started collecting PROG magazine, and it was featured on their 18th issue's free CD), and you've got a complete collection of material that birthed the Albion Cycle!

-Marc.


Thanks for saying exactly what I was gonna say Marc :D
I thought of that because of the musical parallels between TDM and FSDT that Marc mentioned. And I think it fits very well!

BTW, I asked David if they intend to release TUY on vinyl, they said that they plan to do it within the next 2 years. I hope they also release Fas Skies on vinyl!! I would love if they included Fat Billy on Underfall (since t's from the same sessions and it's awesome with its Cinema Show inspired solo) and add Kingmaker to Far Skies instead. Like this:
Underfall
1. Evening Star
2. Master James Of St. George
3. Victorian Brickwork
4. Fat Billy Shouts Mine
5. Last Train
6. Winchester Driver
7. The Underfall Yard

Far Skies
1. Master Of Time
2. Kingmaker
3. British Racing Green
4. Brambling
5. The Wide Open Sea
any rock can be made to roll

Offline Pettor

  • Posts: 597
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #166 on: July 03, 2017, 07:16:36 AM »
"God's speed be with you
God's speed be with you, Winkiiiiieeeeeeeeee"

Damn I love that song  :hat

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #167 on: July 04, 2017, 06:50:25 AM »
Winkie's probably my 2nd favourite song on Folklore, after London Plane. If only all history lessons were this awesome...

Meanwhile, I've ordered The Second Brightest Star, so I've got that to look forward to.

Offline Fritzinger

  • Posts: 2556
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #168 on: July 05, 2017, 05:11:59 AM »
Winkie is super awesome, I agree. But I can NEVER hold still at that one part in BROOKLANDS, at 9:45. I always go totally nuts when Nick comes in with that killer fill and beats the hell out of that 5/4.

My dad and I went from Dresden to Krems the other day for University reasons and I ONLY put on Big Big Train while we were going. On the way there Folklore - Grim - Star and on the way back Underfall - Full Power. So in conclusion, he is a PASSENGER now TOO :D

I realized how great EEFP is as well. Of course I knew that but I haven't listened to it in a while and it blew me away completely. Every song on that record is at least very good. Some are totally mindblowing. Man I can't get enough of this band
any rock can be made to roll

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #169 on: July 05, 2017, 08:45:49 AM »
Winkie is super awesome, I agree. But I can NEVER hold still at that one part in BROOKLANDS, at 9:45. I always go totally nuts when Nick comes in with that killer fill and beats the hell out of that 5/4.

That's a fantastic section too! It literally puts you in the driver's seat, racing around Brooklands itself. That section feels even quicker than the initial "racing" 5/4 instrumental earlier in the track.

In plenty of BBT's music, the instrumental sections give you images just as well as those sections with lyrics. For another example, it's quite easy to picture Winkie the pigeon flying across the vast oceans on her rescue mission during the break following "She takes to the sky".

Offline Mindflux

  • DT.net Veteran
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 2187
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #170 on: July 05, 2017, 08:56:02 AM »
Wait.. didn't grimspound just come out? What's this second brightest star stuff?

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #171 on: July 05, 2017, 09:14:24 AM »
Wait.. didn't grimspound just come out? What's this second brightest star stuff?

7 more tracks from the Grimspound sessions, plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Announced just 2 days before release a few weeks ago.

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #172 on: July 05, 2017, 01:09:37 PM »
Wait.. didn't grimspound just come out? What's this second brightest star stuff?

7 more tracks from the Grimspound sessions, plus extended versions of Folklore/Grimspound tracks. Announced just 2 days before release a few weeks ago.

That's not *entirely* accurate. The 7 "new" tracks are a mix of Grimspound and Folklore ideas that never got finished in time for their respective albums, as well as new songs written specifically for this release, such as the title track, which takes it's title from the title track of Grimspound.

I don't have the time at the moment to comb through two weeks of threads on the BBT Facebook group, but I am fairly certain that is what Greg Spawton had said with regards to TSBS's new songs. I was hoping to find a definitive blog post or something that outlines each song's history and story, but no such luck in my limited time. I'm sure if I asked in the group, Greg or David would give an answer fairly quickly. I just didn't want there to be any misunderstanding as to where the seven new tracks came from, if there was any confusion at all.

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline RoeDent

  • 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year
  • Posts: 6029
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #173 on: July 07, 2017, 08:16:16 AM »
I got my copy of The Second Brightest Star today. Favourite track on first listen, I think, is Skylon, although the title track comes close.

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big Big Train v. The Second Brightest Star (Out on June 23rd!!!)
« Reply #174 on: July 11, 2017, 11:50:08 AM »
After some days of thought and deliberation, I've come up with my own "Albion III" Tracklist (Wassail/Folklore/Grimspound/TSBS), divided into 4 conceptual LPs:

LP1 - The Lore & Myths
Side 1 - Folklore, Along The Ridgeway, Salisbury Giant, Grimspound
Side 2 - Wassail, Haymaking, The Leaden Stour, The Ivy Gate

LP2 - The London Sequence
Side 1 - Turner On The Thames/London Plane, Mudlarks, Lost Rivers Of London
Side 2 - London Stone, Skylon, A Mead Hall In Winter

LP3 - In Science And Art
Side 1 - Meadowland, The Second Brightest Star, Experimental Gentlemen
Side 2 - The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun, Terra Australis Incognita, As The Crow Flies, The Gentlemen's Reprise

LP4 - The True Stories
Side 1 - Brave Captain, The Passing Widow, Winkie
Side 2 - On The Racing Line/Brooklands, Telling The Bees


This was the best I could muster up, being a young 33 y/o American with little knowledge of British history and folklore, using only what I could find in the lyrics and liner-notes for ideas on how to conceptualize the post-EEFP music. Each "LP" runs about 49/50 minutes long, though the third one comes in at a shorter 42:17.

I wanted to open the whole thing with the first three tracks of Folklore because the sequencing was pretty good already, and with that in mind, I sought to collect the other tracks with roots in folklore and myth, and I think I've done that to a fair degree here. The challenge was finding an arrangement that worked with each song, and closing Side 1 with "Grimspound" seemed approrpriate. My other goal was to open side 2 with "Wassail", so that left placing the last three tracks into a good-sounding order. I put "Haymaking" next because continuing the beautiful violin playing at the end of "Wassail" seemed to work, and closing with "The Ivy Gate" fits pretty well, with its rainy fadeout.

For the sequence of the second LP, I wanted to keep the LP/Mudlarks/LROL sequence from the Folklore vinyl, so that left finding a home for "London Stone" and "Skylon" on side 2, and opening with "London Stone" book-ends that side very well with its melodic reprise in "A Mead Hall In Winter". Everything seemed to fall into place pretty well with this LP after all was said and done. It was the first of the four that I finished re-arranging!

For what I dub the "In Science And Art" LP, I wanted to open with "Meadowland" to echo the closing of the previous LP (with its obvious connection to AMHIW). "Experimental Gentlemen" had to come first before "Terra Australis Incognita" and the Reprise, so it had to be on Side 1, which was fleshed out with "The Second Brightest Star". Oddly enough, sequencing "Experimental Gentlemen" before "Transit" worked thematically according to the story in the liner notes about Captain Cook's voyages. This just meant sorting the last three songs into an order that worked, and closing with the short reprisal mirrors opening with one on this LP.

Lastly, the "True Stories" LP, the songs whose inspiration comes from real people, places and times (with slight exception to the closer). Going through the liner notes and lyrics, I started to see a selection of songs that were based on true stories, and oddly enough, there seemed to be enough to cover a 50-minute LP! I wanted to close with the sequence the closed Folklore, no doubt, and so that meant sorting out the other 3 tracks into an agreeable order. Opening with "Brave Captain" seemed like a no-brainer to me, and closing the first half of this LP with "Winkie" worked for me, as I felt putting "The Passing Widow" between those two giant prog songs felt like a beautiful breather.

(Shared from my post in the BBT Facebook group)

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!