[quote author=HOF link=topic=34565.msg2849078#msg2849078 date=1642366390
Did you get the 2016 remaster? I got the original 2013 limited edition digibook (which comes with a THICK 70-page booklet inside the case, making it one of the thickest digibook albums I own), but last year I acquired the 2016 remaster digitally and the dynamic range was definitely improved. That isn't to say the original 2013 version is a brick-walled mess, but the remaster brings the songs closer in line with their post-EE albums in terms of DR.
I ended up getting this hi-res digital download - https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com/album/english-electric-full-power-hi-resolution-audio Is this the 2016 remaster? It sounds incredible!
I th ink that version is just a hi-res version of the original master, so it probably does sound great, but it's not the 2016 remaster (the bottom of the page says it was "released in 2013", so I believe it to be the original mastering).
I picked up English Electric Full Power a month or two ago and it's become one of me all-time favorites. I assumed the first half was part one and the second half part two. But I was just looking around on their Bandcamp site, and it appears that's not the case. It looks like they just mixed the two albums together and created a completely different running order. I find it interesting that they did that.
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
I knew about the additional songs but had no idea which ones they were, and when I looked to see which were the bonus songs, that's when I noticed the new running order. They did a great job IMO. It plays like one real long epic - incredible stuff!
It’s funny because I came aboard with Full Power and never heard the individual EE albums. For me starting out with First Rebreather seems awkward, but a lot of people were upset with them starting Full Power with Make Some Noise. To me, that’s a really fun way to kick off the album, even if it is a bit out of character with the rest of the material. It’s a great song.
Honestly, I like Make Some Noise, and it is a fun tune - but I do agree that it kind of does sound "out of place" with the rest of the material.
At the time, it did feel a bit out of place, but now that we've gotten other songs like "Alive" and "The Strangest Times", it doesn't seem TOO odd or out of place as an up-beat and accessible opening song. It's honestly one of my favorites from the EE-era, and I'm glad it made the cut for EEFP.
Been thinking about the band’s future some more, and how they might go about moving forward with Nick as the primary vocalist. Something I’ve always thought was that Nick’s voice would really suit the early material sung by Martin Reed. Of the four early albums (not including Bard), Goodby to the Age of Steam sounds the most dated and low budget. I would love to see the band reinterpret that with the current lineup and with Nick on vocals. It might not be worth the investment if they would rather move forward with new stuff, but it feels like they could probably knock it out fairly easily and breath some new life into what I think is a really cool record that just needs a little shining up. And it would give Nick an album’s worth of material as the front man if they do go on to tour later this year as planned.
That said, I’m also curious to hear the new track sung by Carly to see how her voice might fit in more of a lead role. I do think she, Nick, and Rikard could handle new material going forward just fine. The bigger challenge would be finding someone to pull off David’s songs live. Which is why I think it would be good to get something out with the new vocalist(s) before touring again.
That's an interesting idea, and I'm sure they had some of those early songs earmarked for re-recording back when they were working on the multi-disc Station Masters project, which would've seen the EE/Folkspound line-up re-record songs from their catalog for a compilation, but it seems that that project has been abandoned in recent years. I think since Folklore, the band have been constantly moving forward and wanting to pursue new music and not really look back. Other than The Underfall Yard, they've not really revisited any of their older albums since 2017, especially since they remastered/remixed/released all but Bard from their pre-Longdon days, although Greg has said in the last couple of years that a Bard remix/remaster/re-issue was coming soon, though given the current state of the band, who knows if that'll happen now.
Granted, they could take this time to rework Bard and, like you suggest, get Nick, Rikard, and Carly to sing on older tunes if they want to tour and do a sort of Retro-BBT setilst while they work out who will fill David's shoes as main frontman. It might be interesting to hear more of their pre-Longdon songs played by the current line-up, especially since we've only really heard "Wind Distorted Pioneers" and "Summer's Lease", not counting "Kingmaker".
I believe the reason for the new running order was partly because they wanted it to flow more as one piece rather than two complete individual pieces put together, but also (maybe more) because they added three new tracks to give people some incentive to buy the Full Power release (they also released those tracks on the Make Some Noise EP so people didn’t have to buy the two disc set to get all of the new songs).
As for the running order, once EEFP was released, I all but abandoned listening to the individual EE albums and stuck with the Full Power version. It's just nice to have all 19 songs in one go, and with the new order and segues, it just flows to perfectly from start to finish. Making "East Coast Racer" the penultimate track was a brilliant move, and I like how they kept "Hedgerow" and "Curator Of Butterflies" as the closing tracks of each half. The album is incredibly well-balanced and is probably one of my top 10 albums of all time.
Yes, it's become one of my all-time favorites as well - the flow is perfect and I too like "East Coast Racer" as the 2nd to last track, as it allows Curator of Butterflies to bring you back down after the amazing crescendo in East Coast Racer.
BBT have truly mastered the "Penulimate Epic -> Come-down Closer":
Saltwater Falling On Uneven Ground - Summer's Lease
Brooklands - Telling The Bees
A Mead Hall In Winter - As The Crow Flies
Voyager - Homesong
Atlantic Cable - Homesong
It's something I've noticed other band have been doing as well, but I think BBT have really made it an art.
-Marc.
Topic: Big Big Train v. "The Likes Of Us" OUT NOW; European Tour Sept/Oct 2024! (Read 112717 times)