Big Big Train v. "The Likes Of Us" OUT NOW; European Tour Sept/Oct 2024!

[The Letter M]

Yeah, I have a stack of BBT on my desk right now. It all came. Plus I still need a few things from the Bandcamp page. I'll be busy for a bit.

Awesome! 

Enjoy, and please let us know your thoughts as you get through them! Always a joy to read what new fans think of the band as they go back and discover their past releases!

-Marc.

[ProfessorPeart]

I just discovered that Reflectors of Light and Stone & Steel are available for purchase from Vimeo. $8 and $12, respectively. Definitely picking those up as I doubt I will ever find a physical Blu-ray of either.

Back to my rabbit hole.

[The Letter M]

I just discovered that Reflectors of Light and Stone & Steel are available for purchase from Vimeo. $8 and $12, respectively. Definitely picking those up as I doubt I will ever find a physical Blu-ray of either.

Back to my rabbit hole.

Did you also get the King's Place videos from 2016 as well? Those were the shows that they used to make up the A Stone's Throw From The Line live album, but the live show has some different takes from different nights of that weekend than the 2CD set does. And then there's also some single videos from alternate nights also on YouTube. There was a handy chart somewhere that showed which versions of which songs were released on Vimeo and YouTube as videos and on ASTFTL as audio.

But I'm glad you're getting the live performances as well, since there are currently only four of them available, though I have hope that videos from their other concerts will come out (like the Loreley show they did a few years ago).

-Marc.

[ProfessorPeart]

Man, you're killing me! 

That Vimeo site is not the most intuitive thing in the world. I eventually figured how to find the King's Place vids. I watched the trailer for one of them and was like, alright, not bad. Then the trailer flips to Rikard just ripping a solo. Bought both parts right there.

Not feeling that great tonight so I decided to just sit back and watch the Reflector show. This is quite awesome.

I still need to download the other shows and load them into my Plex. I have Empire on Blu so I guess I have all 4 now.

EDIT: Holy Crap! A Mead Hall In Winter. Wow, what a performance. Actually my first time hearing the song.

[The Letter M]

Man, you're killing me! 

Whelp, what can I say?  As the resident BBT megafan, I'm just making sure everyone gets a hold of everything they can, even if it's download-only digital concert videos! To be fair, I only got them myself last August, despite being out for a couple of years!

That Vimeo site is not the most intuitive thing in the world. I eventually figured how to find the King's Place vids. I watched the trailer for one of them and was like, alright, not bad. Then the trailer flips to Rikard just ripping a solo. Bought both parts right there.

Not feeling that great tonight so I decided to just sit back and watch the Reflector show. This is quite awesome.

I still need to download the other shows and load them into my Plex. I have Empire on Blu so I guess I have all 4 now.

Glad to hear you've got it all! Hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

EDIT: Holy Crap! A Mead Hall In Winter. Wow, what a performance. Actually my first time hearing the song.

"A Mead Hall In Winter" is the penultimate track and epic on Grimspound. The live version takes the song to higher levels, especially since the brass band play on it live (since there was no brass on Grimspound). Now I'm in the mood to put on Merchants Of Light as I head to bed and give myself a break from CG/WTTP.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Been a while since I watched Merchants of Light, but it was a really great video (I too only have the Vimeo version).

[Fritzinger]

For everyone who is in the Passengers Club and for some reason haven't checked out the Loreley NotP version of Mead Hall - you should definitely do that. I think it's the song's best version. The venue fits the band perfectly! Rikard takes his one solo vocal cameo towards the end to another level  Also, you can see me a couple of times rocking out in the front row 

[HOF]

For everyone who is in the Passengers Club and for some reason haven't checked out the Loreley NotP version of Mead Hall - you should definitely do that. I think it's the song's best version. The venue fits the band perfectly! Rikard takes his one solo vocal cameo towards the end to another level  Also, you can see me a couple of times rocking out in the front row 

Oh man, what an awesome experience that night must have been!

[The Letter M]

Speaking of the Loreley show, I asked in the Facebook group if it would ever be released and Greg Spawton replied "We hope to find time to mix and release Loreley this year." No specifics on how, if it'll be physical and/or digital, CD and/or BD, but I suspect we will find out soon enough. It would make for a great Christmas gift later this year, for sure. The setlist for the 2018 Loreley show is superb and includes some songs that haven't been released in other live sets. Here's the whole set, with titles in bold that are unique to this show:

The First Rebreather
Folklore
A Mead Hall In Winter
Kingmaker
Summer's Lease
Brave Captain
Prelude And Fugue (Danny Manners Keyboard solo)
Judas Unrepentant
The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
The Permanent Way
East Coast Racer
Encore:
Drums And Brass
Wassail

Roughly two hours of music, it would make for a great Empire-like release with 2CDs and a BD of the whole show. And to be honest, I wouldn't even be mad at getting a fourth live versions of "East Coast Racer" and "Wassail". 

Edit - Looks like the band's YouTube page has uploaded a video of David recording "Capitoline Venus" in the studio. Greg shared it on Facebook earlier this morning and here's what he had to say about it:

We’re coming towards the end of release week of the Welcome To The Planet album and we wanted to share one more piece of film footage.

In July of last year, David popped down to Aubitt studios in Southampton. It was where his work with BBT began in 2009 and he always enjoyed recording there. We were finishing work on the Welcome To The Planet album and he had one last song to do, which was Capitoline Venus.

David sang the song straight through four times and, for the last couple of takes, we had a camera running. The footage we are sharing today is of the fourth and final take.

What Rob Aubrey and I were not to know was that this would be the last time we would record with David at Aubitt Studios.

We hope the film gives an insight into what working with David was like. He was quick and focused when at the microphone but always ready with a laugh or smile which meant the days were full of fun.

We know we have been trying to promote new music at a time when it isn’t really that important to us, but, music is what we do and it is what David would have expected of us.

Thank you for listening.

Gregory Spawton
Big Big Train

https://youtu.be/yWtHfhctG8E

-Marc.

[HOF]

Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E

[The Letter M]

Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E

Thanks for sharing it right after I did.

But yeah, a very touching video. Had me emotional when I saw it earlier this morning on Greg's Facebook.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E

Thanks for sharing it right after I did.

But yeah, a very touching video. Had me emotional when I saw it earlier this morning on Greg's Facebook.

-Marc.

Woops, didn’t see the edit!

[Kram]

Short film of David recording his final vocal take for BBT. :-(

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWtHfhctG8E

Just watched this.  He was so amazing!  Such a loss.  I guess I got my first taste of the new album there -sounded amazing!  I started to get a bit choked up.

[RoeDent]

One thing I notice about Welcome To The Planet is how on a few tracks the brass band get to have a bit of fun instead of just playing in the straight English brass band tradition. Particularly on Bats in the Belfry and the title track.

[The Letter M]

One thing I notice about Welcome To The Planet is how on a few tracks the brass band get to have a bit of fun instead of just playing in the straight English brass band tradition. Particularly on Bats in the Belfry and the title track.

They really let loose on this album, participating on FIVE songs this time around, as opposed to two on Common Ground. And if you count the Belle Antique pressing bonus track, "Endnotes Overture", they have a whole piece to themselves!

I'm also glad that NDV seems to enjoy writing instrumentals that include them, as "Bats In The Belfry" is now his fourth instrumental piece, following on from "Pantheon", "Don't Forget The Telescope", and "Apollo", and after the latter came out, I jokingly said in the BBT Facebook forum that every album needs an NDV instrumental featuring the brass band. I guess maybe they listened because "Bats In The Belfry" is fantastic!

-Marc.

[JLa]

The brass is simply magnificent. As a former brass band player it's just a perfect combination for me!

I'm sure quite a few of you prog enthusiasts would enjoy brass music as well. It has many of the same components - long instrumental pieces with various themes weaved into each other.

[HOF]

The brass is simply magnificent. As a former brass band player it's just a perfect combination for me!

I'm sure quite a few of you prog enthusiasts would enjoy brass music as well. It has many of the same components - long instrumental pieces with various themes weaved into each other.

I don’t think of myself as a big brass fan, but in recent years I seem to be collecting a lot more music that includes it to some extent, even if it’s just the odd trumpet or horn here or there. Brass really can be very lovely and does strike a certain chord when done right.

[JLa]

I've been playing "Made from Sunshine" all day. What a tune. And "Bats in the Belfry" - so cool! I think I need this album.

[The Letter M]

Doug Helvering has posted his reaction to "Proper Jack Froster"! I haven't seen it yet as I am currently stuck at work for a couple more hours, but it's interesting to note that he asked us fellow Passengers on Facebook which song from WTTP to cover, and plenty of us brought up "Lanterna", "Proper Jack Froster", and the title track, so I hope he gets around to the other two eventually.

-Marc.

[Kram]

Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers.  I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.?  If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.

[HOF]

Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers.  I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.?  If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.

Spawton has historically been the main songwriter in the band, and is the lone member who has been constant since the band started in the early 90s. He was the main writer up until Longdon joined, and he was credited with all of The Underfall Yard as well (though Longdon had a lot of arranging and production input to those songs). From then on, he and David started splitting up the songwriting fairly evenly (or co-writing). Spawton was responsible for a lot of the signature BBT songs like Victorian Brickwork and East Coast Racer, but then Longdon did things like Uncle Jack, Judas Unrepentant, Wassail, Winkie, etc. I’d say Spawton is still the main writer, but from about Grimspound on some of the others started to contribute more material in addition to Spawton and Longdon.

But now with Carly and Dave being new writers and Nick having at least two songs on each of the last 3 albums, the band is starting to shoot off into some different directions. Rikard also has been contributing more to the last two albums since he’s the main keyboard player and main guitarist now.

[Kram]

Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers.  I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.?  If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.

Spawton has historically been the main songwriter in the band, and is the lone member who has been constant since the band started in the early 90s. He was the main writer up until Longdon joined, and he was credited with all of The Underfall Yard as well (though Longdon had a lot of arranging and production input to those songs). From then on, he and David started splitting up the songwriting fairly evenly (or co-writing). Spawton was responsible for a lot of the signature BBT songs like Victorian Brickwork and East Coast Racer, but then Longdon did things like Uncle Jack, Judas Unrepentant, Wassail, Winkie, etc. I’d say Spawton is still the main writer, but from about Grimspound on some of the others started to contribute more material in addition to Spawton and Longdon.

But now with Carly and Dave being new writers and Nick having at least two songs on each of the last 3 albums, the band is starting to shoot off into some different directions. Rikard also has been contributing more to the last two albums since he’s the main keyboard player and main guitarist now.

Great, thanks for the info HOF.  That songwriting duo of Spawton and Longdon was pretty fierce.  Incredible stuff!  Sorry for the derailment.

[HOF]

Not to derail the direction of this thread, but I have a question for you more experienced passengers.  I see a lot of talk about how the new album is different as it features more writing contributions from Rikard, Nick, Carly, etc.. Does this mean that Spawton pretty much wrote all the material from TUY, EEFP, Folklore etc.?  If so, that's some pretty remarkable song writing....dang.

Spawton has historically been the main songwriter in the band, and is the lone member who has been constant since the band started in the early 90s. He was the main writer up until Longdon joined, and he was credited with all of The Underfall Yard as well (though Longdon had a lot of arranging and production input to those songs). From then on, he and David started splitting up the songwriting fairly evenly (or co-writing). Spawton was responsible for a lot of the signature BBT songs like Victorian Brickwork and East Coast Racer, but then Longdon did things like Uncle Jack, Judas Unrepentant, Wassail, Winkie, etc. I’d say Spawton is still the main writer, but from about Grimspound on some of the others started to contribute more material in addition to Spawton and Longdon.

But now with Carly and Dave being new writers and Nick having at least two songs on each of the last 3 albums, the band is starting to shoot off into some different directions. Rikard also has been contributing more to the last two albums since he’s the main keyboard player and main guitarist now.

Great, thanks for the info HOF.  That songwriting duo of Spawton and Longdon was pretty fierce.  Incredible stuff!  Sorry for the derailment.

Not a derailment! We’ve got a couple people going through the discovery process right now, so no worries about asking any questions about the history of the band or whatever.

To be sure, Greg Spawton is a tremendous songwriter, and has been from the early days of BBT (even if the band as a whole wasn’t of the same caliber as it is now). But then Longdon also brought his own writing and arranging strengths to the band, and I think the two really did push and shape each other as musicians. They really were an amazing duo.

[ProfessorPeart]

This Friday is another Bandcamp Friday so I am going to wait until then and pick up a few more things. Hopefully, the little extra coin will help them.

I finished Reflector today and it was just spectacular. Looking forward to watching the other live shows (and everything else I still need to listen to).

[HOF]

This Friday is another Bandcamp Friday so I am going to wait until then and pick up a few more things. Hopefully, the little extra coin will help them.

I finished Reflector today and it was just spectacular. Looking forward to watching the other live shows (and everything else I still need to listen to).

As good as Reflector is, the sound and picture quality of Empire is even better. That one is so good.

[The Letter M]

This Friday is another Bandcamp Friday so I am going to wait until then and pick up a few more things. Hopefully, the little extra coin will help them.

I finished Reflector today and it was just spectacular. Looking forward to watching the other live shows (and everything else I still need to listen to).

As good as Reflector is, the sound and picture quality of Empire is even better. That one is so good.

Each live BD got better and better, from Stone & Steel to Reflectors Of Light there was a visible step-up in production, but Empire is a whole other level. Based on the video they released from the Loreley show of "Folklore", I suspect that concert will turn out pretty well whenever it is released!

And if anyone is curious, here is a playlist I put together last year of all the officially released live videos of BBT!

-Marc.

[Zydar]

At the moment I think WTTP is stronger than CG, I find I listen more to that one. Maybe because it's brand new, but CG isn't ancient either

I like to rank things, and right now these are my 10 favourite BBT songs. I haven't heard all of their stuff yet though.

Hedgerow (has overtaken JU as my #1)
Judas Unrepentant
The First Rebreather
Lost Rivers Of London
Swan Hunter
Folklore
Alive
The Strangest Times
Made From Sunshine
Lanterna

[HOF]

At the moment I think WTTP is stronger than CG, I find I listen more to that one. Maybe because it's brand new, but CG isn't ancient either

I like to rank things, and right now these are my 10 favourite BBT songs. I haven't heard all of their stuff yet though.

Hedgerow (has overtaken JU as my #1)
Judas Unrepentant
The First Rebreather
Lost Rivers Of London
Swan Hunter
Folklore
Alive
The Strangest Times
Made From Sunshine
Lanterna

Really hard to come up with a hard and fast list of favorites, but my number one is most likely Victorian Brickwork.

[The Letter M]

If I had to pick ten favorite BBT songs, these might be among them today:
Victorian Brickwork
Kingmaker
East Coast Racer
Curator Of Butterflies
The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
Brave Captain
A Mead Hall In Winter
Voyager
Atlantic Cable
London Song (Summer's Lease ver.)

That last one is probably cheating as it's really a suite of 6 songs, but it's one track!

I could probably pick more/different songs but this is how I feel today. I almost put the title track of the new album as well. I tried picking no more than 2 from an album, which kind of worked out really. Ironically, 7 of those 10 appear on Summer's Lease (the first six plus "London Song").

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Looks like I'll have to check out Summer's Lease then

[The Letter M]

Looks like I'll have to check out Summer's Lease then

It's a really beautifully put together compilation album, probably one of the best band compilations I own, especially since it isn't just a collection of all previously released material as there are some exclusive versions of songs on there, plus one entirely new song made just for it (the NDV instrumental "Don't Forget The Telescope").
Not a must-have compilation but if you're a die-hard BBT fan, it's definitely worth adding to the collection.
Here's my IG Post of the compilation from back in April 2020.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_oWnrDhPGY/?utm_medium=copy_link

-Marc.

[HOF]

Doug Helvering has posted his reaction to "Proper Jack Froster"! I haven't seen it yet as I am currently stuck at work for a couple more hours, but it's interesting to note that he asked us fellow Passengers on Facebook which song from WTTP to cover, and plenty of us brought up "Lanterna", "Proper Jack Froster", and the title track, so I hope he gets around to the other two eventually.

-Marc.

Glad that Doug has become such a supporter of the band in such a short time. Reading through the comments, I saw several people comment that they had not heard of the band before and would have to check out the album. So hopefully some new fans will be born as a result of this one.

Proper Jack Forster is the one pre-release track that I allowed myself to listen to with some frequency as it felt appropriate over the holidays. A lot of people mentioned tearing up from the video, and I definitely did the first time I watched it (this was after David passed). People were mentioning the vocal harmony on “do you remember when snow fell at Christmas,” but the part that kicks me in the gut every time is when Greg’s bass pedals kick in during the instrumental section. That’s really a standout instrumental section and solo in a catalog that’s full of amazing instrumental sections. Really love Dave Foster’s work there.

Random question though, has anyone noticed the sort of hum/buzz or maybe it’s feedback when the guitar solo starts? It almost sounds like the guitar is resonating with something else in the room (I doubt it was recorded in a room with drums, but that’s kind of what it sounds like). It’s a weird artifact that I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be there or not, but I kind of like how it gives the guitar some extra personality there.

[Kram]

To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out.  But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.

Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc..  What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?

[Fritzinger]

To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out.  But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.

Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc..  What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?

I'd say Empire has the best audio of their live albums. But it doesn't include a few essential tracks, like Victorian Brickwork and A Mead Hall In Winter. That being said, I think all of their live albums sound phenomenal.

[HOF]

To early in my discovery to list my top 10 songs, but certainly East Coast Racer & Victorian Brickwork stand out.  But so so many other great songs (Judas Unrepentant, Keeper of Abby's, Hedgerow, TUY, Swan Hunter, Fat Billy Shouts Mine, Kingmaker, Master James of St. George) I could go on and on, but don't think I'm ready to name a proper top 10 yet.

Live album question - I rarely have time to sit and watch a live BD nowadays, but I do have time to listen to music while working, driving etc..  What's the best live album to get as far as just the audio is concerned?

Glad you mentioned Fat Billy. That’s definitely a favorite that doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention.

Empire is the band’s best sounding/looking live release. It is a bit heavy on material from Grand Tour, so you might want to get that one before you watch it. But I definitely recommend Empire as a concert film that everyone should own. As Fritz said though, there are some songs exclusive to the other two live films that make them worth getting. (Victorian Brickwork, Kingmaker, etc.).