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

[HOF]

Is the full Night of the Prog show from Loreley available somewhere?  I've found several bootlegs, but looking for the professionally shot show like the Folklore video.  Thanks

Not an officially release (yet). The band have indicated they intend to release it at some point, and I think Greg recently suggested maybe this year.

Another way to support the band and get more content is The Passengers Club. It’s a subscription that gets you access to a bunch of demos, additional unreleased videos, blog posts, etc. They add new content every two weeks, and there must be over 20 demos and other unreleased tracks that can be accessed/downloaded so far, with more being added from time to time. The quality varies depending on what era the demos come from, but for instance there is a nice demo of Capitoline Venus (with Greg on vocals) that was available well before the band ever recorded it for Welcome to the Planet. Original demos of songs like Kingmaker, Curator of Butterflies as well, and a series of interesting demos from an abandoned concept album project. It’s 30 pounds a year which is about $40 right now (or 2 years for 50), and it helps keep the band afloat so I’d say it’s been worth it for me.

https://thepassengersclub.com/unauthorised/?mepr-unauth-page=3572&redirect_to=%2Fconcourse%2F

[Kram]

Is the full Night of the Prog show from Loreley available somewhere?  I've found several bootlegs, but looking for the professionally shot show like the Folklore video.  Thanks

Not an officially release (yet). The band have indicated they intend to release it at some point, and I think Greg recently suggested maybe this year.

Another way to support the band and get more content is The Passengers Club. It’s a subscription that gets you access to a bunch of demos, additional unreleased videos, blog posts, etc. They add new content every two weeks, and there must be over 20 demos and other unreleased tracks that can be accessed/downloaded so far, with more being added from time to time. The quality varies depending on what era the demos come from, but for instance there is a nice demo of Capitoline Venus (with Greg on vocals) that was available well before the band ever recorded it for Welcome to the Planet. Original demos of songs like Kingmaker, Curator of Butterflies as well, and a series of interesting demos from an abandoned concept album project. It’s 30 pounds a year which is about $40 right now (or 2 years for 50), and it helps keep the band afloat so I’d say it’s been worth it for me.

https://thepassengersclub.com/unauthorised/?mepr-unauth-page=3572&redirect_to=%2Fconcourse%2F

Awesome. Thanks for the info. I’ll probably join to help support the band

[ProfessorPeart]

Random thought of the day, I was out most of the day so I took the opportunity to listen to EE:FP since it had been a few weeks. I absolutely prefer the live version of any song performed off of EE to the studio versions. Maybe it's the rawness and not over-produced feeling of them. They just hit harder in a live setting. Too many vocal effects and such in the studio versions. East Coast Racer was too slow. It feels faster live. Actually, I think Summoned By Bells is the only studio version that I had no issue with.

Now, oddly, I do not feel that way at all about Folklore and Grimspound. I adore the studio versions and also like the live ones.

I hadn't heard the studio version of Uncle Jack in a while and I thought it paled to the Stone & Steel version. I love that one.

I also noticed a lot of callbacks throughout the album that I missed before like East Coast Racer in Edgelands, or vice versa I guess. Oh, Edgelands is from the EP so I was right the first time.

Still haven't listened to Grand Tour or the new album yet. Still basking in the glow of the other material knowing that I still have more to discover.

[HOF]

Random thought of the day, I was out most of the day so I took the opportunity to listen to EE:FP since it had been a few weeks. I absolutely prefer the live version of any song performed off of EE to the studio versions. Maybe it's the rawness and not over-produced feeling of them. They just hit harder in a live setting. Too many vocal effects and such in the studio versions. East Coast Racer was too slow. It feels faster live. Actually, I think Summoned By Bells is the only studio version that I had no issue with.

Now, oddly, I do not feel that way at all about Folklore and Grimspound. I adore the studio versions and also like the live ones.

I hadn't heard the studio version of Uncle Jack in a while and I thought it paled to the Stone & Steel version. I love that one.

I also noticed a lot of callbacks throughout the album that I missed before like East Coast Racer in Edgelands, or vice versa I guess. Oh, Edgelands is from the EP so I was right the first time.

Still haven't listened to Grand Tour or the new album yet. Still basking in the glow of the other material knowing that I still have more to discover.

Interesting. I almost never prefer a live version to a studio version of anything, and BBT is no exception. While I love watching their live performances, I rarely listen to the audio of those on their own.

David Longdon used to do some really cool things (I thought) layering his vocals in the studio, and adding interesting sounds. Little ha’s and shhs, and sucking noises and other sound effects you don’t really register as a vocal effect. He did so much with his voice beyond just being an awesome singer!

[Kram]

Random thought of the day, I was out most of the day so I took the opportunity to listen to EE:FP since it had been a few weeks. I absolutely prefer the live version of any song performed off of EE to the studio versions. Maybe it's the rawness and not over-produced feeling of them. They just hit harder in a live setting. Too many vocal effects and such in the studio versions. East Coast Racer was too slow. It feels faster live. Actually, I think Summoned By Bells is the only studio version that I had no issue with.

Now, oddly, I do not feel that way at all about Folklore and Grimspound. I adore the studio versions and also like the live ones.

I hadn't heard the studio version of Uncle Jack in a while and I thought it paled to the Stone & Steel version. I love that one.

I also noticed a lot of callbacks throughout the album that I missed before like East Coast Racer in Edgelands, or vice versa I guess. Oh, Edgelands is from the EP so I was right the first time.

Still haven't listened to Grand Tour or the new album yet. Still basking in the glow of the other material knowing that I still have more to discover.

Interesting. I almost never prefer a live version to a studio version of anything, and BBT is no exception. While I love watching their live performances, I rarely listen to the audio of those on their own.

David Longdon used to do some really cool things (I thought) layering his vocals in the studio, and adding interesting sounds. Little ha’s and shhs, and sucking noises and other sound effects you don’t really register as a vocal effect. He did so much with his voice beyond just being an awesome singer!

I actually love both.  Was listening to both EE Full Power and A Stone's Throw this week.  While I do love the live energy on A Stone's Throw, EE Full Power is about as close to perfection for me as you can get.  Literally every song on there is awesome!

[The Letter M]

I think because I discovered the band in late 2012 before they even started playing live (in the Longdon era), the studio versions have always been my go-to for every song, though I will agree that some of the songs they've made are just better in their live format, particularly "A Mead Hall In Winter", which includes the brass ensemble (since Grimspound didn't have any brass on it at all).

But if I'm in the mood for BBT, I typically go for the studio albums, though when I'm really into it, I'll put on their live (and live-in-the-studio) performances as well to vary things up a bit.

As for EEFP having callbacks and repeated themes across the album, hearing the Full Power version after the first two individual albums came out was like a revelation for me. When all of the songs finally came together and were sorted into Full Power, everything just sort of clicked for me and things started to fall into place. It's a truly brilliant album and the sequencing of the songs from EEP1, EEP2, and MSN feels masterful and well thought out. I know some fans prefer the individual albums more, but it just feels more cohesive as a whole with EEFP, and this is coming from a fan who heard the individual albums first (and EEP2 was their first new release after I got into them). I'm also a sucker for double albums, especially ones that feel conceptual, and while EEFP isn't a narrative concept album, it's definitely thematic, and of course, musically conceptual with its shared motifs and themes across several pieces.

I am kind of wondering if the band would ever consider doing an album compilation of Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet since there are some obvious thematic connections, both lyrically and musically. It probably won't happen, but it's a fun thought!

-Marc.

[Zydar]

The studio versions is always my go-to for every song as well (and band), with the exception of Kingmaker. I prefer the version on Summer's Lease that was recorded live at Real World Studios.

[Kram]

As for EEFP having callbacks and repeated themes across the album, hearing the Full Power version after the first two individual albums came out was like a revelation for me. When all of the songs finally came together and were sorted into Full Power, everything just sort of clicked for me and things started to fall into place. It's a truly brilliant album and the sequencing of the songs from EEP1, EEP2, and MSN feels masterful and well thought out. I know some fans prefer the individual albums more, but it just feels more cohesive as a whole with EEFP, and this is coming from a fan who heard the individual albums first (and EEP2 was their first new release after I got into them). I'm also a sucker for double albums, especially ones that feel conceptual, and while EEFP isn't a narrative concept album, it's definitely thematic, and of course, musically conceptual with its shared motifs and themes across several pieces.

Yes, lots of callbacks and themes.  As I mentioned in another post, I didn't realize they changed the running order when they made EE Full Power.  I assumed the first part was EEP1 and the second half EEP2.  I think they did a pretty amazing job of reworking the running order, where it does indeed play like a double concept album.

[Fritzinger]

My buddy Theo is getting married this year and his and his fiancee's *song* is Telling The Bees. Theo is a pretty good drummer and I am a guitarist, so we decided to recruit a band out of our circle of friends and acquaintances to perform a short but sweet set of songs that connect the two. Other songs include Tears For Fears' Woman In Chains (ironically the first song that is being played on this wedding ), Laura Non C'e by Nek (was a huge hit here in Europe back when it came out and Theo's fiancee's name is Laura), Hotel California and, hold on tight, Fall From Paradise by Little River Band (yes, we recruited three singers).

I completely wrote down what every musician is playing on the original recording of Telling The Bees, apart from the keyboard part, which I had to narrow down from two keyboard players to one. Next to Fall From Paradise, Telling The Bees is by far the most complicated song out of the above mentioned. And it was "only" the ballad and probably by far the least complex one from Folklore. What a band Big Big Train is!

[HOF]

Awesome Fritz! If you get any video would be fun to see. Telling The Bees has always been one of my favorites from Folklore.

[Kram]

That's great Fritz!  Like HOF, would love to see a video of it.  Telling the Bee's is such a great song and yes, BBT are an absolutely incredible band.  Amazing songwriting and musicianship!

[425]

I'm a newcomer to BBT, having only heard The Underfall Yard before late last year. I know I have a lot to explore, including some of the most acclaimed albums, and I will do so in due time. But I just wanted to say that with both Common Ground and now Welcome to the Planet, I've had the really awesome experience of having an album start out as something with a bit of promise, then unfold itself for me, bit by bit, with each subsequent listen, to the point where I think of it as a superb achievement. If I can look forward to anything like that experience with their releases of the 2010s, and I understand that those are held in higher acclaim than the newest two, that will be something to experience. (And I need to go back to The Underfall Yard and spend more time with it.)

Still a little early to choose a favorite from Welcome to the Planet, but my favorite from Common Ground is All the Love We Can Give, which I did not give much notice at first.

[HOF]

I'm a newcomer to BBT, having only heard The Underfall Yard before late last year. I know I have a lot to explore, including some of the most acclaimed albums, and I will do so in due time. But I just wanted to say that with both Common Ground and now Welcome to the Planet, I've had the really awesome experience of having an album start out as something with a bit of promise, then unfold itself for me, bit by bit, with each subsequent listen, to the point where I think of it as a superb achievement. If I can look forward to anything like that experience with their releases of the 2010s, and I understand that those are held in higher acclaim than the newest two, that will be something to experience. (And I need to go back to The Underfall Yard and spend more time with it.)

Still a little early to choose a favorite from Welcome to the Planet, but my favorite from Common Ground is All the Love We Can Give, which I did not give much notice at first.

That’s great! I also didn’t get All The Love We Can Give at first, but now I think it’s really great. I was trying to decide the other night what my top 5 BBT albums were, and both Common Ground and Welcome to the Planet got strong consideration from me, which is saying something given they have 13 studio albums now (depending on how you count them). Those two are each a good bit different from what came before, but still maintaining as high a quality as what came before.

The run of The Underfall Yard, Far Skies Deep Time, and English Electric is still hard to top for me, but every album (including the ones before David Longdon) has aspects I really enjoy.

[ProfessorPeart]

Got my first listen to The Grand Tour. Kinda lukewarm on it right now, though it is just one listen. Voyager really stood out. NDV went a bit nuts on that thing.

Obviously need a few more listens to form a total opinion, but Voyager is a total winner right away.

[HOF]

Was randomly thinking about this video from a couple years back, because I remembered it had a snippet of new music Greg was writing and I was wondering what became of it. Turns out it was a snippet from what became Oak and Stone:

https://vimeo.com/415194237?fbclid=IwAR0Oqg4hTTilkE6G15Wx5FgPPhKEHoSuiG4WNa3gOJT8KI55SEDe3QDGqtM

[HOF]

There was a memorial event/concert for David Longdon last week with band member past and present and others in the industry as well paying tribute. I hope some of this was filmed/recorded and they make some of this available at some point.

https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158858579628668/?m_entstream_source=feed_mobile

[The Letter M]

There was a memorial event/concert for David Longdon last week with band member past and present and others in the industry as well paying tribute. I hope some of this was filmed/recorded and they make some of this available at some point.

https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158858579628668/?m_entstream_source=feed_mobile

Saw that earlier this morning. Very touching photos, so many notable musicians and guests! If I had to guess, they may release some clips on YouTube, or at very least, through the Passengers Club. If they make any or all of it available for purchase, maybe the funds could go to a notable charity? Who knows, either way, it looks like it was a wonderful event, and I'm surprised no one leaked a word of it until today! Very good secret-keepers there!

-Marc.

[HOF]

There was a memorial event/concert for David Longdon last week with band member past and present and others in the industry as well paying tribute. I hope some of this was filmed/recorded and they make some of this available at some point.

https://m.facebook.com/#!/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10158858579628668/?m_entstream_source=feed_mobile

Saw that earlier this morning. Very touching photos, so many notable musicians and guests! If I had to guess, they may release some clips on YouTube, or at very least, through the Passengers Club. If they make any or all of it available for purchase, maybe the funds could go to a notable charity? Who knows, either way, it looks like it was a wonderful event, and I'm surprised no one leaked a word of it until today! Very good secret-keepers there!

-Marc.

I figured something was up when they had a fan get together last week in the UK with Nick and Rikard in attendance. But didn’t realize anything this big was going down. Was kind of thinking/hoping they were gathering to make plans for new music, but maybe not if this was the main occasion.

[The Letter M]

From Greg Spawton today:

We are pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of the authorised biography of Big Big Train.

Big Big Train – Between The Lines documents the entire career of Big Big Train to date. From the band’s humble beginnings in Bournemouth on the UK’s south coast and its slow progress through the 1990s, Classic Rock and Prog magazine writer Grant Moon then covers Big Big Train’s endurance through the 2000s before charting the arrival into the band of drummer Nick D’Virgilio in 2007 and their breakthrough with 2009 album The Underfall Yard, their first with vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Longdon.

The book goes on to explore the band’s steady rise to greater commercial and critical success during the 2010s, including their return to live performance in 2015 and triumphant headline show at the Night Of The Prog festival at Loreley, Germany in July 2018.
 
Big Big Train – Between The Lines concludes by bringing the band’s story fully up to date, detailing last year’s Common Ground and this year’s Welcome To The Planet albums and how the band have persisted despite numerous challenges including the turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
The book was written primarily in 2020 and 2021 and completed early in 2022 to take account of David Longdon’s tragic death in November last year. Moon interviewed over 30 musicians and other individuals connected with Big Big Train and their story. These included Tony Banks of Genesis, who provides significant insight into David Longdon’s audition to replace Phil Collins in Genesis.
 
Big Big Train – Between The Lines will be published as a ca. 270-page, coffee table-style hardback book, with over 180 photographs and illustrations documenting the band’s career and the early lives of band members, many of which have never been previously published.
 
The book is available for pre-order now from Burning Shed via https://burningshed.com/store/kingmaker. All pre-orders will be signed by me and by the author Grant Moon. It is a limited edition and if we can get organised enough, we'll aim to hand number each signed copy.

Definitely a bit pricey but I'm totally ordering it.

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Yeah I saw that news posted on the BBT Facebook page. I didn't know there was a book in the works.

Definitely a bit pricey, but it looks like I'll order it any way.

[The Letter M]

Yeah I saw that news posted on the BBT Facebook page. I didn't know there was a book in the works.

Definitely a bit pricey, but it looks like I'll order it any way.

I bit the bullet and ordered it, even though after shipping and all that from Burning Shed, it came out to a little over $99. Thankfully Burning Shed uses PayPal and I was able to use PayPal's Pay-In-4 payment plan, so it'll be paid off in a couple of months. I have severe FOMO with BBT, and I'm glad I've ordered pretty much everything they've released so far since 2012 because some of their items are SUPER rare/hard to come by, and thus fetch a pretty penny on the secondary market, like the Stone & Steel blu-ray, or the original English Electric: Full Power hardcover mediabook with 96 pages of lyrics, art and liner notes inside. At least I'm not a vinyl collector, otherwise I'd be SUPER poor importing all of their vinyl as they came out over the years. I barely have enough room for my CDs/DVDs/BDs as it is, vinyl would just take up more space! 

I guess I'll have some summer reading sorted out when it arrives in late June!

-Marc.

[HOF]

Think I’ll wait a bit and see how money is in May, or if there are more concrete plans to give it US distribution. Would be nice to have an autographed copy, but buying from the UK really adds on to the price, and if a US distributor releases it around the same time I might be able to get it sooner from them than waiting for it to arrive from overseas. Will have to monitor the situation.

[The Letter M]

Think I’ll wait a bit and see how money is in May, or if there are more concrete plans to give it US distribution. Would be nice to have an autographed copy, but buying from the UK really adds on to the price, and if a US distributor releases it around the same time I might be able to get it sooner from them than waiting for it to arrive from overseas. Will have to monitor the situation.

I believe Greg has said that the publisher distributes through RSK so there might not be any US stores selling it, except maybe some through Amazon eventually, but that wasn't made very clear. And because the book is a limited edition, I worry that Burning Shed will sell out before the end of April, given how supportive a lot of Passengers are of the band.

If you want it, it might be best to text and figure out a way to get it now rather than risk paying two or three times it's current price on the secondary market.

-Marc.

[Zydar]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcNwh4BMsJb/

"Recording demos and mixing a live recording from our show at Loreley today."

[The Letter M]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcNwh4BMsJb/

"Recording demos and mixing a live recording from our show at Loreley today."

Exciting news! Hope the Loreley CD/BD set comes out before year's end! And DEMOS?! I'm anxious to hear what that's all about, but I'm sure we won't hear anything about that for awhile, at least not til next year, but I'd love to be wrong and hear some band news sooner!

-Marc.

[Kram]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcNwh4BMsJb/

"Recording demos and mixing a live recording from our show at Loreley today."

Awesome!  Best news I've heard in awhile.

[HOF]

Yeah, that’s an exciting update. Interesting to find out if these are new demos, old material, or what. I wonder if they might to try to finish off some of the solo songs that David had written (he was just about to go into the studio to record a solo album when he passed).

[HOF]

Yeah, that’s an exciting update. Interesting to find out if these are new demos, old material, or what. I wonder if they might to try to finish off some of the solo songs that David had written (he was just about to go into the studio to record a solo album when he passed).

Reading it again, they are probably making new demos, not recording songs that were previously demoed.

[ProfessorPeart]

Glad that Greg is finally getting on with Loreley. I figure he probably just didn't have time with how prolific they were during David's time. Now that they have properly grieved him and are starting to move on, he probably figured this would be a great way to honor David. I'm assuming they still don't have a lead vocalist so this gives him a chance to get this together and hopefully out. Who knows, maybe it will be packaged with some clips or something from the memorial event as a big tribute to David.

I still haven't moved on from BBT. I have a stack of music piling up of stuff I am ignoring because I can't move on still.

[Fritzinger]

I was at that Loreley show and it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen and heard. I was standing in the middle of the first row, rocking out for 2,5 hours straight with my buddy Julius. This is the first time a concert will be released for purchase where I was present. I'm very excited for this release! I seriously hope it will get a physical release, and is not just available for download or so.

[The Letter M]

I was at that Loreley show and it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen and heard. I was standing in the middle of the first row, rocking out for 2,5 hours straight with my buddy Julius. This is the first time a concert will be released for purchase where I was present. I'm very excited for this release! I seriously hope it will get a physical release, and is not just available for download or so.

Amazing! Sounds like you had a blast! And do not worry, Greg more or less confirmed it will get a BD release, so I think we can expect a package similar to EMPIRE.

-Marc.

[Zydar]

I was checking out the Loreley setlist just now, and it looks like it was a great one.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html

[The Letter M]

I was checking out the Loreley setlist just now, and it looks like it was a great one.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html

It's a great show, and I've seen an audience filmed recording of it on YouTube, but of course the official video will look and sound a LOT better.

There's a bit of overlap from the other 3 previously released live albums, but I believe this will be the first live versions of "The Permanent Way" and "Summer's Lease".

-Marc.

[Kram]

I was checking out the Loreley setlist just now, and it looks like it was a great one.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/big-big-train/2018/freilichtbuhne-loreley-st-goarshausen-germany-4bebb386.html

That's an awesome setlist - can't wait to see this!

[Kram]

I was at that Loreley show and it was one of the greatest things I've ever seen and heard. I was standing in the middle of the first row, rocking out for 2,5 hours straight with my buddy Julius. This is the first time a concert will be released for purchase where I was present. I'm very excited for this release! I seriously hope it will get a physical release, and is not just available for download or so.

That's great!  I bet we'll see you many times during the show.