So I wanted to compile some bits of information revealed by the band members during last week's Common Ground Listening Party, and after spending about 40-50 minutes scrolling through 1000+ comments, here's what I've come up with!
The album in general
-Spawton says dividing the album into "Part One" and "Part Two" was a "deliberate hark back to vinyl days."
-When asked what prompted Spawton to go back to using picks on this album, he said "I have a new pre-amp setup for this album (which I really like) and it suited playing with a plectrum much better. So, will probably be sticking with this setup now."
-When asked how BBT got to work with Aidan O'Rourke and if they were fans of Lau, Spawton replied "Yes, big fans. We asked and he said yes!" and Longdon said "Aidan was approached via Steve Vantsis. Yes both Greg and I like LAU."
-When asked how her first recording experience with BBT went, Carly Bryant replied "it was really lovely. They are such a great group of people and it felt very natural. I have worked with Rob Aubrey before so that was a nice familiarity and I swear he's a genius!"
-When asked about his "inspiration for the more historical songs" he writes (specifically regarding "Atlantic Cable"), Spawton replied "I collect ideas and thoughts in a notebook and then, when the time is right, try to write music and words for the most interesting ideas."
The Strangest Times
-When asked about writing a song about COVID, Longdon said "I write about the things that I feel that I need to."
-"The Strangest Times is a song about how I coped with the onset of the pandemic back in March 2020. The lyrics were written very directly about an intensely serious global situation. 'Many will die before their time' said the British prime minister (PM) Boris Johnson in his address to the nation. Scary stuff." - Longdon
-Dave Foster confirms the guitar solo was performed by him.
-Longdon says the arrangement on this track (and the title track) were by him.
-The opening song "sets the scenario of where [we] were when the album was made." - Longdon
-NDV praises Rikard's piano playing.
-"I felt writing a song about a pandemic and making it poetic or shrouded in metaphors did not really adress the severity of the times." - Longdon
All The Love We Can Give
-"David['s] voice sounds beautiful in the lower register. That is why [he is singing so low]. I thought it would be cool to do and hear." - NDV
-Longdon said "NDV wanted me to sing the song in the lower register. I wanted to give him what he wanted." to which NDV replied "[A]nd boy did you give it to me David! YES!!!"
-When asked if this song was leftover from his solo album Invisible, NDV replied "No it was completely new and written for BBT."
Black With Ink
-Greg Spawton praises Rob (Aubrey) for his mixing on this song when replying to a comment of "Great bass sound".
-Spawton confirms that the lyric "Common ground" appearing in this song was not a coincidence.
-This song "was actually an older track that was going to be part of a concept record. That got scrapped and thankfully that tune was hangin around just waiting to be recorded." - NDV
-When asked if BWI was ever planned to be a traditional style BBT epic or if it was always an uptempo rock number, Greg replies that it was "always a rock number."
Dandelion Clock
-"XTC have a lovely song called Humble Daisy. I wanted to write about a different garden weed." - Spawton
-"David had a big influence on this song, with piano and vocal arrangements. A lot of Carly in the vocal mix too." - Spawton
Headwaters
-"Headwaters is a bookend piece which Rikard composed using the theme in the closing section of Endnotes." - Spawton
Apollo
-"I just wanted to write a quintessential BBT instrumental that could become our long time show closer. The guys and gals in this band are monster players and I wanted to make something to challenge them and have [fun?] with. With the intention of making it not so crazy muso that it would make peoples head spin and to top it off, have a singable melody for the long outro." - NDV
-"Has a kind of Jacuzzi by Steve Hackett [feel] in places." - Spawton
-When asked if "Apollo" is a reference to the god or the space program, Spawton replied "Both."
-The band are very excited about bringing this song to the stage, with specific reactions from Spawton, NDV and Dave Desmond.
-When asked if "Apollo" is the most difficult BBT song for flute, Longdon replied "I don't really view things in terms of difficulty. It's all about the melody for me."
Common Ground
-Replying to a comment that one Passenger "would consider 'Common Ground' a love song to humanity", Longdon agreed that it is.
-Longdon says his inspiration for this song was "the coming together of people."
Atlantic Cable
-"So, the first four minutes of Atlantic Cable was originally going to be on piano. Then Rikard got his big organ out again and changed everything." - Spawton
-NDV said this song "was an absolute blast to play drums on" and Spawton replied "We are gonna rock this live dude!"
-Dave Foster confirms that the guitar solo around 12-13 minutes in is his performance.
-Spawton "sat next to Dave (Foster) while he played this fast guitar solo on Atlantic Cable at Real World (Studios). Jaw-dropping."
-"These closing words of Atlantic Cable are based on a quote from Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, a Roman governor in the 4th century." - Spawton
Endnotes
-Spawton confirms that this song "is indeed for my beautiful wife, Kathy."
-It is noted that "cabbage white" and "chalk hill blue" are types of butterflies.
-When asked if, based on the song's title, "Endnotes" was always intended to be the album closer, Spawton replied "yes, that was always the plan."
-"The second chorus of Endnotes is a number of simple statements about enjoying life. Sometimes choruses need to be direct and simple." - Spawton
-"I hold the bass pedal on a single note here for nearly a minute to build up some tension until David sings the final word of the album." - Spawton
-"When asked if the final lyric "Down the river / to the sea" was a reference to the band's first demo, Greg replied "it's all connected, yes."
....Whew! Hope the few BBT fans here find this insteresting, especially for those of you who did not make it to the listening party (which may have been everyone here but me lol).
-Marc.