ENGLISH ELECTRIC (PART TWO)

Big Big Train in its present form, with original members Greg Spawton and Andy Poole at the helm with comrades David Longdon, Dave Gregory, Nick D'Virgilio and Danny Manners in the regular crew and the likes of fine trombonist Dave Desmond, equally fine violinist Rachel Hall, the heroic Andy Tillison and many more making important guest contributions to the two latest albums, is a formidable band that if there was any justice in the world should be headlining the music pages and magazines worldwide!! English Electric Part 1 was my number one album of last year without a shadow of a doubt and is also in my opinion on par with Selling England, Going For The One and the other old-school classics from the seventies. The "Rev" Rob Aubrey of Aubitt Studios put his remarkable sign of quality on that album. With this in mind I have been struggling with a strong anticipation and also a little fright at the prospect of the release of English Electric Part 2. But, alas, did I really have to worry about anything after all? Heavens no! This album shows us a mature band at their peak musically, lyrically, aesthetically, emotionally and in many more respects as well. There is not one weak moment here and not on Part 1 either for that matter. Show me any band of any genre who have succeeded with that in the last, say, 35 years. And did I say that Rob Aubreys shining production is totally amazing in how it gives every instrument, electrified or acoustic, its proper place and amount of contribution to the warm soundscape? Pure excellence there!! David Longdon sings like a God as always, Nick D'Virgilios effective and joyous drumming is giving the word tastefulness a new meaning and there are enough other individual musical goodies (Dave Gregorys absolutely stellar guitar playing in songs like Keeper of Abbeys for example) spread across the album to make any musiclover do cartwheels of pure joy. But I will let ye all get to know about all this yourselves and stop my happy rampbling here. Spread the word about this band, outside our ranks of progressive rock lovers! And allow yourselves the utter pleasure of hearing the best prog you can find these days! So a 5 for this one (or 5+ actually) is no exaggerated grading me thinks!! Cheers chaps and chapesses! :D