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Big Big Train - Common Ground |
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miamiscot ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: April 23 2014 Location: Ohio Status: Offline Points: 3625 |
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I love it.
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The Prog Corner
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richardh ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29452 |
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I'm rambling a bit , but I think there was a clear continuity and consistency from Underfall yard through to The Grand Tour . This is a bit different featuring female vocals and an odd Longdon baritone. I suspect the spell of having such a settled line up has now been broken. However try finding me a better track than The Transit of Venus across the Sun and you've done well. My feeling is that their peak was Folklore ( not a bad or remotely weak track in site) and that a very slow decline set in after that. Eventually all good things come to pass. Most bands best album is around the 4th or 5th (for the sake of argument I am avoiding everything pre Underfall Yard when the line up was different) and BBT are no different imo.
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Earl of Mar ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: May 13 2020 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 1214 |
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I feel this is the weakest of the Longdon albums. It's not a poor album it's just not to me at least, terribly exciting. People have been very positive about the " epic" Atlantic Cable track. Compared to East Coast Racer, Brooklands Suite or Voyager it's average. Apollo is probably my fav favourite track.
Perhaps the more stripped down sound hasn't done it for me, but I think it's the songwriting that has dipped compared to albums like TUY, EE pt 1 and 2, Folklaw and Grand Tour. Again I have played this album around 20 times and I'm not getting that same vibe from CG. Hope the next one strikes a better chord. |
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richardh ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29452 |
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^ never thought of them ever as being bombastic but then I am an ELP fan and these things are relative!
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BrufordFreak ![]() Collaborator ![]() ![]() Honorary Collaborator Joined: January 25 2008 Location: Wisconsin Status: Offline Points: 8428 |
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I've always felt that the Dave Longdon-Dave Gregory-Nick D'Virgilio era BBT to be a bit too bombastic for my tastes--though I could sense the power and mastery in the new blood with the amazing The Underfall Yard. Now that Dave Gregory, Rachel Hall, and Andy Poole (along with Greg Spawton, the band's founder) have left/retired, I was worried, but I like the direction expressed on Common Ground--some movement back to a more delicate, pastoral sound, less bombast and prog-for-prog's sake.
Yes "The Strangest Times" is cheesy--and the next two songs weak, but after that there are some of the best BBT songs I've heard in a long time--since English Electric, Part 1. "Apollo" is definitely one of the best prog epics I've heard from 2021 and "Endnotes" reminds me of their most emotional, most powerful beauties--like "Winchester from St. Giles Hill", and "Dandelion" is beautifully simple pastoral prog folk at its finest. For those of you who've never managed to connect very well to the BBT of the last 12 years, I recommend giving a 2007's The Difference Machine a try. It remains, to this day, my very favorite BBT album. All in all, I like Common Ground. |
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Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
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essexboyinwales ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Joined: April 27 2015 Location: Bridgend Status: Offline Points: 5224 |
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At the end of the day, some people like them and others don't.
That's how it's always been with all types of music. Apart from Bohemian Rhapsody. Everyone loves that pile of prog!
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richardh ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29452 |
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...well it may be important to the annals of my crap though. We only value our own crap. Anyhow at some point I just got very tired of trying to judge whether something is 'progressive' or not. There is even a debate about what that word means in the context of music . Keith Emerson considered it was more about the way music was composed (ie not repetitious) which here we just call 'Symphonic Prog'. BBT are somewhat symph prog related but not the full blown thing . They have hooks in their music damn them!
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moshkito ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: January 04 2007 Location: Grok City Status: Offline Points: 18066 |
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Hi, It would likely result in a worse review, when you are bored senseless and immaculate by the 19th listen and nervous breakdown! ![]() ![]() ![]() Again, 50 years ago, you KNEW from the first listen if it mattered or not. But today there is so much bleach and fake color on so much music that no one knows the difference and they need 20 listens to find out what ELP, KC, PF, YES, JT, AD2, TD, KS ... and so many others were trying to do. If it took 20 listens, half of us would not bother with a review, to bore you and the fans with! ![]() Get on with the program! It's either progressive or not. And if it took 20 listens, it's just another top ten hit, not progressive or important and valuable to the annals of my crap! ![]() ![]() Edited by moshkito - October 01 2021 at 07:11 |
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com |
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essexboyinwales ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Joined: April 27 2015 Location: Bridgend Status: Offline Points: 5224 |
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Your review is a great example of why people should never be allowed to post a review within the first 6 months or 20 listens of an album
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richardh ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29452 |
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I totally thought that back in 2012 when I first heard English Electric part one and stated it more or less in my review. All I can say is that since then I've purchased nearly all their albums and will be seeing them play live for the third time next year. I suppose one reason is that they write a lot of lyrics about English industrial history and that plays into my natural patriotic spirit. I also like trains! |
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Zeph ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: November 16 2014 Location: Norway Status: Offline Points: 573 |
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I listened quite a bit to some of their previous albums, but the last three hasn't quite caught my attention. They feel too similar to my ear and I'm not able to get excited about it. Common Ground is perhaps a bit different, but at the same time not caught my ear.
It's easy listening and very well made music, just not that interesting.
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RoadLASER ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Joined: October 09 2014 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 164 |
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You can hear the entire album on Bandcamp. |
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moshkito ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: January 04 2007 Location: Grok City Status: Offline Points: 18066 |
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Hi, I've been trying to find a location where I might be able to listen to the whole thing, but so far, hearing a couple of songs on the tube, in general, I'm not impressed, and I'm already starting to feel like this is just another over blown band, that is very nice ... but it's ability and creativity is now ... forced ... in my estimation. The three pieces I have heard did not raise any attention or interest in the rest of the album at all, and I have given up looking. Honestly, while not great, it is a nice listen, but not enough to excite the inner muscles that have been hearing progressive and experimental music for almost 55 years. It's just sad to think that the only thing they can do is "songs" that might have a meaning or two ... like you and I don't have an opinion that we think makes great song copy? I want something new ... something to shake my britches from here to heck and back ... and something "conventional" is not the way I do not think!
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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com |
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RoadLASER ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() Joined: October 09 2014 Location: Russia Status: Offline Points: 164 |
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Agree. It seems to me that this is the weakest album in discography.
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richardh ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29452 |
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I would argue their pinnacle was Folklore which balanced the catchy hooks with composition and brilliant playing about right. English Electric was actually slightly too poppy to grab my attention straight away. I think the latest is a definite departure and feels more varied. It needs to settle a bit as I always argue. BBT although accessible have a lot of depth musically and that gets ignored sometimes if the hooks aren't apparent. They are the nearest thing to a modern day Genesis whereas most modern neo can sound very metal to my ears , BBT are not that!
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chopper ![]() Special Collaborator ![]() ![]() Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 13 2005 Location: Essex, UK Status: Offline Points: 20032 |
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I kind of agree, their last few albums have not really grabbed me like some of the earlier ones did.
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A Crimson Mellotron ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: September 10 2020 Location: Sofia, Bulgaria Status: Offline Points: 5690 |
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Heard the singles, not impressed, and the album was not on my to-hear list anyway, so I guess for now I will skip this one. I get a feeling BBT are also beginning to repeat themselves a little, but to the point where it becomes uninteresting; their works around the beginning of the 2010s are really good, though!
Edited by A Crimson Mellotron - August 24 2021 at 04:11 |
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TheEliteExtremophile ![]() Forum Groupie ![]() ![]() Joined: August 23 2021 Location: Seattle Status: Offline Points: 68 |
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BBT is one of those bands I have simply never, ever understood the hype for. Maybe their music is too major-key for my taste, or maybe it's just too pillowy. Either way, this just feels like another unimaginative slog to me, and I struggled to make my way through it. It's not bad. It's just dull, and it failed to grab my attention. Then again, I acknowledge I'm well in the minority on this topic.
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iluvmarillion ![]() Forum Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: February 09 2010 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 3247 |
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I maintain COVID is going to bring out a lot of creativity in the bands we love, many of whom are bringing out new albums this year. See how it transpires by the end of the year.
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richardh ![]() Prog Reviewer ![]() ![]() Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 29452 |
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Tying music to a point in history is what makes a lot of prog interesting. Nostalgia is also a very strange thing in itself. Many people looked back on WW2 as a time of unity and purpose and not just a lot of death.
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