CD Review

Big Big Train
"Bard"

Rating 97%

reviewed by Charlie O'

For the last 10 years we've been telling you how good Big Big Train are! They started out with 1991's demo "From The River To The Sea" which they then re-recorded onto CD. Then came "The Infant Hercules" tape and their excellent CD "Goodbye To The Age Of Steam". This was then followed up with the slightly disappointing "English Boy Wonders" CD, but now comes "Bard" - arguably their finest work to date. And quite possibly their last. But more of that later.

Bard is over 60 minutes long and features 11 songs, ranging from the (very) short instrumental's "Malfosse", "Harold Rex Interfectus Est" and "How The Earth From This Place Has Power Over Fire" to the epics "Broken English" and "For Winter". This album sees the Dorset boys broadening their sound without diluting their heritage. Musically, they're still very much out on their own, with their own brand of very English Melodic Prog Folky Rock. Mellow guitars breathe all over the songs in a relaxing outhilation that is immeasurably pleasurable.

On "Goodbye To The Age Of Steam", they enlisted such notables as Gary Chandler and Stu Nicholson (Galahad) to help on vocal duties. This time around Martin Read's voice has improved a great deal so that he sings alone, except for backing singer Jo Michaels (below) on a few songs. Her voice adds a nice touch as you can imagine. Greg Spawton's guitars once more are a highlight on this CD.

Jo Michaels

The album kicks off with the melodic "The Last English King" before slipping into Bards first epic "Broken English", which has Jo Michaels first appearance on vocals. Martin Reads voice has come on in leaps and bounds from that first demo tape. This is 14 minutes of heaven. "This Is Where We Came In" comes in after that, picking up the groove once more, before mellowing it out with "Harold Rex..." flowing into "Blacksmithing", which is like Jadis chilling out. "Malfosse" then links this with "Love Is Her Thing" Before you know it, the music has flown beautifully through "How The Earth..." and "A Short Visit To Earth" and you're slap bang in the middle of the other epic "For Winter". Possibly the heaviest song on the album (and it's not heavy at all!) this show patches of Genesis, Deep Purple, and the rest as another 17 minutes of your life enjoyably passes by. "A Long Finish" is just that, a final finale lasting a fill 8 minutes, long by anyone elses standards.

We all think that you should buy this CD, and at least "Goodbye To The Age Of Steam" of their back catalogue (if not the rest as well!). This could be the bands last recording, due to lack of an impact in the world prog market, the guys feel that they just cant sustain themselves on their meagre earnings. Don't let a good band down! Buy the CD (for only a tenner) from www.bigbigtrain.com