BIG BIG TRAIN : INGENIOUS DEVICES

1. East Coast Racer
2. The Book Of Ingenious Devices
3. Brooklands
4. Voyager
5. Atlantic Cable

Label : English Electric Recordings

Release Date : June 30, 2023

Length : 60:03

Review (Wikipedia) : Ingenious Devices is a compilation album by English progressive rock band Big Big Train, released on 30 June 2023. It includes four studio tracks that were recorded in 2019 and one live track that was recorded in September 2022. Three tracks are re-recordings, except for the vocals of the late David Longdon. The album includes a 17-piece string section that was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in 2018; this is featured on all of the studio tracks. These strings were recorded for the track "Voyager", from the album Grand Tour, though when it to recorded them, they also recorded strings for "East Coast Racer", from English Electric Part Two. Strings were also recorded in 2020 for the upgraded version of the track "Brooklands", which was from the Folklore album. The plan for these songs was to completely re-record them, but the death of lead singer David Longdon meant that the vocals from the original recordings would have to be used. On the decision to re-record the songs, founder and bassist Gregory Spawton said "I was always happy with the original recorded version of 'East Coast Racer', but adding the strings at Abbey Road gave the song a further lift and the new recording also features Dave Gregory's guitar solo on the closing section, a solo which has only previously featured on live performances of the song. I am pleased we now have the definitive studio version on Ingenious Devices. By contrast, I was never entirely satisfied with 'Brooklands' and felt it got a bit overlooked on the Folklore album, which is perhaps why we've not played the song live yet. The Abbey Road strings have significantly enhanced the song and I'm delighted with the outcome. The changes to 'Voyager' are more subtle but still elevate the song beyond the version on our Grand Tour album." The other two tracks are an orchestral piece called "The Book of Ingenious Devices", and a live version of the song "Atlantic Cable", from the album Common Ground, which was recorded at Friars Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in September 2022. Differences from the original versions of the songs include an extended outro section to "East Coast Racer", which was written by then keyboardist Danny Manners for live shows with a guitar solo from then guitarist Dave Gregory. This song was completely re-recorded by the 2019 line-up. "Brooklands" includes newly recorded drums, bass and bass pedals, and "Voyager" includes additional guitar and violin.

Review (ProgWereld) : Het klinkt niet direct als noodzakelijk om vier bestaande nummers opnieuw uit te brengen en daar één nieuw nummer van een dikke minuut aan toe te voegen. Maar dat is wel wat Big Big Train heeft gedaan. Het trieste verhaal is genoegzaam bekend. Eind 2021 overleed David Longdon, een van de drijvende krachten, zanger en frontman van de band. Longdon wilde nadrukkelijk dat de band door zou gaan, ook zonder hem. Dat doet Big Big Train onder andere met de uitgave “Ingenious Devices”. Hierop komen drie nummers samen die een trilogie vormen over hoe de mensheid zijn vindingrijkheid gebruikte om technologie te ontwikkelen en te gebruiken. Het gaat dan over East Coast Racer (van “English Electric, Part Two”), Brooklands (“Folklore”) en Voyager (“Grand Tour”). Als orkestraal bruggetje is het ultrakorte The Book of Ingenious Devices gecomponeerd. Het live opgenomen Atlantic Cable valt buiten de trilogie maar gaat wel over hetzelfde thema. In 2018 deed zich de mogelijkheid voor om voor East Coast Racer de strings opnieuw op te nemen met een zeventienkoppig strijkersensemble. Bij het origineel werd gebruikgemaakt van ‘slechts’ een strijkkwartet. In 2020 volgde een dergelijke oppepper voor Brooklands. Bij de opnamen van Voyager beschikte de band over een groter budget, zodat de volledige Abbey Road String Session toen al zijn opwachting maakte in de studio. East Coast Racer is absoluut een heel stuk fraaier geworden! Dit nummer is helemaal opnieuw opgenomen, op de zang van Longdon na. Frisser, rijker en levendiger knalt deze epic uit je speakers. Het zeventienkoppig strijkersensemble blaast het nummer op tot, met recht, symfonische grandeur, die zijn weerga niet kent. Hoezo symfonische rock!? Sommige passages bliezen me echt van mijn stoel. Aan het slot is ook nog de geweldige gitaarsolo van voormalig gitarist Dave Gregory toegevoegd. De band speelde die wel al live, maar ontbrak op de studio-opname. Brooklands kreeg ook een nieuwe mix en hier vallen de nieuw opgenomen drums, basgitaarpartijen en baspedalen op. Het lange instrumentale middenstuk swingt door de toegevoegde strijkers als een malle en tilt dit nummer ook tot een hoger niveau. De strijkers gaan ook heel mooi samen met de stem van Longdon. Aan Voyager is nog het minst gesleuteld, maar is met wat kleine aanpassingen, aanvullende gitaar- en vioolpartijen en een nieuwe mix, toch ook behoorlijk opgefrist. Samenvattend kunnen we stellen dat we nu de ultieme versies van deze drie epics in handen hebben. Het slotstuk Atlantic Cable is live opgenomen in Aylesbury in september 2022. Ook deze epic klinkt prima, met enkele wijzigingen in de bezetting, waaronder de nieuwe zanger Alberto Bravin. Hij laat zich van zijn beste kant zien. En ja, hij kan er ook niets aan doen dat hij David Longdon niet is. “Ingenious Devices” is geen noodzakelijke uitgave, maar wel een hele mooie aanvulling op het oeuvre van Big Big Train. Enkele belangrijke epics van de band hebben een schitterende facelift gekregen en de ‘mankind and machine’ trilogie is nu met een dikke bonus verzameld op één schijf. Dat levert een uur hele mooie muziek op.

Review (The Prog Report) : There really aren’t any rules or right or wrong things to do… but losing a key band member, especially in the tragic circumstances that we lost David Longdon, presents a lot of questions and a range of potential answers. For Big Big Train, it’s clear that it was the band’s intention, reflecting David’s stated desire, to carry on – and that’s what they did: regrouping, finding a new singer/writer/frontman, dealing with some additional line up changes, playing some shows, and setting on a course towards a new album in 2024. So the news of the release of Ingenious Devices initially left me a bit puzzled … was this a backwards step… dare I say, even a retreat to more comfortable ground? Well having listened to this almost 60 minutes of music, like me, you’ll realize it’s neither, and indeed it’s a magnificent addition to the catalog. It consists of 5 tracks and I’m going to start at the end. The album closes with a foreshadowing of the future – a version of “Atlantic Cable” recorded in Aylesbury in September 2022. This was a show I attended (you can read my review here – Concert Review: Big Big Train – Waterside Theatre) and at that time I was aware that this was a song that David never got to sing live. I remember reflecting how new singer Alberto Bravin managed to both stay faithful to the spirit of the writer/original singer, while bringing his own voice and personality to the song. It’s great to have a track from this show available to illustrate to anyone not able to see that short tour that the band’s future is in safe hands. The rest of the album focuses on three familiar BBT tracks that the band have taken the opportunity to further enhance. “East Coast Racer” started the English Electric Part Two album and is presented here in a completely new studio version, played by the 2019 line up of the band. Add to that a 17 piece string section recorded in Abbey Road and you have the ultimate version of this track. The music leaps from the speakers with a new richness, vibrancy and presence that demands it is listened to! The BBT Brass is always a treat to hear, but combined with the orchestra it’s symphonic in a way not previously imagined. By the time we reach the signature “she flies”, my breath has been taken away – wow! And there’s still the closing section to come, complete with a Dave Gregory guitar solo that is a masterpiece of performance. Any fears that this is a “filler” release are utterly dismissed… and I guarantee by the time you reach the end of this track, you will want to return to the start and play it again! But don’t … just yet … because… “The Book of Ingenious Devices” is an orchestral bridge that joins “East Coast Racer” to “Brooklands,” linking these two tracks like a monstrous prog rock epic! From trains to motor vehicles, the theme of man-made ingenuity and technology continues, as do Gregory’s guitar and the orchestra’s dynamism. With fresh drums, bass and bass pedals, this version takes “Brooklands” to a level that I’d suggest the original version never quite achieved – it stands shoulder to shoulder with ECR and holds its own. In particular the middle section, that follows Longdon’s magnificent ending to the “I was a lucky man” refrain, is a brilliant piece of arrangement – cinematic and bursting with energy, it taps into aspects of the song that were previously slightly reserved by comparison. The closing section has the lushness of the orchestra taking a supporting role to David’s vocals, each complimenting the other. “Voyager” joins directly, taking things off the earth and into space! This track, of the three remakes, is probably the least different from the original, but nevertheless the extra instrumentation and a few new parts mean it feels like a fresh listen alongside the other epics. I started with the last track and I’ll end with it too. For those of you with tickets for the forthcoming BBT shows on either side of the Atlantic (Cable!), the closing live track will demonstrate that the Train continues to roll, with new band members on board, but still producing that incredible sound. You can’t fail to be impressed by Dave Foster, Claire Lindley and Oskar Holldorff, as this track demonstrates. And the fantastic Alberto Bravin with, perhaps, the toughest shoes to fill, leads the massed vocals of the BBT Choir in the beautiful closing breakdown of the track. So please don’t mistake this album as a compilations or filler – the reinventions here are truly first class, and the live band “trailer” will leave you inspired to keep listening!