Label: English Electric Recordings
Release date: January 28, 2022
Production: Big Big Train
Album length: 47.12 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 10/10
On November 20, 2021, fans of the English prog rock band Big Big Train were rocked by the news that longtime singer David Longdon had died at just 56. With his vocal charisma, Longdon played one of the key roles in turning this ambitious band, which had spent years fighting for wider recognition, into one of the most respected outfits in modern progressive rock over the last decade, thanks to a run of excellent studio and live albums.
The tragic news hit the band and its fans not long after they had, somewhat surprisingly, announced the new studio album »Welcome to the Planet« at the end of October 2021. It came out just a few months after its very good predecessor »Common Ground« (2021, RockLine review). »Welcome to the Planet« was recorded with Longdon still in the lineup, and his voice carries most of the new songs. The remaining lead vocal lines were picked up by American drummer Nick D’Virgilio, Swedish guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom and guest keyboardist Carly Bryant, who sings lead on the title track. D’Virgilio, Sjöblom and bassist Greg Spawton, the last remaining founding member, are all that’s left of Big Big Train right now. Not long ago the band still had as many as seven members, but Bryant, guitarist Dave Foster and violinist Claire Lindley decided to take part in the album only as guest musicians, though that may change in the future.
It’s rare for a band with this kind of mileage to pull off a great album so soon after the last one, especially when some fans of their music have claimed they hit their creative peak a decade ago. »Welcome to the Planet« turned out to be one of their best achievements, and it’s hard to believe it marks the end of an era. Fans already got a taste of the superb quality of Longdon’s farewell album a few months earlier, when the singles »The Connection Plan«, »Lanterna« and »Made From Sunshine« dropped. They were all thrilling, and right up there with the band’s usual high standard of songwriting, arrangements and atmosphere.
Big Big Train, who despite their international lineup are perhaps the most quintessentially English band among the standout names of modern progressive rock, managed to shake off certain Genesis comparisons fairly successfully on their previous two records. Those comparisons had long followed them, mostly because of the vocal similarity between Longdon and Peter Gabriel.
Opener »Made From Sunshine« has a similar structure, upbeat vibe, bright arrangements and cheerful multi-part harmonies in the chorus as »The Strangest Times«, the opening track on »Common Ground«. Unlike that one, though, it doesn’t suffer from cheesy lyrics, which wins it a lot more sympathy right away. The orchestral arrangements are also laid out in a far more interesting and creative way. »The Connection Plan« is a very successful hybrid of the classic Big Big Train sound that defined the Longdon era and some completely new ideas, closer to what’s typical of American prog veterans Spock’s Beard. That comes courtesy of their former member D’Virgilio, who, against a backdrop of dramatic string passages and colorful keyboard-and-guitar harmonies, complements Longdon on lead vocals beautifully.
»Lanterna«, one of the album’s highlights, opens as a melancholic ballad with Longdon in great form on lead vocals. Ethereal vocal harmonies and romantically tinged symphonic arrangements soon join in, a very typical combination for this cult band. »Capitoline Venus« is a pastoral ballad built around fragile acoustic arrangements, Mellotron ‘plains’ and a moving performance from one of the best singers in modern prog rock. The brilliant instrumental »A Room With No Ceiling« is a prime example of an intelligently structured piece full of surprises and sudden shifts in atmosphere. It’s this kind of fresh songwriting ethic and a remarkable knack for creating all sorts of moods that won a band ‘written off’ two decades ago such respect among prog fans.
»Proper Jack Froster« originally came out as the ‘flagship’ track of the Christmas EP of the same name, released at the end of 2021, which also included all three of the singles mentioned above. This symphonic prog treat, with plenty of tasty folk elements, a nostalgic-pastoral vibe and a lovely interplay of male and female lead vocals, is without a doubt one of the Big Big Train classics. The adventurous instrumental »Bats in the Belfry«, released as the last »Welcome to the Planet« single, will thrill above all those who put outstanding technical polish, flawless woodwind sections, the soloing chops of individual members and complex rhythmic nuances first.
The melancholic masterpiece »Oak And Stone«, marked above all by Longdon’s heart-wrenching vocal performance, opens as a piano-driven ballad before moving into a more complex section with all kinds of jazz, folk and symphonic elements. At the end of the album, Big Big Train surprise us with the title track, a distinctly ethereal gem that brings together all the band’s trademark arranging and songwriting moves. Even though Longdon is replaced here on lead vocals by the aforementioned Bryant, she does a great job of it. The big, totally unexpected genre twist comes in the closing part of this solemn, ethereal composition, which almost ‘repaints’ it from symphonic prog into soul.
»Welcome to the Planet«, one of the best Big Big Train albums so far, is the most beautiful farewell possible to the unforgettable Longdon, and an almost perfect, though absolutely premature, end to his era. Making such a superb album, one that’s better in every respect than its far-from-weak predecessor »Common Ground«, is no easy feat and a pretty rare thing even in progressive rock. The Big Big Train trio has meanwhile announced that it will carry on, and that this will be far from their last album, but they’ll have a hard time finding a new lead singer who fits their musical vision and isn’t constantly compared to Longdon.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
– Part One:
1. Made from Sunshine (4:04)
2. The Connection Plan (3:55)
3. Lanterna (6:29)
4. Capitoline Venus (2:27)
5. A Room with No Ceiling (4:52)
– Part Two:
6. Proper Jack Froster (6:38)
7. Bats in the Belfry (4:54)
8. Oak and Stone (7:12)
9. Welcome to the Planet (6:41)
Lineup:
David Longdon – vocals
Gregory Spawton – bass guitar
Rikard Sjöblom – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Nick D’Virgilio – drums, vocals
Carly Bryant – keyboards, vocals on track 9
Dave Foster – guitar
Clare Lindley – violin, vocals
