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Big Big Train - Gathering Speed
Topic Started: Apr 22 2007, 08:32 AM (559 Views)
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Big Big Train have been on the go, in various permutations, since 1989, although this is only their fourth 'proper' release (excluding demos such as "From The River to the Sea" and "The Infant Hercules"). Picking themselves up from their dissolution after their last CD, "Bard" they've created something very special on "Gathering Speed".

They adopt a very traditional British progressive approach to their music, with hints of Jadis, IQ, Galahad and Pendragon mixed in with their own unique stylings. Unusually, they intersperse the traditional instrumentation with layers of acoustic guitar and piano, but all the requisite time signatures are in place for those in ned of a full on prog fix..

"Gathering Speed" is a fully fledged concept album - set in the summer of 1940, it tells the story of a fighter pilot whose Spitfire is seen to fall out of the sky, shot down during a combat patrol. The Battle of Britain was fought by a small number of brave, skilled, motivated men, with incredible heroism being shown by the pilots on both sides. It was a desperate struggle and the stakes could not have been higher; the historical importance of the Battle cannot be overstated. However, it is the personal experiences of the Fighter Boys of 1940 which are explored by the songs on Gathering Speed.

Everything gells superbly, with the songs and musicians in outstanding form. So many of the nuances lift this CD, especially Laura Murch on backing vocals. See the album highlight "Fighter Command" for the full effect. This is one for those who yearn for the old days of Porcupine Tree and the new days of Pineapple Thief. Superb.

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