Imagine for a moment a movie in which Big Big Train’s bass guitarist Greg Spawton gets into some sort of accident, falls into a coma, and dreams of a world without prog rock: No Genesis, no Yes, no Gentle Giant, no Emerson Lake and Palmer, no King Crimson, and (thankfully) no Starcastle.
Of course, it’s Greg Spawton’s coma/dream, and he remembers all the great prog music, and, in the movie dream, he can even recite the lyrics to the four songs on Yes’s Tales from Topographical Oceans! So, he puts a band together called Big Big Train to ignite the world with his beloved music – music that includes keyboards galore, multi-part epic songs, guitar, bass, and percussion (all orbiting a distant planet), and of course, a vocalist who sounds a lot like Peter Gabriel.
Given that scenario, Big Big Train’s Grand Tour is a wondrous prog album with all of the above to spare. And that’s from an old guy who loved this stuff the first time around and still has a place in his rock ‘n’ roll heart for any record that was ever graced with a Roger Dean cover.
The record begins with the short “Novum Oranum” (aka new instrument of thought, thank you Francis Bacon), which declares a concept album in process. We prog people love concept albums, because as Gary Brooker of Procol Harum fame once said, “Life is like a beanstalk, isn’t it?” And we also love the Latin! (And thank you, again, Ian Anderson with Homo Erraticus.)
The second song, “Alive,” has a longer spin life and is joyous – although, the intro is a rip of Genesis’ “Watcher of the Skies.” And speaking of Genesis, the tune recalls the deep exhale of “It,” the final song of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, without that record’s claustrophobia. “The Florentine” (a song about Leonardo DaVinci) begins with a quick acoustic guitar. It gets dramatic with violin depth, incredible synth sounds, and a clever guitar solo by Dave Gregory of XTC fame!
Sure, there are prog references all over the place. But my record collection is laced with great music like this. Just a thoughtful glance conjures names like Le Orme, Mona Lisa, Osanna, Banco, Kaipa, Latte E Miele, PFM, Finland’s finest, Wigwam, and fellow Brits like Fantasy or Cressida. And this record, in a very modern way, plays to those of us with still-attentive ears.
“Roman Stone” is the first big epic multi-part epic composition, clocking at 14-minutes plus. This one propels the band past Trespass-era Genesis into an orbit of its own design. The violin deepens the acoustic hue. There are sincere choral backing vocals; the guitar and percussion beat a rock backbone; and a trumpet, French horn, and a Tull-like flute connect the jigsaw-puzzle pieces of an instrumental section together, which gives way to a guitar/piano/vocal interlude, before the tune stretches to a sunset denouement. It’s lovely prog music.
“Pantheon” fuses King Crimson’s Discipline guitar matrix with jazzy violin, flute, and a dark mellotron sound of (yet again) Crimson – but this tie, in their very early In the Court of the Crimson King sound. Spock’s Beard drummer Nick D’Virgillio (and current Big Big Train member) wrote the tune. Go figure. And, yes, it’s a great bit of a prog rock ’n’ roll instrumental jumble.
Just an idea: “Theodora in Green and Gold” certainly fits the travelogue through Western history ethos, but really, this is the stuff in the late ’70s that sent music critics into Clash concerts. So, caution: This is (sometimes) dramatic and long-winded music with lyrics that encounter literary, mythological, and historical stuff. Look! I bought Anthony Phillips’ records way past their expiration date. I love this stuff, but for those who never wanted the Sex Pistol’s “God Save the Queen” translated into Latin, this album may be of little interest.
Two more 14-minute epics then stretch the attention span. Quite frankly, at this juncture, Big Big Train is carving its own vinyl cuneiform. “Ariel” is slow, lengthy, and linear. The song thrives on dripped passion. Then “Voyager” pumps a tougher musical pulse. Again, it’s slow and deliberate just like Peter Gabriel’s “Biko,” or, perhaps, Roy Harper’s “When the Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease” (with synthesizer sounds landing all over the place). In any event, this is very British prog iambic pentameter rock with a chaser of Genesis’ “Cinema Show.”
And then, “Homecoming” concludes an album of travel. The guitars simply laze in the lapping waves of a safe harbor. This is a final paintbrush stroke. It’s a beautiful relief. Time stands still. It’s wide-open prog-rock stuff that glides into the ending grooves of record which spins with warm eternity.
Now, as said, Big Big Train’s Grand Tour is permeated with literary, historical, and mythological references. And nothing here rocks with classical abandon like Yes’s “Roundabout” or ELP’s “Tarkus.” But as it stands, or, perhaps in an imaginary movie in which progressive rock is introduced to the world, it’s a beautiful, clever, and exquisitely arranged musical journey.
In the end, however, I can (because I’m writing this review) toss myself into the cinematic coma/dream and simply say to Greg and the other guys in Big Big Train: “I know what I like and I like what I know.” And, of course, “It’s only knock and know all, but I like it.” So yes, indeed, I’m an old prog guy, and I really like this record.
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