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Bard
 Attention
all bigbigtrain fans! “Bard”, the third full studio album from this band may very
well be the last. Unless something miraculous happens (Like mellow neo- proggers buy
1,000 copies each), it appears the legacy of BBT will be a rather small collection
for a band that’s been around since 1990, although several demos do exist. Based on
information from the band’s website, a combination of factors is to blame, including
lack of support from their distributors, several disastrous live gigs, and, by their
own admission, their lack of confidence in translating the recorded music onto the
stage.
But enough doom and
gloom, let’s talk about “Bard”. BBT wanted to give the CD a title with a very
“English” feel, so what could be more English than a reference to Mr. Shakespeare?
Much of BBT’s songwriting inspiration is based on old English military history and
poems, and lyrically speaking, this translates into a kind of desperate plea from
vocalist Martin Read, wishing to become something other than what he is and/or
somewhere else in time. Female vocalist Jo Michaels, a new addition for this CD,
provides a nice counterpart for Read on some tracks, her soothing voice reminiscent
of Renaissance’s Annie Haslam.
Bibigtrain’s music, as I hear it, can best be described as easy listening
progressive with a jazz twist, although at times some of the pieces morph into
passages reminiscent of old Genesis and Yes. Greg Spawton plays some nice melodic
electric guitar solos as well as classical guitar, blending well with the keyboard
work of Tony Muller (Sorry I couldn’t find two dots to put over the “u”, Tony).
Muller can enchant you with a pretty piano interlude or hypnotize you on synthesizer
like Tony Banks used to do.
Bassist Andy Poole and drummer Pete Hibbit maintain a dynamic and rhythmic groove
throughout.
Themes are revisited throughout “Bard” and usually follow no rigid verse/chorus
structure, making it more of an “old school” type production. It’s a shame that
with the trend towards more heavy material (And progressive metal bands coming out
the wazoo) there’s not much room anymore for the laid back stuff. If this is truly
the last hurrah for bigbigtrain, we hardly knew ya.
Rating: 8 keyboards
Reviewed by: Rick Woodward
6/19/02
Visit the artist website:
big big train
Discography:
Goodbye to the Age of Steam (1994)
English Boy Wonders (1997)
Bard (2002)
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