{"id":47878,"date":"2020-04-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/merchants-of-light\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T07:31:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T07:31:33","slug":"merchants-of-light","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/merchants-of-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Merchants Of Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBig Big Train is the antithesis of an overnight success story.\u201d<\/i>
\u2013 BBT Manager Nick Shilton, January 2020<\/i> <\/p>\n

Being a music writer of a certain age means having an established set of tastes and expectations and artists whose work pushes one\u2019s buttons. That history and context makes it that much tougher for anyone to storm the gates of the high-walled keep known as \u201cMy Favorite Artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Progressive rock collective Big Big Train made it inside those walls in 2009 after first coming to my attention in 2007, a decade and a half into the band\u2019s existence, at a time when I\u2019d more or less given up on the genre their music is most associated with. Despite being a longtime devotee of the band Yes, one of prog\u2019s foundational artists, I\u2019ve actually never been a big fan of the genre as such. For decades after I first encountered them, \u201970s Yes was the only group on the entire prog scene that really hit the mark for me in terms of combining instrumental virtuosity and complexity with strong vocal presence and warm, emotionally engaging songs.<\/p>\n

My expectations were thus modest when Big Big Train\u2019s album The Difference Machine<\/i> arrived unbidden in my mailbox in the dog days of summer 2007, a blind submission from an English prog band I\u2019d never heard of. I admired the artwork, scanned the one-sheet, shrugged, and decided to try it out for a couple of minutes before moving on. An hour later I was still glued to my chair. <\/p>\n

While the melancholy tone of its lyrics owes more to Dark Side Of The Moon<\/i> than Fragile, The Difference Machine<\/i> captured the band\u2019s intensity and musical charisma very well at a critical juncture. Over the course of the band\u2019s tumultuous early period, BBT co-founders Greg Spawton (guitars, keyboards, songwriting) and Andy Poole (bass, production) emerged as the only stable elements in a steadily shifting lineup that had previously issued four albums. By 2007 the lineup also featured Sean Filkins on vocals and Steve Hughes on drums, but change was in the air again, as the band\u2019s growing profile within the prog community led to TDM<\/i> featuring guest appearances from, among others, Spock\u2019s Beard drummer\/vocalist Nick D\u2019Virgilio.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Soon afterward, Filkins and Hughes departed, leaving Spawton and Poole to rebuild the group\u2019s lineup once more. First in was new lead vocalist David Longdon, a fellow Genesis enthusiast who had been one of two finalists to become that group\u2019s frontman after Phil Collins\u2019 1996 departure (a role which went to Ray Wilson). Around the same time, D’Virgilio\u2014separated from the rest of the group by an ocean and half a dozen time zones\u2014agreed to become a \u201cpermanent guest\u201d on drums and harmony vocals. Next, Longdon helped to recruit former XTC guitarist Dave Gregory into the fold. With Longdon, Spawton and Poole as the core and D\u2019Virgilio and Gregory in constant supporting roles, the band set about recording a new album.<\/p>\n

Two thousand and nine\u2019s The Underfall Yard<\/i>\u2014featuring the above quintet plus the first appearance of the Big Big Train Brass Band, a five-man horn section led by Dave Desmond\u2014proved to be the band\u2019s breakthrough, winning wide acclaim in prog circles. The album\u2019s conceptual frame\u2014songs inspired by history and celebrating the people whose imaginations and toil created modern England\u2014became the foundation for the band\u2019s songwriting going forward. With D\u2019Virgilio and Gregory subsequently signing on as full band members, the group embarked on a growth spurt that saw them deliver a pair of widely praised new albums in English Electric I <\/i>(2012) and II <\/i>(2013), which also introduced new member Danny Manners on keys and serial guest Rachel Hall on violin and harmony vocals. <\/p>\n

As the band began work on its next studio album and looked ahead to the prospect of playing its complex arrangements live for the first time in nearly two decades, Hall was added as a full band member along with Rikard Sj\u00f6blom of Beardfish on guitars, keyboards, and vocals. Both quickly became essential elements of the band\u2019s overall sound, adding fresh depth and texture both instrumentally and vocally, even as band co-founders Spawton and Poole switched over to playing bass and keyboards\/guitar, respectively.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s newly expanded lineup then proceeded to go on a creative tear, delving deeper into the historical themes of Underfall<\/i> and Electric<\/i>. First came 2016\u2019s Folklore<\/i>; then a planned supplemental EP blossomed into 2017\u2019s full-length Grimspound<\/i>. Finally, the unused bits from these two albums\u2019 sessions were collected into \u201ccompanion album\u201d The Second Brightest Star<\/i>. Soon after, Poole departed, leaving co-founder Spawton and the remaining six to forge ahead with the yet more expansive vision of Grand Tour<\/i>, winner of the 2019 Progressive Music Awards Album of the Year. After 29 years in existence, BBT was preparing for its first live dates ever in North America to happen this month, an event now postponed indefinitely by the coronavirus. <\/p>\n

Over the past decade the band has conscientiously cultivated a fan base that is both remarkably loyal and quite unique. \u201cPassengers,\u201d as they\u2019re known, gather on the BBT Facebook group<\/a> to form a mutually supportive and good-natured community that is rare among fans of any sort, but particularly in the often-fractious realm of prog. The sense of fellowship among the group\u2019s followers feels like a direct reflection of the ethos of its songs, which often celebrate Enlightenment values of history, science, art, and community. The band\u2019s ability to translate such cerebral source material into captivating, deeply emotional songs is extraordinary. <\/p>\n

At this point, the Big Big Train catalogue spans three decades and roughly a dozen lineups. In the end, though, it all comes down to the music. And the music BBT has made since The Difference Machine<\/i> is simply magnificent\u2014complex yet accessible, historical yet modern, traditional yet innovative, and consistently full of heart and passion. Much like Yes at its creative peak, playing in the band seems to have brought out the very best in every member of the current lineup\u2014which, considering their musical pedigrees, is saying something indeed.<\/p>\n

Enough preface, though. Your coach awaits. Climb on board and let\u2019s begin the journey.<\/p>\n

[Note: The list below was updated in March 2024 to reflect the four albums released since it was first published in April 2020. The intro above has not been updated, but if you’re interested in a further history of the band, interwoven with personal observations of their first U.S. tour, try this<\/a>.] <\/i><\/p>\n


16. Bard<\/i> (2002)<\/b>\"bigbigtrain_bard_150\"<\/b><\/p>\n

Big Big Train\u2019s third studio album was for many years the black sheep of its catalogue, out of print and “deleted” by the band, an indication of its principal composer Spawton\u2019s mixed feelings about it. The band\u2019s first excursion into English history, “The Last English King,” is a highlight and the album is quite proggy in structure and approach, with a pair of 14-minute-plus epics. But the songwriting and arrangements are admittedly patchy at times, with \u201cThe Last English King\u201d feeling significantly stronger both musically and lyrically than many of the record’s deeper tracks. Still, for an album recorded in Gregory Spawton’s dining room and intended as the group’s swan song, it holds up better than one might expect.<\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_goodbye_150\"<\/b>15. Goodbye To The Age Of Steam<\/i> (1994)<\/b><\/p>\n

Big Big Train\u2019s 1994 debut showcases the raw elements that would eventually evolve into the band as we know it today\u2014bright melodies, shifting themes and time signatures, references to history and philosophy mixed with more personal themes. That said, in the context of today it mainly serves as a milepost demonstrating how far the band has come from early days. Highlights include the powerful opening to \u201cWind Distorted Pioneers\u201d and the gentle elegance of instrumental \u201cDragon Bone Hill,\u201d while \u201cEdge Of The Known World\u201d foreshadows Grimspound<\/i>\u2019s \u201cExperimental Gentlemen\u201d two decades later. (Note: This ranking is based on the album\u2019s 2011 remixed reissue, featuring three bonus tracks.) <\/p>\n

\u00a014. English Boy Wonders<\/i> (1997)<\/b>
\"bigbigtrain_englishboy_150\"<\/a><\/b>
It seems that, just as every writer is compelled to write a coming-of-age story, every songwriter must write a breakup album. Big Big Train\u2019s second album English Boy Wonders<\/i> is Greg Spawton\u2019s. The Genesis\/Yes feel and punchy guitar-keyboard interplay shines on sharp jams like those found in \u201cBig Empty Skies,\u201d \u201cAlbion Perfide\u201d and \u201cReaching For John Dowland,\u201d but Read\u2019s vocals again feel mismatched whenever the proceedings turn heavier. There\u2019s also the matter of length\u2014at 14 tracks and 78 minutes, EBW<\/i> offers some wonderful bits, but its sheer size dilutes their impact. (Note: This ranking is based on the album\u2019s 2008 remixed reissue, for which Spawton also re-recorded his guitar and keyboard parts.) <\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_secondbrightest_150\"<\/a><\/b>13. The Second Brightest Star<\/i> (2017) <\/p>\n

<\/b>This \u201ccompanion album\u201d to Folklore<\/i> and Grimspound<\/i> consists of odds and ends and discarded threads remaining from their sessions. As such, it\u2019s inevitably a bit of a hodgepodge, with four instrumentals among its eight core tracks, plus extended versions of a couple of previously released suites. Highlights include the title track\u2014a melancholy midnight rumination\u2014and the evocative tunes \u201cSkylon\u201d and \u201cThe Leaden Stour.\u201d In general, The Second Brightest Star<\/i> tends to emphasize the more mellow, pastoral side of Big Big Train, while also suggesting that the band knows what it\u2019s doing when editing down to the strongest versions of both its songs and the albums they end up on. <\/p>\n

\u00a012. Gathering Speed<\/i> (2004)<\/b>\"bigbigtrain_gathering_150\"<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Another critical stepping-stone in BBT\u2019s evolution, and the first of two middle-period releases featuring Sean Filkins on lead vocals, Gathering Speed<\/i> is a concept album built around the story of a World War II fighter pilot. The band\u2019s musical game has been raised in every respect, with Spawton delivering some of his strongest guitar work on numbers like \u201cHigh Tide, Last Stand\u201d and \u201cFighter Command.\u201d GS<\/i> also delivers more pastoral\/symphonic moments (\u201cThe Road Much Further On\u201d and the opening of \u201cSky Flying On Fire\u201d), as well as the very strong title track, a mini-suite full of engaging passages. While the product of a band still in transition, Gathering Speed<\/i> gave BBT solid momentum leading into The Difference Machine<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_welcome_150\"<\/a>11. Welcome To The Planet (2022)
<\/b>
The ever-prolific Big Big Train\u2019s albums have often come in twos; like several times before, the group\u2019s 2021 outing Common Ground <\/i>left a number of strong pieces by the wayside on the path to its final track list. Welcome to the Planet<\/i> collects those holdovers and builds them into an album that can feel rather disjointed at times, but nonetheless hits on familiar themes and strengths: warmth (\u201cMade From Sunshine\u201d), sweetness (\u201cCapitoline Venus\u201d), adventure (\u201cLanterna\u201d), memory (\u201cProper Jack Froster\u201d), and history (\u201cOak And Stone\u201d). Ultimately, it\u2019s an album where, for once, the individual tracks may be greater than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_difference_150\"<\/a><\/b>10. The Difference Machine<\/i> (2007) <\/b><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already addressed above the entrancing qualities of TDM<\/i> and critical role it would play in the band\u2019s evolution. The album\u2019s first six tracks alternate between brief, atmospheric instrumental bits and 12-to-14-minute epics, with seven-minute closer \u201cSummer\u2019s Lease\u201d serving as a summation\/epilogue. \u201cPerfect Cosmic Storm\u201d features Filkins and the guesting D\u2019Virgilio on chorused lead vocals, riding exactly the sort of shifting, accelerating rhythms its title implies. The other two epics (\u201cPick Up If You\u2019re There\u201d and \u201cSaltwater Falling On Uneven Ground\u201d) and \u201cSummer\u2019s Lease\u201d are equally absorbing, with sax and viola further expanding the band\u2019s sonic palette, and pointing the way to Hall and the Brass Band. <\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_farskies_150\"<\/a><\/b>(9.5). Far Skies Deep Time<\/i> (EP) (2010)<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s technically not an album, but a 50-minute EP featuring some of the latter-day lineup\u2019s strongest early work simply demands to be included here. This batch of quote-unquote leftovers from The Underfall Yard<\/i> sessions is highlighted by a thoroughly fresh and dynamic take on early BBT track \u201cKingmaker,\u201d a brilliant cover of Anthony Phillips\u2019 \u201cMaster Of Time,\u201d and the superb 17-minute epic \u201cThe Wide Open Sea.\u201d The other three cuts are solid as well, and no self-respecting BBT fan could do without this EP in their collection. (Note: This ranking is based on the 2018 remastered reissue, including all tracks from both previous versions of the EP.) <\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_commonground_150\"<\/a><\/b>9. Common Ground<\/i> (2021)
<\/b>
Reduced to a quartet plus guests after the departure of three core members during 2020, BBT rebounded with the surprisingly strong Common Ground<\/i>, recorded entirely remotely. While it\u2019s less thematically coherent than many of their albums, its highlights are several: \u201cBlack With Ink\u201d features a band-wide vocal throwaround, \u201cDandelion Clock\u201d entrances with melody, \u201cApollo\u201d offers a bravura instrumental, \u201cCommon Ground\u201d delivers a stirring anthem to human connection, and the album\u2019s epic \u201cAtlantic Cable\u201d stands tall among the band\u2019s many memorable ones. <\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_ingenious_150\"<\/a>8. Ingenious Devices<\/i> (2023)
<\/b>
It\u2019s hard to say whether this album truly belongs here, inasmuch as it\u2019s neither entirely new nor entirely a studio album. But Ingenious Devices<\/i>, which sees BBT revisit four of its classic epics, is a remarkably strong album for what it is. \u201cEast Coast Racer\u201d receives the biggest makeover, substantially rerecorded to reflect the arrangement the band has used live, and adding the full string section that composer Gregory Spawton had envisioned from the start. \u201cBrooklands\u201d benefits from added strings and it and \u201cVoyager\u201d both get a fresh mix. A strategically placed live version of \u201cAtlantic Cable\u201d featuring new singer Alberto Bravin and the entire revamped band then points toward the future with a superb performance.<\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_grandtour_150\"<\/a>7. Grand Tour <\/i>(2019)<\/b> <\/p>\n

BBT\u2019s last studio album with the core of its 2013-20 lineup intact widened the scope of its songwriting beyond the history of England to embrace new subjects both near\u2014Continental Europe, especially Italy\u2014and far, as in the depths of outer space. In every case, the band brings the worlds its songs inhabit to three-dimensional life while telling stories of modern travelers (\u201cAlive\u201d) and Byzantine empresses (\u201cTheodora In Green And Gold\u201d), classical poets (\u201cAriel\u201d) and interstellar explorers (\u201cVoyager\u201d). By this point the seven-piece core lineup had developed an excellent feel for managing arrangements and giving each member opportunities to shine, and the end result is an album whose best moments continue to grow on me, \u201ca soul-stirring embodiment of the transformative journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Grimspound <\/i>(2017)<\/b>\"bigbigtrain_grimspound_150\"<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Originally envisioned as an EP of extras from the Folklore<\/i> sessions, Grimspound<\/i> instead proliferated into an album every bit as memorable as its parent. The group\u2019s \u201ctales from history\u201d narrative approach works magic again with the anthemic \u201cBrave Captain\u201d and \u201cExperimental Gentlemen,\u201d while \u201cMeadowland\u201d and the title track offer richly melodic odes to the land and its past. Meanwhile, Sj\u00f6blom, Longdon and Spawton team up to deliver an epic-length celebration of Enlightenment values in the remarkably dynamic, 15-minute \u201cA Mead Hall In Winter.\u201d Grimspound <\/i>is edged by Folklore<\/i> only because of my preference for the latter\u2019s deep tracks.<\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_folklore_150\"<\/a><\/b>5. Folklore<\/i> (2016) <\/b><\/p>\n

The expansive two-part English Electric<\/i> album sequence made for a tough act to follow, and adding two more members to a studio lineup now numbering eight people certainly didn\u2019t simplify the task. After working on, then abandoning a still-unreleased concept album, BBT turned its focus to the material that would become Folklore<\/i> (and subsequently also Grimspound<\/i>). The resulting album is a triumph, showcasing everything that is special about the group, from stirring rockers (\u201cWassail\u201d and the title track) to gorgeous ruminations (\u201cThe Transit Of Venus Across The Sun\u201d is sublime in every respect) to winningly told tales from history (the mid-length suites \u201cLondon Plane,\u201d \u201cWinkie\u201d and \u201cBrooklands\u201d). <\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_thelikesofus_150\"<\/a> 4. The Likes Of Us<\/i> (2024)
<\/b>
The task at hand was monumental: relaunch the band with a new lead singer (Alberto Bravin) and new keyboard player (Oskar Holldorff), just three years after its last major lineup shuffle. What\u2019s astonishing isn\u2019t simply that they achieved this goal, but that they smashed right through it and made an album that is both elegiac and celebratory, and stands with their very best work. It\u2019s simply brilliant from top (shapeshifting overture \u201cLight Left In The Day\u201d) to bottom (anthemic closer \u201cLast Eleven\u201d), with a track list highlighted by riff-heavy \u201cOblivion,\u201d gorgeous \u201cLove Is The Light,\u201d stirring, harmony-rich story-song \u201cMiramare\u201d and rangy, compelling epic \u201cBeneath The Masts.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

3. English Electric Part Two<\/i> (2013)<\/b>
<\/i>
\"bigbigtrain_englishtwo_150\"<\/a><\/b>English Electric<\/i> Parts One<\/i> and Two<\/i> deliver two full hours of music\u2014later collected and supplemented in the superb English Electric: Full Power<\/i> package\u2014centered on the working people and creators who, in Spawton\u2019s words, \u201chelped forge the English landscape.\u201d Part Two<\/i> opens with the breathtaking epic \u201cEast Coast Racer\u201d\u2014now generally regarded as BBT\u2019s signature song\u2014a 15-minute anthem celebrating a record-breaking locomotive that has all the emotion and sweep of a widescreen drama, and features outstanding performances from all concerned. Later highlights include the catchy, melodic \u201cKeeper Of Abbeys,\u201d the clever summing-up suite \u201cThe Permanent Way,\u201d and stunning, elegiac closer \u201cCurator Of Butterflies.\u201d Much like the matched pair of Folklore<\/i> and Grimspound<\/i>, EE<\/i> Part Two<\/i> is edged out by Part One<\/i> based only on my preference for the latter\u2019s deep tracks. <\/p>\n

\"bigbigtrain_english_150\"<\/a> 2. English Electric Part One<\/i> (2012)<\/b><\/p>\n

If The Underfall Yard<\/i> set the standard, English Electric Part One<\/i> proved that it was no fluke, establishing the band\u2019s new configuration as a musical force to be reckoned with. Having proved a magically good fit as the band\u2019s new lead vocalist, David Longdon proceeded to add his songwriting talents to the mix, as he and Spawton traded one instantly memorable tune after another, both individually and as collaborators. The shadowy, oppressive underground settings of \u201cThe First Rebreather\u201d and \u201cA Boy In Darkness\u201d contrast with joyous celebrations of nature\u2019s beauty above ground in \u201cUncle Jack,\u201d \u201cUpton Heath,\u201d and dynamic, singalong closer \u201cHedgerow,\u201d while Spawton movingly explores the connections between the English people and the land they inhabit in \u201cWinchester From St. Giles\u2019 Hill\u201d and \u201cSummoned By Bells.\u201d <\/p>\n

1. The Underfall Yard<\/i> (2009)\"bigbigtrain_underfall_150\"<\/a> <\/b><\/p>\n

For the 20th anniversary of the Daily Vault we invited the writing staff to share \u201c20 Albums That Influenced Me.\u201d My list<\/a> featured exactly two progressive rock albums, only one of which was issued after 1973. Nothing else since that era manifested the secret ingredients I was looking for: \u201cthe combination of warmth, flair, complexity, superb musicianship, emotional resonance, vocal quality and unique narrative perspective\u2026 This tremendous album carried every one of those key characteristics forward into a modern setting.\u201d Easing into the listener\u2019s consciousness with a steady-building sequence of thoughtful, intense songs, The Underfall Yard<\/i> peaks initially with Spawton\u2019s dynamic, moving elegy for his father, \u201cVictorian Brickwork,\u201d before scaling still-greater heights with the twisting, turning, consistently compelling and genuinely epic 23-minute title track. For this fan of a certain age, The Underfall Yard<\/i> and the song it\u2019s named for, along with “Victorian Brickwork,” remain the band\u2019s crowning achievements. <\/p>\n

(If you’ve enjoyed your journey, stop by the station master\u2019s office at www.bigbigtrain.com<\/a> to learn more.)<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Big Big Train Albums Ranked<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":48734,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"tags":[],"feature_type":[32],"class_list":["post-47878","feature","type-feature","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","feature_type-feature"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/feature"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47878"},{"taxonomy":"feature_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature_type?post=47878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}