As December 31st draws closer and the days to add my own “Top Ten” or “Favorites of 2016” dwindle…it’s time for something completely different (well, not totally, as our hero Dr. B routinely extols, and properly so, the merits of Tears for Fears, XTC, and other notable artists on the “fringe” of prog).

I don’t know about most of you but I still listen to CDs the majority of the time and love having a disc in my car as I drive around–especially summer.  I routinely have my one “Summer Album” that is on constant drive-time rotation.  And though the album is usually prog, this past summer of 2016 my cherished moving music was the splendid album GOOD TIMES.  I highly recommend this work for its pure fun.  Those who were pre-teens when the Monkees hit their peak know what I mean.  The reason for this particular post on Progarchy is to make a tie-in to Brad’s love of the great Andy Partridge.  Mr. Partridge pens the albums second track “You Bring the Summer.”  Micky sings and it’s 1966 all over again.  And check out this wonderful video.  Not prog, sure…but c’mon.

Mellotron set to 11

Greg Spawton,  David Longdon, Andy Poole and all the others in Big Big Train posted this on X-mas eve. ☺

Christmas Message from Big Big Train

We wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all Merry Christmas and to thank you for your continued support for the band over the last year. It goes without saying (but it can't be said enough) that we wouldn't be able to release music and videos and play gigs without the support of listeners across the world who take the trouble to spend some time with our music. Every time a listener buys a CD or an LP or a download or a concert ticket or some merchandise or streams our music it generates income which helps to pay our bills and enables the band to continue. And your support in spreading the word by talking about us to others and mentioning us on forums and reviewing our releases on Amazon and other sites helps us to grow. So thank you from all of us for what you do.

As you may have gathered, we have been extremely busy in the last few weeks finishing a new album which will be released in April next year. We will be working over Christmas to get things completed in time for mixing in January. The album started as an EP, then, as we found we had written a lot of new songs, we thought we'd make a companion album to Folklore, and then it grew still further into something which stands entirely on its own as a new studio album but which also (we hope) will act as a kind of summary of all that we have tried to achieve since we released The Underfall Yard in 2009.

After the release of the album in April, we will start preparing for our biggest gigs yet which will take place at Cadogan Hall in London in late September and early October. We also hope to be able to announce some news during next year of our first shows in mainland Europe and in the States which, if things go to plan, will take place in 2018.

So, hopefully, there will be a busy and productive time ahead for us in the next couple of years. This is important as, if we have learnt anything at all over recent months it is to be busy and active in music as much as we can whilst things are going well (to make hay whilst the sun shines.) And it is true to say that too often recently there have been cloudy skies over the rock music world. Whether it has been the untimely deaths of some of the greatest and most influential artists or the loss of some of the best and most important music magazines, things have not been good. We do hope that 2017 will prove to be a less difficult year than 2016.

Merry Christmas

Andy, Danny, Dave, David, Greg, Nick, Rachel and Rikard.
Big Big Train

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bigbigtrain/permalink/10154339693163668/

 

Now I’ve been a bit lax in reviewing this album for a number of reasons I won’t bore you with now, however it’s one that has been haunting me, and making me decide the best way to tackle the review, and anyone who usually knows me, knows I am not usually lost for words.

A bit of context, I know Liz, a multi instrumentalist and singer now based in Bristol, from many years ago in a different life and different world, when Liz was studying music at York University and I was an advertising salesman we shared a house in York for a year or so, and as these things do, our paths diverged and we only met again by chance on Whiteladies Rd in Bristol, where we both found ourselves.

Continue reading “A new voice that’s worth listening to” →

My 2016 prog exposure has been quite limited because I’ve been spending so much of it with these chaps. They’re a recent find for me, and while I am hugely sad that I’ll never see them live, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to hear them now. Much money has been spent on their back catalogue!

Yes, a Marmite band, but the genius of Mr Tim Smith and the creative chops of his band is absolutely undeniable. Something we should celebrate!