Tag: Big Big Train

Rick’s Quick Takes: What a (Buncha) Concept(s)!

On By kruekuttIn art rock, Big Big Train, hard rock, Insideout Music, jazz, Neal Morse, progressive rockLeave a comment

I might be stretching this a bit, but I’d say that, whether it’s an album that tells a story or a collection that marks an anniversary or achievement (or maybe some do both), every one of the releases below has a concept behind it. Your mileage may vary, but keep that thought in mind as you read on. (Note: listening links are included in each album’s title listing; purchase links are included at the end of each review.)

Big Big Train, Woodcut: Nothing but kudos for BBT’s first rock opera from this corner! As I’ve said elsewhere, this band’s chemistry is a big part of why Woodcut is so strong, engrossing in a way that feels natural and organic. So many highlights here: The precise, tough group riffs of “The Artist” and “Albion Press,” accented with Greg Spawton’s distinctive bass licks and chiming 12-string guitar; “The Sharpest Blade’s”folk/metal mash-up, with Clare Lindley and Alberto Bravin working as lyrical and vocal foils to explore darker mental states; Nick D’Virgilio’s tour de force “Warp and Weft”, featuring herky-jerky guitar licks, spot-on a cappella backup vocals, and a soulful NDV lead. The entire album flows – especially from “Light Without Heat” through “Last Stand”, a finale that holds its own alongside any genre classic you could name. It’s all there: expansive musical themes, inspired solo work (especially from Oskar Holldorff and Rikard Sjoblom), gripping instrumental development in “Cut and Run” to set up the cathartic final anthem “Counting Stars”, with Bravin’s vocals soaring above it all. To sum up my reaction to Woodcut, the first time I heard it, I was definitely impressed; now, on repeat listens, it genuinely moves me. In other words, it does for me what Big Big Train’s music has consistently done for nearly ten years now. (Buy from The Band Wagon USA – and definitely pick up Andy Stuart’s book on the making and meaning of the album; it’s the closest you’ll get to the super-deluxe liner notes Passengers like me crave!)

Neal Morse Band (NMB), L.I.F.T: Whatever your take on the title acronym, Neal Morse and his compatriots (complete with Mike Portnoy parachuting in from Dream Theater’s drum throne) know how to whip up an epic. The structure may not be much different from previous efforts (though the first track is titled “Beginning” instead of “Overture”for a change) but there are plenty of musical twists and turns as L.I.F.T.’s everyman protagonist journeys from despair to delight via divine intervention. We get the heartland rock thrust of “Fully Alive”; the hard and heavy “Hurt People” with Eric Gillette contributing monstrous guitar and vocals; the multi-part altar call “Reaching”, featuring fabulous harmonizing and a collective shred over Bill Hubauer’s braying synth fanfares; the U2ish echofest “Carry You Again” propelled by Morse’s voice of God and Randy George’s fleet bass work. And wonders of wonders, “Love All Along” is a climactic conversion power ballad with a spine, effortlessly weaving in core lyrics and themes as Morse, Gillette and Hubauer take the whole thing higher multiple times! Great material, great playing; immediately qualifying for my year-end Favorites list, this is the best NMB has sounded since The Similitude of a Dream. (Buy from Radiant Records.)

Squeeze, Trixies: Fifty years on, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook recover a lost past. Imagine a pair of working-class teenage Brit musicians, fallen head over heels for slice-of-life vignettes in the throes of the glam/prog/pub rock scrum of 1974. What else could they come up with but an concept album about the habitues of a sleazy, mobbed up members-only nightclub? Fleshed out from recently recovered original demos, this is vintage Squeeze in every sense; Difford’s clever yet plainspoken lyrics and Tillbrook’s sinuous, conversational melodies were already in place, even on influence-heavy tunes like the Bowie-adjacent “The Place We Call Mars”. These evocative sketches of characters (sympathetic or otherwise) whose lives revolve around Trixies (a stage, a haven, a gas, the place to be, ” Hell on Earth”, depending on who’s talking) pre-echo future classics like “Tempted” and “Hourglass”; the pin sharp current lineup of Squeeze, led by producer/bassist Owen Biddle, expertly weave convincing cabaret (“What More Can I Say”, “Good Riddance”) and stomping rock (“Why Don’t You”, “The Jaguars”) around their leaders’ smooth and salty vocals to craft a seamless whole. With this plus another entire album of new songs already in the can, the Lennon & McCartney of the 1980s seem primed to wow both waiting fans and unsuspecting listeners once again. (Buy from Rough Trade.)

Miles Davis, The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965: When Columbia recorded seven sets of Miles and his “Second Great Quintet” over two nights in a Chicago club, then tossed the tapes in a vault for twentysome years, did they realize they were sitting on a Rosetta Stone of modern jazz? That’s how these shockingly creative performances were greeted when they finally emerged, and it’s why this fresh reissue (an instant Favorite) is so welcome. Recovering from illness, Davis started the stand playing spaces as much as notes, then coming alive as he realized bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams’ commitment to new heights of rhythmic gamesmanship, stretching the beat to the breaking point and swinging all the while. Taking their cues, Herbie Hancock switched between single note bop lines and elliptical chording that clouded the harmony instead of clarifying it; all this proved catnip for Miles (constantly drilling through to the abstract essence of the melody) and saxophonist Wayne Shorter (getting gone from the start, launching fragments suggesting multiple keys and rhythms that coalesced into something strange yet true). It’s safe to say that the Plugged Nickel crowd had never heard blues (“Walkin'”), jazz standards (“Round Midnight”), ballads (“My Funny Valentine”, “Autumn Leaves”) and Davis’ signature tunes (“Milestones”, So What”) rendered in this fashion: floating and furious, following the multitonal trails blazed by Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane to break open fresh facets of already classic material. The third time (of at least five) Davis changed jazz, a key to so much great music that followed in his footsteps. (Buy from the Miles Davis 100 webstore.)

Bill Evans Trio, Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings: If 1960s Miles was about freer, rougher expressionism, Evans (previously the pianist on Davis’ essential Kind of Blue) pursued the opposite affect – a harmonically refined, classically-tinged impressionism – throughout his painfully self-sabotaging career. But in the end, these proved diametric approaches in pursuit of the same goal: near-telepathic sensitivity within the small jazz group, leading to a unity founded in diversity of utterance. Evans’ first trio (with the phenomenally gifted Scott LaFaro on bass and the delicately grooving Paul Motian on drums) took this “conversation of equals” approach to astonishing heights before LaFaro’s tragic accidental death, mere days after their definitive recording live at New York City’s Village Vanguard; but the trio’s two studio albums Portrait in Jazz and Explorations are only micromillimeters below that exalted benchmark. Haunted Heart collects every take from those studio sessions, an embarrassment of musical riches. Through numerous, remarkably varied runthroughs and masters, Evans, LaFaro and Motian lovingly probe the essence of each tune; the quiet fire of ballads “When I Fall in Love” and “How Deep Is the Ocean” proves as engrossing as the restrained yet unmistakable drive of Evans’ “Peri’s Scope” and Miles’ “Nardis”, giving the lie to later critics who equated Evans’ ethos with shallow, unswinging lounge music. Evans has probably been the single most influential pianist in jazz from his heyday right up to the present, and this delectable collection shows why. (Buy from Craft Recordings.)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bold As Love: This new 4-CD/BluRay set prompted a my first deep dive into Hendrix’s music in a long time. I came away unable to pick a clear favorite of the Experience studio albums; they’re all equally mind blowing in the best sense, as Jimi, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell melded the blues, psychedelia and soul into something utterly primal, yet progressive in every sense of the word. So bringing 1967’s Axis: Bold As Love’s mono and stereo mixes together with an Atmos version, session outtakes, live tracks and the occasional media promo appearance is as good a way as any to get a handle on Hendrix’s unique, eclectic genius. What the wild stereo panning and goofy humor of intro “EXP”, the breathtaking funk groove of “Wait Till Tomorrow”, the aching warmth of “Little Wing” and “One Rainy Wish” and the trippy fuzz of “If 6 Was 9” have in common is mind and heart in communion, longing and exultation running side by side, each informing and nourishing the other. And as with all of Hendrix’s work, this album proves yet again how utterly essential the man was in the development of the electric guitar; almost every track features an innovative lick that David Gilmour, Steve Howe or Robert Fripp took, ran with and made their own on some of my (and probably your) favorite albums. Rock lovers simply cannot go wrong listening to this. (Buy from the Hendrix webstore.)

No-Man, Loveblows & Lovecries (30th Anniversary); Scatter (Lost Not Lost Volume 2, 1991-1997): All the material on this double-disc Loveblows & Lovecries was also on 2024’s Housekeeping box, but for those who missed it (as well as hardcore fans of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson – guilty!), it’s good to have No-Man’s debut album and its offshoots in one compact edition. With violinist Ben Coleman as equal contributor, Bowness and Wilson faced the challenge of balancing their muse’s promptings with the market-focused demands of label One Little Indian; the result is a seductive blend of artistic ambition (whether channeled into wicked dance grooves or lush, demonstrative ballads) and stoically-sung emotional torment. But Scatter is the fresh revelation here! These offcuts often go against the grain of the album projects they hail from; the gorgeous melancholy of “All the Reasons” proved as unsuitable to the extravagant mayhem of Wild Opera as the warped industrial jazz of “Gothgirl Killer” and “Samaritan Snare” to Returning Jesus‘ minimalist calm. Then there are the Flowermouth outtakes”Hard Shoulder” and “Coming Through Slaughter”, with King Crimson mainmen Robert Fripp and Mel Collins providing the necessary instrumental wigouts. Scatter is a surprisingly unified collection, a year-end Favorite in waiting, and perhaps the perfect introduction to No-Man’s special blend of quiet and chaos. (Buy from Burning Shed.)

Yes, Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition): Decades after the backlash surrounding its release, Topographic Oceans remains a double album easily vilified, but not lightly dismissed. Yes was committed to going over the top here; the journey from the extended song-form of “The Revealing Science of God” through the primal skronk of “The Remembering” and the multidirectional meanderings of “The Ancient” to the focused finale “Ritual” made few concessions to immediate comprehensibility and none to commerciality. In retrospect, it was a genuinely brave move, with Jon Anderson and Steve Howe leading the charge to the outer limits, Chris Squire and Alan White following gamely in their wake, and Rick Wakeman wondering what to do with himself as Yes’ tight arrangements gave way to spacious improvisation. In some ways, the three live concerts contained in this 15-disc LP/CD/BluRay box are the best showcase of Topographic’s full potential; even Wakeman rips it up on the Moog during Manchester’s version of “The Remembering”, while Howe consistently goes wild, his daring guitar arabesques setting off Anderson’s mystical hippie word salad to perfection. As always, Steven Wilson’s fresh remixes buff up every musical destination and detour to maximum clarity; plus there are instrumental-only versions, freshly discovered working tracks, and the usual plethora of extras. Probably the ultimate version of what remains Yes’ proggiest, grandest gesture. (Buy from Rhino.)

— Rick Krueger

Big Big Train’s Alberto Bravin: the 2026 Progarchy Interview!

On By kruekuttIn Big Big Train, Insideout Music, progressive rockLeave a comment

Two years on from our first chat, Alberto Bravin of Big Big Train joins us again to bring us the inside scoop on the superb new BBT album Woodcut, released February 6th on Sony’s InsideOut label. (Woodcut is available for preorder on CD, CD/BluRay combo and vinyl from The Band Wagon USA and Burning Shed. Andy Stuart’s companion book Woodcut: The Making and the Meaning from Greg Spawton’s Kingmaker Publishing is also available.)

For Woodcut, Alberto was in on the genesis of the album concept and composed a substantial chunk of the material; in the studio, he sang lead vocals, played guitar and keys, and produced the whole thing – so he has plenty to share about its creation! A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows the video.

So, first of all, congratulations on Woodcut. I’ve been able to listen to it and I’m really impressed and moved by it. It’s a powerful album.

Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.

You’re welcome. So, what was the original spark for its concept?

So, it was really random. Because we never talk about doing a concept seriously. Like, sitting down and saying, “Okay, we’re doing a concept album now.” We’ve never done it. So, me and Greg, we were on tour. We were in Oslo at the [Edvard] Munch Museum.

Okay.

And it was just me and Greg. I mean, we wake up early. We like to have a walk in the early morning. So, we went there and it’s an incredible place. Really, really nice. And everybody knows Munch for “The Scream.” That it’s his most famous painting. But I didn’t know, he actually made a lot of woodcuts.

So, we were there and there was a part of the museum about these woodcuts. And I know what a woodcut is. But I didn’t know that in English you call it woodcut. I knew the Italian word, but not the English word. So, as soon as I’ve seen the name woodcut, I just looked at Greg. And Greg looked at me and we said, “Oh, this is the title of a concept album!”[Laughs]

So, that moment was the actual spark of the concept. And we had no music, no story, no lyrics, nothing; it was just the title. And we started to work from there. [Laughs]

So, once you had that brain spark, how did the rest of the band react? And how did you go about fleshing out what would come from just that word association?

So, as I said, we were on tour. We were like on the bus together. And I think that night or maybe the day after, we just thought about it, me and Greg. And we said, “I think this is a good pitch to tell them what it could be about.” At the beginning, the idea was to write a story about Munch. That was the first idea. “Oh, he has an interesting story; it could be interesting.”

But then we wanted to have a little bit more freedom on the story. So, we kind of invented our own artist there. But we had this idea of a struggling artist. And it could have been something a little bit more magical. And the idea was to have kind of a dark album. But with the Big Big Train stamp on it.

So, we just told the other guys! Like a stream of words and stuff. And everybody was, “oh, this is great! Let’s do it!” And from there, everybody was aware of this. And everybody wrote some ideas or some songs or some melodies and stuff, and put it on a Dropbox folder. And then we started from there. We started from the music, actually. The lyrics came later.

Okay. And I know that happens a lot in the rock and roll field. You get the music and then you get the lyrics to go with it.

Yeah.

It’s also interesting to me, because certainly in Big Big Train’s history, there’s been this sense of craftsmanship. Of creativity. You see that in the lyrics. You see that in the sort of artisan, bespoke way the band has been run for such a long time. But it’s interesting that you decided to go in a slightly darker direction with it. That’s not necessarily what people have come to expect. Which I suppose is one reason to do it!

No, absolutely. I mean, if it’s easy, [laughs] I don’t like it. I want to do, every time, something different. And the approach was really different from The Likes of Us, the previous album, where we had some songs that were already there. And we kind of went for the Big Big Train way. Everything sounded, apart from the singer of course, like Big Big Train.

I think this time – this is just the photo of the band now. So there was nothing like a thought or something that we sat down and said, “Oh, we have to do this.” It was just so easy! We just wrote those songs and I put them together. And it just sounds like us now.

Well, yes. A couple of things pop in my head. First of all, I’ve seen you guys live twice with you in the lead. And both times I’ve noticed, wow, these guys really like each other and really like playing with each other. That vibe is constantly coming off the stage.

Oh, yeah.

And the other thing that I noticed when I was listening to Woodcut, I mean, it doesn’t have one extended track. The whole thing has that sense of organic growth, of heading for a destination.

Yeah.

And my question was going to be, did that fall into place? Was it a lot of hard work to get there? Or was it kind of both of the above?

It was a crazy amount of work. I mean, we had this folder with a lot of songs, songs and melodies, ideas and stuff.

From day one, I had the idea of, “If we’re doing a concept album. It’s going to be a proper concept album, like one hour of music. No stop. You cannot skip it. [Laughs] You have to listen to it.” So, yeah, the idea was that. Like a flow, like everything had to be linked and everything like this one song when it’s going to go into the other.

And so I put all the ideas and all the songs and all the melodies in a Logic project, like the DAW [digital audio workstation] that I use to do production and mixing and stuff. I had everything just laid down. And so from there, I tried to put them together like a Tetris thing. And I was like a crazy, crazy guy. I just cut it and pasted it and changed the keys and pitch. It was like a crazy, crazy moment. But I had the idea of this stream of music.

And whenever I was listening, I was hearing a strong theme or a line – of course, I didn’t invent something. It is the progressive thing – you have a theme, you repeat it. So I tried to do that as much as possible, find the way to put everything [in]. All the themes are repeating during the album. And one time it’s the trumpet; one time it’s the vocals; one time it’s guitar and everything put together.

So I remember I was working. I mean, I worked, more of one month just to have the initial idea of something. Because I wanted to present to the guys that – what I had in mind. Maybe it was a mistake! OK, I throw away one month of my life! But I wanted to. And so everybody was saying, “what is Alberto doing? Where’s the music?” They were waiting for me to just send a file to listen to!

And then I did actually. And everybody was really happy! Of course, we changed stuff; we changed it in the pre-production. But then when we went to the studio to record the album, we changed it again! We changed the set list; one song was completely written in the studio. We’re playing with these guys, it’s like this. We can do it! So it’s good.

Yeah. Before we go on into the recording process, just a little bit, you mentioned you were kind of following the classic concept album/rock opera model. It starts here; it goes to there. And I know Greg has mentioned in the publicity [Genesis’] The Lamb [Lies Down on Broadway] and [Yes’ Tales from]Topographic Oceans as the two [of the most] famous or infamous prog albums out there. Can you think of any models from prog history that maybe influenced you or even any that you tried to avoid?

[Laughs] I think so. I mean, I’m a huge fan of Transatlantic! And [The] Whirlwind is one of my favorite albums of all time. So that was that was one of – the ideas where, “oh, OK, they’re repeating this.” I mean, I love Neal [Morse]. He became like, well, not a friend; I know him, I sang with him and I was just a fan and I’m still a fan. But now knowing him, it was magical. I’m a huge, huge fan. So I love that.

But actually, I also listened to The Incident by Porcupine Tree. That’s a little bit more metal thing. But for the ideas, sometimes you can take the ideas.

And actually, I always go back to The Beatles and the Abbey Road medley. Sometimes always something where I have to refresh my ears. So I listen to that. “Oh, they did this in ‘69. I can do something in 2026! So let me try to do something.”

Exactly. All those really resonate with me: Transatlantic was kind of my gateway drug back into prog after some time away. And Abbey Road I’ve loved since I was a kid.

Yeah! And of course, Genesis, of course Yes. There are a lot of incredible concept albums. But yeah, those were “just go in there, just in the background, just to have a listen and to get inspired.”

Well, you learn from the masters, it’s true.

Absolutely, yes, of course.

So I wanted to play kind of a lightning round game with you. And this can be maybe talking about your time in the studio, especially, but also about the rest of the development process. I wanted to ask you your perspective on what each of your bandmates kind of brought to Woodcut that’s special.

[More after the jump . . .]

Continue reading “Big Big Train’s Alberto Bravin: the 2026 Progarchy Interview!” →

Rick’s Quick Takes for Q4!

On By kruekuttIn art rock, avant-garde, Big Big Train, hard rock, Insideout Music, Pink Floyd, pop, progressive metal, progressive rock, psychedelic rockLeave a comment

No haikus this time, I promise! However, I am going to try and make up for my recent radio silence by covering a lot of ground at a fast and furious pace. Listening links will be available in the title listings. Buckle up . . .

Completely new & noteworthy releases have seemed few and far between the last few months — although I’ve not yet heard the new Neal Morse album Time Lord has so fulsomely praised. My hands-down favorite (easily making my year-end shortlist) has to be Firebrand, the farewell album from Norwegian keyboard trio Ring Van Möbius. On three extended tracks, Thor Erik Helgesen delivers more frenzied organ riffs and howling modular synthesizer licks per minute than we’ve heard since the glory days of Emerson, Lake & Palmer — plus thoroughly unhinged singing of Dag Olav Husås’ trippy lyrics to boot! With Havard Rasmussen’s growling bass and Husås’ throbbing percussion driving the album to multiple shattering climaxes, Firebrand is a demented psychedlic journey to the outer limits of angular, aggressive prog — and all the more gripping on account of it! Meanwhile Tony Levin, Markus Reuter and Pat Mastoletto are back as Stick Men for a 5-track EP of new material, Brutal. This one packs a serious, King Crimson-adjacent punch; the title track, “Bash Machine” and “Pulp” all live up to their names, leaping out of the speakers with heady abandon, precision instrumental riffery, and dense blocks of hardcore sound. More, please! And whatever the debate over the merits of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film One Battle After Another, Jonny Greenwood provides yet another arresting soundtrack for the director; this time around, Greenwood foregrounds jagged piano over his exquisitely modernist orchestral textures (as well as the occasional gnarly reminder of his trademark guitar sounds in Radiohead and The Smile).

On the other hand, there’s a motherlode of excellent live albums out this quarter! Big Big Train score yet again with Are We Nearly There Yet?, as Alberto Bravin, Greg Spawton and their band of equals blitz through 2024’s fabulous The Likes of Us on disc 1, then gloriously reaffirm BBT back-catalog highlights and rarities on disc 2. District 97 has buffed up and expanded their stellar 2013 collaboration with John Wetton, One More Red Night: Live in Chicago, doubling the disc’s playing time with the Wetton/Leslie Hunt duet “The Perfect Young Man” and D97’s debut album epic “Mindscan”. Reunited with Mike Portnoy, Dream Theater’s 3-CD, 2-BluRay Quarantieme: Live a Paris is an unbeatable 40th-anniversary souvenir; from the crunchy, complex metal of “Metropolis” and Scenes from a Memory through phone-waving power ballads like “Hollow Years” and “The Spirit Carries On” to full-on prog suites “Stream of Consciousness” and “Octavarium”, the entire band operates at a new peak. And, while mashing up a new production of Hamlet with songs from Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Thom Yorke decided the group’s concert takes on the material deserved their own release. Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003-2009) is a banger well worth fans’ time; Radiohead is at their most feral here, squeezing fresh juice from the album’s fuzzed-up, squelchy snapshots of cultural unease with a tightened-up yet wilder sound.

Still, two live particular live releases stood out for me. David Gilmour’s 2024 tour set, available as audio from throughout (The Luck and Strange Concerts) or breathtaking video of a single show (Live at the Circus Maximus), is sleek and spectacular in equal measure, the subdued melancholy and sublimated anger of his solo albums and late Pink Floyd interlaced with the familiar flavors of selected Floyd classics. One of the best things about this set is that it isn’t all Gilmour’s baby: Greg Phillinganes ably fills the keyboard and vocal roles of Richard Wright on “Time”; daughter Romany visibly steals the Rome audience’s heart with her lead vocal on “Between Two Points”; backing vocalists Louise Campbell and The Webb Sisters light up a fresh take on “The Great Gig in the Sky” plus recent solo songs “The Piper’s Call” and “A Boat Lies Waiting”. But Gilmour is still the star, never disappointing on the standards, raising chills with his singing and solos every bit as much on “A Great Day for Freedom” and “High Hopes” as on “Wish You Were Here” and “Comfortably Numb”, his young backing band keeping up all the while. Unmissable, and a unquestioned 2025 Favorite, especially the video version.

Plus, just this past week I discovered my holiday album of the year! Yorkshire songstress Kate Rusby, “the nightingale of Barnsleydale”, has made eight Christmas albums in the last two decades; her latest, Christmas Is Merry, is a live compilation from recent December tours that celebrates the season with the joy and awe it deserves. From whimsical takes on Tin Pan alley chestnuts (“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”) to rumbustious traditional carols (“Hark Hark”, “Sunny Bank”) to off-center originals (“Glorious”), all backed by a trad folk band and brass, Rusby is guaranteed to raise a smile. And when she switches to her intimate croon for the foreboding “The Moon Shines Bright” and a hushed “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, I dare you not to be moved. An immediate 2025 Favorite; you really need to hear this.

There have been first-rate reissues aplenty as well. My Favorites have been: The Zombies’ long-neglected Summer of Love classic Odessey and Oracle remastered in mono, with Colin Blunstone’s sublime vocals and Rod Argent’s classically tinged organ propelling an impressively mature song suite; the 20th anniversary remaster of Sigur Ros’ Takk — a delightfully imaginative, massively symphonic highlight of the Icelandic post-rockers’ output; and Pink Floyd’s 50th anniversary edition of their elegiac masterpiece Wish You Were Here (especially the BluRay release, which includes a complete 1975 show suitably exhumed from its original bootleg by Steven Wilson).

And there are lots more reissues worth a listen: the 1983 debut from Detroit pop-proggers Art in America (they had a harp player — yes, a giant harp, one with all those strings) along with their unreleased second album Rise; Steve Hackett’s album-length acoustic collaboration with Shakespeare and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; fresh Steven Wilson remixes in stereo, surround and Atmos of King Crimson’s transitional albums In the Wake of Poseidon (Robert Fripp and Peter Sinfield carrying on from the innovative debut with a rotating cast of characters) and Lizard (free jazz meets post-Wagnerian romanticism; quite the magnificent mess); Nick d’Virgilio and Mark Hornby’s long-unavailable, polystylistic Rewiring Genesis: A Tribute to The Lamb Lies On Broadway (with full orchestra on “In the Cage” a Dixieland “Counting Out Time”, sneaky Jethro Tull quotes tucked in the fadeout of “The Waiting Room”, etc.)

Lastly, while the music industry’s annual fourth-quarter release glut means that my box set backlog is worse than ever, I can wholeheartedly recommend the super-deluxe version of the original The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway; while the set’s Atmos mix has been controversial, its straight-up stereo remaster gives the music an absorbing clarity that fills in the blanks of Peter Gabriel’s opaque storyline, and a live bootleg from Genesis’ contemporaneous tour (with vocals mostly overdubbed by Gabriel 20 years later) is equally, winningly surreal. Finally, the 20-disc Peter Hammill: The Charisma and Virgin Recordings, 1971-1986 isn’t for the faint of heart — but given Hammill’s track record with Van der Graaf Generator, hardcore enthusiasts like me knew that anyway. Boundless existential musings set to music of structural, timbral and histrionic extremes — nearly 200 tracks, with 1975’s proto-punk album Nadir’s Big Chance and 1977’s dark, devastating break-up song cycle Over standing out. Hammill (who opened for Genesis during parts of The Lamb tour) may be strong meat, but he never gives less than his all.

— Rick Krueger

kruekutt’s Lightning Round Reviews!

On By kruekuttIn art rock, Big Big Train, folk music, Heavy metal, Insideout Music, jazz rock, Kscope, post punk, progressive metal, progressive rock, Radiant RecordsLeave a comment

With new releases from the first third of 2025 piling up, a desperate attempt to answer the question “Can album reviews convey the essential info listeners need in haiku form?” For example, about the format used below:

Streams linked in titles;
Brief poetic impressions;
Shopping links follow.

FROM PROGGY FOUNDERS . . .

Dream Theater, Parasomnia:

Amps set to full shred;
Portnoy destroys his poor drums.
No band more metal. (Available at InsideOut)

Jethro Tull, Curious Ruminant:

Sardonic legend
Wittily skewers us fools.
Elegant farewell? (Available at InsideOut)

Andy Summers and Robert Fripp, The Complete Recordings 1981-1984:

Oddball guitarists
Tease out eccentric duets.
Fav’rite reissue! (Available at Burning Shed)

. . . FROM PLAYERS WHO FOLLOWED . . .

Big Big Train, Bard:

Spawton’s young heartache
Sparked this grandiose concept –
Well-wrought remaster. (CDs sold out; vinyl available at Burning Shed and The Band Wagon USA)

Cosmic Cathedral, Deep Water:

Thompson and House swing;
Keaggy’s guitars bite and dance;
And Morse – he cuts loose! (Available at InsideOut)

Glass Hammer, Rogue:

Life’s-end confession
Soundtracked by gripping synthpop.
Lush, welcome throwback. (Available from the artist)

Karmakanic, Transmutation:
Stellar bassist’s new
Tunes; great John Mitchell vocals.
(Plus, there’s an epic.) (Available from Jonas Reingold)

. . . FROM FRESH HOT TALENT!

Black Country, New Road, Forever Howlong:

Year’s first new Fav’rite!
Chamber rock right in yer face!
Hey nonny nonny! (Available at Bandcamp)

Imminent Sonic Destruction, Floodgate:

Metal from Motown?
Served with a wink and a growl.
Unlikely Fa’vrite! (Available at Bandcamp)

Gleb Kolyadin, Mobula

Aperitifs from
Russian post-prog pianist;
Subtle, hypnotic. (Available at Burning Shed)

McStine & Minnemann, III

Randy and Marco –
Hooks, chops, thrash in excelsis –
Their best yet rawks out. (Available at Bandcamp)

Sons of Ra, Standard Deviation:

Free jazz plus hardcore!
Late Coltrane pumped through fuzztone:
A deranged fav’rite! (Available at Bandcamp)

— Rick Krueger

Big Big Train In Concert: Light for the Likes of Us

On By kruekuttIn Big Big Train, progressive rockLeave a comment

Big Big Train, The Token Lounge, Westland, Michigan, April 11th, 2025.

A well-weathered 400-capacity club seemingly dropped at random in the middle of Detroit’s western suburbs might not be where you’d expect Big Big Train to wind up for a Friday night gig. Yet, given the path of BBT’s 2025 tour (en route from Chicago to Buffalo) and the Motor City’s long-standing love affair with vintage rock of all types, the Token Lounge made sense as the setting for an evening of 21st-century prog. And, as it turned out, I had what was potentially the loudest seat in the house!

Kudos to engineer extraordinaire Rob Aubrey, though; with everything else onstage running through the PA (no amps!) and judicious use of floor speakers, even the front row heard well-balanced, full-spectrum sound (at least with earplugs in). But I’m getting ahead of myself . . .

With no opening band sharing the bill, it was BBT violinist/vocalist/guitarist Clare Lindley’s turn to warm up the crowd. Commanding the stage with confident presence and plenty of snappy platter, Lindley kicked off with original “Voice from the Outside,” then moved into a rootsy, drily humorous set of covers from Steve Earle, Karine Polwart, Michelle Shocked and Levon Helm that soon had us singing – and even clapping – along. Guest turns from trumpeter Paul Mitchell, keyboardist Oskar Holldorff, and multi-instrumentalist Rikard Sjöblom built up the intensity and variety, until Clare & Rikard ripped through a pair of Scottish reels for a enthusiastically received finish.

And then, the moment we’d been waiting for: Big Big Train hit the stage at full strength, diving straight into a generous helping of 2024’s The Likes of Us. Album overture “Light Left in the Day” swelled and ebbed; lead singer Alberto Bravin, Sjöblom and drummer Nick D’Virgilio charged headlong into the odd-time bash “Oblivion”, revving up us Michiganders as only hard-rock riffing can. Then founding father Gregory Spawton left his upstage fortress of bass guitar and pedals for center stage to launch “Behind the Masts”. From the luxuriant 12-string guitar/double keyboard intro through a midsection of diabolic, twisting organ licks to its titanic final resolution, the 17-minute epic held the audience spellbound – until they erupted at the end with the first standing ovation of the night! A lean, surprisingly groovy reworking of “The Last English King” from the recently re-constituted lost album Bard lowered the intensity a bit, but the pitch-perfect a cappella intro to “Miramare” fired up the crowd again, as BBT hit their sweet spot of forgotten history, creamy vocal harmony, virtuoso instrumental counterpoint and unabashed lyrical sentiment.

One side note: Big Big Train has to be the most versatile rock band I’ve ever seen onstage, switching stations and covering every conceivable part with aplomb and precision. Six of the seven sing; five play guitars; a different five play keyboards. But the kicker came when D’Virgilio moved up front for the now-expected acoustic take on Folklore’s “Telling the Bees”. Gaining life and freshness in its role of onstage tribute to the late David Longdon, the song’s bridge captures the once and future heart of the band’s mission:

The joy is in the telling
The sorrow in the soul
Tears of happiness and sadness
Let them flow…

And to cap off the song with a full-band coda featuring Bravin on drums . . . well, that’s just not fair! What else could you do but melt into a puddle as grown men in Cruise to the Edge t-shirts cried around you?

As it turned out, quite a lot; we bopped along with Common Ground’s “Black with Ink”, returned wholeheartedly to The Likes of Us with Spawton’s valedictory “Last Eleven” and Bravin’s unstoppable power ballad “Love Is the Light”, then stayed on our feet as the band whipped through the hairpin turns of closing instrumental “Apollo”. Even with a set shortened from this year’s opening night (as reviewed by Bryan), Big Big Train delivered a high-energy, immensely satisfying evening that gained an extra edge from the Token Lounge’s down to earth, sweaty vibe. As a live band, BBT just keep getting better; their exponentially growing chemistry and precise teamwork enables them to tackle daunting compositional challenges and hit peak moments in the bullseye, with chops and emotion to spare. And to be able to move forward from the welcome set of classics they shared with us in 2024 to focus on their current creative peak? Priceless; as wonderful as last year’s debut US gig was, this outstripped it by miles. (Don’t take my word for it; the high-school friend I dragged along said it was the best show he’d seen in a long time — and this is the guy who re-introduced me to Rush!) With a new album planned for 2026 release and speculation already rampant about next year’s Cruise line-up, could the Train be returning to North American stations sooner than we might think?

— Rick Krueger (front row, left — behind Rikard’s Gibson in the silly buffalo-check shirt, with my friend jumping up directly behind me)

Big Big Train, Live at Sweetwater, Fort Wayne, IN, April 2, 2025

On By Bryan MoreyIn Big Big Train, progressive rock2 Comments

Band: Alberto Bravin (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar), Nick D’Virgilio (drums, vocals, acoustic guitar), Oskar Holldorff (keyboards, vocals), Clare Lindley (violin, vocals, keyboards, guitar), Rikard Sjöblom (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Gregory Spawton (bass, bass pedals, acoustic guitar/12-string), and Paul Mitchell (trumpet)

Setlist: Light Left in The Day, Oblivion, Beneath The Masts, Skates On, The Last English King, Transit of Venus, Miramare, Telling The Bees, Black With Ink, Last Eleven, Apollo
Encore: Love Is The Light

Paradoxically, there is perhaps no better time to take a break from work than when things are busy and overwhelming. They say when it rains, it pours. That seems to have had both a figurative and a literal meaning as of late. Work is overflowing with good and not so good, and it has been raining buckets across much of the American Midwest and South. Here in South Central Kentucky, we have had about 12 inches of rain over the last several days. Of course this rain had to come the week Big Big Train were playing their show at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That wasn’t about to stop me, though. This concert had been one of the few things I was looking forward to over the last few months, and frankly I couldn’t wait.

Into my boat I sailed. Okay, land yacht. I drive an ’08 Mercury Grand Marquis. A 5 hour drive (made ten minutes longer than it needed to be due to my refusal to pay a $5.22 toll on I-65 across the Ohio River in Louisville) is merely a pleasant outing sitting in that living room on wheels. My first stop was to the vet to drop off my dog for an overnight stay. Sorry Éowyn. (I think she’s forgiven me since she’s half laying on me as I write this.) Big Big Train serenaded me the whole drive, beginning with The Likes of Us before going back to Ingenious Devices, Grimspound, The Second Brightest Star and I think some excerpts from Merchants of Light. The weather co-operated the entire drive, with only a light drizzle glazing my windshield in the last half hour. I could have done without the immense truck traffic, but it didn’t really slow me down much on the drive up.

Since I couldn’t check into my hotel until 4pm, I made the compulsory (for me, anyways) trip to Hyde Brothers books, one of my favorite used books stores. Their prices are good, and their selection is exemplary. Pick a topic and they have something to suit your needs. As usual when I visit, I spent too much money.

A trip to Fort Wayne for me isn’t complete without a stop at Portillo’s, which was a convenient 3 minute drive from the hotel. As a born and raised Chicagoan, Portillo’s has long been one of my favorites. They’re the king of fast food, since they’re actually quality. Italian beef (a Chicago favorite), hot dogs, burgers, fries, and exceptional chocolate cake and lemon cake. Since Illinois is an expensive cesspool, they have been expanding to places Illinoisans are fleeing to. Indiana is a popular spot for Illinois ex-pats.

After watering the local economy with my money, I headed over to Sweetwater. I got there early, allowing me some time to wander their magnificent retail store. I’m not a musician, but if I was, I’d be in heaven. They seemed to have everything, including a couple members of Big Big Train! I left Alberto and Rikard alone, though.

After that I made my way to the line, which was just beginning to form. Prog concerts are always a fun way to meet people, since we’re typically of like mind and they are one of the few places I can talk in-person with someone about my beloved progressive rock and not see eyes glaze over. I even met people who were familiar with Progarchy and had read my reviews over the years. Pretty neat!

I had paid for a general admission ticket between rows C-G, and due to my place early in line, I was able to snag a brilliant seat fourth row center. I believe this was two rows closer than my seat at last year’s show. As things got going, the next round of bad weather rolled in, although you wouldn’t know it from inside the theater. The dude who introduced the band, who started a little later than the advertised 7pm, perhaps giving a chance for latecomers to show up because of the weather, commented that the auditorium was Sweetwater’s designated safe space for storms, so the show would definitely go on. The auditorium never quite filled up, which I suspect was due to the rain. They are also playing shows outside Detroit and Chicago soon, which may have limited people who would have otherwise come from those areas. But since Nick works for Sweetwater as his day job, the venue makes a great warm-up show for a tour.

The band was met with applause as they entered the stage one by one. They opened with the instrumental “Light Left In The Day” (they left out Alberto’s opening vocals), a brilliant interlude to a show that leaned heavily on the band’s latest output. Alberto quickly showed he’s so much more than the band’s lead vocalist, playing some of the leading keyboard lines on this track. Paul Mitchell’s trumpet showed us we would be getting a full Big Big Train sound.

Continue reading “Big Big Train, Live at Sweetwater, Fort Wayne, IN, April 2, 2025” →

Bryan’s Best of 2024

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock2 Comments

Well here we are in early 2025, and I’m just now getting to my Best Of list for 2024. I know I’ve been pretty much AWOL from Progarchy over the past year. That wasn’t initially intentional, but it was a busy year with a lot of change for me. I started 2024 unemployed before having to move from St. Louis to Kentucky for a new job at the end of February. I’ve also been reviewing albums for over ten years now without much of a break, so I ended up using 2024 as a break, apart from a concert review here and a couple albums reviewed for the DPRP. My plan is to get back into it this year, starting with some highlights from last year.

Perhaps representative of my lessened interest in writing reviews over 2024, I wasn’t quite as adventurous with my listening. My list, then, is shorter than past years, and I think it is a weaker list than past years. I don’t know if that reflects the year in music or just my year. Whatever.

Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks – True

A fun poppy yet progressive album from the man with the ageless voice. Anderson sounds just about as good today as he did 50 years ago, and I’m glad he’s still making music. I didn’t listen to the album all that much, but it is one I want to return to in the future.

Vanden Plas – The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things

Germany’s best prog metal outfit returned with another concept album. It isn’t particularly groundbreaking, as very few of their recent albums have been. If you like Vanden Plas, you’ll know what to expect – symphonic, progressive metal with excellent vocals and cryptic storytelling.

Wheel – Charismatic Leaders

A solid album from the Finnish band. Unfortunately it didn’t go in the direction I hoped it would after their stellar 2022 “Rumination” EP, which is included at the end of this album on CD. It isn’t as heavy, and plays it a little safe. Nevertheless, it still drew me back again and again.

Devin Townsend – Powernerd

I haven’t given this one much time as I haven’t purchased the CD yet, but it is a fun run through Devin’s heavier but still approachable side. He has been busy with multiple projects over the last few years, with Powernerd being the first of more to come.

The Tangent – To Follow Polaris

With band members busy with other projects and mastermind Andy Tillison feeling the urge to create, this record is a Tillison solo Tangent album. He plays and sings it all here. Not to worry, though, because he’s still the masterful lyric-writer. He’s also learned a lot from his bandmates, making this a fine addition to their discography until they all get the time to sit down and work on another record as a group.

Steve Hackett – The Circus and the Nightwhale

A proper concept album from my favorite guitarist. This record didn’t speak to me as much as his past solo records from the past decade, but it is still very good and worthy of inclusion on this list. I still wonder how much of my apathy towards it has to do with what was going on in my life when it was released.

Airbag – The Century of the Self

I’ve been familiar with Airbag for years now, but I never really listened to much of their music. Over the last several years, however, I have dug into guitarist Björn Riis’ solo output, which is criminally underrated. So good. So when his main band released a new album, I gave it several listens, and it is quite good. Atmospheric, gloomy, contemplative – definitely a record worth checking out.

Frost* – Life In The Wires

Nice to have Frost* back making albums on a more consistent basis. This one is heavy, bordering on metal at points, but retaining that sound this is so unique to them.

Big Big Train – A Flare On The Lens (Live in London)

A brilliant live record from my favorite band. After seeing them live for my first time in March, this record is a wonderful companion with a similar setlist. The live record is taken from two shows played back-to-back nights at Cadogan Hall in London, with a bonus set featuring seven tracks only played the first night. The result is three hours of music with a terrific light show and brass band. The audio and picture quality are both top notch.

2. Big Big Train – The Likes Of Us

The band’s first studio album without David Longdon, and their first with Alberto Brevin on lead vocals. It’s a masterpiece, nodding to the band’s past while embracing its future. I have returned to the album consistently throughout the year, and it never fails to disappoint. “Miramare” is my favorite track off the album – the guitar solo making it worth the price of admission by itself. So glad the band decided to keep going and growing.

1. Caligula’s Horse – Charcoal Grace

    The best album yet from Australia’s premier prog-metal outfit. Heavier than past efforts while retaining earworm melodies, crunchy riffs, and exceptional vocals. I’m bummed I only found out about their North America tour, including a stop in nearby Nashville, after the fact. This record has been the one I’ve returned to most consistently over the course of the year, and as such it receives my top billing for album of the year.

    My favorite concert of the year goes to Big Big Train. I’m so glad I was able to be there for the band’s historic first-ever American show at Sweetwater in Indiana, and I’ve already purchased my ticket for their upcoming show there in April. I’m not usually one to travel long distances for concerts, but this is one band for which I will make that exception. Here’s hoping it can be an annual event.

    Sorry again for being so absent this year, but I do hope to change that in 2025. Prog on.

    2024 In Review: kruekutt’s Final Favorites!

    On By kruekuttIn americana, art rock, Big Big Train, blues, classical, country, hard rock, jazz, Pink Floyd, progressive rock, Rock and RollLeave a comment

    No big hoo-hah this year: just a down and dirty list of my favorite releases and reissues of the year, covered in previous Quick Takes or elsewhere on the Web (links are to my original articles)!

    New Releases

    Reissues

    (Re)Discoveries

    Thanks for your ongoing attention and steadfast support. We at the Rockin’ Republic of Prog appreciate it! Best wishes as we all turn the corner and head into the New Year!

    — Rick Krueger

    Big Big Train Live in ’25: The Likes of Us in North America Tour Announced for April 2025

    On By kruekuttIn Big Big Train, progressive rockLeave a comment

    “Big Big Train’s sound is as tight and lush as ever, but it’s also very much a rock show… There’s an edge to their rich textures. An urgency that keeps even the gentlest moments interesting. Almost everyone has a lead-ready voice… Attributes of a band quietly rewriting the rules for what a rock group ‘should’ be. It’s prog rock in excelsis… but always with a song in its heart, even without words. How cool it is that a group like this exists today.” (Prog Magazine live review, November 2024)

    From Inside Out/Sony and our good friend Roie Avin:

    Big Big Train are delighted to announce seven further shows to take place in April 2025 in North America. In addition to returning to the United States (following a successful short run of shows in March this year), the band will also make its debut in Canada, with details of two Canadian shows expected to be announced shortly. The majority of these shows will take place following the band’s co-headlining appearance on board Cruise To The Edge. In addition, Big Big Train will play for the first time in Portugal at the beginning of May at the Gouveia Art Rock festival.

    At these performances the seven piece band will be promoting their recent studio and live albums The Likes Of Us and A Flare On The Lens, which were released by InsideOut/Sony in March and September respectively this year to great critical acclaim.

    Lead vocalist Alberto Bravin says: “We really enjoyed bringing Big Big Train to the United States for the first time earlier this year and playing to such enthusiastic audiences. We’re excited about returning and playing a mixture of recent and older material. As well as visiting some venues and locations that we played in March this year, we’re also bringing the band to some new areas as we seek to build our profile further. With two nights again in New Jersey, we’ll be varying the set list to some extent as well. Roll on April!”

    Drummer Nick D’Virgilio comments: “We had an absolute blast last year playing in the States and on board the Cruise, so we were keen to do a longer run of shows this time around, including venturing north of the border into Canada. We’re taking a step by step approach to North America – if we can make this second run of shows successful, then the next step would be to get further west and south.”

    Violinist Clare Lindley continues: “I’m looking forward not only to Big Big Train’s return to North America but also to the band playing for the first time ever in Portugal at Gouveia Art Rock. The festival has a great reputation and we relish the opportunity to add to the list of great bands that have played there over the years.”

    Bassist Gregory Spawton says: “Over the last couple of years Big Big Train has really matured as a live band. Since September 2022 we’ve played almost 50 live shows and I think audiences have been able to see and hear how strongly we’ve gelled. This line-up works so well together, both musically and socially, and we’re keen to build on our current momentum.”

    Keyboardist Oskar Holldorff adds: “On tour in September and October this year it felt as if we grew as a band every night. Alberto, NDV, Greg, Rikard, Clare and I simply love playing together and we feel we’ve found a real gem in Paul Mitchell, who joined us on trumpet in September and October and will be with us again next year.”

    For the balance of 2025, Big Big Train will focus on recording their next studio album, expected to be released by InsideOut/Sony in the first half of 2026.

    “We’ve got some great material in progress already for the next Big Big Train studio album,” comments guitarist Rikard Sjöblom. “Everyone has been contributing to the writing process to varying degrees and we’re confident about building on the foundations that we laid with The Likes Of Us.”

    The band’s shows in North America and Portugal are likely to be their only appearances in 2025.

    BIG BIG TRAIN – LIVE IN ‘25 – THE LIKES OF US IN NORTH AMERICA TOUR

    Wednesday 2nd April – Sweetwater, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
    Friday 4th April – Wednesday 9th April – Cruise To The Edge
    Thursday 10th April – Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, Illinois, USA
    Friday 11th April – The Token Lounge, Westland, Michigan, USA
    Sunday 13th April – Electric City, Buffalo, New York, USA
    Thursday 17th April – Regent Theatre, Arlington, Massachusetts, USA
    Friday 18th April – Rivoli Theater at The Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
    Saturday 19th April – Rivoli Theater at The Williams Center, Rutherford, New Jersey, USA

    Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10am Eastern time on Friday 13th December. A pre-sale open to the band’s 2025 tour patrons and members of the Passengers Club for all shows (except Cruise To The Edge and the Gouveia Art Rock festival) opens at 10am Eastern time on Wednesday 11th December. Ticket links and Tour Patron information are available at www.bigbigtrain.com.

    See you in Illinois or Michigan, fellow Passengers?

    — Rick Krueger

    Rick’s Quick Takes: Box ‘Em Up!

    On By kruekuttIn americana, art rock, Big Big Train, books, folk rock, Insideout Music, jazz rock, progressive rockLeave a comment

    Like a man named Will said, summer’s lease hath all too short a date – so I decided it was time for a lightning roundup of the season’s box sets! Purchasing links are included in the artist/title listings below, with streaming and video samples following each review.

    Big Big Train, A Flare on the Lens: Officially released on September 13th, only promotional audio was available for review, so I can’t tell you how the closing night of BBT’s 2023 European tour looks on BluRay – but it sure sounds like dynamite! With all the animation and verve they displayed on this year’s first American jaunt, Greg Spawton’s mighty crew (joined by guest guitarist Maria Barbara and the obligatory brass quartet) tear into a similar setlist packed full of drama and pathos. New vocalist Alberto Bravin is particularly impressive, getting right to the heart of fan favorites like “Curator of Butterflies” and “A Boy in Darkness” along with epic standbys “East Coast Racer” and “Victorian Brickwork”. But everyone’s at the top of their game, culminating when Nick D’Virgilio and Rikard Sjöblom join Bravin up front for a devastating yet joyous medley of “Leopards”, “Meadowland” and “Wassail” in honor of the late David Longdon. Amply documented here as well as in Andy Stuart’s mouth-watering tour diary/photobook A View from the Embankment, A View from the Line, and on new album The Likes of Us, BBT’s rebirth is a genuine cause for celebration.

    Fish, Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors and Internal Exile: In the wake of his stormy departure from Marillion, lead singer/lyricist Fish (AKA Derek Dick, rock star and Scottish nationalist) was unsurprisingly eager to prove his worth as a solo act. 1990’s debut Vigil In a Wilderness of Mirrors was as emotionally direct and lyrically convoluted as ever, built around the charged concept of climbing “The Hill” of success — a goal unrelentingly pursued despite the Stateside seductions of “Big Wedge”, the obsessions holding “The Voyeur” captive, the damage documented in “The Company” and “Family Business”. Internal Exile, released the following year after legal troubles and a label change, steers toward individual songs; highlights include delicate ballad “Just Good Friends”, comfortably numb polemic “Credo” and the Highland-inflected title track. Fish’s dramatic declamation is the focus throughout; it’s as riveting as always, though the music (mostly by sidekick Mickey Simmonds) can be a bit pedestrian, lacking the organic interplay and inspired unconventionality that marked Marillion’s response to his heady, hearty words. Each album is available as 2-LP Vinyl Editions, 3-CD Standard Editions (with bonus demos and live versions) and Deluxe Editions (with another disc of live versions and surround mixes on BluRay).

    Grateful Dead, From the Mars Hotel: It took a looong time, but somehow I’ve finally tuned into the Grateful Dead’s wavelength (and without the use of illegal substances, mannnnn). Having zeroed in on the band’s “stoned electric bluegrass” period of the early 1970s, this latest 50th anniversary reissue is right up my alley – and it has more appeal even now than you might expect. Made in the midst of the Dead’s doomed attempt at running their own record label, there’s a delicacy instilled in the music, a humble yet unflinchingly honest cast to the lyrics. The social commentary of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter’s “U.S. Blues” and “Ship of Fools” is more bemused than bitter; tinged with Keith Godchaux’s harpsichord, “China Doll” is an exceptional ballad, and the awestruck love song “Scarlet Begonias” stayed in the band’s onstage repertory for decades. Plus, there’s Phil Lesh’s extended workout “Unbroken Chain”, one of the few Dead songs of that vintage to feature the bassist’s charmingly down-home vocals. Add a live set that handily covers the group’s career to that date, featuring well-chosen country covers and mesmerizing jams, all blasted through the band’s Wall of Sound to a University of Nevada audience the year of From the Mars Hotel’s release, and you have an exemplary package. 1971’s Skull and Roses (first encountered in my older brother’s record collection) and Europe ’72 remain the quintessential Dead in my book, but this isn’t far behind.

    Joni Mitchell, The Asylum Albums (1976-1980): Let the record show that Mitchell carried a torch for jazz for decades, ranking Miles Davis right up there with Beethoven long before her music slid into the smoothly swinging grooves of 1974’s Court and Spark. With Hejira (1976), haunting meditations on love and wandering like “Coyote”, “Amelia” and the title track lit out for more expansive territory, simultaneously anchored and uplifted by fusion genius Jaco Pastorius’ free-floating bass work. 1978’s Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter stretched further into abstraction, with the side-long tone poem “Paprika Plains” swathed in rich orchestral colors, instrumental “The Tenth World” and the grooving “Dreamland” enveloped in Latin percussion, and Pastorius’ Weather Report compatriot Wayne Shorter swooping in with unmistakably lateral sax work. And in collaboration with a dying genius, 1979’s Mingus (instigated by composer/bassist Charles Mingus himself) saw Mitchell pay tribute to the era epitomized in the closing “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”, with words as inspiringly bopping as the tunes. Add the live double album Shadows and Light, with Mitchell backed by then-young guns like Pat Metheny on guitar and Michael Brecker on sax, and you have a remarkably unified overview of her farthest out, yet most eccentrically open period. (Volume 4 of Mitchell’s Archives series, focusing on unreleased and live music from these years, is released October 4th.)

    Continue reading “Rick’s Quick Takes: Box ‘Em Up!” →