Leopards

The story behind Leopards is simple in one sense. Essentially it is a love story but you know love; it can be... complicated. 

Leopards is a song about two people who had gone their separate ways after the end of their relationship. Years pass until one day, by chance the pair meet again.  Their mutual feelings are rekindled and they carefully begin to rebuild their relationship. Inevitably, they both have their insecurities, their baggage and fears.

On the eve of her birthday, he presents her with a small ornate jewellery box which when opened, contains a beautiful Cartier Panther brooch. The jewelled body of the beast sparkles in the light. It must have cost a fortune. She pins the bejewelled feline to the lapel of her dress and as she stands to admire it in the large mirror above the mantlepiece, he drapes her shawl around her shoulders. He gently kisses the nape of her neck as he does so. It may be the champagne or the high emotion of the moment but she finds herself lost for a while in her reverie. 

'Happy birthday darling' he whispers.

But she is troubled by her rekindled love towards her former lover. Back then she loved him dearly and afterwards she then had to learn to live without him. She remembers her terrible sorrow and it has taken time and courage to learn to trust and to give again.

Her dilemma is this:- He tells her that he was a fool to leave her. He says that not one single day had passed since they parted without him thinking of her and regretting his selfish act. He also says that he has changed but the question she asks herself is this:- Are we really able to change?

On one hand, if she does not surrender herself, she will never know what could be. On the other, will her fear of being hurt all over again outweigh her overwhelming desire to love him and be loved by him?

You see! Complicated!

The leopard metaphor within the title concerns itself of course with the old proverbial question 'can a leopard change its spots?'

The gentle rolling acoustic guitar riff is played in DADGAD. Danny Manners adds a swinging double bass. Nick D'Virgilio's drumming is subtle but hits hard in all the right places. I did at one point, consider that it might make a good duet but I changed my mind for some reason, during the recording process. Dave Gregory turns in some incredible guitar playing here, listen how he moves around within this arrangement. Greg Spawton lends a hand with some backing vocals. Andy Poole remarked as we were recording the vocals, that although Leopards is considerably shorter in length in comparison with some of the other BBT tracks, it was no less complicated to record.

The strings were beautifully performed by The Covent Garden String Quartet and the arrangement is once again by Louis Philippe. As you can see clearly in the picture below, recording engineer Ken Brake has collapsed after giving his all!

I thought Louis would be the perfect choice for Leopards and he came up with the lovely swooning string intro that starts the track off. It is also featured at the start of our Big Big Train promotional video, released in order to plug English Electric Part 1. Louis' arrangement gives the track a romantic nostalgic feel and for me it seems to set the piece within a specific era. I can almost imagine it as part of a Powell and Pressburger film.

While I'm on the subject, my favourite film without question is 'A Matter of Life and Death*' Directed by Michael Powell and written by the masterful Emeric Pressburger. I first saw it when I was ill as a child. I was feverish and lay on my parents sofa, watching this incredible movie. It was so unusual that I thought I surely must have dreamed the whole thing. Years later I saw it again and recognised it at once. Check it out, you will not regret it.

If you would like to have a preview of Leopards before English Electric Part 2 is released, it is featured here in podcast No.9 on Louis' site. Louis is being interviewed by our very own [and long time Louis Philippe musical accomplice] Danny Manners

I would also like to take a moment to thank all those who voted for Big Big Train in the recent Prog magazine readers Poll. Thanks to you we did very well indeed. I'd also like to thank all who voted for me in the male vocalist category. I am very flattered and also very grateful for your support.

That's all from me for English Electric Part 2

Until the next time...

Peace

David


*= 'A Matter of Life and Death' was known as 'Stairway to Heaven' in America

Swan Hunter

Greetings from a snow covered UK! 

Here is my blog for the story behind Swan Hunter, a song featured on our forthcoming album English Electric Part 2.

Swan Hunter is a song about the inevitable changing world and how these changes impact directly upon local communities. 

What an awe inspiring picture this is. The name on the ship says it all. Imagine being a child who grew up within this community, in one of those houses. Seeing these huge vessels grow daily until their launch and another would start to grow in its place. Imagine the relentless sound of machinery and construction workers. Your father most likely would have worked there and probably his father before him. It must have been almost impossible back then to imagine a time when this way of life, would come to an end. When it did end, what would the people do? If this is what you know and it has defined your role in life for generations ... 'what do you do, when what you did is gone?'

There is a parallel here between the shipyards and the collieries. When I was a boy I remember my Uncle Jack going off to work. I remember their stories, the community and way of life which had developed around generations of miners. It was how things were. It was the way things happened and it was impossible from within it all to imagine it ever coming to an end. The closing of the pits in the late 20th century would change everything. 

This song centres around a main character. Let's call him Jim.  Jim is now an old man and he is reflecting back on his life as a shipbuilder who worked at Swan Hunter in the Neptune Yard. Imagine Jim, sitting by his fireside and recounting tales to his son about how it all once was and how much life has changed. Jim accepts the impermanence of material things and the inevitable passing of time.

Swan Hunter was written by Greg Spawton and I. It was inspired by Big Big Train artist Jim Trainer. Jim sent a letter to Greg a few years ago, which detailed some stories that had happened in the Swan Hunter shipyards. Jim's family had worked in those yards for generations. Greg thought it would make an interesting story and when I wrote the lyrics, once again I endeavored to find the human story of those who worked and lived in the shadow of those mighty imposing machines.

Jim told me that most of the males in his family were called Jim Trainer! Which must have made for interesting moments on Christmas day when they all received their gifts! Jim said that family members would differentiate between their particular Jim by assigning an identified characteristic of the Jim in question, alongside their shared name e.g Big Jim, Little Jim etc.

So with love and respect, BBT would like to dedicate Swan Hunter to Our Jim or as he is known back home, 'Little Jim's Jim.'

More next week but until then ...

Peace

David

Ant Music

David Longdon: ANT Self Portrait: 02/12/12

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

We [in BBT] are planning to meet in Southampton early in the New Year. Nick is once again flying in from the states and we will be recording rhythm tracks for new material including pieces designated for THE BIG BIG THING. I'm really looking forward to getting together again with the band and hearing the new tracks start to come to life.

We are also working on something special that will be available in early 2013 but that is all I can tell you for now!

What a year it's been. EE pt 1 was released back in September and it has been incredibly well received.  Thank you all for the support you have given us throughout 2012.

On a slightly religious note [well it is Christmas!] has anyone else noticed an implied Christ-like face on the cover of EE Pt.1? My friend Simon Withers noticed it and mentioned it to me the other evening. I have to say that I have never noticed it but Simon is an artist, so he spends much of his time either making images or looking at them.

What do you think? Can you see it too?

Q: What's with the ant reference and the ant-like portrait then David?

Well... in November 2012, Andy Tillison [from The Tangent and also recently involved with BBT on English Electric] invited me to contribute vocals and vocal arrangements for the new album by The Tangent called Le Sacre Du Travail. The piece is written by Andy and some of it is influenced by the orchestral works of Igor Stravinsky, especially the Rite of Spring. It will feature musical performances by Theo Travis, Jakko Jakszyk, Gavin Harrison, Jonathan Barrett and me!

Ants are featured in the concept of this album.

With English Electric Part 2 being released in March 2013 and Le Sacre Du Travail coming out later in the year, it looks as though 2013 is going to be busy!

"Although it's been said, many times, many ways... 

Merry Christmas!

To you."

Peace

David

Hedgerow

Hedgerow is the eighth and final song on English Electric Part 1

So, here we are with the last blog entry for the songs featured on English Electric Part 1. When we began working on English Electric, Greg Spawton had been working on some musical ideas for a song called Hedgerow. I had written Uncle Jack which also mentions hedgerows in the lyric, so it was natural for us to make a rural comparison between the two pieces. As I have said in other posts, my uncle was a collier who spent his working life below the ground which gave him a deep appreciation for the natural world, nature, seasons and wildlife. He would walk his dog 'Peg' and spend as much time outdoors as possible. (Listen out for Peg in the track)

When I heard the initial demo for Hedgerow, it featured an opening section that had a 1960's feel to it. It reminded Andy Poole of something that The Move might have written. I wrote some lyrics for it based around Greg's demo phrasing. It is about my Uncle Jack once again only this time it focusses on the contrast between his life on the earth's surface and his working life below. The song has an anthemic feel to it as it develops. It includes great musical contributions from Rachel Hall who adds layered violin. Backing vocalists Lily Adams and Violet Adams reprise their nursery rhyme-like list of the sort of things that you would expect to find in a british hedgerow, previously featured in Uncle Jack (track two) . Danny Manners once again plays piano and the track also features Daniel Steinhardt on guitar who plays with Dave Gregory in Tin Spirits.

Hedgerow has a 'cast of thousands'. Well, not thousands but it does feature a large number of musicians. The Brass band are back! Dave Desmond and his men once again make the hairs stand up on the back of our necks with the Beatles-esque coda, especially with Ben Godfrey's cornet lines. I remember writing the embryonic demo idea for the brass one sunday afternoon and when I reached the final bar I added a 'tally-ho' trumpet phrase. I did this mainly to make Andy laugh when he received my audio files but it was I who laughed when I heard the brass sessions and good old Dave Desmond had included it in his arrangement. The 'Hedgehoppers Chorus' consists of, the voices of the brass players, Nick D'Virgilio, Dave Gregory, Martin Orford and Sandra Olma. It adds an 'all together now' sing along feel. We've included a number of 'sing along' songs on English Electric because when we play live, it will be great to get you all involved!

The blogs written by Greg and I over the last few months have helped us reveal the various stories, ideas, meanings and developments that have gone into making the music of English Electric. We hope that it adds to your listening experience and from the positive feedback we have received, it has been successful. 

We would also like to thank you for all the continued support you have given to us. It makes a difference. We especially enjoy reading the comments and debates from all our friends who are part of the ever growing BBT Facebook Group community. Thank you for your comments and words of encouragement. It really has spurred us on and given us the confidence to be braver and to reach further.

English Electric Part 1 has received some fabulous comments so far including Rich Wilson's glowing review [which made us shelve long term plans for our 'BBT presents Fred Dibnah/The Musical' album] and Nick Shilton's interview with us for PROG magazine Aug 2012. Geoff Barton the legendary music journalist brilliantly said in the September edition of Classic Rock, that we are 'the prog equivalent of the Olympics opening ceremony.'

We would like to thank Professor Brad Birzer and David 'Wilf' Elliot for their championing of 'The Train' over the last few years and urge you to listen to David's Dividing Line, European Perspective special on English Electric. There are other interviews coming along soon from Alison Henderson and Cliff Pearson as well as the recent one from Jordan Blum, and, again, thank you to Alison, Cliff and Jordan for helping to spread the word.

Once again we have reached the point where we now pass the album over to you.

We hope you enjoy English Electric Part 1

Love

Big Big Train: Andy, Greg, David, Dave & Nick

Big Big Train will return with English Electric Part 2

A Boy in Darkness

A Boy in Darkness is track seven on English Electric (Part 1)

Warning: Part 3 of this post concerns subject matter and a link that some people may find distressing

I have mentioned in earlier posts that my Uncle Jack was a collier who worked from a young age in the Derbyshire coal mines in the 20th century up until he retired in the late 1970's. At that time young lads were expected to work down the mines in hard conditions once they had left school. It was hard and dangerous work but that is how it was in those days. By the time I'd arrived on the planet during the mid 1960's and had grown up into a teenager by the 1980's, the pits were on their last legs and a world of educational and work opportunities were now opening up. 

One day, Jack told me the story from when he was working down the pit and how a lad had become trapped and injured below ground in an accident. Jack and his crew stayed with the frightened boy but he tragically died from his injuries. Jack said 'no one should have to die like that, down there... especially a boy.' That stuck with me. That was the seed of the song.

Over the years I have tried to write a song about the unfortunate young man but each attempt did not seem to do it justice. There have been many songs written about mining fatalities but the further I went down this route, the more I realised that it was not what I was trying to say. So the undeveloped song remained on the shelf for a few years.

The title of the song is based on the Mervyn Peake story. I chose it because I liked the imagery but not because it relates to Peake's story line.

Part 1
When Andy and Greg invited me to contribute material for English Electric, I thought about revisiting A Boy in Darkness because the mysterious sounding opening piano and acoustic guitar part was possibly the most typically mournful Big Big Train-esque piece of music that I had. I wanted these verse sections to be eerie, ghostly and sparse. In contrast to the choruses, which should be powerful and emotional with the lead vocal predominantly holding the same fixed note while the other instruments swirl dramatically around it. 

I inherited many books from my Uncle Jack's library and there were several books concerning mining. The most fascinating ones were the volumes by the Heanor & District Local History Society. I gathered most of the information for part 1 from 'A History of Mining in the Heanor Area' - ISBN 0 9508430 3 2.

As I read more I discovered that the day to day stories of conditions in the 19th century mines for the young. The Mining in Heanor book contained extracts from a Sub Commissioners report detailing the working conditions of children and young people employed in the collieries in 1842. The pits employed many young children who worked 'extremely long hours', six days a week and they would have to walk several miles to the pit. These daily demands placed upon those local children were dramatic enough and that is what I decided to write about.

The character Godfrey Fletcher was made up from some of the case studies contained in the Sub Commissioners report. In 1842 Lord Ashley (who would later become Earl of Shaftesbury) proposed a bill which excluded women and children from working underground and in the August of 1842 Parliament passed it.

Part 2:

The middle instrumental section is meant to denote the passing of time between Part 1 and Part 3. I had the organ riff in place and imagined guitar, organ and flute trading solos with each other. 

The string parts on ABID were arranged by Louis Philippe, performed at the height of the London riots by The Covent Garden String Quartet and recorded by Ken Brake. In the first part they add drama to the verses and in this part they are playing some swift and furious lines.

L to R: Sue Bowran, Ken Brake, Geraldine Berreen, Teresa Whipple, Louis Philippe and Abigail Trundle.

The organ playing is by Andy Tillison (The Tangent) who adds enormous energy and passion to the proceedings. Dave Gregory also cranks up his guitar here (using a Fender Strat that he has fiddled and tweaked - previously used on Drums and Wires) spraying aggressive bursts of searing electric guitar vandalism! 

It's very easy to naively look back on previous generations and think that the bad and unenlightened aspects of ourselves and who we are, is all safely in the past. We can reassure ourselves of how far we have moved on. Young people of later generations certainly have rights and choices with greater protection and provision. 

However...

Part 3:

The final section of this song was the hardest part to write. 

I vividly remember the headline story of Peter Connelly breaking and being horrified by the unfolding events. Listening to the harrowing reports of what happened made me think that no one should have to die like that and for me, that realisation was the final piece in the puzzle.

ABID is not about the death of Peter Connelly but Baby P was definitely a boy in darkness. He was one child out of many children who suffer at the hand of those to whom they are entrusted. Other news stories to break during the writing of ABID included certain individuals hiding inside respected establishments like the church and education. These stories were the catalyst behind completing the song. 

There is a connection between Godfrey Fletcher and the young protagonist in this final section. They were both in different circumstances but they are both boys in darkness. 

The message within the song is this:- Don't be afraid to shine bright light into dark corners.

Next week, the story behind Hedgerow (the last song on English Electric Part 1) will be disclosed.

Peace

David

Upton Heath

Upton Heath is the sixth song on English Electric Part 1.

Big Big Train: Oxford August 2012

L to R: Greg Spawton, David Longdon, Dave Gregory and Andy Poole

Photograph by Amy Mumford

The words and music to Upton Heath are by Greg Spawton and I. Upton Heath is a place in Dorset, UK and Greg has chosen this title because it is one of his favourite places to go walking.

I initially received the audio files which contained an arrangement of the song with the addition of a few sketched out lyrics. It also had a delicate 'world music/roots style rhythm' beautifully performed by Nick D'Virgilio. I was told to avoid being seduced by this rhythm and not follow it down the 'world music' path. 

Those initial impressions are very important and when I listened to the track I thought it would be a good idea to give it a campfire sing along feel. I kept as many of the original lyrics that I could and keeping it simple, I then repeated them. I used a call and response theme between the lead and backing vocals, to give it that campfire feel.

I severely re-arranged the structure of the song because the chorus section (that you will hear) was only a very short four bar phrase in the original arrangement. I decided to use it and extend it as the chorus and so I edited a new structure together. The audio files were bounced and sent down to Bournemouth.

Other than shortening the length of the piece and changing one chord in the reprise of the bridge, that (as they say) was that! Structure in place, it was now time to colour it all in.

I came down to Aubitt Studios in Southampton to record the vocals and added the folky riff which is played in unison on mandolin, accordion and violin. It also features Dave Gregory playing banjo for the first time! 

Upton Heath was a track that could have gone either way, it could have worked or it could have been abandoned. In context of the album, it is a moment of calm amidst the frantic, flamboyant and epic moments elsewhere. Some Big Big Train songs can be lengthy, dynamic and intense, Upton Heath is none of these things, it is uplifting, relaxed and has its own sense of peace.

The track also features Rachel Hall who has added some lovely strings along with Abigail Trundle who plays the cello.  Danny Manners plays double bass. Lily and Violet Adams are in fine voice and they seamlessly blend their voices with the moving wave vocal sample patch, giving Upton Heath an etherial quality.

' And all that we are

And all we shall be

Walk with me

Up on Upton Heath'

I will be in the chair once again next week when I will tell you the story behind A Boy In Darkness

Judas Unrepentant

Judas Unrepentant is the fourth song on English Electric Part 1

Some of you may already be familiar with this track because of its inclusion on the cover mount CD for the July 2012 edition of Classic Prog.

Greg and I had a conversation one evening about the flow of the songs we had been working on for English Electric and we highlighted the need for a quick progressive rock song. I thought that Judas would be able to fit the bill because I already had the story in mind, Greg and Andy liked the story and I also had many of the sections sketched out so it would be simple enough to develop. 

Judas Unrepentant is a song that concerns Tom Keating. There is plenty available on the internet which will give you information about his life but here is a brief overview.

Tom was an art restorer who eventually turned to art forgery after failing to break into the art market. He was on a personal crusade to destabalise the art world by forging works to fool the experts. He deliberately planted clues in the works that would reveal them as forgeries. He also cunningly managed to falsify provenances for his forgeries.

However, eventually in 1970 an article appeared in The Times concerning auctioneers suspicions about the provenance of thirteen water colours. Tom knew the game was up and handed himself in. He was eventually arrested and charged in 1977 but the case was dropped due to his deteriorating health.  

During 1982 and 1983, Tom had his own television series in which he demonstrated the painting techniques of the great masters.  If you are interested in seeing footage of Tom paint, then treat yourself and click here.

Tom died at the age of 66 and in an interview he said that he did not consider himself to be a good painter. I have to disagree with him on that point.

I was at art college in the early 1980's and that is where I learned about the notorious Tom Keating. He was an anti-hero for me and I have often thought that his story is a remarkable one and it deserves to be heard. I also think it would have made a brilliant  HandMade film.

After his death, I am sure you will not be at all surprised to learn that Tom's paintings have increased in value and his forgeries also reach high prices. Ironically, there are also forgers out there who are now forging Tom Keating forgeries! 

Tom Keating's favourite artist was Rembrandt. The title of the song came from my variation on the title of the painting above which is called  'Repentant Judas Returning the Pieces of Silver' by Rembrandt. Tom may possibly have been considered to be a 'judas' by the art establishment for his forgeries but because he refused to disclose which forgeries he had made and put into circulation, it struck me that he was an unrepentant judas. I like the drama of the title and it sets the scene for the song.

Judas Unrepentant is a ripping yarn which is driven buy the relentless opening riff and rhythm along with a lyrical narrative. Check out Nick's complex drumming alongside Greg's crazy bouncing bass line. Andy Tillison (from The Tangent) has added boundless energy with his organ playing.

The middle 'court room' scene includes Dave Gregory's throaty 'All rise' courtroom usher vocal (a role he was destined to play). It also contains some beautiful piano playing by Danny Manners and expressive violin work from Rachel Hall (who has previously worked with Stackridge)

If you would like to listen to Judas Unrepentant, please click here.

In the next episode Greg Spawton will tell you about Summoned by Bells