namely "East Coast Racer", "Brooklands" and Voyager" (which in total is more than 40 minutes of music), including a Alongside the orchestra and the remix, three of the songs include the lateDavid Longdon’s lead vocals, which have been compiled from the original album sessions. A nice touch and sensitive to keeping within the original spirit. Gregory Spawton explains: “I was always happy with the original recorded version of East Coast Racer , but adding the strings at Abbey Road gave the song a further lift and the new recording also features Dave Gregory’s guitar solo on the closing section, a solo which has only previously featured on live performances of the song. I am pleased we now have the definitive studio version on Ingenious Devices . By contrast, I was never entirely satisfied with Brooklands and felt it got a bit overlooked on the Folklore album, which is perhaps why we’ve not played the song live yet. The Abbey Road strings have significantly enhanced the song and I’m delighted with the outcome. The changes to Voyager are more subtle but still elevate the song beyond the version on our Grand Tour album.” Apart from the late David Longdon’s lead vocals - compiled from the original sessions - East Coast Racer is a completely new studio version recorded by the 2019 line-up of the band (and including a stunning climactic guitar solo by Dave Gregory). Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass and bass pedals, while Voyager includes additional guitar and violin.

Big Big Train embarked on their first UK tour in October 2019. Scheduled dates for the band's first ever North American and European tours in 2020 were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. [4] History [ edit ] Early history [ edit ] English boys wondering how to play our old songs". Bigbigtrain.blogspot.com. 5 February 2008 . Retrieved 16 April 2016.circumstances, and he would be aware that every night the fans would be comparing him to Longdon, yet he is a fine Upon learning the concept of the album and without listening yet, I was sceptical of whether we really needed updated versions of the selected beloved Big Big Train epics. The ingenious part about Ingenious Devices is that they pulled off that vision for it perfectly and upon listening, it made me love the songs even more. Starting with East Coast Racer , immediately I noticed the presence of the instruments in the mix is much more upfront and full than the original starting right off with the opening solo piano motif. As the full band enters with the first high-energy introduction it hits hard and grabs your attention even more than its predecessor. Alberto Bravin comments: “Atlantic Cable was recorded at our second show of the tour last year. It’s not an easy song to play at all and we were both amazed and relieved that we pulled it off so well. I experienced a real baptism of fire playing that show in front of over 1,000 passionate BBT fans, but their response to the song and the rest of our live set that night was truly motivating.” While this endeavor may be preaching to the converted, it’s a fact many prog enthusiasts embrace. Devotees will meticulously dissect each nuance, alteration, and note, and that’s precisely the essence. Prog thrives on own internal validation after all, and therein lies its, well, ingenious nature.

The most interesting part for me is the addition of Atlantic Cable and an introduction to Alberto Bravin. It sounds like he will be a good fit for the band, a different kind of voice to David Longdon, but then Mr Longdon’s vocals changed markedly over the years as he grew into the role. I’m confident that the journey with Mr Bravin will be just as enjoyable. Wild River’ represented a transitional period for David, both artistically and emotionally. His father, Eric, had passed away in 1994, he had been through a divorce, and he’d auditioned to be the lead singer of Genesis following the departure of Phil Collins. However, after a protracted audition-cum-rehearsal process, he was immensely disappointed to lose out on the role. Which, with hindsight, was a blessing in disguise. Gregory Spawton explains: “I was always happy with the original recorded version of East Coast Racer, but adding the strings at Abbey Road gave the song a further lift and the new recording also features Dave Gregory’s guitar solo on the closing section, a solo which has only previously featured on live performances of the song. I am pleased we now have the definitive studio version on Ingenious Devices. The timing of this release also deliberately ties in with the 85th anniversary of the Mallard’s speed record which inspired the lyric.With this release, Big Big Train has dared to push the boundaries even further, and in so doing, have created an impressive evolution.

Big Big Train were the winners of the Breakthrough act award at the 2013 Progressive Music Awards. [17] The ending of the song now more closely resembles the ending created for the live performances. The piano remains prominent, but there are a few added flourishes of the cymbals and the final notes are punctuated by the 17-piece string section and a prolonged electric guitar note. It's a far more satisfying ending than the original recording, which simply fades out (as an aside, the fade out really needs to disappear forever from recorded music). Lewry, Fraser (20 November 2021). "Big Big Train singer David Longdon dead at 56". loudersound . Retrieved 22 November 2021. Band History – From 'The Underfall Yard' to the 'Far Skies' (2009–2010)". Bigbigtrain.com. 15 December 2009. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 . Retrieved 16 April 2016. Sold out gigs and new band members – third gig added". Bigbigtrain.com. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014 . Retrieved 16 April 2016.Ingenious Devices consists of new versions of East Coast Racer, Brooklands and Voyager, which feature an elite 17-piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Voyager” embarks on a musical odyssey, an exploration of sound that resonates like a journey. The brass instruments echo into the distance, creating peaks and troughs and more deviation than msny manage in a career. Band History – Revisiting the Age of Steam (2011)". Bigbigtrain.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014 . Retrieved 16 April 2016. On BBT's blog, it was announced that they would be re-releasing English Boy Wonders. They partially re-recorded the album, as well as re-mixing it. [9] English Boy Wonders was re-released on 1 December 2008. Given the importance of David Longdon to the history of Big Big Train it always seemed likely that the next release

choice as his voice is different enough to ensure he is not too close, yet similar enough to be able to pull it off and he

Recommendations

Additionally Ingenious Devices includes a previously unreleased orchestral piece called The Book of Ingenious Devices, which links East Coast Racer and Brooklands, as well as a live version of Atlantic Cable, which was recorded on the band’s tour in September 2022.