English Boy Wonders

Big Big Train is an English progressive rock band formed in 1990. Their first album, Goodbye to the Age of Steam was released in 1994. Age of Steam established the typical melancholy BBT sound influenced by progressive rock from the mid and early 1970s. English Boy Wonders is their second album, originally released in 1997. This 2008 re-release of the album has been partly re-recorded and completely re-mixed and re-mastered by Rob Aubrey (IQ, Transatlantic, Spock's Beard.) The album features performances from Martin Orford recorded after his retirement from the music business. Critical acclaim: 'At 80 minutes long this is a rich, polished and rewarding listen reminiscent of Yes coupled with the pastoral approach of Caravan.' CLASSIC ROCK 8/10 Much of this English group's second release from 1997 has been re-recorded with additional material added to what the band considered a sketchy, only partly realized effort the first time around. The result is a collection of several tracks ranging from two to 10 minutes, densely structured and as good as anything they've issued since building their own recording studio. The pastoral understatement, tasteful mellotron, rich harmony vocals and infectious guitar licks combine to effectively suggest the wistful pain of broken relationships. Score: 15.5 out of 16 Progression Magazine.