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Ever since I can remember, I’m a
profound admirer of the Spitfire. The history of this magnificent
fighter plane goes back to 1934, when the first prototype coloured
the skies of England. Out of this prototype came the immortal
Spitfire Mk I, the type that changed the course of World War II by
defying the German Luftwaffe and by ultimately conquering the skies
above England during the Battle of Britain.
Just imagine the graceful lines of the
Spitfire gliding smoothly through the thick white clouds, while a
gentle breeze caresses the green landscapes of southern England. If
you’d like some music accompanying your dreamy thoughts, I’d
strongly recommend ‘Gathering Speed’ by Big Big Train. They are the
true Spitfires of contemporary prog scene, by delivering one of the
best symphonic rock albums I’ve been listening to in years. Their
sound takes you back to the prolific Genesis era of the mid
seventies, flavoured with a touch of Yes, Camel and Jadis as well.
This genuine symphonic rock delivers tons of exquisite guitar
playing by Gregory Spawton. The outstanding handling qualities of
the Spitfire surely must have inspired him, especially when playing
the acoustic 12 string guitar (and YES, there’s plenty of it on this
album). The Spitfire’s powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine is
represented here by Steve Hughes on drums and Andy Poole on bass,
while Inn Cooper (keyboards and YES, loads of mellotron as well)
makes the plane fly gracefully, high in the sky. Sean Filkins
embodies the determination as well as the anxiety that every pilot
had to cope with. When falling out of the sky (this IS a story of a
fighter pilot shot down during a patrol flight), he finds himself
consoled by his guardian angel (Laura Murch, vocals) who guides him
through the painful last moments of his final ordeal.
“The hood jammed fast and fire came
A way he couldn’t find
His sacrifice for us he paid
Now hills and woods he’ll never roam
Another angel made
Gone home, gone home, gone home …”
-
excerpt from ‘Another
angel made’ by John Howard Worsley
Neither poetry nor music will bring
back all these wasted young lives, but their heroic deeds will
always live on in the minds of those who cherish the remembrance of
these brave men. ‘Gathering Speed’ is a heart-warming tribute to all
of them. The brilliant lyrical passages are strewn all over the
album, smoothly finding their way to the audience. The melodic
qualities of this music stretch out like a layer of clouds in the
sky while tantalizing close harmonies will take you back to the
heydays of Kayak or Yes. Craftsmanship and the solid yet very
natural way of playing together is another strong point of the band.
This certainly isn’t another old-fashioned Genesis-alike album, but
a warm, easy flowing and highly accessible kind of music that will
never die (alone). Just listen to the mighty opening bars of ‘High
tide, last stand’ or to the sensitive, tender chorus in ‘The road
much further on’... there’s an abundant flow of compository richness
that will strike you again and again. The harmonica in ‘Sky flying
on fire’ for instance, is a bit surprising but fits in nicely.
Well, there’s so much to discover in this album but I will leave
that up to you. Just play this music as loud as possible while
letting your imagination free as a … Spitfire. Once again, this
definitely is one of the best symphonic rock albums I’ve ever heard.
Big, big applause for Big Big Train ! |
