BIG BIG TRAIN TO RE-ISSUE BARD ALBUM
OUT ON ENGLISH ELECTRIC RECORDINGS MARCH 21
Big Big Trainย will re-issue their third studio albumย Bard on 21st March 2025. Originally released in 2002, and after many years of being unavailable as a physical CD, the album has been completely re-mixed by their longstanding engineer, Rob Aubrey.
Additionally, the re-issue features a live version of the albumโs opening track, “The Last English King”, recorded during the bandโs tour in autumn 2024, as well “Headlands”, a song recorded during the original sessions but unavailable until now.
โIโm pleased to seeย Bardย being re-issued at last,โ comments Andy Poole, the bandโs former bassist and this albumโs producer. โOn its original release we expectedย Bardย to be Big Big Trainโs farewell. The album has a number of songs that I think stand up pretty well and which in retrospect laid some of the foundations for the upwards curve that the band subsequently embarked on. Rob Aubrey has worked wonders with the re-mix and enhanced the album considerably.โ
โIโm never going to pretend thatย Bardย is our best work,โ Gregory Spawton adds. โBut thereโs been increasing demand from fans for a re-issue and over the last few years, Iโve warmed towards the album, especially with the benefit of Rob Aubreyโs re-mix. I had never expected us to play anything fromย Bard live, but Iโve always been proud of ‘The Last English King’ and was particularly pleased with how we breathed new life into it on tour this year. It proved one of the highlights of the set, both for the band and apparently for fans too.โ
โSince I joined the band in 2022, in parallel with creating new music I have been keen to embrace the entire back catalogue of Big Big Train,โ says lead vocalist Alberto Bravin. โOf course, over 20 years ago, this was a very different Big Big Train and with the vocals being shared between a number of singers,ย Bardย precedes David Longdonโs arrival as well.ย Bard certainly has its moments and I loved playing ‘The Last English King’ on tour this year.โ
Bardย will be released via the bandโs own label English Electric Recordings on CD and 2LP and via Bandcamp high resolution download.
The CD and vinyl versions will be strictly limited editions andย Bardย will not be made available on streaming or other download platforms.ย The 2LP version of the album will be available as 180 gram โsharkโ blue vinyl (exclusive to Burning Shed and The Bandwagon USA) and 180 gram black vinyl.
The CD/2LP versions of the album will include extensive 4,000 word liner notes by Andy Stuart (author ofย the bookย A View From The Embankment, A View From The Line, which documented the band’s 2023 tour) using material from a new interview with Gregory Spawton.
Big Big Train
Bard
(English Electric Recordings)
Release Date: March 21, 2025
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