Common Ground is the thirteenth studio album by the English progressive rock band Big Big Train, released on 30 July 2021. With the departure of Dave Gregory, Rachel Hall, and Danny Manners in 2020, Common Ground is the first album release with the core four-piece lineup of Greg Spawton, David Longdon, Nick D'Virgilio, and Rikard Sjöblom. Joining the core line-up on the album are session musicians Carly Bryant, Dave Foster, and Aidan O'Rourke.[2] Upon release it entered the UK music charts at number 31.[3]
| Common Ground | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 July 2021 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 62:02 | |||
| Label | English Electric | |||
| Producer | Big Big Train | |||
| Big Big Train chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Common Ground | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Prog Radio |   [1] |
It was elected by PopMatters as the ninth best progressive rock/metal album of 2021.[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Strangest Times" | David Longdon | Longdon | 5:07 |
| 2. | "All the Love We Can Give" | Nick D'Virgilio | D'Virgilio | 8:05 |
| 3. | "Black with Ink" | Gregory Spawton | Spawton | 7:23 |
| 4. | "Dandelion Clock" | Spawton | Spawton | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Headwaters" | Instrumental | Rikard Sjöblom, Spawton | 2:26 |
| 6. | "Apollo" | Instrumental | D'Virgilio | 7:50 |
| 7. | "Common Ground" | Longdon | Longdon | 4:53 |
| 8. | "Atlantic Cable
| Spawton | Spawton | 15:06 |
| 9. | "Endnotes" | Spawton | Spawton | 6:58 |
| Total length: | 62:02 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 31 |
Personnel
editProduction and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[5]
Big Big Train
- Nick D'Virgilio – drums (all but track 5); vocals (all but tracks 5 and 6); percussion (tracks 2, 8 and 9); Mellotron, EBow guitar (track 2); CP70 electric piano, Fender rhodes, arpeggiator synthesizer, soundscapes (track 6)
- David Longdon – lead and backing vocals (all but track 5 and 6); acoustic guitar, mellophone and synthesizer (track 1); piano, vibraphone, tambourine (track 4); flute (track 6, 8)
- Rikard Sjöblom – Hammond organ (track 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8); vocals (all but tracks 5 and 6); piano (tracks 1, 5, 8, 9); synthesizer (track 1, 8); Fender rhodes (track 2, 6); electric 6 and 12 string guitar (track 2, 4); Mellotron (track 3, 6, 9); electric guitar (tracks 3, 6 and 8); ARP Pro Soloist II (track 3); Farfisa organ (track 4 and 9); acoustic guitar (track 4); guitar synthesizer (track 5); clavinet (tracks 6, 8); Church organ, Wurlitzer piano (track 6)
- Greg Spawton – bass guitar, bass pedals (all but track 5); 12-string acoustic guitar (track 4); Mellotron, vocals (track 8); acoustic guitar (tracks 8, 9)
- Carly Bryant – vocals (tracks 1-4, 7-9)
- Dave Foster – guitars (tracks 1,8)
Additional musician
- Aidan O'Rourke – violin (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6-9); soundscapes (tracks 1, 8, 9)
Brass band on tracks 6 and 9
- Dave Desmond – trombone
- Stuart Roberts – trumpet
- Nick Stones – French horn
- John Storey – euphonium
- Jon Truscott – tuba
Production
- Rob Aubrey – mixing, mastering, engineering
- Shawn Dealey – engineering
- Patrick Phillips – engineering
- Stuart Hamilton – engineering
- Dave Desmond – brass arrangements on tracks 6,9
References
edit- ^ The Prog Yak (4 August 2021). "Big Big Train – 'Common Ground' (Album Review)". www.progradio.com.
- ^ "Big Big Train - Common Ground; Grant Moon; 30, July 2021". 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Big Big Train". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ Jordan, Blum; Spiess, Andrew (30 November 2021). "The 10 Best Progressive Rock/Metal Albums of 2021". PopMatters. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ a b Common Ground (booklet). Big Big Train. English Electric. 2021. EERCD0028.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Big Big Train | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved September 23, 2021.