Vodka has been a fan of Big Big Train for quite a while now, so I thought the band was an appropriate choice for the new website launch. Big Big Train is preparing to release a new LP at the end of this month Welcome To The Planet (January 28, 2022). Proper Jack Froster (seen/heard here) is from that new release, and it is amazing!

This is a bitter-sweet moment, however. While Big Big Train is poised to release another magnificent LP to their significant music library, the LP will launch without multi-instrumentalist and vocalist David Longdon. David was killed in an accident in the early morning hours of November 20, 2021. His voice and influence have been significant since he first joined the band in 2009. A scheduled UK tour and a yet-to-be-announced US  tour planned for 2022 have both been canceled, and the future of the band is, for the moment, unclear. It would be a sad thing indeed if Big Big Train were to fold after this tragedy.

The song, Proper Jack Froster, is based on a story from bassist and founder Gregory Spawton’s childhood. It’s a story with both whimsy and despair woven into its fabric. Here, the video tells the story of a boy who loves his home and friends. It’s a story about the Winter months and the fun that they had sledding on the hills that bordered their gardens. Then he is wrenched free from his home by a bitter divorce, moving to another part of town where he has no friends (at least not at first). It is a sad tale, but with a happy ending.

While the future of the band is unclear, the catalog that the band has created up to this point is immense and full of great music. Vodka has covered many of the band’s releases and all of them are well worth purchasing and adding to your collection. Many progressive rock bands tend to lock themselves into a formula that restricts what they can do, but Big Big Train has never let the constraints of a genre’ get in their way. Over the years, they’ve explored pop music, elements of jazz, folk, and more, fusing them into a sound that is uniquely their own.  

You can find more information on Big Big Train by heading up to their website. The site contains a link to purchase options as well as a link to their Burning Shed store, which has hard copies in vinyl and CD format of a number of their releases and other merchandise. There are a number of options for digital download purchases as well, including their bandcamp.com site. If you have not added any Big Big Train music to your catalog, now is the time to do so. 

Vodka is very hopeful that the band can remain active. All of the members are very creative and talented. We all need music like this in our lives!

Note: It looked like we were heading for clear skies with Covid 19. The variants are making a comeback, which means that the livelihoods of artists like Big Big Train and many others are still threatened. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. Please, if you are physically able to do so, get the vaccine! –Vodka (update)