by Geoff Bailie
“The past is a foreign country – they do things differently there” – L.P. Hartley.
There’s no doubt, as our Wheel of Prog episodes show, there are few bands in rock who haven’t occasionally made a wrong-footed move – even naming what those albums might be could be controversial, but you know the ones! Some will justify such albums as an experiment that didn’t quite work, “of their time,” or, in some cases, defend them, irrespective of fan or commercial response. But it’s hard to think of an album that a band has distanced themselves from as much as Bard. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not questioning the decisions made, but I am delighted that I’m now able to own and review Bard, in a newly restored condition.
For those who don’t know the whole story, the best way to learn more is to read the fantastic sleeve notes in this reissue by Andy Stuart. The short summary is … the band’s second album puzzled reviewers and it didn’t get much response. Their label dropped them, and a disappointing festival appearance led them to decide to make one final new album, recorded in Greg Spawton’s home. Singer Martin Read had become distant from the band, so a variety of vocalists including band members were used, and founding member, Ian Cooper, returned to help out, along with Phil Hogg on drums. With commercial hopes dashed, and some personal relationships on the wane, the lyrical content reflected the bleakness of their public and private lives. But … to make an end is to make a beginning, and the appropriately named Gathering Speed followed and restored the band’s trajectory.
All of this is to set the context for the 2025 reissue of an album which, apart from the original 1,000 CDs has not been in print or available in any format. It seems that at this point the “foreign country” of the past is now more accessible. As Greg says in the liner notes, the time that has passed has given him a perspective on what ultimately emerged from an undoubtedly miserable period of his life. While the original was “as good as we could make it at the time”, the new remix also takes the opportunity to replace some of the Mellotron, organ and bass pedal sounds from the original, as well as requiring some recreation of parts missing from the masters – this was achieved by Phil Hogg and Jo Michaels replacing parts lost from the original!
The opening track The Last English King will be familiar to anyone who attended the band’s 2024 shows when (unless you saw spoilers) it was perhaps the shock addition to the set list, given Bard’s place in the band history. Parts of the album are themed around the end of Saxon rule in England, and it’s very much the mix of the prog and the historical that we love about BBT! If you’ve heard the original you’ll immediately notice things like the Mellotrons at the end of that song sounding much sweeter, as well as an overall sonic “punch” that the original didn’t quite have – Rob Aubrey has done a great job in adding some sheen to what is essentially a home recording. Broken English has Jo Michaels taking lead vocals and you’ll notice some extremely good bass playing from Ian Cooper, because Greg Spawton is on guitar. The closing section of this track including the guitar solo is one of the album’s stand out moments… a little slice of prog paradise, with bass pedals and a great rhythm section.
This Is Where We Came In is more of a pastoral ballad, followed by a one minute acoustic guitar / mellotron piece, that is a bridge into Blacksmithing, with Malfosse serving as a similar link to Love Is Her Thing. If anything, I would say that Bard does take a bit of a dip in the middle – not that these are bad songs in any way, but just perhaps that they lack some of the sparks that we’ve come to expect from just about every BBT song! It mostly sits in a mellow mid-tempo space, with this listener perhaps waiting for something to grab or shake them!
A Short Visit to Earth seems to shift gears in the pace of the album – though this isn’t an up tempo rock out… it’s an aching confessional / reflection sung by Greg in his distinctive voice whose fragility is perfectly suited to the bleak lyrics. The heartache is palpable and the honesty of what’s being sung is integral to the experience. For Winter is an almost 17 minute epic and, for me, it’s the high point of the album. This track has lots of textures, light and shade perhaps missing elsewhere, and the lyrical hooks are memorable but also dark in places… the reference to my “my empty heart” is a moment that is touching, sad and even shocking. This song is really worth getting familiar with as it has some incredibly strong musical and emotional moments.
A Long Finish brought the original album to a close and it’s an inventive, instrumental piece of prog. If it was meant to be the final track on the final BBT album, then it was a suitable end, looping back to melodies from the opening track.
But the new version doesn’t stop there! It is now followed by the track Headlands, a track ultimately not included in the album which includes the lyric “a long finish”. It was conceived as a male / female duet and so singer Jo Michaels returned to record a vocal to complete the track, and it fits very nicely here, giving the album perhaps a more positive ending?
To truly bring things full circle, a live version of The Last English King from the 2024 live shows is included as a bonus track on this release. It’s a great example of “then through the eyes of now” as the current line up brings their voices and talents to the song, with Greg (on a different instrument!) as the common link. Certainly vocally and instrumentally it’s a slightly different presentation but it does the old line up no disservice at all, and allows the new one to add some fresh soloing ideas.
Overall it’s great that Bard, an album packed with great musical and lyrical ideas, slightly shaded by its own context, is finally getting rehabilitated and, most importantly, reaching the ears of the many who I know will enjoy it.
And what of Scop? To corrupt the expression… you wait for years for a Bard to come along, and then two come at once!
Grant Moon’s fantastic BBT biography Between The Lines mentions that when they were sent the demos of what would become Bard, then drummer Steve Hughes refused to play on the album and even Rob Aubrey declared them “a pile of crap” – with the benefit of hindsight, I’ll try and convince you why they’re worth checking out!
Scop is a Bandcamp release and runs to 27 minutes in total. It contains 5 demo tracks plus a brand new BBT recording! For the demos of The Last English King and Blacksmithing we have Martin Read singing them, while Tony Müller sang them on the final album. They’re nice contrasts and … well you can decide which you prefer! Her Words is a track that didn’t make it to Bard – it’s a track that doesn’t quite have the magic X factor but it’s a nice one to have and certainly not terrible by any stretch, with great Spawton guitar work. This Isn’t Rocket Science ended up being a section of For Winter on the main album.
The Spawton sung demo of British Racing Green is next and it’s a track which was fully eventually developed on the Far Skies Deep Time EP with David Longdon and Nick D’Virgilio. Lyrically it’s very bleak but thematically much in the same space as Bard. The Bard liner notes spend a lot of time explaining why ultimately this song didn’t feature on the final album, and most reflect that this was the right outcome.
Finally, and certainly ending on a high, is a version of a song from the same era called The Sundial featuring NDV on drums, Alberto Bravin on vocals and everything else by Greg. I assume it didn’t make it past the demo stage at the time but it’s a beautiful way to end the whole Bard experience. Certainly lyrically it’s got a fresh optimism about a new relationship that distinguishes it from the other reflections on a breakdown.
To sum things up, firstly I’m delighted to have physical copies of a re-polished Bard on my shelves. I had heard a ripped version of the original album and I definitely think this new version has a lot to offer, as well as providing an extra track and the live track. Secondly, if you’re curious about the BBT world before David Longdon joined, Bard is actually a good place to start investigating the seeds and origins of the band we know today. Thirdly if you’re a fan of the current band, the live track on Bard and The Sundial on Scop feature the players you know and love – and if that fandom is headed towards the obsessive (let’s face it, it’s prog!!) then, basically, you need to get this!
The new edition of Bard has been treated with an incredible amount of care, ensuring it finally gets the recognition it deserves. This reissue not only restores a significant piece of BBT’s history but also offers new and existing fans a chance to appreciate its depth with fresh sonic clarity. Whether you’re revisiting Bard or discovering it for the first time, this release is a great insight into BBT’s ability to evolve and surprise.
Bard (2025 reissue)
Track List
The Last English King – 05:44
Broken English – 14:15
This Is Where We Came In – 05:20
Harold Rex Interfectus Est – 01:00
Blacksmithing – 03:04
Malfosse – 00:57
Love Is Her Thing – 03:50
How The Earth From This Place Has Power Over Fire – 01:53
A Short Visit To Earth – 06:17
For Winter – 16:47
A Long Finish – 08:19
Headlands – 03:17
The Last English King (2024 Live Recording) – 06:34
Scop
Track List
The Last English King (Demo) – 05:25
Her Words (Demo) – 03:47
Blacksmithing (Demo) – 03:21
This Isn’t Rocket Science (Demo) – 05:24
British Racing Green (Demo) – 04:01
The Sundial (2024 recording) – 04:48
Bard can be pre-ordered at:
https://burningshed.com/store/bigbigtrain
Big Big Train
https://bigbigtrain.bandcamp.com
