Door One

Product Information

Il grande frontman dei Big Big Train ci ha lasciati un anno fa, ma non prima di dare libero sfogo alla sua arte con questo album solista di indubbio valore, nel quale la sua voce inimitabile (anche se a lungo era stato accusato di "imitare" Peter Gabriel, Fish dei Marilllion e altri celebri cantanti del progressive più illuminato) valorizza al meglio alcuni brani bellissimi. When David died, the challenging task of doing the final recording and mixing the record fell to David’s co-producer, Patrick Phillips. Birdsong, echoing piano and a building cinematic atmosphere characterise instrumental prelude Into The Icehouse, an Eno-esque mood-setter that, in a kinder world, might have served well as intro music to a live show. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. On one hand, it can be tempting to heap praise simply due to nostalgia or emotion, but on the other hand it feels disrespectful to be dishonest.

His loss, especially as he was gaining respect and stature as a fine frontman, singer, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and visionary part of Big Big Train, was both unexpected and shocking. There are moments where he doesn’t sound completely himself, and others where he clearly stretches himself beyond his capabilities.The album’s longest track, The Letting Go, is about loss, which is painfully ironic as David died not long after its completion. He had been recording since April 2021, following the completion of Big Big Train’s Common Ground album.

Door One’s lyrics tackle many areas of his life which were challenging, and the theme of difficult relationship issues that David faced earlier in his life runs through it. Forgive (But Not Forget) is a further revealing song that deals with the hurt of a failed relationship. The song then enters a haunting melancholic flute section backed with piano as David sings “The Letting Go” over an ever increasing drum pattern which, in turn, leads to sustained chords and it’s a suitably strong ending to an excellent track. The decks are cleared after that emotional trip with the orchestral intro to “Sangfroid” (which means “composure under trying circumstances”).The epic track ‘The Letting Go’ is simply one of the best pieces of music I’ve ever heard - by anyone … ever; full of atmosphere and meaning with a beautiful soundscape. Right from the opener “Into the Icehouse” with its cinematic music, you can tell that David was trying to do something new. The cathartic lyrical arc here draws on some liberating hypnotherapy sessions Longdon had to treat his fear of flying, set to a strident, proggy, beautifully paced musical backdrop. Approaching his debut solo record, Door One, I firmly decided to be as honest and sincere as I could, something I know David would have appreciated and especially due to the care this album has received by his friends. Je peux conseiller Common Ground aux amateurs de rock progressif symphonique, de préférence à ceux qui ont un goût pour les sonorités seventies (mais pas que).

Starting with the sounds of nature, which lead to some quite dark and ominous music and the sound of footsteps – it conjures in my mind a Twin Peaks soundtrack type atmosphere. You feel comforted by the familiarity of David’s voice but but refreshed by the direction he takes in some songs.The CF was then finished and mastered by some exceptional musicians and studio technicians as a tribute to this irreplaceable musical force. The quality of the writing and playing on this album make it an absolute standout album of 2022 for me.

It didn’t take me long to realise that David,’s voice was similar to Peter Gabriel’s but was certainly his own. The album was steered to completion under the control of David's close friends Patrick Phillips and Gary Bromham and his partner Sarah Ewing. So the album ends positively and with a strong message of hope that we can all accept and employ in our own lives.Following on from the themes of relationships ending, this song is about “what to hang on to, and what to let go”. The sadness of knowing that David’s voice is now silent is eased by the wealth of incredible music he has left us – and this album stands as one of his very best. So from the tragedy of David’s death, we can find hope and purpose and celebrate his memory with this fine collection of songs. The Big Big Train gig I attended in Edinburgh in 2019 will always be etched in my mind as one of the stand out concerts and performances I’ve ever been to, irrespective of how things ended up turning out – and it’s that, plus my love of the music he was a major part of creating with BBT, and the kinship that the music invokes in fans, that makes his passing a painful one.