Claude Monet often painted the same things over and over again: a haystack, a church tower, the water lilies at Giverny. No one seems to think this was a bad idea.
For their 2023 album Ingenious Devices, British progressive rock collective Big Big Train has taken three of their most celebrated epic-length (12-minute-plus) songs, partially re-recorded and completely remixed them, added a new string section to two, created a new orchestral segment bridging those same two, and stitched it all together.
Before listening, I had questions, beginning with the obvious: was this really necessary? After listening, I have none. Ingenious Devices contains almost no new music… and is both essential and an absolute triumph.
The album’s liner notes reveal that songwriter, bassist and bandleader Greg Spawton originally envisioned the three epic-length tracks featured here—“East Coast Racer,” “Brooklands,” and “Voyager”—as “a trilogy of tracks about how mankind has used its ingenuity to extend its reach by the development and deployment of technology.” Each featured prominently on the individual studio albums they originated from (English Electric Part Two, Folklore, and Grand Tour, respectively), but this is the first time all three have been featured on a single release from the band.
Since its debut a decade ago, “East Coast Racer” has become Big Big Train’s signature song, a nearly 16-minute epic telling the story of the land speed record set in 1938 by the purpose-built steam locomotive Mallard. The original 2013 studio recording was almost immediately adapted for the live setting, with the outro segment augmented with new keyboard bits written by then keyboard player Danny Manners and a new solo from then guitarist Dave Gregory. At the time of the original recording, the band could only afford a string quartet to augment violinist Rachel Hall—as was also the case with “Brooklands” three years later—but the 2019 sessions that produced “Voyager” featured a much fuller 17-piece string section. 
For Ingenious Devices, that band has re-recorded “East Coast Racer” (ECR) entirely—save for the late David Longdon’s lead vocals—in its by now more familiar live arrangement, while adding the larger string section and giving the whole thing a shiny new mix. On this—which it seems clear is intended to be the definitive recording of the song—every single element of the original is elevated. In particular, Nick D’Virgilio’s drums are even more dynamic and propulsive, Spawton’s athletic bass playing has ascended to a new level, and together they drive the song to achieve the breathless, thrilling velocity described in the lyric. At the climax, the added lift of the strings couples with the BBT Brass Band and the re-recorded and remixed Mellotron and bass pedals to send the song exploding out of your speakers; it’s nothing short of spectacular.
The new orchestral bridge “The Book Of Ingenious Devices” then allows ECR to flow right into the opening of “Brooklands.” Spawton says in the liner notes that he had feared the latter, which has yet to be performed live by the band, “was becoming (to my mind unfairly) the ‘ugly duckling’ of the trilogy.” That’s assuredly not the case here, as the combination of re-recorded drums and bass, a new mix, and the added weight and presence of the string section has given the track a fresh shine and momentum.
“Voyager,” in this listener’s estimation the group’s finest epic since ECR, soars again here, albeit with more subtle tweaks to its mix, especially the extra boost the strings provide in the late going. All of the elements feel just a little sharper and more present.
As a bonus, the band has included a live recording of their most recent epic “Atlantic Cable,” as performed by the current lineup of Spawton (bass, bass pedals), D’Virgilio (drums, vocals), Rikard Sjöblom (guitars, keys, vocals), Dave Foster (guitars), Clare Lindley (violin, vocals), Oskar Holdorff (keys, vocals) and new lead vocalist Alberto Bravin. The track answers the question of how well the new lineup will be able to perform songs first recorded by the old one—and the answer is, magnificently. “Atlantic Cable” is a complex piece that must have been intimidating to tackle, but the new crew brings it off not just flawlessly, but with a flair all its own. (It also makes sense thematically to include “Cable” here, as it continues the theme of mankind extending its reach through technology.)
In the spirit of Monet, Ingenious Devices finds Big Big Train taking another swing at three of their best-loved works and finding new subtleties to explore and exploit. This allows listeners to hear them almost as new creations, familiar yet fresh, while emphasizing that art does not have to represent a frozen moment in time; it can remain dynamic and evolving. Add to this a smashing live version of “Atlantic Cable” featuring the band’s new lineup, and Ingenious Devices makes clear that there’s plenty of open track still ahead for Big Big Train.