So the album ends positively and with a strong message of hope that we can all accept and employ in our own lives. 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. Given the circumstances, this wasn’t created as a “last will and testament” and I’m not going to look at it through that lens. Door One is a solid album to end his time with us, and it was a pleasure to see a glimpse of his vision for a solo sound. There are moments where he doesn’t sound completely himself, and others where he clearly stretches himself beyond his capabilities.

It’s a great exposition of how the finest performances are a communion between performer and listener, with the singer as the focal point – and if you’ve been to a Big Big Train gig you’ll know exactly what David is talking about. There are some inspirational musical passages in this mix of songs that were 90% complete as a solo work before he passed. David Longdon – Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Mandolin, Keyboard Programming, Piano, Stylophone, Percussion. He had much greater range than even I had expected, and yet he always performed with class and muster. His legacy thankfully remains with this album that was 90% complete at that time having now been completed by his friends as a tribute to a good man, a Brave Captain, to coin one of his songs.

Trusted co-producer/engineer Patrick Phillips oversaw the album’s completion after Longdon’s untimely death in November 2021. When David died, the challenging task of doing the final recording and mixing the record fell to David’s co-producer, Patrick Phillips. Watch It Burn’s low piano line, new wave guitar riff and great Stacey/Vantsis groove power along as Longdon revisits a toxic relationship with an alcohol-dependent ex-lover. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. In The Times, Dominic Maxwell said of David “ Having taken a long time to get where he wanted to be, Longdon tried not to waste his precious time.

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 decks are cleared after that emotional trip with the orchestral intro to “Sangfroid” (which means “composure under trying circumstances”). Along with the John Barry orchestral trappings, this irresistible slice of art-pop has an earworm three-chord central hook, and another eye-watering vocal climax.

There’s No Ghost Like An Old Ghost” is next, kicking off with Jeremy Stacey’s drums, a highlight of many tracks on this album. Album bello, ispirato, complesso ma accessibile, la cui qualità riprodotta sul vinile (nero, naturalmente) è ineccepibile e di gran resa sonora. It didn’t take me long to realise that David,’s voice was similar to Peter Gabriel’s but was certainly his own. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.The album closer, “Love Is All” feels like an emerging from the pain of Letting Go, and finding your place of calm. It doesn’t ruin this album, as I think it does add a layer of emotion that isn’t always present with BBT, but it can be distracting and certain moments do not sound very good at all. I think that is reflected in Door One, as well, since it is something of a departure from David’s normal style.