Big Big Train "Stone and Steel" BD 5.1 March '16

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As good as the band sounds, I figured some of the members had to be part of previous projects/bands. Yep.

Drummer, Nick D"Virgilio has quite a colorful past. He was drummer for Spocks Beard and also Mike Keneally Band. Seems he's something of a session drummer as he's sat it for Fates Warning, Dream Theater and Queensryche.

Guitarist, Dave Gregory was once with XTC and also is a session guitarist appearing on multiple artists efforts including Peter Gabriel, Aimee Mann, and contributed some arrangements to Porcupine Tree's Lightbulb Sun.

Wow!

Some very interesting names you mentioned there :bounce
 
First surround purchase of 2016 - Happy New Year to all! And a special thank you to Neil for all of his insight on this project!

You're very welcome, Elmer. It's my pleasure to help raise the profile of this very special band's first dip into surround, especially considering how good the tracks are sounding.

I hadn't actually seen any of the video material until the promo was released yesterday, so the excitement is building for me now too! :)
 
I received a test burn of the physical BluRay for this release today. First time I have seen the video and it's looking very, very good. I hope to be able to give you some more details on the audio soon, including confirmation of the format. :)
 
I spent a very enjoyable weekend play testing the first physical test burn of the Stone & Steel BluRay so I’m now in a perfect position to provide some more details about this release.

It clocks in at a whopping 02:44:50 – over 160 minutes of material. Big Big Train have always been extremely fair to their fans, but at only £15 for the BluRay this is an absolute Steel ;) in anyone’s book! What’s more 02:16:09 of that – 136 minutes - is mixed in 5.1 So you’re getting over 2h of this amazing band’s back catalogue in surround for the first time!

The rest of the material, just under 30 mins, is a mixture of blog-style narratives describing the reasoning behind the project, the interaction and feelings of the band members and them just having fun and “extras” such as a drum-cam video. It’s different to most “rockumentaries” because, as they point out, despite having numerous albums, before this point they were a studio only band, often exchanging material via the internet. In fact some of them had never met before this coming together at Real World. You get to see them working and performing together for the very first time!

They also have two options for playback – “full feature” or “songs only.” Are you seeing this, Roger Waters? ;)

So, what about the surround? You’ll know from my previous posts that I was very complimentary about the 5.1 mixes and this has translated extremely well to the physical BluRay. The format of the surround is DTS HD Master Audio encoded at 24/48 I know this shouldn’t be possible but the flacs I play tested seem to sound even better when played off disc! According to my player (and the DTS encode log files I have seen) the audio stream weighs in at around 4 to 5 Mbps and it sounds absolutely gorgeous on my system.

The surround is very tastefully mixed; discrete and in keeping with the live-in-studio performances. By that I mean that discrete parts and effects are mixed to the surround field in order to make watching a hugely immersive experience, but it’s not distracting or inappropriately active. For example; all eight members of the band are great vocalists (Nick D'Virgilio has an amazing falsetto that doesn’t waver a bit as he bashes seven hells out of the drums) and the multi-part harmonies on the choral sections that are a trademark of the band are reminiscent of the choral sections on Steven Wilson’s “Close to the Edge” remix. Yes, honestly. The brass section that plays on several tracks is also mixed to make jaw dropping use of the surround field. Some of the brass parts are so emotional that they still bring tears to my eyes even after all these listens. A number of the songs use bass pedals and these are mixed to the LFE in a window rattlingly effectively manner.
Simply put; sound wise it’s right up there with the best live surround material I have in my collection and a lot, lot better than many studio albums!
It also has a very flat transfer (minimal compression, no limiting) and it hasn’t been mastered again during the burn to disc. I’m hoping to post a screen shot later showing the waveform of one of the songs to give those who are interest in that kind of thing a better idea.

The video is superbly shot and edited. The footage of Dave Gregory’s guitar work (and guitar collection) Nick D'Virgilio’s drumming, Rikard Sjöblom’s guitar and keyboard work, Danny Manner’s piano and double bass playing, Rachel Hall’s violin, the brass section and vocalist David Longdon’s high energy delivery have all given me, a long time fan of the band, an even greater respect for them as musicians and song-writers.

In summary; whether you’re already a fan of the band or not, if you’re a fan of epic, emotional and quintessentially British folky Prog or just appreciate amazing musicians playing live, expertly recorded and delivered in surround this is an essential disc to have.
 
Thanks for the update Neil, I am so looking forward to this release :cool:. I agree with you about the emotional feel of the brass section parts, this is going to sound wonderful. 2 hours 16 minutes of 5.1 Big Big Train - :banana:!!
 
Thanks for the update Neil, I am so looking forward to this release
No problem. You wont be disappointed, in fact although I have heard it lots I'm really looking forward to the release too, because I know how positive the reactions are going to be. :) :)

2 hours 16 minutes of 5.1 Big Big Train - :banana:!!

It's a Big Big Big BluRay for sure! ;)
 
I was going to order direct from BBT website, only to find it was several more dollars total to US than Burning Shed....so I ordered from BS and saved $4.50 (ish)

Out of interest what do Burning Shed charge for shipping to the US? I thought BBTs international shipping rate was pretty good at £3 (which is $4.50ish?) and the BluRay price is the same at £15, isn't it?
 
Out of interest what do Burning Shed charge for shipping to the US? I thought BBTs international shipping rate was pretty good at £3 (which is $4.50ish?) and the BluRay price is the same at £15, isn't it?

All I can tell you for sure is when I get to the checkout and Paypal converts over to US dollars here is what I get:

BBT website - US $26.37
Burn Shed website - US $22.40
 
All I can tell you for sure is when I get to the checkout and Paypal converts over to US dollars here is what I get:

BBT website - US $26.37
Burn Shed website - US $22.40

Thanks for that, GOS. Looks to me like Burning Shed are using the wrong (and more favorable to you) exchange rate! They have used 1.2 and it should be around 1.4! ...could be a good time to get those BS orders in! :eek:

[Edit]
...actually there's a much simpler explanation: BS are VAT registered so don't have to add UK VAT to US orders. BBT aren't big enough (yet) to make that viable for them. Of course, they still get a better margin from direct sales, so if you're feeling generous... ;)
 
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Just curious, but what will it be packaged in? The square cover and 64-page booklet make me think it'll be in something other than your standard Blu-ray case.
 
Just curious, but what will it be packaged in? The square cover and 64-page booklet make me think it'll be in something other than your standard Blu-ray case.

I haven't seen any of the design work yet (other than the cover photos) but I should be getting a pre-release copy when it comes back from pressing. I'l let you know as soon as I do.
 
I am now officially excited for this release, probably more so than any other release that's already been announced and is available for preorder. I listened to all of the songs off of this release a few nights ago, and I absolutely have fallen in love with Big Big Train's music, particularly with the epic track "The Underfall Yard". If the video and audio quality of this release match the unbelievable quality of their music, then this is one release that everyone will need to have in their collection!
I just preordered the Blu-Ray from Burning Shed for less than $23 (and that includes shipping) so I highly suggest that anyone interested in this release head over there to preorder it too! :)
 
I am now officially excited for this release, probably more so than any other release that's already been announced and is available for preorder. I listened to all of the songs off of this release a few nights ago, and I absolutely have fallen in love with Big Big Train's music, particularly with the epic track "The Underfall Yard". If the video and audio quality of this release match the unbelievable quality of their music, then this is one release that everyone will need to have in their collection!
I just preordered the Blu-Ray from Burning Shed for less than $23 (and that includes shipping) so I highly suggest that anyone interested in this release head over there to preorder it too! :)

You're right to be excited - this is going to be a superb release. I don't know what I'm most excited about: the reaction to BBT in surround from all the QQ regulars or the thought of a whole new set of surround converts being generated in the ranks of the BBT fans (aka "passengers".) I know that an awful lot of them have bought BluRay surround systems just to be ready for this release. :)
 
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