''Common Ground'' is the thirteenth studio album by the English
progressive rock band
Big Big Train, released on 30 July 2021. With the departure of Dave Gregory, Rachel Hall, and Danny Manners in 2020, ''Common Ground'' is the first album release with the core four-piece lineup of Greg Spawton, David Longdon, Nick D'Virgilio, and Rikard Sjöblom. Joining the core line-up on the album are session musicians Carly Bryant, Dave Foster, and Aidan O'Rourke. Upon release it entered the UK music charts at number 31.
It was elected by ''
PopMatters'' as the ninth best progressive rock/metal album of 2021.
Track listing
Charts
Personnel
Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Big Big Train
*
Nick D'Virgilio – drums, percussion, vocals
*
David Longdon
David Longdon (17 June 1965 – 20 November 2021) was a British multi-instrumentalist and singer, who was best known as the lead vocalist and co-songwriter of the progressive rock band Big Big Train. Besides singing, Longdon played flute, keyb ...
– lead vocals, acoustic guitar, Mellotron, synthesiser, piano, vibraphone, tambourine, flute
* Rikard Sjöblom – keyboards, piano, synthesiser, Hammond organ, electric 6 and 12 string guitars, vocals
* Greg Spawton – bass guitar, bass pedals
Additional musicians
* Carly Bryant – vocals on tracks 1-4,7-9
* Dave Foster – guitars on tracks 1,8
* Aidan O'Rourke – violin, soundscapes on tracks 1,2,4,6-9
Brass band
*Dave Desmond – trombone
*Stuart Roberts – trumpet
*Nick Stones – French horn
*John Storey – euphonium
*Jon Truscott – tuba
Production
* Rob Aubrey – mixing, mastering, engineering
* Shawn Dealey – engineering
* Patrick Phillips – engineering
* Stuart Hamilton – engineering
* Dave Desmond – brass arrangements on tracks 6,9
References
{{Reflist
2021 albums
Big Big Train albums