Description
Strength of a Dream: The Gravy Train Anthology is a double disc compilation by the British progressive rock band Gravy Train, released on Sanctuary Records in 2006. Disc One features all tracks from the Second Birth album as well as three non-album tracks released as B-sides of singles, while Disc Two features all tracks from the Staircase to the Day album as well a six previously unreleased tracks (which of three songs later were re-recorded and included on Barratt Band’s debut album, Playing in the City).
Gravy Train was a band formed by guitarist/vocalist and songwriter Norman Barratt (February 5, 1949 – July 30, 2011) in 1969 during the genesis of English progressive rock. The band immediately garnered attention and were – along with well known acts like Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep – among the first bands signed to Vertigo Records, a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles.
When we were making the first Gravy Train album, my old manager in The Hunters, Norman Littler, had become a Christian while I had been away touring and recording with the band. We had both spent years talking about God and the world and trying to make sense of it all. He heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it turned his life around. He told me about it months later when I was home visiting. When I read the family bible, a thing I’d never done before, I was deeply affected by what I read about who Jesus is and what he has done for all of us and committed my life to Him.
The rest of the band were tolerant and sympathetic of my position and the record companies never tried to dissuade me. The Christian experience influenced all of my lyrics for Gravy Train. Not overtly, but certainly they were written from a Christian perspective. I did not think that I had a right to ‘preach’ to audiences who had just come to hear the band and have a good time. Although a lot of people who had read interviews in the music press did come backstage almost every night to find out what it was all about. Some of them were saved and are still going strong today; most of them did not but seemed to respect my beliefs. None ever ridiculed me.
[Excerpt from an interview with Norman Barratt featured in the liner notes of ‘Strength of a Dream: The Gravy Train Anthology’]
Some of Norman Barratt’s highlights of his period with Gravy Train included: We supported Emerson, Lake, and Palmer at Manchester University and had to go back on after they were booed off the stage for not being very good! Also, playing regularly at the Marquee Club in Soho, and Liverpool’s Cavern Club – the two places in the whole world where a band had to be really good to get invited back. [Norman Barratt, excerpt from the line notes of Strength of a Dream: The Gravy Train Anthology, Castle Music 2006]
In the late ’70s and early ’80s guitarist Norman Barratt brought his undoubted guitar hero skills to Christian music as part of the Alwyn Wall Band and with his own outfit the Barratt Band. At the time I can remember much talk about his mainstream band Gravy Train who had been signed to the Vertigo and Dawn labels. As their albums weren’t easily found back then, this CD re-release is the first time I’ve tracked down his earlier music. At first glance, you might think that ‘Strength Of A Dream: The Gravy Train Anthology’ would be a best of collection spanning all their releases when in fact it is their third and fourth albums with assorted singles and b sides. What you get is the ‘Second Birth‘ and ‘Staircase To The Day‘ LPs and an interesting journey seeing how the band developed between those two releases from 1973 and 1974. Gravy Train were always an attractive live draw on the flourishing rock scene of the ’70s and their style of prog rock still sounds interesting today. ‘Second Birth’ drew many comparisons to Jethro Tull mainly because of the flute of JD Hughes which is very prominent. It is interesting approaching this album the wrong way round having heard his later music first because I can identify that a song like «Second Birth» has the seeds of what would become «Voice In The Night». In fact the second disc contains a couple of Barratt band classics in their earlier Gravy Train demo form. Bonus cuts like «Nowhere To Run» and their final single «Climb Aboard The Gravy Train» also show the band going in a slightly funkier direction. Musically undoubtedly this is a band of extreme talent that simply failed to break through commercially, not an unusual story in the ’70s when the UK was awash with accomplished rock bands. Interestingly Barratt’s faith surfaces here and there lyrically and yet never seems to have been an issue. In the extensive sleevenotes he comments that it often led to interesting post gig conversations. Fans of ’70s rock and particularly prog rock should definitely investigate. As for me, I’m off in search of their other albums. [Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms, March 2007]
Gravy Train shared stages with a host of big ’70s names, including Genesis and Roxy Music. They once returned to the stage to finish a gig after main act ELP got booed off, but they remained just a well-kept secret. This set collects their two Dawn label albums and, though inconsistent in places, it features some real treasure.
The first disc – their third album ‘Second Birth’ showcases the band’s potential, especially in the ballads. It is mainly let down by occasional dated twin guitar-and-flute arpeggios and a production that the band themselves fought against. The treasure lies in the second disc – essentially the excellent 1974 ‘Staircase To the Day’ album. From the moment that the spacey synth introduction flutters into the speakers to launch the single «Starlight Starbright», you can see the band’s promise fulfilled.
The album mixes a range of material, all finely played, superbly produced and with some unforgettable tunes. While there is plenty to please those who like their rock with a progressive edge (including some very decent synthesizer work), the thoughtful ballads broaden their appeal.
Throughout the disc they establish a unique Gravy Train sound: plenty of flanged guitar, a rainbow of instrumental colour and with keyboards taking most of the lines that flute would have taken before. There is also an element of funk, which on the earlier, guitar-based tracks does not work, but on ‘Staircase to the Day’ is often expressed by an underpinning clavinet, reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s «Superstition».
While several bonus songs are sub-standard (Free’s «The Stealer» does not really work in this slower, funkier arrangement), Norman Barratt‘s admirers will love some of the unearthed work intended for Gravy Train’s fifth album, but which ended up instead on the Barratt Band’s ‘Playing In the City‘. There are fine versions of its title track and «Never Seen Your Face».
While several songs in the set have an apocalyptic edge, some give an unusual ‘first-hand’ take on subjects like the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the Northern Ireland troubles. There is talk that Gravy Train will reform this year, but it might be too much to hope for that they could restart at this standard. Whatever you pay for this release, the second disc alone will be easily worth it. [Derek Walker, The Phantom Tollbooth, 02/25/2007]
2CD tracklist:
Disc One
1-01. Morning Coming – 6:40
1-02. Peter – 4:05
1-03. September Morning News – 5:40
1-04. Motorway – 5:49
1-05. Fields And Factories – 8:32
1-06. Strenght Of A Dream – 3:59
1-07. Tolpuddle Episode – 5:09
1-08. Second Birth – 6:55
Bonus Tracks:
1-09. Goodtime Girl (single B-side, Dawn Records 1974) – 4:14
1-10. Climb Aboard The Gravy Train (single A-side, Dawn Records 1975) – 3:08
1-11. Sanctuary (single B-side, Dawn Records 1975) – 3:59
Disc Two
2-01. Starbright Starlight – 4:29
2-02. Bring My Life On Back To Me – 5:42
2-03. Never Wanted You – 4:00
2-04. Staircase To The Day – 7:36
2-05. Going For A Quick One – 5:13
2-06. The Last Day – 5:35
2-07. Evening Of My Life – 2:58
2-08. Busted In Schenectady – 8:10
Bonus Tracks:
2-09. Never Seen Your Face – 3:54
2-10. Nowhere To Run – 2:26
2-11. Playing In The City – 3:02
2-12. Playing In The City (Alternative Version) – 4:10
2-13. Not The Way – 4:31
2-14. The Stealer – 5:13
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