Door One

Product Information

Accepting the change that has occurred and facing it bravely whilst keeping the memory alive, even though the loved one has gone. Forgive (But Not Forget) is a further revealing song that deals with the hurt of a failed relationship. 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. This is a fine second track and it is a joy to hear David’s voice as he swoops and soars in a familiar manner, the song is certainly stirring with some great guitar.

The mandolin and melody line give a folky lilt, the guitar solo and Wurlitzer organ are bluesy, and Theo Travis’ smokey sax outro is pure class (as a steer Longdon’s pointed Travis to Dick Parry’s work on one of his favourite albums, The Dark Side Of The Moon). There's a suppleness to the instrumentation on Door One that is often missing in BBT’s meticulously crafted music. The album’s longest track, The Letting Go, is about loss, which is painfully ironic as David died not long after its completion. David, sadly, died - depriving BBT of an incredible voice and the wider rock world of a genuine genre-straddling vocalist.The epic track ‘The Letting Go’ is simply one of the best pieces of music I’ve ever heard - by anyone … ever; full of atmosphere and meaning with a beautiful soundscape. The song then enters a haunting melancholic flute section backed with piano as David sings “The Letting Go” over an ever increasing drum pattern which, in turn, leads to sustained chords and it’s a suitably strong ending to an excellent track. Gradually other instruments get added as the intensity builds, and the piece is brought to a close when some picking on guitar or perhaps another stringed instrument appear. With that husky, timeless tone of his, David Longdon appeals to us to heed the words: ‘ Love is the only thing that matters, Love is all, love is all. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

There are moments where he doesn’t sound completely himself, and others where he clearly stretches himself beyond his capabilities. And perhaps here it’s hardest to separate Door One – with all its heart, soul, love, vitriol, humour and wisdom – from its sad, posthumous circumstances. 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.David had also finally, after many years, begun to gain both widespread acclaim and respect, furthermore he had found satisfaction in his life with partner Sarah Ewing. Finishing the album was a balancing act of me trying to honour what we had been talking about but without his ears to say ‘Yes, I like that’ or not. He had much greater range than even I had expected, and yet he always performed with class and muster.

I subsequently had to take on a wider role with David’s passing, but Patrick Phillips and I were definitely on the same wavelength when it came to manifesting some of this at the mixing stage, with these goals in mind. Especially because – as Longdon looks back on doors opened, paths chosen, and where those choices have led – this personal, emotional and frequently sublime record simply vibrates with life, and living.Door One’s lyrics tackle many areas of his life which were challenging, and the theme of difficult relationship issues that David faced earlier in his life runs through it.

The lyrics are excellent across the board, with the closer “Love is All” feeling like David reaching out from the grave to grant us wisdom.The opening has hints of David Crosby’s jazzy inflections and song structures as well as the harmonies. So from the tragedy of David’s death, we can find hope and purpose and celebrate his memory with this fine collection of songs.