''Elegies to Lessons Learnt'' is

I Like Trains I Like Trains (previously styled as iLiKETRAiNS) is an English alternative/post-rock band, formed in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It draws its inspiration from historical failings and a pessimistic world view. I Like Trains has had its music used in ...

' first studio album, and was released on 1 October 2007. As with their earlier EP, Progress Reform, many of the songs cover historical events.
Articles to accompany the songs on the album Each B-Side (indented here) tells a different aspect of the same story as its single. * "We All Fall Down" is about the Great Plague of London, plague epidemic of 1665 in

Eyam Eyam () is an English village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales that lies within the Peak District National Park. There is evidence of early occupation by Ancient Britons on the surrounding moors and lead was mined in the area by the Roma ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, which killed 260 people and left only 83 alive. * "Twenty Five Sins" is about the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...

in 1666. * "The Deception" tells of

Donald Crowhurst Donald Charles Alfred Crowhurst (1932 – July 1969) was a British businessman and amateur sailor who disappeared while competing in the ''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. Soon after he started th ...

, who attempted to cheat in the

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race The ''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe Race was a non-stop, single-handed sailing, single-handed, circumnavigation, round-the-world yacht racing, yacht race, held in 1968–1969, and was the first round-the-world yacht race. The race was controversi ...

in 1968-1969, but disappeared from the race, presumed to have become insane and committed suicide. ** "Joshua" is an instrumental telling the story of

Bernard Moitessier Bernard Moitessier (April 10, 1925 – June 16, 1994) was a French sailor, most notable for his participation in the 1968 ''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe Race, the first non-stop, singlehanded, round the world yacht race. With the fastest circumna ...

, another competitor in the Golden Globe Race, who abandoned the race while in a strong position to win and instead circled the globe one and a half times until he reached

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

. ** "Victress" tells the story of

Nigel Tetley Nigel Tetley (8 February 1924 – 2 February 1972) was a British sailor who was the first person to circumnavigate the world solo in a trimaran.''A Voyage for Madmen'', by Peter Nichols; pages 32–33. Harper Collins, 2001. The race A nativ ...

, another competitor in the Golden Globe Race, who became the first person to circumnavigate the globe solo non-stop, but then sank 1,200 miles before completing the race. * "The Voice Of Reason" refers to the attempted assassination of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

James Hadfield James Hadfield or Hatfield (1771/1772 – 23 January 1841) attempted to assassinate George III of the United Kingdom in 1800 but was acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity. Biography Hadfield's early years are unknown but he was sev ...

in 1800. * "Death of an Idealist" is about the British MP

John Stonehouse John Thomson Stonehouse (28 July 192514 April 1988) was a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician and cabinet minister under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Stonehouse is remembered for his unsuccessful attempt at faking his own death in ...

, who faked his own death in 1974 and lived in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, to escape his burdening debt, before being found by

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

. * "Remnants of an Army" is about

William Brydon William Brydon CB (10 October 1811 – 20 March 1873) was an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, famous for reportedly being the only member of an army of 4,500 men, plus 12,000 accomp ...

, the only European survivor of the

Massacre of Elphinstone's Army The 1842 retreat from Kabul, also called the Massacre of Elphinstone's army, during the First Anglo-Afghan War, was the retreat of the British and East India Company forces from Kabul. An uprising in Kabul forced the then commander, Major-Genera ...

on the retreat from

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

in 1842. * "We Go Hunting" is about

Samuel Parris Samuel Parris (1653February 27, 1720) was the Puritan minister in Salem Village, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials. He was also the father of one of the afflicted girls, and the uncle of another. Life and career Samuel Parris, son of T ...

, the Puritan Minister in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

during the

Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

of 1692 and father to one of the afflicted girls. ** "More Weight" tells story of

Giles Corey Giles Corey ( August 1611 – September 19, 1692) was an English-born American farmer who was accused of witchcraft along with his wife Martha Corey during the Salem witch trials. After being arrested, Corey refused to enter a plea of guilty or ...

, a farmer who was crushed to death by stone weights during the Salem Witch Trials, in an attempt to force a plea from him. * "Come Over" is about

Conrad Schumann Hans Konrad Schumann (often anglicized to Hans Conrad Schumann in English-language sources; 28 March 1942 – 20 June 1998) was an East German border guard who escaped to West Germany during the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Early ...

, a 19-year-old East German soldier who defected by jumping across the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

while it was being built in 1961. * "

Spencer Perceval Spencer Perceval (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman and barrister who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1809 until his assassination in May 1812. Perceval is the only British prime minister to ...

" tells of the only ever assassination of a British Prime Minister, from the point of view of the murderer

John Bellingham John Bellingham (176918 May 1812) was an English merchant and perpetrator of the 1812 murder of Spencer Perceval, the only British prime minister to be assassinated. Early life Bellingham's early life is largely unknown, and most post-assass ...

. ** "I Am Murdered" is about the same assassination from

's own point of view. The title consists of Perceval's last words. "Victress", which was released before this album, alludes to the album title with the lyrics "I sing elegies to lessons I will never learn" which are sung during the second verse. A DVD version of the album was released on 21 April 2008, and coincided with a tour and the release of "We Go Hunting" as a single.

Track listing

# "We All Fall Down" – 6:12 # "Twenty Five Sins" – 3:39 # "The Deception" – 3:58 # "Voice of Reason" – 5:00 # "Death of an Idealist" – 3:25 # "Remnants of an Army" – 3:57 # "We Go Hunting" – 3:24 # "Come Over" – 4:10 # "Spencer Perceval" – 9:09 # "Epiphany" – 2:18 # "Death is the End" – 5:21

Singles

"We Go Hunting", released 21 April 2008 7" Vinyl # "We Go Hunting" – 3:24 # "More Weight" – 4:04 "The Deception", released 10 September 2007 CD # "The Deception" – 3:59 # "Joshua" – 4:43 # "Victress" – 4:09 7" Vinyl # "The Deception" – 3:59 # "Victress" – 4:09 "Spencer Perceval", released 26 March 2007 CD # "Spencer Perceval" – 9:14 # "I Am Murdered" – 6:07 12" Vinyl # "Spencer Perceval" – 9:14 # "I Am Murdered" – 6:07

Personnel

* David Martin –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and vocals * Guy Bannister – guitar,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, vocals * Alistair Bowis – bass * Simon Fogal –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Ashley Dean -

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

References

{{Authority control I Like Trains albums 2007 debut albums Beggars Banquet Records albums