Classic Rock Bottom

This SHT list is all because of Niels!

Some time ago Niels posted some videos and then some tracks from an album titled "The Raven That Refused To Sing" by Steven Wilson. Ever since then its been a very consuming venture to find about this guy and his work. Really, it has been one of those great journeys of discovery and something that has opened my eyes, and ears, to some really great music.

While the journey started with his latest solo album, it lead to a band named "Porcupine Tree" - So heres a little about them;

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Porcupine Tree originated in 1987 as a collaborative hoax project by Steven Wilson and Malcolm Stocks. Partially inspired by the psychedelic/progressive bands of the 1970s, such as Pink Floyd, that had dominated the music scene during their youth, the two decided to form a fictional legendary rock band named The Porcupine Tree. The two fabricated a detailed back-story including information on alleged band members and album titles, as well as a "colourful" history which purportedly included events such as a meeting at a 1970s rock festival and several trips in and out of prison. As soon as he had put aside enough money to buy his own studio equipment, Wilson obliged this creation with several hours of music to provide "evidence" of its existence. Although Stocks provided a few passages of treated vocals and experimental guitar playing, his role in the project was mostly offering occasional ideas, with the bulk of the material being written, recorded, played and sung by Wilson.

Much of the inherent musical background of Porcupine Tree goes back to Wilson's childhood, when his parents gave Christmas presents to each other. His father received Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon whilst his mother got Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby, which Wilson assures, both played "in a continuous way". These albums would heavily influence his further songwriting (especially the Pink Floyd one). Other known influences are Karlheinz Stockhausen and Abba.

For their recordings the band has included mellotron, banjo, hammered dulcimer and guimbri among other instruments unusual for rock bands.

Above all, Porcupine Tree music has maintained a strong textural and experimental quality, often fusing many genres in a single track. The band's work is noted for its atmospheric nature, largely due to Barbieri's keyboard style and sound-processing abilities, and Wilson's cinematic scope, as a declared fan of American filmmaker David Lynch, whose films are renowned for their sonic content. "Very layered, very produced, very arranged and [with] complex arrangements" is the way Wilson describes the sound of the band.

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OK - so the stage is set, are you ready for this? Did you know Porcupine Tree has won several Grammy's for best Surround and 5.1 mixes?  So listen carefully and preferably louder than normal...

PLAYLIST --> http://snack.to/adn5yukt

Up The Downstair
1993

1 - What You Are Listening To
2 - Synesthesia

Up the Downstair is the second studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released in May 1993. It was originally intended to be a double album set including the song "Voyage 34", which was instead released as a single in 1992, and other material that ended up on the Staircase Infinities EP (1994). In 2005, it was partially re-recorded, fully re-mixed, remastered and re-released along with the Staircase Infinities EP as a double album. The re-release contains a new mix by Steven Wilson, along with recorded drums by Gavin Harrison that replace the electronic drums of the original version. Steven Wilson has stated that the title of the album came from a line in the song "Voyage 34." There is still a title track, however. Another re-release on double vinyl was pressed on 14 August 2008 on Kscope records. This is identical to the 2005 release, except it is printed on coloured vinyl and the Staircase Infinities disc contains the song "Phantoms".

Lightbulb Sun
2000

3 - Lightbulb Sun

Lightbulb Sun is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released in May 2000, and later reissued in 2008 on CD, DVD-A surround sound, and vinyl.

This album, along with their prior album Stupid Dream, are considered to have a more commercial, poppier sound, opposed to the abstract instrumental sound of their prior albums, or the heavier metal sound in their subsequent albums of the 2000s.[3] The album is divided into two parts between "Rest Will Flow" and "Hatesong". The first part concentrates more on melodic, pop elements of Porcupine Tree's style, while the second has a more experimental character.

Wilson states that, while there is no unifying theme or concept behind the album, "There are at least four or five songs on that record which I call the divorce songs, the relationship songs, which are all about various stages of the splitting up a relationship, of dissolving a relationship. Russia On Ice, How Is Your Life Today, Shesmovedon, Feel So Low, I mean, the last track of the album. The period in a relationship, where the relationship is kind of... still exists, but it's in that period where, really, there is nothing left but hatred and despise - Hatesong is the other one. But then on the other hand, there are groups of songs on the album which are all about various childhood... nostalgic childhood reminisces, Lightbulb Sun and the first part of Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth, Where We Would Be. So there are kind of groups of songs. And then there's a couple of songs that don't have any relation to anything else. Four Chords That Made A Million doesn't have any relation to anything else on the album, or anything else I've ever written. It's just that."

In Absentia
2002

4 - Blackest Eyes

While not a formal concept album, many of the songs still have common themes related to serial killers, youthful innocence gone wrong, and criticisms of the modern world. The album's title is also ties into this, with the phrase being Latin for "in absence" or "in one's absence", often in reference to a person's rights when mentally unable to be represented in court in legal situations.

Wilson said of the title:

"It comes from…it's related to some of lyrics. It's about people on the fringes, on the edges of humanity and society. I have an interest in serial killers, child molesters and wife beaters…not in what they did but in the psychology of why, what caused them to become unhinged and twisted? Why are they unable to empathize? It's [In Absentia] sort of a metaphor - there's something missing, a black hole, a cancer in their soul. It's an absence in the soul."

Reception for the album has been positive. It was Metal Storm's number 2 of the Top 20 albums of 2002 and number 46 on the Top 200 albums of all time. Allmusic strongly praised the album, stating that overall, the album "...has the most immediate appeal of anything Wilson has released under this moniker up to this point.

Signify
1996

5 - Bornlivedie
6 - Signify
7 - Waiting Phase One

Wilson said of the recording process: "Signify was slightly odd in the way it was recorded in the sense that although it is a band album, because we were never able to actually all be in the same room at the same time, because of physical limitations, with the exception of one track, "Intermediate Jesus", which was done outside, I tended to demo the tracks to a fairly high level and they would just replace the parts that I'd played on synthesizers with the real thing. So there wasn't a great deal of input from the other guys."

In addition to the change in sound coming from it being the first collaborative, full band album as a whole, the album marked a transition in genre as well. The band's first three albums were characterized as being psychedelic rock and experimental space rock. This album still retains these qualities, but at the same time, moves closer to a more structured, radio-friendly and commercial sound, a style of progressive rock that the band explored in a much stronger way in the bands subsequent albums Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun. The album has been described as "...the end an era, while simultaneously ushering in the dawn of a new age...It contains sprawling, vague instrumental tunes as well as more straightforward, cleverly written songs with a clear-cut song structure. A precursor to Stupid Dream and an epilogue to Porcupine Tree's psychedelic past." PopMatters later reflected that the album would become to be known as the band's krautrock album.

Assuming you've taken the time to read down this far your in luck. I have a brand-spanking-new version of Signify still shrink wrapped and dying for an owner. It goes to the first person who can answer this question correctly...

This city is home to the oldest enclosed stadium on a college campus in the United States and the second-oldest overall. Only the Houston Astrodome, completed in 1965, predates it. Since 2008, it has been the oldest enclosed stadium in use.


Name the city and the arena...

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The first time, I noticed Porcupine Tree, was in 2010, when I did VOTW, and I found and posted a track from The Incident. I loved that video and track, and I also bought the album. It wasn't as great, as I expected, but I hoped for a new PT-album, but then Wilson made a solo-album, which wasn't very good, and then he made an album with Mikael Åkerfeldt, which wasn't very good, and then he made TRTRTS, which at the moment imo, is one of the two best albums, released in 2013.

I don't know, why I haven't tried to listen to some older PT-albums, probably because I have listened to something else, but I will listen to this, and if I like it, I will try to get my hands on some of these albums.

Scott and/or Jon: Which albums, should I start up with? Is the latest double-live album any good?       

You need to get "In Absentia", "Fear Of A Blank Planet" and "Deadwing". I'm not too big on live albums, so couldn't give you a recommendation on their latest live album. If you want to here some early Porcupine Tree, get the "Stars Die" comp, but it's mostly pretty mellow stuff. It's not bad, but it's more along the lines of Tangerine Dream on a lot of the songs.

I listened to most of The Incident yesterday.  I think it's damn good.  I'm gonna try to listen to it again today.

Right now I'm really liking Signify...

This was nice. I like Porcupine Tree, the early stuff is ok, but I really enjoy the later, heavier stuff. I don't think you can go wrong with anything from these guys though. What's amazing is the production, this is great music to listen to on headphones. Nice job, now more people need to buy their albums and listen to TRTRTS AGAIN to fully realize the masterpiece that it is. 

agreed...  this stuff turned on headphones is completely different and enhanced listening experience.  Remember these guys have won grammys for their surround and 5.1 mixes.

And anyone who doesn't like that Raven album, well that's just not normal!

Damn. Have I ever missed out on some good music here. Although I have heard of these guys, I think I once saw a video that I just didn't care for and therefore never gave these guys a second look. This shit is great. I hear a lot of Hawkwind and Marillion in here. I think a bit of Mathew Sweet as well and a few other bands I can't quit pinpoint other than the obvious Floyd. oh and I just heard a bit of Stabbing Westward right now. Amazing!!!!!!!

Thanks for this. Gonna be looking for their stuff now.

I may do a part II if you want to hear more next week ...  I love the Signify CD right now, and their catalog is really split in two..

Part I:  Atmospheric, psychedelic, and pink floyd-ish

Part II:  Progressive with more rock and roll / metal influence.

Hell yeah Scott.

This is very, very good!!

Might I just add, that even though Wilson sings great, his voice isn't THAT strong, and I wonder how this music had sounded with an even better singer with a stronger voice.

But....I have to get me some of those albums!! I think, that I agree with Jon, that the later heavy stuff might just be the best, well for me (and Jon, obviously) anyway. I've just heard most of "Deadwing", and it sounds great!! The best tracks, are those, where the guitar sounds heavy!!

But I'm interested in "Signify" as well. Something about that cover, tells me, that it's a good album! Do you have the Special edition from 2004, Scott? There's 22 tracks on that one.

It seems like, it's not that easy to purchase all of their albums, though?! Well, not the way, I usually purchase albums, meaning either through ITunes or by a couple of scandinavian shops on the net, but CD's ARE more expensive.

If so, I guess, I can get all of them through Amazon, but I will start out with the 4 albums recommended by you guys: "In Absentia", "FOABP", "Deadwing" and "Signify" special edition, of course.

I purchased all of mine between a local CD store and Amazon.com.  They are not overpriced (IMO) for the special edition and packaging that you get, especially Signify - which is the one I'm into most.  It is, however, not as heavy as their later work.

Not that anyone would find this on this thread, but there was a free CD giveaway buried at the bottom of this ...  No one even guessed!  Sooooooooo .....  This giveaway is dead...  Not gonna happen...  over...  We'll try again in the next post.

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