Hidden Treasures - A Collaborative Hoax, Part II

[Scott]

Another week, another Porcupine Tree posting. This weeks were going to dig into the catalog a little deeper and use the same template as last week, some early work and some later work... But first a few more facts about the band...

• 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".
• The music is often described as melancholic. He states music is a way for him to channel all his negative feelings, and "an exorcism of those elements within", finding it "easier to write songs about the negative side of the world than it is about the happy side of the world."
• Porcupine Tree is notable for being an album-oriented band, making very conceptual records where many songs are related to each other. Even so, each Porcupine Tree song has a distinguishable personality. Wilson explains: "The important thing with Porcupine Tree is that all our songs have a unique sound world that they inhabit. I don't like the idea of any song sounding like any other song.

 

So a couple of things happened with last week's SHT post...

• We introduced Porcupine Tree to the CRB masses. (OK masses is a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point)
• It went over so well, that were posting more this week.

And then one thing didn't happen...

• A free offer for a brand new shrink wrapped Porcupine Tree Signify CD was embedded in the content. No one claimed it! Weird that a bunch of music fans didn’t catch onto a free CD offer... hmmmm, so let’s close that offer and make this one a little more obvious. The very first 100% correct response to answer the question at the end of this column will receive the Porcupine Tree - Signify release. It is a double CD set. I will send it standard mail within 24-48 hours of that person’s correct response. The response must be in the form of a reply to this column and not posted in any other forum or private messaged.  If your answer is wrong, you don't get a second chance, thats it one and done!

 

PLAYLIST --> http://snack.to/ati2xaql

 

	On The Sunday of Life 1991 1 - Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip (0:27) 2 - Radioactive Toy (10:00) On the Sunday of Life is the debut album of English progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released in July, 1991. It compiles tracks that Steven Wilson produced and recorded for two cassette-only releases, Tarquin's Seaweed Farm (1989) and The Nostalgia Factory (1990). The rest of the music from these tapes was released three years after in the compilation album Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape. Most of the lyrics were written by Alan Duffy, a school friend with whom Steven Wilson had lost touch a few years before the album was released. The album title was chosen from a long list of nonsense titles compiled by Richard Allen of Delerium. This album is extremely experimental, if anyone ever thought this band ever sounded like Pink Floyd, it has to be because they listened to this.
	Deadwing 2005 3 - Shallow (4:17) 4 - The Start of Something Beautiful (7:40) Deadwing is the eighth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, released on 28 March 2005. It quickly became the band's best-selling album, though was later surpassed by Fear of a Blank Planet. The album is based on a screenplay written by Steven Wilson and Mike Bennion, and is essentially a ghost story. Wilson had expressed the intention to eventually have this film script made into a movie. The album produced two singles, "Shallow" and "Lazarus". "Shallow" also appeared in the movie Four Brothers. It can be heard as background music in a bar. The album also produced three music videos for "Lazarus", "The Start of Something Beautiful", and "Glass Arm Shattering". The album includes collaborations with King Crimson's Adrian Belew, who plays guitar solos on the title track "Deadwing" and "Halo", and Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt, who adds vocal harmonies on "Deadwing", "Lazarus", and "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here". He also plays the second guitar solo on "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here".
	Fear of a Blank Planet 2007 5 - Fear of a Blank Planet (7:28) 6 - Sentimental (5:27) Fear of a Blank Planet is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree and their best-selling (until it was surpassed by The Incident in 2010). Released by Roadrunner on 16 April 2007 in the UK and rest of the Europe, 24 April 2007 in the United States through Atlantic, 25 April 2007 in Japan on WHD and 1 May 2007 in Canada by WEA. Steven Wilson has mentioned that the album's title is a direct reference to the 1990 Public Enemy album, Fear of a Black Planet. He explained that race relations were a major issue when it was released and he sees "coming to terms with information technology and...the 21st century" as a modern issue. The album was written in Tel Aviv and London between January and July 2006. The promotion of the record included a premiere performance of the songs during the shows in support of the Arriving Somewhere... DVD tour between September and November 2006, and a series of listening parties at New York's Legacy Studios, and London's Abbey Road Studios during January 2007. Fear of a Blank Planet was followed later the same year by release of the Nil Recurring EP. With the release of Insurgentes, his first album as a soloist, Wilson would further develop some of the ideas on which Fear of a Blank Planet was conceived. Even though it doesn't include any singles, the album charted in almost all European countries and entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at #59. Allmusic, which gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 score, assured that "While there is no "radio single" on the disc most songs transcend their complex structure and feel as provocative as any traditional rock tune". The album was highly acclaimed by the critics and gained the status of "Album of the Year" in many magazines and websites.

Here’s your question...

British commander General Cornwallis occupied this city but was driven out by hostile residents, prompting him to note that this city was "a hornet's nest of rebellion". Name that City!

[RJhog (Admin)]

Charlotte, N.C.?

[Scott]

Winner! Send me your address in a private message and ill get it in the mail!

[Scott]

You rang in early. You must have really been thinking about that freebie ... And wanted it more than anyone else. I may do it again and this time make the question not so easily googleable

[RJhog (Admin)]

Totally digging this Scott.  I have a question.  Does Wilson play the guitar on that first full track (the second actual track on the playlist).  That's some great playing.

One thing that's really working for me is the fact that one track is almost easy listening, then the next is heavy as crap (in a good way, of course).  

[Scott]

Not 100% sure...

[Dannolonghair]

Thanks to watching Deadwood, I think I remember Merrick mentioning Cornwallis in Charlotte (I am assuming North Corolina). Or was he coming from there. Now I really think about it, Cornwallis was in the show when they were on the run. I've only watched the series about 50 times. Best show ever in my opinion.

so is it Charlotte. Don't they have a basketball team named the Hornets as well. or is it Charlotteville Hornets? I don't watch basketball anymore so I can't remember.

[Scott]

definitely was North Carolina. nice response! makes me wish i had two to give away...

[Jon]

What a fine, fine selection. Fine selection, I must say. Now we can see why I keep pushing those two latter albums maybe or not. "{Radioactive Toy" does sound a bit like Floyd, especially during the geetaring. The rest of the songs? Notsomuch. Yes, that is one word. Hopefully this gets more peeps buying PT albums and hopefully it gets someone to give a certain album another spin so they can catch the brilliance.

[RJhog (Admin)]

A certain someone has spun a certain album a couple of more times recently.  It's amazing to that certain someone how a certain musician can be so good on some albums and so.....what's the word I'm looking for......boring, as Niels would say, on others.  Other than the first track, totally boring.

[Jon]

SIGH

[RJhog (Admin)]

Overall, this is really good Scott.  The songs from the first two albums sound great.  I'd like to hear more of both of those.  The only one that isn't peaking my interest are the last two tracks.  And it's not that they are bad, they just sound the least interesting.  

Enjoyed this a lot.

[Scott]

deadwing is an awesome disc.