"Fear of a Blank Planet",Their best since "Stupid Dream".I don't like their Prog Metal stuff as much.Blank Planet is my Rock Album of the year so far.JD |
Tvad;
You need to channel the response of A'goN member: "Proghead" ...or Robert Guilarte
or email him at: proghead@hotmail.com...
He is THE MOST knowledgable cat I know regarding P-Tree.
He probably has everything they have done on both CD AND Vinyl, and will not hesitate to give you his opinion regarding your question, as I remember him saying something similiar about Lightbulb Sun as well.
Come to think of it...he is probably on his way to NearFest
(http://www.nearfest.com/) as we speak. Oh, did I mention he is WAAAY INTO Prog-Rock? Great guy... |
I have all of their albums on CD and most on vinyl and many on DVDA. My fav is Deadwing. It grows on you with a few listens as I didn't care for it at first. The new one is good too. Try the Blackfeild albums because they are not as heavy as PT's later stuff. Also get the PT DVD it is great. I saw PT in Atlanta last year. |
Tvad - can you elaborate on what you like about Lightbulb Sun, and In Absentia? I have the latter, but not the former, nor have I heard it. It's interesting because my least favorite of all PT releases I have is "In Absentia", and I had to work at it to like it at all. On the other hand I really like Deadwing.
I tend to favor their late '90's work like Sky Moved Sideways, Signify, Stupid Dream. I think it's a little "spacier", and less Pop than what their doing now. I just picked up Fear of a Blank Planet (actually giving it a first listen now) - and really like it
Coma Divine is fantastic for it's performance and recording quality alone (it's a live 2 cd release) |
I have all of their albums on CD and most on vinyl and many on DVDA as well with many signed on the Stupid Dream Tour,Saw them in SF and LA.Steven asked me why I wanted my cd and album covers defaced with their autographs.I told him that .....I have all their surround disc's and DVD/cd disc's.All sound very good.I have the DVD/cd limited ed. set of Fear and it is very cool.Already a collectors item.Love the music and the theme.Makes you think.6 Songs one being 17 minutes long.Surround DVD-A of Fear due for Sept/07 release.The PT songs I like the best meld The Floyd and The Beatles psych period together and there's a bunch of them.Kids,Steven Wilson is one of the most prolific songwriters and producer out there now,He's a member in 4 or 5 Bands that he is activly engaged in.Ambiant to Pop,Psych,Prog and Prog Metal.A lot of his stuff is highly collectable.If you get started listening and collecting his music,you have a Long Long interesting journey ahead.He started young releasing cassette's of his Imaginary Band Porcupine Tree.Those early releases go through the roof at E Bay.JD |
"In Absentia" was the first PT disc I bought, and I was hooked immediately in the first four bars. I'm a bit of a metal head anyway. "Lightbulb Sun" strikes me as a complete work with many dynamics, tempos and variety. I like the earlier stuff..."Signify", "Sky Moves Sideways", etc. but they can get a bit monotonous because they lack variety, IMO. I do like them though.
For me, "Deadwing" is like "In Absentia" Part Two, but without the edge. Maybe that's why many of you like "Deadwing" better...less prog metal content.
I'll check out "Fear of a Blank Planet". Thanks. |
You should try to snag some copies of their live work - Fillmore, Waszawa (Warsaw) and XM Studios 1 and 2. The sound quality is fantastic and they reprise most of their older stuff.
-RW- |
Funny, other than Shemovedon, Russia on ice and Hatesong, Lightbulb Sun isn't my fav from their catalog so take me with a grain of salt.
The new album is excellent like the others say, their best since Stupid Dream, although In Absentia is a close second.
You might give the Polish band Riverside 'Second life Syndrome' a try, it's got alot of PTRee elements in there. I like it alot, as much as SD or IA. |
I saw PT last month in Detroit and they were hot! The venue was hot too as they provided no air conditioning. I thought the concert rocked even better than they were in October of 2005, when I saw them in Milwaukee.
I have everything PT has to offer on vinyl and now that they made the jump to a major label, (Atlantic) I fear that there will be no vinly release of Fear of a Blank Planet forthcoming. Say it ain't so Atlantic? |
For those of you lucky enough to have been to their concerts this year, or for those who are looking for something new to check out, you should look up their backup band "3".
No, it's not a clone of PT, but it is pretty good. I heard that PT's producer signed them on the spot, so you may be hearing more from them in the future.
I recently picked up their album "Wake Pig" and it's pretty good.
Enjoy,
Bob |
Riverside is very good as well as Damnation by Opeth which was produced by SW. Get the PT DVD you won't be disappointed unless of course you don't like PT. |
FWIW, I owned a Riverside recording. It might have been "Second Life Syndrome" or "Out of Myself". I can't recall exactly. I didn't care for it. It seemed as though I had heard it all before in the 70s. |
Hi Tvad, being a big fan also of Porcupine Tree, I am encouraging you to find everything you can by them.
The originals do sound better and are worth finding if you can. There are some 10" releases that didn't seem to get to CD until later and they then sound like someone processed them on some bad notebook software; you definitely want the originals.
I've used Voyage 34 (LP) for years as a demo at CES- the sound is amazing (this is not the DLP reissue but the original with the op art cover). The LP of Coma Divine has additional material not on the CD. The 10" releases have studio outtakes and live material not found anywhere else. The Italian reissues have extra studio material (Sky Moves Sideways is a good example- include the Stars Die EP).
I got to open for PT on their 2005 tour when they came to Minneapolis. Its great to be able to say that I opened for one of my favorite bands, and it was especially nice to find out that everyone in the band was really nice- not stuck up or pretentious.
Enjoy the ride!! |
After reading this thread earlier in the day I eyed three PT Cd's at my local used cd store(The new one,Deadwing and In Abstenia) and snatched them up in mint condition for under twenty dollars total. I really like In abstenia and deadwing. great stuff,thanks to all of you for getting the word out. Will buy more for sure. |
Fear of a blank planet WILL be released on vinyl despite the fact that PTREE is signed to a major label. Should be out by the end of summer. It's great to see so many Audiogoners are into Ptree. Deadwing is a fabulous album. What you have to keep in mind is that every album PTREE puts out is on a league of their own. Ptree is known for reinventing themselves every time they put a new album out. So if you are looking for Lightbulb sun part two, you won't find anything like it. The closest to it would be Stupid Dream. When In Absentia came out it sounded like a new band. And that is part of Steve's idea of what the band should be. Constant reinvention is part of the equation. Keep that in mind when listening to Deadwing and Fear of a blank planet.
Another fun project I enjoy a lot is No-man. Try Together we're strangers and also Returning Jesus. It's hard to believe it came from the same musical madman that is behind PTREE. These releases are essential! |
Deadwing is a fabulous album. I agree - I have it on vinyl - great sonics. Another cd I didn't mention among my favorites in my previous post is "Recordings". It's a limited release so is hard to find and expensive (a couple are available on Amazon.com for ~$100 ea! I didn't pay that much since I bought it when it first came out at normal prices). Another fun project I enjoy a lot is No-man. I have No-man "Flowermouth" and like it, but not as much as the 2 Blackfield CDs which are fantastic. No-man cannot be mistaken for PT though, which is not the case with Blackfield since Steve Wilson is the vocalist on both. |
All of Porcupine Tree are being remastered and released with a bonus CD. Don't waste your money paying inflated prices. I saw most of their offerings yesterday going for 14.99 and the rest will follow. |
most of their catalog is being reissued and often includes bonus material. However, the original Delerium releases, in many cases have better sonics than the new stuff. if you want to save money, go for the new stuff, if you want to collect, prepare your wallet.
best wishes
|
Lightbulb Sun is going to be released on DVDA in the near future. |
Yeah I bought Stupid Dream in 5.1 dolby last week. It also comes with a remastered stereo version cd. |
I bought "Fear of a Blank Planet" and sold it shortly thereafter. The music and recording, while typical PT high quality, was too reminiscent of "In Absentia" and "Deadwing", and offered little new, IMO.
The capper was the depressing theme of the lyrics. Not for me. |
I don't understand Tvad. If you like In Absentia, why wouldn't you want another album to be reminiscent of it? Fear does take time to get but once one does it's very good. I don't think it's as good as Deadwing but still quite good. The lyrics don't really matter to me as long as the music is good. |
Rwwear, suffice it to say that I didn't care for "FOABP" enough to keep it, and the lyrics are downright dismal and depressing. Read 'em sometime. Of course, having said that, I'm certain some find the lyrics joyful and enlightening. To each his own.
Overall, I'm not one who collects everything a band has to offer. I usually cherry pick the best from an artist's discography. It's just my way.
I certainly respect your opinion, as well as the opinions of everyone who has offered suggestions. Thanks. |
You're very welcome Tvad, from myself anyway. |
From Richard Thompson:
Bleak is good! Happy songs are OK, if it's something you're dancing to, but listen to Julie Andrews all day and it might drive you nuts. |
After reading this thread I ordered Porcupine Tree, "Stupid Dream" which is highly regarded and praised at AMG as their Album Pick.
I located it as original double LP, with really high hopes, especially since I'm such an analog head.
After spinning a couple of sides my impression is it's too compressed from a recording standpoint and too depressing from a creative standpoint which does not leave much for me to like.
I'm giving it one more chance before posting for sale here at Audiogon. You might find Death Cab for Cutie "Something About Airplanes," up for grabs too. I acquired that LP about the same time and have found little to like about it either.
I will say the new White Stripes album is great and I can't stop spinning Goldfrapp "Felt Mountain" and "La Nouvelle Pauvreté" by Jan Jelinek, the latter of which is pretty far out as rock records go. |
Thank you for those three suggestions, Albert. |
Lightbulb Sun is going to be released in 5.1 dolby and the original Cd is being remastered. Maybe they will float your boat Albert. |
Perhaps I should try that before giving up. I love finding new software, it's the most important part of this hobby. |
I believe Lightbulb Sun is a worthwhile purchase and addition to your collection, Albert. Give it a shot. |
don't like Stupid dream?!? well it isn't everyone's cup of tea. I simply love the way Wilson writes. The guy grew up listening to great music. Now he channels all the influences into his own music. Crank up that intro from stupid dream... you can tell he's playing a Vox Amp right in your face. The distortion on the guitar is simply delicious. Depressing? yeah, but so it is radiohead (on a much more grander scale too by the way) and no one complains about it. |
I would have to say Deadwing is my favorite but love all of them except maybe the first which is merely good to me.
Lightbulb Sun has recently been released on DVD Audio. |
Lightbulb Sun on CD is an outstanding recording. I suspect it will be even better on DVD-A. |
|
Anything else like Voyage 34? |
Hey Synthfreak - I would say that Voyage 34 is one of my favorite of their recordings. It is an interesting concept album and I like the pace and creativity of the first two parts (I and II) especially.
A few other of my favorites would include: Up The Downstair, Signify, Sky Moves Sideways, Deadwing, Stars Die, and Lightbulb Sun. But I seem to like 85-90% of their work. In fact, they have so much out there that I've only heard maybe 40-60% percent of their material - yay!
Anyone else really like PT's early release, Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape? |
I just picked up an album by a Polish group that sounds very similar to PT. Any fans should probably check them out:
"Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement".
Then there's also PT's backup band at last year's concerts: "3".
Enjoy,
Bob |
Riverside is right up there with the best I think. |
I've heard only Deadwing and FOABP. Nice recordings and I I like them both, but my understanding is these are a far cry from the more psychodelic/space rock oriented earlier material.
Caught them live last year on their FOABP tour. Great band and great show!
FOABP is some really good prog, more proggy than DW, but the subject material is extremely bleak and depressing....think Pink Floyd's "The Wall" updated with year 2008 sensibilities, which limits its appeal. I heard the title track from this album played on a Death MEtal station in New Jersey recently, to give you an idea of some of the water it treads perhaps in common to some extent with Deadwing. |
Mapman, pick up the new CD/DVD-A re-release of "Lightbulb Sun".
FOABP is dismal...makes you want to Google "suicide", just to learn the possibilities.
Deadwing is good. In Absentia is better. And Lightbulb Sun is better than either by a fair margin, IMO. |
I'll give LS a shot.
The music and playing is so good in FOABP though that I can tune out the lyrics and still enjoy it start to finish.
A remix with the vocals removed would be interesting.
Thanks. |
Who cares about lyrics anyway? |
My first experience with PT was 'Up the Down Stair' from about 1992, which was also about when I encountered it. Then 'Voyage 34', 'Staircase Infinities' and then the 'new' album, 'Sky Moves Sideways'.
These albums were right up my alley- a lot in common with the happier, trippier Floyd pre-Dark Side, with some strong Kraut-rock influences, yet still its own aesthetic. I like them so much that I forgive anything that has followed (most of which I enjoy a lot). 'Signify' brought a new sound for the band, less of the amazing jamouts and more harmonized vocals (usually with dark lyrics). Later albums confirmed that pathway, more song/pop oriented, but the roots are plainly obvious to me with any of their work to date. |
The recent re-releases of Signify and Sky Moves Sideways include second discs containing primarily studio jams which would later evolve into the released versions of the albums.
Trippy and hypnotic with little if any vocals. I often listen to the jams rather than the official releases.
PT also have re-released earlier recordings. I suspect they include jams as well, but I'm not certain. |
FWIW its worth it to look for the earlier vinyl if you can find it. At least in the case of Voyage 34 and Up the Downstair, the originals sound better. |
For those who like Lightbulb Sun, check out Blackfeild which is a side project of Steve Wilson and Aviv Geffen. The songs are more straight ahead like Lightbulb Sun but still rock out. A great must have for Steve Wilson fans, |
I watched the Blackfield DVD last night again. Good stuff. |
