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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: Samsara on January 16, 2020, 08:23:03 AM
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I did a search on the General Music Discussion section, and couldn't believe there wasn't a thread devoted to Porcupine Tree. I am sure there is one about Steven Wilson, but I think PT should have its own thread. Even Wilson himself said PT morphed into a band, which meant compromises between the members, and that's one of the reasons he went forward with his solo career.
So here's a thread for all things PT.
The deluxe edition for In Absentia is due on Feb. 21! Trailer is here:
https://youtu.be/A-QWi1UfrU0
Can't wait. I bought the big LP version a couple years back (and of course I had it on CD originally). I looked on Amazon, which is my retailer of choice just for delivery speed, and it was a whopping 90 bucks!!! I hope that comes down. I can order from KScope or even Amazon.co.uk, and get it cheaper. However, in previous purchases, it took a bit longer (a week or two) to get stuff, as opposed to Amazon, which I usually got the same day as release. Hoping the Amazon pre-order price comes down a touch.
The book that comes with the deluxe set and the documentary are what I really can't wait to get my hands on.
I got hooked on PT when In Absentia came out, just like many folks that had no idea who they were until they got on a well distributed label. I much prefer the IA-The Incident era of the band, but I would also throw Stupid Dream in there, as Even less is my favorite PT song, and that whole album is incredible as well.
I'm not as big on Steven's solo stuff. I've tried. I like some of it, but in general, I really thing PT, and the compromises SW said he made musically with the band, really is what made the music special to my ears.
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I pre-ordered it back when they announced it. I can't wait for it, for me it's the favorite produced and mixed album of PT. Ranking wise I think Fear of Blank Planet is still my number one album.
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I pre-ordered it back when they announced it. I can't wait for it, for me it's the favorite produced and mixed album of PT. Ranking wise I think Fear of Blank Planet is still my number one album.
I really enjoy FoaBP a lot. I'm partial to Deadwing, I think, as my favorite PT record. Such a great band. I get why SW basically ended it, but it is such a shame. They had something special together. I only got to see them once. A one-off show with Karnivool supporting them in San Francisco. It was at the end of The Incident dates. I think it and an LA show were warmup dates for PT doing something in Japan or something. It was one hell of a show.
I had tickets to both the Deadwing and another tour, but I got ridiculously ill both times and couldn't make it. So glad I was able to make it happen before they called it a day.
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I REALLY want this set, but the price is really turning me off. Burning Shed isn't much better than Amazon. I don't understand the price at all.
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I REALLY want this set, but the price is really turning me off. Burning Shed isn't much better than Amazon. I don't understand the price at all.
Burning Shed is what, 55 Euro (or is it GBP)? It comes out a little cheaper with shipping. But if you're in the U.S., you have to wait. Amazon.co.uk has it cheaper too, but you're going to wait at least two weeks to get it after it is released. I don't get why. My only thought is that the hardbound book really drove up the price. I'm going to pay it regardless, as I want the set, but I agree, the price is a huge turn-off for an album I've bought twice already (CD and double-LP). Crossing my fingers the price comes down closer to release date. Thankfully, Amazon has their lowest price policy, so if it drops, I'll get the lowest price, despite pre-ordering at 90 bucks.
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https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=31351.0
Here's the thread, began in March 2012. last post in September 2019.
-Marc.
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https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=31351.0
Here's the thread, began in March 2012. last post in September 2019.
-Marc.
Honest to God, it didn't come up in the General Music Discussion search I did. Weird. Sorry mods! If you could close this and move the posts, I'd appreciate it.
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This forum software's search function is far from perfect. I've often not been able to find stuff.
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I will download it when it comes out to check it out, but I really don't care much for demos. Every few years PT albums (including vinyls) get reissued with something additional. If they already had this material.. why didn't they release it earlier? Better wait so the fans buy all different versions so they can get more money. In that respect Wilson suffers from the same plague from Robert Fripp. It is neurotic to keep reissuing and adding a few new stuff every couple of years. Funny enough that happens with almost every band that Wilson is involved in remixing. Jethro Tull, XTC. Bluray, Special, Deluxe, Bonus, Super, Vinyl, Anniversary jerk-me-off Edition. "Here are some farts recorded during the In Absentia sessions. Bonus CD. Please, go buy that".
And yea, I know nobody is forcing me to buy anything. Just expressing incredulity at the rate they keep re-releasing this stuff.
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I think I want to try out Porcupine Tree, considering the immense amount of praise the band gets. What would be a good album to start with?
I'd prefer to start with something that'll be most likely to leave an impression; to me, I prefer to be impressed on the first go than hope that an album eventually clicks me over several listens. A good example of the latter is Colors from the band Between the Buried and Me; it's widely considered the band's best album, but the first time I heard it, I thought it was boring and it took me a few listens to really start enjoying it. I think my safest bet would be to listen to something like Dream Theater's Images & Words, Octavarium, or Distance Over Time in the sense that it's easy to get into and showcases all aspects of the band.
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In Absentia was my first exposure of Porcupine Tree and was an instant click. I'd say it's probably the best introduction as it bridges late 90's PT (some prog some catchier tunes) with the sound they evolved into for the last few albums which had a bit of a metal edge to it as well (some heavier riffs).
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https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=31351.0
Here's the thread, began in March 2012. last post in September 2019.
-Marc.
Honest to God, it didn't come up in the General Music Discussion search I did. Weird. Sorry mods! If you could close this and move the posts, I'd appreciate it.
I only remembered that the thread title once had "Glarung is a lightbulb" and just searched for "lightbulb" and sure enough, there it was. :rollin
-Marc.
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I think I want to try out Porcupine Tree, considering the immense amount of praise the band gets. What would be a good album to start with?
In Absentia. That's what hooked me, and I agree with Zantera. It's a good bridge album of their sound. If you dig IA, you'll probably dig what comes after, and probably a bit of what came before.
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I think I want to try out Porcupine Tree, considering the immense amount of praise the band gets. What would be a good album to start with?
Yeah, start with In Absentia.
If you like the heavier stuff on it, move forward to Deadwing and Fear Of A Blank Planet.
If you like the mellow, melodic stuff on it, go back to Lighbulb Sun and Stupid Dream.
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I decided to give a few songs a shot that a friend recommended to me; two from In Absentia, and two from Deadwing. Out of those two albums, I think I'd like Deadwing a lot more.
The two songs from In Absentia I heard were alright. Trains, which from what I can tell is widely considered one of their best songs, was just alright. I remember there was a part in the middle I really liked, but aside from that, it was just OK. The other song I heard was Blackest Eyes, which I liked better than Trains, but some of the lyrics were... weird. But aside from that, I did enjoy it quite a bit more.
The songs from Deadwing I heard were Arriving Somewhere But Not Here and the title track. Arriving... was really, really good. I don't think I've heard something like that since... If I had to guess, my first time listening to Octavarium. I definitely see myself coming back to this song time and time again. As for Deadwing, it's also really good. I like that there's some energy to it, something I feel Trains lacked.
I'll definitely make In Absentia the second album I listen to. It's not like there's anything across the two songs I heard from IA that I disliked, but I think I'd enjoy Deadwing a lot more.
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Blackest Eyes is my favorite PT song, with Futile high on the list. Loving this.
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I decided to give a few songs a shot that a friend recommended to me; two from In Absentia, and two from Deadwing. Out of those two albums, I think I'd like Deadwing a lot more.
The two songs from In Absentia I heard were alright. Trains, which from what I can tell is widely considered one of their best songs, was just alright. I remember there was a part in the middle I really liked, but aside from that, it was just OK. The other song I heard was Blackest Eyes, which I liked better than Trains, but some of the lyrics were... weird. But aside from that, I did enjoy it quite a bit more.
The songs from Deadwing I heard were Arriving Somewhere But Not Here and the title track. Arriving... was really, really good. I don't think I've heard something like that since... If I had to guess, my first time listening to Octavarium. I definitely see myself coming back to this song time and time again. As for Deadwing, it's also really good. I like that there's some energy to it, something I feel Trains lacked.
I'll definitely make In Absentia the second album I listen to. It's not like there's anything across the two songs I heard from IA that I disliked, but I think I'd enjoy Deadwing a lot more.
Deadwing was actually my first PT album I bought, after hearing The Start of Something Beautiful.
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I decided to give a few songs a shot that a friend recommended to me; two from In Absentia, and two from Deadwing. Out of those two albums, I think I'd like Deadwing a lot more.
The two songs from In Absentia I heard were alright. Trains, which from what I can tell is widely considered one of their best songs, was just alright. I remember there was a part in the middle I really liked, but aside from that, it was just OK. The other song I heard was Blackest Eyes, which I liked better than Trains, but some of the lyrics were... weird. But aside from that, I did enjoy it quite a bit more.
The songs from Deadwing I heard were Arriving Somewhere But Not Here and the title track. Arriving... was really, really good. I don't think I've heard something like that since... If I had to guess, my first time listening to Octavarium. I definitely see myself coming back to this song time and time again. As for Deadwing, it's also really good. I like that there's some energy to it, something I feel Trains lacked.
I'll definitely make In Absentia the second album I listen to. It's not like there's anything across the two songs I heard from IA that I disliked, but I think I'd enjoy Deadwing a lot more.
Nice! You can't go wrong with Deadwing. It is my favorite PT album because of the heavier direction, and "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" is just jaw-droppingly good. I have a heavier taste, and the PT albums I most listen to are (in chronological order): Stupid Dream, In Absentia, Deadwing, and Fear of a Blank Planet.
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I'm a big fan of In Absentia, and even had it in my first Top 50, but I think Deadwing has overshadowed it for me since. Just an outstanding record and definitely my favourite PT record now.
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My top 3 would definitely be FOABP, Deadwing, then In Absentia. In Absentia's probably the most beginner-friendly out of the three, so I usually recommend people start off with that one, but if you like one of the others more then kudos to you!
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So after a few nights of saying I'm going to listen to Deadwing and not ending up doing that, I've finally listened to the album Deadwing.
Wow. I love it. I can't say it's one of the best things I've ever heard, but I imagine after a few more listens, it probably will be one of the best albums I've ever heard.
I love the atmosphere, I love how mellow and melodic it is. I can't find many faults with this album, except that sometimes the lyrics are a bit awkward. But considering the vocals sound great, that's not much of a setback. There are quite a few parts of this album where I can just really embrace how pleasant it all sounds.
Here's my rankings after hearing each song for the first time (well, technically I've heard two of these songs before, but eh, semantics):
1. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
2. Glass Arm Shattering
3. Deadwing
4. The Start of Something Beautiful
5. Lazarus
6. Halo
7. Mellotron Scratch
8. Open Car
9. Shallow
What a beautiful album. I'm definitely getting a CD for this one. Every song (except perhaps my bottom 2) is brilliant in in at least some way; Arriving Somewhere But Not Here in particular is an experience I haven't had in quite some time.
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It's an amazing album, for sure.
1: The Start Of Something Beautiful
2: Lazarus
3: Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
4: Mellotron Scratch
5: Glass Arm Shattering
6: Deadwing
7: Shallow
8: Open Car
9: Halo
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The first Porcupine Tree album I bought and no other PT album has this vibe.
1. The Start of Something Beautiful
2. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
3. Deadwing
4. Glass Arm Shattering
5. Open Car
6. Lazarus
7. Mellotron Scratch
8. Halo
9. Shallow
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Trains was a grower for me. I honestly thought it was boring for about the first six months that I had the album. But I liked the rest of the album enough that I kept spinning the album. When Trains did finally click, it shot to my #1 song on the whole CD.
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Glad you liked Deadwing! It's ranking time:
1. Lazarus
2. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
3. Open Car
4. Shallow
5. The Start of Something Beautiful
6. Glass Arm Shattering
7. Mellotron Scratch
8. Deadwing
9. Halo
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Trains was a grower for me. I honestly thought it was boring for about the first six months that I had the album. But I liked the rest of the album enough that I kept spinning the album. When Trains did finally click, it shot to my #1 song on the whole CD.
A grower, huh? Well, the last time I let an album grow on me, it had a really good payoff, so I'll have to see how Trains holds up after listening to it for a while.
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Well, I decided to give In Absentia a shot tonight. I was right in my prediction that I'd enjoy Deadwing a lot more, but In Absentia is still a pretty good album.
Admittedly, I started to get a little bit worried that I'd find the album underwhelming, but after a couple songs or so, it did start to get good. I never got bored with the album, but there were a lot of points early on where I just zoned out. Although to be fair, that is an issue I have when listening to any music for the first time nowadays, but at the same time, there were a couple songs that just couldn't keep my attention. That being said, though, there wasn't a single bad track on the album. Like with Deadwing, the only real issue I have is that some of the lyrics are weird. I really am sorry to all the fans of Blackest Eyes, but the line "It's so erotic when your makeup runs" made me cringe a little bit.
So like with Deadwing, here are my song rankings:
1. .3
2. Wedding Nails
3. The Creator Has A Mastertape
4. Prodigal
5. Collapse the Light Into Earth
6. Heartattack in a Layby
7. Gravity Eyelids
8. Strip the Soul
9. The Sound of Muzak
10. Blackest Eyes
11. Trains
12. Lips of Ashes
Good album overall; I know I've been talking about how some songs weren't all that great, but my Top 3 are all really good. I definitely want to check out more of Porcupine Tree's music, but I'm not sure which album to check out next, to be honest.
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1. .3
2. Wedding Nails
3. The Creator Has A Mastertape
4. Prodigal
5. Collapse the Light Into Earth
6. Heartattack in a Layby
7. Gravity Eyelids
8. Strip the Soul
9. The Sound of Muzak
10. Blackest Eyes
11. Trains
12. Lips of Ashes
bruh
1: Trains
2: Collapse The Light Into Earth
3: Blackest Eyes
4: Heartattack In A Layby
5: Strip The Soul
6: Prodigal
7: .3
8: The Sound Of Muzak
9: Gravity Eyelids
10: The Creator Has A Mastertape
11: Lips Of Ashes
12: Wedding Nails
I really love the top five songs and I think they're some of the best the band ever wrote. The bottom four on the other hand don't do much for me. It's not their most consistent record, and compared to some of their other albums it feels less wholistic and more like a collection of songs, but it's still a pretty fantastic collection of songs.
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Actually, I have several #1's from this CD. :rollin
But seriously. Trains was my #1 from the CD for awhile....until another "grower" shot past it. Heartattack in a Layby. That was one of those where I didn't really understand what was happening in the song at first. But one day I was actually processing the lyrics and started to understand what was happening in the song...and my jaw hit the floor. Now that's my #1.
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Strip The Soul was definitely the song I slept on the most. I found it totally unremarkable for the longest time and then something clicked and now it's one of my favorites on the album.
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Actually, I have several #1's from this CD. :rollin
But seriously. Trains was my #1 from the CD for awhile....until another "grower" shot past it. Heartattack in a Layby. That was one of those where I didn't really understand what was happening in the song at first. But one day I was actually processing the lyrics and started to understand what was happening in the song...and my jaw hit the floor. Now that's my #1.
Speaking of that song, I remember prior to listening to Porcupine Tree for the first time, I read (at least part of) a list of someone's Top 75 Porcupine Tree songs, and he wrote a 10-and-a-half page review on why Heartattack in a Layby was his second-favorite PT song. That guy has really inspired me to make my own reviews of music, even if I'm nowhere near as good a writer as he is.
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1. .3
2. Wedding Nails
3. The Creator Has A Mastertape
4. Prodigal
5. Collapse the Light Into Earth
6. Heartattack in a Layby
7. Gravity Eyelids
8. Strip the Soul
9. The Sound of Muzak
10. Blackest Eyes
11. Trains
12. Lips of Ashes
bruh
1: Trains
2: Collapse The Light Into Earth
3: Blackest Eyes
4: Heartattack In A Layby
5: Strip The Soul
6: Prodigal
7: .3
8: The Sound Of Muzak
9: Gravity Eyelids
10: The Creator Has A Mastertape
11: Lips Of Ashes
12: Wedding Nails
I really love the top five songs and I think they're some of the best the band ever wrote. The bottom four on the other hand don't do much for me. It's not their most consistent record, and compared to some of their other albums it feels less wholistic and more like a collection of songs, but it's still a pretty fantastic collection of songs.
BRUH
Damn I love this album so much it's hard to rank, but I guess my ranking would be:
1. Drown With Me (bonus track)
2. Trains
3. Collapse the Light Into Earth
4. The Sound of Muzak
5. Strip The Soul
6. Heartattack in a Layby
7. Blackest Eyes
8. The Creator Has a Mastertape
9. Gravity Eyelids
10. Lips of Ashes
11. Wedding Nails
12. Prodigal
13. .3
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BRUH
(https://wompampsupport.azureedge.net/fetchimage?siteId=7575&v=2&jpgQuality=100&width=700&url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.kym-cdn.com%2Fentries%2Ficons%2Ffacebook%2F000%2F024%2F574%2FScreen_Shot_2017-11-06_at_12.41.31_PM.jpg)
Prodigal and .3 at the very bottom is a steaming hot take but otherwise your ranking's pretty good.
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I get where you're coming from with Strip the Soul. I like the first half of the song just fine, but that slowed down and repetitive ending just drags the song out for no reason at all.
I actually prefer the live version from Anesthetize where they morph into .3 right at the spot where I would normally stop the song anyway.
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BRUH
Prodigal and .3 at the very bottom is a steaming hot take but otherwise your ranking's pretty good.
I love Prodigal quite a lot like most songs above it, it's just with .3 that while an excellent track, I can't place it in any other place. This album is in my top 3 of all time, I love it to death anyways :P
Folks, what are your favorite b-sides / outtakes from IA? Mine are:
1. Drown With Me
2. Vapour Trail Lullaby
3. Collapse
4. Chloroform
5. Futile
6. Orchidia
7. Meantime
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Futile, Drown With Me and Orchidia are the best. Chloroform is okay but it’s gotten kinda boring for me, and Collapse is hardly even its own song - just an alternate verse for Collapse The Light Into Earth.
Haven’t even heard those other two.
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Considering Blackfield is probably my favorite Steven Wilson project at this point (the rest haven't aged as well for me) I definitely hold a special place in my heart for Vapour Trail Lullaby which is basically the 'demo' version for Lullaby by Blackfield and I like it a lot. Drown With Me really should have been on the album IMO, it's better than any song on the album bar Trains for me. Chloroform is a great atmospheric piece though I think would have dragged a bit on the album possibly, Futile is a pretty solid rocker that could have taken a spot on the album as well IMO.
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The In Absentia deluxe edition release has been pushed back a week now.
https://twitter.com/burningshednews/status/1229349548314824704?s=19
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It's funny. In the time I started this thread until now, I had a change of heart and cancelled my pre-order. I bought the LP remaster from a few years ago, and obviously I have the original CD (and the bonus tracks from Futile). As much as I would like this, 100 bucks seems a bit steep. Unlike a lot of diehards, I'm not big on the 5.1 remix and all that. :lol
Maybe it'll go on sale at some point.
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I'm going to cancel my pre-order, I'll be out of town for a while and will order it again once I get back. I am really looking forward to listening to the bluray audio.
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What's everybody's thoughts about The Incident?
I never not liked it, but Its not something that I find myself returning to often. From time to time I throw it on and enjoy it. Its got some very solid parts and other parts feel a little disjointed. I drive the Hearse is one of my favorite PT songs though.
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It's not bad and has some great material, but overall it feels a bit flat and uninspired, and in retrospect it's not surprising Steven decided to put PT on hold after this, as Grace for Drowning felt a lot less mechanical.
Bonnie the Cat is still pretty sick, though.
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It's very middle-of-the road. It has a very good atmosphere but a lot of the songs just aren't there.
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It's very middle-of-the road. It has a very good atmosphere but a lot of the songs just aren't there.
Pretty much this. Although every time I go back and revisit it, I find myself thinking that it's better than I remember it being. But all the other albums are so much better that I have a difficult time putting it on the playlist.
The last time I heard it was when I was listening to the Octane Twisted live album. I think I might like the live version a bit better. And the Russia on Ice/Pills I'm Taking section is freakin awesome...plus you get the full version of Even Less.
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What's everybody's thoughts about The Incident?
I never not liked it, but Its not something that I find myself returning to often. From time to time I throw it on and enjoy it. Its got some very solid parts and other parts feel a little disjointed. I drive the Hearse is one of my favorite PT songs though.
It continues to be my least favorite of the latter era PT albums, but it has grown on me more over the years.
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Trailer for the documentary!https://youtu.be/VqyRax0aT8U
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At the 0:24 mark....is that JR sitting in a chair behind SW???
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At the 0:24 mark....is that JR sitting in a chair behind SW???
Yes, it was him. Interesting...
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What's everybody's thoughts about The Incident?
I never not liked it, but Its not something that I find myself returning to often. From time to time I throw it on and enjoy it. Its got some very solid parts and other parts feel a little disjointed. I drive the Hearse is one of my favorite PT songs though.
I still love it. Granted, I like most of the other PT studio albums more than it, but I still love most of it. I Drive the Hearse and Bonnie the Cat are top 20 PT songs in my book, and most of the rest is killer as well.
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Loved it as well. The tour was amazing as well.
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Loved it as well. The tour was amazing as well.
I was at that tour too, in Leipzig. But SW and the whole band didn't convince me... SW seemed to be in a bad mood and there was not a lot of communication on stage.
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I listened to the Incident yesterday after such a long time and had forgotten how great the production was on it. I love the tones of the guitar and the spatial soundstage. Great atmosphere and sounds even more amazing on a good pair of headphones.
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I listened to the Incident yesterday after such a long time and had forgotten how great the production was on it. I love the tones of the guitar and the spatial soundstage. Great atmosphere and sounds even more amazing on a good pair of headphones.
very much so yes, it's one of my personal favourites by Steven in any capacity and one of my four favourites by PT (all Gavin-era albums are, Deadwing is my alltime favourite by them)
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Loved it as well. The tour was amazing as well.
Interesting. I always assumed and read that there was a lot of tension in the group at that time and if I remember did Gavin's mom die right before the tour? I may be misremembering, but I remember a lot of people feeling like that was the end of PT just from how the group came off during that tour. Happy that you had a great time at your show. Sadly, they didn't come to Minnesota that tour.
I really actually like The Incident. The concept does nothing for me, but the songs are great. I really love Blind House, Time Flies (that middle section!), Octane Twisted, I Drive The Hearse, Kneel and Disconnect, and The Incident. Bonnie the Cat as well. In retrospect, it may feel a bit uninspired, but I couldn't and still can't listen to Grace For Drowning, so this had to hold me until TRTRTS in 2013
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Only saw them once and the was for The Incident tour.
SW was pretty pissed because there was a lot of technically problems, like he broke a string on the first note of the very first song, and then there was weird feedback and cutting in and out with the bass, and then he was given a guitar and the capo was in the wrong spot so he's stops the song and is like "wow, this guitar is completely out of tune"
So because of all that, it was hard to tell if the tension was just from the technical problems though. The Incident song live was start and stop, and disjointed due to said technical problems so it was a chore honestly, but the 2nd half of the concert was fucking incredible. Seeing Anesthetize live was one of my all time greatest concert experiences.
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I have also only seen them once on tour with Coheed and Cambria. We got half of The Incident, and songs I really enjoy plus my favorite, The Start of Something Beautiful. The Pills I'm Taking section was amazing as well, glad we at least got that part, which kicked ass live.
On another kind of related note, During the Queensryche tour, it was neat hearing all of Anesthetize on the PA before Fates Warning came on stage.
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Anyone get their copy?
Mine is in transit from Burning Shed England to Australia, might be at least another week or so.
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I was hoping the price at Amazon would drop below $99 but it never did and now they don't even have it in stock anymore. The price just scared me off. I could still buy from Burning Shed but it would be about the same cost after shipping.
EDIT: Honestly, I think the thing should be more around $50 rather than $100. I think they are using the 100 page book as an excuse for the inflated price.
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KSCOPE Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVsb9buFBi0
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I was hoping the price at Amazon would drop below $99 but it never did and now they don't even have it in stock anymore. The price just scared me off. I could still buy from Burning Shed but it would be about the same cost after shipping.
EDIT: Honestly, I think the thing should be more around $50 rather than $100. I think they are using the 100 page book as an excuse for the inflated price.
Yeah it's a pretty hefty price alright, cost me just over A$150 inc shipping to Australia.
But the most annoying thing was burning shed's website, prices outside EU should be less UK VAT (Tax), normally everything they sell is, except for this release.
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From their Facebook:
"We have launched a Bandcamp page at porcupinetreeofficial.bandcamp.com where you can listen and download full resolution recordings of rare and unreleased rarities from beyond our core record label releases. This has been a long time in the planning, and we do apologise for the poor timing, as we know this is a very difficult time for everyone, including us as musicians and our families. The upshot is that we have decided to go ahead and make the page live now as planned, but point out that there's absolutely no rush to avail yourself of its contents, it will be around indefinitely and we aim to add more music to it over the coming months. In the meantime, if you are stuck at home and do feel like some extra-curricular PT music, here it is!"
Some good stuff on here.
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I listened to Lightbulb Sun today for the first time in a while, crazy how this album is 20 years old. Something that's weird for me with PT and SW right now is despite him being among my favorite artists overall, I'm not sure if any specific album would rank in my ~top50 albums or so. Most of them are great, some even fantastic, and I guess if anything the consistency and continued quality from SW through his whole career if what I really treasure. There's been bands or artists that have dropped maybe 1 album I would consider better than anything SW has done - but on the flip side they have either crashed and burned or gone completely off the rails afterwards. His career to me is full of 8 or 9 / 10 albums which is incredible considering how much he has released!
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I had a different interesting realization about the PT discography: with the exception of The Incident, each one of their albums might be better than the one before it. Signify, Stupid Dream and The Incident are all very close together to me and I'm not quite sure how I'd rank those, but for everything else it's a completely linear progression of them getting better and better up to FOABP. Thought that was pretty neat, I can't really think of any other bands who had that trajectory while also having that many releases.
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XM II is amazing. It sounds as if it's live in the studio.
It's weird hearing John sing Fadeaway.
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I had a different interesting realization about the PT discography: with the exception of The Incident, each one of their albums might be better than the one before it. Signify, Stupid Dream and The Incident are all very close together to me and I'm not quite sure how I'd rank those, but for everything else it's a completely linear progression of them getting better and better up to FOABP. Thought that was pretty neat, I can't really think of any other bands who had that trajectory while also having that many releases.
I thought Deadwing was a step down from IA. And that Signify was the blueprint for the PT sound until IA came along with SD and LS being much less interesting and adventurous than what came before. But they truly have no mediocre albums, every single one (besides OTSOL) is at least very good.
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I don't even think OTSOL is that bad honestly. The biggest issues is the vocals which sounds like SW inhaled helium balloons before recording and just the lo-fi nature of the album itself. Songs like Nostalgia Factory, Radioactive Toy and Nine Cats are great and it would be fun to hear those re-recorded I suppose. For example the live versions of Radioactive Toy are pretty great!
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I've gone back and forth between liking IA and Deadwing more - they're both great but Deadwing gets the nod from me because while IA has higher highs Deadwing is more consistent and works better as a cohesive album.
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I always had a problem with the drumming on Deadwing, but by now I've not only learned to accept, but to appreciate it. Gavin's playing is soo driving and impulsive. It feels like every time he hits a drum, he hits a tenth of a millisecond "too" early. Gives off a relentless feeling and contributes brilliantly to the dark feeling of the album. Amazing drummer.
Speaking of Gavin: I just purchased Cheating The Polygraph, his solo album, on which he covers PT songs with a big band.
Guys. You have to listen to that album. It's crazy.
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This thing is still over $90 on amazon and with shipping comes to about the same from burning shed.
Was also reading how the initial pressings had a missing stereo mix on the bluray. Still debating on getting this for that price.
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This thing is still over $90 on amazon and with shipping comes to about the same from burning shed.
Was also reading how the initial pressings had a missing stereo mix on the bluray. Still debating on getting this for that price.
It's a beautiful package. The documentary on how they recorded In Absentia is worth that by itself in opinion. The new master is pretty nice. However, the surround sound stuff is the same as the DVDA released back in the day.
If you get it from Amazon or another outfit (different from Burning Shed), you have to email Kscope for a replacement BR. If you order it from Burninshed, they ship it with the replacement blu ray already.
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Yeah, I keep spot-checking the price on that set. Just seems inflated. I actually have both the regular CD and the special DVD-A release of it. If I can't grab this at a more reasonable price then I will skip it.
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New interview with Richard Barbieri
https://youtu.be/K2UqcXmpnZU
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New Richard Barbieri song
https://youtu.be/zu4xLMmzvBs
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"'Steven Wilson - Footprints' is an astoundingly detailed 3 volume illustrated encyclopaedia of my musical output, from my solo work to Porcupine Tree, no-man, Bass Communion and more. The effort and work that has gone into this by Guy M Tkach, Peter M Sieker and Chip Madinger is nothing short of astounding and I’m flattered they took on such a task and mightily impressed with what they have achieved. Check out the first volume at stevenwilson-footprints.com."
The first volume is about early years and Porcupine Tree.
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New interview with Richard
https://youtu.be/mvCepsrCyRs
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I've been revisiting The Incident recently (before, I'd only heard it once, and that was around few months ago), and Disc 1 is really growing on me. Still not sure how I feel about Disc 2.
As far as Disc 1 goes, though, I'm really enjoying it. I'm almost certain that The Incident will end up in my Top 10 Porcupine Tree songs, if not my Top 5. Other highlights so far include The Blind House, Drawing the Line, and Time Flies.
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I've been revisiting The Incident recently (before, I'd only heard it once, and that was around few months ago), and Disc 1 is really growing on me. Still not sure how I feel about Disc 2.
As far as Disc 1 goes, though, I'm really enjoying it. I'm almost certain that The Incident will end up in my Top 10 Porcupine Tree songs, if not my Top 5. Other highlights so far include The Blind House, Drawing the Line, and Time Flies.
I too enjoy the Incident, and think it's underrated. Though I will concede, it's not quite as good as IA, Deadwing and FOBP - I still think it's solid with lots of good material on there..
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Disc 1 I have always enjoyed. Disc 2 is just bonus stuff as far as I'm concerned. Never really grabbed me.
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I've been revisiting The Incident recently (before, I'd only heard it once, and that was around few months ago), and Disc 1 is really growing on me. Still not sure how I feel about Disc 2.
As far as Disc 1 goes, though, I'm really enjoying it. I'm almost certain that The Incident will end up in my Top 10 Porcupine Tree songs, if not my Top 5. Other highlights so far include The Blind House, Drawing the Line, and Time Flies.
I too enjoy the Incident, and think it's underrated. Though I will concede, it's not quite as good as IA, Deadwing and FOBP - I still think it's solid with lots of good material on there..
At this point in time, I'd say In Absentia, Deadwing, and Lightbulb Sun are definitely better, and it's about equal with FOABP (I need to listen to the second half more) and Stupid Dream (mostly great material, but Don't Hate Me drags the album down for me). I need to get familiar with the first four albums. I've heard TSMS once, but have never listened to the other three (though I have listened to Dark Matter from Signify).
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I like Disc 2. The first three songs on it are some of the best songs on the album.
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I don't mind The Incident. I first heard the songs live and I thought they weren't too bad. I liked how they built up in the set, and after Drawing The Line, they went into Open Car and I thought that was a great part of that build up.
I enjoy it up until Time Flies, then It kind of drags on for me, I lose interest around this point.