Porcupine Tree Thread v. Zantera finally got LBS

[Zantera]

It's quite obvious that Steven Wilson is the most replaceable member in the band, they could vote him out and replace him with Justin Bieber. 

Love the thread-title btw, i finally feel like a true collector. 

[TheVoxyn]

LBS is the best them. Especially the vinyl edition since it also contains Buying New Soul.

[Pirate]

We've always got Recordings for that, haven't we?

[Marvellous G]

I'd say PT are the band with the hardest discography to rank for me, basically everything from SD to Incident is a 9.5 to 10 and I can't really decide on a favourite. It's probably LBS but FOABP would be if not for WOOH.

[Zantera]

Ye, it's really hard to rank PT, because the discography is so consistent.
The only band i've come across with a better/higher consistency then PT would be Oceansize.

The only 2 PT-albums i don't really listen to much would be OTSOL and In Absentia, because i feel like they are both at least 2 steps down the ladder from the rest.
Fear of a Blank Planet and Signify both battle for my favorite-spot, i can't choose one of them.
After them it's either Up the Downstair, Lightbulb Sun or Deadwing. 

[Marvellous G]

The thing with IA is, while I do completely accept that it is nowhere near as cohesive an album as basically all of their others, and that it is just a collection of songs, the songs themselves are still awesome, and it has my top 2 PT songs (Trains and Heartattack In A Layby) I'm not really sure where that leaves it for me, as I can't really have it as a favourite album as such, but the stuff on it is just so good that it feels wrong to mark it down as much as I do.

[Zantera]

Well, as i see it... ranking albums is all about seeing the whole picture.
Every PT-album has great songs, so when i have to rank them, i gotta see to other things, such as the flow, the overall quality of the album and such.
As i see it, Fear of a Blank Planet is beyond amazing, and i love it more then i think many others here do.
Sure, i won't go as far as saying i love the "x-box lyrics" or whatever, but the flow is amazing, and the album has 6 songs, which all has been my "favorite song on the album" at some point.
Signify is the only real contender for my favorite PT-album, and the only thing i could say that makes me appreciate FOABP a BIT more, is that length-wise it's perfect.
50 minutes or so, it's not too short, and not too long. 

[Quadrochosis]

I pronounce it "in ab sen sha"

[zxlkho]

I pronounce it "in ab sen sha"

This.

[Darkes7]

I can't even say who would be the most replaceable without hearing what the band would sound like without that member. I'd almost say Colin.

In case of PT it's just like with DT, if anyone from PT left, I'd be in an equal state of WTF + shock + "what happens now?" nuggets I know like after MP left DT. I just can't imagine it. It's like the perfect construction falling apart. It's interesting to see what's the different way to reconstruct it, as there's no way to bring it back how it was, but still I wish it remained like it was. I don't want anyone leaving PT.

Steven - obvious. The core.
Colin - musically, his style is just unique. I love his playing and how he can actually lead the song with bass. Personality - come on, it's Colin. He's not the most conspicuous person on Earth, but PT without Colin and the permanent mysterious smile on stage? Come on, wtf.
Richard - if you're all about TEH RIFFZ MAN, you probably won't notice him. If you pay attention to the music, removing what he does would be literally stripping the music of... something extremely important. What he does is like laying foundations and the rest of the band builds upon it. The most obvious case of this is, ironically, the album that is often mistaken for the heaviest and most guitar-driven - FOABP. Listen carefully, and try to imagine this album without RB. 80% of the album's dark atmosphere is created by him basically. I needed time to realise it but really, the guitars are truly like the icing on the cake on this album. The rhythm section and Richard's sound effects are basically 90% of the album.
Gavin - my favourite drummer. MP is absolutely awesome but I still have to put him #2. Absolute master in combining complexity, subtlety, and finesse. I don't think he's ever played such thing as a simple drum pattern on a PT album, and it's never like he's drawing attention. It's amazing, but not over the top.
John - he's got a great voice to complement SW, and does a really great job live overall. I really wish he became a full-time band member.

So... there you go.

[Zantera]

Even though i wouldn't want a member dropping out of PT at all, Gavin would be the obvious choice.
Steven, Colin and Richard has all been the real core/soul ever since the old days.
They wouldn't find a more technical drummer, but i still feel like the other 3 are more "icons" in the term of the band.
If Gavin would quit PT, i would be sad and think "aaaawh " but if Colin or Richard quit, PT wouldn't be PT again, they would just be Steven Wilson +3.

[Quadrochosis]

Even though i wouldn't want a member dropping out of PT at all, Gavin would be the obvious choice.
Steven, Colin and Richard has all been the real core/soul ever since the old days.
They wouldn't find a more technical drummer, but i still feel like the other 3 are more "icons" in the term of the band.
If Gavin would quit PT, i would be sad and think "aaaawh " but if Colin or Richard quit, PT wouldn't be PT again, they would just be Steven Wilson +3.

This, as essential as Gavin is, he's probably the only one that could leave and not completely deconstruct PT.

[The Letter M]

Even though i wouldn't want a member dropping out of PT at all, Gavin would be the obvious choice.
Steven, Colin and Richard has all been the real core/soul ever since the old days.
They wouldn't find a more technical drummer, but i still feel like the other 3 are more "icons" in the term of the band.
If Gavin would quit PT, i would be sad and think "aaaawh " but if Colin or Richard quit, PT wouldn't be PT again, they would just be Steven Wilson +3.

This, as essential as Gavin is, he's probably the only one that could leave and not completely deconstruct PT.

Sad, but true. We've heard PT with two different drummers, but PT without Steven, Colin or Richard is almost like a Side-Project! They're essentially THE sound of the band, with Richard's atmospheric keys, Colin's grooving bass lines, and Steven's...well, everything.

-Marc.

[Darkes7]

Imo Gavin has become just as important as the other three members. Period.

[Quadrochosis]

Imo Gavin has become just as important as the other three members. Period.

There's still about half a back catalog worth of material that he had zero involvement in. Assuming they'd go back to that style if he left, there really wouldn't be an issue. (not that I want him to leave)

[Zantera]

It's not that Gavin isn't important, but Steven, Colin and Richard is the core and soul, and have been for almost 20 years now.

[Darkes7]

Imo Gavin has become just as important as the other three members. Period.

There's still about half a back catalog worth of material that he had zero involvement in. Assuming they'd go back to that style if he left, there really wouldn't be an issue. (not that I want him to leave)

If PT went back to something they'd done before, this would truly be the death of PT.

[Quadrochosis]

Imo Gavin has become just as important as the other three members. Period.

There's still about half a back catalog worth of material that he had zero involvement in. Assuming they'd go back to that style if he left, there really wouldn't be an issue. (not that I want him to leave)

If PT went back to something they'd done before, this would truly be the death of PT.

You make it seem like every single PT release is of a completely different genre.

While their music varies a lot, it still kind of stays in the same boundaries most of the time.

[skydivingninja]

While their music varies a lot, it still kind of stays in the same boundaries most of the time.

Yep. 

[Marvellous G]

I dunno, I'd say TSMS and The Incident occupy a substantially different space in progdom. They're definitely different enough to track a very changing band through their discography. Admittedly, though, since LBS they've basically been doing the same thing.

[Quadrochosis]

While their music varies a lot, it still kind of stays in the same boundaries most of the time.

Yep.  

Yea, it's not like you can randomly expect SW to break down into a folk interlude or for GH and CE to break out into a DnB passage.

[Pirate]

My thoughts on the importance of GH:

Gavin's work in PT isn't that important. He's even said that Steven doesn't let him do everything he wants or likes rhythmically. A lot of what Gavin does in PT is generic (Trains, Wedding Nails, Prodigal, .3, Shallow, Arriving Somewhere But Not Here, Lazarus, Mellotron Scratch, Sleep Together). However, Nil Recurring (EP) and The Incident (both discs) are great examples of where Gavin's role in PT is played. The rhythms he plays are complex, and they definitely give the songs a different feel while not making the drums sound wanky (MP?). Chris Maitland played much like Gavin did on the songs listed above, and IMO didn't add a lot to the sound.

[ClairvoyantCat]

I think he's about as important as a drummer who doesn't write the music or perform in a unique style can be.  Which isn't very important, but certainly not worthless.

[skydivingninja]

I'm certainly not saying Gavin is worthless.  Love him to pieces!  But like someone said, we've heard PT with a different drummer, and honestly the changes are THAT apparent, at least not until FOABP and TI, and live.  So if Gavin left, I think PT could survive just fine.

[jag66]

I'm certainly not saying Gavin is worthless.  Love him to pieces!  But like someone said, we've heard PT with a different drummer, and honestly the changes are THAT apparent, at least not until FOABP and TI, and live.  So if Gavin left, I think PT could survive just fine.

Indeed. they managed pretty well before him, although I do think he gives them an extra dimension.,

[MetalManiac666]

ab sent cha

Late, but this.

[Gorille85]

If any one but Steven left, Porcupine Tree would survive. But the music would suffer IMO. Maybe not by a large balloon, but by a tiny moppet and his cat.

[ClairvoyantCat]

As strange as some of you might think this, I think Richard is more important than Gavin, maybe.

[Quadrochosis]

As strange as some of you might think this, I think Richard is more important than Gavin, maybe.

Everyone is agreeing with this. lol

[sonatafanica]

As strange as some of you might think this, I think Richard is more important than Gavin, maybe.

Richard is definitely really important to the band. His knowledge of electronic music and sounds really adds a lot to PT, which you can see especially when you listen to his solo albums.

[skydivingninja]

Richard is the second most important person in the band behind Steven.  Without him, all those lovely atmospherics and textures vanish, and I haven't heard another rock keyboardist that can do that sort of thing and make it sound great.

[KevShmev]

Richard is the second most important person in the band behind Steven.  Without him, all those lovely atmospherics and textures vanish, and I haven't heard another rock keyboardist that can do that sort of thing and make it sound great.

Agreed. 

And it seems like no one wants to say it, but if one of the guys in the band had to go, I think Colin would be the least difficult to replace. *ducks*

[skydivingninja]

As a bass player who idolizes Colin and his bass lines, I must kindly ask you to gtfo.

[Gorille85]

Collin's basslines

[Quadrochosis]

it seems like no one wants to say it, but if one of the guys in the band had to go, I think Colin would be the least difficult to replace. *ducks*

Wrong. Colin is who makes Porcupine Tree so groovy.