Steven Wilson

[Kotowboy]

I read somewhere that SW has contributed to about 40 albums in 20 years.

Whilst some bands struggle with one every decade.

[PolarizeMe]

I read somewhere that SW has contributed to about 40 albums in 20 years.

Whilst some bands struggle with one every decade.

If you've seen the complete discography of Steven Wilson, it's more than 40...probably hundreds by now.
https://www.voyage-pt.de/swdisco.pdf

[bout to crash]

Just skimming through that ridiculously long document, a lot of those are not albums. In the article just recently posted SW is quoted saying 30-40 albums, so I'm gonna go with that.

Anyway, after skimming the last few pages of this thread, just a few comments-

I am psyched for a new album!

I don't think SW's solo stuff sounds anything like earlier PT. On top of that, he's not putting this stuff under the PT name because... well, it's a different band.

I am tired of people constantly bitching about wanting PT back. I miss them too, but would gladly take any of SW's solo stuff over The Incident. This is where his heart is, clearly.

Carry on.

[devieira73]

Just skimming through that ridiculously long document, a lot of those are not albums. In the article just recently posted SW is quoted saying 30-40 albums, so I'm gonna go with that.

Anyway, after skimming the last few pages of this thread, just a few comments-

I am psyched for a new album!

I don't think SW's solo stuff sounds anything like earlier PT. On top of that, he's not putting this stuff under the PT name because... well, it's a different band.

I am tired of people constantly bitching about wanting PT back. I miss them too, but would gladly take any of SW's solo stuff over The Incident. This is where his heart is, clearly.

Carry on.

I agree with you and I think his last 2 solo albuns are really amazing, in the same level of PT 2000's albuns, with a wider range of styles. The only thing that I really miss from PT is Gavin Harrison. If SW works with Gavin in his solo career, I guess I wouldn't miss PT at all.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Marco's fantastic, though.

[Zantera]

Marco > Gavin imo

[KevShmev]

Both tend to get too extra fill-happy live, which sometimes borders on overplaying, but both are still pretty awesome on the skins.

[ReaperKK]

Both tend to get too extra fill-happy live, which sometimes borders on overplaying, but both are still pretty awesome on the skins.

I don't think Gavin overplays as much as Marco. Gavins fills always seemed to fit better. Gavin's extra fills is why I listen to live versions over album versions.

[TioJorge]

^ That. Definitely. I mean it happens every now and then but Marco seems to go a bit buck wild more often than not. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing since it's still massively entertaining.

[bout to crash]

Yeah, Marco puts on a great show and I adore him.

[RoeDent]

I am tired of people constantly bitching about wanting PT back...This is where his heart is, clearly.

Slightly modified it, but I agree with this part.

I'm glad I became a fan of SW's other projects before PT called a hiatus. It really softened the blow of that announcement. People saying "Oh, PT will be back after SW4". PT will be back when everyone in the band wants it back. This is what I like about Steven Wilson. He treads his own musical path, not just going along with what the fans want.

Anyway, changing the subject, today is the 1st anniversary of the release of The Raven That Refused to Sing!

A year on, what's your favourite song now, compared to what it was on your first few hearings?

[Zantera]

The title track still remains my favorite. Regarding the whole PT or not vs his solo career, I would actually be fine even if he continued doing solo stuff. My only hope is that he disbands his current band after the next album and moves on to do something different.

[Tiko]

I love PT... FOABP is the best album ever made IMO. But I'm not getting my hopes up about them getting back together. Steven is creating great fresh stuff with his solo project, can't wait what comes out next.
I still miss PT, but maybe the hiatus is what they needed. If you ask me, The Incident isn't a very good album. The Raven is amazing.

[Perpetual Change]

I really, really like the direction Steven is going in. The title track of the most recent album is one of his best songs ever, and it's hard to argue with "The Drive Home" and "The Watchmaker" is really great songs, too.

However, I could do with less flute moving forward. I don't agree completely with people who say he's just lifting 70s prog these days, but the flute really does push 70s vibe over the edge.

[Zantera]

The flute is actually one of the things I liked. The flute "solo" during the calm part of Raider II and the flute "solo" during Luminol are actually two of my favorite parts about those songs.

[7deg_inner_happiness]

I agree I like the direction SW is going...keeping it fresh.  Raven is my favorite of his solo efforts.  And can I just say the Drive Home guitar solo (especially the texture..sounds like a sax when it starts IMO) is just perfect!

[PixelDream]

I agree I like the direction SW is going...keeping it fresh.  Raven is my favorite of his solo efforts.  And can I just say the Drive Home guitar solo (especially the texture..sounds like a sax when it starts IMO) is just perfect!

Exactly this. Up to the sax part even, the very first time I heard it, the first few seconds I was definitely under the impression that it was the a saxophone playing.

I have to say that the Drive Home guitar solo might be my favorite solo of all time. I'm not even kidding. It's out of this world.

[mike099]

Just discovered PT and Steven Wilson.  My favorite off of Raven is 'Drive Home', but the Holy Drinker is one badass song.

[RoeDent]

Just discovered PT and Steven Wilson.  My favorite off of Raven is 'Drive Home', but the Holy Drinker is one badass song.

Welcome aboard. There's a goldmine of music there to be discovered. I agree with you about Drive Home. I fell in love with it instantly, and it's still my favourite. Holy Drinker is also amazing! Heck, they all are!

[PolarizeMe]

The ending to Holy Drinker got me head banging in sync with Steven Wilson when they played the song live. Such a great live song! The Watchmaker used to be one of my least favorites off of the last album until I saw the live version of it on YouTube and now it's one of my favorites.

[mike099]

I'm in trouble with the wife.   I just used most of the ITunes card to buy PT's Deadwing and  Fear of a blank planet.  I already bought Wilson's Raven cd.   The PT live cd Coma Divine is great.  I am considering that purchase, but will have to get another ITunes card.

Hope it is ok to talk of PT on this thread.

 

[bout to crash]

I love all of the woodwinds in his solo stuff (and in PT, when they show up).

As for my favorite song on Raven now... it started as Holy Drinker, and now I think it's actually Luminol. It's hard to say, it changes a lot.

[PolarizeMe]

I'm in trouble with the wife.   I just used most of the ITunes card to buy PT's Deadwing and  Fear of a blank planet.  I already bought Wilson's Raven cd.   The PT live cd Coma Divine is great.  I am considering that purchase, but will have to get another ITunes card.

Hope it is ok to talk of PT on this thread.

It's definitely ok to talk about PT on this thread, as well as Steven Wilson's other projects. Since you're a newer fan, you might not have been aware of the current situation regarding the future of PT, but the group have been on a hiatus since the fall of 2010 in order for Steven to concentrate on his solo albums, but unfortunately of that there are some fans who have still yet to get over it and accept the fact that the solo career is now his main musical priority at the moment.

Fear of a Blank Planet and Deadwing are awesome albums to start off with. I'd also check out In Absentia as well. IMO, it's sort of like their version of what I&W was for DT.  Coma Divine is a great introduction to the more psychedelic and instrumentally PT, which is criminally underrated IMO.

[rumborak]

I love PT, but what Steven pulled off with Raven is so stunning, I don't care much for a PT reunion.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I think I'll be happy with whatever Steven Wilson decides to do, he rarely lets me down.

[rumborak]

It's hit or miss (e.g. FOABP did little for me) but frankly I'd rather have an artist who cares about his art and doesn't stand still and thus dares treading new ground, than some other unnamed bands who just keep doing variations of the same thing.

[rumborak]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWKLF4Mg_KM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

From 38:00 on, really interesting to hear Gavin talk about PT's attempt to not succumb to the loudness war.

[KevShmev]

I think I'll be happy with whatever Steven Wilson decides to do, he rarely lets me down.

Same here. 

It's hit or miss (e.g. FOABP did little for me) but frankly I'd rather have an artist who cares about his art and doesn't stand still and thus dares treading new ground, than some other unnamed bands who just keep doing variations of the same thing.

It can go both ways.  I love how adventurous and unpredictable guys like Devin Townsend and Steven Wilson are, but on the other hand, while Neal Morse and Roine Stolt are both a bit predictable, they are such awesome songwriters within their narrower parameters, that I am fine with it.

[rumborak]

Yeah, it's very personal in that sense. The reason you just mentioned is exactly why I stopped listening to both Morse and TFK (both of which I really loved at some point).

[KevShmev]

The advantage of having a huge variety of music over many albums is I can go through a phase with a band or artist and never even touch the bulk of the discs.  For example, I could go through a PT phase, and it might have been a space rock/psychedelic phase where I listened to the early to mid 90s stuff, it might have been a catchy rock phase where I loaded up on Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun, or it might have been a hard rock phase where I listened to the albums since Gavin Harrison joined the band.  I can do the same with Rush, Radiohead, Devin Townsend, etc., and that is pretty awesome.

[robwebster]

unfortunately there are some fans who have still yet to get over it and accept the fact that the solo career is now his main musical priority at the moment.

Again, with the digs at people for having different opinions! Not you specifically, but is this what GMD is, now?! You can accept something without being thrilled about it, and if you aren't thrilled about something it's totally okay to occasionally and tactfully express that. Great that you love SW's current stuff, that's utterly brilliant, I think The Raven's a great album too, but I mean - look, you've got three albums you love! What have they got? Nothing, and lip.

Maybe it's me that's changed. Maybe I'm out of sync with the message board frame of mind. If this is that, I can't say I've missed it.

[GentlemanofDread]

I'm with Robwebster. Some people want what they want. Like I want Derek Sherinian and Steven Wilson to make an album together. Is it gonna happen? Probably not.

Actually, who would you like to see Steven Wilson work with in the future, guys?

[Zantera]

I don't think any of the "dislike" for what SW is doing now (from the people who wants PT back) comes from the albums actually being bad quality-wise. It's not like Raven is a bad album or anything. I remember when he released Insurgentes, the feedback overall seemed very positive. Maybe it was because he was still in PT as well, so there were no backlash in the same way. But then PT disbanded and now he has released Grace and Raven. Either you buy into the whole 70's prog rock with a more retro sound, and you really love what he is doing, or you might not find the direction he is taking very interesting at all. To me, Raven is a fine album musically, it's just not a very exciting road he is taking with his music. But that's just my opinion. He has gotten a lot of new fans with this album, probably fans who are very much into the more classic sound, and really appreciates what he is doing.

As for who I would love to see him collaborate with, I would say someone that isn't part of the progressive scene. Would be cool to see what SW could do with someone like Trent Reznor or Mike Patton.

[Onno]

I'd maybe like SW & Devin Townsend or maybe just some more SW & JR

[PolarizeMe]

I'd like to see Steven Wilson do a 5.1 mix for a Devin Townsend album if that counts as a collaboration. I think it'll be interesting to see Steven collaborate with Justin Broadrick from Godflesh/Jesu, the guys from Sunn O))) or Ulver but it'd be more in line with his Bass Communion project rather than PT, or his solo stuff.