Porcupine Tree v. Glarung is a Lightbulb

[KevShmev]

Interview with Richard Barbieri:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEa38RTC32c

Around the 15-minute mark or so, he directly addresses what happened with Colin and how it came to be just a 3-man unit this time around.

[devieira73]

It seems like they don't communicate very well with each other and much less with the other parts involved/related with the band. SW clearly sees this album as a closure and, on the other hand, it seems like Barbieri sees it as a "new version of the band" continuing the PT work. They talked about it? If it's the last album/tour, how something could end in good terms this way?

[KevShmev]

Honestly, after listening to that interview, I think lesser of all three.  Basically, Edwin wasn't brought back because Wilson had already played the bass in the jams he and Harrison did? That is basically what Barbieri said.  What a stupid freaking reason.  He kind of joked twice how the band was catching heat for all of this, and well they kind of deserve it.  How disappointing.

[Mladen]

A part of me wishes Porcupine Tree hadn't regrouped and Steven had just gone on to make The Future Bites 2. It would have shown more integrity.

[KevShmev]

One thing that caught my ear too was Barbieri saying John Wesley was upset, and I thought, "Why??"  It's not like he was ever an official member of the band.  He was a hired hand for the live shows, and not a very good one, IMO. Getting someone else to be the second guitarist and to help with the singing and harmonies can only improve their live shows.

Ultimately, I do wonder if not bringing Edwin back was a monetary decision as well.  I am sure they have crunched the numbers and have a ballpark figure of what the band as a whole will make off of the album sales, any special releases, and the live shows, and all of that money divided by 3 is more than all of that money divided by 4.  Paying a bass player as a hired hand for the live shows will cost a lot less than paying another full time member.

[ReaperKK]

Honestly, after listening to that interview, I think lesser of all three.  Basically, Edwin wasn't brought back because Wilson had already played the bass in the jams he and Harrison did? That is basically what Barbieri said.  What a stupid freaking reason.  He kind of joked twice how the band was catching heat for all of this, and well they kind of deserve it.  How disappointing.

I haven't watched the full interview, I'll probably do that later today but I'm like "So what?" You won't even extend the invite to someone who has been a part of PT for such a long time.

[El Barto]

One thing that caught my ear too was Barbieri saying John Wesley was upset, and I thought, "Why??"  It's not like he was ever an official member of the band.  He was a hired hand for the live shows, and not a very good one, IMO. Getting someone else to be the second guitarist and to help with the singing and harmonies can only improve their live shows.

Is he officially uninvolved in the tour? I honestly think he's quite important to what they do live.

[goo-goo]

One thing that caught my ear too was Barbieri saying John Wesley was upset, and I thought, "Why??"  It's not like he was ever an official member of the band.  He was a hired hand for the live shows, and not a very good one, IMO. Getting someone else to be the second guitarist and to help with the singing and harmonies can only improve their live shows.

Is he officially uninvolved in the tour? I honestly think he's quite important to what they do live.

Yes pretty much. The interview with Richard also revealed that they will use someone who plays keys and guitar as well.

[faizoff]

I think John Wesley had put on social media something along the lines of #Ivemovedon when the tour was first announced.

[Kram]

Honestly, after listening to that interview, I think lesser of all three.  Basically, Edwin wasn't brought back because Wilson had already played the bass in the jams he and Harrison did? That is basically what Barbieri said.  What a stupid freaking reason.  He kind of joked twice how the band was catching heat for all of this, and well they kind of deserve it.  How disappointing.

Thanks for the link to the interview Kev.  I haven't watched it yet, but will at some point today.  I thought Colin choose not to return.  Did we not see that somewhere?  He basically said said he's moved past PT and was no longer interested - am I dreaming this?  Is Barbieri saying he was basically fired?  I'm confused.

[Zantera]

The cynical part of my brain also thinks it feels like a money decision. Personally I love Colin's bass playing and it's actually one of the core aspects of the PT sound to me, however if you're gonna remove a piece of the pie, you can't cut SW for obvious reasons since he's the quarterback, you're not gonna cut Gavin who is one of the most liked drummers in the genre and I think Richard's keyboard soundscapes is a slightly bigger piece to the PT sound than the bass playing. If you're gonna cut one out for a bigger slice, as sad as it sounds that person is Colin.

I'm neither strongly for or against John Wesley but I can sympathize with the guy. He was part of the band through their commercially successful years and I even know a lot of people who thought he was part of the band because of what he brought on the Arriving Somewhere or Anesthetize shows for example.

I'm still intrigued to hear this album but the interviews are doing more harm than good to my own hype. 

[Setlist Scotty]

I'm neither strongly for or against John Wesley but I can sympathize with the guy. He was part of the band through their commercially successful years and I even know a lot of people who thought he was part of the band because of what he brought on the Arriving Somewhere or Anesthetize shows for example.

Not that it would make any difference given the way they gave Colin the heave-ho, but I remember reading that back in the day Wes was offered to become an official member of PT and he turned it down.

Regarding these lineup changes, in a way, I can kinda understand what Richard's say about how things organically came together without there really being an intention to restart PT - reminds me of how Yes "reformed" in 1983, and Steve Howe in particular was left out. But OTOH, PT was never a band with a revolving door of members like Yes - just Chris being fired and replaced by Gavin - so I do think it's a bit of punk move for them not to even give Colin the opportunity to be a part of the band. Given the kinda cash they're asking for the tickets on the upcoming tour, I'm sure there's more than enough to be made that having Colin be a part of it shouldn't be a problem.

As for the comments Colin made, I wonder if what he said was more of a response after he found out what was developing and that he wasn't gonna be a part of it, rather than he actively rejected any consideration to reforming PT. Could be either possibility but I tend to think it was probably more of a response than anything else.

[Kram]

Honestly, after listening to that interview, I think lesser of all three.  Basically, Edwin wasn't brought back because Wilson had already played the bass in the jams he and Harrison did? That is basically what Barbieri said.  What a stupid freaking reason.  He kind of joked twice how the band was catching heat for all of this, and well they kind of deserve it.  How disappointing.

I watched the interview.  He’s trying to blame Colin by saying he didn’t keep in touch like the other 3 did.  Basically saying if he would have kept in touch, maybe it would have turned out differently and he’d still be in the band.  The whole thing seems strange to me.

[KevShmev]

It is definitely strange.  Given that Wilson is the straw that stirs the Porcupine Tree drink, I suspect this is the way he wanted it, and the other two just went along with it, for the sake of the reunion and the money they stand to make from it.  The whole thing definitely leaves a bad taste. 

I agree with Zantera that if one had to go, it had to be Edwin unfortunately.  Wilson is obviously the most important by a country mile, and while I think Harrison is the most replaceable of the other three (the band was great before he arrived and could be again without him; that is all the proof I need), but he has too much of a pedigree as a top drummer now to where he is the biggest "name" of the other three.  And Barbieri's sounds and textures are a massive part of the overall PT sound. 

[Ben_Jamin]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

[Setlist Scotty]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

If that were the case, I think Richard would've made it clear that efforts were made to include Colin, but he refused and/or never responded. What Richard says pretty much says they just bypassed Colin completely.

[Ben_Jamin]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

If that were the case, I think Richard would've made it clear that efforts were made to include Colin, but he refused and/or never responded. What Richard says pretty much says they just bypassed Colin completely.

Exactly, if they have tried before this jam to connect with him and there was no response. Why try again?...

[Kram]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

If that were the case, I think Richard would've made it clear that efforts were made to include Colin, but he refused and/or never responded. What Richard says pretty much says they just bypassed Colin completely.

Exactly, if they have tried before this jam to connect with him and there was no response. Why try again?...

Not buying it.  Besides being friends, this is a business.  That's not how you should conduct business.

[Setlist Scotty]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

If that were the case, I think Richard would've made it clear that efforts were made to include Colin, but he refused and/or never responded. What Richard says pretty much says they just bypassed Colin completely.

Exactly, if they have tried before this jam to connect with him and there was no response. Why try again?...

But where in Richard's interview is there *any* indication that they did try to connect with Colin and got no response? From what I gather, Steven and Gavin would meet together and jam on bass and drums just for the fun of it, and at a certain point Richard got involved and things took a more serious turn and became this reunion. Feel free to point out what part of the interview I got wrong.

[ReaperKK]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

If that were the case, I think Richard would've made it clear that efforts were made to include Colin, but he refused and/or never responded. What Richard says pretty much says they just bypassed Colin completely.

Exactly, if they have tried before this jam to connect with him and there was no response. Why try again?...

But where in Richard's interview is there *any* indication that they did try to connect with Colin and got no response? From what I gather, Steven and Gavin would meet together and jam on bass and drums just for the fun of it, and at a certain point Richard got involved and things took a more serious turn and became this reunion. Feel free to point out what part of the interview I got wrong.

This was my take too. It seems like Gavin and Steven live close together so they jammed and Richard was sending SW stuff even while SW was doing the solo stuff.

[Ben_Jamin]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

If that were the case, I think Richard would've made it clear that efforts were made to include Colin, but he refused and/or never responded. What Richard says pretty much says they just bypassed Colin completely.

Exactly, if they have tried before this jam to connect with him and there was no response. Why try again?...

Not buying it.  Besides being friends, this is a business.  That's not how you should conduct business.

Who even said Colin was friends with the rest of the guys. You're assuming he was friends. Music is a business and there are moments when musicians are not friends, they're acquaintances that get along for the sake of the job.

What's being revealed is that more than likely, supposedly, Colin felt like an acquaintance and did not consider the guys friends. So, in turn, he took no initiative to hang out, jam, or connect with the guys after PT stopped.

Even if Colin were to have connected and returned, he would have to learn Stevens bass parts and would then contribute his own parts if he felt like it.

This is something that naturally happened as was stated and the guys felt no need to include Colin. To let it flow naturally, you need to let things come out that way. Its why I see no reason to get upset because Colin isn't there. I would like him to be because his playing style added this laid backness to the bands presentation.

I would not mind either of they get Nick Beggs to play bass. The thing is the ticket prices are forbidding me to to attend. I see why though for them being high. The demand is there, so supply is gonna be high as the supply can't meet the demands.

That's the business of the music industry and how promoters can play with the demand for a highly praised and worship band.

[Kram]

What would you do if you did try and contact someone, but weren't getting a response? What would you do if you couldn't get a hold of the person?

That's what I think happened. They were trying to reconnect with Colin, trying to get him to jam out with them. But, since he wasn't even in contact with them after the split, and they tried but no reply. If time is a factor, you just go on with the jams and hope for the best.

If that were the case, I think Richard would've made it clear that efforts were made to include Colin, but he refused and/or never responded. What Richard says pretty much says they just bypassed Colin completely.

Exactly, if they have tried before this jam to connect with him and there was no response. Why try again?...

Not buying it.  Besides being friends, this is a business.  That's not how you should conduct business.

Who even said Colin was friends with the rest of the guys. You're assuming he was friends. Music is a business and there are moments when musicians are not friends, they're acquaintances that get along for the sake of the job.

What's being revealed is that more than likely, supposedly, Colin felt like an acquaintance and did not consider the guys friends. So, in turn, he took no initiative to hang out, jam, or connect with the guys after PT stopped.

Even if Colin were to have connected and returned, he would have to learn Stevens bass parts and would then contribute his own parts if he felt like it.

This is something that naturally happened as was stated and the guys felt no need to include Colin. To let it flow naturally, you need to let things come out that way. Its why I see no reason to get upset because Colin isn't there. I would like him to be because his playing style added this laid backness to the bands presentation.

I would not mind either of they get Nick Beggs to play bass. The thing is the ticket prices are forbidding me to to attend. I see why though for them being high. The demand is there, so supply is gonna be high as the supply can't meet the demands.

That's the business of the music industry and how promoters can play with the demand for a highly praised and worship band.

I never said they were friends or that you have to be friends to be in a band together.  There's plenty of examples of bands who are not friends and it's all about business.  I was simply stating that Barbieri said in the interview that if Colin would have kept in touch with the rest of them, maybe it would have turned out differently and he’d still be in the band.  I take that to mean if he was friendlier with the 3 of them, he'd probably still be there - and the fact that he was not friendlier with them, is the reason it's only a 3 piece band now.   Barbieri said that, not me.  I have a feeling this isn't the whole truth anyway, but that's how I understood what he said.

[PixelDream]

Quite sad that Colin Edwin and John Wesley aren't there but psyched nonetheless for this (supposedly one-off) reincarnation. I love Colin's fluid bass playing and chilled out vibe on stage, it's part of the PT magic. As far as John Wesley goes, I thought he was really good in the band. Not the most technical guitar player but the emotion definitely comes through (see his impression of the Akerfeldt guitar solo of 'Arriving Somewhere But Not Here' on the identically titled live release: he misses a few notes but it's oozing with feel). It's also easy to forget/hear that his vocals are all over In Absentia and I believe Deadwing too. His harmony vocals gel so well and he assisted SW a lot with the recording/production of the guitars. Also I recall Wesley said something along the lines of not ever being ‘important’ to the band. Hell, SW let him sing lead vocals live on many songs/parts.

That all said, as much of a shame it is to see these guys not on board, the new tracks are really good I think. I actually was listening to FoaBP and then switched to 'Harridan' and it occurred to me there's so much energy on that track.

At the end of the day, I guess it's SW's baby (PT used to be just him) so he can basically do whatever he wants in that regard..

[KevShmev]

Quite sad that Colin Edwin and John Wesley aren't there but psyched nonetheless for this (supposedly one-off) reincarnation. I love Colin's fluid bass playing and chilled out vibe on stage, it's part of the PT magic. As far as John Wesley goes, I thought he was really good in the band. Not the most technical guitar player but the emotion definitely comes through (see his impression of the Akerfeldt guitar solo of 'Arriving Somewhere But Not Here' on the identically titled live release: he misses a few notes but it's oozing with feel). It's also easy to forget/hear that his vocals are all over In Absentia and I believe Deadwing too. His harmony vocals gel so well and he assisted SW a lot with the recording/production of the guitars. Also I recall Wesley said something along the lines of not ever being ‘important’ to the band. Hell, SW let him sing lead vocals live on many songs/parts.

That all said, as much of a shame it is to see these guys not on board, the new tracks are really good I think. I actually was listening to FoaBP and then switched to 'Harridan' and it occurred to me there's so much energy on that track.

At the end of the day, I guess it's SW's baby (PT used to be just him) so he can basically do whatever he wants in that regard..

I don't believe Wesley did any vocals on Deadwing, and only did harmonies on a few songs on In Absentia IIRC, so to say he is all over those albums doesn't seem right.  And I agree that the emotion came out when he would play guitar solos at their live shows because his butchering of them always made me want to cry.  After what he did to the Dark Matter solo on the Anesthetize concert video, he should have been brought up for crimes against humanity.

[Mladen]

Kev, who you dislike more - Wesley or Hasse Froberg? 

[Zydar]

Good question

[KevShmev]

That's not close.  Froberg bugs me at times, but he had plenty of great moments in the past.

[PixelDream]

Quite sad that Colin Edwin and John Wesley aren't there but psyched nonetheless for this (supposedly one-off) reincarnation. I love Colin's fluid bass playing and chilled out vibe on stage, it's part of the PT magic. As far as John Wesley goes, I thought he was really good in the band. Not the most technical guitar player but the emotion definitely comes through (see his impression of the Akerfeldt guitar solo of 'Arriving Somewhere But Not Here' on the identically titled live release: he misses a few notes but it's oozing with feel). It's also easy to forget/hear that his vocals are all over In Absentia and I believe Deadwing too. His harmony vocals gel so well and he assisted SW a lot with the recording/production of the guitars. Also I recall Wesley said something along the lines of not ever being ‘important’ to the band. Hell, SW let him sing lead vocals live on many songs/parts.

That all said, as much of a shame it is to see these guys not on board, the new tracks are really good I think. I actually was listening to FoaBP and then switched to 'Harridan' and it occurred to me there's so much energy on that track.

At the end of the day, I guess it's SW's baby (PT used to be just him) so he can basically do whatever he wants in that regard..

I don't believe Wesley did any vocals on Deadwing, and only did harmonies on a few songs on In Absentia IIRC, so to say he is all over those albums doesn't seem right.  And I agree that the emotion came out when he would play guitar solos at their live shows because his butchering of them always made me want to cry.  After what he did to the Dark Matter solo on the Anesthetize concert video, he should have been brought up for crimes against humanity.

Ah my bad, it’s only a few tracks on IA indeed. Care to elaborate on the Dark Matter thing? It’s SW’s solo right? Are you talking about the rotary guitar part that comes before the solo?

Edit: just realized there’s a solo earlier in the song. In my memory it’s quite cool. I’ll listen.

Eh. There’s definitely a few too many badly timed notes there. Not that good indeed.

[KevShmev]

Yeah, it's the solo after the first chorus and before the second verse.  It's painfully bad.

[Samsara]

I'm not a hardcore PT fan. I discovered them with IA, and really enjoy that record, Deadwing, and Fear of a Blank Planet. Working backwards, I also really enjoy Stupid Dream. I got to see them once on The Incident tour (despite having tickets to two prior gigs I couldn't make) and I'm thankful to my buddy J who is flying in and got us tickets to the upcoming evening with tour. Generally speaking, I love the more metal edge the band had with IA, Deadwing and FoaBP.

So that's my background for context.

I appreciated what SW was trying to do by emphasizing his solo career. It wasn't for me. I liked The Raven Who Refused to Sing a bit, but the rest...pass.

The two new songs are okay. Excited to get the whole new record.

Regarding the tour, I'm not happy about Colin Edwin and John Wesley not being a part of it. I understand John was a touring member, but I felt he really brought a great touch to the band's show and the live recordings I own. And while Colin Edwin may not have been a significant songwriter in PT, his bass playing is on all the records from the band that I love.

Edwin and Wesley may not be "essential" to the PT sound, but as a fan, I'm bummed they aren't going to be a part of this PT record and tour.

It doesn't diminish my anticipation, but it does make me frown. I know it probably won't happen, but it'd be nice if SW and those two guys could just sit down and get it together and have the five of them on the road this fall.

[Setlist Scotty]

Yeah, it's the solo after the first chorus and before the second verse.  It's painfully bad.

Different strokes for different folks, but listening to that performance doesn't really phase me too much, and I LOVE Dark Matter - one of my favorite tracks from PT. If you wanna talk about terrible guitar solos, then that horrendous abomination that Adrian Belew crapped all over the title track to Deadwing ruins what would have otherwise been a top 10 PT song for me. 

[Buddyhunter1]

Yeah, it's the solo after the first chorus and before the second verse.  It's painfully bad.

Different strokes for different folks, but listening to that performance doesn't really phase me too much, and I LOVE Dark Matter - one of my favorite tracks from PT. If you wanna talk about terrible guitar solos, then that horrendous abomination that Adrian Belew crapped all over the title track to Deadwing ruins what would have otherwise been a top 10 PT song for me. 

Did he do the one towards the end? I just thought that was Steven. I like that solo better than the shorter one earlier in the song, which is easily one of the worst PT solos in the catalog for me.

[KevShmev]

Yeah, it's the solo after the first chorus and before the second verse.  It's painfully bad.

Different strokes for different folks, but listening to that performance doesn't really phase me too much, and I LOVE Dark Matter - one of my favorite tracks from PT. If you wanna talk about terrible guitar solos, then that horrendous abomination that Adrian Belew crapped all over the title track to Deadwing ruins what would have otherwise been a top 10 PT song for me. 

I love that Belew solo, as it is in his usual crazy, frantic style, but I get that it is not for everyone.

[MinistroRaven]

New PT is Gavin's drum fest 
The whole album is brilliant.
A truly great comeback from the band.

[faizoff]

So jealous! that's amazing you were able to listen so early!