Porcupine Tree top 50 Countdown! (top 2 featured! - countdown over)

[Elite]

I actually did rank Piano Lessons. Here’s the thing; that one has personal lyrics and comes across as a far more honest and introspective tune than the other two.

I’ll reply later on the music being product discussion.

[The Great Zo]

Purely coincidental, but I had adjacent rankings for Piano Lessons and The Sound of Muzak.

SW, on the other hand, seems to heavily prefer the latter.

[KevShmev]

I really like Piano Lessons, but I ding it a tad for the production.  Most of Stupid Dream sounds great, but that song sounds a bit thin, like the bottom end was snuffed out or something.  I don't notice that issue with any other song on the record, but I always notice it with that one.

[Crow]

hatesong and muzak this high? wow 
prob among my least faves on each of their albums

[Duetsch Dream Dates]

49 (t) Where We Would Be #30
45 Stars Die #9
44 Feel So Low #32
43 Fadeaway #14
40 Herd Culling #31
34 Stop Swimming #16
33 Waiting #21
32 Gravity Eyelids #29
31 Glass Arm Shattering #42
30 Sentimental #40
27 The Sky Moves Sideways #13
25 Sleep Together #34
24 Mellotron Scratch #36
23 Time Flies #28
22 Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled #7
21 Shesmovedon #19

20 A Smart Kid - unranked. Think there ended being 4-5 other songs from Stupid Dream I liked more than this one
19 The Sound of Muzak #23
18 Hatesong - unranked, just really never cared for this one.

NR: Normal, The Blind House, Halo, Lips of Ashes, Dignity, Drown with Me, The Creator Has a Mastertape, Strip the Soul, Harridan, What Happens Now, My Ashes, I Drive the Hearse, Chimera's Wreck, Open Car, A Smart Kid, Hatesong

[The Realm]

20 A Smart Kid
Appeared on 15 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (SomeoneLikeHim)
4 Top 10 Finishes

19 The Sound of Muzak
Appeared on 16 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 8 (nobloodyname)
1 Top 10 Finish

18 Hatesong
Appeared on 16 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (Buddyhunter1)
6 Top 10 Finishes

A Smart Kid - my rank 35. Sure could have been higher. A beautiful song, gorgeous melodies and vocals.

The Sound of Muzak - well this one went unranked for me. Sure, a great song but not one of my favourites so in that context I am surprised it has ranked this high but I guess I shouldn't be.

Hatesong - my rank 25. Killer bass line.

[Ben_Jamin]

#20 A Smart Kid - My Ranking: #07

I love this one immensely. Right from the beginning, it sets a tone. I love the sound effects on the vocals, it's as if the person is crying out and since they're the only person left on Earth, his voice echoes across this Earth in an eerie silence. I also like the weird breathing effects going on, because I see that as the Aliens from the Spaceship observing him, and possibly taking him aboard their Spacecraft. This is one of the big reasons I enjoy the older albums a lot as well.

#19 The Sound of Muzak - My Ranking: (Did Not Rank)

While I do enjoy some of the In Absentia songs, this one I just can't get into. I think it's the guitar riff, but I do enjoy the chorus. I also like the topic of the lyrics, but it's the way it's presented musically.

#18 Hatesong - My Ranking: #38

I just love the bass line and the groove. I quite enjoy the song most from the Arriving Somewhere... release and don't mind Gavin's "extra" parts.

[DTwwbwMP]

49 (t) Normal UNRANKED
49 (t) Where We Would Be UNRANKED
48 The Blind House 6
47 Halo 4
46 Lips of Ashes UNRANKED
45 Stars Die UNRANKED
44 Feel So Low UNRANKED
43 Fadeaway UNRANKED
42 Dignity UNRANKED
41 Drown with Me 24
40 Herd Culling 38
39 The Creator Has a Mastertape 30
38 Strip the Soul 19
37 Harridan 49
36 What Happens Now? UNRANKED
35 My Ashes UNRANKED
34 Stop Swimming UNRANKED
33 Waiting UNRANKED
32 Gravity Eyelids 14
31 Glass Arm Shattering UNRANKED
30 Sentimental UNRANKED
29 I Drive the Hearse 21
28 Chimera’s Wreck UNRANKED
27 The Sky Moves Sideways UNRANKED
26 Open Car 9
25 Sleep Together 27
24 Mellotron Scratch UNRANKED
23 Time Flies 1
22 Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled UNRANKED
21 Shesmovedon 39
20 A Smart Kid UNRANKED
19 The Sound of Muzak 32
18 Hatesong UNRANKED

[KevShmev]

Here are today's songs, one of which was my number 1 PT song for years AND my current number 1 PT song.

17 Lightbulb Sun
Appeared on 15 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (KevShmev)
3 Top 10 Finishes

For many years, this was my favorite song by the band, but now it sits at number 3, although my top 3 are pretty interchangeable, I suppose.  Just a tremendous song all-around, and for as dark and moody as PT/SW's can be, the musical brightness of this one is really charming.  This is a great sunny day song.


16 Don’t Hate Me
Appeared on 16 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev)
6 Top 10 Finishes

This is now my favorite PT song, not to mention the best song I think Wilson has ever written.  I mean, it has both a flute solo AND a saxophone solo!! What more can you ask for??  The tension and flow of this song are both out of this world, and the melodies are just delicious.


15 Fear of a Blank Planet
Appeared on 17 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (Mladen)
4 Top 10 Finishes

I ranked this 40th, but I am not surprised to see this finish top 20.  Damn fine song for sure, and this was on my go-to workout playlist for most of the late 00s. 

[Elite]

Three songs I ranked in the 51-90 range.

It’s getting tense for the remaining tracks high up on my list!

[The Great Zo]

17 Lightbulb Sun (my ranking: 21)

Was wondering if this song might not make the list, but instead, it's actually slightly higher than my ranking! To me, this one is all about the tension that gets built up in the minor chords -- a tension that doesn't ever quite get resolved, until finally the song ends on an acoustic bit like it begins. Even the final acoustic chord is just a bit strange. The intensity of the chorus picks up each time it comes around, and I love the low-in-the-mix almost-screamed backing vocals on the last run through. A great track that drives the mood for the album right off the start.

Also, is it just me or is this song between pitches? As if they sped up or slowed down the tape just slightly?

16 Don’t Hate Me (my ranking: 7)

Another one I was wondering might not make the list, but it did, and I'm happy.

Sometimes I can take or leave lyrics, but these are some of my favorites that SW has ever written. They paint imagery of isolation, of dark loneliness. And the music is there to match -- it's dark and haunting and just a bit desolate. And, yeah, that's a top-tier instrumental break, Colin and Theo in particular. Easy top 10 pick for me.

Also, if you've never heard it, check out the song "London" -- it's an early SW demo that uses many of the lyrics from this song, but musically is much different and stripped down.

15 Fear of a Blank Planet (my ranking: Not Ranked)

Sometimes I can take or leave lyrics ... and sometimes I really just don't like them. And that's my problem with FOABP, an album that contains a lot of my favorite music from the Gavin era, but that I find lyrically grating almost straight through. The whole satirical written-in-first-person "I'm a bored MTV XBOX kid on prescription drugs" thing wears thin on me really quickly, and I never thought it was as clever as Steven seemed to think it was.

So, this song starts the album on the wrong foot for me lyrically. Musically, I like it, but I don't think it's anything particularly unique -- very PT-by-the-numbers coming off of Deadwing.

[ReaperKK]

Lightbulb Sun was number 32 for me. A really strong song with one of my favorite intro and outros.

Don't Hate Me and Fear Of A Blank Planet didn't make the cut. Don't Hate Me was a big grower but just missed the 50 and Fear isn't a good song.

[The Letter M]

17 Lightbulb Sun
Appeared on 15 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (KevShmev)
3 Top 10 Finishes

16 Don’t Hate Me
Appeared on 16 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev)
6 Top 10 Finishes

15 Fear of a Blank Planet
Appeared on 17 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (Mladen)
4 Top 10 Finishes

NR. Where We Would Be
NR. The Blind House
NR. Fadeaway
NR. Glass Arm Shattering
NR. I Drive The Hearse
NR. Chimera's Wreck
NR. Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
NR. Shesmovedon
NR. A Smart Kid
NR. Lightbulb Sun
50. Drown With Me
48. Strip The Soul
46. Harridan
45. Mellotron Scratch
43. Halo
41. Stars Die
40. Sentimental
38. Waiting (Phases 1 & 2)
37. Feel So Low
34. Time Flies
33. Open Car
32. Fear Of A Blank Planet
31. Herd Culling
29. Dignity
25. Lips Of Ashes
24. My Ashes
23. Sleep Together
22. Normal
19. Gravity Eyelids
18. Stop Swimming
17. The Creator Has A Mastertape
14. The Sound Of Muzak
12. Don't Hate Me
07. What Happens Now?
06. Hatesong
01. The Sky Moves Sideways (Phases 1 & 2)

Somehow "Lightbulb Sun" missed my Top 50, but it is an amazing song and a great album opener.

I had "Don't Hate Me" at 12th, one of my two favorite songs from Stupid Dream so I'm quite happy to see it make the top 20 here!

FOABP landed at 32 for me. As a big fan of all of those songs, I am continuing to enjoy seeing them pop up here! I remember hearing this album when it released and being blown away by how different it seemed compared to the previous two, especially since it was their first new album after I became a fan (which was not long after Deadwing came out).

-Marc.

[Buddyhunter1]

Unranked

- Where Would We Be
- The Blind House
- Halo
- Lips of Ashes
- Stars Die
- Feel So Low
- Fadeaway
- The Creator Has A Mastertape
- Stop Swimming
- Gravity Eyelids
- I Drive The Hearse
- The Sky Moves Sideways
- Open Car
- Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
- Shesmovedon

Ranked

#50: Normal
#49:
#48: Drown With Me
#47: A Smart Kid
#46: The Sound Of Muzak
---
#38: Glass Arm Shattering
---
#34: Dignity
#33: Chimera's Wreck
---
#30: Fear Of A Blank Planet
#29: Herd Culling
#28: Sleep Together
---
#23: Mellotron Scratch
#22: Waiting (both phases)
#21: Don't Hate Me
#20: Time Flies
#19:
#18: Sentimental
#17: What Happens Now?
#16:
#15: My Ashes
#14: Lightbulb Sun
---
#10: Strip The Soul
#9:
#8: Harridan
---
#2: Hatesong



Lightbulb Sun: One of the best songs from this album. It's got that bright and warm but simultaneously depressing atmosphere that Porcupine Tree does so well, and those mini-guitar solos and chorus riffs are so damn tasty.

Don't Hate Me: Best song from Stupid Dream, easily. Few other songs paint as much of a picture as this one does, through it's cold, dark, wintery atmosphere and its extremely blunt but honest lyrics. Combine that with the surprisingly upbeat instrumental section in the middle, and it's got a good amount of variety too!

Fear Of A Blank Planet: Yeah the lyrics kinda suck, but the song's good enough that it doesn't really matter. The riffs are great, and that verse vocal melody is a total earworm that I'll find myself humming every now and then. The song's also got a very strong second half, with that suspenseful buildup into the breakdown, and the beautiful outro. I actually have this as my lowest-ranking song from FOABP, and the fact that it's still at #30 is a testament to how amazing this album is.

[nobloodyname]

Don't Hate Me is another song where the solo version (with Ninet) is light years better than the original album version. It's that version that earned a number seven ranking from me.

[HOF]

Lightbulb Sun would also be a strong contender for my favorite PT song. Top 5 at least.

[devieira73]

Really love Lightbulb Sun (#30), so melodic and catchy.
FoaBP (#4) is PT at its very own prog metal, so cool, a bit creepy and energetic!!
Don't Hate Me (#10) - amazing song, even more perfected in the live version of Steven Wilson EP 4 1/2.

[Mladen]

I was away for the last couple of days, so I've just now seen the last three updates. I had all of these songs fairly high, except for A Smart kid, which I didn't rank. I'm also surprised I'm the one that ranked FOTBP the highest. It wasn't in anyone's top five? 

[Crow]

damn, two pretty solid title track openers and also a stupid dream song i've never cared about 

[The Realm]

17 Lightbulb Sun
Appeared on 15 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (KevShmev)
3 Top 10 Finishes

16 Don’t Hate Me
Appeared on 16 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev)
6 Top 10 Finishes

15 Fear of a Blank Planet
Appeared on 17 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (Mladen)
4 Top 10 Finishes

Lightbulb Sun - at this point in the countdown I had this song marked as one of my ranked songs (I had it at 26) that wasn't going to make it. I really like this song, just has a great upbeat vibe and a bit of The Bends era Radiohead vibe but compared to some great songs in my opinion that haven't made the countdown this being at 17 is still a surprise.

Don't Hate Me - my rank 18. Now this is a really great track with a sublime chorus. A very interesting and different solo section but it all fits, the bass line here rules. Good to see it get a number 1 ranking (well done Kev).

Fear of a Blank Planet - my rank 15 so nailed it. The lyrics don't bother me but yeah I get that they do grow old fast.

[Duetsch Dream Dates]

Lightbulb Sun is 18 for me.  Another simple but memorable SW lead again, he's like George Harrison of prog rock soloists.

Didn't rank the other two.  Don't Hate Me is fine, but breaks up the flow of Stupid Dream for me.  Not a fan of FOABP, just a bit too structured, feels to me like early-mid 2000s hard rock radio.

[DTwwbwMP]

49 (t) Normal UNRANKED
49 (t) Where We Would Be UNRANKED
48 The Blind House 6
47 Halo 4
46 Lips of Ashes UNRANKED
45 Stars Die UNRANKED
44 Feel So Low UNRANKED
43 Fadeaway UNRANKED
42 Dignity UNRANKED
41 Drown with Me 24
40 Herd Culling 38
39 The Creator Has a Mastertape 30
38 Strip the Soul 19
37 Harridan 49
36 What Happens Now? UNRANKED
35 My Ashes UNRANKED
34 Stop Swimming UNRANKED
33 Waiting UNRANKED
32 Gravity Eyelids 14
31 Glass Arm Shattering UNRANKED
30 Sentimental UNRANKED
29 I Drive the Hearse 21
28 Chimera’s Wreck UNRANKED
27 The Sky Moves Sideways UNRANKED
26 Open Car 9
25 Sleep Together 27
24 Mellotron Scratch UNRANKED
23 Time Flies 1
22 Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled UNRANKED
21 Shesmovedon 39
20 A Smart Kid UNRANKED
19 The Sound of Muzak 32
18 Hatesong UNRANKED
17 Lightbulb Sun 36
16 Don’t Hate Me UNRANKED
15 Fear of a Blank Planet 15!

[Elite]

I made list of what I think will be the remaining 14 tunes. It’ll be interesting to see if I’m right and in which order they will show up

[SomeoneLikeHim]

Normal
The Blind House
Halo
The Creator Has a Mastertape
Strip the Soul
What Happens Now?
Waiting
Gravity Eyelids
Chimera’s Wreck
The Sky Moves Sideways
Time Flies

48. I Drive the Hearse
46. Lips of Ashes
45. Harridan
39. Open Car
38. Dignity
37. Don't Hate Me
36. Lightbulb Sun
34. Stars Die
32. Herd Culling
30. My Ashes
29. Sleep Together
27. Where We Would Be
26 Shesmovedon
25. Fadeaway
24. Stop Swimming
23. Mellotron Scratch
18. Hatesong
17. Sentimental
16. Glass Arm Shattering
15. Drown With Me
14. Fear of a Blank Planet
13. The Sound of Muzak
11. Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
10. Feel So Low
3. A Smart Kid

Despite Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun being among my favorite albums, these two tracks were never standouts for me. Still great songs and worthy of my list but I wouldn't place them quite this high. Lightbulb Sun in particular I didn't know was this beloved so I was starting to think it would go unranked.

Fear rocks so hard. The lyrics really don't bother me here but I totally get why they would ruin it for some people. Great placement here!

[jammindude]

I had LS at 35, DHM at 20, and FOABP at 8.

I guess I’m going to be the guy who steps up in defense of the lyrics of Blank. I think they are awesome. It’s sets the theme for the album perfectly, and I do find them to be a perfect snapshot of youth culture that has only become more true as time goes on.

My favorite lines are the opening verses right before the guitar kicks in full force, the line about being bored with porn, and the line about his best friend being in a crappy band that sounds like Pearl Jam.  Brilliant song, brilliant observations.

[SomeoneLikeHim]

Looking at the remaining songs I would say there are 12 songs that I am expecting to be in the top 14, not sure what the other 2 will be. Looking forward to seeing how the top of the list turns out!

[PixelDream]

27 The Sky Moves Sideways 32
Like the space rock influence on this one. Gets really psychedelic with the middle part.

26 Open Car 49
Cool song, wish the heavy middle part extension of the live version was in the studio recording.

25 Sleep Together 20
One of their bangers for sure. Can’t really get tired of this one. Live it slays even more, but the studio version has that incredible orchestra at the end.

24 Mellotron Scratch 10
I can see why some might find this one boring. For me, it’s all about the outro.

23 Time Flies 29

The entire song is pretty good, the instrumental part in the middle is epic. Love the instrumental ‘chorus’ as well. Great guitar chords there.

22 Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled 42

I like it, it’s moody and the outro is really great. Loved seeing this live.

21 Shesmovedon 31

Classic song, the harmony vocals are excellent here. I never understood the re-recording, to me it just sounds worse.

20 A Smart Kid 6
Really beautiful track, this just has everything. Love how the orchestra swallows the song at the end.

19 The Sound of Muzak 12

Unique track with awesome harmony vocals and guitar solo. The acoustic guitar really makes this track sparkle.

18 Hatesong 41

I used to like this a lot more but my appreciation for it has waned a bit over the years. Still, solid track that gets pretty wild on the Arriving Somewhere DVD.

17 Lightbulb Sun 13

One of the best intros ever, what more could you want..

16 Don’t Hate Me 7

Absolutely beautiful, one of their best.

15 Fear of a Blank Planet 16
This song is relentless and one of their best rockers. The 6/8 outro is pure gold.

[ReaperKK]

My favorite lines are the opening verses right before the guitar kicks in full force, the line about being bored with porn, and the line about his best friend being in a crappy band that sounds like Pearl Jam.  Brilliant song, brilliant observations.

Funny because those lines immediately turn me off from the song, the feel so clunky, , different tastes!

I think SW as a lyricists is incredibly inconsistent. Most of his lyrics are pretty good to great but there are some big misses.

[KevShmev]

We move on with three more!

14 Collapse the Light into Earth
Appeared on 16 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (Duetsch Dream Dates)
8 Top 10 Finishes

What an amazing piece of music. I have long been on the "this is one of their best songs" train, and it is great to see so many others on board now as well. I ranked it 10th, and I probably could have put it even higher.


13 Way out of Here
Appeared on 18 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (faizoff, faizoff)
7 Top 10 Finishes

Love this one as well; I ranked it 18th.  Every time I hear that chorus, the effect on Wilson's voice is like he is down in the valley screaming to be heard, and we the listeners are on top of the mountain, which is why his singing almost sounds faint and not totally decipherable.  Amazing production. And seeing that outro live is a sight to behold.


12 The Start of Something Beautiful
Appeared on 18 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Ben_Jamin, Mladen, romdrums)
6 Top 10 Finishes

Another terrific song from Deadwing; I ranked it 11th.  Everything about is great, and the musical buildup and climax before the last chorus is almost too good for words.

[ReaperKK]

I had Collapse at 92, pretty song but never really did much for me

Way Out Of Here was at 16 for me. I concur with your thoughts Kev on the chorus and I it's one of my favorite SW guitar solos

The Start Of Something Beautiful was at 74 for me, don't hate it but like Collapse is just doesn't really do anything for me.

[Elite]

I made list of what I think will be the remaining 14 tunes. It’ll be interesting to see if I’m right and in which order they will show up

These three are all on my list, so far I’m doing alright
Still no sign of my #1 though… 



Collapse was my #13 - cool track! And coincidentally the song that inspired one of the first songs I ever wrote.  I have a couple others in my top 25 that did a similar thing that won’t show up on this list anymore. I never doubted this one would make an appearance.

Way Out of Here is a bit high, I had it at #30. Nice metal riffing in the back-end.

The Start of Something Beautiful… what can I say. A very deserving piece to rank as #1. Well done guys that did it! This was my #3, behind Gravity Eyelids at #2 and the yet unrevealed #1. This is my favourite on Deadwing and contains my favourite Porcupine Tree chorus. That lyrics placement is amazing! The guitar work throughout is great and the pace of the song is unmatched compared to the majority of PT’s material. Come to think of it, most of the songs are relatively slow, while this one feels like a journey in and of itself.


Update with my list:

UR - Normal
UR - Where we Would Be
UR - Feel so Low
UR - What Happens Now?
---
#90 - Dignity
#88 - Don’t Hate Me
#86 - Lips of Ashes
#84 - My Ashes
#82 - Sentimental
#80 - Stop Swimming
#78 - Time Flies
#77 - Lightbulb Sun
#66 - Fear of a Blank Planet
#65 - Fadeaway
#64 - Hatesong
#61 - Halo
#60 - Last Chance to Evacuate Earth Before it is Recycled
#59 - Herd Culling
#57 - The Sound of Muzak
#53 - Harridan
---
#50 - Drown With Me
#45 - Chimera’s Wreck
#42 - Stars Die
---
#37 - Open Car
---
#30 - Way out of Here
#29 - Glass Arm Shattering
#28 - Strip the Soul
#26 - Shesmovedon
#21 - Sleep Together
---
#19 - The Sky Moves Sideways
#16 - Waiting (Phase 1 & 2)
#15 - I Drive the Hearse
#14 - The Blind House
#13 - Collapse the Light Into Earth
---
#10 - A Smart Kid
#9 - The Creator Has a Mastertape
#5 - Mellotron Scratch
#3 - The Start of Something Beautiful
#2 - Gravity Eyelids

[Elite]

13 Way out of Here
Appeared on 18 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (faizoff, faizoff)
7 Top 10 Finishes.

Did he send two lists?

[SomeoneLikeHim]

Normal
The Blind House
Halo
The Creator Has a Mastertape
Strip the Soul
What Happens Now?
Waiting
Gravity Eyelids
Chimera’s Wreck
The Sky Moves Sideways
Time Flies

48. I Drive the Hearse
46. Lips of Ashes
45. Harridan
43. Way Out of Here
39. Open Car
38. Dignity
37. Don't Hate Me
36. Lightbulb Sun
34. Stars Die
32. Herd Culling
30. My Ashes
29. Sleep Together
27. Where We Would Be
26. Shesmovedon
25. Fadeaway
24. Stop Swimming
23. Mellotron Scratch
21. Collapse the Light into Earth
20. The Start of Something Beautiful
18. Hatesong
17. Sentimental
16. Glass Arm Shattering
15. Drown With Me
14. Fear of a Blank Planet
13. The Sound of Muzak
11. Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
10. Feel So Low
3. A Smart Kid

I said earlier that I was pretty sure I knew what 12 out of the final 14 were going to be. Way Out of Here was not one of the 12, I was beginning to think it might not make it. Good song but I didn't expect it this high.

Collapse and Start are both great, there are just a bunch of even greater songs that I placed above them. I love the lyrics on Collapse.

I won't heal given time
I won't try to change your mind
I won't feel better in the cold light of day
But I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to stay

Beautiful!

[The Letter M]

14 Collapse the Light into Earth
Appeared on 16 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (Duetsch Dream Dates)
8 Top 10 Finishes

13 Way out of Here
Appeared on 18 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (faizoff, faizoff)
7 Top 10 Finishes

12 The Start of Something Beautiful
Appeared on 18 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Ben_Jamin, Mladen, romdrums)
6 Top 10 Finishes

NR. Where We Would Be
NR. The Blind House
NR. Fadeaway
NR. Glass Arm Shattering
NR. I Drive The Hearse
NR. Chimera's Wreck
NR. Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
NR. Shesmovedon
NR. A Smart Kid
NR. Lightbulb Sun
NR. The Start Of Something Beautiful
50. Drown With Me
48. Strip The Soul
46. Harridan
45. Mellotron Scratch
43. Halo
41. Stars Die
40. Sentimental
38. Waiting (Phases 1 & 2)
37. Feel So Low
34. Time Flies
33. Open Car
32. Fear Of A Blank Planet
31. Herd Culling
29. Dignity
25. Lips Of Ashes
24. My Ashes
23. Sleep Together
22. Normal
20. Way Out Of Here
19. Gravity Eyelids
18. Stop Swimming
17. The Creator Has A Mastertape
14. The Sound Of Muzak
12. Don't Hate Me
10. Collapse The Light Into Earth
07. What Happens Now?
06. Hatesong
01. The Sky Moves Sideways (Phases 1 & 2)

I had CTLIE at 10th place, so not too far off. One of the band's more beautiful songs, such a lush way to close out an otherwise heavy album, something I love about PT. Also another great song in a line of amazing album closers.

And ten spaces up at 20th for me was WOOH, another from my favorite album, and such a good song too. Can't say much more that what anyone else could say, but I am happy to see this one so high.

And TSOSB went not ranked for me, though I can't imagine it wasn't too far from 50 for me. Also, not surprising to see three more songs from the IA-DW-FOABP trio of albums.

So far, I have 11 songs that didn't make my own 50. Not bad as we head into the final eleven songs. I wonder if the remaining 6 of my top 10 will appear?

-Marc.

[The Great Zo]

14 Collapse the Light into Earth (my ranking: N/R)

AKA "Five Chords That Made a Million." It's pretty, I guess, but I've never thought this song was all that great. Just kinda drones on and on to me.

13 Way out of Here (my ranking: N/R)

I know, I know, we've already talked about the lyrics on FOABP, but "a song comes on to my ipod" is so bad it just about makes me hit the "Skip" button to the next track. Glad I don't, because I do like this song musically, especially the intense buildup near the end before the last chorus. Another FOABP song that I do think works well in the context of the album, but can't crack my list.

12 The Start of Something Beautiful (my ranking: N/R)

This was probably one of my favorite songs from Deadwing early on, but I grew to like it less over time. I saw it live a couple times, and I don't think it connected very well in the live setting.

Tough territory for me here -- three songs that appeared on almost every list, with a ton of Top 10 finishes, and I didn't rank a single one.