The Devin Townsend Discography Thread v2

[Kwyjibo]

The only thing incredible about this album is how boring it is. 

I know a lot of people really like Ghost and the playing on it is nice and it's an interesting contrast to Deconstruction and it's cool the hear Devy's mellower side. But for me it's just interchangeable background music.

Just wait 'til we get to Snuggles...

Got about halfway through that one. 

[Metro]

Guess I’ll keep the thread moving since Ghost doesn’t seem to be people’s thing. 
Got a couple more updates planned for June, after that I’m gonna take a break for a few weeks.
Next update coming tomorrow.

[Mosh]

Don’t have much to say about it but I love Ghost. It’s not the best in the project but when it’s the right vibe it’s one of my favorite albums to listen to.

[Kwyjibo]

Guess I’ll keep the thread moving since Ghost doesn’t seem to be people’s thing. 

Other than me everybody seems to like it. 

[Adami]

I like Ghost. I’m just rarely in the mood for it. It’s a specific mood.

[Shredzorz]

Ghost was the first of Devin's albums that I heard all the way through. Before this, I had only ever heard his name in relation to Strapping Young Lad, which I wasn't interested in. I wasn't expecting Ghost at all, I had no idea he made music like that. I fell in love with it immediately, and it's still one of my favorites of his. None of his other ambient stuff has captured the same magic that Ghost has, in my opinion, except Casualties if that counts as ambient.

[Zantera]

Ghost is great. Love the chill atmosphere and it's a great night time album when you want to wind down.

[DoctorAction]

Want to like Ghost but have yet to manage it. Sooooooooooo dull. Sounds like of those CDs that used to be stocked alongside the thunderstorm and waves noises in garden centres to me.

[Metro]

Sounds like of those CDs that used to be stocked alongside the thunderstorm and waves noises in garden centres to me.

Dev might take that as a compliment actually

[Jamesman42]

I used to play Ghost every once in a while while my students did their homework. Not the whole album, usually just Fly or something else relaxing. It's definitely a mood, and it when you're ready for it, it just lets you soar.

[The Curious Orange]

I LOVE Ghost. It's beautiful, relaxing, ambient music. It relaxes me and does exactly what it's supposed to. It's not what I come to Devin Townsend for, true, but it's still one of my more listened to of his albums, albeit for different reasons. It's like Jackie Brown - it doesn't mean it's a bad movie just because it's not filled with the cartoonish violence we expect from Tarantino.

[DoctorAction]

It's definitely not a bad album, just doesn't work for me.
(Jackie Brown works for me just fine. 🙂)

[hefdaddy42]

Ghost is nice for what it is, but it's not what I want from Dev.

[Metro]

Next update coming tomorrow.

Next one coming Sunday or Monday or whenever I feel like it. Needed a bit more work.
In the meantime, here's a site where you guys can buy some thread
https://www.wawak.com/thread/thread-by-brand/gutermann/

ya get it? buy thread? because the next album is called by a thread? ya get it?

[Metro]

The Devin Townsend Project - By a Thread: Live in London 2011
Recorded November 10-13, 2011
Released June 18, 2012



Dev had 2 end goals for the DTP:

1. Play all four albums live.
2. Release a box set compiling all four albums.

In November of 2011, he played a series of four concerts in London playing all four DTP albums. The first 3 shows were played at the University of London Union and the 4th was played at Union Chapel. Each night had a different lineup of musicians, with Dev and Dave Young being the only ones to play all four nights. These concerts were recorded and released as By a Thread - Live in London 2011.

Night 1 - Ki
November 10, 2011



1. A Monday (Live)
2. Coast (Live)
3. Disruptr (Live)
4. Gato (Live)
5. Terminal (Live)
6. Heaven’s End (Live)
7. Ain’t Never Gonna Win (Live)
8. Winter (Live)
9. Trainfire (Live)
10. Lady Helen (Live)
11. Ki (Live)
12. Quiet Riot (Live)
13. Demon League (Live)



Encore:
14. Coast (Take 2) [Live]
15. Synchronicity Freaks (Live)
16. Deep Peace (Live)

Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals
Dave Young - Guitar, Keyboards
Brian Waddell - Bass (Disruptr, Heaven’s End, Synchronicity Freaks, Deep Peace)
Mike Young - Bass (Gato, Ki, Quiet Riot)
Jean Savoie - Bass (Coast, Terminal, Ain’t Never Gonna Win, Winter, Trainfire, Lady Helen)
Ryan Van Poederooyen - Drums (Disruptr, Heaven’s End, Synchronicity Freaks, Deep Peace)
Dirk Verbeuren - Drums (Gato, Trainfire, Ki)
Mike St. Jean - Drums (Coast, Terminal, Ain’t Never Gonna Win, Winter, Lady Helen)
Kat Epple - Flutes, Woodwinds (Terminal, Ain’t Never Gonna Win, Winter)

Full concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtmBTLy-tJI
Slide show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1izARIVGPE

Night 1 featured a rotating cast of drummers and bassists from the next three nights. Ché Dorval and Duris Maxwell, who both played on the Ki album, are absent from this performance. The way Dev speaks about Duris Maxwell during the recording sessions for Ki makes it sound like it was just another gig for him, and he didn’t connect with the material. Dev likely asked him to play at this show, but it didn’t happen for whatever reason. Dev couldn’t afford to fly Ché out, but she only sings on two songs anyway. Dev sings her section of Trainfire. Kat Epple, the flautist from Ghost, plays on a few songs.

Dev started singing too early on Coast, and decided to redo the song as the first encore, intending to swap out the original take for the redo for the eventual live album. However, he ended up leaving in the original take. I don’t know if the redo of Coast took the place of another song meant for the encore. The other two encores were Synchronicity Freaks and Deep Peace.

Night 2 - Addicted
November 11, 2011



1. Addicted (Live)
2. Universe in a Ball (Live)
3. Bend It Like Bender (Live)
4. Supercrush (Live)
5. Hyperdrive (Live)
6. Resolve! (Live)
7. Ih-Ah! (Live)
8. The Way Home (Live)
9. Numbered! (Live)
10. Awake!! (Live)



Encore:
11. Pixilate (Live)
12. Life (Live)
13. Kingdom (Live)

Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals
Dave Young - Guitar
Mark Cimino - Guitar
Anneke Van Giersbergen - Vocals
Brian “Beav” Waddell - Bass
Ryan Van Poederooyen - Drums

Full concert unfortunately not on YouTube, but there’s a few songs available: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_AGVF5YuSPLZdvLuiBBKRFsiof3jsfnZ
Ih-Ah rehearsal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_e8VeDWVN8

Night 2 featured the same lineup as the album, with the addition of Dave Young as a third guitarist. Anneke sings on Ih-Ah instead of Susanne Richter, who sang on the album. The encores were Pixillate, Life, and Kingdom. I thought Pixillate was a strange choice at first, as it doesn’t really fit the vibe of Addicted, but then I heard Anneke sing it and realized it was a perfect choice. If you actually read these writeups all the way through, reply with your favorite Batman actor.

Night 3 - Deconstruction
November 12, 2011



1. Praise the Lowered (Live)
2. Stand (Live)
3. Juular (Live)
4. Planet of the Apes (Live)
5. Sumeria (Live)
6. The Mighty Masturbator (Live)
7. Pandemic (Live)
8. Deconstruction (Live)
9. Poltergeist (Live)



Encore:
10. Fake Punk (Live)
11. Wallet Chain (Live)
12. Metal Dilemma (Live)

Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals
Dave Young - Guitar
Mike Young - Bass
Dirk Verbeuren - Drums
April Jayne Amos, Caroline Campbell, Josh Bevan, Luke Holmes - Choir

Rehearsal: https://youtu.be/jfgaAZBkDJU
Full concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkNvkD6E08E
Soundcheck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L2Xam3rg0o&t=276s
Slide show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wVkWQmT4fk

Night 3 has Dirk Verbeuren on drums, and brothers Mike and Dave Young on bass and guitar respectively. The band is joined by a four piece choir. None of the guest vocalists from the album are present for this recording. Dev sings some of them, and the rest are played via backing tracks. During the show, Ziltoid announced that he was running for President of the Universe. Ziltoid is the greatest guitar player who ever lived, but he was disqualified from the race due to the fact that he is a nerd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFryjdvZaRI
The encore featured the triumphant and/or dreaded return of Punky Bruster. A rocky performance of 3 songs, but a fun way to end the night.

Night 4 - Ghost
November 13, 2011



1. Fly (Live)
2. Heart Baby (Live)
3. Saloon (Live)
4. Feather (Live)
5. Kawaii (Live)
6. Ghost (Live)
7. Blackberry (Live)
8. Monsoon (Live)
9. Texada (Live)
10. Seams (Live)
11. Infinite Ocean (Live)
12. As You Were (Live)


Encore:
13. Fall (Live)
14. Radial Highway (Live)
15. Watch You (Live)

Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals
Dave Young - Keyboards, Mandolin
Chrys Johnson - Guitar
Jean Savoie - Bass
Mike St. Jean - Drums
Kat Epple - Flutes, Woodwinds, Vocals

Rehearsal: https://youtu.be/NEp9gwNQ7YA
Full concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeXdly7KL_E&t=64s
Slide show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE-aHG12rIc
Show day(Behind the scenes footage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pFFVzvy5Ew

The 4th and final night features the main lineup from the Ghost album; Dev, Dave, Mike, and Kat. But with the addition of Jean Savoie on bass and Chrys Johnson as a second guitarist. Kat Epple also sings the female vocals instead of Kat Natale. Unlike the other shows, this one was recorded at Union Chapel, which I think is a much more fitting venue for this album. Saloon, a song meant for Ghost 2, was played between Heart Baby and Feather. The encore is 3 more songs meant for Ghost 2.

——————————————————————————————————————————————



By a Thread was released June 18, 2012, as a 5 CD / 4 DVD box set limited to 5,000 copies. CDs 1-4 contain the main sets of each night, and CD 5 combines all of the encores from the shows on one disc. Demon League, from Night 1, is included on the encore disc instead of the main disc for that show.
The 4 DVDs contain the full sets, including the encores, as well as some bonus features:

- Audio commentary by Dev for each night.
- A music video for a song from each album: Coast, Bend It Like Bender, Juular, and Kawaii
- A slide show with photos from each night
- Behind the scenes videos
- An interview with Dev

This box set is hard to find nowadays, though it does pop up occasionally on eBay or Discogs. Good luck finding one for under $300.

55 songs over 4 nights (56 counting the redo of Coast). That is no small feat. By a Thread isn’t a perfect performance, and the title reflects that. The band is hanging on “By a Thread”. Any one of these shows could have gone off the rails at any time. But what we get is a pretty stellar performance across the board. This would be the only time a lot of these songs were played live.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

By a Thread is one of my favorite DVD boxsets of all time. Probably a top 5. Amazing what Devy pulled off here. 

[Zantera]

I got By a Thread back when it was released because I was having a Devin phase around that time, but I actually kinda fell off the wagon when he released Epicloud. For years I've had By a Thread staring me in the face in my bookshelf and I used to think "I'm not sure why I splurged for this item considering it's something only the big fans should have" but since I got back into Devin earlier this year, I'm happy to own this.

Overall it's great to have these songs performed live, some of them he hasn't really had in his rotation at all outside of this event and that makes it cool.

[Ben_Jamin]

By A Thread happened around the time I really got into Devin. For me, this is the defining moment where I became a fan. Getting to hear how these songs sound live and with the way he presented these shows is nothing short of amazing.

[Kwyjibo]

As I mentioned earlier, Deconstruction and Ghost didn't connect with me, so I wasn't really interested in this, when it was released. But I wouldn't mind hearing it now.

And as I was writing this I thought, look if it's on spotify and yes, it is. So I will probably give it a try when I find the time.

[Pappy]

Love the 4 gigs but all I can think is rehearsals must have been a real pain lol.

[Buddyhunter1]

Ah, the beginning of London getting all the cool Devin concerts.

[KevShmev]

I think I was strapped for cash at the time which is why I didn't get it, but I sure I wish I had gotten the By a Thread box set.  It is impossible to find now for a decent price.  Not that I listen or watch much live stuff anymore, but it would still be nice to own.

[Metro]

I saw one on eBay recently but didn’t bother cuz I figured it would end up selling for ~$300

It ended up selling for $30
 

[The Curious Orange]

My favourite Batman actor is still Adam West.

[Metro]

Classic choice, I respect that 

[cramx3]

I saw one on eBay recently but didn’t bother cuz I figured it would end up selling for ~$300

It ended up selling for $30
 

wtf 

Sucks the Addicted concert isn't on youtube anymore, it used to be and I'd watch it a lot.  That version of Pixelate is incredible. 

I think it's a bit odd to go through all the work of making these 4 concerts to just limit it to 5000 units.  Maybe one day they'll get a re-release so I can buy it.

[goo-goo]

I saw one on eBay recently but didn’t bother cuz I figured it would end up selling for ~$300

It ended up selling for $30
 

Yes. I won it! LOL

[Stadler]

Ben Affleck. Yep, I said it.

Sorry for being a broken record, but:

The Deep Peace version from Night 1 is basically what changed my tune about Devin (all I knew before that was SYL and his album with Vai, and let's be nice and just leave it at "they didn't connect with me".)

The Addicted! night brings me so much joy.  Anneke is a treasure; she nails the vocals all the way through, her enthusiasm is infectious, she's a pleasure to look at, and I think she brings out the best in Devin. 

[Metro]

I saw one on eBay recently but didn’t bother cuz I figured it would end up selling for ~$300

It ended up selling for $30
 

Yes. I won it! LOL

Are you serious  Lucky dog.

Ben Affleck. Yep, I said it.

Interesting choice. I don’t love any of the movies with him as Batman, but I thought his portrayal was fine.

[Fonzie]

Bale.

It’s a nice set to have.

Between the original 4, Contain Us, and this set, i had enough of this phase for a while. I’ll always support Dev, but it was starting to feel a bit like being fleeced. Was more than happy when Epicloud came along.

[Metro]

Bale is a good choice. I rewatched The Dark Knight Trilogy recently. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight still hold up. The Dark Knight Rises is still a mess.

Next update Thursday.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Come on! We all know the real answer is Clooney!

[Kwyjibo]

Has someone mentioned Michael Keaton? If not, he gets my vote.

[Metro]

Come on! We all know the real answer is Clooney!

Bat nipples be damned, I didn’t hate his Batman. The movie was a hot cold mess though.

Has someone mentioned Michael Keaton? If not, he gets my vote.

Probably my personal favorite

[Metro]

The Devin Townsend Project - Contain Us
Released December 9, 2011



Contain Us is a 6 CD / 2 DVD box set that collects the 4 DTP albums, plus unreleased songs and demos, and various videos and live performances.

The title comes from a lyric in the song Juno, and it also shares a name with a song from the Tree of the Sun / Blastula demos from 1995.

CD 1 - Ki

CD 2 - Addicted

CD 3 - Deconstruction (Remastered)

CD 4 - Ghost (Remastered)

CD 5 - Stuff That Was Almost Stuff

Tracklisting:

1. Synchronicity Freaks
2. OM
3. Catwalk (Fucker Rework)
4. Juno
5. Ho Krll
6. Radial Highway
7. Watch You
8. Traestorz
9. Sticks and Stones

STWAS is comprised of material that didn’t make it onto the 4 DTP albums.
Full album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZE7npzPrY0&t=4s

Synchronicity Freaks is a bonus track from Ki. Originally available for download along with two other jams from those sessions. One of the first songs he wrote for the DTP.

OM is a partial redo of the song from the Christeen EP. Intended for Addicted, but Dev couldn’t find way to fit it into the record.

Catwalk is an instrumental rework of the SYL song Fucker from album The New Black. Century Media asked Dev for an instrumental version of the song for a video game.

Juno was meant for Addicted. It’s about how Dev feels like an alien in the music industry of his own country. This has gone on to be a frequently requested fan favorite song, but it has never been played live. Dev doesn’t seem to care for it much and says he phoned in the lyrics.

Ho Krll was an iTunes exclusive bonus track for Deconstruction. It was originally meant for Ziltoid the Omniscient. The title came from an alien conspiracy theory that Dev read about.

Radial Highway and Watch You were intended for Ghost 2, which was scrapped. Radial Highway was an iTunes exclusive bonus track for Ghost.

Traestorz is an electronic piece that turned into the rave section of The Mighty Masturbator.

Sticks and Stones is a jam from the Ki sessions.

CD 6 - Stuff That Was Stuff Before It Was Stuff

Tracklisting:

1. Coast (Demo)
2. Disruptr (Demo)
3. Gato Negro (Demo)
4. Addicted (Demo)
5. Numbered (Demo)
6. Timmy (Awake! Demo)
7. Stand (Demo)
8. Juular (Demo)
9. Brown Man (Demo)
10. Pandemic (Demo)
11. Madd At My Dadd (Terrorizer Demo)
12. Flies (Fly Demo)
13. Call Management (Demo)
14. Freedom (Kawaii Demo)
15. Two Turntables and a Mike St. Jean (Kitchen Aid Mix)

STWSBIWS is demo versions of various DTP songs, as well as a few extra songs that never made it onto albums.
Full album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHCdt30JBto

Brown Man is an outtake from Deconstruction.

Call Management is an outtake from Ki.

Two Turntables and a Mike St. Jean is a hip-hop song about Mike St. Jean recorded by Dev and Dirk Verbeuren. Unfortunately the rap game wasn’t ready for a middle class white Canadian rapper and his Belgian sidekick. If you read this update all the way through, reply with your favorite hot dog topping.

DVD 1 - Stuff For Your Eyes

A DVD containing music videos and live footage

- Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 2010

1. Supercrush

2. Numbered

3. Deadhead

4. Seventh Wave

5. Life

This is 5 of the 10 songs played at this show. It’s missing Addicted, Truth, OM, Gaia, and Earth Day.
The full video of these five songs used to be on YouTube. Can only find a few songs now.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_AGVF5YuSPI23dN1n3riTHTYmDx85EHm

- NAMM 2011 Show (Video)

1. Coast

2. Terminal

3. Saloon

4. Fall

5. Fly

6. Ih-Ah

This is a live performance from a different live version of the DTP at NAMM 2011, comprised of:

Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals
Dave Young - Keyboards
Mike St. Jean - Drums
Jean Savoie - Bass
Kat Epple - Flutes, Vocals

Full video: https://youtu.be/V2umn_Wkv4I
Feather / Saloon, taken from another performance at NAMM 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vub3V8JBIyI
Some photos from these shows: https://photos.tomcouture.com/p311854139

- Music Videos:
Coast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_T-LM3VYpE
Bend It Like Bender!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xr83DFlzjU
Supercrush!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtNs1QdMYO0
Juular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DKs0qfdEk

DVD 2 - Stuff for the Holes in Your Head (Except Your Mouth)
The second DVD is a data disc.

- NAMM 2011 (Audio)

- Audio Commentary for Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction, and Ghost

- Live in the USA 2010 EP

1. Supercrush

2. Kingdom

3. Truth

4. OM

5. By Your Command

- Song stems for Bend It Like Bender! And Juular

- Various Videos from Dev’s YouTube Channel

- Deep Thoughts Videos

These used to all be available on YouTube. Now I can only find 2 of them.

Infinity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEluwUIK5pU

Wise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVLJRk70l-U 


Missing: Hot Sex, Tacos, Ectoplasm, Reaction, Balls

Bonus 10” Vinyl



Side A - Dinosaurs
Side B - A Ziltoidian Rapture

The Deluxe Edition of Contain Us came with a 10” vinyl which has 2 more previously unreleased songs.

Dinosaurs is a demo that was intended for Addicted. The song features Anneke on vocals. I think this is one of Dev’s most underrated songs. No one talks about it (no pun intended), probably because no one knows about it. Dev considered revisiting this song for Z2, and although it didn’t end up on that album, I’ve always thought the song War Princess had a similar vibe.

A Ziltoidian Rapture is Ziltoid ranting over the orchestra tracks from Deconstruction. At the end he sings Juular. Ziltoid is the greatest guitar player ever to have lived.

Neither song is available on streaming.
https://youtu.be/TgaW-U7nbz0

Contain Us was released December 9, 2011. Along with the CDs and DVDs it also comes with a hardcover book with tons of photos from 2008-11. Like By a Thread, only 5,000 copies were made, but Contain Us doesn’t seem to be quite as rare as By a Thread. Prices vary on used copies. I snagged one on eBay recently for $100 (No bonus vinyl ), but I’ve seen them go for much higher.

With By a Thread and Contain Us, the DTP was over. Future Dev albums would just be released under his name, and his next project was to be a sequel to the Ziltoid album.

…At least that was the original plan.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Taking a break from this thread for a few weeks, maybe a month.
Thanks for following along so far!