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

[Lonk]

If I would have submitted my list, the top 2 would have been different. Anesthetize is my #1, Arriving is #8. Both great songs 

[The Letter M]

02 Anesthetize
Appeared on 22 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (faizoff, toro, BRGM, SomeoneLikeHim, Puppies_On_Acid)
16 Top 10 Finishes

01 Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
Appeared on 21 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (PixelDream, The Realm, nobloodyname)
17 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
42. Buying New Soul
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
30. Heart Attack In A Layby
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
16. Lazarus
15. Blackest Eyes
14. The Sound Of Muzak
13. Dark Matter
12. Don't Hate Me
11. Deadwing
10. Collapse The Light Into Earth
08. Trains
07. What Happens Now?
06. Hatesong
05. Russia On Ice
04. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
03. Even Less
02. Anesthetize
01. The Sky Moves Sideways (Phases 1 & 2)

These two kabded at 4th and 2nd for me, and with that, my top 50 had 39 of the final countdown's ranking with only 11 of the songs not ranked in my list. Here are the 11 songs that *I* ranked that didn't show up:

49   Dislocated Day
47   The Rest Will Flow
44   Prodigal
39   Population Three
36   Stranger By The Minute
35   Bonnie The Cat
28   Walk The Plank
27   Rats Return
26   Of The New Day
21   Nil Recurring
09   Half-Light

Yep, I really enjoy C/C to have included so much of the album in my Top 50.

And as promised, here is the final countdown with the songs organized by album!
43 Fadeaway

45 Stars Die
27 The Sky Moves Sideways

33 Waiting
04 Dark Matter

34 Stop Swimming
20 A Smart Kid
16 Don't Hate Me
08 Even Less

49 (t) Where We Would Be
44 Feel So Low
22 Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
21 Shesmovedon
18 Hatesong
17 Lightbulb Sun
10 Russia On Ice

06 Buying New Soul

46 Lips of Ashes
41 Drown with Me
39 The Creator Has a Mastertape
38 Strip the Soul
32 Gravity Eyelids
19 The Sound of Muzak
14 Collapse the Light into Earth
07 Heartattack in a Layby
05 Blackest Eyes
03 Trains

47 Halo
31 Glass Arm Shattering
26 Open Car
24 Mellotron Scratch
12 The Start of Something Beautiful
11 Deadwing
09 Lazarus
01 Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

49 (t) Normal
36 What Happens Now?
35 My Ashes
30 Sentimental
25 Sleep Together
15 Fear of a Blank Planet
13 Way out of Here
02 Anesthetize

48 The Blind House
29 I Drive the Hearse
23 Time Flies

42 Dignity
40 Herd Culling
37 Harridan
28 Chimera's Wreck

The run of IA-DW-FOABP accounts for just over half of the 50 ranked songs. Not surprising but interesting to note. This is definitely their most popular period though I know not everyone feels this way.

Thanks for running this Kev! It was great to participate and see everyone's lists!

-Marc.

[romdrums]

Slightly surprised that Anesthetize wasn't number one, considering it's the longest PT "song", and given this forum's obsession with length.  Also, this might be heretical, but my favorite version of Arriving is from Steven Wilson's solo band on the Home Invasion set. 

Thanks again to Kevin for running this!  I'm glad you came back to do this one. 

My rankings:

1   The Start of Something Beautiful
2   Way Out of Here
3   Deadwing
4   Futile
5   So Called Friend
6   Harridan
7   Fear of a Blank Planet
8   Arriving Somewhere but Not Here
9   Strip the Soul
10   Buying New Soul
11   Mother and Child Divided
12   Never Have
13   Fadeaway
14   Anesthetize
15   Dark Matter
16   Chimera's Wreck
17   Gravity Eyelids
18   Blackest Eyes
19   Tinto Brass
20   Even Less
21   A Smart Kid
22   Synesthesia
23   The Sound of No-One Listening
24   Sleep of No Dreaming
25   Nil Recurring
26   Sever
27   Half-Light
28   Lips of Ashes
29   The Creator Has a Mastertape
30   Dignity
31   Don't Hate Me
32   Heartattack in a Layby
33   Sleep Together
34   Disappear
35   What Happens Now?
36   Walk the Plank
37   Herd Culling
38   Every Home is Wired
39   The Blind House
40   Hatesong
41   Where We Would Be
42   Collapse the Light into Earth
43   Waiting (both phases)
44   Signify
45   Piano Lessons
46   Bonnie the Cat
47   Rats Return
48   Cheating the Polygraph
49   Time Flies
50   Trains

[The Great Zo]

02 Anesthetize (my ranking: 6)

Not surprised that these two tracks finished #1 and #2, and really the score is so close it could have gone either way.

This song is indeed a beast. I love all three sections, and the music is so interesting I can get over the questionable lyrics in Pt 2. That big metal explosion before the last chorus in Pt 2 is just an incredible thing to see live. It's cacophany, and it's also an interesting bit with guitar/drums playing different rhythms. The whole cool-down in Pt 3 is very effective and just the right amount of emotional.

This is my second-favorite Gavin era song, nudged just barely by What Happens Now?, which I consider to be almost as expansive as Anesthetize but packed into an even shorter running time.

01 Arriving Somewhere But Not Here (my ranking: 11)

Whereas Anesthetize is this big huge thing, Arriving Somewhere is a song that feels incredibly cohesive despite its long-ish running time. The metal bit is effective because of how well it works in the context of the rest of the song -- the moody, sparse, brilliantly-produced verses and chorus.

Deadwing is such an inconsistent album for me. I love Deadwing, Arriving Somewhere, Mellotron Scratch, and Glass Arm Shattering. I could basically do without most of the rest of the album, and I don't think the B-sides are that strong either. But those four songs are absolutely brilliant.

I'll post my full list later today or tomorrow when time allows me to write up some additional comments. From the final scoring Kev posted, there are at least a couple songs I was the only one to rank! (edit: actually only one, now that I look at it again)

[Elite]

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
#58 - Russia on Ice
#57 - The Sound of Muzak
#53 - Harridan

---
#50 - Drown With Me
#49 - And the Swallows Dance Above the Sun
#48 - Piano Lessons
#47 - Lazarus
#46 - Buying New Soul
#45 - Chimera’s Wreck
#44 - Bonnie the Cat
#43 - Small Fish
#42 - Stars Die
#41 - Wedding Nails
---
#40 - Deadwing
#39 - Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape
#38 - Tinto Brass
#37 - Open Car
#36 - Voyage 34 Phase I
#35 - Black Dahlia
#34 - Always Never
#33 - Radioactive Toy
#32 - Trains
#31 - Dislocated Day
---
#30 - Way out of Here
#29 - Glass Arm Shattering
#28 - Strip the Soul
#27 - Remember Me Lover
#26 - Shesmovedon
#25 - The Nostalgia Factory
#24 - Every Home is Wired
#23 - Up the Downstair
#22 - Sleep of no Dreaming
#21 - Sleep Together
---
#20 - The Moon Touches Your Shoulder
#19 - The Sky Moves Sideways
#18 - Not Beautiful Anymore
#17 - Nine Cats
#16 - Waiting (Phase 1 & 2)
#15 - I Drive the Hearse
#14 - The Blind House
#13 - Collapse the Light Into Earth
#12 - Even Less
#11 - Burning Sky
---
#10 - A Smart Kid
#9 - The Creator Has a Mastertape
#8 - Blackest Eyes
#7 - Heartattack in a Layby
#6 - Anesthetize
#5 - Mellotron Scratch
#4 - Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
#3 - The Start of Something Beautiful
#2 - Gravity Eyelids
#1 - Dark Matter

Here's my list with all the songs that didn't make it bolded out. What's good to know about this list is that my first experience with Porcupine Tree was threefolded; I bought Deadwing and The Incident at the same time, followed by Signify and the compilation 2CD 'Stars Die'. The Incident I liked as a whole, but the individual tracks didn't really speak to me (aside from the ones I ranked), Deadwing was a favourite until I discovered In Absentia way later, but I basically fell in love with Signify and the Stars Die compilation. This was completed when I bought Coma Divine - Recorded Live in Rome, which I consider my favourite Porcupine Tree record, even though it's a live album. This probably explains some (very high) ranking songs on my list. To this day, Coma Divine is my favourite PT 'thing' to listen to. It's a flawless live album front to back and all things considered, it's a remarkable feat for a band that was still really figuring out the sound they would have.

Lightbulb Sun did poorly in my top 50, and I explained earlier that I consider it somewhat of a transition album between the first 5 and everything that came afterwards, without doing either of them convincingly. I actually listened to that record a few times over the past week, and honestly, Feel so Low at least should have been included in my 90 tracks I ranked. Maybe Russia on Ice could have made the top 50, although I don't find the second half to be as convincing as heavy parts on 'newer' songs. Also doesn't help that it was (if I recall correctly) the last PT album I heard when discovering them initially.

In Absentia is a beast and I will generally say that I like this one more than Deadwing, though the scores on my list don't really reflect that. I was a little surprised with 3 Deadwing tracks in my top 5, but thinking about it, it does make sense as I love all three of them dearly (in different ways than for example The Moon Touches Your Shoulder, Nine Cats or Burning Sky). The final three album are - in my view - a step backwards again. Fear is inconsistent (I really don't get how My Ashes, Sentimental AND Normal all made the list), as is The Incident (watch the bonus tracks do better on my list) and C/C I think was too new for me to properly rank.

All in all, it's been a fun countdown, but coming from my love for the first five records, seeing brilliant tracks from that era not make it all (seriously guys, I was the ONLY voter for Nine Cats?) was slightly disappointing (though completely expected). It was nice seeing other people rank Dark Matter at the top - a big surprise even. But for the love of whatever, please listen to Signify (my 'favourite' if I'm not allowed to say that a live record is one), Up the Downstair, The Sky Moves Sideways and Stupid Dream if you're not familiar with those. All of them fantastic records in their own way.

Dark Matter embodies everything Porcupine Tree does extremely well. It's probably been my favourite PT track ever since I heard it for the first time. Watching Steven play this one live on one of his solo tours was an unexpected treat.

Thanks for running this, Kev. I said it before, but your consistency throughout this thing in updating is truly remarkable. Really well done. I had tons of fun, thanks to all other participants for sharing their stories and ideas.

[Buddyhunter1]

Thanks for running this, Kev! The updates have been a nice start to my mornings.

I'll post my full list tonight but here's the top 2 filled in:

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
---
#35: Deadwing
#34: Dignity
#33: Chimera's Wreck
#32: Even Less
#31:
#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: Way Out Of Here
#18: Sentimental
#17: What Happens Now?
#16: Dark Matter
#15: My Ashes
#14: Lightbulb Sun
#13: Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
#12: The Start Of Something Beautiful
#11: Heartattack In A Layby
#10: Strip The Soul
#9: Blackest Eyes
#8: Harridan
#7: Buying New Soul
#6: Collapse The Light Into Earth
#5: Lazarus
#4: Anesthetize
#3: Russia On Ice
#2: Hatesong
#1: Trains



Anesthetize: I was hoping this one would be the #1 between these two, but oh well. What a monster of a song. It's both an incredibly satisfying prog epic, and an oppressively dark and melancholy piece of music that defines the album it's from. I love all three movements of this, and I think they all work very well together. The first half has some amazing tension building, and Steven Wilson's signature vocal harmonies in the 2nd chorus have never sounded more massive or haunting. That chopped-up, stereo-panned guitar loop that begins the second movement is cool as hell, and that heavy riff comes in like a damn sledgehammer afterwards. It makes me a little sad to see people talking about how they dislike the third movement or how it'd be better off as its own song. Those people are wrong. This is easily the most emotional and beautiful part of the song for me, especially the lyrics in the verse and that amazing organ solo at the end. It's hard to put into words but while the atmosphere of the first two movements feels like it represents a more dissociative, angsty, and angry type of depression, the last movement feels remarkably vulnerable and human, and that transition is the perfect way to end the song.

Arriving Somewhere But Not Here: This is a very... agreeable pick for #1. As the amount of #1 placements show, I don't think as many people would put this in their absolute favorites as Anesthetize, but I also don't think as many people would dislike this song as Anesthetize, so here it is. And yeah, it's a great song, but not quite good enough to crack my top ten. It's a long song but it doesn't get boring, the first half is lovely, the second half is exciting, and Akerfeldt's gentle guitar solo towards the end is stellar as always. Out of all the Porcupine Tree songs, this is definitely one of the most Porcupine Tree of them all!

[Evermind]

On the contrary to Buddy, Arriving Somewhere would've been my #1, whereas Anesthetize wouldn't have cracked my Top 10, so I'm pleased with how that turned out.

[jammindude]

My list that didn’t get entered in time. Curious if it would have changed much. I certainly would’ve given a much needed boost to Heartattack. Not sure if my placing of Anesthetize at 2 and AS at 5 would have made enough difference to flip the top two, but I don’t think so. Pretty sure my highest ranked unranked song was Idiot Prayer. Which is literally my favorite PT instrumental.  Slave Called Shiver and The Incident placed 17 and 19 and I was surprised to not see them on the list. I was also a little surprised to see Voyage 34 Phase I not make the cut.

1   Heartattack in a Layby
2   Anesthetize
3   Trains
4   Start of Something Beautiful
5   Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
6   Hatesong
7   The Sound of Muzak
8   Fear of a Blank Planet
9   Blackest Eyes
10   I Drive the Hearse
11   Open Car
12   Idiot Prayer
13   Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
14   Sleep Together
15   Even Less
16   Black Matter
17   Slave Called Shiver
18   Gravity Eyelids
19   The Incident
20   Don’t Hate Me
21   Voyage 34 - Phase I
22   Pure Narcotic
23   Way Out of Here
24   The Sky Moves Sideways
25   Mother and Child Divided
26   Not Beautiful Anymore
27   Up the Downstair
28   Shallow
29   Sever
30   The Creator Has a Mastertape
31   Prodigal
32   Buying New Soul
33   Sentimental
34   Herd Culling
35   Lightbulb Sun
36   Piano Lessons
37   Stranger by the Minute
38   A Smart Kid
39   Burning Sky
40   Mellotron Scratch
41   Dislocated Day
42   Baby Dream in Cellophane
43   Deadwing
44   Feel So Low
45   Harridan
46   Rats Return
47   Synesthesia
48   How Is Your Life Today?
49   Fadeaway
50   Time Flies
51   Shesmovedon
52   Halo
53   Drown With Me
54   Cheating the Polygraph
55   Bonnie the Cat
56   Every Home is Wired
57   .3
58   My Ashes
59   Lazarus
60   Lips of Ashes
61   Signify
62   Waiting
63   What Happens Now?
64   This Is No Rehearsal
65   The Moon Touches Your Shoulder
66   Tinto Brass
67   Sleep of No Dreaming
68   Stop Swimming
69   Always Never

[nobloodyname]

Also, this might be heretical, but my favorite version of Arriving is from Steven Wilson's solo band on the Home Invasion set. 

My number one ranking was based on that performance, too, same with several other songs. I find the solo performances to be so much better than both the original versions and those performed live with Porcupine Tree. And yup, I know that's heretical.

Anyway! Thanks as always to Kev for running the show and everyone who took part.

[Crow]

jeez, talk about a photo finish on the top 2 

...and nothing else even came particularly close either, of course

if i had to pick a top 5 it'd look something like this?
1. Heartattack in a Layby
2. Trains
3. The Start of Something Beautiful
4. Collapse the Light Into Earth
5. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

all five of these ranked pretty damn high so me not participating really didn't matter that much 
jammin, i like how we both didn't submit and then had the exact same top 5 except for one song (and mostly in the same order too!)

[jammindude]

jeez, talk about a photo finish on the top 2 

...and nothing else even came particularly close either, of course

if i had to pick a top 5 it'd look something like this?
1. Heartattack in a Layby
2. Trains
3. The Start of Something Beautiful
4. Collapse the Light Into Earth
5. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

all five of these ranked pretty damn high so me not participating really didn't matter that much 
jammin, i like how we both didn't submit and then had the exact same top 5 except for one song (and mostly in the same order too!)

I think you and I both having HAIAL at #1 might have pushed it up a placement or two.

[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
14 Collapse the Light into Earth UNRANKED
13 Way out of Here UNRANKED
12 The Start of Something Beautiful 41
11 Deadwing 3
10 Russia on Ice UNRANKED
09 Lazarus 5
08 Even Less 43
07 Heartattack in a Layby UNRANKED
06 Buying New Soul UNRANKED
05 Blackest Eyes 2
04 Dark Matter UNRANKED
03 Trains UNRANKED
02 Anesthetize 10
01 Arriving Somewhere but Not Here 7

[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
14 Collapse the Light into Earth UNRANKED
13 Way out of Here UNRANKED
12 The Start of Something Beautiful 41
11 Deadwing 3
10 Russia on Ice UNRANKED
09 Lazarus 5
08 Even Less 43
07 Heartattack in a Layby UNRANKED
06 Buying New Soul UNRANKED
05 Blackest Eyes 2
04 Dark Matter UNRANKED
03 Trains UNRANKED

I think your full list is the one I'm most curious about at this point.

I completely agree. Like many others I have been fascinated by the difference in opinions throughout the ranking but no list has left me scratching my head as often as this one. In many ways it seems we enjoy completely separate parts of PT. 

Would have loved to hear more of your thoughts DTwwbwMP!

Well, for complete transparency, here's my submitted list:
50 Men of Wood
49 Harridan
48 Not Beautiful Anymore
47 Mother and Child Divided
46 Synesthesia
45 Slave Called Shiver
44 This Is No Rehearsal
43 Even Less
42 Sever Tomorrow
41 The Start of Something Beautiful
40 Pure Narcotic
39 Shesmovedon
38 Herd Culling
37 Burning Sky
36 Lightbulb Sun
35 Radioactive Toy
34 The Rest Will Flow
33 Signify
32 The Sound of Muzak
31 Remember Me Lover
30 The Creator Has a Mastertape
29 Rats Return
28 Circle of Manias
27 Sleep Together
26 Piano Lessons
25 Wedding Nails
24 Drown With Me
23 Of the New Day
22 Nil Recurring
21 I Drive the Hearse
20 Futile
19 Strip the Soul
18 Orchidia
17 Prodigal
16 Octane Twisted
15 Fear of a Blank Planet
14 Gravity Eyelids
13 So Called Friend
12 Drawing the Line
11 Black Dahlia
10 Anesthetize
  9 Open Car
  8 Shallow
  7 Arriving Somewhere but Not Here
  6 The Blind House
  5 Lazarus
  4 Halo
  3 Deadwing
  2 Blackest Eyes
  1 Time Flies

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a PT "fanatic" but other than that, I guess "different strokes...". I had a feeling my list would be criticized as many of the songs PT fans love, just don't resonate with me.

[The Realm]

02 Anesthetize
Appeared on 22 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (faizoff, toro, BRGM, SomeoneLikeHim, Puppies_On_Acid)
16 Top 10 Finishes

01 Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
Appeared on 21 of 22 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (PixelDream, The Realm, nobloodyname)
17 Top 10 Finishes

Anesthetize - of course this is a monster track in every way but it just doesn't fully hit me the way some other PT tracks do so I ranked this 12.

Arriving Somewhere But Not Here - my number 1, so pretty happy to see it as the overall number 1 and to me it is no contest, this is PTs best song. Kind of like The Great Zo said, this is an epic track that actually feels intimate and concise. Everything in this track just works, brilliant stuff.

Thanks Kev, this was a really great countdown.

[The Realm]

I had 12 songs in my top 50 that didn't make the overall list:

50   Piano Lessons
49   Pure Narcotic
47   Half-Light
46   Sever
42   The Rest Will Follow
37   4 Chords That Made A Million
36   The Moon Touches Your Shoulder
34   Slave Called Shiver
33   How is Your Life Today?
30   Shallow
21   Drawing the Line
17   Sleep of No Dreaming

[Revenge319]

Nope, I'm not willing to accept this. The turnip should have won and you all know it. I petition that we redo this until we get our one true winner.





I'm joking, of course.

This is an excellent top two songs. I prefer Anesthetize to Arriving, but not by much.

Arriving Somewhere But Not Here ranked #7 on my list. It wasn't my first Porcupine Tree song, but it was the song that got me into the band. I hadn't heard a song so impressive since the first time I listened to Octavarium. I loved the mellow atmosphere and sounds mixed with the structure and complexity of Dream Theater's epics. While between those two songs, I greatly prefer Octavarium, Arriving is still a 10/10.

Anesthetize ranked #2 on my list. While it wasn't as immediately impressive as Arriving the first time I heard it, I grew to love it more than Arriving. Mostly because there's a little more variety musically, but also because the third section of this song is one of the greatest things PT has done. I think the previous two sections of the song help make it that much more powerful, but I think even taking it on its own, it still would've made it to at least my Top 10.

Here's my whole list that I made, including songs that didn't make my Top 50. Songs that didn't make it on the Top 50 countdown will be bolded, and the couple songs I forgot will be put in parentheses around where I would put them if I had added them. Writeups for the ~40 songs I didn't get to would take too long at this rate, but if any of you are curious as to my thoughts on a particular song, I'll talk about it.


66. Stupid Dream
65. Kneel and Disconnect
64. Occam’s Razor
63. Degree Zero of Liberty
62. Don’t Hate Me
61. Your Unpleasant Family
60. Great Expectations
59. This is No Rehearsal
58. Pure Narcotic
57. Way Out of Here
56. Hatesong
55. The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train
54. Where We Would Be
53. Wedding Nails
52. The Seance
51. Shesmovedon
------------------------
50. Baby Dream in Cellophane
49. Black Dahlia
48. How Is Your Life Today?
47. Stranger by the Minute
46. Bonnie the Cat
45. Shallow
44. Slave Called Shiver
43. Gravity Eyelids
42. Halo
41. The Creator Has a Mastertape
40. Sleep Together
39. Tinto Brass
38. Remember Me Lover
(Feel So Low)
37. Circle of Manias
36. Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled
35. Piano Lessons
34. Drawing the Line
33. Even Less
32. A Smart Kid
31. Sentimental
30. Flicker
29. Lazarus
28. The Blind House
27. The Sound of Muzak
26. I Drive the Hearse
25. Strip the Soul
24. Lightbulb Sun
23. Four Chords That Made a Million
22. Fear of a Blank Planet
21. My Ashes
20. Trains
19. Blackest Eyes
18. Deadwing
17. Stop Swimming
16. Time Flies
15. Prodigal
(Dark Matter)
14. Mellotron Scratch
13. Open Car
12. Octane Twisted
11. The Rest Will Flow
10. The Start of Something Beautiful
9. Collapse the Light into Earth
8. Lips of Ashes
7. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
6. Glass Arm Shattering
5. .3
4. The Incident
3. Russia on Ice
2. Anesthetize
1. Heartattack in a Layby

[Buddyhunter1]

Alright here's my full list. I think I have a good sampling of every album from Signify onwards (I'm not too much of a fan of the first three albums), plus the band's best B-sides.

50   Normal
49   Love in the Past Tense
48   Drown With Me
47   A Smart Kid
46   The Sound of Muzak
45   Bonnie the Cat
44   The Rest Will Flow
43   Octane Twisted
42   Cure for Optimism
41   Prodigal
40   Idiot Prayer
39   Flicker
38   Glass Arm Shattering
37   Black Dahlia
36   Pure Narcotic
35   Deadwing
34   Dignity
33   Chimera's Wreck
32   Even Less
31   .3
30   Fear of a Blank Planet
29   Herd Culling
28   Sleep Together
27   Futile
26   Shallow
25   Untitled
24   Piano Lessons
23   Mellotron Scratch
22   Waiting (both phases)
21   Don't Hate Me
20   Time Flies
19   Way Out of Here
18   Sentimental
17   What Happens Now?
16   Dark Matter
15   My Ashes
14   Lightbulb Sun
13   Arriving Somewhere but Not Here
12   The Start of Something Beautiful
11   Heartattack in a Layby
10   Strip the Soul
9   Blackest Eyes
8   Harridan
7   Buying New Soul
6   Collapse the Light into Earth
5   Lazarus
4   Anesthetize
3   Russia On Ice
2   Hatesong
1   Trains



I have a cluster of The Incident songs around the top, which seems to be the case with a handful of other people, too. It's a shame none of those ranked as they are very good songs, though with how little they ranked high on people's lists it's not too surprising they didn't.

I'm not surprised at all that Cure For Optimism didn't rank, but man is the atmosphere on that one so vividly desolate. I probably should have ranked it a bit higher, honestly.

Prodigal and .3 are the two underrated songs on In Absentia, and I'm actually a bit surprised .3 didn't make it. I guess some people view it as just a segue track (those people are WRONG), but it's a fully-fledged song in my opinion, and a damn good one too.

Futile is a great B-side that showcases their heavier side well, and DAMN does Gavin go off on this one. It's probably my favorite performance by him in this band - the rhythmic switch-ups and polyrhythms he does here are insane. This would have ranked much higher for me if I had done this ranking ten years ago, but I don't love it as much as I used to.

Shallow is over-hated. It being the only song from Deadwing that didn't rank is a cryin' shame. The main riff is groovy, the prechorus is lovely, the chorus and bridge go super hard... what's not to like? Dumb rock song my ass.

Untitled is my hipster pick and I knew there was zero chance any one else would rank it as high as I did. Like I said before, the biggest selling point of Buying New Soul is its atmosphere, and this song carries on that atmosphere incredibly well. But with a cool, spacey jam! It's a simple equation, really.

Piano Lessons got snubbed. It's one of the band's best "pop" songs, and my second-favorite from Stupid Dream. Though I never had to take piano lessons so maybe I don't have any resentment towards it that others might.

[Buddyhunter1]

Also what the hell is Drawing The Line doing at #51 I love the verses on that song but the chorus is one of the worst in their catalog and absolutely slaughters it.

[The Great Zo]

Here's my personal Top 50 list as submitted to Kev -- with the overall group rankings listed in parenthesis, blue for top 50, green for everything else.

Added five more at the top that just barely missed the cut for me.

H/M -- Wedding Nails (#63)
H/M -- Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape (#116)
H/M -- Cheating the Polygraph (#78)
H/M -- Blackest Eyes (#5)
H/M -- Shesmovedon (#21)
---
50 -- Radioactive Toy (#53t)
49 -- Herd Culling (#40)
48 -- Untitled (#95t)
47 -- Gravity Eyelids (#32)
46 -- Stop Swimming (#34)
45 -- .3 (#64)
44 -- And the Swallows Dance Above the Sun (#117t)
43 -- It Will Rain for a Million Years (#113)
42 -- Synesthesia (#75)
41 -- Stars Die (#45)
---
40 -- Prodigal (#60)
39 -- Piano Lessons (#58)
38 -- The Sound of Muzak (#19)
37 -- The Nostalgia Factory (#99)
36 -- Where We Would Be (#49t)
35 -- Glass Arm Shattering (#31)
34 -- Idiot Prayer (#80t)
33 -- In Formaldehyde (#86)
32 -- Drown With Me (#41)
31 -- Harridan (#37)
---
30 -- Trains (#3)
29 -- This Long Silence (#112)
28 -- Disappear (#100t)
27 -- Always Never (#82)
26 -- A Smart Kid (#20)
25 -- Mellotron Scratch (#24)
24 -- Waiting (#33)
23 -- Chimera's Wreck (#28)
22 -- Up the Downstair (#80t)
21 -- Lightbulb Sun (#17)
---
20 -- Burning Sky (#70)
19 -- The Sky Moves Sideways (#27)
18 -- Deadwing (#11)
17 -- Cure for Optimism (#89)
16 -- Chloroform (#55)
15 -- Fadeaway (#43)
14 -- Slave Called Shiver (#73t)
13 -- Pure Narcotic (#52)
12 -- Tinto Brass (#71)
11 -- Arriving Somewhere but Not Here (#1)
---
10 -- Signify (#61t)
9 -- Russia On Ice (#10)
8 -- Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled (#22)
7 -- Don't Hate Me (#16)
6 -- Anesthetize (#2)
5 -- What Happens Now? (#36)
4 -- Even Less (#8)
3 -- Hatesong (#18)
2 -- Buying New Soul (#6)
1 -- Dark Matter (#4)

My list had a total of 22 songs that didn't make the group Top 50.

My five songs with the greatest difference from the consensus to my ranking...
29 -- This Long Silence (#112) -- +83
44 -- And the Swallows Dance Above the Sun (#117t) -- +73
28 -- Disappear (#100t) -- +72
17 -- Cure for Optimism (#89) -- +72
43 -- It Will Rain for a Million Years (#113) -- +70

Can you tell I'm a fan of OTSOL and Recordings? Looking at the scores, my list had one song that nobody else ranked -- This Long Silence.

-----------------

Comments on a few that haven't been discussed yet...

50 -- Radioactive Toy (#53t)
44 -- And the Swallows Dance Above the Sun (#117t)
43 -- It Will Rain for a Million Years (#113)
37 -- The Nostalgia Factory (#99)
29 -- This Long Silence (#112)

Gonna lump all five of my OTSOL songs together. I actually do really like this album -- I'd rank it over TSMS and The Incident. Yeah, there's a lot of throw-away stuff on here, but there are several songs I really enjoy. It's just that even the best of them can't crack my Top 25, because there's nothing truly outstanding. But I had to give this album some love on my list. The samples in "Swallows" make me laugh every time. Also, John Mitchell of Frost* did a pretty cool cover of The Nostalgia Factory.

45 -- .3 (#64)
40 -- Prodigal (#60)

Given that I think In Absentia is a bit overrated, I do find it funny that I've got two songs I ranked above the consensus. .3 is a heck of a groove, and Prodigal just makes me happy. That chord progression on the outro is a highlight.

And speaking of In Absentia...

16 -- Chloroform (#55)

My favorite IA-era song is a B-side! I adore Chloroform. The production, the space in the mix, the fretless bass, and-- although it's Gavin on the recording -- the Chris Maitland writing credit for the drum pattern makes it his last contribution to the band. There's a warmth to this song that most of IA-proper is missing.

28 -- Disappear (#100t)

This is kind of a combined ranking between the finished version (released on Recordings) and the April 1997 demo version. If you've never heard that demo, go check it out. It's proggy and it's fantastic!

22 -- Up the Downstair (#80t)
10 -- Signify (#61t)

The first three Porcupine Tree songs I ever heard were Fadeaway (which ranked) and these two (which did not). In retrospect, I've probably got Signify a little higher than it needs to be on my list, as it's my highest song that didn't make the group Top 50. They're very different, but essential instrumentals in the band's catalog for me.

14 -- Slave Called Shiver (#73t)

How many good Colin bass lines are there? This is one of the best, and the creepy obsessive lyrics match the tension that builds up in this song. An essential Part One of the one-two punch that leads into Don't Hate Me.

13 -- Pure Narcotic (#52)

And just before Slave Called Shiver is my very favorite Porcupine Tree ballad. The harmonies, the chords, the production, the instrumentation -- it's all so pleasing to my ears. It's everything Lazarus wishes it was.

17 -- Cure for Optimism (#89)

I'll end with this one. This song is creepy. Nightmare fuel with just an acoustic guitar, a messed up piano, and some sound effects. The lyrics paint a picture I don't truly understand, but the feeling of isolation and frustration shines right on through.

-----------------

Kev, thank you for running this! If you ever do one of these for Spock's Beard (and please do!) I'll be happy to play again.

[The Great Zo]

Highest ranked song not on the list: #22. In Formaldehyde

I really like this song. Lovely chord progression, dreamlike atmosphere, great solo. What's not to love?

Oh, want to mention this one too since I had it ranked pretty high, but honestly my comments would just be a repeat of the above. So, yeah, what he said! 

But for the love of whatever, please listen to Signify (my 'favourite' if I'm not allowed to say that a live record is one)

I also consider Signify my favorite PT album -- and I mean, although I only ranked four songs, one of them is Dark Matter, lol. That album is just such a journey, such a stylistic trip, but you can tell the songwriting is really coming along too.

Also what the hell is Drawing The Line doing at #51 I love the verses on that song but the chorus is one of the worst in their catalog and absolutely slaughters it.

LOL. So glad I'm not the only one that feels that way! I actively hate the chorus of that track. Absolute puke. Love your comments up above on a few others -- we have some similar tastes!

[PixelDream]

I also had Arriving as no. 1. I had Anesthetize significantly lower, somewhere at 15-ish. I like it but I’ve heard it a few too many times.

I also had Chloroform in my list. I imagine this song is just a bit less visible. Not many b-sides made the cut.

Thanks Kev! This was fun to see daily.

[KevShmev]

Hard to address every post, but all the posts thanking me for running this are appreciated! This one was a lot of fun.

[Duetsch Dream Dates]

Anesthetize was #48 - just not a big fan of the lyrics and some of the segments seem stuck together to my ears.  Last mellow section is awesome.

Arriving 15 - in comparison to #2 the instrumental break is amazingly seamless, and live it when it connects back to the main riff.

I'm suprised to not see Radioactive Toy or Burning Sky.  Small Fish > Burning Sky > Fadeaway is a great sequence to end Up the Downstair.

Thanks Kev, great way to start socialising here.

[Ben_Jamin]

#02 Anesthetize - My Ranking: #04

I love songs that take you on a journey. I enjoy every section and think they're great at creating a certain vibe and mood. The vocal harmonies are amazing, especially at the end. I love "The Pills I'm Taking" and am glad I at least got to see that part live, although I wish it was the entire song.

#01 Arriving Somewhere But Not Here - My Ranking: #02

Same as with Anesthetize, I love songs that take you on a journey. This one has the same thing going as well, It creates an entire vibe and mood. Because of this, I find it to be a great song to drive to, especially when I am going out of town. A big part of PT for me is the combination of the drum and bass grooves. I also enjoy Mikael Akerfeldt's contributions as well.


Thanks Kev for running this, I had a lot of fun and it was great to see which songs made it. It was also great to see others lists as well, and it's good to know I share my favorite with others. 

[nobloodyname]

Just checking back in to say I was completely wrong about Dark Matter. It's great. Delighted the forum opened my eyes to it.

My rankings would already be different if we were to do it again today although Arriving Somewhere would still be number one.

[nobloodyname]

Wow. The search function here is legendarily awful. Just had to do a Google search to find this thread.

Anyway, this is just another post to say how amazing Dark Matter is. Can't get enough of it.

Might have to do the same post monthly until the next Porcupine Tree countdown is done (likely in a couple of years)

[KevShmev]

Dark Matter is awesome, yes.