Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson (EPs, Non-Album Tracks, etc.

[zumacraig]

Are all/any of these worth getting? Are they readily available? I don't have any of them and don't want to miss out. It's so damn hard to keep up with this dude.

[rickawakeman]

SW's Drive Home double disc EP/DVD is wonderful, as is the recent 4 1/2 "EP". PT's Nil recurring is quite good.

[Spiral]

Are all/any of these worth getting? Are they readily available?

First: yes. PT is like Radiohead when it comes to having loads of non-album tracks (and I'd say a higher hit rate). Second: absolutely not*. Many or most of his little side things were small runs that sold out and now go for ridiculous prices secondhand... though some were later collected and rereleased. In limited runs. Which then also sold out and now go for ridiculous prices secondhand.

For Porcupine Tree, I say the worthy ones are:

Lazarus (single). Two solid B-sides that are actually better than a track or two from Deadwing. At least one of them is out in a live version.

Transmission IV. A disc of the 40-minute track that was later edited to the shorter "Moonloop" for The Sky Moves Sideways.

Futile: some odds and ends from In Absentia, all solid. Thankfully Burning Shed has it as a download. There's one more tune called Meantime that's also downloadable by itself, but no biggie if you're not a completist. Oh yes, and the European 2CD edition of the album has a couple more really good ones.

Novak, Buying New Soul (extended instrumental mix), Revenant, Mother and Child Divided. The first two songs are extras from an original super-rare Lightbulb Sun pressing, the others are from the Deadwing DVD-A. I'd say any fan would like/love them as much as they like/love those albums respectively.

For solo Steven, I only know the extra CD that came with Insurgentes (probably all gone, but I remember seeing all five tracks on Soundcloud). I rate them as two great, two solid and only one misfire.





*By legit means, that is.

[zumacraig]

Damn, that's a lot. Thanks for the recommendations. Hopefully I can find a full discography out there. One I've heard a bit of that I want is the 2nd disc that comes with Signify.

[Spiral]

One I've heard a bit of that I want is the 2nd disc that comes with Signify.

That's a good one too, and easy to find since it's part of the normal pressing now. I was thinking just of the outliers that didn't end up as part of expanded editions or in-print collections like Stars Die.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The only PT rarities/extras/EP/mini I've bothered to keep is Staircase Infinities from in between the second and third full-lengths. But then again I'm a sucker for those early PT years - and not so much about the later ones.

[JKL2000]

First: yes. PT is like Radiohead when it comes to having loads of non-album tracks (and I'd say a higher hit rate). Second: absolutely not*. Many or most of his little side things were small runs that sold out and now go for ridiculous prices secondhand... though some were later collected and rereleased. In limited runs. Which then also sold out and now go for ridiculous prices secondhand.

For Porcupine Tree, I say the worthy ones are:

Lazarus (single). Two solid B-sides that are actually better than a track or two from Deadwing. At least one of them is out in a live version.

Transmission IV. A disc of the 40-minute track that was later edited to the shorter "Moonloop" for The Sky Moves Sideways.

Futile: some odds and ends from In Absentia, all solid. Thankfully Burning Shed has it as a download. There's one more tune called Meantime that's also downloadable by itself, but no biggie if you're not a completist. Oh yes, and the European 2CD edition of the album has a couple more really good ones.

Novak, Buying New Soul (extended instrumental mix), Revenant, Mother and Child Divided. The first two songs are extras from an original super-rare Lightbulb Sun pressing, the others are from the Deadwing DVD-A. I'd say any fan would like/love them as much as they like/love those albums respectively.

For solo Steven, I only know the extra CD that came with Insurgentes (probably all gone, but I remember seeing all five tracks on Soundcloud). I rate them as two great, two solid and only one misfire.





*By legit means, that is.

The ones that are OOP, just try to find a torrent download, etc.

[zumacraig]

That's a good one too, and easy to find since it's part of the normal pressing now. I was thinking just of the outliers that didn't end up as part of expanded editions or in-print collections like Stars Die.

Right, thanks for focusing on that stuff. I found a huge discography online. I need to go back and look up the stuff you mentioned. Thanks again.

[zumacraig]

The ones that are OOP, just try to find a torrent download, etc.

I've never heard of such a thing!

Incidentally, curative artists like Wilson have to know that they have completist and regular fans who want all the unreleased stuff. Why not put it all up for download on his own site. I like that he's gotten into this cycle of LP on year and EP the next.

[garryg99]

Damn, that's a lot. Thanks for the recommendations. Hopefully I can find a full discography out there. One I've heard a bit of that I want is the 2nd disc that comes with Signify.

Here is a full discography (last updated in 2015). I am not sure how helpful it will be. It's fairly overwhelming.

http://www.voyage-pt.de/swdisco.html