Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 38

Thread: FEATURED ALBUM: Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun

  1. #1
    Moderator Poisoned Youth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Nothern Virginia, USA
    Posts
    3,022

    FEATURED ALBUM: Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun

    How does Lightbulb Sun rank among the other PTree albums and also Steven Wilson's output as a whole? I'm still a sucker for Russia on Ice, but much of the rest of the album has grown on me over time.




    Review from Progarchives
    Steven Wilson would use more mellotron on this release then any of his previous records. Not surprisingly this is the darker of the two "song oriented" albums PORCUPINE TREE recorded. Of the two I prefer this one more than "Stupid Dream", I think it's the melancholic and dark vibe on this album. The "Lightbulb Sun" cd I have is a double with the second disc containing three tracks namely "Buying A New Soul", "Pure Narcotic" and a live version of "Tinto Brass". I like what it says in the liner notes: "Steven Wilson uses Boots nasal spray. Richard Barbieri uses outdated keyboards". Haha.

    "Lightbulb Sun" contrasts the heavy and light very well. Love the lyrics too.The guitar 2 1/2 minutes in is aggressive, and it's even better after 3 1/2 minutes as it goes on and on. Nice. Awesome song ! You can hear children playing in the background to end it. "How Is Your Life Today" is a silly song with piano and vocals. I like it. "Four Chords That Made A Million" is BEATLES-esque to open before it settles in with percussion. It turns spacey 2 1/2 minutes in.This is probably my least favourite song on here. "Shesmovedon" is one of my all time favourite PORCUPINE TREE songs. Mellotron, organ and a splendid guitar solo. Great chorus too. I like when it kicks back in 3 1/2 minutes with heavy drums and grinding guitar, then he starts to rip it up. Emotional track for me. "Last Chance To Exit Planet Earth" is another highlight for me. It just flows beautifully. And check out the opening banjo. A change 2 minutes in with spoken words to follow. This is so cool ! A full sound kicks in at 3 minutes and I like the bass lines a minute later.

    "The Rest Will Flow" is kind of poppy, it's ok. I like the Hammond organ, and there is a string quartet helping out too. "Hatesong" is dark (what else would it be) with mellotron. Love the bass lines to open as eerie synths come in. It builds to an amazing sound 3 minutes in.The light and heavy are contrasted throughout. Excellent atmosphere before 7 minutes. It ends with birds singing. Haha. "Where Would We Be" is a tranquil song as the birds continue to sing then strummed guitar and vocals come in. Beautiful song. Nice guitar solo 2 1/2 minutes in. "Russia On Ice" the next tune is a dark, heavy yet uplifting song. The string quartet is back for this one. Love the lyrics too: "Can't stop myself drinking, can't stop being me, if I call will you come and will you save me ?" This is simply one of the best songs they've ever created. So dark and at times heavy. Check out the church bells 11 1/2 minutes in as it ends with lots of atmosphere. The record closes with "Feel So Low" a melancholic, beautiful song. The string quartet is back for this one too. A sad ending to a beautiful album.

    Easily 4 stars and a must have for PT fans. - mellotron storm



    WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.

  2. #2
    Lightbulb Sun is a special one for me - it's where I got on the PTree train (OK, I'm slow ). I then bought Stupid Dream and Signify within a week of getting it, and rapidly caught up with the back catalogue. Still a favourite of mine from the PTree catalog.

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Lancashire
    Posts
    195
    Its a special album for me too...first saw PT live at this time (in Manchester while on a "night off" from touring with Dream Theater).
    We should've seen them the night before in Sheffield (doing a support set) but traffic issues meant we got there late and missed their set.
    DT were pretty good but unfortunately had stopped playing SFAM in full on this tour.

    The Manchester show was the only time we saw the original 4-piece PT line-up!

    My LS Bonus disc has Novak and Buying New Soul (Instrumental) - although I might've got that with the DVDA.

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Kalamazoo Michigan
    Posts
    9,574
    Great album, one of their best for sure.

  5. #5
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    small town in ND
    Posts
    6,432
    Yup, this one is a keeper. Wilson was all over the place in terms of styles and that's a good thing.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Sussex, England.
    Posts
    3,092
    I don't care about an exact ranking but I love this, one of my fave PT/SW albums. If only SW's last album had been more like this.

  7. #7
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Paris, France
    Posts
    1,065
    My favorite PT album, period.
    Not just a Genesis fanboy.

  8. #8
    Member Jay.Dee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    402
    For me it's the last quality album of theirs. When In Absentia showed up I lost interest in the band.
    Last edited by Jay.Dee; 02-23-2019 at 02:37 PM.

  9. #9
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    9,681
    Definitely one of PT's best. Love it all.

  10. #10
    Member Paulrus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    The Left Coast
    Posts
    2,170
    In retrospect this one is transitional, edging away from the psych-pop of Stupid Dream and toward the nu-metal of In Absentia. Both those albums are better, although Lightbulb Sun has its charms. Recordings, which came out not long after LS, is the one to get from this period IMO.
    I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.

  11. #11
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    9,681
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay.Dee View Post
    For me it's the last quality album of theirs. When In Absentia showed up I lost interest in the band.
    I didn't like Abstentia on first listen but it grew on me (not a big fan of the metalish PT) to a high degree. One of my top 3 PT albums.

  12. #12
    Member mnprogger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    1,205
    my favorite Porcupine Tree and I can say album that Steven Wilson has been involved with.

    Perhaps part of it is nostalgia as I became a fan in early 2001 not long after it was released.

    Saw them at Nearfest, etc.

  13. #13
    Member Jay.Dee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    402
    Quote Originally Posted by mozo-pg View Post
    I didn't like Abstentia on first listen but it grew on me (not a big fan of the metalish PT) to a high degree. One of my top 3 PT albums.
    I cannot stomach it I am afraid; it's their worst album in my book followed closely by its sibling Deadwing. The next two are a kind of improvement for me, but I'd rather listen to solo Wilson, i.e. the albums before he decided to "take it to the next level" again on To the Bone, than to the final four by his former band.

    BTW, I love how the material from Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun got played live by the original lineup. Warsaw is an absolutely fantastic live document and I'd love to see more live tapes get officially released from those tours.
    Last edited by Jay.Dee; 02-23-2019 at 03:39 PM.

  14. #14
    Ordinary Idiot Superfly's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    New England
    Posts
    343
    I love this album, and in the grand scheme of PT's work, a real standout.
    "The Bill of Rights says nothing about the freedom of hearing. This, of course, takes a lot of the fun out of the freedom of speech." - Pat Paulsen

    My Art- http://www.facebook.com/williamallenrenfro -My Life

  15. #15
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    9,681
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay.Dee View Post
    I cannot stomach it I am afraid; it's their worst album in my book followed closely by its sibling Deadwing. The next two are a kind of improvement for me, but I'd rather listen to solo Wilson, i.e. the albums before he decided to "take it to the next level" again on To the Bone, than to the final four by his former band.
    Different strokes.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay.Dee View Post
    For me it's the last quality album of theirs. When In Absentia showed up I lost interest in the band.
    I - almost - agree with this. Except that I would say that Lightbulb Sun is the last album with some quality in it, and the last quality album would be Signify. As for In Absentia, I could listen to it only tied down with chains.

    Different strokes as was said.

  17. #17
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    4,378
    I like the material from this period more now than when I first heard it.
    I hadn't heard any recorded material after Signify until I had the chance to see PT during the Arriving Somewhere tour ( late 2006 ).
    There was a bunch of Fear of a Blank Planet material, and the more metal, less psych sound ( along with a poor concert experience ) was a turn off.
    After I heard the Atlanta live release a few years later, my interest was re-kindled.
    I now count Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia, Deadwing among my favorites.

    Of Lightbulb Sun Russia On Ice, Hatesong, and Shesmovedon are highlights.
    The XM live recording captures this period well.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  18. #18
    Casanova TCC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Costa Rica
    Posts
    3,173
    First and only one by the Porcupine that I have BUT I enjoy all its phases/periods as well as the solo works of S.W..

    Pura Vida!.

    There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
    Duke Ellington.

  19. #19
    Member Mythos's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Wolf City
    Posts
    771
    Hard to pick a PT fav, but this one is really good...!

  20. #20
    Member Kcrimso's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Espoo, Finland
    Posts
    2,380
    One of my favourite Porcupine Tree albums. Among their three or four best albums.
    My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/

  21. #21
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    9,681
    Quote Originally Posted by markwoll View Post
    I now count Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia, Deadwing among my favorites.
    I'm really close to that rating. Absentia, Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun.

  22. #22
    In Absentia was my introduction to PT, so it still holds a special place in my heart. "Blackest Eyes" did not sound like anything I had ever heard before (granted, I had not experienced much music at that point 15+ years ago). Anyway, it made quite an impression on my teenage mind.

    But Lightbulb Sun had some great songs on it to be sure.

  23. #23
    In Absentia was my introduction to PT too, and at the time Lightbulb Sun was hard to find in print so it took years before I heard this one. I need to revisit it although I know I was't too impressed.
    Check out my concert videos on my youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/broadaccent

  24. #24
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    small town in ND
    Posts
    6,432
    I had to hunt down my copy of Lightbulb Sun. I think I ended up getting a copy from Jazzis (whatever happened to that dude?), shipped as usual without a plastic case but it played flawlessly.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  25. #25
    Member Teddy Vengeance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Deepest darkest Japan
    Posts
    400
    Shesmovedon is every melancholy middle-aged male’s quintessential breakup song. Hey, even if you’re in a steady relationship that chorus can get the eyes all cloudy.

    My wife is a fan of ‘How is your life today?’ which she described as Beatle-esque. YMMV.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •