Tull, really? Hey, it's what it made you think of, can't argue with that, though I certainly don't hear it. The most recent PT album "The Incident" has a dead ringer for Pink Floyd's "Dogs" in the song "Time Flies". Not a problem for me, I love both songs. Plus I like the opening line about being "Born in 67, the year of Sgt. Pepper and Are You Experienced", the same year as me.Originally Posted by Calabasas_Trafalgar
I do too. That was my first album of theirs.
Get the recent live DVD, Anesthetize. Great live versions and a lot of oditties.
Sounds like I need to get Deadwing and Lightbulb
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
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Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Deadwing is my favorite.
The three albums I return to most often are Lightbulb Sun, Stupid Dream, and In Absentia, with Deadwing not far behind. With your opening statement, I would have to believe you'd enjoy Steven Wilson's latest, The Raven That Refused to Sing as well - - - - Jeff
I'm getting that one too. It was recommended elsewhere.
I am a long time PT fan, and its my belief that the band has ceased because the album The Incident and the live album octane twisted just didn't do it for many PT fans and the band has lost that magical spark that created so much great music.
Steven Wilson live tonight here in Melbourne !
For me the magic period of Porcupine Tree began with The Sky Moves Sideways followed by Signify and then ended with combo Stupid Dream / Lightbulb Sun (I basically see these as a double album). I tried to get into In Absentia and Deadwing and even Fear Of A Blank Planet but there was simply nothing there musically that connected with me. Anyway, for me they had a great string of albums and in that period I got to see some great gigs by them.
Loved pretty much everything from Signify through to Fear of a Blank Planet/Nil Recurring. The Incident has always struck me as being a rushed job. The material is underdeveloped (based on the baseline set on earlier PT albums) and many of the segues on the title track are awkward. I still hope that Wilson will someday return to this project and, if nothing else, end it on a much higher note.
My first virginal insertion (pun intended) into PT was with The Sky Moves Sideways, so it holds a special place for me. However it is also the least played PT album in my collection. If you like the harder sound of In Absentia then I agree with others that you may want to pursue Fear of a Blank Planet, Nil Recurring, and Deadwing. Lightbulb and Stupid Dream are great also, but just not quite as heavy.
Enjoy!
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A gentleman is defined as someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't.
It will probably help the OP to describe PT's music as falling into three main periods:
(1) Psychedelic/trance/ambient period
Albums: On the Sunday of Life..., Up the Downstair, The Sky Moves Sideways
(2) "accessible pop" period
Albums: Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun, Recordings
(3) Metal-influenced period
Albums: In Absentia, Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet/Nil Recurring, The Incident.
The Signify album is a bit of a maverick. It followed The Sky Moves Sideways, but in many ways it is more like Fear of a Blank Planet than like the albums immediately preceding and following Signify.
Porcupine Tree always make me think of the blind men and the elephant. A small amount of exposure to their output can give you a certain impression or a completely different impression, depending on which songs you happen to hear. My personal favourites from the respective periods are Up the Downstair, Lightbulb Sun and Fear of a Blank Planet, but they may not be yours. Explore.
Oh how I wish FOABP was more like Signify. That album is the perfect link between the psych phase and what you describe as the 'accessible' period and as such I still to this day say that it is by far the best PT release, coming from someone discovered them shortly before TSMS and saw them live shortly after the release of that album and up to the In Absentia period. IA did nothing for me as did all of the latter day albums. That whole metal thing was big turn off for me. Signify however is incredible album that summed up all they had achieved up to that point and moved it forward to a more melodic sound.
I'll just join in the with the chorus and recommend Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream.
And I will also agree with most that P-Tree sound nothing like SB and TFK. P-Tree is much more song oriented than either of the other bands.
Maybe the comparisons that were mentioned were more in the general form of, "modern prog bands that you may like". As opposed to, "these bands sound quite similar".
And if there were a god, I think it very unlikely that he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence - Russell
I loved all of it! I like the way they progressed from a floyd-esque begining through to a song oriented phaze into metal territory. I wish more bands would take great leaps into differing styles like this.
It is the best of the lot.
You see what I mean about different tastes? I think Deadwing is their worst. Still, it does have the title track and Lazarus, which make it worth having.
Fear of a Blank Planet was my first PT.......and I didn't care for it much. Later, I viewed some Porcupine Tree on youtube, and I got Deadwing and In Absentia. I was hooked. I then got Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun. A couple of years later, I went back and relistened to FOABP.......and it is my favorite PT by far now.
I think the answer for the OP is the Arriving Somewhere DVD. That's the release that put PT over the top for me. Plus it has the added kick of showcasing Deadwing and In Absentia, which makes it a can't miss since he already likes those two.
My first purchase was Deadwing shortly after it was released. I liked it, I really liked it a lot. But I felt no reason to explore the rest of the catalog until I saw them performing live.
And baby that was it! Headlong and hopelessly head over heals with Porcupine Tree for ever after.
After that I went Coma Devine, which is awesome in it's own way. That gave me a pretty good feel for their early period I felt, and I swooned once again.
I guess I am just one of those fans that devour all the many PT permutations with equality for all.
“Where words fail, music speaks.” - Hans Christian Anderson
In Absentia was my intro to the band and it's easily in my top 5 favorite albums ever. It has the perfect mix of metal and space. Suits my taste perfectly. Deadwing is basically a twin brother. If you think a Floyd-like sound with a good injection of metal would interest you, you can't go wrong with either of these.
Subtract the metal and you'd probably like Lightbulb Sun or Stupid Dream. Some really nice music in these.
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
As I've stated on multiple threads, I'm a fan of everything PT. My personal favorites (for different reasons) are Deadwing and Signify. Just my two cents.
'The smell of strange colours are heard everywhere'- Threshold
Signify was the last PT album I really liked but it was a major change in direction from The Sky Moves Sideways While I think Stupid Dream is a good album it really wasn't my cup of tea. I much prefer their early psych stuff and slightly later "old school prog" (read: Pink Floyd) sound. I've never like their "indie-band-does-prog" sound. Everything after Stupid Dream just left me cold!
My fav PT album is Up the Downstair.
Last edited by PeterG; 04-01-2014 at 06:58 AM.
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