My copy arrived today. It's not ground-breaking stuff, but it is very nice. Packaging is excellent. Well worth picking up as long as you aren't expecting Porky Tree or The Raven that Refused To Sing.
My copy arrived today. It's not ground-breaking stuff, but it is very nice. Packaging is excellent. Well worth picking up as long as you aren't expecting Porky Tree or The Raven that Refused To Sing.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
what's on it?
I like what he did with 'A Forest'. I really love that song for some reason and this interpretation is actually quite unique while retaining the overall eerie-ness of the original.
Mine arrived yesterday as well. Not groundbreaking as you say, but enjoyable enough. I really like what he did with The Guitar Lesson, probably the best song on the set - even including the originals. Some of the covers work better than others. I like the Donovan and Cure covers, not so much the ABBA and Alanis Morrisette ones.
It shouldn't be approached as an album in the sense of a constructed work, rather it's a compilation of songs in the manner of Recordings.
I don't see a song I like among these, and don't recognize half the titles. I really love Wilson's work in general, but I think I'll pass on this.
I like it as well. The covers are very different to the originals, and the new stuff is good as well.
I'd almost say it's worth getting just for The Guitar Lesson. The SW songs Moment I Lost and An End To End are very good also.
Is this some sort of 'unplugged' affair?
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
Not exactly, but some of it is perhaps "low-tech" by Steven Wilson's standards.
From the booklet notes:
"Some were recorded under professional studio circumstances, while others were done on laptops in hotel rooms. The idea was to record and release the songs quickly, like an aural diary of sorts."
Is he covering any of those Pat Boone covers on hard rock songs?
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
No, I noticed the Wilson originals. And I was wrong, I only recognize one song here, it's "Sign O' the Times" by Prince, which I don't like. I know music by most of the other artists, but not the individual songs presented here. I could never stand Abba, and only like a few Cure songs. If Wilson were trying to pick artists and songs that would be of least interest to me personally, he succeeded! Does not mean this is a poor recording, just means it's outside my interest. Oh well, I'll likely buy his next solo album, or some day more PT.
This might change your opinion. Its a cover of an old English Folk tune that should blow your mind....
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
His version of the Morisette song was out on the web a few years back (My Space?? ), so I guess some of this stuff is old material?
Coming September 1st - "Dean Watson Revisited"!
Yeah. It's all old stuff. All of it was recorded and released years ago.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
The six CVs and six originals were released individually over a number of years as "singles". You were supposed to buy them and listen to the cover without knowing in advance what the song was. There was a lot of nonsense on the Porcupine Tree forum about how you must refer to CV1, CV2 etc., you mustn't reveal the song and spoil it for others.
Some of the choices were unexpected, but I guess that was kind of the point. He has stated a few times that he admired some of ABBA's work, but I doubt people would have expected him to cover them.
"The Swan (Lord of the Reedy River)" (That's its full title) is certainly one of Donovan's lesser-known songs. It appears as a "bonus" track on the CD release of Barabajagal. It's typical of Steven Wilson to think it's well-known simply because he knows it well.
When I first gave it a listen it didn't really stick with me, but upon repeated listenings I am loving this compilation! "Lord of the Reedy River" is certainly worth the price of admission alone, and the atmospheric, moody energy of many of the songs are just gorgeous and captivating. It really isn't that far from a Porcupine Tree recording, just a bit on the "lite" side, but that's not a criticism. I would think most PT/Wilson fans would find much to love here, and tide us over until his next solo band release next year.
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