Steven Wilson S/D (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield, the mixing desk, etc.)

There are threads on some of this guy's various bands but given that he's spent the last 5 years going solo and remastering a bunch of classic prog albums I figure he deserves his own thread. I have yet to hear last year's The Raven That Refused to Sing but an awful lot of people I trust have said that it's great and should easily hit classic status. He may be the hardest working man in progressive rock right now and is arguably the most well known.

I've heard all the P-Tree albums up to Stupid Dream and I have yet to really encounter a dud (though On the Sunday of Life is a little odd), but there is something that bothers me about the dude's approach. To put it shortly I have trouble really buying any of it; nearly everything he does feels very calculated and precise (down to say, the samples of numbers stations to promote a "creepy" atmosphere), his vocal range is rather narrow and he sings nearly everything the same way outside of the rare "Sleep of No Dreaming" or whatever. I dont find the lyrics all that interesting either. I feel like if you wrote a computer program to analyse all the great King Crimson albums and return some output you'd get the works of Porcupine Tree. He very clearly knows what he's doing, he's a very good producer, knows to switch things up when appropriate, and obviously has studied what makes for a good dynamic shift. But I don't feel any spontaneity - I appreciate the wildness of Van der Graaf Generator and the scatterbrain complexity of Gentle Giant and wish that PT had a little of that. But I feel silly complaining about them because everything I've heard yet has been rather enjoyable and memorable, and you don't exactly see anyone else producing rock-solid albums like Signify on a yearly basis the way he does.

No-Man has this issue to a lesser degree, though I see them as more hit-and-miss, and when they hit they hit hard. I definitely can rep for Wild Opera. Unlike PT I do get the sense that they're relentlessly trying to create their own sound. I don't like the canned drum loops much though.

His remaster campaign has been brilliant from what I've heard. The remaster of KC's Lizard is astounding, maybe the biggest improvement sound I've ever heard. Though calling it a remaster is a little unfair, parts of it were reassembled altogether. I've heard nothing but good things about his latest remasters of ELP and Yes. Any in particular worth seeking out?

I much prefer the three SW solo albums to PT, I don't know his other projects. The PT albums have a hard edge that I don't really care for. And yes, you should definitely hear The Raven, it's magnificent.

XP - Yeah I hear that frogbs, I've always felt there's something off about him. So much of the music (as PT and those multitudinous side projects) seems based on his record collection rather than any perceivable musical joy, so much of it feels cold and calculated.

Yeah, The Raven is absolutely magnificent and one of my favorite neo-prog albums in a long, long time. I think Wilson is supremely talented and have really enjoyed the two remastered King Crimson albums I've heard that he has done. I'm hot or miss on his work though, I loved his last two solo albums, hated the Storm Corrossion album (though I loved Opeth's prog-folk album, Heritage, so I'm wondering who's more to blame for that one), and am pretty much divided between like and lukewarm on the Porcupine Tree I've heard (opposite of frogbs, only stuff post-2000). Have only heard a couple scattered Blackfield tracks and nothing, knowingly, from No-Man.

Being a long time fan but one who started with No Man and always sees that as the centerpiece of the whole Burning Shed empire (I was there when it was homemade CDRs man), there's definitely a...I don't know if coldness is the right word. I have nothing against rigorously and maniacally focused music at all but there's a weird veneer of 'Ah, yes, this is exactly what music needs to be and anything else would be an issue' present in much of his approach that feels strange. No Man feels like he relaxes and tries different things as a result more readily, in combination with having such a great singer in Tim Bowness. That said I really do need to catch up with the solo work properly here.

That's a good way of explaining it. You can tell that he's analyzed the riffs of King Crimson, the sounds of Pink Floyd, and the sampling and atmosphere of the Orb, but all of those bands are known for being very spontaneous - I think a lot of Orb tracks were mixed live, and Crimson would put a lot of improv right on the albums and switch up their identity every couple albums. PT music is often very structured. It seems like he writes it like - "okay, here's the bass riff, then we're going to double it on guitar, go double speed, break things down and do the spacey, atmospheric part, add some bongos, then slowly put the bass back in, add in a sudden loud dynamic shift, and those it with echo and a David Lynch sample". It all sounds great but it feels like an academic exercise, or someone playing Rock Band on expert - as MaresNest mentioned there isn't much joy in it, nor much despair. Even in his interviews he seems like a very well-spoken, intelligent, but ultimately kind of dull person.

oh his interviews are awful, although they've gotten better. he used to come off so conceited. but his solo albums are works of beauty; sure they aren't very spontaneous, but I very much appreciate the craft involved.

Entirely with MaresNest on this one tbh - for a man with such taste and ability he sure knows how to suck all the thrill outta music. More edge on a snooker ball

That said, PT have a select few decent songs. I think I like the Up The Downstair stuff most tbh. I also have a soft spot for when he makes a full concession to his innate & inescapable sweetness, e.g. Glass Arm Shattering. He'd be a better pop (or soft-rock) artist than prog IMO

This speaks volumes imho

http://www.soundsonline.com/Ghostwriter

It's weird because he does have some odd dark corners of his whole discography that shows a certain willingness to let himself go, or try unexpected things. Incredible Expanding Mindfuck never quite lived up to the amazing name but still works nicely enough, while the Bass Communion stuff is validated by those Muslimgauze collaborations, and two more English and simultaneously same and different artists I find hard to imagine. I always thought Wilson's message in the second and last collaborative release about how they got in contact and worked together in their back and forth fashion served both as an interesting peek into both of their creative psyches -- Wilson probably really enjoyed the challenge of someone as fanatically focused on an approach and specific goals as he was being a partner -- and a quiet gentle tribute to Jones and his sudden, unexpected passing without being maudlin, which I suspect the latter would have really appreciated. So you could argue it's that semi-bloodless strain of Wilson at work but I like how it seemed to suit the situation -- the overall feeling is one of simple regret that more could not be accomplished.

I arrived at Steven Wilson via his Jansen/Barbieri connection. I've never much liked early No-Man nor Porcupine Tree up until he switched gears on Signify. But No-Man since Returning Jesus are untouchable and the most impressive project that Wilson has been involved with. Wish he'd get over himself and work with Tim Bowness again. Stupid Dream was the first to really hit me and I eagerly followed everything they released until The Incident, which still sounds overthought and undercooked. Wilson's first solo has the wonderful title cut and "Harmony Korine" but also a lot of filler. The first half of Grace Before Drowning is excellent but I rarely bother with the second disc. "Raider II" is a slog. Live, he surprisingly still seems an awkward frontman despite having toured extensively. I've cooled on Raven since first hearing and wildly raving about it, but the title track is undeniably beautiful. Wilson has a gift for melodies and when he combines that with dark atmospherics, it works exceptionally well (even if it's become somewhat of a template for him.) I do miss the subtler dynamics of Porcupine Tree and don't enjoy his current band much at all. While Theo Travis and Adam Holzman are great, his trading Gavin Harrison for Marco Minneman (who generally evokes that "drummer at the wrong gig" video on YouTube) was tragic and ruins much of it for me.

never had much use for porcupine tree but his solo albums are jams. the first one ('insurgentes') has the looseness and swing i think you're missing frogbs. and the latest one is great prog rock for any era, just a hair under battles' 'mirrored', motorpsycho's 'death-defying unicorn,' and decemberists' 'crane wife' in my book for the best of the past decade. i disagree with jon about storm corrosion -- it's a grower. it's quiet, like a late talk talk album, and reveals itself over time

I'll have to check it out. Looking through his RYM pages and I had no idea he did so much, he's got almost kind of a Tatsuya Yoshida thing going on. I guess I'm finding the No-Man albums the most interesting right now, as they seem to hit on great ideas but then move onto other things - there's only one of say "Painter's Paradise" in their catalog while PT has an endless amount of doomy/funky jamtracks. Dunno if I'm convinced of Bowness as a singer yet, I wish he had more range and he always sounds like he's about to burst into tears.

Figured I'd give Stupid Dream another listen, it's really quite good isn't it? I think he really does transition into more of a pop artist there.

i disagree with jon about storm corrosion -- it's a grower. it's quiet, like a late talk talk album, and reveals itself over time

Fair enough. I actually don't have a problem with the quietness of the record, I appreciated that, but it just never grew for me. It just felt very lifeless to me. I also think I had huge expectations going into it though, based on how much I loved Wilson's solo work and Opeth's Heritage coming right before it.

my expectations were pretty big too, but tempered by being sort of disappointed by 'heritage' (which i should probably revisit)

I remember my first Wilson thing was PT's In Absentia. I found it distressingly poppy (I used to be bothered by very polished sound and singles chart radio friendly vocals), I had a similar reaction to Opeth (although growling and extreme metal elements were not very pop) and Frost (they have a pop producer and ended up being one of my favourite modern bands).
I still have reservations about all these things. I do find it slightly odd that Wilson is very anti mainstream homogenization but I find his sensibilities sometimes a bit too pop.

But I enjoy his music. In Absentia's "Gravity Eyelids" is amazing. Solo album Insurgents has a great dreampop song. The incident's title track is fucking great. Only have 4 of his albums actually, should get more.

I like his interviews, I thought his explanation of the decline of many rock bands was better than most peoples reasonings.

I just heard his remix of Close to the Edge and holy shit, this guy really knows what he's doing at the mixing desk. Never heard just how great Howe and Bruford's parts really were on that one. Should I shell out for his other remasters? (Thinking about picking up The Yes Album at least, kinda thinking about some King Crimson ones as well)

So far I've picked up his remasters of King Crimson's Red and Gentle Giant's The Power and the Glory, really loved them both. They both sounded amazing to me but, tbh, I've only ever known them previously through my old vinyl copies. I'll have to look for the Yes ones!

Comparing the remasters side-by-side it's kind of nuts how much he changes considering they're such "classic" albums (in a crowd that's pretty anal about everything) - Lizard is the most obvious example given that it uses parts that were never even on the original but all of them so far have a few moments of "whoa, I don't remember that"

Listening to Lightbulb Sun right now. The title track is so damn good, maybe my favorite song of his overall. I wish he would just let loose and kick out the jams but this album still rules. I think his approach works well with these sort of prog/pop tunes.

his best stuff is always, always the poppier material, the stuff that embraces its own softness as a primary component

a whole album of ambient pop a la Glass Arm Shattering wd be good

even from the beginning that was true - I always wondered why he didn't do more songs like "Small Fish" from Up the Downstair considering he's so good at it

kudos to his production (or whatever involvement) on the latest opeth album. it fucking slays. who else has ever been this involved in so many awesome projects at once? eno? jim o'rourke?

New album is pretty good, but doesn't scale the heights of the previous ones to me; and at times seems too reminiscent of P Tree, which makes me wonder why it's not just P Tree. Seems like it might be time for him to try something new; it's still good though.

Hmm, I had really high hopes for this after that last one. I was hoping for something as good, but I'll take even just plain "pretty good" Steven Wilson any day.

You might like it more than I do. I like it, it's just very similar to past things. The poppy title track is probably the one dissimilar thing (which I really like).

after living with it a few days any reservations I had about it are gone.

for my money he's 4 for 4 now with solo albums. i way prefer these to porcupine tree. it's almost worth prog rock getting mercilessly trashed for almost three decades to hear it sounding so fresh these past few years, like the slate was cleaned, palate cleansed, what have you, by all the slagging. that's the main reason i don't have the reservations about a 'calculatedness' some hear as expressed above in the thread -- you had to be brave to be making this kind of music when this guy was starting out, with only the likes of critical pariahs like marillion running around doing the same. for sure the advent of tortoise and radiohead didn't hurt, but the odds were way against anyone taking him seriously ever, and man did he pull it off

anyways the 'concept' with this new one is kinda engaging ~ an impressionistic narrative of joyce vincent, a youngish woman whose corpse decomposed undiscovered for a couple years in her apartment

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/26/steven-wilson-hand-cannot-erase-review

there's a documentary about it, too, from a few years back

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/oct/09/joyce-vincent-death-mystery-documentary

yeah I actually don't see it having as much to do with her as was originally implied; I guess the concept of loneliness and disengagement is there.

I agree that all four of his solo albums are preferable to P Tree. In fact my favorite P Tree album these days is the last one (The Incident), which is the one no-one seems to like and is also the most like his solo records.

I liked The Incident, especially the title track. It's a good album.

Ok, any reservations I had about the new album are long gone. Another great one. I have a hard time ranking his solo records as I think they're all equally strong

Remix/remaster or Yes' "Relayer" is glorious.

oh man, can't wait to hear that, that album is completely nuts

I really enjoyed The Raven... album when I heard it in passing, but I've never listened to even that one closely, let alone the rest of his vast discography.

His new in-between solo release '4 1/2' is really catching my ears though. It's apparently a collection of 5 pieces that have kind of fallen by the wayside over the last few years which he's finally given the time to work up properly, plus one revisit of an old Porcupine Tree track, and there's some fantastic sounding stuff on it! The first track "My Book Of Regrets' and the mid-point 'Happiness III' in particular are so incredibly poppy and catchy, in a great way - the former being a 10 minute multi-faceted melodic prog piece.

I read a short interview on his site where he mentions a few times being afraid of indulging or allowing his pop sensibilities to really shine in the past and that he's trying to just let that happen when it seems right to do so. It definitely seems right here!

Interested to hear what anyone else thinks of this one and where it should lead me to investigate further...

The main bulk of two of the tracks are taken from live recordings, then finished up in the studio, but on "My Book Of Regrets" especially I would have no idea that this were the case from how it sounds.

Thanks for the rec, there's some lovely stuff on here. I really like the smooth changes of "Sunday Rain Sets In."

Listening to his most recent solo album "Hand.Cannot.Erase.," it sounds like a really strong fusion of late '70s Rush and early '70s Genesis, pretty cool.

I never got beyond Stars Dive, which had a bunch of Radio 1 airplay in the early 90s. Is there anything more like that? Not really a fan of a the squiggley proggier stuff.

Hmm. This new one doesn't seem terribly squiggly. Corny, sure, but not too squiggly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqQIAAkw_Gk

Frightened Inmate #21 day ago
Catchiest song in history that's in 9/4

That song really sounds like Manic Street Preachers to me! Not a comparison I'd expect, but it definitely does!

Yeah, tbh I've only dipped into Wilson's daunting oeuvre, but it's really all over the place!

probably my favorite musician these days.

Remix/remaster of Yes' "Fragile" is wonderful. Haven't jumped in to listening to his own recordings but this guy has a wonderful approach to the classic stuff. Not for everyone I would imagine but hits all the marks when remixing and remastering as far as I'm concerned.

sorry for the 2x "wonderful".

Would love to hear him tackle Japan's discography. Steve Nye's mixes are beautiful but as far as remasters go would probably be lovely.

acid hose, since you like the fragile remaster, you should give the raven who refused to sing a shot. for me it's the best evocation of early '70s prog since motorpsycho's death defying unicorn

I will check it out for sure!

agreed on that point. actually it has a lbit more of a Drama vibe to me; but yes. one of my favorite albums.

the new Blackfield album (V) is a surprise; the best since the first one, maybe even better than that. It's a full Wilson collaboration despite his earlier claims to be taking a backseat; not sure what spurred the deeper involvement but it's the better for it since the last several albums were spotty at best and awful at worst.

that's good news, still think that first album is pretty great as far as moody pop goes

yeah I like the first one a lot. the second one, not so much; 3 &4, not really at all. this one is fairly different from all of them. I think Parsons may have had a fair amount of influence in shaping the sound.

new album has leaked, despite his stance that it's highly influenced by the same things that influence me (talk talk, 80's peter gabriel/kate bush, art rock) it still sounds just like another Steven Wilson album, maybe slightly more poppy. It's very good. That's all.

I really liked the last LP and EP but this isn't doing anything for me yet

Listening to the Raven
Pretty impressed, had no idea anyone still made capital P prog like this,but also it doesn't completely feel like a retro throwback, there are modern elements

nothing epic like "the watchmaker" on this but intriguing first listen nonetheless

new album is #1 on the UK charts, congrats man

It was number 1 mid-week, but finished at 3 in the final count today, which is pretty amazing nonetheless!

"ask me nicely" starts out borderline progstep

I’ve been trying to get into this guy’s stuff after years of listening to (and generally being mightily impressed by) his remix work. But my attention tends to drift when I put Wilson’s own material on.

However, Schoolyard Ghosts is really hitting the spot. Other than one tune that has a big blaring crunch, this is a really rich, engaging listen. Bowness’s vocals are terrific, Wilson’s piano-based arrangements are great, and there are lots of good tunes and melodies here (not always prog’s greatest strength). 5.1 mix is terrific as well.

Good entry point.

Two prog quiz videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2InJpqo_bw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veOMUKQwjiY

This could be interesting:

Every time I make a new album, it’s hugely important for me that it holds a unique place in my catalogue and won’t simply be more of the same. Moving into the third decade of the 21st century and my second decade as a touring solo artist, it felt like time to apply the same philosophy to the live experience. I want to challenge myself to create something that confronts my own notions (and hopefully the audience’s too) of how to present my music in a concert situation. This has become The Future Bites – a series of special events at larger venues, something on a grander and more immersive scale.

Bunch of arena dates announced for Sep 2020, hopefully more to come.

Don't particularly care for his own music but, man, if this guy isn't my favorite living go-to "classic album remixer". He works magic.

A new No-Man album is also on the way:

https://www.loudersound.com/news/no-man-return-with-two-track-love-you-to-bits

I've been lucky enough to hear said No-Man album -- an enjoyable experiment, it's the two of them basically going "We had that moment with dance music in a way at the start of the nineties, what does an attempt to reexplore those aesthetics sound like?" (Aesthetics, though, not full sound -- it's like they're experimenting with remix ideas on core tracks.)

Anyone bothered to check out the trailers for this new thing?

He's *still* wagging his finger at social erosion/social media zeitgeist, zzzzzzzzz OK Computer was 23 years ago mate, if you wanna make a straight-up glitch pop album just grow a pair and put it out without dressing it up in this done-to-death art/media snark, whoever thought of it deserves a punch in the cock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_H0NO-Cyew

I mean he *does* take a shot at himself here but c'mon if you're looking for something that's innovative and original you're looking at the wrong guy, like he's always been somehow worse than Trent Reznor when it comes to this stuff

that said I actually think this tune is pretty good? a 50 year old man suddenly jumping to EDM makes me think of Todd Rundgren but he pulls it off waaay better than Todd ever did

yeah the song is good. concept is kind of played out and he touched on this a bit with the last one (to the bone; at least live).

btw if you're wondering how Steven Wilson's older fanbase is taking this song, here's the answer: not well

friendly reminder that SW kind of BEGAN with electronica - and *huge challop* Up The Downstair, where this element is at its most prominent, might still be his best overall album

predictably this is sounding like one of the best things he's ever written to me :D

I dig that album a lot but c'mon now

He gots the money now finally, he can do the kinda music that the 50 yr old prog blokes are sniffy about, they'll still buy the super deluxe box set and the live blu-ray all the time bitching and moaning on forums.

He's been making electronic music with No Man, Bass Communion and whatever the hell else since the early nineties, sure.

oof what is the bridge of this song doing though lol

I'm not even that huge of a fan, I liked the last record well enough and he seems like a nice enough dude, but it's very bad sixth-form art, all of it and it's preachy and obvious and disingenuous all at the same time.

Thankfully for the sake of SW's dignity as a 50 year old man this is more Italo or 80s synth pop than what "pumping EDM" had brought to mind. I like those chords.

I'm a 50-year-old prog bloke and I defend my right to be sniffy about his recent direction. Sure, he can do as much electronica and 80s pop stuff as he likes as long as he also does the grandiose prog stuff I love him for. The first four solo albums were fantastic but he's been coasting since Hand Cannot Erase.

Deluxe edition of PT's In Absentia album now out:

https://kscopemusic.com/artists/porcupinetree/

Enjoyable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbtvzJdKYTc

New album is mediocre, standout track 12 Things I Forgot excepted. Hopefully he's got the '80s prog pop thing out of his system now after two albums and can go back to doing what he does best, i.e. neo-prog.

Yeah, I feel like he’s too talented to make an outright bad album, but this is just... blah. It’s not quite as awful I feared based on “Personal Shopper”, but easily his most disappointing solo record and I hope this is the end of the road for his art pop thing. The hectoring lyrics don’t really help me love the best parts either. Feel like I might add “Eminent Sleaze” and “Follower” to “12 Things” for some comp of this era someday and forget the rest. Not worth an additional year wait.

https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/interview/sde-talks-to-the-man-who-spent-10k-on-the-steven-wilson-ultra-deluxe-tfb-box/

At least he's giving the money to charity, still kind of a dick move though.

Making something so rare and expensive?

I'm not a fan of the general conceit, SW's preachy criticism of consumer culture that results in the production of an irresistible geegaw for hare-brained collector types with the strong urge of sole ownership.

I mean, yeah, the layers of irony are piling up with this one, when he spends part of one song railing against consumers wasting money on luxury items, one of which is specifically named as "box sets", as he ships out multiple deluxe versions of a mediocre album.

Like he's done with every solo record/live recording and a good deal of the PT back catalogue and will, no doubt, continue to do until he's amassed enough money to retire.

don't hate the player, etc etc

One thing I will say is that I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he does with this live, if the shows scheduled for this autumn end up happening. He said in one interview I read that he had originally booked arenas but has now had to downsize to theatres because the arenas are booked for three years ahead. He's been dropping hints about the shows being "immersive", not sure what that means but it sounds intriguing, like some kind of Punchdrunk thing.

curious. would he sell out arenas?

Originally he was booked to play the O2 in London. I was surprised as well.

New album is mediocre, standout track 12 Things I Forgot excepted. Hopefully he's got the '80s prog pop thing out of his system now after two albums and can go back to doing what he does best, i.e. neo-prog.

Sums it up, really.

he's an incredibly talented dude but the melodies he writes are just so unmemorable, outside of maybe that 2000-2002 period of PT. I can't quite place why that is exactly, it just sounds like library music to me, the stuff you get when you *want* King Crimson on your soundtrack but don't want to pay to license it so you pay someone $300 to write something with a similar atmosphere & chord progression. it doesn't surprise me his synthpop album is really well-made but ultimately something I don't have much desire to hear again.

I've only heard Hand Cannot Erase, and found it completely unmemorable, and later The Incident which was a decent emulation of his influences. Wilson's voice lacks any sort of character.

I'm listening to The Incident now, and it's so much about imitating older prog, it's like a more tasteful version of Spock's Beard.

Like he's done with every solo record/live recording and a good deal of the PT back catalogue and will, no doubt, continue to do until he's amassed enough money to retire.

― Maresn3st, Friday, February 5, 2021 7:03 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

don't hate the player, etc etc

― frogbs, Friday, February 5, 2021 7:04 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Oh of course he will, I'm not knocking him for that, fans are clearly willing to shell out for it all. Good for him, just noting the irony given the entire concept of this album.

His mentioning deluxe box sets in Personal Shopper is likely just an acknowledgement that he also succumbs to the same temptations. To me, he's complaining more about the appeal of shiny but unnecessary consumer products than suggesting that he's above them and we should be too.

I love the title track on The Incident. There's usually a few good tracks on his albums. I still really don't think he sounds like 70s prog bands.

OK, he imitates Radiohead too.

I heard the Radiohead way more

I only just now found out that's Elton John doing the spoken word bit on "Personal Shopper".

Gotta admit that I'm intrigued by this new compilation he curated:

Demon Records release Intrigue - Steve Wilson Presents: Progressive Sounds In UK Alternative Music 1979-89, a new compilation assembled by acclaimed musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, Steven Wilson. The collection explores the creativity, experimentation and progressive spirit of alternative British music from 1979-1989. Artists include Wire, XTC, The Stranglers, Ultravox, The Durutti Column, Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, Tears For Fears, and many more.

tracklist:

CD 1
1. I Should Have Known Better – Wire
2. A Better Home In The Phantom Zone – Bill Nelson’s Red Noise
3. Back To Nature – Magazine
4. Complicated Game (Steven Wilson 2014 Mix) - XTC
5. Careering – Public Image Limited
6. The Raven – The Stranglers
7. Puppet Life – Punishment Of Luxury
8. Astradyne (Steven Wilson Stereo Mix) – Ultravox
9. Contract – Gang Of Four
10. I Travel (Extended Version) – Simple Minds
11. Sketch For Summer – The Durutti Column
12. Health And Efficiency - This Heat
13. Burning Car – John Foxx
14. Cognitive Dissonance (Steven Wilson 2022 Mix) – Robert Fripp And The League of Gentlemen
15. Fatal Day – In Camera

CD 2
1. I Can't Escape Myself - The Sound
2. The Eternal - Joy Division
3. Big Empty Field - Swell Maps
4. Enemies - Art Nouveau
5. The Joy Circuit - Gary Numan
6. The Gospel Comes To New Guinea - 23 Skidoo
7. All My Colours - Echo And The Bunnymen
8. Ghost Town (Extended Version) - The Specials
9. They All Run After The Carving Knife - New Musik
10. The Him - New Order
11. White Car In Germany (Single Edit) - The Associates
12. Hit - Section 25
13. Sealand - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
14. Talking Drum - Japan
15. Faith - The Cure

CD 3
1. Three Dancers (Steven Wilson 2021 Mix) - Twelfth Night
2. Airwaves - Thomas Dolby
3. Are You Ready? - Crispy Ambulance
4. The Outsider - Rupert Hine
5. Knife Slits Water - A Certain Ratio
6. Memories Fade - Tears For Fears
7. Patient - Peter Hammill
8. Donimo - Cocteau Twins
9. In A Waiting Room - Mr And Mrs Smith And Mr Drake
10. Close (To The Edit) - The Art Of Noise
11. Dalis Car - Dalis Car
12. Rawhide - Scott Walker
13. Brilliant Trees - David Sylvian
14. Dream Within A Dream – Propaganda

CD 4
1. Waking The Witch - Kate Bush
2. Ivy And Neet - This Mortal Coil
3. Beehead (7” Version) - Perennial Divide
4. This Corrosion – The Sisters Of Mercy
5. Ascension - O Yuki Conjugate
6. No Motion - Dif Juz
7. Gutter Busting – SLAB!
8. Murderers, The Hope Of Women - Momus
9. The Host Of Seraphim - Dead Can Dance
10. R.E.S. - Cardiacs
11. Good Morning Beautiful - The The
12. Omega Amigo - The Shamen
13. Night Sky, Sweet Earth - No-Man
14. The 3rd Time We Opened The Capsule - Kitchens Of Distinction

Yeah he's got crazy broad tastes and that's to the good; anyone -- especially some fans, frankly -- who just want him to be 'the prog guy' are severely misunderstanding him.

he'd be a good ILM poster

not a bad price for the cd edition either.
however, there is a concern that the broad range of styles and genres makes the target audience for a seemingly random selection of tracks somewhat selective.
but i guess steve has a following a la bob stanley, and so a lot of people will just buy this cos of his involvement.

I mean, as an American who missed out on quite a bit of that stuff, either from being a little too young or for it not really registering on this side of the Atlantic, I'm intrigued.

Not sure why this compilation has to exist. Unlike Bob Stanley, who compiles with a narrow genre focus, or sometimes with a whimsical concept of a time and place where the tracks might be played and sound good together, these tracks seem jarringly random. It doesn't make much sense that Omega Amigo, This Corrosion and Murderers the Hopes of Women exist together on a disc - is it because they are "progressive"? Or is it a way for Wilson to try to escape the prog corner that many people have painted him into (with good reason, btw)?

Honestly, I think it's him tweaking the nose a little of his prog fans that have really hated his more recent turn to art-pop and 80s influenced material on his recent solo albums. There's been some real vocal moaning from his fans about the '80s sound, the press release I saw says he's trying to guide listeners to good material from the decade.

Stanley's comps are what I thought about when I saw this; in either case, I don't purchase these things, but in Stanley's I did go and create some playlists that matched his selections (when I couldn't find his comp on apple music) and I'll likely do the same here. This frankly reads like some mixtapes I would have made people in the 90's. There isn't much here that isn't already familiar to me, but a few things I've not heard of before (SLAB! and Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake for instance).

'Mr and Mrs Smith and Mr Drake' are three members of Cardiacs and a pretty surprising selection.

Bob Stanley would not compile huge obvious tracks like Ghost Town, I Travel, This Corrosion or Close To The Edit. And he wouldn't do a compilation that covered a whole decade unless it was some laser-focussed genre thing. This is more akin to one of those late-career moves where we get the tracks that supposedly inspired the compiler to become a musician (plus a couple of tracks they first heard on BBC6 last year).

Idk, I don't think he's trying to be a Bob Stanley here, just compiling a version of the '80s music that influenced him. Don't see that as a bad thing. Obviously this is not for people who were already knee-deep in this type of thing at the time anyway, but could be a cool way to introduce younger listeners who gobble up anything by Wilson to a hidden gem or two. I mean, aiui no one is being forced to purchase this.

Interesting that he includes his own group at the end of the last disc, like: "this is where I came in".

Porcupine Tree played the Greek not long ago, I heard good things

Genuine question - are there younger listeners that are super into this guy?

I guess it depends on what you consider "younger", I suppose. But I've been surprised to see a lot of SW/PT fans on reddit or other forums that seem to be in their 20s or younger. His fixation on the physical packages he puts together seems to have given him another wind with the younger "just getting into vinyl" crowd for sure.

I only have a cursory knowledge of Steven’s musicianship/Porcupine Tree, and I’m distrustful of 90% of the vinyl remaster cash grabs/snake oil, but I can say with certainty, Wilson’s half speed remasters of Tull’s TAAB & Benefit are ear candy aural delight.

That comp looks pretty great too.

My wife’s cousin was really big into PT, especially In Abesntia. I later realized she was born the same year it came out lol

Lightbulb Sun is all killer, no filler.

They've always had great cover art, also.

Interesting that he includes his own group at the end of the last disc, like: "this is where I came in".

Had absolutely no idea he was half of No-Man. Love their debut album

Honestly, I think it's him tweaking the nose a little of his prog fans that have really hated his more recent turn to art-pop and 80s influenced material on his recent solo albums. There's been some real vocal moaning from his fans about the '80s sound

You can count me among those moaners, the last two SW albums have been abysmal

Nice to see him sneaking a bit of 80s neo-prog in there in the form of Twelfth Night, since that was actually the scene he started out in. Clearly he ran out of room for LaHost, Tamarisk or Citizen Cain.

He's missed a few things out (Astronauts, any Cope, Chameleons, Left To My Own Devices haha cmon it is the prog song of the 80s, Talk Talk idk, maybe a Peni bit, Camberwell Now maaaybe, cd there have been some Cocteaus or MBV, and surely a Fall song innit) but a pretty fab selection (read: pretty close to my own understanding of what was good about the UK progressive alternative in that era)

It is quite a lot of paperwork putting something like this together, especially when the acts/publishers involved may be a little less well-known and harder to track down, I'd imagine his wish list went through a few iterations.

There is a Cocteaus song. xp

oops, need new glasses

It's easy to pick holes in this - This Corrosion feels like a particularly jarring selection, but there is much to love here and it goes quite deep. Must have been a mammoth licensing job. Also the first time I have seen anyone pay attention to SLAB! or Perennial Divide in a long, long time, and full marks if it introduces a new audience to the wonders of The Gospel Comes To New Guinea.

get him into the caravan at watching trees! :)

You can count me among those moaners, the last two SW albums have been abysmal

I really, really didn't like the latest, but thought To The Bone was decent. Neither of them get anywhere near the amount of replay that Raven or Insurgentes do.

I think he's got a great ear, his remasters are fantastic and every album he's done has been "good", albeit in kind of a lifeless way. everything he does feels so calculated to me. I think of King Crimson's original run from In The Court to Red and they're all marked with this sense of exploration, you don't know what they're gonna do next and in some sense it doesn't feel like the band does either. SW is really good at figuring out what worked well and why but his albums don't really feel like they're taking any real risks. Even the more exploratory 90s PT stuff feels like he's just vibing off The Orb. idk I guess some people like that and I see why his stuff is all highly rated but I tried hard to get into this guy and thus far it's eluded me.

I like the pop album he did just fine for the most part, and I think TTB is pretty good; neither as strong as Hand Cannot Erase though. Anyway, I'm sure he would have put Talk Talk on here if he could have, must have been a licensing issue, he is a giant fan. This seems like an outgrowth of his podcast with Tim Bowness.

I love that he put Twelfth Night on there, that song absolutely fits. Geoff Mann was a great vocalist. That song in particular reminds me of Sitting Targets (the Peter Hammill album from about the same time)

his remix of Songs from the Big Chair by Tears for Fears sounds amazing

get him into the caravan at watching trees! :)

100% would but probably would want too many £s. more pertinently, can we get you in there?

Haha, would totally be down for that along with fellow brighton crew

will report back then if we are doing it next year. we have a few issues we need to overcome before we'll know if it's happening again.

oh man, if you're serious, definitely count me in. might even play some slab!

:-)

Interesting counterpoint - https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/young-limbs-rise-again-the-story-of-the-batcave-nightclub-1982-1985/

I made a poll:

Best song on Intrigue: Steven Wilson presents Progressive Sounds in UK Alternative Music 1979-89

Regarding young people being into Steven Wilson - I'm in a few prog Discord servers and there are a good number of teens/twentysomethings there who love his work. Not sure if it's his music in particular or just another generation getting into prog, but the young fanbase does exist

(I suppose I count too, was born in 01 and like a lot of his stuff)

Everyone's got their own starting point! It is weird, though, thinking about how if it wasn't for that one No-Man single review back in 1990 I would always have had a much different view of his arc.

reminds me of the other, friend of mine was saying how shocked he was about mars volta london tickets being £65 last week. i said something along the lines of "teens are always gonna be into prog".

*other day

I was really into Porcupine Tree when I was a prog-obsessed teen in the 2000's. I think they have a very teenage appeal. A lot of their stuff pairs a vivid sense of drama and alienation with a sort of "I'm smarter than my peers" energy (particularly strong in Fear of a Blank Planet). Catnip for the kind of teen who loves complicated music their peers don't listen to!

this is one of the best songs he has ever done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmtyvKz8ubQ

That one is alright, but imo “Impossible Tightrope” blows it out of the water and shifted me from mildly anticipating the new one to really excited for it.

It's been several years since I've been taken by anything from his solo work but these are both terrific

holy shit that song is amazing too. I'm normally a massive fan, I don't know why I slept on these for as long as I did.

this is great. 3 for 3 so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRaspkaqR8o

yeah, this is great too!

another winner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCrACQP4AtI

Glad to see your endorsement of this one too. I've decided to hold off on more preview tracks until I can hear the whole thing.

i find this kind of gear talk offputting sometimes, but these guys are are so infectiously enthusiastic. and something deeply comforting about watching people so deeply knowledgable talking with each other

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkFCxO1HBp4

Blimey Steven Wilson has aged well

Ha, seriously, he's like the Paul Rudd of pasty British prog dudes.

btw the album is excellent. a real evolution on what he started with the Future Bites. Unsurprisingly prog whiners are hating it and claiming one song is 'rap'.

yeah it's a little freaky honestly

I haven’t heard it yet, beyond the first couple of advance songs, since I was hoping to pick up a copy first. But it seems to have piss poor American distribution, none of the stores around here got a copy in any format and even Amazon is showing early November at best to get it and that’s only from third party sellers.

Oh yeah, check the Hoffman forums
For more tales of fucked distribution for this. I ordered it from his own website and no idea when Townsend are shipping it.

Unsurprisingly prog whiners are hating it

I'm a prog whiner who abhors Wilson's repudiation of prog over the last two records. Like, why make good pop when you can make great prog?

I haven't listened to the new one properly yet but from what I've heard it sounds more proggy than TTB and TFB, which is fine with me.

have you guys seen the insane video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmd-MNCt6u8

wow that's magnificent

I know I've gotten cynical in my old age because my first thought was "jesus, I wonder what this cost"

But I love the video and the song. Looking forward to this album.

yeah the videos for everything have been awesome and they do not look cheap.

I know he gets some flack for doing a lot of expensive super deluxe edition stuff (even while writing tracks aimed directly at that exact corner of consumer culture) but I truly think everything he makes goes right back into his work so I'm okay with it. I mean his records just sound expensive somehow

throwin' that Jethro Tull remaster money around

I had the super deluxe editions of all his solo albums through To the Bone but sold them off recently (except for HCE) mainly because I never really listened to those bonus tracks and I don't have a surround system. The books were very nice though. Raven has a short story for every song (which I never read, and now I guess I never will)

The Album Years podcast with Wilson and Bowness is a lot of fun. Only heard of it when the videos started uploading on youtube

I love the guy’s remixes and enjoyed the podcast but the few PT and solo things I listened to didn’t move me. Gave a listen to his new one “The Overview” yesterday and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The prog influences are worn proudly here: Crimson, Yes, Floyd, Kate Bush, Tull, Vangelis, German Kosmische… a real blast while listening on good headphones.

yeah it's a great record but I think all his solo albums are great. Hard to tell now where this would land in a ranking.

Probably my most played album of this year so far. Absolutely love those guitar and synth solos in the title track. So great!

The Overview is solid and it seems to be getting a lot of love from SW fans but The Harmony Codex goes up and up in my estimation. I think the pop/prog balance it strikes was tailor-made for me

But do love to see Andy Partridge's name in the credits of The Overview

Yes! and those Partridge verses are very much him - I even hear him in the way Wilson delivers them. I should listen to The Harmony Codex again.

Great album The Harmony Codex!