Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree. Are you a fan?

[mitchguzman]

Steven Wilson has been an outspoken Pink Floyd fan since I can remember and his music with Porcupine Tree, especially in the mid 90s, resembles our favorite band. Now that he has mixed two Pink Floyd related projects, Richard Wright's Wet Dream and Pompeii MCMLXXII, how many fans of Mr. Wilson's music do we have here? I, for one, am a big fan. I have seen Porcupine Tree live, twice.

[Eclips]

Not so much of a fan anymore, but I love his space-themed albums, The Sky Moves Sideways and Signify, as well as Metanoia, and the live stuff from this era.
I don't think he sounds like Pink Floyd. These 90's space-prog albums sound very original and unique sounding to my ears.

I don't care much for his approach begining with Stupid Dream, and the more alternative-rock sounding stuff, as well as the more metal-esque ones from the next decades. Fear of a Blank Planet was great though, and the more atmospheric stuff from In Absentia is great too.

I love his first 3 solo albums, each one very atmospheric and creative, even though the influences he brings are pretty explicit, but he gives his own DNA.

I think he has more explicit influences by King Crimson on his second to fourth solo albums. The first one is very unique. The recent prog-pop approach is not my cup of tea, but it must be amazing for listeners into this approach,

I like the first three Bass Communium albums (only drone music I can stand), and I really love his experimental IEM project. I can't stand Blackfield and most of No Man's albums. I liked Together We're Stranger much more in the past, and All the Blue Changes is a masterpiece of a song, but I wish that SW was the vocalist there.


I love his remix work too, especially for the Jethro Tull catalogue. I wish he did Genesis, but that will never happen. For Yes, I much prefer the original mixes, but I am happy that the Super Deluxe Editions of their classic albums, from the current reissue program, will feature all mixes.

[mitchguzman]

I love all of PT's stages because I "evolved" with them, and actually, they brought me closer to Prog Metal with In Absentia and FoaBP. My favorite is Deadwing, but FoaBP is a close second. To The Bone and the albums he made after that are not my cup of tea, but The Overview (2025) we can see he goes back to his Prog Rock roots.

He has also remixed Gentle Giant and Rush. Great stuff!

[jtull]

@mitchguzman

There is an Porcupine Tree thread here at NPF. Maybe you find it interesting.

viewtopic.php?p=619544&hilit=Porcupine+Tree#p619544

[mosespa]

I am a fan of both as concepts. I'm sure that at some point, someone has sent me a link to a Porcupine Tree song to check out, but I likely only listened to it the one time.

My relationship with "Prog" is...idiosyncratic. I like the idea that people are continuing to create it; breaking ground artistically is always a good thing, I think. I'm just not a fan of technical ability for it's own sake. Gilmour can move me more with one note than any other guitarist can with any number they care to shred my way.

For what it's worth, I love the fact that Mr. Wilson is remixing some classic albums because I know he's doing so with respect to the original material and vision. He's a fan of these guys just like we are. Imagine being given the multi-tracks of an album you not only grew up with, but also cut your own guitar chops from and being told "here...do your thing with it."

As a friend of mine would say, it would make a dolphin sh*t a rainbow in my head. I've compared a few tracks he's done against the originals and I don't hear anything at all that I find objectionable. It's still the original performances that we all know and love. I don't hear anything added or taken away...but I also haven't put them under the microscope.

So, yeah...I'm a fan, but whether or not I'm a "true fan," given that I don't listen to Porcupine Tree is up for debate. I don't proclaim myself as anything more than "aware of them and often told that I'd like them."

[jtull]

I have to say, I'm not fan of Steven Wilson's voice. I found his voice\singing weak, and without any expression(s). I wish he would write for another singer instead.

[Eclips]

I have to say, I'm not fan of Steven Wilson's voice. I found his voice\singing weak, and without any expression(s). I wish he would write for another singer instead.

His voice sadly fits with all that modern sounding whiny stuff we get even from prog artists since the 90's, even though his themes/lyrics are intelligent (for example, the social criticism on Fear of a Blank Planet). Too bad he has to convey the message in that boring way, whiny indeed, though not as much as most modern stuff.

But yeah, it can be annoying. I would prefer him to Tim on the No-Man project, though, because that other guy manages to be even more boring IMO.

Even Radiohead, as creative as they are, gets irritating due to Yorke's voice. And I love them as musicians and their experimental vision.

Sigur Ros is another example. They created an unique sound, and then the voice arrives and EEEEKKKSS

[flashback]

My fav PT is Ariving Somewhere But Not Here

[Eclips]

My fav PT is Ariving Somewhere But Not Here

that's a masterpiece

as well as Anesthetize

[K2+]

I had a 2 CD box of the early stuff (Stars Die?), and liked a lot of it.

I thought In Absentia and Deadwing were great, saw PT on the Deadwing tour and thought it was the best sound I've ever heard at a live show, then for some reason I lost interest and haven't listened to anything he's done since.

One of these days I may get around to catching up with his output...