Those other band members

I thought the new Porcupine Tree DVD shows the other band members pretty well. I've watched the PoS Be snippits and I'm holding off. To be honest, Be isn't a favorite of mine, and going by the sound bytes I have heard of the new one, Scarsick, I may be holding back on it, too. Remedy Lane, Concrete Lake, and Perfect Element are so amazing, however.

E

I remember seeing Porcupine Tree live, and it did feel to me that the show focused entirely on Steven. Gavin was off in one corner, John Wesley was shoved off to the side, Barbieri was only partially visible in the back, and their bass player (sorry I forget his name) was just standing by a stack of amps looking bored. Steve is in the middle of the stage, spotlight on, joking with the crowd, and though it was a great performance, I really felt bad for everyone else. Even John's solos where he is supposed to be the center were very small, no spotlight, passionless affairs.

A band is like a human body. Someone has to be the face.

And what about post-rock? It seems like all the members are just standing around looking bored and there is no spotlight at all.

Kinda like the other guy from Wham! ?

Harry Hood wrote: And what about post-rock? It seems like all the members are just standing around looking bored and there is no spotlight at all.

for some reason, post-rock especially seems to focus on the band working as a whole rather than any single standout part....maybe that's why

stonebeard wrote: Believe me, PoS concepts and lead guitars (and in Scarsick's case, bass) may be Gildenlow's realm, but the band would dissolve if the other members were forced to play what Gildenlow wrote for them. Their creativity may not be entirely proportional, but the other members contribute a lot.

even in BE?

Freak wrote: The only time that's ever bothered me was during the Recital Of The Script DVD, during Rothery's two best solos ("The Web", "Grendel"), they show Fish destroying a plant and sacrificing an audience member. Still, the music's there, and Fish was really a presence. Rothery wasn't that expressive back then either, it's not like they were only showing Daltrey while Townshend was jumping around and windmilling.

You're on to something regarding Marillion though.  My understanding is that the rest of the band got tired of Fish "calling all the shots" with regards to writing, presentation, advertising, and the like.  I suppose with less of a charismatic frontman, Marillion feels they are more of an ensemble-band now, instead of a back-up band for Fish....

lightbulb_son wrote: I remember seeing Porcupine Tree live, and it did feel to me that the show focused entirely on Steven. Gavin was off in one corner, John Wesley was shoved off to the side, Barbieri was only partially visible in the back, and their bass player (sorry I forget his name) was just standing by a stack of amps looking bored. Steve is in the middle of the stage, spotlight on, joking with the crowd, and though it was a great performance, I really felt bad for everyone else. Even John's solos where he is supposed to be the center were very small, no spotlight, passionless affairs.     I wish PT could be more like Opeth, both bands have a clear creative genius and excellent surrounding cast, but Mikael doesn't seem to grab the spotlight, Peter gets these great solos, and of course Martin is always present back there pounding away (at least he was).

prog4evr wrote: Freak wrote: The only time that's ever bothered me was during the Recital Of The Script DVD, during Rothery's two best solos ("The Web", "Grendel"), they show Fish destroying a plant and sacrificing an audience member. Still, the music's there, and Fish was really a presence. Rothery wasn't that expressive back then either, it's not like they were only showing Daltrey while Townshend was jumping around and windmilling. You're on to something regarding Marillion though.  My understanding is that the rest of the band got tired of Fish "calling all the shots" with regards to writing, presentation, advertising, and the like.  I suppose with less of a charismatic frontman, Marillion feels they are more of an ensemble-band now, instead of a back-up band for Fish....

The only time they played The Web live and they missed the solo! ...but, yeah, when plants are ravished by Fish's theatrical frustration, the tendency is to look at it. Still, no reason to not include a better angle!
I thought the issue that involved Fish's departure from the band was related to their acrimonies with the label (along, perhaps, with Fish's...uh...general straits), I think I remember something to the likes of some bloke coming down and demeaning Rothery saying he couldn't write a decent solo anymore...as result, Rothery almost immediately presented Hotel Hobbies solo (ouch!) - and it makes some sense that there was pressure and tension in between them, if you look at the lyrics from "That Time Of The Night". Also, whereas the lyrics were obviously written by Fish, the music was always credited for Marillion, so I'm guessing no one there was really slacking off that much. Even in Easter, you'll notice that Marillion's old formula of soaring guitar melodies and an ever so agile bass, on specific moments, together with Kelly's "soft" use of keyboards, remains. Then again, maybe it was an older scrap, I don't know, haven't bought the album.
The point being: while Marillion had a tendency to appear unbalanced in terms of member significance, due to Fish's unquestionable charisma and artful covering of the band's sound, as a front-man and lyricist, he wasn't the supreme overlord for the entire band, maybe just in concept, but the deliverance of such concept was Marillion's territory, so calling it a back-up for Fish sounds extreme. Hell, I'd sooner buy Fish was backing up for them, I mean, he was pouring out lyrics and themes for the music to poise in like there was no tomorrow.