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Steven Wilson - Catalogue/Preserve/Amass CD (album) cover

CATALOGUE/PRESERVE/AMASS

Steven Wilson

Crossover Prog

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Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars I'm surprised there's no written reviews for this one yet. The music here is taken from the European tour for the "Grace For Drowning" tour, in particular this was recorded in October of 2011. I saw this same tour but in Toronto at The Opera House. When I went to that show I went with my daughter who is a huge fan and her husband who is a big Country music fan. He's a good sport though and I heard him saying "My God!" a few times while watching Marco Minneman and I have to say that his performance on the kit was the best I've seen live and I hate to say that being a big Neil Peart fan but man Marco blew me away. The whole show was incredible though and to get a taste of that again with this album has been very meaningful to me.

My two favourite Steven wilson albums are the first two which is what is represented here. There are two songs from "Insurgents" and the rest from "Grace For Drowning". Oh and just to emphasize how much I love these two albums I gave "Insurgents" album of the year in 2008 and "Grace For Drowning" was my album of the year for 2011. The album's title "Catalogue/Preserve/Amass" is taken from the chorus for the song "Index".

"No Twilight Within The Courts Of The Sun" has a sinister vibe early on with the bass and drums as the electric piano joins in. Some nice guitar expressions follow then flute. It kicks in hard at 5 1/2 minutes. So good! A calm with vocals follows then it kicks back in but with vocals this time. Incredible! Love the mellotron section that follows along with the piano.

"Index" is that creepy song about the collector. Fairly relaxed overall but check out the brief power before 2 minutes. "Deform To Form A Star" is one of my favourite Wilson songs of all time. Just a gorgeous track, especially the chorus with the mellotron and soaring vocals. This one got stuck in my head at work this past week many times.

"Sectarian" opens with drums and some cool guitar expressions before the heaviness arrives. Check out the sax and mellotron after 2 minutes. A change around 4 minutes with electric piano, drums and bass leading the way, oh and check out the mellotron as well. Back to the heaviness after 6 minutes. "No Part Of Me" opens with drums, keys and atmosphere as almost spoken vocals join in before 2 minutes. Nice bass before 3 1/2 minutes then it kicks in heavily with riffs. "Veneno Para Las Hadas" is slow moving with plenty of atmosphere as laid back vocals join in. Flute 3 minutes in as the vocals step aside until after 4 minutes when they return. This one is laid back and melancholic.

"Raider II" ends it and as Steven says while introducing it, it is the centre-piece of the new album. He goes on to say that it's long(25 minutes) and complicated so silence please. Ominous is the word to start but man I like when it kicks into gear with mellotron before 3 minutes. Vocals join in and they do get passionate. I like the flute playing over the heaviness. A calm follows that I really like then we pretty much get Prog-Metal after 8 minutes. A sax solo before 10 minutes as it settles back. The heaviness returns 11 1/2 minutes in before another atmospheric calm a minute later. More flute then vocals. It's building 17 1/2 minutes in as the vocals step aside. Some crazy sax expressions after 19 minutes then a big finish except it's not over despite the roar from the audience 21 minutes in thinking it is. It ends in an ominous manner just like it began.

Great sound quality, great track list and an amazing performance by all involved makes this a 5 star album and one of my favourite live albums period.

Report this review (#1735152)
Posted Sunday, June 18, 2017 | Review Permalink
Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Steven Wilson's first solo live album is taken from the Grace For Drowning tour. Whilst that album had Steven play the multi-instrumentalist and enjoy the company of a large number of guests, for the live shows it became necessary to assemble a tight live band to deliver the tracks here (which make up the cream of Grace For Drowning - including the standout track Raider II - and a couple of cuts from Insurgentes). The band manage marvellously, really teasing out the jazz fusion influences on material like No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun.

Inevitably, the material lands differently in a live context than as the product of patient studio work, making the live album an interesting alternate interpretation of the tunes in question. It says a lot that a mere two albums into his solo career, Wilson was already producing enough quality material to fill out a setlist without drawing on the Porcupine Tree catalogue, and Catalogue/Preserve/Amass does a good job of capturing this excellent live set.

Report this review (#2777843)
Posted Sunday, July 17, 2022 | Review Permalink

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