RECORDINGS

B Side music has always presented an opportunity for some bands to try soemething more experimental and this is certainly true of PORCUPINE TREE. Recordings draws mostly on B-sides from both albums "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dream" with a couple of amazing new tracks tossed in. IMHO the 1st new track on this album ("Buying New Soul" makes the whole purchase worth while even if you own all the treasured singles. This CD comes as a Limited Edition numbered copied package with minimal literature. Recordings also contains the full 14 Min version of "Even Less" and the full version of "Cure For Optimism". My favourite PT single is a track called "In Formaldehyde" and this also is included. The whole CD is nothing short of amazing and PT fans will simply need to own it. Excellent music for your mind.

I was lucky enough to have just gotten into Porcupine Tree when this album came out. Lucky because of it's low print run. Lucky because I feel it's the last album by the guys to contain superior prog/space rock. Two long songs almost bookcase this album of highmark B-sides. "Buying New Soul" with the Tree's patented soft to hard spaciness and "Even Less" which starts off with a child's laughter then Wilson's razor-sharp guitar kicks off the tune. Both songs are very well sung and make the album a must-have, especially for fans. A few songs drag it down a tad, "Access Denied" with it's Beatle-like sound and "Cure For Optimism" with it's ambient laidbackness. Things pick up with "Ambulance Chasing" which returns the spaciness instrumentally and "In Formaldehyde" with a bit of psych rock vocals and Wilson's dreamy guitar. All songs are enormously catchy with absolutely crystal clear sound. I would rank this album as high as the albums surrounding it. Very well done indeed!

RECORDINGS is a remarkable album! This album came about from songs that supposedly weren't good enough to fit on STUPID DREAM or LIGHTBULB SUN. Maybe that's why there was only a limited run of 20,000 copies of this album, because it were "just B-sides". RIGHT!

Fact is that this album is so good that other bands could only dream about making it. How did they pull this off?! Some people say that if you had bought all their singles and EP's in this era you wouldn't need to bother buying RECORDINGS, since you would already have all the tracks, but I disagree.

The track listing of this album is remarkable and to me the album as a whole is even that good that I would definitely take it with me to a deserted island if I could only bring 10 albums with me. And if I could only bring 1 this would probably be it! To me this is my favourite PORCUPINE TREE album, maybe even my all time favourite album.

Highlights of this album: BUYING NEW SOUL, this song is about selling your soul to the devil (maybe that's how Steven Wilson and band got up with such an excellent album?) and buying new soul at the start of every year. AMBULANCE CHASING and the full length version of EVEN LESS. Especially the drum part after 7 minutes or so (at the point where the short version ends) is astonishing.

Once again: this is my favourite PT album! Hence: 5 stars well deserved!

Porcupine Tree - Recordings

Can you believe this? These are 'mere' b-sides?! I always knew Porcupine Tree was a b-sides production facility, but this compilation is of the same high qualitative standard as their critically acclaimed "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dream" albums!!

Most of the songs included here have not been re-released in any sort of way since 2001 and many people, including myself, are hoping that this currently out of print release will be re-issued as a sort of bonus disc to the re-issue of its currently also out of print companion piece "Lightbulb Sun".

With the exception of the lengthened version of the "Stupid Dream" song Even less, the songs included here are all new creations. These songs are heavily rooted in psychedelic music with the aspect more on creating a dreamy atmosphere with these songs, than desperately trying to rock out; a side of the band that we've grown to see more often as the years went (Not trying to sound to negative about the heavier side of the band, I just happen to like their more ambient side as much as their metal side).

If you are a listener of (Porcupine Tree's) music who, like I, likes his music rather dreamlike, with a certain amount of improvisation and a solid composition, than you'll find this album highly satisfactionary!

I wished all the left-overs or b-sides would sound like these ! Because this is what this compilation is all about. Not a compil of their best songs; just a collection of some forgotten songs from their last two album sessions.

There is one outstanding track feature in here. The long opening number "Buying New Soul". One of the great "PT" songs IMO. How comes that this one never got more exposure is quite difficult to determine. By far the highlight of this album. Beautiful melody, tranquil song for most of it but a fantastic guitar solo (but short) also illuminates it.

I also like the smooth mood of "Cure For Optimism". Actually, one would have thought of a more dynamic approach with such a title. But it is kind of depressing. Acoustic and soft guitar backed up with beautiful keys which is fine but the whole is rather depressive than optimistic I would say...Strange title (or was it on purpose) ?

It is a pity that the band did not come up with a title for "Untitled" because this song should have deserved it (anyway it holds a title since it is called "Untitled"...). This is an extremely quiet song (some sort of "Moonloop") in the first half; and it catches up a bit to offer some beautiful musical moment. Another nice voyage. Ambient, peaceful and so relaxing.

"Ambulance Chasing" is brought to life after two minutes. Finally ! A great classic "PT" song with crying guitar, heavier rhythm and very catchy meldody. Another one of my fave.

"Even Less" should have been titled "Even More" since it has doubled in lenght in comparison with the studio version. A bit too much extended to be honest.

There will of course also be true "B-sides" standards songs like the childisch and old fashioned "Access Denied".Really sounds as the early days "Floyd" (but also more on their "B-side" releases if you see what I mean). "Disappear" is to be ranked into this category as welll. Even if its crescendo structure should appeal me, it does not overwhelm me. Just average. Like the melancholic "In Formaldehyde" which is only saved by a wonderful guitar solo at the end of the song. Very emotional. The contrary of "Oceans Have No Memory" which closes the album in a rather dull way.

This album shows "PT" smooth part, not their harder one. But I admit that I like it. I do not consider this as a masterpiece but as a good album. Three stars. On par with the official released material.

Out-takes never sounded so good.

Honestly, nearly all of the content here is good enough to be considered "album worthy" in its own right-- with the epic "Buying a New Soul" (sometimes even performed live) stealing the show. Similar in tone and style to "Even Less", it must have been a difficult decision which song to keep for the final album; it has a haunting tone and tremendous guitar work.

All of the songs fit nicely into the "Even Less"/"Lightbulb Sun" era of the band, in regards to their style and mood, with very melancholy lyrics and vocal deliveries from Wilson. The instrumental songs stand-out as the most enjoyable for me though, and give us sounds missing from the studio albums.

Tracking this one down might take some work, but I highly recommend doing so; it won't disappoint.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

Simply gorgeous offering from PORCUPINE TREE. Not classified as a 'proper' album as the material it contains is made up of B-sides, discards and extended versions. Nevertheless, it contains some of the best music PORCUPINE TREE have made.

Part of the reason for such high acclaim for this album is its relative progginess. Many of the tracks were written and recorded during the 'Lightbulb Sun' sessions but didn't make it on to that album due to their length or their atmospherics. Shame, that. 'Lightbulb Sun' would have been an immeasurably better album with the addition of three or four of these tracks and the culling of five or so of those included. Of the two records, I prefer this.

'Buying New Soul' is quite possibly the best thing PORCUPINE TREE have ever done. The gentle keyboard intro/outro brackets a spectacular ballad, featuring typical PT vocal harmonies, thoughtful lyrics and a stellar instrumental section. This is slow and spacey, a true hybrid of the band's first and second incarnations. The music has room to develop, to breathe. It may not sell as many units, but it's ultimately very satisfying. The evidence suggests that in this period WILSON writes better music outside his self-imposed album restrictions.

'Access Denied' starts off like a chirpy British pop tune but develops into something stronger and more wistful. It's another of the tracks that would have done well on 'Lightbulb Sun'. 'Cure For Optimism' returns to the space rock sound, pleasant enough without being outstanding. 'Untitled' furthers the sound, with it's 'No Quarter'-like beginning gradually morphing into an extended instrumental guitar/synth workout of almost the quality of 'Up The Downstair' or 'The Sky Moves Sideways'. It is followed by the poignant 'Disappear', a simple ballad with beautiful, pathos-soaked lyrics, another worthy inclusion on 'Lightbulb Sun'. 'Ambulance Chasing' thunders in with two minutes of heavy percussion a precursor to a spangly guitar and another instrumental build. Yet another splendid track. 'In Formaldehyde' is on a par with some of the 'Lightbulb Sun' tracks that could stand to be replaced, but is excellent for all that.

Then there's the extended version of 'Even Less', a hold-over from 'Stupid Dream'. This is an improvement on an already specacular track, though at 14 minutes there will be some who feel it overdone. I love the shape of it: the first six minutes as previously recorded, then a quieter middle section building to a reprise. 'Oceans Have No Memory' is a dispensable 'Albatross' clone.

There are a number of five-star tracks here, but it's not quite a five-star album. These tracks would have been even more enjoyable in their proper context: as part of an 'official' album release. Now that would have garnered five stars, no doubt. Just as well we can put our own playlists together.

Rejects which are better than many bands best!

"Recordings" cannot simply be dismissed as one of those collections which gathers together outtakes, and alternative versions of tracks, which were intended to be left behind in the studio. This is a carefully crafted collection of new songs, single B sides, and an extended version of an old favourite. The songs date from the period when the band recorded two of their most popular albums, "Stupid dream" and "Lightbulb sun".

The album opens with a real gem. "Buying new soul" is a previously unreleased 10+ minute epic. Initially, the track has a slightly understated feel, being acoustically based with a harmonic chorus. As the piece develops, we are taken through a delightful sequence ranging from the delicate to the chaotic.

"Access denied" was presented in demo form during the "Lightbulb sun" sessions, but was not taken forward for that album. The version here is the finished article, recorded in late 2000. The track opens with a Beatles like piano and distorted vocal, the track having a jaunty, Stackridge type feel. It is not really typical Porcupine Tree at all.

The next five tracks have all appeared as singles B sides. Together they demonstrate that it really is necessary to acquire virtually everything Porcupine Tree release in order to be sure of not missing anything. Of these tracks, "In formaldehyde" is probably the most striking, being a relatively soft number with superb guitar work. "Untitled" is a dreamy improvisation which has more in common with the band's early days. It could easily have made a good instrumental core to a longer track. Steve's guitar work in the latter half of the track has hints of Steve Hackett's on "Firth of fifth". "Ambulance chasing" shows a slightly more jazz orientated side to the band, accentuated by the appearance of guest saxophonist Theo Travis.

All this leads up to a truly awesome 14 minute version of "Even less". The first part of this opened the "Stupid dream" album, ending after around 6 minutes. If the track seemed complete then, the latter section (which had previously appeared in its own right as a the B side of a single) gives the track a stunning extra dimension.

The album closes with "Oceans have no memory", another track which was not taken beyond demo stage for the "Stupid dream" album, but which has now been brought to fruition. The track is a thinly veiled take on Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross".

In all, a collection which most other bands would be proud to release as a bona-fide album. "Buying new soul" and the full length "Even less" are essential for anyone who appreciates the music of this fine band.

Porcupine Tree - Recordings 4 stars

I wish there was a thing called c-sides 

A beautiful set of songs that were not taken into consideration for being part of 'Stupid Dream' or 'Lightbulb Sun', these B-side tracks are better then what most bands can do in their 'best of.' collections. Some of the obvious main highlights is the opening track 'Buying New Soul' that could be considered the best song Porcupine Tree has ever made. The other would be the full blow-out version of 'Even Less'. All of the songs except for maybe the track called 'untitled' can hit the listener in a variety of ways, they all seem to make it home to me eventually, making me come to like them. Most of the songs besides the 3 aforementioned ones are pretty short in composition, mostly laid back acoustic tracks. Others to note would be the nice psychedelic track that turned into a hard rock groove that is 'Ambulance Chasing' and the near post-rockish ambient piece, 'Oceans Have No Memory'.

This is excellent for a compilation of b-side tracks.

First of all thankyou Martijn (evenless) for allowing me to finally listen to this album. I've been lusting after this one for so long. Consider that "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dream" both have over 200 ratings on this site while this record which many consider even better than those two has only 58 ratings.This badly needs to be re-issued Mr. Wilson. Six of the tracks on this album were recorded during either the "Lightbulb Sun" or "Stupid Dream" sessions but didn't make the cut. "Even Less" made the cut on "Stupid Dream" but this 14 minute version of it did not, just the first half. "Buying A New Soul" and "Access Denied" aren't from either sesion but are new tracks. I agree with Bonnek who suggested to me that "Recordings" has that space vibe from their earlier albums that "Stupid Dream" and "Lightbulb Sun" have little of. And that's what makes this so good. If your a fan of "Signify", "Up The Downstair" or "The Sky Moves Sideways" to a lesser extent, then this will appeal to you.

I first heard "Buying A New Soul" when I purchased a special edition of "Lightbulb Sun" years ago which came with a second disc but with only three tracks on it, one of which was this gem. This is one of the best PT tracks i've ever heard. The lyrics, atmosphere and especially the chorus are all so impressive. It turns chaotic after 4 1/2 minutes with some great drumming from Chris Maitland. Hey there's even some cello early on in this version. "I still wave at the dots on the shore, and I still beat my head against the wall, I still rage and wage my little war, i'm ashamed and easy to ignore". "Acess Denied" is the only track that bugs me somewhat because of that BEATLES flavour. It's contrasted though with a better laid back soundscape throughout. "Cure For Optimism" is a great title. This is from the "Lightbulb Sun" sessions and appeared on the "Shesmovedon" single. It's somewhat haunting early with lots of atmosphere. Strummed guitar before 2 minutes as the mood changes. Keyboards then vocals join in. This is so moving for me. Love the mellotron. It ends as it began. Amazing tune. "Untitled" was from the "Lightbulb Sun" sessions as well and is in fact an early instrumental version of "Buying A New Soul". Much more atmosphere here and of course no chorus. Quite spacey, and it would have fit well on "Up The Downstair". Incredible sounding tune.

"Disappear" is also from the "Lightbulb Sun" recordings. A mellow tune for the most part with strummed guitar and vocals standing out. I really like Barbieri's spacey keybaord work. It kicks in before 3 minutes before settling again. "Ambulance Chasing" is from the "Stupid Dream" sessions. Heavy drums to start then chunky bass and synths. It settles before 2 1/2 minutes to a better sound. Some organ as well. Guitar around 4 1/2 minutes. "In Formaldehyde" is from the "Lightbulb Sun" recordings and a fantstic tune, one of my favourites. I kept thinking of "I Drive The Hearse" from "The Incident". Lyrics like "When you get out of here you get to keep the car, and I get a plastic vase". Beautiful guitar intro as reserved vocals join in. A gorgeous sound. Great lyrics too. An emotional guitar solo after 3 1/2 minutes. A moving track. "Even Less" is the extended version here. It sort of drifts off after 6 minutes. Some killer guitar 9 minutes in goes on and on. Back to the original song around 11 minutes. "Oceans Have No Memory" is from the "Stupid Dream" sessions and reminds me of FLOYD. It's laid back and dreamy.

I want t give this 5 stars but am going to stay with 4.5 stars for now. I do like it better than "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dream" though.

This is an utter enigma, a clear-cut winner from Mr. Wilson yet completely overshadowed by the more famous pre and post studio albums. One of those 'unfinished raw recordings" from the musty vaults, featuring a bevy of unsliced, undiced and unpolished tapes that, upon closer inspection, had more prog in it than the "real" discs. That is something peculiar to Wilson, is that his live albums are deadly jewels of burning sapphire (Warszawa, Coma Divine), his other tables scraps (the challengingly spacey Metanoia) and his No-Man work, are truly exceptional. The previously unreleased but found on the later DVD , "Buying New Soul" is a voluptuous excursion into the psychedelically sublime, as intense as the great masters. a savage introductory pleasure . "Access Denied" sounds like avant Brit-Pop, a quirky juxtaposition of oblique melodies and deranged contrasts that emit an eerie sense of foreboding , very "out there' , hence not making the "Lightbulb Sun" final tally. Things get even more bizarroid with "Cure for Optimism", a narcotic dose of synthesized paranoia that broods nevertheless menacingly within the wind chime effects. The echoing resonation of the e-piano are shimmering as Steve sadly croons some still burning agony, floating mercilessly into a pool of morose despair. Unthinkingly majestic, this numbing caress is beyond mere words. A perfect pairing with the A side masterstroke "Shesmovedon". The extended "Untitled" is a gentle space rock jam fest where Barbieri is at his most Tim Blake, deliberately wispy and translucent synths and everything improvised live in a Welsh studio. The Ummagumma style fiasco is extremely hypnotic and gives leeway to the players to let their minds and their hands fly. Wilson has stated that his guitar style is really a perfect combination of Fripp and Gilmour, and here you can hear why! The bluesy leads are David, the textures and tones are pure Robert. A true solo for the ages, long, hard and deep, just how some ladies should like it. I recently made the claim that Space/Psychedelia is the best soundtrack for lovemaking and here is more proof. No wham-bam thank you ma'am 3 minute Ramones spurts for us proggers! "Disappear" is a short, lyric oriented ballad, dripping in misery and another tragic soul has gone to the heavens. "Ambulance Chasing" is another whopping surprise that never made the album grade ("Stupid Dream", here), a powerful charge into the mind that weaves in heavy piston percussion, deep organ swells and a few blasts of mellotron, like an early Peter Gabriel track (Edwin doing his Tony Levin schtick!), laying down a sulfurous groove on which the spacy guitar floats, wah-wah pedal hitting the polymer hard , unleashing a sizzling solo that rages on and on , a delirious sax volley from the amazing Theo Travis all combine to complement the compliments. Thrilling progressive of the highest caliber; and it only gets better from here on in. "In Formaldehyde" is another classic PT, with the once mentioned lyric about "the car and the vase" , a flowery excretion on a gloomy affair that soured unwillingly (those are the worse ones). A full blown, orchestra-abated, nearly 14 minute version of the magical PT anthem "Even Less" is alone worth the full purchase price. It's simply demented, just like when it's performed live, what a bloody thrill! I have three versions of this piece on my PC (the Stupid Dream studio, the Warszawa live and now this monster). Need I say more, a perfect song with perfect lyrics, everything just "parfait" , an outright classic. It also showcases Chris Maitland's considerable drumming skills . "Oceans Have No Memory" is another brief ditty that closes this coffer of unprocessed marvels that didn't pass first inspection. Steve was wise to release (for the fans) , this as its as good as anything in the entire catalogue. 4.5 cobwebs

It's simply unfair how talented some people are. Recordings is a collection of B-sides and tracks discarded from the previous two albums Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun, yet it makes for an album that is a lot better then the bulk of regular studio albums out there.

The reason is that the material wasn't discarded for being inferior but simply because it didn't seem to fit in with the song oriented material of Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun. To a certain extent that is true, the songs here are decisively more atmospheric and progressive, but others would have blended in quite well and might even have improved both of the preceding albums.

Buying New Soul is the most beautiful song Wilson has ever penned. It's so delicate, emotional and sensitive. This song has everything: the confident songwriting of recent albums, the spacey feel of the early work and a striking emotional punch. It's arranged very subtly, with mainly melancholic keyboards, a jazzy contrabass and acoustic guitars. The rousing crescendo with wild percussion and electric guitars halfway in is gorgeous, as is the dreamy keyboard theme that opens and concludes the piece. 5 stars

After such a blast, Access Denied is a let-down. It's a short poppy tune similar to Three Chords That Made A Million and it sounds rather trite at first, but it takes a few unexpected twists that made me keep returning to it, and ultimately appreciating it as well. 3 stars

Cure For Optimism rivals Buying New Soul at melancholic beauty. It's similar to other spacey acoustic PT tracks such as Phantoms, Small Fish and Wake As Gun. And it owns all of them. 5 stars

Untitled is an extended improvisation somewhat similar to Moonloop and Intermediate Jesus. Colin Edwin's contrabass, Maitland's drumming, Barbieri's layers of atmosphere and Wilson's solo all work together seamlessly. How I regret that Porcupine Tree has let go of this type of creative freedom and improvisations in the music they've created since. No matter how much I like the heavy PT, it will never connect with me as much as the old stuff. I think this track could be described as post-rock, and it's easily amongst the best I've heard in that area. 5 stars

Disappear is a song that had been nagging Wilson since 96. Somehow he never found a way to create a version that fit on any of the albums. A 6.30 minute version of it used to be available from the PT website as a free download, the version here is abbreviated successfully, it flows wonderfully, and it would have fitted perfectly on Lightbulb Sun. 4 stars

Ambulance Chasing is another ambient rock instrumental, with tribal percussion and wide Floydian guitar chords. Another piece of guitar heaven for me. 5 stars

In Formaldehyde is a quiet and catchy ballad that could have been included on both of the preceding records. It's less poppy then the ballads that featured on Lightbulb Sun, which makes me prefer it to those. 4 stars

Even Less, extended with two instrumental parts of about 3 minutes each, and an extra verse and one repetition of the chorus. Not a minute too long and it has my preference over the original. 5 stars

Oceans is a short exit piece that reminds me slightly of Talk Talk latter day guitar broodings. A fitting ending that makes this release flow like a real album. 4 stars.

This is the best 'non-regular' PT release and every bit as essential to me as their earlier masterpieces. Highly recommended for fans of their earlier space-rock.

'Recordings' - Porcupine Tree (8/10)

Leave it to Porcupine Tree to come out with a mere B-Sides compilation, which turns out to be a fantastic work in it's own right, and better than most official albums from lesser bands. All written and recorded during the sessions of 'Stupid Dream' and 'Lightbulb Sun,' these songs must not have been able to fit into the flow of those albums for some reason, because there is no lack of quality in these tracks. A couple of these 'forgotten' tracks even rank up there as being some of the band's brightest moments. While 'Recordings' may indeed be a B-Sides compilation, it can easily be considered a studio album all it's own, and one of the band's strongest at that.

All things considered, 'Recordings' has a pretty good sense of flow to it. Each song seems appropriately placed in the album, although theres definately no questioning the fact that this is a collection of songs, rather than an all-encompassing piece of music. For those more familiar with Porcupine Tree's heavier sound as of late, the majority of these tracks can either be identified as fitting into the band's slower, acoustic material, or the more drawn-out, ethereal instrumentation. Most often however, the tracks are a combination of those two types, to varying degrees, although there are a couple of more upbeat numbers to keep things from getting too mellow.

In terms of the actual songs here, the personal highlight for me might be the opener; 'Buying New Soul.' Beginning with an instantly memorable introduction filled with a string section and an interesting keys sound, things fade out to make way for a charming guitar strum. Before too long, the subtle vocal work of Steven Wilson comes in. All in all, it is a generally slower piece, but very dynamic in it's lifts and plummets. While there is very little going on that could be considered 'technical' in a musical sense, the musicianship heard here is stunning, better even than alot of other work the band has done. This is undoubtedly one of my favourite Porcupine Tree tracks, and I have no idea why it was left off of a mainstream album.

The rest of the album is not completely up to par with the opener, unfortunately. The second track 'Access Denied' for example, comes off as being a bit annoying, sounding like a typical late-career Beatles song. While it has musical merit as a pop song, it feels very out of place after such an emotionally involving epic. The third track 'Cure For Optimism' -as one might guess from the song's title- brings things back to a state of melancholy, where things generally stay until the second epic of the album; an extended version of the 'Stupid Dream' song 'Even Less.' Clocking in at sixteen minutes, there is obviously alot more going on here musically than the 'edited' version, and as a result, it is a much more pleasing listen.

Almost always, I would say that a compilation of apocrypha would simply be a fan's treasure; something to be disregarded by anyone that does not already view the band highly. With 'Recordings' however, I have to make an exception. Simply too good to be left as a limited item, 'Recordings' ranks up there with some of Porcupine Tree's best studio albums, and has some marvelous consistency, disregarding a few bumps which can prove to derail the cohesion in places. As it stands however, 'Recordings' is involving as any other album by this group, and should be treated as such.

A loose ends collection worth owning

Coming from someone rarely impressed by loose ends collections, Wilson exceeds expectations with this one. PT's "Recordings" assembles material recorded in the Stupid Dream/Lightbulb Sun era, rejected not because they are weak but because Wilson felt they didn't quite fit the make-up of the finished albums. This album serves as a great companion piece to the two proper albums, almost like a sibling, but Recordings is allowed to be a bit looser and free spirited than the other two were. "Buying New Soul" and the long version of "Even Less" comprise 25 minutes of pure top-grade PT, nothing secondary about them. "Access Denied" brings you back to the psych-pop of the first album but with better production. The middle of the album is impressively substantive with a much spacier and more distant eeriness that recalls their mid 90s word, lots of heavy jamming (Ambulance Chasing) balanced with slow, stoned vibed softer sections with acoustic guitars, piano, and Wilson's hazy voice. There's some great stuff in these five middle tracks that just ooze mood, melancholy, distance. He lets them go and really stretch out moreso than the structured songs with choruses, the results are still vital and emotional, while long they do not sound bloated or overdone. The album closes with the ethereal post-rock guitar of "Oceans Have No Memory", a sonic daydream that ends too soon. I really enjoy this stuff more than some of the later monster releases like Deadwing and In Absentia.

Housed in a booklet styled digipak, the 2010 reissue features good sound and nice photos but lacks the insightful commentary SW has written for other releases. This is a very good release which provides a missing link from Signify to Lightbulb Sun, and should be a must-have for fans of that particular period. 3.75 stars to be exact.

"Recordings" is a compilation album by UK progressive rock act Porcupine Tree. The album was released in May 2001 by Kscope/Snapper Music. "Recordings" mainly consists of B-sides from the albums "Stupid Dream (1999)" and "Lightbulb Sun (2000)". The only track that hasn´t been released in some form is "Access Denied", which was demoed during "Lightbulb Sun" writing sessions, but is exclusive to this release.

The material on "Recordings" are of the usual high quality that Porcupine Tree are known for. The musicianship is excellent, the sound production is warm, organic and professional and the songwriting is inspired and has emotional impact. When that is said, I do think that some of the tracks on "Recordings" are obviously B-side material. Tracks like "Access Denied" (oh well...it´s not technically a B-side, but still) and the two instrumentals "Untitled" and "Ambulance Chasing" probably wouldn´t have made it unto neither "Stupid Dream" nor "Lightbulb Sun". On the other hand tracks like "In FOrmaldehyde", the extended 14 minutes long version of "Even Less" and especially the album opener "Buying New Soul" are high quality material. The latter features one hell of a catchy chorus with some beautiful harmony vocals.

The 61:52 minutes of music on "Recordings" make a nice addition to Porcupine Tree´s discography and even though I think some of the material wouldn´t have made it unto the regular studio albums, it doesn´t mean that those tracks aren´t greatly enjoyable. The band´s Beatlesque psychadelic pop meets Pink Floyd´s sedated progressive rock is as enjoyable as ever and if you enjoy the more laid back and sedated part of the band´s most pop/rock oriented material from around the turn of the millenium "Recordings" is more than a worthy purchase. A 3.5 - 4 star rating is deserved.

I tend to think of Recordings as the oft-overlooked third album of Porcupine Tree's "crossover prog trilogy" - the first two instalments, of course, being Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun, which this album compiles B-sides and unreleased tracks from. All three albums include attempts to merge Porcupine Tree's spacey soundscapes with the Radiohead end of indie rock, as demonstrated on here with tracks such as Access Denied, but Recordings has a greater emphasis on extended spacey, proggy soundscapes than the other two - including a great extended version of Even Less and the absolutely superb Buying New Soul. Even though it's an odds and sods collection, I honestly think it's the best album from this phase of Porcupine Tree.