Why I love Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree are my perfect band, they completely satisfy me with every style of music that I love, from the totally mind blowing psychedelic track ‘Daughters in Excess’ to their smooth melodic tunes like ‘Pure Narcotic’. Whatever mood I’m in they have created an album to suit my frame of mind.

If I want to chill out then I’d listen to The Sky Moves Sideways although quite experimental in places its full of atmospheric soundscapes to wash over you.

If I want something a bit heavier then In Abstentia does the job with ‘Strip the Soul’ and the amazing instrumental ‘Wedding Nails’ to really get your teeth into. They manage to balance out the album with beautiful tracks like Trains and 12- Collapse The Light into Earth where Steve Wilson’s lyrics are thought provoking and inspiring.

My favourite albums are Lightbulb Sun because I love the lyrics and it is has ‘Russia on Ice’ a song that is beautifully dark and intense and spaced out. Also the the more acoustic album Stupid Dream maybe because it was the first album I heard but it defines PT for me. From when I hear that first track ‘Even Less’ and Wow what an opening track that is?!.. I’m taken to another world. I love the way the vocals are played with in some tracks I’m not technical minded at all but they or should I say Steve Wilson seem to be really innovative with vocals on a lot of their albums. PT never cease to astonish me I downloaded song songs from 'Yellow Hegderow Dreamscape' the other day and was once again amazed at their diversity.

20 years ago I would have been saying the same thing about Pink Floyd but I dont think I could do them justice

Unlike what I destillate from your post, I like the musical composition, not the 'mood' it puts me in. I listen to the fabrications of the musicians, often ignoring the lyrics, only listening to the music itself! When such intricate designs are made as Heart of the Sunrise's 9 minute epic, I get lost from the first second. I listen to every crinkle and every snarehit and every bassnote, picked or harmonized. I can easily wire out the single instrument lines, and then put them back together to hear the brillance of the cooperation. If that is done with a sh*tload of effort, then you are the band that get's me hooked. For instance:

The Fragile album from Yes, Larks' Tongues and Starless and Bible Black from KingCrimson, Thick as a Brick from JT, Gentle Giant's whole repetoire I know and Rush's superb drumming and bassing(I find the guitars a bit lacking, especially I found out Lifeson plays most of his solos on one snare).

Don't hate me I'm not special like you

Hahahahahaha! That's actually kinda funny!

Ahh well I wouldn’t even attempt to analyse a band by their musical talent like that probably because I wouldn’t feel qualified to. Music to me about how it reaches your soul and lifts your spirits.  

JrKASperov wrote: Rush's superb drumming and bassing(I find the guitars a bit lacking, especially I found out Lifeson plays most of his solos on one snare).

Even allowing for an unfortunate mistranslation, I find this bizarre. How do the guitars sound, how emotive are the solos, what about the dynamics? I got shot down for saying Lifeson was underrated in a previous thread but this is exactly what I was on about.

I like different things from different bands.  I began loving the voice.. even way back as a baby.. even tho the Monkees were bubblegum.. I loved Davy Jones' voice.  There was something so typically English about it... Sort of why I loved John Lennon over Paul McCartney.. his voice was more noticeably English... I guess thats what got me about Greg with King Crimson.  That was the most incredible sound I'd ever heard.. and incredibly English...(I must have a thing for English voices...hehe)

With Yes it was Anderson's voice & lyrics, and Tony Kaye's keyboards... later I got more into Steve Howe.. but with the Yes Album.. my first love... it was Anderson and Kaye..  I actually understood Anderson's lyrics... that made me special.

The next thing was David Gilmour's guitar... Echoes got me first... then on to Time, the rest of the DSOTM album and then Animals... Dogs specifically.  To me no one,  not Jeff Beck, not Jimmy Page or Clapton.. could sound as good as Gilmour...

With ELP, I had the perfect band... the "Voice", the lyrics and the best musicians possible.  I loved them the first time I heard them..."Lucky Man".

Gryphon: the bassoon & percussions

Renaissance: Annie & the baroque ambience

Gentle Giant: Happy cerebral trip

Happy the man: Happy cerebral + emotional trip

Mike Oldfield: the mix of modern keyboards + traditional instruments

Genesis: the quintessential bits

Rush: I was told there is at least one album from them to be liked by anybody: this proves they evolve constantly!

IQ: their regularity to always produce excellent albums; their subtle mix of emotions and intelligence.

Jade Warrior: the delicate, fragile, peaceful & relaxing atmospheres!

Echolyn: the modern version of Gentle Giant

Collage: just listen to Moonshine and you will automatically vote it for the best prog album past the 1990.

Kate Bush: her voice!

Sally Oldfield: the mix of her perfect voice + percussions

Frank Zappa: Ruth Underwood or Ed Mann

UK: Eddie Jobson's keyboards

Jethro Tull: Anderson's voice + the quality of the compositions

Ekseption: the HORNS!

Solution: the saxes!

Passport: the saxes!

Camel: you can listen to all the albums without being bored!

Triumvirat: Spartacus!

Ozric Tentacles: the spacy guitars + keyboards combination!

Pallas: when you think about it, The Sentinel has one of the most beautiful melodies in the prog history!

Pendragon: their debut: The Jewell!

Marillion: Fish!

Pink Floyd: Waters' genius and Gilmour's guitar sound!

Steve Hackett: the Spectral mornings and Every day solos!

ELP - just the sheer dynamics of the sound blew me away.I'd never experienced anything else like 'Tarkus'.Everyone else was just pissing about by comparison.

IQ - The sheer raw energy of 'The Wake' was a call to arms for a slumbering army of prog fans.It restored my then dying faith in prog rock.

Those are the only 2 prog bands that hit me square between the eyes.With all the other bands I like it has been a much slower process of appreciation.

Reed Lover wrote: JrKASperov wrote: Rush's superb drumming and bassing(I find the guitars a bit lacking, especially I found out Lifeson plays most of his solos on one snare). Even allowing for an unfortunate mistranslation, I find this bizarre. How do the guitars sound, how emotive are the solos, what about the dynamics? I got shot down for saying Lifeson was underrated in a previous thread but this is exactly what I was on about.

I've seen Alex playing a double necked 'snare'

I agree, Reed. Alex Lifeson is one of the most original guitarists I've ever heard. He plays with a great deal of feeling. He is very underated. When you think of the fuss people made over Ritchie Blackmore in the old days, and his playing a lot of the time was dull ,predictable, and his guitar sound terrible. He just happened to be in Deep Purple/Rainbow who played blues based rock which was more popular than prog (not wishing to generalise) I was a purple fan, before anyone jumps on me. I'm just more of a Rush fan.

Good musicianship, linked to imaginative and original songwriting. An abilty to create atmosphere in music and to make melancholic music make you feel good (GENESIS). An abilty to inspire and excite (RUSH)

I'm attracted to the music of many bands for their ability to do these things, but Rush & Genesis have always been the best IMO.

Snare? what?

I really couldn't say why I like bands in general, there're a few I could, like the epic sounding guitar in Sabbath, the somewhat camp but amazing vocals of Yes, the bizarreness of Mr. Bungle, the intensity married with melody in Emperor, the atmosphere of Agalloch, the grooves of a lot of funkers and jazzers, but I couldn't name one thing that all music I listen to has really.

Petra wrote: Music to me about how it reaches your soul and lifts your spirits.

 ... And I love any band playing a Mellotron. This instrument makes me reach "orgasmic" musical sensations (could it be a fetish? )

I would love a band who had a singer who looked and sounded like this one... Unfortunately I only found one band who ever fit that bill....

What makes me fall for a band?

Usually it's a poorly taped down power cord or some drunken slob who decided the center of the hall was THE place to take a nap.

ITS PURELY SUBJECTIVE!!

I ALWAYS FIND IT INTERESTING WHEN I RECOMMEND A SONG OR BAND THAT ULTIMATLY GETS A SHRUG OF THE SHOULDERS AND A COMMENT ALONG THE LINES Of..."THEYRE OKAY"...

TO WHICH MY ANSWER IS WHAT,THEYRE BRILLIANT!!

AND THEN I SHRUG IN INDIFFERENCE WHEN SOMEONE RAVES ABOUT A BAND THEY LIKE,AND TRY TO GET ME TO LISTEN BUT I DONT LIKE WHAT I HEAR...!!

IT CANT BE LOOKS BECAUSE MOST BANDS ARE FULL OF UGLY BLOKES!!

STEVIE NICKS WAS CUTE IN HER YOUNGER DAYS BUT SHE COULDNT SING!!

READING THE OTHER ENTRIES IN THIS THRAED ,THERE IS NO FORMULA NO EQUATION TO DESCRIBE TASTE IN MUSIC,IT IS JUST PERSONAL

pink floyd rules

My way back into prog (after an absence of some years) was via Porcupine Tree as well. They had a little of the real world and a LOT of the unreal in them as well. Wonderful album art & great production.

However, what makes me hot for a band is good chords.

Tony Banks always gives good chords as does, Spock's Beard, IQ, Yes, Jellyfish, Ether (man they were a good band, just one album before they split but what an album), Floyd, England (remember them??), Solstice (wonderful 80's era UK prog), and of course, King Crimson.

It also helps if I get to see a band live as most prog bands for me begin and end on a live stage.  

dude wrote: ITS PURELY SUBJECTIVE!! I ALWAYS FIND IT INTERESTING WHEN I RECOMMEND A SONG OR BAND THAT ULTIMATLY GETS A SHRUG OF THE SHOULDERS AND A COMMENT ALONG THE LINES Of..."THEYRE OKAY"... TO WHICH MY ANSWER IS WHAT,THEYRE BRILLIANT!! AND THEN I SHRUG IN INDIFFERENCE WHEN SOMEONE RAVES ABOUT A BAND THEY LIKE,AND TRY TO GET ME TO LISTEN BUT I DONT LIKE WHAT I HEAR...!! IT CANT BE LOOKS BECAUSE MOST BANDS ARE FULL OF UGLY BLOKES!! STEVIE NICKS WAS CUTE IN HER YOUNGER DAYS BUT SHE COULDNT SING!! READING THE OTHER ENTRIES IN THIS THRAED ,THERE IS NO FORMULA NO EQUATION TO DESCRIBE TASTE IN MUSIC,IT IS JUST PERSONAL pink floyd rules

That is so right! But it can be so frustrating though when you feel really passionately for a band and you get a negative response, that happens to me a lot with friends     .

Petra wrote: That is so right! But it can be so frustrating though when you feel really passionately for a band and you get a negative response, that happens to me a lot with friends     .

Oh thats a regular response for us ELP fans!   But we keep plugging away at them...evidently!