But Chris Maitland does have one hell of a fill in "Lightbulb Sun" (don't know exact timings off-hand, so I'll report back with the exact spot where it is later on)
HiRez Poll Porcupine Tree - LIGHTBULB SUN [DVD-A]
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But Chris Maitland does have one hell of a fill in "Lightbulb Sun" (don't know exact timings off-hand, so I'll report back with the exact spot where it is later on)
von kulper
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I've always been quite fond of Maitland's drumming, particularly during the big build-up towards the end of "Buying New Soul" with regards to the "Lightbulb Sun" era. While I don't think there's much question that Harrison is the more technically proficient drummer, I've always found Maitland's drumming to be very musical - almost melodic, e.g., Waiting Phase 2 intro, Russia on Ice ending..., and a major component of SW's earlier years (including his No-Man contributions). Also, he always brought some serious energy to the live shows (Coma Divine, for example).
Now I'm not saying that Harrison isn't melodic, or energetic, of course; they both just brought different things to PT. I have a hard time imagining In Absentia, or anything after, with any other drummer but GH. At the same time, when I hear GH playing pre-In Absentia material live, often times I prefer Maitland's original approach.
But, hey, that's just my opinion. The Maitland vs. Harrison discussion has been going on for many years. I think Signify through Deadwing are some of the finest albums released in the past 20 years, and wouldn't change a thing about them.
Now I'm not saying that Harrison isn't melodic, or energetic, of course; they both just brought different things to PT. I have a hard time imagining In Absentia, or anything after, with any other drummer but GH. At the same time, when I hear GH playing pre-In Absentia material live, often times I prefer Maitland's original approach.
But, hey, that's just my opinion. The Maitland vs. Harrison discussion has been going on for many years. I think Signify through Deadwing are some of the finest albums released in the past 20 years, and wouldn't change a thing about them.
von kulper
500 Club - QQ All-Star
Also, it's probably time I vote on this. Easy - 10.
And credit for backing vocal contributions as well. With Chris out of the picture, that was another reason John Wesley was brought on.
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ji eff
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Even though the fidelity of the recordings isn't on par with the band's later albums, Lightbulb Sun is probably the Porcupine Tree album that gets played in its entirety the most here. Aside for Four Chords That Made A Million, that's clever satire in it's own fashion, each and every track is a little gem for me. Some tracks, like How Is Your Life Today?, have a kinky, playful, similar-to-Barrett style, while others, like Russia On Ice, feature the band in their acclaimed deep-and-progressive mode. Listening to this album in surround is a must, as it is for any album that has Steven Wilson listed in the credits.
Content: 9.5
Mix: 9.5
Overall: 9.5 (rounded up to 10 for the poll)
A classic! :music
Content: 9.5
Mix: 9.5
Overall: 9.5 (rounded up to 10 for the poll)
A classic! :music
PT finally delivered the album they'd been building to. All those disparate influences, from dance music, ambient, prog rock, all neatly distilled into an absolute belter of an album. Back when this was released I couldn't believe it. Surely they were on the cusp of breakthrough success with this album? I mean it even had a brilliantly crafted single "The Rest Will Flow" to hook people into buying it. How could it fail? But fail it did. The great single wasn't released or, so I understand, ever been played live and the album was dismissed with a 1 star review in "Q". The position in the mainstream which they rightly deserved, was surrendered to "Coldplay"
The surround mix adds much, and fixes the speed of "The Rest Will Flow". Indeed the only criticism is the amendment to the sleeve notes - the remix excises "Chris Maitland uses Zildjan cymbals, Steven Wilson uses Boots nasal spray, Richard Barbrieri uses outdated keyboards"
Yip. A great album
The surround mix adds much, and fixes the speed of "The Rest Will Flow". Indeed the only criticism is the amendment to the sleeve notes - the remix excises "Chris Maitland uses Zildjan cymbals, Steven Wilson uses Boots nasal spray, Richard Barbrieri uses outdated keyboards"
Yip. A great album
Last edited:
antoine555
Senior Member
First listen to Buying New Soul in surround in a while... Whoa 
This is another one of my very 1st multichannel purchases. For some reason it got placed with my less favored selections. It starts out with some vocal oriented songs. I'm really more into instrumentals than vocals. That's probably why this disc has been so lonely on the bottom shelf.
I've had some extra time lately so I was patient and stuck with it this time.
They finally get into some more instrumental numbers and I really began to appreciate the mix.
Hatesong is my kind of music. Russia on ice was nice. I was glad my new subwoofer performed as advertised.
This is my only Porcupine because I was put off by the vocals. I'm open to trying another. Any recommendations?
I've had some extra time lately so I was patient and stuck with it this time.
They finally get into some more instrumental numbers and I really began to appreciate the mix.
Hatesong is my kind of music. Russia on ice was nice. I was glad my new subwoofer performed as advertised.
This is my only Porcupine because I was put off by the vocals. I'm open to trying another. Any recommendations?
Stupid Dream.
In Absentia!
Anything after "The Sunday Of Life" but before "In Absentia" - "The Sky Moves Sideways" is the "lost" Pink Floyd album of the 90s, but "Signify" is my favourite
Fear of a Blank Planet, if you can handle more metal, less Floyd influence. It's my favorite PT by a country mile. Great Alex Lifeson (of Rush) solo during Anesthetize.
Wow, all these different opinions are so interesting... I personally love the vocal aspects of Lightbulb Sun, making it my second favorite Porcupine Tree album. My favorite is In Absentia. Fear of a Blank Planet just seems to bore me... I keep trying, though. For me, many Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson songs just take far too long to develop into something interesting. The four Wilson projects that I consistently go back to over and over are Sun, Absentia, Hand.Cannot.Erase. and The Raven That Refused To Sing. To each his own, but maybe part of Wilson's success is that he put's out such diverse content that there's something for everyone.
Thank you. I will try Sky Moves Sideways
Just be aware that it hasn't been released in surround. If you're purely exploring the band's music, there's some great spacey rock in their early years. But SW says it wasn't recorded in a way that could be remixed effectively in to surround.
Thank you. I will check it out on YouTube. YouTube sounds decent when I get it from the Sony x-800.
Thank you. I made an offer for the DVD audio version on eBay. I know that a deluxe set is coming out with Steven Wilson remix on Blu-ray but I still prefer DVD audio.
ctoelle
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I'm a huge PT fan and own just about every album. It's diverse enough to find something to like in any era of the bad.
Personally I like the later stuff a bit more (In Absentia, Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet), but it's all good in my book
Personally I like the later stuff a bit more (In Absentia, Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet), but it's all good in my book
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