What the Hell is Steve Wilson?

[JohnRogers]

So I should give this guy another shot? What would be the ong song I should start with, his Tom Sawyer if you will?

[Union 5-3992]

So I should give this guy another shot? What would be the ong song I should start with, his Tom Sawyer if you will?

Maybe Trains by Porcupine Tree. Blackest Eyes also is one of his biggest hits. If you want a good epic, try Anesthetize since that has Alex Lifeson on it

[JohnRogers]

Thanks I'll give these three a look see.

[Digital Dad]

In Absentia and Fear of A Blank Planet are very good places to start.

[Union 5-3992]

Thanks I'll give these three a look see.

But those are more a part of his metal phase. In his earlier albums and 2nd solo album are a bit more mellow if you'd prefer that. Like spacey Pink Floydy kinda stuff. One song sounds a lot like Run Like Hell

[nappy2112]

In Absentia and Fear of A Blank Planet are very good places to start.

 

Deadwing is my favorite , but yeah those are great.

[greyfriar]

http://youtu.be/DKuHP_7J9zc

[Presto-digitation]

some long song almost put me to sleep.

 

Yep, that was Steven, all right.

It had to have been at least a 30 minute song of his for it to put anyone to sleep.

 

A Rush fan complaining about song length? :D

 

So you weren't talking about Caress Of Steel?!

[JohnRogers]

I'm no fan of Caress of Steel.

[Presto-digitation]

Good!!

[PolarizeMe]

I think my personal opinion towards the bulk of Steven Wilson's music has been well documented here, but he ain't the spokesman for "good" modern music of today. His music in all his various projects ain't as genre-busting as he wishes it is once you go back to the stuff he's been influenced by, particularly of note Storm Corrosion. Especially after the music I got into after his, he's now become another musician in a list of a bowlful of other "modern" bands that I love to varying degrees.

[Union 5-3992]

http://youtu.be/DKuHP_7J9zc

That's probably the perfect bridge between old and newer PT

[pip65]

I've come to this thread a bit late in the day (been away with very limited internet access), but I'll put in my two penny's (?cents's) worth.

I make no secret of the fact that I'm a huge admirer of Steven Wilson's music but I don't regard him as a genius or the saviour of modern music or any similar accolade. However, he is talented,extremely hardworking and is prepared to make music that he believes in regardless of what his record company or others think. There are many others for whom the same could be said, but he is perhaps the biggest fish in the relatively small pond of modern progressive music. All modern music in the progressive tradition borrows to a greater or lesser extent from what has gone before.

The main reason I'm a fan is because his music speaks to my head and my heart in the same way that Rush do. The delivery is not overly dramatic and the emotion is subtle, but for me that makes it seem more sincere and real.

[Blue J]

I've come to this thread a bit late in the day (been away with very limited internet access), but I'll put in my two penny's (?cents's) worth.

I make no secret of the fact that I'm a huge admirer of Steven Wilson's music but I don't regard him as a genius or the saviour of modern music or any similar accolade. However, he is talented,extremely hardworking and is prepared to make music that he believes in regardless of what his record company or others think. There are many others for whom the same could be said, but he is perhaps the biggest fish in the relatively small pond of modern progressive music. All modern music in the progressive tradition borrows to a greater or lesser extent from what has gone before.

The main reason I'm a fan is because his music speaks to my head and my heart in the same way that Rush do. The delivery is not overly dramatic and the emotion is subtle, but for me that makes it seem more sincere and real.

 

Excellent post.

 

To my mind, it is all much different from Rush. But I've been listening to Rush for thirty-five years, and Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree for only about nine months, so...

 

But I agree with your assessment of Wilson completely.

[cygnify]

I'll put it this way -

 

There were 5 bands that I consider my "top tier" - that is, they are my favorites, I have everything they've ever released, and I would travel to see them in concert. They are:

 

Rush

Yes

Led Zeppelin

Pink Floyd

King Crimson

 

Since becoming a fan in the early 2000's, I would have to add Steven Wilson / Porcupine Tree to my list of absolute favorites. I am flying to NY to see his shows later this year. There are dozens of other artists that I love, but those 6 are a step above for me. While they are all quite different, there are clearly qualities that I see them sharing.

 

That being said, I totally understand that his stuff is not for everybody - there is no accounting for taste (or lack thereof ;) ) I don't see him as a "savior of modern music" or anything - I'm not really interested in popularity or fashion. However, his music has spoken to me as few others have - in some ways, he combines the best elements of all of my other favorite bands, in a cohesive, and original package. As far as his production, mixing, and in particular surround mixes, I would say he is a genius. As a musician, I have always been concerned with sound quality and clarity in mixes. Steven is (nearly) in a league of his own. As I experimented with other projects he's been involved in producing or mixing, I've been consistently blown away with the quality - and from his client list, clearly other are too.

 

Anyway, I would be curious to know, for a Rush fan that does not like Steven Wilson - what other bands would you consider favorites? I don't begrudge anyone their favorites - it is just interesting what a wide range of musical "taste" Rush fans have - metal, prog, classic rock, jazz, pop, classical - heck, there are threads in this forum about bands that I would never listen to again! You can't generalize such subjective measures, but the demographics would be interesting. That said, I think SW seems to have a pretty high hit rate among Rush fans (go see the SW threads) - maybe more among those that are musicians, fans of progressive music, perhaps those that lean towards classic rock.

 

In the end, to each their own

[JohnRogers]

Pip65 and Cygnify thanks for chiming in. Rush and Queensryche are my two favorite bands, The Who, Iron Maiden, Springsteen, Foo Fighters are other major players on my iDevice in the rock genre. I listen to more Jazz and dudes like Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot. See a trend here? It is all old music, even the Foo Fighters are long in the tooth.

 

I set up a Steven Wilson "station" on a couple of apps, I'll report back in a week or so.

[cygnify]

Pip65 and Cygnify thanks for chiming in. Rush and Queensryche are my two favorite bands, The Who, Iron Maiden, Springsteen, Foo Fighters are other major players on my iDevice in the rock genre. I listen to more Jazz and dudes like Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot. See a trend here? It is all old music, even the Foo Fighters are long in the tooth.

 

I set up a Steven Wilson "station" on a couple of apps, I'll report back in a week or so.

 

Yeah, you've got some classic rock, pop, and even some old-school metal in your favorites. I'm not sure how much dudes like Neil Diamond might relate; but keep in mind that Steven's been making music since the mid-90's - and even within Porcupine Tree his style has shifted significantly over time. You'll find people that prefer the older psychedelic / electronica or the middle more accessible, neo-pop, or the later metal-tinged years. His more recent solo work is more grounded in classic prog. His last album "The Raven that Refused to Sing" is representative of how jazz affected prog music in the 70's. His latest, Hand Cannot Erase blends all these styles (I could play one song that is pure pop, one electronica, one prog epic, and one metal tinged - all on one album; and somehow, it works!) Like Rush, you'll find fans that prefer one era over another (or even hate particular eras). Personally, I like all of his output - though I prefer the prog-rock and metal eras.

 

Though he doesn't sound like Rush, I have read Steven say that his "musical DNA" is comprised of Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, and Rush. He brings in alot of different styles (he listens to an insane amount of music, from all sorts of genres, much of which I have never heard of before). Alex Lifeson did perform an extended guitar solo on the Porcupine Tree album "Fear of a Blank Planet" - (song: Anesthetize) He has had some absolutely stellar drummers play with him - and while they are significantly different than Neil stylistically, they provide plenty of fireworks. You mention listening to a "station" which may be a great way to sample, you will miss some of the genius of his concept albums - he really approaches the album as a complete work - and with epic music, it can come across much like a movie. Hearing his stuff as "singles", you might miss the bigger picture.

 

Anyway, might take, might not. Good for you for giving it a shot! :D

[Mr. Not]

If you end up enjoying him, cool.

 

If you don't, then thank goodness; we don't exactly need another member here to perform fellatio on the guy.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Mr. Not

[Union 5-3992]

If you end up enjoying him, cool.

 

If you don't, then thank goodness; we don't exactly need another member here to perform fellatio on the guy.

You just hate us cause you anus

[JohnRogers]

If you end up enjoying him, cool.

 

If you don't, then thank goodness; we don't exactly need another member here to perform fellatio on the guy.

Whoa! His fan outreach is that good? Neil Peart could learn something.

[Union 5-3992]

If you end up enjoying him, cool.

 

If you don't, then thank goodness; we don't exactly need another member here to perform fellatio on the guy.

Whoa! His fan outreach is that good? Neil Peart could learn something.

According to a recent video, he said he tries to make sure every fan has a positive experience with him. If 1/100 fans have a negative reaction from him, he worries that that will be how everyone else sees him from then on due to how quickly word spreads online

[toymaker]

Pip65 and Cygnify thanks for chiming in. Rush and Queensryche are my two favorite bands, The Who, Iron Maiden, Springsteen, Foo Fighters are other major players on my iDevice in the rock genre. I listen to more Jazz and dudes like Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot. See a trend here? It is all old music, even the Foo Fighters are long in the tooth.

 

I set up a Steven Wilson "station" on a couple of apps, I'll report back in a week or so.

 

Yeah, you've got some classic rock, pop, and even some old-school metal in your favorites. I'm not sure how much dudes like Neil Diamond might relate; but keep in mind that Steven's been making music since the mid-90's - and even within Porcupine Tree his style has shifted significantly over time. You'll find people that prefer the older psychedelic / electronica or the middle more accessible, neo-pop, or the later metal-tinged years. His more recent solo work is more grounded in classic prog. His last album "The Raven that Refused to Sing" is representative of how jazz affected prog music in the 70's. His latest, Hand Cannot Erase blends all these styles (I could play one song that is pure pop, one electronica, one prog epic, and one metal tinged - all on one album; and somehow, it works!) Like Rush, you'll find fans that prefer one era over another (or even hate particular eras). Personally, I like all of his output - though I prefer the prog-rock and metal eras.

 

Though he doesn't sound like Rush, I have read Steven say that his "musical DNA" is comprised of Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, and Rush. He brings in alot of different styles (he listens to an insane amount of music, from all sorts of genres, much of which I have never heard of before). Alex Lifeson did perform an extended guitar solo on the Porcupine Tree album "Fear of a Blank Planet" - (song: Anesthetize) He has had some absolutely stellar drummers play with him - and while they are significantly different than Neil stylistically, they provide plenty of fireworks. You mention listening to a "station" which may be a great way to sample, you will miss some of the genius of his concept albums - he really approaches the album as a complete work - and with epic music, it can come across much like a movie. Hearing his stuff as "singles", you might miss the bigger picture.

 

Anyway, might take, might not. Good for you for giving it a shot! :D

 

I think one of his albums (not sure which one) has a photo of a busted iPod . . . part of his message that you can't just take little tastes of a person's art? You should experience the whole thing.

[pip65]

Pip65 and Cygnify thanks for chiming in. Rush and Queensryche are my two favorite bands, The Who, Iron Maiden, Springsteen, Foo Fighters are other major players on my iDevice in the rock genre. I listen to more Jazz and dudes like Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot. See a trend here? It is all old music, even the Foo Fighters are long in the tooth.

 

I set up a Steven Wilson "station" on a couple of apps, I'll report back in a week or so.

 

Yeah, you've got some classic rock, pop, and even some old-school metal in your favorites. I'm not sure how much dudes like Neil Diamond might relate; but keep in mind that Steven's been making music since the mid-90's - and even within Porcupine Tree his style has shifted significantly over time. You'll find people that prefer the older psychedelic / electronica or the middle more accessible, neo-pop, or the later metal-tinged years. His more recent solo work is more grounded in classic prog. His last album "The Raven that Refused to Sing" is representative of how jazz affected prog music in the 70's. His latest, Hand Cannot Erase blends all these styles (I could play one song that is pure pop, one electronica, one prog epic, and one metal tinged - all on one album; and somehow, it works!) Like Rush, you'll find fans that prefer one era over another (or even hate particular eras). Personally, I like all of his output - though I prefer the prog-rock and metal eras.

 

Though he doesn't sound like Rush, I have read Steven say that his "musical DNA" is comprised of Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, and Rush. He brings in alot of different styles (he listens to an insane amount of music, from all sorts of genres, much of which I have never heard of before). Alex Lifeson did perform an extended guitar solo on the Porcupine Tree album "Fear of a Blank Planet" - (song: Anesthetize) He has had some absolutely stellar drummers play with him - and while they are significantly different than Neil stylistically, they provide plenty of fireworks. You mention listening to a "station" which may be a great way to sample, you will miss some of the genius of his concept albums - he really approaches the album as a complete work - and with epic music, it can come across much like a movie. Hearing his stuff as "singles", you might miss the bigger picture.

 

Anyway, might take, might not. Good for you for giving it a shot! :D

 

I think one of his albums (not sure which one) has a photo of a busted iPod . . . part of his message that you can't just take little tastes of a person's art? You should experience the whole thing.

There is a documentary film, by longtime Wilson collaborator Laisse Hoile called Insurgentes, about SW and the music industry in general. This film features a number of clips of Wilson destroying ipods using a variety of methods; sledgehammer, air rifle, running over with a car etc.

[fraroc]

Pip65 and Cygnify thanks for chiming in. Rush and Queensryche are my two favorite bands, The Who, Iron Maiden, Springsteen, Foo Fighters are other major players on my iDevice in the rock genre. I listen to more Jazz and dudes like Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot. See a trend here? It is all old music, even the Foo Fighters are long in the tooth.

 

I set up a Steven Wilson "station" on a couple of apps, I'll report back in a week or so.

 

Yeah, you've got some classic rock, pop, and even some old-school metal in your favorites. I'm not sure how much dudes like Neil Diamond might relate; but keep in mind that Steven's been making music since the mid-90's - and even within Porcupine Tree his style has shifted significantly over time. You'll find people that prefer the older psychedelic / electronica or the middle more accessible, neo-pop, or the later metal-tinged years. His more recent solo work is more grounded in classic prog. His last album "The Raven that Refused to Sing" is representative of how jazz affected prog music in the 70's. His latest, Hand Cannot Erase blends all these styles (I could play one song that is pure pop, one electronica, one prog epic, and one metal tinged - all on one album; and somehow, it works!) Like Rush, you'll find fans that prefer one era over another (or even hate particular eras). Personally, I like all of his output - though I prefer the prog-rock and metal eras.

 

Though he doesn't sound like Rush, I have read Steven say that his "musical DNA" is comprised of Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, and Rush. He brings in alot of different styles (he listens to an insane amount of music, from all sorts of genres, much of which I have never heard of before). Alex Lifeson did perform an extended guitar solo on the Porcupine Tree album "Fear of a Blank Planet" - (song: Anesthetize) He has had some absolutely stellar drummers play with him - and while they are significantly different than Neil stylistically, they provide plenty of fireworks. You mention listening to a "station" which may be a great way to sample, you will miss some of the genius of his concept albums - he really approaches the album as a complete work - and with epic music, it can come across much like a movie. Hearing his stuff as "singles", you might miss the bigger picture.

 

Anyway, might take, might not. Good for you for giving it a shot! :D

 

I think one of his albums (not sure which one) has a photo of a busted iPod . . . part of his message that you can't just take little tastes of a person's art? You should experience the whole thing.

There is a documentary film, by longtime Wilson collaborator Laisse Hoile called Insurgentes, about SW and the music industry in general. This film features a number of clips of Wilson destroying ipods using a variety of methods; sledgehammer, air rifle, running over with a car etc.

 

If Steven is really anti technology, I'd hate to say this about someone so talented, but he's shooting himself in the foot by alienating a huge portion of his listeners. This is why I can't stand musicians against streaming and digital downloads, it's one thing to thing to not be a fan of it and prefer the days of CDs, LPs, and cassettes over spotify but if you're going to literally force people against their will to do it the old fashioned way or f**k you, then you're shooting yourself in the foot and f***ing yourself out of potential success.

 

This is why I can't support that crotchety old f**k Neil Young anymore. By taking all his music off spotify and iTunes he proved he dont give a shit about his fans and listeners.

Edited August 25, 2015 by fraroc

[Mr. Not]

Name: Steven Wilson

Age: Too old to wear nothing but band T-Shirts

Sexuality: Trainsexual

Religion: Neo-Agnosticism

Occupation: Miserable musician impersonator

Edited August 26, 2015 by Mr. Not