What the Hell is Steve Wilson?

[grasbo]

I have played PT and solo SW stuff to people who are permantly stuck with Pink Floyd,etc,and they say nah,it 's not as good as Floyd,same with Mostly Autumn,can't people move on??Steven Wilson is a saviour,otherwise its One Direction or something like that.

[Blue J]

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.

 

I think if the artist doesn't want his or her work to be available in those ways, it's okay. I do understand what you're saying...but the thing about spotify is that so many people do get to hear so much music, while paying next to nothing for it.

 

I have an iPod, and I use it all the time. But I'm a full-album-experience kind of person; I don't make playlists of a little of this, and a little of that, etc...I listen to full albums on it. I have more than 400 of them on there, and I paid for all of them. So Who's to say, really?

[Segue Myles]

I have played PT and solo SW stuff to people who are permantly stuck with Pink Floyd,etc,and they say nah,it 's not as good as Floyd,same with Mostly Autumn,can't people move on??Steven Wilson is a saviour,otherwise its One Direction or something like that.

 

Why can't people just dislike something?

 

You might think he is a saviour, but many really don't.

 

And why One Direction? They are not the only other artist out their aside from Wilson.

[Blue J]

I have played PT and solo SW stuff to people who are permantly stuck with Pink Floyd,etc,and they say nah,it 's not as good as Floyd,same with Mostly Autumn,can't people move on??Steven Wilson is a saviour,otherwise its One Direction or something like that.

 

Why can't people just dislike something?

 

You might think he is a saviour, but many really don't.

 

And why One Direction? They are not the only other artist out there aside from Wilson.

 

Yeah, as I think I've said in this thread, earlier- it's going quite a bit too far to call any one artist a saviour- as any performer would have to recognize their own contemporaries, and their own influences. And if they don't, then that's just pure narcissism.

[Segue Myles]

I have played PT and solo SW stuff to people who are permantly stuck with Pink Floyd,etc,and they say nah,it 's not as good as Floyd,same with Mostly Autumn,can't people move on??Steven Wilson is a saviour,otherwise its One Direction or something like that.

 

Why can't people just dislike something?

 

You might think he is a saviour, but many really don't.

 

And why One Direction? They are not the only other artist out there aside from Wilson.

 

Yeah, as I think I've said in this thread, earlier- it's going quite a bit too far to call any one artist a saviour- as any performer would have to recognize their own contemporaries, and their own influences. And if they don't, then that's just pure narcissism.

 

Especially when their are many amazing bamds and artists across the genres today supplying quality and inventiveness. Just because Wilson is better known than many of his peers does not mean he necessarily overshadows them artistically.

 

I still think he has yet to better or match many of his temporaries.

[grasbo]

I was just stirring the pot,sorry.I do like the Porcupine Tree and i do respect where Steven Wilson is coming from but he is not the saviour of modern music despite his many talents.I like so much music from classical,prog,jazz,etc ,to the local muso down the pub or on the street corner.And One Direction are ok for the kids,at least they are out there doing it.

[stoopid]

His remixes of many prog classics should earn anyone's respect. Music is subjective, so of course some will love/hate his own musical output.

[stoopid]

As far as the "bieber of prog rock" bullshit (really, that's as far from the truth as calling this forum an arm of the Rush marketing camp), try select tracks:

 

 

^^^ Fwiw, this was epic to see live and it's the only show I've gone to in the past (5?) years.

Edited August 26, 2015 by stoopid

[Segue Myles]

His remixes of many prog classics should earn anyone's respect. Music is subjective, so of course some will love/hate his own musical output.

 

If we are talking about his remixes...I LOVE THE DUDE! He understands what makes music great, I will give him that.

 

It is just that he bores me silly.

[pip65]

I was just stirring the pot,sorry.I do like the Porcupine Tree and i do respect where Steven Wilson is coming from but he is not the saviour of modern music despite his many talents.I like so much music from classical,prog,jazz,etc ,to the local muso down the pub or on the street corner.And One Direction are ok for the kids,at least they are out there doing it.

He is not, and never will be "the saviour of modern music", even if such an entity will ever exist, and I doubt very much if that is how he would wish to be viewed. However, he is the one relatively contemporary artist who made me aware that there is still music being made that is worth investing time and money in. Subsequently I have sought out contemporary artists and found many excellent ones (Riverside/Lunatic Soul and Haken spring to mind in particular), but as yet none quite reach the brilliance of Wilson for me. Sure, he is not everyone's cup of tea and to be honest some of his output with Bass Communion and No-Man isn't mine either, but he is undoubtedly an important influence in the modern progressive music arena, and rightly so in my opinion.

[MMCXII]

Only S.Wilson/P.tree I've heard was a CD I bought called "up the downstair" or something like that. I actually liked it for background music but it's not Rush that's for sure!

[Union 5-3992]

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.

I think his argument against putting it on Spotify is because it sounds like shit and people won't listen to the whole record. Yet at the same time he puts his music on Apple Music?!? I'm a little upset at that. But oddly he is for bootlegging and doesn't mind downloading music because it gets his music out there almost as an advertisement and his fans usually buy his stuff later

[cygnify]

I was just stirring the pot,sorry.I do like the Porcupine Tree and i do respect where Steven Wilson is coming from but he is not the saviour of modern music despite his many talents.I like so much music from classical,prog,jazz,etc ,to the local muso down the pub or on the street corner.And One Direction are ok for the kids,at least they are out there doing it.

He is not, and never will be "the saviour of modern music", even if such an entity will ever exist, and I doubt very much if that is how he would wish to be viewed. However, he is the one relatively contemporary artist who made me aware that there is still music being made that is worth investing time and money in. Subsequently I have sought out contemporary artists and found many excellent ones (Riverside/Lunatic Soul and Haken spring to mind in particular), but as yet none quite reach the brilliance of Wilson for me. Sure, he is not everyone's cup of tea and to be honest some of his output with Bass Communion and No-Man isn't mine either, but he is undoubtedly an important influence in the modern progressive music arena, and rightly so in my opinion.

 

Spot on! While I would never call him something as ridiculous as "the savior of modern music" (a title which I think is something akin to "King of a steaming pile of shit"), for me, he absolutely is the one of the very few that turned me on to music still being made - and mostly by him. I would have to say he is my favorite artist that I found in the last 20 years (I discovered my 5 other "top tier" bands prior to that) - and in his own bands he's turned me on to some incredible drummers (can't beat Gavin Harrison and Marco Minnemann!) and other fabulous musicians (John Wesley, whom I already knew, Guthrie Govan, Nick Beggs, Adam Holtzman, etc.) not to mention other bands that I found (that I now count among favorites) via his associations (for me, primarily Opeth and Anathema). I understand he is certainly not for everyone (many of the bands I see touted on this board make me throw up a little. or alot.) but for my own interests in music, which run very deep, I would say he is a sort of savior. One of the very few artists still making music that excites me.

[Digital Dad]

Only S.Wilson/P.tree I've heard was a CD I bought called "up the downstair" or something like that. I actually liked it for background music but it's not Rush that's for sure!

 

as it should be. He's not out to make music like Rush. He is following his own muse, following his inspirations and mixing them with what I really believe is a collaborative bent. I mean how could you play with Nick Beggs, Marco Minneman, Gavin Harrison and Guthrie Govan without giving them plenty of room to breathe musically. He's good, I'm not going to appoint him as Prog's savior, but everything he does in my opinion is put together with a fans eye view for making music.

[stoopid]

I'm not even sure who appointed him as "Prog's Savior". He certainly didn't.

[grasbo]

My son gave me a copies of In Absentia and Deadwing and i was hooked and when i heard Alex was guesting on Fear Of A Blank Planet that was it.I like what SW is doing with King Crimsons back catalogue but this nonsense about smashing ipods is silly.Yes i have the film it came with the Insurgentes cd.Watched it once.

[Mr. Not]

His remixes of many prog classics should earn anyone's respect. Music is subjective, so of course some will love/hate his own musical output.

As far as the "bieber of prog rock" bullshit (really, that's as far from the truth as calling this forum an arm of the Rush marketing camp), try select tracks:

 

 

^^^ Fwiw, this was epic to see live and it's the only show I've gone to in the past (5?) years.

I'm not even sure who appointed him as "Prog's Savior". He certainly didn't.

 

At least your username is honest

[stoopid]

His remixes of many prog classics should earn anyone's respect. Music is subjective, so of course some will love/hate his own musical output.

As far as the "bieber of prog rock" bullshit (really, that's as far from the truth as calling this forum an arm of the Rush marketing camp), try select tracks:

 

 

^^^ Fwiw, this was epic to see live and it's the only show I've gone to in the past (5?) years.

I'm not even sure who appointed him as "Prog's Savior". He certainly didn't.

 

At least your username is honest

 

Really? f**k you.

[ghostworks]

 

 

At least your username is honest

 

Really? f**k you.

just FYI

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[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

His remixes of many prog classics should earn anyone's respect. Music is subjective, so of course some will love/hate his own musical output.

As far as the "bieber of prog rock" bullshit (really, that's as far from the truth as calling this forum an arm of the Rush marketing camp), try select tracks:

 

 

^^^ Fwiw, this was epic to see live and it's the only show I've gone to in the past (5?) years.

I'm not even sure who appointed him as "Prog's Savior". He certainly didn't.

 

At least your username is honest

 

Really? f**k you.

 

So, you report Mr. Not's post, then you respond to it with a post that could also be considered report-worthy?

[stoopid]

His remixes of many prog classics should earn anyone's respect. Music is subjective, so of course some will love/hate his own musical output.

As far as the "bieber of prog rock" bullshit (really, that's as far from the truth as calling this forum an arm of the Rush marketing camp), try select tracks:

 

 

^^^ Fwiw, this was epic to see live and it's the only show I've gone to in the past (5?) years.

I'm not even sure who appointed him as "Prog's Savior". He certainly didn't.

 

At least your username is honest

 

Really? f**k you.

 

So, you report Mr. Not's post, then you respond to it with a post that could also be considered report-worthy?

 

I figured mine was in self defense. ;)

 

f**k

Shit

c***

Dick

 

Looks like your bad word filter is mostly working, so no harm/foul right? Fuckity f**k shit fuckity f**k poo.

 

Or maybe not. You should probably get on that.

Edited August 27, 2015 by stoopid

[Digital Dad]

Playground psychotics...

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

His remixes of many prog classics should earn anyone's respect. Music is subjective, so of course some will love/hate his own musical output.

As far as the "bieber of prog rock" bullshit (really, that's as far from the truth as calling this forum an arm of the Rush marketing camp), try select tracks:

 

 

^^^ Fwiw, this was epic to see live and it's the only show I've gone to in the past (5?) years.

I'm not even sure who appointed him as "Prog's Savior". He certainly didn't.

 

At least your username is honest

 

Really? f**k you.

 

So, you report Mr. Not's post, then you respond to it with a post that could also be considered report-worthy?

 

I figured mine was in self defense. ;)

 

You figured wrong. ;)

 

f**k

Shit

c***

Dick

 

Looks like your bad word filter is mostly working, so no harm/foul right? Fuckity f**k shit fuckity f**k poo.

 

Or maybe not. You should probably get on that.

 

 

Life here is going to be hard for you. Or short-lived. Just a hunch.

Edited August 27, 2015 by 1-0-0-1-0-0-1

[stoopid]

If one of your members of 67000 posts can belittle (personally attack for no apparent reason) as the acceptable norm/behavior, then it seems like a very lax place. I'll fit right in. Still wondering though, why am I being singled out? Was mine not a normal response to such an attack? Edited August 28, 2015 by stoopid

[Blue J]

If one of your members of 67000 posts can belittle (personally attack for no apparent reason) as the acceptable norm/behavior, then it seems like a very lax place. I'll fit right in. Still wondering though, why am I being singled out? Was mine not a normal response to such an attack?

 

It was an attack that was not really necessary, I agree with that.

 

But your reaction to it was also...ummm...somewhat short of mature, let's call it.

 

If you can't get along on the playground, kids, you might find yourselves in detention.