Hi all,

The long-awaited Porcupine Tree re-release of 'Lightbulb Sun' on DVD-A has been formally announced for release on their web-site. It's available at their band website here (http://www.burningshed.com/store/porcupinetree/collection/169/country/222/)

but the interesting thing is the comment that "... due to the weak US dollar, US residents are better off waiting till the formal US release date....".

I'm torn as this is one of my fave PT discs on whether to pre-order now and get it from the band site 2 weeks early or wait till later to pick it up. Either way - great disc. Looking forward to reviews !!

$21.80 doesn't sound too bad to me.

Thanks for the link. My order is in. I wish more bands would embrace Hi-Rez 5.1 like PT.

I'm in as well. Everything they put out is quality. The music, the surround mix, the packaging, even how the dvd-audio itself is structured. Who cares if it costs a few bucks more due to the weak dollar, I'm willing to pay for quality.

Yes!!! :)

Well, I waffled on waiting for a grand total of 12 hours. Pre-order in !!! I'm actually hoping that Steve Wilson goes back and gives some of his older albums the DVD-A treatment. Would love to have Signify or Sky moves Sideways in DVD-A. Wonder if that's the plan since every album from Lightbulb Sun onwards will have been released in DVD-A ?

Well, I waffled on waiting for a grand total of 12 hours. Pre-order in !!! I'm actually hoping that Steve Wilson goes back and gives some of his older albums the DVD-A treatment. Would love to have Signify or Sky moves Sideways in DVD-A. Wonder if that's the plan since every album from Lightbulb Sun onwards will have been released in DVD-A ?

With Stupid Dream also on DVD-A, it's actually every album since then (Lightbulb Sun came out after SD), which mean the back catalog up until Signify is where the surround mixes are not available. Unfortunately, they've all been re-issued with remixes (and some re-recorded drums tracks), bonus tracks, etc, so I suspect Mr Wilson will not be revisiting them for 5.1 mixes.

I looked at ordering from Burning Shed, but the shipping killed the idea. The DVD-A/CD is $22 + $6 shipping (or so), while Amazon will probably carry it for $18 (with free shipping when I add something else to the order, which I always do).

I can wait a couple of weeks. I mean, $10 is $10!

I may change my mind next week though... :)

shinksma

I ordered FoaBP from Burning Shed. I never saw it for sale on Amazon, or any place else for that matter, for less cost+S/H then Burning Shed. Was there some place else in the US that I missed? Or are you referring to something like Amazon.uk?


(Note: I did see copies on ebay going for +++++$)

I ordered FoaBP from Burning Shed. I never saw it for sale on Amazon, or any place else for that matter, for less cost+S/H then Burning Shed. Was there some place else in the US that I missed? Or are you referring to something like Amazon.uk?


(Note: I did see copies on ebay going for +++++$)

I'm referring to Amazon.com, and am comparing the price of the previous back-catalog CD+DVD-A release of Stupid Dream, which goes for $18.

Nonetheless, I decided to pre-order it from Burning Shed anyway, and if it appears significantly cheaper on Amazon I'll pick up an additional copy for a friend or something to convince myself that I paid a fair price or that I somehow got a good average price, blah blah.

;) :D

shinksma

FOaBP DVD-A is not available on Amazon.com till today.

If it's on Amazon UK, it should be available as an import on Amazon US

I just ordered my copy today! Knowing how SW has done past MC recordings this should be sweet.

I bought Stupid Dream on Amazon for $13.00[DVD-A/CD] about a year ago or so. It's true that FOBP had never made it there, on DVD-A.

Well, I just order their stuff from BurningShed, it's a little more, but if you want it right away it's worth it. This is the one I've been waiting for, while all their albums are masterpeices (except maybe for Deadwing, not may favorite) this one is the crown jewel for me.

I ordered today too. I guess we are all going to get the bonus instrumental track "Novak" on the CD or as a separate CD...explanation on BS

Update: For a limited time all copies that are ordered from the PT store will receive a bonus CD containing two rarities from the Lightbulb Sun era. "Novak" is an instrumental which was originally issued on the B-side of the 7 inch single of Shesmovedon, but which has never been released on CD before. "Buying New Soul (original instrumental track)" is the backing track as it was cut live in the studio by the band - at 14.27 it runs almost 4 minutes longer than the finished version since a whole section was removed before being overdubbed with vocals for release on the Recordings CD.

Note that all orders already placed will automatically have this CD added to their order. The CD is not available to purchase separately and is only included with orders including the pre-order of the 2 disc reissue of Lightbulb Sun.

I ordered this today......says it comes with a LTD edition extra cd........can't wait to get it.

From their myspace blog:
"Bonus Lightbulb Sun CD

For a limited time all copies of the new Lightbulb Sun reissue that are ordered from the PT Store will receive a bonus CD containing 2 rarities from the Lightbulb Sun era. "Novak" is an instrumental which was originally issued on the B-side of the 7 inch single of Shesmovedon, but which has never been released on CD before. "Buying New Soul (original instrumental track)" is the backing track as it was cut live in the studio by the band - at 14.27 it runs almost 4 minutes longer than the finished version since a whole section was removed before being overdubbed with vocals for release on the Recordings CD. Note that all orders already placed will automatically have this CD added to their order. The CD is not available to purchase separately and is only included with orders including the pre-order of the 2 disc reissue of Lightbulb Sun.

Lightbulb Sun is also in preparation for release as a 2LP vinyl edition."

Got my preorder in too!

The bonus CD now makes it a no-brainer to order from Burning Shed instead of Amazon/etc if you are a Steve Wilson/PTree collector. Really looking forward to this now!

And the new No-Man "Schoolyard Ghosts" is getting readied for release too. Hope that sees a 5.1 DVD-A release too - the other No-Man stuff ("Together We're Stranger") in 5.1 is absolutely stunning (if you like the music).

Glad Mr Wilson is one of the leading bright lights in keeping 5.1 alive in the "non-classical/jazz" areas.

shinksma

If only they'd perform in surround...if you ever caught Pink Floyd, ELP, Genesis or Yes in surround back in the day, it was a real treat.

The falling $ is pushing the price up it seems, $22.48 currently. I wouldn't wait any longer if anybody on the fence here. ;)

The falling $ is pushing the price up it seems, $22.48 currently. I wouldn't wait any longer if anybody on the fence here. ;)

Wouldn't the exchange rate at the time of release/shipment be the actual price charged rather than the exchange rate at the time one placed the order? Irregardless, this is guaranteed to be a superb surround-sound release and Steve Wilson should be encouraged to keep releasing these jewels. It is doubtful that he makes any money out of these dvd-a releases; he must be doing this out of love for the technology and from a desire to share it with his fans.

Wouldn't the exchange rate at the time of release/shipment be the actual price charged rather than the exchange rate at the time one placed the order? Irregardless, this is guaranteed to be a superb surround-sound release and Steve Wilson should be encouraged to keep releasing these jewels. It is doubtful that he makes any money out of these dvd-a releases; he must be doing this out of love for the technology and from a desire to share it with his fans.

The ordering method employed by Burning Shed means you get charged the second you hit "submit", not when the item ships. Burning Shed isn't big enough to use a "charge when shipped" automated mechanism, but they are too big to just rely on manually-triggered charging mechanisms when shipping.

I gotta wonder how much money Mr Wilson pulls in from his various endeavors. It's not like he sells 1,000,000 units per year (or maybe so?). In a not-so-recent interview (http://www.planet-loud.com/v6/interview.php?interview_id=1079) with one of the band members (Richard Barbieri) the number of sales of FoaBP is mentioned to exceed 200,000 units. So I would guess maybe 400,000 units per year total, including other projects and PTree back catalog.

Still, probably more than enough to indulge in obscure formats (5.1 DVD-A, vinyl) and travel the world.

shinksma

The ordering method employed by Burning Shed means you get charged the second you hit "submit", not when the item ships. Burning Shed isn't big enough to use a "charge when shipped" automated mechanism, but they are too big to just rely on manually-triggered charging mechanisms when shipping.

I gotta wonder how much money Mr Wilson pulls in from his various endeavors. It's not like he sells 1,000,000 units per year (or maybe so?). In a not-so-recent interview (http://www.planet-loud.com/v6/interview.php?interview_id=1079) with one of the band members (Richard Barbieri) the number of sales of FoaBP is mentioned to exceed 200,000 units. So I would guess maybe 400,000 units per year total, including other projects and PTree back catalog.

Still, probably more than enough to indulge in obscure formats (5.1 DVD-A, vinyl) and travel the world.

shinksma


I think they pull in a whole lot more with the touring they do. PT is extremely popular in Europe and is a headliner at most of the big festivals now. Plus if you take into consideration his side projects and Blackfield, I'm sure there is enough there to satisfy just about any appetite he has. I'm sure that make his band mates happy too. You have to wonder what the cost difference is anyway when making a surround recording compared to a typical stereo one.

Wouldn't the exchange rate at the time of release/shipment be the actual price charged rather than the exchange rate at the time one placed the order? Nope, this is a preorder, so the price is when you hit the "submit" button.

fyi I ordered the cd + dvd-a set a couple of days ago for $14.99 delivered from cd-wow using a $2 off coupon code which they had emailed me.

fyi I ordered the cd + dvd-a set a couple of days ago for $14.99 delivered from cd-wow using a $2 off coupon code which they had emailed me.

I checked out there site today. Wow great prices and free shipping. I bought the new Opeth and Within Temptation disc's. Both come with a MCH DVD of the album. Does not say if it is DVD A so I would assume it is either DTS or DD. If you have never heard of Within Temptation check them out...awesome

fyi I ordered the cd + dvd-a set a couple of days ago for $14.99 delivered from cd-wow using a $2 off coupon code which they had emailed me.
Damn it, that's half the price I paid. :mad:


http://www.cd-wow.us/detail_results.php?product_code=2628387

Damn it, that's half the price I paid. :mad:


http://www.cd-wow.us/detail_results.php?product_code=2628387

I canceled my order with Burning Shed and placed the order with cd-wow. Beware: It appears you don't get the bonus disc from cd-wow. But for the money, I am not all that interested in the bonus disc.

FOABP didn't make it to Amazon right off as it was released on the band's own label.
SD & LBS are both distributed by Snapper Music, so will be available widely.

Next up from SW is the new No-Man album "Schoolyard Ghosts".
CD/DVD-A double-package again.

I canceled my order with Burning Shed and placed the order with cd-wow. Beware: It appears you don't get the bonus disc from cd-wow. But for the money, I am not all that interested in the bonus disc.

Cheap is, as cheap does. I like the music, the artists, the quality of recording and material. I respect and support the music I like. I'll buy from Burning Shed, and never in my wildest dreams would I cancel an order to save $15 when I own a "Denon AVR-4806ci (upgrade); Axiom Epic 60-500; Denon DVD-2930; Sony KV-30XBR910 (CRT TV)".
Cheap Cow.

Cheap is, as cheap does. I like the music, the artists, the quality of recording and material. I respect and support the music I like. I'll buy from Burning Shed, and never in my wildest dreams would I cancel an order to save $15 when I own a "Denon AVR-4806ci (upgrade); Axiom Epic 60-500; Denon DVD-2930; Sony KV-30XBR910 (CRT TV)".
Cheap Cow.

I agree.

I won't cancel my order either. One thing I have learned is with burning shed you get what they say you'll get. I don't mind the extra to support them anyway. But I will say I don't mind saving a buck or two either hence the reason I did buy some other discs from cd-wow. Even though the new Opeth disc was on Burning Shed I still bought it from cd-wow.

I agree.

I won't cancel my order either. One thing I have learned is with burning shed you get what they say you'll get. I don't mind the extra to support them anyway.

Yes. Life is full of choices. You and I have made the right one.

Cheap is, as cheap does. I like the music, the artists, the quality of recording and material. I respect and support the music I like. I'll buy from Burning Shed, and never in my wildest dreams would I cancel an order to save $15 when I own a "Denon AVR-4806ci (upgrade); Axiom Epic 60-500; Denon DVD-2930; Sony KV-30XBR910 (CRT TV)".
Cheap Cow.

Pardon me but what is your equipment list has to do with anything? Did you pay more then you should have for those as well?:p

Pardon me but what is your equipment list has to do with anything? Did you pay more then you should have for those as well?:p


None of your business, but my setup is very capable and didn't cost a lot. I'm not loaded, but my point is, if you can afford a few grand for your setup, what's $15? Music isn't a commodity (or shouldn't be) and negotiating a lower price for something that stirs my soul, like PT does, is unimaginable. If the difference of a few bucks is a big deal, go back to Wal-mart, buy shitt off their discount rack and leave Porcupine Tree to the fans that respect and support them.

None of your business, but.......If you can afford a few grand in your setup, what's $15? Music isn't a commodity (or shouldn't be) and negotiating a lower price for something that stirs my soul, like PT does, is unimaginable.
If the difference of a few bucks is a big deal, go back to Wal-mart, buy shitt off their discount rack and leave Porcupine Tree to the fans that respect and support them.

If it isn't his business, don't mention it in the first place. So his question was fair. And music is a commodity, whether you want it to be or not, which is why there are so many sources to purchase from. Any time you order from a site other than the band, you have passively negotiated, by relying on market forces to present you with a fair price.

I do agree with you, though (in general). If I find music I like, I don't mind paying a few bucks more for it, and I certainly won't go out of my way to hunt down the cheapest source.

On the other hand, if I already know of a very-likely-to-be-cheapest source, and it is indeed far cheaper than the official band store, why shouldn't I use it? I'm sure lots of folks who were thinking of buying this release actually got around to doing so from that particular, lower-cost, source.

I do hunt around (or wait for price fluctuations on Amazon) for stuff I want, but that I don't "need" right away. But for PTree, I usually just order from Burning Shed.

So, back on topic:

Hey Neil, any idea whether Mr Wilson wants to give any other back catalog the 5.1 treatment? IEM? More No-Man (FLOWERMOUTH, hint hint)? Maybe a glorious 5.1 mix of Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape?

Gotta ask, you never know...

shinksma

Cheap is, as cheap does. I like the music, the artists, the quality of recording and material. I respect and support the music I like. I'll buy from Burning Shed, and never in my wildest dreams would I cancel an order to save $15 when I own a "Denon AVR-4806ci (upgrade); Axiom Epic 60-500; Denon DVD-2930; Sony KV-30XBR910 (CRT TV)".
Cheap Cow.

Wow! That's not very nice. The PT website themselves suggested waiting for a lower US price. No need to be insulting.

Stars Die: The Delerium Years in 5.1 would be nice ... mmmm

None of your business, but my setup is very capable and didn't cost a lot. I'm not loaded, but my point is, if you can afford a few grand for your setup, what's $15? Music isn't a commodity (or shouldn't be) and negotiating a lower price for something that stirs my soul, like PT does, is unimaginable. If the difference of a few bucks is a big deal, go back to Wal-mart, buy shitt off their discount rack and leave Porcupine Tree to the fans that respect and support them.

Down boy, you're gonna hurt yourself!
You say it's none of my business, but you tell me how I should spend my money, and if it doesn't meat your criteria, I'm a cheap? I own almost everything PT put out, but I don't like to pay more then I need to on anything, be it electronics car or a house, or even a CD.
If it's that bother's you, why don't you seek help elswhere!

Thanks for the CD-Wow link. I was waffling on the Burning Shed order due to the price fluctuations/US dollar. The CD-WOW price fit my budget of under $20 nicely.

I ordered from Burning Shed......I know they are charging more, but, I don't mind because I want the Bonus cd.

I ordered this some time ago from the Burning Shed so I'm stoked to be getting the bonus disc too! I have never heard Lightbulb Sun but have all of the other PT 5.1 efforts and love them.

For the Opeth (Still Life w/ 5.1 mix) though Best Buy has it for 11.99 with free shipping. It doesn't say "surround sound" but it says 2cd and shows the correct album cover. I'm in!! Now if I can just find the 5.1 Katatonia disc I'll be stoked.

*delete*

mine shipped today! can't wait

mine shipped today! can't waitYUP

mine has also been "Posted"

wow, Royal Mail is fast. it arrived this morning :eek:

wish I could go home and put it on :cool:

Neil, who did the outside packaging... "Compatable"??? (ok, so we're all no-life pedants who scrutinize every inch of our CD covers.. but this originated in the home country of the Queen's English. I would forgive an American pressing for the misspelling...)

Novak on the bonus CD is awesome.

I posted this on a PTree mailing list I belong to. Maybe some of you are subscribed to that list, but for those who aren't, this is my impressions (with one extra comment for Neil, here):

OK, So I actually got a chance to listen to Lightbulb Sun in 5.1 without too much interruption last night. Here are my first impressions of the 5.1 mix, using a DVD-A player to access the MLP layer (i.e. not the DTS layer, which probably sounds pretty close):

General:

I can hear lots more than what I'm used to: clear bass lines, piano/keyboards, backing vocals. Also the center channel is used well to isolate dry vocals. Drums at times seem wider than just front pair, which provides for a nice wide soundstage.

Although each song is mixed differently, all of them are very enveloping and are not shy about throwing something completely in the rear channels (no bleed mixed in the fronts). The mix is very open and spacious - I could hear things I had never noticed before, like little piano riffs and synth swooshes, and just a heck of a lot more detail. This is another wonderful 5.1 mix by Mr Wilson. Better than FoaBP, IMHO, which I found to be less adventurous than the other 5.1 albums.

And the DVD-A plays automatically when you hit play - no mucking about in the menus. After the main album, it then transitions to the bonus songs automatically, and then the new 2.0 mix (I think, might have been the old 2.0 mix). (Hey Neil, if this was your doing, good job!!)

Song-by-song:
LS: good all-round sound, a fair bit of guitar reverb effects and vocal effects in rear.

Hiylt: Multi-voice choral bit in all channels

4ctmam: excellent effects in rear, incl flanged guitar

Shesmovedon: wah guitar on entire right side, good surround. The "Shesmovedon" vocal from Steven that moves cycles left-to-right on the stereo mix goes to all four corners (with absolutely no bleed to the other channels - I disconnected my left rear and played the track again, and heard absolutely nothing from the other speakers).

Lctepebiir: opening acoustic solo in center back (no fronts at all); multivox choral part all around

Rwf: organ in rear channels sounds so distinct

Hatesong: spooky intro keyboard/synth effects in rears, nicely separated from Colin's bass in the fronts

Wwwb: lovely strummed acoustics in rears, excellent in-the-round sound surrounding

Roi: ethereal ghostly organ/synth, especially intro

Fsl: a less aggressive surround treatment, like the title track, due (I would guess) to the fact that there is less to throw around - there isn't 4 layers of guitars, another 3 layers of keyboards/synth/organ, etc, so rears are mainly used for reverb and backing vocals and effects.

Bonus Tracks: All treated with the same lovely surround care as the main album. I didn't take specific notes on these, so I can just say that in general, they sound like brand new songs again.

I haven't had a chance to listen to the 2-track bonus CD. Tonight, I hope...

shinksma

Although each song is mixed differently, all of them are very enveloping and are not shy about throwing something completely in the rear channels (no bleed mixed in the fronts). The mix is very open and spacious - I could hear things I had never noticed before, like little piano riffs and synth swooshes, and just a heck of a lot more detail. This is another wonderful 5.1 mix by Mr Wilson. Better than FoaBP, IMHO, which I found to be less adventurous than the other 5.1 albums.

And the DVD-A plays automatically when you hit play - no mucking about in the menus. After the main album, it then transitions to the bonus songs automatically, and then the new 2.0 mix (I think, might have been the old 2.0 mix). (Hey Neil, if this was your doing, good job!!)


second that!

now I can't wait for the weekend when I can really turn it up.

Wow, the Royal Mail, must be using teleporters. I got my email yesterday and my disks today...:)

Man mine shipped yesterday I can't wait till this puppy gets here.

shinksma, gave a thorough review. I hadn't heard LS until yesterday and only the tracks Hatesong, Shesmovedon and Buying a New Soul elsewhere. Since they were familiar, I concentrated on them more and noticed the additional detail, spacing and mix features. I've got to say it's impressive. HS is a deep and dense treat with tons of subtlety not present in the live performance. I prefer this version of Shesmovedon, than the bonus track on Deadwing, better separation, less conjestion. Buying a New Soul also benefits from the studio/surround treatment over live. The other tracks need to be listened to a few times for me to appreciate them, but like all PT, there's some real gold there.

I can't wait to get mine........thanks for the review mashink..........

It's a good effort overall musically speaking, can't say it's among my favorites so far, but it may grow on me, just like "blank planet" did. Surround and SQ is top notch however, and has been since Deadwing, so my expectation was rather high in that regard, and I'm not disappointed at all. Still gotta listen to the extras.

I received my copy this morning and I'm listening to it as I type on my computer (via Creative Mediasource player). I will load it up in my main system later. First thing I noticed was the lower volume compared to other dvd-a discs I have. Just crank it up a little and it sounds great, nice to see it's not compressed. The mix and sound is top notch as always with PT. This is my first experience with the Lightbulb Sun album, so all the songs are new to me. The album's reminds me a bit of Stupid Dream, but it's entirely unique in it's own. That's the nice thing about Porcupine Tree compared to many other artists where all their albums and songs sound the same. I really love the guitar work and the vocals on this one. Next I went to the video portion of Lightbulb Sun (via Powerdvd on the computer). Don't worry about buying this if you don't have a dvd-audio player, the full bitrate dts sounds great as well.

After a couple of listens, I'm really warming to the entire concept. It does lean more toward SD than IA, some very good songs and some wonderful harmony. The bonus disk was a nice thought, but really didn't bring anything to the table for me after the Nil Recurring bonus surround mix which I like better than than most of FOABP...memorabilia not memorable.

Boy, UK post is sure fast, but then it should be for the cost of shipping ;-)

Got mine in 2 days.

I spun it today in full DVD-A 5.1 glory on my MartinLogan 5.1 system (http://www.jonathanfoulkes.com/Home_Theater/HomeTheater.htm)(with a truly capable custom center channel to get the most out of mixes like this).

As noted above, the mix is really good, with strongly steered sound and outstanding dynamic range.

More than anything, it's the wide dynamic range that Steve uses in his music and recordings that distinguish his work and makes it so noteworthy (unlike the compressed to hell Genesis SACD fiasco).

The music is indeed more like Stupid Dream, which in my book is a good thing.

I really appreciate that Steven gives us these awesome mixes, worth every penny.

Sure wish more groups gave to the fans as much as PT.

This Light burns bright.

The bonus disk was a nice thought, but really didn't bring anything to the table for me

It's refreshing to hear an honest reply on this one. It seems like so many here are trying to justify the higher burningshed price of the disc with this bit of memorabilia.

It is two songs, in two channel, correct? I'm more interested in paying for MC/HiRez music with this release, hence the CD-wow price point.

It's refreshing to hear an honest reply on this one. It seems like so many here are trying to justify the higher burningshed price of the disc with this bit of memorabilia.

It is two songs, in two channel, correct? I'm more interested in paying for MC/HiRez music with this release, hence the CD-wow price point.

In the last week, I've grown to love this disc. You saved a few bucks, but I have the disc now (as opposed to later) and I dig it very much (as naturally I would). This is enough justification for the higher price in my opinion. :)

I too am enjoying this one. The album was a new one to me and like others I have all of the other PT 5.1 efforts. I'm loving Four Chords TMAM. Finally on my 3rd play I got to absorb it un-interrupted and it is great. I love Buying New Soul too, just great.

In other news I got Opeth's Still Life in 5.1 from Best Buy. Only DD and DTS but the DTS sounds great and the mix is really cool. Different guitar tracks in all four speakers (isolated). Great way to hear this album.

wow there's someone who loves FCTMAM heh

in Still Life does the Opeth vocalist growl?

wow there's someone who loves FCTMAM heh

On another site someone said that SW was considering dropping that track. After the 3rd listen, I'm starting to find it annoying myself.

I would like to see "So Called Friend" given the treatment. I think it's one of the stronger songs in their catalog based on the live performance and it could fit anywhere in their evolutionary timeline.

FWIW, Ama7on is listing LS as a "pre order" due May 27th now. thankfully my buddy lent me his pre-order to enjoy ...This album really grows on you. I'd never heard it before and was less impressed than with Stupid Dream, but as I said, it is just another flavor of PT and SW.

Great stuff...can't wait to try out the 5.1 on the weekend!

I can't believe so many of you have never heard Lightbulb Sun before :confused: - ya call yourself a fan? Do you only listen to MC HiRez music?

Heck, when I first discovered PT, I sought out any and all PT music I could find.

I can't believe so many of you have never heard Lightbulb Sun before :confused: - ya call yourself a fan? Do you only listen to MC HiRez music?

Heck, when I first discovered PT, I sought out any and all PT music I could find.

Whoa...I am very new to PT. I was exposed through my napster subscription a few months ago. I DL'd every single thing they offered, bought In Absentia and Deadwing as soon as I heard them the first time. And Fear.. as soon as it was released. Soon thereafter a new employee, now my friend, turned me on to all kinds of PT related stuff.

Not that I have to defend anything...especially my musical taste, habits, or collection but this is a bit knee jerk on your part.

FWIW, I am 52, a pro musician for over 44 years and when I get into a group like PT I am into them forever.

I was pleased to discover 5.1 was available for PT and I will be getting more as it is available. I really can't wait til someone really mixes and masters Genesis stuff correctly.

whatever.

I can't believe so many of you have never heard Lightbulb Sun before :confused: - ya call yourself a fan? Do you only listen to MC HiRez music?

Heck, when I first discovered PT, I sought out any and all PT music I could find.I got turned on to IA in 2004 from a recommendation here. Even before I got a universal player, the MCH DTS mix became a favorite. I've sampled a couple of CDs FOABP and the live set at the Colesseum, but the MCH lossless mixes spoiled me. I'm waiting for the entire catalog (if possible), it's that much better.

LS seems to be at a songwriting crossroad for SW. His harmony chops and ripping chorus breaks are all set to be integrated into a much more dense and complex instrumental technique. Good thing for us is that it's still evolving. PT is getting to be a better band and SW is getting more sophisticated as a songwriter with each new release. Though, for me personally, DW maybe a high water mark.

I can't believe so many of you have never heard Lightbulb Sun before :confused: - ya call yourself a fan? Do you only listen to MC HiRez music?

Yes.:) And, Yes!

I had never even heard of Porcupine Tree before this thread, doh... Not sure how I feel about them yet but thanks everyone for bringing them up, I am giving them a test drive as I type.

I had never even heard of Porcupine Tree before this thread, doh... Not sure how I feel about them yet but thanks everyone for bringing them up, I am giving them a test drive as I type.

it seems most of us got in late as far as PT is concerned. please email Steven Wilson your credit card number ASAP so its easy for you to proceed :D

seriously speaking though, if you are just getting into PT, Stars Die: The Delerium Years is fairly representative of the early PT stuff; then you can decide if you want to go back along their career and get the individual early albums (you will, and there's like 10 years of output - hence the credit card joke).

Next would be the awesome sounding Arriving Somewhere live DVD which would encapsulate the period after that

SW is also underrated as a guitarist (well, no one talks about his guitar playing that I've seen)

I was pleased to discover 5.1 was available for PT and I will be getting more as it is available. I really can't wait til someone really mixes and masters Genesis stuff correctly.

whatever.

Maybe we could ask Steven Wilson to help us out, or maybe we could have Mr. Wilson teach Nick Davis how to do it properly. ;) :D

I've been listening to LS all week on my PC at work in stereo LPCM, but finally this morning got a chance to hear it in 5.1 DTS and it really comes to life it this format. Especially the acoustic and choral type harmonies.

As for early stuff, I actually really like "On a Sunday of Life" and "Up the Downstairs" and the early live albums. I'd love to hear his project "Continuum 1 and 2" in 5.1.

wow there's someone who loves FCTMAM heh

in Still Life does the Opeth vocalist growl?

LOL, I wouldn't say 4CTMAM is my favorite on the album. At the time I was typing it was stuck in my head and in general I was enjoying hearing the tunes that were new to me on on Lightbulb Sun (I had heard other versions of 4 or so songs prior to getting it). The album is still growing on me with multiple plays, a worthy addition to the 5.1 catalog.

Opeth's vocalist does growl about 50% of the time. The nice part is that the other half of the time he's singing and there are sweet harmonies in the layering. Sort of an evil CSN. Both Still Life and Ghost Reveries are available with 5.1 mixes. If you like prog or metal in general you can get past the growling and see what a truly great band Opeth is. Ackerfield growls great too. Not for the timid perhaps but there is no "vulgarity" in their music. It's more like dark poetry. Steven Wilson has produced a couple of their cd's also, I dare say they quite influenced the heavier PT of today.

its not the vulgarity I'm worried about... just the growling turns me off. possibly more than James LaBrie

I think LS might be the best recording/mix so far. I did a comparison with FOABP/DVD A. It's very good and different type of material, but seems to be recorded much louder and without much dynamic range. LS is loaded with interwoven subtle detail. Vocals are much cleaner and throttled back as are some of the instruments. What LS lacks is Gavin Harrison :p.

I think LS might be the best recording/mix so far.
Best PT recording/mix? Hmmm...LS/Deadwing; Deadwing/LS; aw, I don't know. I think you could argue for a long time over those 2 albums.

I received my LS from Burning Shed on the 14th. Straight into the player as Porcupine Tree are playing in Melbourne this Friday (I have 6 albums to get to know in three weeks).

Last night I noticed that Burning Shed said the bonus disc with LS had sold out. Bonus disc? I had no bonus disc!?!

Thinks?

Perhaps I missed it. Out to the rubbish bin. Found the bag with the Burning Shed envelope. I quick bend through the rubbish bag suggested something might be inside.

Sure enough, still inside the envelope was my bonus disc!

If anyone thinks the bonus disc is rubbish, mine was!

One thing very noticed from playing Stupid Dream then Lightbulb Sun yesterday, and today In Absentia and now playing Deadwing, is what a huge positive difference the drumming of Gavin Harrisson makes.

As Gavin has now rehearsed with King Crimson, Gavin will be only the second Crimzoid I will have seen play live (I saw Adrian Belew four times when he played in Melbourne in 2006).

I am looking forward to seeing PT on Friday night!!

Michael
Melbourne Australia

huh.. I thought they were taking a break and Gavin was touring with KC

huh.. I thought they were taking a break and Gavin was touring with KC

They must regard playing three shows in Australia as a break :-)

I can't believe so many of you have never heard Lightbulb Sun before :confused: - ya call yourself a fan? Do you only listen to MC HiRez music?

Heck, when I first discovered PT, I sought out any and all PT music I could find.

As I recall, LS was unavailable (OOP) for quite some time until this re-release. I had heard several of the tracks from LS in other releases (like Warszawa and the DVD, Arriving Somewhere), but was nice to have the full album in 5.1 glory. The remastering and the surround-sound mixing is superb; incidentally, I didn't see Neil Wilkes listed anywhere. Perhaps his production company (Opus?) was instead? The musical style is similar to Stupid Dream but the content a little under par IMO. My favorite PT remains to be FOTBP; breathtaking in its scope and musicality, especially with the addition of the Nil Recurring EP. I hope that GH remains with PT despite his flirting with Crimso. Fripp tends to chew and spit out talented drummers.

One thing very noticed from playing Stupid Dream then Lightbulb Sun yesterday, and today In Absentia and now playing Deadwing, is what a huge positive difference the drumming of Gavin Harrisson makes.

He is a fantastic drummer and his drumming is a highlight of FOTBP, especially in surround sound when his time-keeping ticks away in the center back aural space. However, I believe that he only appeared on FOTBP and not IA or DW, where the drummer was Chris Maitland.

He is a fantastic drummer and his drumming is a highlight of FOTBP, especially in surround sound when his time-keeping ticks away in the center back aural space. However, I believe that he only appeared on FOTBP and not IA or DW, where the drummer was Chris Maitland.

Gavin has been the drummer since IA. Chris left after Lightbulb Sun. I never got to see Chris live - Gav was the drummer first time I saw them during the IA tour.

shinksma

GHs style is very noticeable on all things since IA. The guy has the chops of the great jazz/fusion drummers and can cross all genres. He took PT to the next level IMO.

Gavin has been the drummer since IA.

My bad! I thought that I heard a difference in the drumming with FOTBP; it seemed to go up a notch especially on anesthetize, but it might be how it was mixed. No matter, he's the first to have caught my attention in this manner since Bill Bruford.

I can't believe so many of you have never heard Lightbulb Sun before :confused: - ya call yourself a fan? Do you only listen to MC HiRez music?

Heck, when I first discovered PT, I sought out any and all PT music I could find.


This album on CD was OOP and only very expensive imports were available when last time I looked for it.

its not the vulgarity I'm worried about... just the growling turns me off. possibly more than James LaBrie

I've never heard LaBrie growl[on a studio album anyway] , or maybe I misunderstood what you meant by growling?

This album on CD was OOP and only very expensive imports were available when last time I looked for it.

OK, so I guess I don't have to feel bad about 'borrowing' it from the internet then :D

I've never heard LaBrie growl[on a studio album anyway] , or maybe I misunderstood what you meant by growling?

no I'm sorry - I meant the growling turns me off more than La Brie's singing - he doesn't growl

Further to my earlier posting on the bonus CD which came with LS if you got your copy from BurningShed.

What is absolutely amazing, incredibly different (for now), and has me absolutely over the moon, is....

This bonus CD is like music used to be!

It has a beautiful natural dynamic range. I am now playing it at a level of 12db higher volume than I can play compressed Porcupine Tree CDs such as Voyage 34 and On the Sunday of Life.

I must admit that after listening to several DVD-A's of Porcupine Tree today in surround, the stereo does feel rather quaint.

Cheers,
Michael

aren't you glad you rescued it! ;D

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y234/siriusc/av/wvfms/PT_Novak.jpg

OK, so I guess I don't have to feel bad about 'borrowing' it from the internet then :D

You DO have to feel bad about STEALING this from the internet! I've brought this up before. Just because it's not convenient for you to wait for a re-release of this material, it's not OK to "borrow" from the internet.

Oh man. I find it pretty amazing that people on this thread would accuse others of "stealing". My buddy lent me his new copy of LS. I haven't burned it, nor will I. But IF it weren't available for purchase and he had a copy, I'd consider it until it was available for purchase. Then I'd buy it as soon as it came out. I gave my friend his copy back yesterday and will now wait until May 27 to get my copy.

You want to get up in arms about piracy or ripping of PT, what about the "collectors" that are demanding >$200 for copys of "Recordings" on the 'bay? Do you think PT or SW will see a penny of those profits? Presumably anyone with a 5.1 or DVDA set up is quite willing to pay for the best quality possible. I certainly am.

I just received my copy of LS from CD-Wow. Yeah, they are slow as heck, but who cares, I'm spinning LS now in 5.1 glory and it's all good... :):):)

There always seems to be something disturbing, yet competely fascinating to me on PT albums. This bit of trivia from wikipedia falls into this area:

The track "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled" features a speech by the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious cult. This U.S. cult believed that they were from another planet and only visiting earth. In order to return to their own "dimension" before the earth was "recycled" they all committed mass suicide. The words are taken from the video they made before killing themselves to explain to the rest of the world why they had done it.

Thanks...I think. Every time I listened to that track I thought how cool that voice was. Now I think I'll probably just think how stupid the guy was.

I just received my copy of LS from CD-Wow. Yeah, they are slow as heck, but who cares, I'm spinning LS now in 5.1 glory and it's all good... :):):)

There always seems to be something disturbing, yet competely fascinating to me on PT albums. This bit of trivia from wikipedia falls into this area:Didn't know that...puts a kind of a Darwinian spin on that one :D.

Didn't know that...puts a kind of a Darwinian spin on that one :D.

Yeah, wikipedia has some interesting factoids, even detailing each song for some PT releases. it's fun to read the song notes while listening to the album. it brings more meaning to the songs for me.