LOST SONGS VOL - 1

For all you Porcupine Tree fans unfamiliar with No-Man, this is a Steve Wilson project that predates PT and is still alive to this day. It is a collaboration with vocalist Tim Bowness that also has some interesting guests that prog fans might be familiar with ? Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, and Roger Eno (may be leaving some others out).

There is a huge catalog of albums. Some are out of print, some in the process of going back into print. Typically they do a lot of ambient oriented stuff, though not exclusively. Never seen anything at my local record stores, but stuff is currently readily available on the Internet and particularly at the PT website!

This is strictly a studio based "band". Steve does most of the instruments. I think I went kind of overboard in collecting their titles as I now find Bowness' vocal style to be better taken in smaller doses. Still, he's a good vocalist and interesting lyric writer. Sometimes reminds me of Pete Sinfield.

This disc is an interesting compilation of songs from various sessions that didn't make it on to each of several albums. I can certainly recommend it to PT fans interested in exploring a different side of Wilson. Most of the tracks here are harder edged pieces than their usual. The two tracks with Fripp and Collins alone make this release worth the price of admission. Fripp's contribution to Hard Shoulder (1994) is very early 80's King Crimson style. Collins sax is hard jazz style (I should know this particular style name, apologies). Coming Through Slaughter has their contributions being of more of a tossing in the occasional cool solo nature. Check out the album Flowermouth for many more tracks with Fripp and Collins. Also particularly of interest, Love Among The White Trash could almost be mistaken for a progressive Bowie piece.