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WAITING

Porcupine Tree

Heavy Prog


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Porcupine Tree Waiting  album cover
3.72 | 59 ratings | 3 reviews | 39% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, released in 1996

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Waiting - Phase One (4:27)
2. Waiting - Phase Two (6:19)
3. The Sound Of No-One Listening (8:14)

Total Time: 19:00
On the 12" vinyl single (DELEC EPO 49) Waiting 1 & 2 are on the A'side. The b'side is "Colourflow In Mind" (3:50) and "Fuse The Sky" (4:33)

Line-up / Musicians

- Steven Wilson / guitar, vocals, kyboards, programming
- Colin Edwin / bass
- Richard Barbieri / keyboards
- Chris Maitland / drums

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to Snow Dog for the last updates
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PORCUPINE TREE Waiting ratings distribution


3.72
(59 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(39%)
39%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(31%)
31%
Good, but non-essential (22%)
22%
Collectors/fans only (7%)
7%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

PORCUPINE TREE Waiting reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Queen By-Tor
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Worth waiting for (note, this is a review for the LP version of the single)

Waiting is a single release from the acclaimed Porcupine Tree album, Signify. It's the lengthiest song on the album (when the two parts are combined) and probably the most worthy to be put on vinyl as well. This ep was released in two editions, the CD and the LP version, with two different tracklists. They both run equally around the same amount of time, since the CD has the 8-minute long track, The Sound Of No One Listening while the LP has two shorter songs on side two.

The LP itself sounds incredible, and listening to the who phases of Waiting has never been more enjoyable than with good ol' vinyl. The second side of the EP also has two unreleased tracks, and both of them are more of kin with the band's earlier works - more psychedelic and less 'heavy', although the heavy element still sticks around as always. Colorflow In Mind could have been strait off of Up The Downstair in its subtle but large delivery while Fuse The Sky sounds like it's a section of The Sky Moves Sideways reworked and ready for action. It all comes off as very enjoyable in the end, and a nice little unheard snippet from the band's earlier days.

As for rating this one is going to get 3 out of 5. The LP version is probably more worth the buy since The Sound Of No One Listening has been made available on later releases and the title track is obviously on the studio release. But for the two rare tracks and just for the chance to hear one of the most seminal modern acts coming off the grooves of a vinyl record this is very much worth the buy. Quite rare, but if you get the chance then pick this one up.

Review by TCat
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
3 stars This single comes from the album "Signify". The one difference is that on the single, it is divided into 2 separate parts where on the album, it is all one track. Either way, it is the same song, and it is one of the band's best. It is a haunting song with excellent vocals from Steven Wilson. During the verses and chorus, it is rather mellow, but the guitar solos are nice and heavy, the way we like them. The first part ends at 4:24, which seems like a natural point to divide it. The 2nd part lasts for 6;16, and starts off with an atmospheric instrumental section which builds slowly as other instruments are introduced over the percussion. At around 4 minutes, it bursts into a beautiful guitar solo.

On the CD version of the single, the B-side is an 8 minute track called "The Sound of No-one Listening", a very powerful and emotional instrumental. This song would later be made available on the "Stars Die" compilation but in a remixed version. It starts off in a psychedelic vein with processed instruments and sound effects. A sudden percussion and bass line starts pounding away, with a mellow guitar solo and organ joining in later, giving the song a nice jazz influenced sound. Things get heavier suddenly with a swirling synth leading the way. There are definitely echoes of "Lightbulb Sun" here throughout the track. A nice flute riff calms things down, and we lose the foundation of the track when the percussion and bass disappears. At five minutes, a beautiful and atmospheric guitar starts up and this ushers in another heavy section with the returning bass/percussion foundation. The bass falls away eventually and we're left with drums and atmosphere, and soon the drums stop and we are left with ambient psychedelic sounds.

On the vinyl 12" version, instead of "The Sound of No-one Listening", we get two shorter tracks. First is "Colourflow in Mind" which is a spacey and mellow song with vocals that flows beautifully. The verses and choruses are ambient and slow but the melody is dark. A heavy guitar solo starts at 2:45 keeping the dark feel of the track apparent and it closes out the song. The other track is called "Fuse the Sky", which starts with sound effects and processed noises with the sound of waves. At 1:12, what sounds like a processed sax comes in, sounding more like some mellow bagpipes. In this song you hear shades of "The Sky Moved Sideways" as slowly strummed guitar chords and nice synth textures build the song. There are no vocals in this one, neither are there any percussion. Just a nice, peaceful song. Both of these tracks would also be later available on the "Stars Die" compilation.

So, all of these tracks are available elsewhere. However, I find them nice on either one of these single versions, because they tend to get lost on the "Stars Die" compilation as they are surrounded by other tracks that are similar in feel and so their individual power gets lost in the double album compilation. That gives this single more power and the songs more exposure. The tracks are all beautiful, but either version of the single can be pricey and hard to find. Only because of that, I would consider this a non-essential recording, but if you find it for a good price, you should definitely get it.

Latest members reviews

5 stars 5 stars for this single waiting is such a haunting song it will just stay with you. If I had to pick a favortie porcupine tree song waiting would deffently be in my top five. waiting phase II is a great instermentle with alot of percussion and a brilliant guitar solo. The sound of no-one liste ... (read more)

Report this review (#45676) | Posted by | Monday, September 5, 2005 | Review Permanlink

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