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Dayvenkirq
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 10:25 |
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 10:50 |
In Absentia is 24kt gold, but Spirit of Eden is three nines fine platinum.
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What?
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digdug
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 13 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 4707
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 11:14 |
PTree for me
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Prog On!
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TGM: Orb
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 21 2007
Location: n/a
Status: Offline
Points: 8052
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 14:22 |
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys?
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
Status: Offline
Points: 20468
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 15:35 |
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? |
Well...I'm not the one to convince you..... I quite liked their earlier work and Colour of Spring is my favorite. Spirit of Eden can be quite tedious at times in between the nice bits. For ambient fans and those who like downers...? http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=165978 a review by Queen By Tor
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin
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LearsFool
Prog Reviewer
Joined: November 09 2014
Location: New York
Status: Offline
Points: 8618
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 15:36 |
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? |
It's a unique album, the first post rock album but one that's never been replicated - Talk Talk themselves went in fairly different directions for Laughing Stock, even. There's a fusion component to it you don't see anywhere else, and it's clearly a record recorded by musicians who know the power of a note, a single one that can stand on its own and its place in a group of notes, plus the power of silence, and can improvise with that in mind. This is ultimately a sheerly beautiful and moving work, in both the instruments and the mighty and emotional vocals. And the first side of the album is quite simply one of the best medleys in musical history.
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Man With Hat
Collaborator
Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
Joined: March 12 2005
Location: Neurotica
Status: Offline
Points: 166178
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 16:02 |
PT
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Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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Evolutionary Sleeper
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2008
Location: Berkeley, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 7037
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 16:39 |
Spirit of Eden easily, top 10 album for me.
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Dayvenkirq
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 16:41 |
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? | I honestly don't know much about VU. I only heard their album with Nico, and it does not remind me of Spirit Of Eden that much.
I think it all really depends on what it is you are looking for, and you may not be one of those people that it's meant for (I suppose). I'm not saying you may not be one of their target audience because, ... well, ... according to Mark Hollis, Talk Talk and Tim Friese-Greene didn't really have a target audience in mind.
My observations: - I like this kind of subtle music. The band doesn't sound like they are trying to impress you. They just take it easy. - Everything sounds great, clean. The tone of every instrument and vocal sounds just the way it's supposed to. - The album has a remarkably ... ebony-and-ivory character to it! Besides having some classical and ambient influences, the music is rootsy, improvised, and it's got soul. And they've got a great instrumental variety. Points for the eclecticism. - Speaking of musical textures and elements on the record: ... they are so damn progressive, though the tracks are actually songs ... with refrains! The beat is steady to hold things together, but the musicians used for the album were cutting some nifty chunks. Quality writing and production.
This is the best answer I can give you. I really do think that LearsFool said it all best, especially about the "silence" part. I didn't get the album the first time (maybe second), but I wanted to absorb every note of it. Worth playing it time and again.
Edited by Dayvenkirq - September 16 2015 at 11:50
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t d wombat
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 14 2007
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 504
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Posted: September 15 2015 at 21:39 |
dr wu23 wrote:
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? |
Well...I'm not the one to convince you..... I quite liked their earlier work and Colour of Spring is my favorite. Spirit of Eden can be quite tedious at times in between the nice bits. For ambient fans and those who like downers...? http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=165978 a review by Queen By Tor
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I've just realised you were both being negative. I'm most definitely an Ambient fan, and my favourite music to come, indirectly, out of the Velvets would have to be John Cale in mellow mode. Ergo TT works for me. I don't get bored with it indeed I wish it was longer. Much as I do like to hurl my frame about the living room, in a manner someone once compared to a constipated ostrich, really my favourite thing is to engage Guru Sennheiser and become one with the sofa.
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Andrew B
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” ― Julius Henry Marx
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Komandant Shamal
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 02 2015
Location: Yugoslavia
Status: Offline
Points: 954
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 02:38 |
i voted for "Spirit of Eden".
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Cristi
Special Collaborator
Crossover / Prog Metal Teams
Joined: July 27 2006
Location: wonderland
Status: Offline
Points: 41327
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 02:41 |
In Absentia (2002) - Porcupine Tree
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chopper
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 13 2005
Location: Essex, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 19942
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 04:03 |
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? |
All I can say is sit yourself down in a quiet room one evening with no distractions, put "Spirit of Eden" on and immerse yourself in it. For me this is about the best experience in music there is.
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chopper
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 13 2005
Location: Essex, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 19942
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 04:04 |
t d wombat wrote:
in a manner someone once compared to a constipated ostrich
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That reminds me of my son who once compared my singing to the sound of a badger having a heart attack.
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TGM: Orb
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 21 2007
Location: n/a
Status: Offline
Points: 8052
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 06:25 |
Great responses - I'll give it another shot : )
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Raff
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 29 2005
Location: None
Status: Offline
Points: 24391
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 07:03 |
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? |
Personally, I don't want to humble anyone. I believe I am somewhat
smarter than that. However, while I do occasionally enjoy listening to
Porcupine Tree (as opposed to bands such as Dream Theater, who give me
hardly any enjoyment at all), I don't consider any of their albums
(especially the later ones) as masterpieces. On the other hand, I
genuinely enjoy Spirit of Eden. If you don't like it, that's OK -
I just don't understand the point of asking us why you should find
something to like in it, which sounds just a tad patronizing, if you ask
me. Anyway, the point of the whole "Summer Madness" thing was NEVER to force anyone to like anything. As Micky and I happen to live under ths same roof, I know for certain that his main aim was discovery, not coercion.
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TGM: Orb
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 21 2007
Location: n/a
Status: Offline
Points: 8052
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 08:27 |
Raff wrote:
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? |
Personally, I don't want to humble anyone. I believe I am somewhat
smarter than that. However, while I do occasionally enjoy listening to
Porcupine Tree (as opposed to bands such as Dream Theater, who give me
hardly any enjoyment at all), I don't consider any of their albums
(especially the later ones) as masterpieces. On the other hand, I
genuinely enjoy Spirit of Eden. If you don't like it, that's OK -
I just don't understand the point of asking us why you should find
something to like in it, which sounds just a tad patronizing, if you ask
me.
Anyway, the point of the whole "Summer Madness" thing was NEVER to force anyone to like anything. As Micky and I happen to live under ths same roof, I know for certain that his main aim was discovery, not coercion.
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I come across wrong sometimes and I'm not looking to humble or patronise people. I didn't really see anything in Talk Talk personally on the first run; there wasn't really any discussion or people explaining why they loved it in the first page and I wanted to go in again with a better idea of what other people were going for. I really appreciate the responses and love people arguing for something they love, even if I don't end up going for it. Like, I'm more interested in why people like things rather than whether they like them, there's been some really good discussion that helps me appreciate stuff more in these polls and that's part of discovery for me. I really appreciate all the responses on it.
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t d wombat
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 14 2007
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 504
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 16:48 |
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Andrew B
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” ― Julius Henry Marx
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t d wombat
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 14 2007
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 504
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Posted: September 16 2015 at 17:21 |
TGM: Orb wrote:
Raff wrote:
TGM: Orb wrote:
I understand the instinct to want to humble Porcupine Tree, I really do but... does anyone have an argument for why Spirit of Eden is any good? The bits I liked the most sounded like Velvet Underground after a calming valium. The rest... nothing doing that I enjoyed.
Anyway, pitch it to me guys? |
Personally, I don't want to humble anyone. I believe I am somewhat
smarter than that. However, while I do occasionally enjoy listening to
Porcupine Tree (as opposed to bands such as Dream Theater, who give me
hardly any enjoyment at all), I don't consider any of their albums
(especially the later ones) as masterpieces. On the other hand, I
genuinely enjoy Spirit of Eden. If you don't like it, that's OK -
I just don't understand the point of asking us why you should find
something to like in it, which sounds just a tad patronizing, if you ask
me.
Anyway, the point of the whole "Summer Madness" thing was NEVER to force anyone to like anything. As Micky and I happen to live under ths same roof, I know for certain that his main aim was discovery, not coercion.
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I come across wrong sometimes and I'm not looking to humble or patronise people. I didn't really see anything in Talk Talk personally on the first run; there wasn't really any discussion or people explaining why they loved it in the first page and I wanted to go in again with a better idea of what other people were going for. I really appreciate the responses and love people arguing for something they love, even if I don't end up going for it. Like, I'm more interested in why people like things rather than whether they like them, there's been some really good discussion that helps me appreciate stuff more in these polls and that's part of discovery for me. I really appreciate all the responses on it.
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I think I do actually see where you were coming from but for some people it can get rather frustrating when certain acts or albums achieve a level of popularity that appears to be well above that which they deserve. Of course one mans meat is another's poison and all that but when one sees or hears popular mediocrity it can be somewhat disheartening. (I am not btw saying PT is mediocre and hey, I'm a lover of Genesis that certain malcontents around here feel are vastly overrated ) Back in the day, I was totally immersed in what now seems to be called Symphonic plus a bit of Ambient and Electro. I most unfairly dismissed what I now realise were many fine performers. While I seriously doubt Zeuhl or Rio/Avant and I will ever be lovers what I have gathered from much of this is an awakening for some forms that I've never fully appreciated and a reawakening for some that I put aside decades ago and havn't revisited since. What I have learnt is to stop going into any new (to me) album with preconceived notions. Just listen to the bloody thing and see what stirs, too boot just because I didn't like it in 1975 doesn't mean I won't get it now. It's not all about the massed waves of Mellotrons. (sorry if that sounds at all preachy, that was not my intent.)
Edited by t d wombat - September 16 2015 at 17:41
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Andrew B
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” ― Julius Henry Marx
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Meltdowner
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 25 2013
Location: Portugal
Status: Offline
Points: 10215
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Posted: September 19 2015 at 07:44 |
Another vote for Talk Talk, you were right, it's really great and unique! In Absentia is not my favourite PT album, although it was great seeing "Sound of Muzak" played live the other day.
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