HOLD OUR FIRE

"Hold Our Fire" is the live document from their "Dissolution" tour with the title coming from a line in the song "Not Naming Any Names". K-Scope sure knows how to do things right, just a beautiful package with thick liner notes which are full of nothing but pictures. So glad they did that and certainly from these photos it's clear to see Bruce and bass player Jon Sykes have a special relationship that has been going on for almost 20 years. He was a guest on "Variations Of A Dream" from 2003 before joining as a full time member the next year on "12 Stories Down". They have London guitarist George Marios adding backing vocals and guitar, kind of like what John Wesley used to do with PORCUPINE TREE during the live gigs.

They thank ORK who they were touring with and I do like that band with former PT musician Colin Edwin on bass. They also thank the Hamburg police for escorting them out of downtown Hamburg. So we get 9 tracks worth 50 minutes with the first eight being from "Dissolution" and closing with "3000 Days" the name of their first compilation recording and a song from "Someone Here Is Missing". It's an interesting way to end it as it sounds different from the rest of the music. I mean it's fun and energetic and when it ends Bruce says "That was fun". There is some sad music on here like "Not Naming Any Names" and "Shed A Light" but we really get some attitude at times on this album with the vocal style and some outbreaks too of course.

Top three has to include "Threatening War" the second track which also starts out sad and I can relate Bruce to your words. When it kicks in and picks up at 1 1/2 minutes it creates a great contrast which continues throughout. "Far Below" has some power to it and even what sounds like mellotron. I like the vocal melodies and that sound starting before 2 1/2 minutes. A moving and powerful piece. By far the best track and one of PINEAPPLE THEIF's best is "White Mist" at over 10 minutes it could even be longer, it's so good. A gorgeous sound to it, I mean it couldn't be much better. I found "All That You've Got" interesting only because it is so catchy and they would go more in this direction with their nest album "Versions Of The Truth".

A very solid live record and for many "Dissolution" is their favourite album by this band so this is well worth getting for fans of the band. I still hold "Your Wilderness" up as their best studio record and "Where We Stood" as my favourite live record by this band.