Porcupine Tree - Did you discover them because of Surround Sound?

[sKiZo]

OK ... if you thought In Abstentia was good on the home system ...

Just got back off the road. Try it mixed down to 2 channel MP3 ... cranked up to 11 on the two lane twisties from the fairing of an 800 pound motorcycle.

Wahoo!!

 

[baniels]

Came across them mentioned a few times over at AVS. Picked up a disc or two and proceeded to buy everything I could get my hands on. Gavin Harrison is now one of my favorites drummers. His DVD's are excellent also.

 

[LMonaco]

Thanks to the great folks at QQ, I was turned on to PT.

What a find, not only in this forum, but in SW and PT!

Ditto

 

[filper]

I found a copy of 'Lightbulb Sun' DVD-A on the rack at HMV last weekend for only $20.

It included a copy of the CD.

Great album. Great packaging. Great surround mix.

 

[shinksma]

I first heard about PTree back in 1993-ish, just before or maybe right when Sky Moves Sideways was released - heard the first two releases (OTSOL and UtD) and was hooked. They were recommended due to Floyd influences - I'm a huge Floyd Droid.

I then scrambled to get the new SMS release, and never looked back. I missed out on a few rarities - not knowing that's what they were and would go OOP, but have pretty well the whole catalog. Naturally I was ecstatic when I heard In Absentia was going to to be released in 5.1. 5.1 wasn't reason I got into PTree, but PTree might be why I'm such a strong believer in MCH music (DSOTM SACD being the other - that was my first 5.1 release, and was the trigger for getting an SACD/DVD-A player).

Of course, SW's other projects are great in 5.1 too, like Bass Communion, No Man, and influenced Opeth to release and re-mix for 5.1 too.

shinksma

 

[shinksma]

I first heard about PTree back in 1993-ish, just before or maybe right when Sky Moves Sideways was released...
shinksma

Hmph, first post here at QQ, and I have to quote myself to correct myself.

Upon review, SMS was released in 1995, so I must have heard about PTree in late 1994 or early 1995, finally getting my hands on some disks in mid-late 1995 I'm guessing. But I might be off by a year - could have been early 1996 when I finally got OTSOL and UtD, after SMS was released.

shinksma

 

[dobyblue]

I first heard PT from a dts sampler that had "The Sound of Musak" on it and picked up the dts release of the album a few months later.

Still haven't listened to anything else yet, but thoroughly enjoy the MLP layer of In Absentia and would be open to suggestions about which title to get next.

 

[daved64]

Came across them mentioned a few times over at AVS. Picked up a disc or two and proceeded to buy everything I could get my hands on. Gavin Harrison is now one of my favorites drummers. His DVD's are excellent also.

Gavin and Mike Portnoy are my current fave drummers.

 

[dobyblue]

Carter Beauford and Danny Carey are mine, but mad respect for Portnoy and Peart and really enjoy everything I've heard on the PT album I have as well.

I have added them to my Ticketmaster warnings so I can catch them live next time they're around.

 

[mrtanner]

I first heard PT from a dts sampler that had "The Sound of Musak" on it and picked up the dts release of the album a few months later.

Still haven't listened to anything else yet, but thoroughly enjoy the MLP layer of In Absentia and would be open to suggestions about which title to get next.

It depends on what you like best on "In Absentia". "Deadwing" is probably the most similar stylistically. "Stupid Dream" is musically a bit lighter with more of a pop feel. All have excellent 5.1 mixes.

 

[dobyblue]

It depends on what you like best on "In Absentia". "Deadwing" is probably the most similar stylistically. "Stupid Dream" is musically a bit lighter with more of a pop feel. All have excellent 5.1 mixes.

I believe my favourite tracks are Trains, Sound of Musak and then the two that flow into each other (think it's Prodigal>.3) is probably the shining moment of the album for me.

 

[Brett]

I read about PT on SA-CD.net and then found Lightbulb Sun at Best Buy and I had a$10 discount so I thought what could I lose. Very glad I found out about them and enjoy several of their albums in particular "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dreams". I can go without "In Absentia". Also have SW's solo album and 2 No-Man albums since they are all in surround and enjoy all three. I very seldom listen in mono or stereo. Actually in the last 6 months the only stereo listening I've done was Eleanor McEvoy's "Love Must Be Tough". An excelelnt album that would've been a lot better in a good involving surround mix, not an ambience type surround.

After reading the review of Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings on QQ I'm interested in that.

 

[LizardKing]

I got into PT from a friend at work in about 2005 who gave me mp3 copies of Deadwing and In Absentia. I'd heard of them before then (in 2001) from someone who said I'd like them based on the fact that I like King Crimson and Yes...

Anyway after listening to (and liking) the MP3s I was searching a site for more DVD-As/SACDs (Acoustic Sounds - IIRC) and found out that they had DVD-As!!! The rest is history... :banana:

They are now one of my favourite groups...

 

[SMS]

I almost feel like I've "grown up" with Porcupine Tree. I've been a fan my entire adult life. I became a fan of them in 1995 when a friend gave me a copy of The Sky Moves Sideways, and shortly after they released Signify. I loved those albums right away, and Porcupine Tree quickly became my favorite band. I was 22 year old then.

I've always been interested in hi-fi audio, but stereo only at that time. That changed in around 2000 when I bought my first 5.1 system. That is when I started to explore SACD and DVDA. So... you can imagine how excited I was when it was announced that "In Absentia" was going to be released as a DVDA! That was in 2003 I believe. I was hooked!

Since then, as everyone here knows, nearly all PT albums have been released on DVDA, and SW has become one of the most "in-demand" surround mixers. It seems that just as I was getting interested in surround music, so was SW. The timing was perfect. I love (nearly) everything he does and he is definitely my favorite active musician. His music is brilliant and his 5.1 mixes are incredible. Even is live shows are amongst the best sounding I've seen (and I've seen a lot). He can do it all...

I don't know how he finds the time to do everything he does, but I sincerely hope he can keep it going! Thanks Steven!

 

[kap'n krunch]

ANSWER:NO
I had a boss a few years ago(who I still keep in touch with!) who actually recommended them to me...imagine that..having a boss who loves PROG!!! (I gave him a couple of CD-Rs with needledrops I did in 96/24 : Yes"Drama" UK pressing and UK "Danger Money" Japanese pressing...they sound great!)

Yes, so I got a few of their DVD-As now...

I think it's a good thing I'm open minded..up to a point...

First, I love SW surround mixes...and then , I saw them in 2009 and they blew me away...(Gavin , especially!)

 

[IanProudfoot]

Yes:
I saw so many references to Porcupine Tree on this forum that I had to hear what all the fuss was about. I finally listened to them on Spotify and was instantly convinced that this was something special. So I now have all of their DVD-A releases except Deadwing. Any idea where I could find a copy of that in 5.1?

Ian

 

[efb18]

Yes and no.
I had just bought a surround sound system in the early or mid ‘00s (originally just for watching films) and read about music mixed for 5.1. Reading about what was available I came across Porcupine Tree, and this piqued my interest because of Richard Barbieri. Being a huge Japan fan I decided to blindly buy “In Absentia” as my first 5.1 album. So it’s partially because of 5.1, partially because of Richard Barbieri.

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

Now, here’s a Thread I’ve never seen before.

I voted ‘Yes’.

 

[edisonbaggins]

No. Because of Alex Lifeson's solo on Anesthetize.

 

[Bill B]

I voted no.
I heard about them from Classic Rock Magazine. The first cd I bought was "In Absentia" when it was first released based on the review I read in CRM. I quickly followed that up with the compilation "Stars Die: The Delerium Years 1991 - 1997". Then I started picking up all those early years cds and any new ones as they came out. Of course I have picked up every PT/SW in surround as well. It was a happy accident that "In Absentia" was available on DVD-A when I got my first surround system in the early 2000's (when I first saw the original batch Sony sacds displayed in Circuit City).