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DISCOGRAPHY REVIEWS

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PORCUPINE TREE

Discussing and reviewing every song and album released by the band. Regularly stopping at appropriate intervals to assess the band's progress and examine the evolution of their music.

All PT fans and newcomers alike are encouraged to join in on the discussion.

In July of 1991 the band released their first album.



As much as it would be cherished in later years by those following in the band, it failed to mark a definitive splash on the musical scene. In retrospect, many have concluded that On the Sunday of Life is Porcupine Tree's worst album. Some go so far to even say they only consider the release to be a collection of individual songs, favoring Up The Downstair (1993) to be the first real PT album.

But is this really the case..........?

ON THE SUNDAY OF LIFE

1. Music For The Head


Instrumental.

Haunting, atmospheric and interesting. The first song from their first album has a unique sound that hasn't been carried over to subsequent albums. Reasonably easy listening. If not a little bit too quiet.

6 / 10

(not sure if you want just one rating per song, Franky, so I'll stay with track one since you gimme the explaination)

My overall rating of the album is a 7/10 since it is not more than a bunch of the more song like home demos of SW.
I prefer "Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape" to it which is the better second-half and collection of his old home demos to me.

1. Music for the head

At least Wilson picked up his flute regularly in the 80s.
This is not much more than a worthy intro but it works...which means I can't rate it standing alone.
I like the trippy atmosphere.

Yeah I figure we just go track by track until we reach the end of an album, whereby we give a full review of the album. You'll have to make sure I don't miss any valuable rare trax though. I'm trying to get through it chronologically.

Edit: Oh yeah, no need to race ahead just yet. Let's wait for epitome

I think it would work best if you always "open" the next track / the final album review for us to follow...my master

Anaway, since I feel there's a need to rate every individual track,

Music for the head earns 7/10 from me.

Edit: By the way, great idea to start this thing

Music For The Head - 7/10

A nice way to start the album. Not really amazing, but it has a pretty cool vibe.

Always reminded me of something you'd hear in Zelda. 6....nice way to kick off the atmosphere.

That's 4 on board If anyone shows up 'late', they can fill us in what we missed.

2. Jupiter Island

Catchy upbeat, with silly lyrics. I think this what they were talking about when Porcupine Tree started out as a joke band. Still, there's so many cool atmospheric sounds going on in the background ... it's hard not to dance to this song.

7

Cool idea to start a PT review. There's so much music to get through! We might have to skip the filler songs and concentrate on the proper songs on the albums?

Music for the head: 6 (Not much to say about this one. It's a 'mood setter')

Jupiter Island: 5 (Wilson's voice sounds so young in this track! It's going to be difficult to rate these early songs in comparison to the later greater stuff!)

Well I think we should do those filler songs anyway. IMO they drag the album down a bit, but you might feel differently.

I don't mind reviewing all the little filler tracks too. Just thought it might have gotten a little tedious for people. But I could be wrong.

If it's tedious to comment / rate, then only Porcupine Tree are to blame ...

Then blame Mr Wilson we shall...

2: Jupiter Island

If the voice wasn'that pitched this could easily get more points. SW should have sung it with his normal voice. I like the track itsself it's a cheering psychedelic rocksong, a trashy hommage to early Floyd and Elevators with LSD-driven colour-lyrics.

also 7/10 points.

Jupiter Island - 4/10

This kinda sums up the album for me. It could have been good, if it was done seriously, but most of the album is too jokey, like SW wasn't confident enough to think he could seriously do it back then. It was all started as a 1970s prog-rock parody, so I suppose it makes sense, but it's pretty cheesy to listen to.

3. Third Eye Surfer

Useless outro from Jupiter Island. I guess this falls in line with the Pink Floyd parody of connecting all the songs together, but really this (and others) shouldn't have made it to the album.

3

3. Third Eye Surfer

An outro/intro/whatever to connect to the next song.
Pretty useless as a standalone since there's another intro following, but pretty amazing in the context of this collection's flow.

6.5 / 10

3. Third Eye Surfer

5

Another 2 1/2 min self-indulgent little ditty.

Jupiter Island - 6

Third Eye Surfer - 4

4. On the Sunday of Life

Pretty much an intro to The Nostalgia Factory. Better than Third Eye Surfer, but nowhere near Music For The Head. Parts of it are interesting, and set a nice landscape... But I'm taking a point off for the meltdown at the end.

4