Helpful ReplySteven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy?

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bitflipper
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2015/10/08 21:54:53 (permalink)

Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy?

A random find, this fellow by the name of Steven Wilson. What grabbed my attention by the throat was how spectacularly good the recordings are, especially on his latest stuff.  Hooray! Dynamics are not dead after all! 
 
The only criticism I have is that some of the vocal pitch correction is a little clumsy in places. Other than that (and you have to listen closely to hear it), every instrument and vocal track is nearly flawless. I don't know how much credit belongs to Wilson and how much to his engineer, but the end result is pretty durn good.
 
Example (note: starts out slow and builds - don't give up on it, at least until the guitar solo):

 
Another one, off his newest album (love how this builds):

 
And one more, if you're digging this so far...love the way this tune takes its time to build.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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#1
stickman393
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/08 22:19:14 (permalink)
Oh, Bit, you're in for a treat. Steven Wilson has been turning out tastefully produced Emo-Prog for years now. Each album better than the last, with the exception of Hand.Cannot.Erase which in my opinion merely maintains the excellent standard set by "Raven".
 
 
#2
bitflipper
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/08 22:53:44 (permalink)
I just ordered the most-recent release on CD from Amazon. It was only a dollar more than the MP3 download, and I'll have an uncompressed hard copy to stash away. Only downside is waiting 2 weeks for a package from New Jersey.


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mumpcake
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/08 23:31:13 (permalink)
You probably want to check out his main project, Porcupine Tree, as well as his other project, Blackfield.
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yorolpal
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/08 23:49:04 (permalink)
Don't know a thing about him but sounds totally ITB to me. And for me that's not a bad thing at all.

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backwoods
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/08 23:53:28 (permalink)
This is the guy who Brandon Ryan really liked.
 
http://www.soundonsound.c...cles/porcupinetree.htm
post edited by backwoods - 2015/10/09 00:11:28
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jamesg1213
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 02:34:37 (permalink)
Love his stuff. My favourite is 'I Drive The Hearse'. He's also a prolific remixer of other bands, been doing a lot of work on Jethro Tull's back catalogue.

 
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craigb
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 03:45:31 (permalink)
He's also part of Storm Corrosion though the Raven That Refused To Sing is probably his best known solo work (with Porcupine Tree obviously being what he's most known for).
 
Didn't we have a thread about his a few months ago?

 
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 04:11:08 (permalink)
One of the best, IMHO. I have not heard his remixes of some classic 1970's prog albums, including Yes, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant. If anyone is going to so a good job of it its Steven Wilson.

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Moshkito
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 10:21:41 (permalink)
Hi,
 
Steven has been at it for 25 years. Started out in his garage and sold cassettes of a band, that he played all instruments on. And it became successful.
 
From that "Porcupine Tree" was made, with some excellent musicians, that were not beginners, most notably is Richard Barbieri, who had done keyboards for a group named Japan in the 80's. And PT did fairly well, however, when it got to the part where you either become a major rock band, a top ten, or top five act, the band ... did not make it for whatever reason, and some of it might have had to do with Steven wanting to have a harder edge in his rock material. And while the last three albums is fantastic, in the end, it was not appreciated as much as it should have been. "Deadwing" is an excellent album, the following just as good and the last one, was very good, but it would have been better if it was just a single CD instead of 2, with a piece or two taken out ... but by then, a few things were obvious.
 
Steven Wilson was bored with Richard's work, which is as close to Pink Floyd's Rick Wright as you will ever hear. Almost all of his keyboard work is "atmospheric", and not exactly a ditty or a portion of a song. And Steven, on his own for a couple of years now, apparently on sabbatical from PT, does not sound half as good as the PT atmospheric sound, specially in the earlier days. With "The Incident" some of that was gone, and in his own solo albums, I could not help the feeling .. this was just another song ... with the "wholesome" design of the band, totally gone.
 
In between, Steven has done something that he knows well ... he is a studio master, and spent a lot of time with Robert Fripp and Gary Green, and this got him to re-do various albums by King Crimson, and Gentle Giant, and later some YES and other bands. Honestly, I did not find his mixes any better than the original, and it only felt like the guitar was closer to your ear and the saxonphone wasn't ... duhhhhh ... I guess the saxophone doesn't count as a rock instrument. GG was already excellent, even without the "mix", as were many of the others, and I found the whole thing silly and another perfect record company ruse ... in this case a nice one for Robert Fripp that would go out selling those versions and not carry the older stuff in his website! Or distribution channels!
 
Solo ... I have not enjoyed SW as well as I have the whole PT band. it lacks a "totality" that in the single albums could be considered "ego", and "opinion", that I have not enjoyed, not that it was not there before, but it was quieter, then. I haven't even gotten the last album, as I have other priorities of material to get for my collection to replace LP's, which ought to tell you how much I care about that work, but he is very good ... and in terms of production, superlative and even better ... very clear and detailed, and this makes his work (sometimes) seem even better than it really is.
post edited by Moshkito - 2015/10/09 10:38:29

Music is not about notes and chords! My poem is not about the computer or monitor or letters! It's about how I was able to translate it from my insides! 
#10
ampfixer
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 14:02:49 (permalink)
Something about musicians named Wilson. Steven reminds me of a modern day Brian. I saw him in Toronto a couple years ago and he's a great player who hires even better players to work with. He really thinks outside the box and releases material in both stereo and surround sound in uber high fidelity. A musician for audiophiles and rockers alike.

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kzmaier
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 14:06:39 (permalink)
++1 Big fan for years, check out Blackest Eyes.  Also checkout live concert "Arriving Somewhere not here".
post edited by kzmaier - 2015/10/09 14:16:57

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mgh
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 16:01:31 (permalink)
He is also a well known producer having worked with Opeth amongst others

Memorare debut album 'Philistine' available now http://blackwoodproductio...philistine-digipack-cd
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batsbrew
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 17:41:27 (permalink)
bitflipperSteven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy?
 



 
heheh, i think the question should be "who hasn't heard of steven wilson......"
and folks that live under rocks are off the hook.
 

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batsbrew
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/09 17:44:37 (permalink)
hand. cannot. erase.
 
https://youtu.be/m6m6MuzPE9I
 
key word: guthrie govan

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Moshkito
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/10 13:01:22 (permalink)
ampfixer
... A musician for audiophiles and rockers alike.



As I said ... someone that ends up making his music sound way better than it really is, or might be.
 
Don't get me wrong, I like the quality, it is exceptional, but in many ways, the music is half empty for me, and the effect is not as valuable all around.

Music is not about notes and chords! My poem is not about the computer or monitor or letters! It's about how I was able to translate it from my insides! 
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Moshkito
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/10 13:04:19 (permalink)
Hi,
 
One last comment ... Steven can also be mean spirited. In 1999, at the Progressive Rock Festival, I was one of the official photographers for the whole event and Steven would not allow any pictures to be taken, and the only pictures I snuck in were the ones without a flash, but not of the band, or him, as the staging made it hard to be able to get to him and the band together. The producer was upset with this, since it was HIS CONCERT, and he had a right to the pictures.  I have pics of all the others on my website, and Mr. tooselfinvolved is the only one not there.
 
And I have never charged for my pictures and always gave the musicians a 5x7 set of all the negatives that came back good. Many examples on my own website, specially GONG.
 
But, it defined "ego" from "music" for me, not that I already did not know about it.
post edited by Moshkito - 2015/10/10 13:19:10

Music is not about notes and chords! My poem is not about the computer or monitor or letters! It's about how I was able to translate it from my insides! 
#17
batsbrew
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/10 21:58:32 (permalink)
sour grapes?
 

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craigb
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/10 22:18:07 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby jamesg1213 2015/10/11 03:21:32
batsbrew
sour grapes?
 




Make for quite a whine, ya? 

 
Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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ampfixer
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/10 22:38:05 (permalink)
Failure to get the shots is the performers fault? Was he wearing a bag over his head during the performance?

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#20
bitflipper
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/11 11:15:15 (permalink)
batsbrew
bitflipperSteven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy?

heheh, i think the question should be "who hasn't heard of steven wilson......"
and folks that live under rocks are off the hook.

Yup, that's me.
But my rock's quite comfortable and it's taken me 64 years to find just the right one to call home.
 


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craigb
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/11 17:59:14 (permalink)
Rock on Bitflipper! 

 
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Garry Stubbs
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/12 19:11:51 (permalink)
I went to see him and his band just a couple of weeks ago for two successive sell out nights at The Royal Albert Hall in London. First night he played the whole of the Hand Cannot Erase Album, plus some other stellar material from his back catalogue. For the second night, he had a host of guest artists and plundered both his solo and Porcupine Tree material in what was a quite stunning night of music...


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dede
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/12 19:14:54 (permalink)
I saw him some month ago on his current tour, I have anything he released (well, sort of, the guy is prolific) an dI just can say it's pure genius for me.
Love it.

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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/13 04:17:01 (permalink)
I've been listening to PT for some years and I have most of their stuff.
 
As for PT being SW's main project... I wish that as the case... He hasn't done any PT stuff for ages.
 
I am not a fan of his solo stuff, but Blackfield is okay...

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Moshkito
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/13 10:19:09 (permalink)
craigb
batsbrew
sour grapes?
 




Make for quite a whine, ya? 




Vinegar, mostly ... but for me, SW was the vinegar ... the picture I have of Richard setting up the replacement synthesizers for the Prophet 5 spill, is priceless ... and a treasure moment, because you know the guy cares about what he does, and how he does it.
 
So, sour grapes, for me, is no big deal ... I did all the other bands, and didn't need an arsenic to be a rock star and I was not about to kish his dush!

Music is not about notes and chords! My poem is not about the computer or monitor or letters! It's about how I was able to translate it from my insides! 
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Moshkito
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/13 10:26:05 (permalink)
ampfixer
Failure to get the shots is the performers fault? Was he wearing a bag over his head during the performance?



He made it VERY CLEAR, AND LOUD, that he wanted no pictures taken before the show. Which had Sean Ahearn not happy ... (he produced the show).  So go ahead and kish his ash, now, since Pedro couldn't possibly be right, and you lack the respect! Even as a joke, that's screwed up! At least, I respected him and his wishes and kept all pictures to the minimum, and only 3 shots made it to the end!
post edited by Moshkito - 2015/10/13 10:47:06

Music is not about notes and chords! My poem is not about the computer or monitor or letters! It's about how I was able to translate it from my insides! 
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Moshkito
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Re: Steven Wilson - anybody familiar with this guy? 2015/10/13 10:33:19 (permalink)
The Kiosk Project
I went to see him and his band just a couple of weeks ago for two successive sell out nights at The Royal Albert Hall in London. First night he played the whole of the Hand Cannot Erase Album, plus some other stellar material from his back catalogue. For the second night, he had a host of guest artists and plundered both his solo and Porcupine Tree material in what was a quite stunning night of music...



I will never, ever, fault his ability or the quality of the shows. Even without the proper keyboard, in that show in 1999, PT sounded astoundingly good, despite a roadie spending his time trashing it. I didn't know the music then, but if you were listening ... you would go ... wow ... that is nice stuff! And nicely done, too! I would expect SW to be as good, if not better on his own. I simply prefer PT, over SW any day. 

Music is not about notes and chords! My poem is not about the computer or monitor or letters! It's about how I was able to translate it from my insides! 
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