OFF: Porcupine Tree

[Jon Jarrett]

        Forgive me clearing out some old with the new here...

On Sun, 17 Jun 2001, ANDREW GARIBALDI wrote:

> far from it - I like the idea of any of these bands attainign commercial
> success - the more the merrier - I just don't think that it can happen to PT
> simply because, no matter how hard Wilson and Delerium try to have it
> otherwise,they are seen by the media as a prog-rock band, and therfore
> suffer all the commercial pitfalls that such a tag entails - no matter how
> many singles they put out,they won;t get radio one on their side. However,
> they may get radio two (for USA readers the equivalent of a semi-serious
> seventies/eighties station that still also can't get its feet out of the
> '50's and '60's) to play things but that is far from the minds of labels and
> group - they want to be 'now' and 'trendy' but as a PT fan, this just won't
> work for this band. I suppose the same would apply to Hawkwind really. As to
> Queens, well, since Jo Whiley made a single by them her record of the
> week,they have been deemed radio friendly. Roll on someone finding Anathema.
> The power of the UK DJ in all its glory.

        Well, yes, that's what it takes isn't it, except it has to be the
right DJ. I mean, Mark Radcliffe's played both PT and HW before now but
not at that kind of exposure. But, with the possible exception of `Four
Chords' (Maybe `Hatesong'? I'm not sure) none of PT's singles are strong
to stand that sort of air-play and mostly they don't bounce enough. `Four
Chords' is too, dare I say it, psychedelic anyway, in a modern way not a
Kulashaker way. `See Emily Play' also bombed. At least HMV round my way
reliably gets some copies in now but they never restock once the first
batch are gone and I can't believe there's the demand for it.

        I haven't yet heard the new tracks on _Recordings_; are they an
augur of anything different? This `dark and experimental' sound we were
supposed to be getting next? OIn fact, would anyone care to give me a
review of it? (Annoying thing, is my housemate has a copy of it, but I
haven't yet managed to borrow it from him to spin it.

        I had intended to follow this with a few thoughts on the
Canterbury performance but all the messages I wanted to reply to involve
other bands too. So I'll ust say I thought they were doing it competently
and I duly remembered as I always do when seeing them live that I do in
fact love this band, mopey-post-goth though Steven Wilson may be and bland
though the new material is. In fact I rather like several parts of
_Lightbulb Sun_ as I said a while back but they only did `Hatesong' of
those, and not so well as it goes on record. But, when they finished, I
didn't feel like I'd seen anything special. Just a day's work show from PT
really.

        Next album being a double live sounds like the final nail in the
coffin really. Where's the material? If it incorporates that little
singles-hour slot they were doing I'll never want to play it. There is
still a need for a decent `Radioactive Toy', by which I mean one that
lasts about eight minutes, not 15 (just listen to the version on the first
album and hear how much stretching it takes it to get to exactly
10.00) and a live `Voyage 34' is well overdue. Also an `Up the Downstair'
maybe but I never think they've done that justice live. So what's to put
on it? The versions of the new songs live aren't any better, they don't
modify as much as they do the old stuff. You know, I just can't see the
long-haul fans like myself eagerly digging in their pockets for
it. Steven or his label have got to realise where their money comes
from. It's not the pop market. IMO. Yours,
                                           Jon Jarrett

P.S. Craig Shipley! Yes, she's right, if you hadn't told me to go to
the gig in Bath they did with Gong and the Ozrics I would never have known
who they were when they played Cambridge; have never bought their album
and thus got onto the Freak Emporium mailing list, and never have played
the stuff at myriad other people some four or five of whom bought nearly
as much as I did. My contact with the Freak emporium is your fault! You've
cost me hundreds of pounds Only Carl Anderson can reasonably claim more
blame for my depleted finances than you! Welcome back to the list!

        Just before you signed off people were calling you `Pops'
Shipley'; now equipped with a son of my own I feel obliged to ask how go
you and yours?

ObCD: High Tide - _Sea Shanties_/_High Tide_
--
       Jon Jarrett (01223 514989)     jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
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  "There is a certain pleasure in being mad, which none but madmen know"