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Lightbulb Sun

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Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
ARTISTdirect[2]
Drowned In Sound(8/10) [3]
Pitchfork Media(6.7/10)[4]
Sound and Vision[5]

Lightbulb Sun is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released in May 2000. There are four editions: the original release on Snapper records, a German 2-disc tour release on Snapper, with a blue flame on the cover instead of the original orange, an Israeli 2-disc edition on Helicon Records, and the 2- and 3-disc CD/DVD-A reissue on Kscope, in which cover artwork the orange flame has been turned to red. Classic Rock magazine described the album as "an album of stunning songs and startling musicianship… breathtaking." [6]

The album is divided into two parts by a half-minute gap between "Rest Will Flow" and "Hatesong". The first part concentrates more on melodic, pop elements of Porcupine Tree's style, while the second has a more experimental character.

A CD/DVD-A remaster with 5.1 Surround Sound and a new stereo mix was released on April 7, 2008 from the Porcupine Tree store. Pre-orders of the Porcupine Tree store edition came with an exclusive 2 track bonus CD containing the tracks; "Novak" and "Buying New Soul (Instrumental Backing Track)". The CD/DVD-A album reissue was released for a mass market on April 21, 2008 through the Kscope label.[6]

String sections in Lightbulb Sun were arranged and produced by Dave Gregory from alternative rock band XTC[7] at Christchurch Studios, Clifton, Bristol in January 2000, recorded by John Waterhouse.[8]

Writing and recording

Steven Wilson (in 2000):

"The quickest album we ever made (in 3 months flat) and we all feel our best work to date. Lyrically I arrived at a point where I was no longer interested in writing about abstract concepts like war, religion, space...etc... It took me a long time to have the confidence and experience to be able to write them and some of them are dripping with negative emotions (Hatesong and Feel So Low particularly). Feel So Low pleased me a lot as I resisted the temptation to refine the original stream of consciousness words and left the nerve ends dangling.



Musically we wanted to bring back some of the experimental aspects that had been to some degree lost on "Stupid Dream". Richard and I worked on creating some unique keyboard sounds for the album - e.g. the "fairground" on "How is Your Life Today ?" and the "insects" at the end of "Russia On Ice". There was also an influence from industrial and metal music coming through - for example part of the beauty of the guitar solo on Where We Would Be comes from the fact that it was played relatively straight but then fed through so many distortion and lo-fi processes that it began to fizz and disintegrate. The riffing guitars on Russia On Ice are pure metal and one of the solos of Hatesong I call my "Korn solo" on account of the fact that the bottom strings on the guitar are tuned down so low that the notes can be bent several tones.

On the other hand there is a whole set of songs where the pastoral sound of long-gone English summers exerts its influence on me. In a song like "Winding Shot" there are shades of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Nick Drake, although the end result is hopefully pure Porcupine Tree. This effect is accentuated by the fact that many of the instruments and vocals on the album are much more up front and given less of a sheen than on "Stupid Dream". Organic is the word I like to use.

As we had on "Stupid Dream" we expanded our musical colours to include things like banjo, hammered dulcimer, the string arrangements of Dave Gregory and several African and Morrocan instruments that Colin brought back from his travels.

Richard Barbieri (in 2000):

"Much of my keyboard experimenting took place on tracks like "Russia On Ice", "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth...", "Feel so Low" and "4 Chords That Made a Million"", while other tracks didn't seem to need a great deal of keyboards. I'm not one for playing all over a track if I can't see a genuine need for it."[9]

Track listing

All tracks by Wilson except as noted. Arrangements by Porcupine Tree.

Standard

  1. "Lightbulb Sun" – 5:33
  2. "How Is Your Life Today?" – 2:48
  3. "Four Chords That Made a Million" – 3:38
  4. "Shesmovedon" – 5:15
  5. "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled" – 4:50
  6. "The Rest Will Flow" – 3:36
  7. "Hatesong" (Edwin, Wilson) – 8:28
  8. "Where We Would Be" – 4:14
  9. "Russia On Ice" (Barbieri, Edwin, Maitland, Wilson) – 13:05
  10. "Feel So Low" – 5:16

German tour edition

The German Tour Edition of the album also contains a bonus enhanced CD with the following tracks:

  1. "Buying New Soul" (Edit) (Barbieri, Edwin, Maitland, Wilson) – 6:09
  2. "Pure Narcotic" – 5:20
  3. "Tinto Brass" (Live) (Barbieri, Edwin, Maitland, Wilson) – 6:48
  4. "The Rest Will Flow" (string section) - hidden track

Track 1 later appeared in an unabridged form on Recordings. Track 2 comes from Stupid Dream and track 3 is a b-side of the "Pure Narcotic" single. The enhanced part of the disc also contains the video for the single "Piano Lessons" from the album Stupid Dream, directed by Mike Bennion, an image gallery and a full discography. The bonus CD also includes an uncredited track which has the string section from the track "The Rest Will Flow". It was released with a slightly different cover (blue instead of orange flame) within a slipcase.

Remastered Edition

A reissue of Lightbulb Sun was released on April 21, 2008 through Kscope as a definitive 2 disc set; or a 3 disc set for the first 5,000 pre-ordered copies. Disc one is a CD containing a remix/remaster of the album, while disc two is a DVD-A (playable on most DVD players) containing the album remixed into 5.1 surround sound (in DVD-A and DTS versions), as well as a 24 bit high resolution version of the stereo mix, and the original 2000 mix/master. Also included are 5.1 mixes of bonus tracks "Disappear", "Buying New Soul", and "Cure for Optimism", which were recorded during the same sessions.[6] The bonus third disc contains two instrumental tracks: "Novak", the b-side to the original 7" "Shesmovedon" single; and "Buying New Soul (Instrumental Backing Track)", the original version of "Buying New Soul", with 4 minutes more music that were cut at the same time as the vocals were overdubbed.

Disc one - 2007 stereo mix
  1. "Lightbulb Sun" – 5:31
  2. "How Is Your Life Today?" – 2:46
  3. "Four Chords That Made a Million" – 3:36
  4. "Shesmovedon" – 5:14
  5. "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before it Is Recycled" – 4:49
  6. "The Rest Will Flow" – 3:18
  7. "Hatesong" – 8:30
  8. "Where We Would Be" – 4:13
  9. "Russia on Ice" – 13:05
  10. "Feel So Low" – 5:22
Disc two - DVDA -5.1 surround sound

Track listing same as disc one, plus the additional material:

  • "Disappear" 5.1 mix – 3:40
  • "Buying New Soul" 5.1 mix – 10:26
  • "Cure for Optimism" 5.1 mix – 6:36
  • Original 2000 stereo album mix / master

"Disappear" was recorded during the Lightbulb Sun sessions, "Cure for Optimism" was performed by Steven Wilson at No Man's Land in July 1999.

Disc three - Pre-order bonus disc
  1. "Novak" – 3:51
  2. "Buying New Soul (Instrumental Backing Track)" – 14:27

The bonus CD bears the catalogue number 544885 Suckers TRANS8.1. Both tracks on this disc were recorded at Foel Studio, March 15, 2000. Vocals were overdubbed onto "Buying New Soul" later at No Man's Land studios.

Vinyl Edition

A double vinyl edition of the remaster was released through Tonefloat on July 8, 2008, in memory of Michael Piper, a member of the Porcupine Tree crew, founder of the Gates Of Dawn record label, who died in April 2008. It was available in a limited run of 1,000 numbered copies on 180 grams coloured vinyl in gatefold picture sleeve and a regular edition on 180 grams black vinyl in gatefold picture sleeve.[10]

Side 1
  1. "Lightbulb Sun" – 5:31
  2. "How Is Your Life Today" - 2:46
  3. "Four Chords That Made A Million" - 3:36
  4. "Shesmovedon" - 5:14
  5. "Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled" - 4:49
Side 2
  1. "The Rest Will Flow" - 3:18
  2. "Hatesong" - 8:30
  3. "Where We Would Be" - 4:13
Side 3
  1. "Russia On Ice" - 13:05
  2. "Feel So Low" - 5:22
Side 4
  1. "Disappear" - 3:40
  2. "Buying New Soul" - 10:26
  3. "Cure For Optimism" - 6:36

Song details

The tracks "Four Chords That Made a Million", "Where We Would Be" and "Russia on Ice" were premiered during the Stupid Dream tour in 1999, several months before Lightbulb Sun's release.

The track "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled" features a speech by the leader of the Heaven's Gate religious cult. This U.S. cult believed that they were from another planet and only visiting earth. In order to return to their own "dimension" before the earth was "recycled", such extraterrestrial entities must find each other and commit mass suicide. The words are taken from the video they made before killing themselves to explain the rest of the world why they had done it.[11]

The sample voice in "Last Chance" says:

"Let me say that our mission here at this time is about to come to a close in the next few days. We came from distant space, even what some might call somewhat of another dimension, and we are about to return from whence we came.

It requires, if you move into that evolutionary kingdom, that you leave behind everything of human ways, human behavior, human ignorance, human misinformation.

If I would title this tape, it would be 'Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled'."

The track "The Rest Will Flow" is slower on the remaster, due to having been sped up from its originally recorded speed in the original master in order to make it more "radio-friendly". The song was initially intended as the third single for Lightbulb Sun, scheduled for October 2000, but its release was cancelled for unknown reasons.[12]

The song "Feel So Low" has been re-recorded in 2001 by Blackfield, which is a project that consists of Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson and Israeli singer/songwriter Aviv Geffen. The first verse of that version was sung in Hebrew by Geffen. This version only made it to the vinyl edition of the first Blackfield album (2004). Later live renditions of this track by Blackfield were sung entirely in English but differed significantly from the Porcupine Tree original as they had a long, heavy instrumental section added at the end. On the Lightbulb Sun version, one can hear Steven Wilson quietly say "thanks" just before the end of the album.

Personnel

Band
  • Steven Wilson – Vocals, Guitars, Piano, Mellotron, Hammered Dulcimer, Samples, Banjo, Harp, Production
  • Richard Barbieri – Synthesizers, Hammond Organ, Fairground, Synthesized Percussion, Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, Mellotron, Insects
  • Colin Edwin – Fretless Bass, Saz, Drum Machine, Guimbri
  • Chris Maitland – Drums, Backing & Harmony Vocals, Floor Tom
Additional musicians
  • Stuart Gordon – Violin, Viola
  • Nick Parry – Cello
  • Eli Hibit - Backup Rhythm Guitar
The Minerva String Quartet
  • Katy Latham – Violin
  • Lisa Betteridge – Violin
  • Sarah Heines – Viola
  • Emmeline Brewer – Cello
Other personnel
  • Chris Blair – Mastering
  • John Foxx – Cover Photograph, Other Photography
  • Luigi Colasanti Antonelli – Group Portraits, Other Photography

References

  1. ^ Raggett, Ned (2011 [last update]). "The Sky Moves Sideways - Porcupine Tree | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. ^ Magnuson, Mike (2011 [last update]). "@ ARTISTdirect.com - Shop, Listen, Download". artistdirect.com. Retrieved 6 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ Nettleton, Chris (2011 [last update]). "Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun / Releases / Releases // Drowned In Sound". drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 6 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ Griffith, Craig (2011 [last update]). "Porcupine Tree: Lightbulb Sun: Pitchfork Record Review". web.archive.org. Retrieved 6 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  5. ^ Richardson, Ken (2011 [last update]). "Porcupine Tree: Lightbulb Sun | Sound and Vision Magazine". soundandvisionmag.com. Retrieved 6 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  6. ^ a b c "Kscope - Blog Archive - Classic Porcupine Tree on Kscope". 2008-04-04.
  7. ^ "Porcupine Tree - Background". porcupinetree.com. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  8. ^ "Steven Wilson - The Complete Discography (7th Edition), p. 49" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-04-13.
  9. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20000915184916/http://www.porcupinetree.com/lyr_ls.htm#album_notes
  10. ^ "tonefloat". Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  11. ^ "Specials - Steven Wilson Interview". The Dutch Progressive Rock Page. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  12. ^ "PORCUPINE TREE". Retrieved 2008-04-13.
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