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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly the bands best album., 25 Jun 2006
This review is based upon the original release of this classic Prog Rock album, Stupid Dream.
Opening with the anthemic hard hitting yet simply constructed "Even Less" (rumoured to be presented in full fourteen minute version on this disc), the album moves on to softer terrain such as the melody-lush "Piano Lessons" and "Pure-Narcotic". These light-indie tinged classics present the true radio-friendly side of Porcupine Tree possibly in its peak and purest form.
The album's centre-piece "Don't Hate Me" stands as a true Pink Floyd tribute with the ending outro section sounding similar to several Floyd classics.
"This is No Reheasal" and "Stranger by the Minute" follow more of the Radio designed mould before the instrumental "Tinto Brass" kicks in, very interestingly formed, Tinto Brass could well be the best track on the album but for Even Less (Pt.I, seven minutes edit on the original releases).
Finally, "Stop Swimming" serves as a gentle closer to a well crafted finely mixed album of melody, hints of prog and hard rock riffs. For Prog and Porcupine Tree fans this is a must and truly demonstrates the bands evolution.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Criminally Underrated, 17 May 2007
Along with Lightbulb Sun, this album tends to get a bit of a bashing amongst the PT faithful. It does retain a far more poppy sound, and Wilson himself acknowledged that on the pair of albums, he was focused more on the songs themselves, rather than how they fitted together into an album. Nevertheless, any fans of Porcupine Tree's lighter sounds will certainly find themselves right at home here, and I honestly think that this is one of PT's strongest albums, in terms of depth! Rarely will you find a poor track, and the songs are great to listen to, particularly when in a mellow mood. Edwin's bass is ever-present yet quietly dignified whilst driving the songs along, Harrison's drumming is as excellent as ever, and Barbieri really steps to the fore with some wonderfully constructed piano pieces and soundscapes. Whilst nowhere near as intense as In Absentia or Deadwing, as bizarre as Up The Downstair or On The Sunday of Life, Stupid Dream still manages to weigh in heavily. I'll go through the songs, and give a few opinions on them, in the hope that I can give a better insight into this excellent album!
-The album kicks off with 'Even Less', widely regarded as a fan favourite, as well as often being in PT's live setlists when on tour. The melodramatic opening riff is unique, and the song is very competently written. An excellent opening!
-Piano Lessons follows this, far more poppy, and perhaps summing up the album on the whole. If you compare the steady rhythm to numerous pop songs, you'd probably get a similar type of sound, but they make it work here. Bizarre lyrics, but that's nothing new. :P
-The title track is next, and is a quick 30 second instrumental filler piece, Nothing special, though it links the tracks either side of it together nicely. Very ambient. :)
-'Pure Narcotic' is an awesome track, prominently based around piano and acoustic guitar. I think that Wilson's singing is excellent here, some nice harmonies, and a very gentle sound...typical of the album on the whole. Excellent, and one of my favourites.
-Up next is the mesmeric 'Slave Called Shiver', which has a rather funky bassline. Nothing amazingly special about it, but it's a decent track.
-'Don't Hate Me' follows, and (I believe) is this first PT track to use brass...though I'm not sure on that. Regardless, this is touching a little more on the mysterious/ambient side of PT's works, building and building right to the end. The chorus is very well done, in particular!
-In order to not clog this review up too much by making it overlong, I'll skip directly to the last track here, which deserves special mention. An utterly spellbinding piano-driven track, 'Stop Swimming' really closes the album well- think 'Collapse The Light Into Earth', with a different slant. A wonderfully emotive piece, similar to others in the album, but with something unique that simply sets it apart. Incredible.
To sum up, I'd say that this is an extremely worthwhile purchase, but only if you lean towards more pop-orientated songs of the PT catalogue. Fans of Blackfield will find plenty to appreciate here, but even those who prefer Deadwing and the like will still find a few gems to unearth in here. I'd highly recommend it; though give it a listen before you purchase if you can, as the overall style perhaps might not be to your taste. Happy listening!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Musical equivalent to a great dream!, 1 Nov 2007
Released in 1999, `Stupid Dream' was Porcupine Tree's 5th studio album. Having already established themselves as prog gods within small circles of the prog community through albums such as `Sky moves Sideways' and `Voyage 34'. `Stupid Dream' may have been perceived as a back-step in terms of progression as this was easily their most accessible album to date, at that time. Delivering a mix of upbeat pop with long dark prog songs; this change of direction far from compromised the quality of output. Instead from going to the complex to the relatively more simple style of songs, they make the simple even better without forgetting their progressive roots.
This album is one of those landmark albums in my life; One which I will never forget. It was a Saturday night in April '99 when my Dad spent the afternoon shopping for CD's in `Lost in Music' in the West End of Glasgow. It was one of those moments where he heard something in the shop and had to find out who it was by......it was Porcupine Tree's latest album - `Stupid Dream'. He got chatting to the guy in the shop and found that they were playing in the Cottier Theatre that night which is also in the West End of Glasgow, which really excited him. However he also had a committee night out that night which he was desperate to get out of, but at the same time had no-one to go to the gig with. So he asked me. At first I was reluctant, but eventually he twisted my arm. That gig to this day, is in my top 5 gigs of all time. In turn `Stupid Dream' is still one of my favourite albums. This album not only got me into Porcupine Tree, but also acted as the gateway for getting into more progressive rock music.
Looking back I can see why this album made such a big impact on me. Before I came across Porcupine Tree I was really into my Indie/rock music such as Ocean Colour Scene, Radiohead and The Bluetones. On `Stupid Dream', some of the songs do have an indie sound such as `Pure Narcotic' and `Piano Lessons. While there is also the longer efforts which venture more into prog rock territory. Therefore I feel this album acts as a ferry boat, shipping people from mainland indie/rock over to Prog Rock Island.
The album itself kicks off with `Even Less' which is one of the darker, more progressive songs on the album. Right from the opening vocals, "A body is washed up on a Norfolk beach, he was a friend but I could not reach." It was apparent that this is just the start of what I consider to be the best lyrics to any album I have ever listened to. Another example from this song, which is one of my personal favourites: `Some of us are left to fend for ourselves; others are born to stack shelves." Then there's a killer riff that adds such intensity and passion to the song. As the song is quite mellow until this riff kicks in just after the chorus. It is as if a volcano's erupted every time it comes on.
After this song, the rest of the album is predominantly set on the more mellow side. Some of the songs have such a warm and uplifting feeling to them that every time I listen to these songs I give off a sigh, as it is so relaxing. In particular, `Pure Narcotic', where piano, acoustic guitar and light drumming are used to create a majestic melody. Again Wilson is on fine lyrical form with: `You keep me hating; you keep me listening to the bends'. Now I may be bias because "The Bends" is my favourite Radiohead album, but all the same a genius lyric. I do find this song a bit weird because the lyrics are quite depressing but the joyous melody acts as a kind of counter-balance creating equilibrium. All the same a wonderful song and one which many artists during the 90s were attempting to make but never really achieved the same standard as this attempt.
One of the biggest shocks of the album came when I first listened to `Piano lessons' and to my surprise it was a piano driven song! Seriously though, this is excellent. The core of the song focuses around a fantastic piano riff which creates a magically chirpy atmosphere. Once again Wilson's lyrical display is on fine form with:
I remember piano lessons
The hours in freezing rooms
Cruel ears and tiny hands
Destroying timeless tunes
I like the last line especially as its one of those statements which someone makes and the only real response you can give 99% of the time is "It's so true!" I think what lyric shows along with many others, is that Wilson uses his lyrics to get across his thoughts and ideas on the world. To me he comes across as being not only a gifted songwriter and musician but also an extremely intelligent human being who thinks before he speaks.
Overall this is an incredible album; firmly cementing its place in my top ten albums of all time. Having owned the album for eight years now, there is still not a single track which I am fed up with yet. The song writing is on a different planet, the melodies are refreshingly enriching and Porcupine Tree in my opinion touched greatness with this effort. I have to say, prog still comes second to indie/rock music in terms of preference. But any time I do want to go on a holiday to Prog Island, I always take the `Stupid Dream' ferry boat and I recommend you do the same! Who knows I may end up living there some day....
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