Okay, y'all have been hearing me waxing poetic about Steven Wilson's music for a while now. And I've mentioned several times that he started Porcupine Tree and no-man the same year, in 1986, both initially as solo projects, and both of which were fleshed out into bands later on.
Whereas Porcupine Tree was formed in homage to the progressive rock that Wilson was introduced to by his father, and loved so much as a kid; no-man was formed more in honor of art rock, a softer and yet at times more intricate and emotional sound.
And, while in Porcupine Tree, Wilson is the undisputed front man, primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist, as well as spokesman of the band; with no-man, Wilson chose to take a more backseat role, handling guitars, bass, soundscapes and other instruments as needed, but leaving the primary songwriting, singing, front man and spokesman duties to band mate Tim Bowness.
Marek introduced me to no-man at the same time he introduced me to Porcupine Tree, and although I really liked much of no-man's back catalogue, their music didn't grab me with the same intensity as did that of Porcupine Tree.
Additionally, I liked Wilson's direct singing style more than I did Bowness' more breathy style, and was a tad disappointed that Wilson rarely sang on their albums, and when he did, it was backing vocals only.
All that changed in 2008, with the release of "Schoolyard Ghosts," quickly followed by a one-off concert video, "Love and Endings," capturing a short but profound concert that no-man had given at Leamington Spa on 14 October 2011, in support of "Schoolyard Ghosts," but drawing from their entire body of recorded work.
This concert was made all the more special by the fact that no-man very rarely performs in concert at all, so it was truly an event. And with this concert, all my reservations about Bowness' singing vanished; evidently, I had simply needed to see him as he sang. Now I thoroughly enjoy his singing without reservation.
I have always loved Bowness' lyrics, which are typically spare, but profoundly meaningful. He can take the simplest statement and draw more emotion from it, legitimately and without artifice, than almost any other lyricist I've had the pleasure to hear. His is a rare and precious gift.
This song, "Lighthouse," from their album "Returning Jesus," is in my opinion the standout track of all the nine songs in the concert. It has always been a beautiful love song, and that remains intact, with a new arrangement that builds on the original and lifts it to new heights.
My favorite part is the instrumental bridge, with the King Crimson-esque interplay between Steven Wilson's and Michael Bearpark's guitars, and Steve Bingham's violin; which is, quite simply, an outrageously beautiful interlude.
This is one of those rare perfect performances in music, rarely experienced, and even more rarely filmed.
I was somewhat surprised to learn later that Bowness was not happy with his performance in this concert, as he had a bad cold at the time, but for my money it is one of his - and the band's - best performances. Ever.
Lucky for us all. ;-)
Lighthouse Lyrics:
I never meant this
I never meant anything like this
And that's the story
I never met anyone like you
Come to me and make it special
Come to me and make it real
Come to me and make it special
Come to me and make me feel
Shine your bright light over me
And help me see
I walked on water
I came through slaughter just for you
Come to me and make it special
Come to me and make it real
Come to me and make it special
Come to me and make me feel
Shine your bright light over me
Lay you drowning at my feet
The heartbreak notes
And the laboured jokes
The trashy years
And the random tears
The love and endings
The almost-starts
The love and endings
The tell-tale heart
Shine your bright light over me
Lay your dreaming at my feet
I found this article quite interesting, where Steven Wilson emphasizes how much he learned in re-mixing King Crimson's back catalogue, and how it has changed his approach to his own music since. Fascinating indeed.
And I would love to hear your take in the comments.
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The photo of our dog, Lolo, and our late cat, Miod, I took as they were cooperatively begging at the dinner table, despite our longstanding rule of not feeding them from the table.
You can see how much that deterred them both.
The image and video are the intellectual property of Steven Wilson, Tim Bowness and no-man, their producers and record companies, and all rights remain with them.
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