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." [1]
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[1].
String arrangements in Lightbulb Sun were arranged and produced by Dave Gregory from alternative rock band XTC[2] at Christchurch Studios, Clifton, Bristol in January 2000, recorded by John Waterhouse.[3]
Track listing
All tracks by Wilson except as noted. Arrangements by Porcupine Tree.
- "Lightbulb Sun" – 5:33
- "How Is Your Life Today?" – 2:48
- "Four Chords That Made a Million" – 3:38
- "Shesmovedon" – 5:15
- "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled" – 4:50
- "The Rest Will Flow" – 3:36
- "Hatesong" (Edwin, Wilson) – 8:28
- "Where We Would Be" – 4:14
- "Russia On Ice" (Barbieri, Edwin, Maitland, Wilson) – 13:05
- "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:
- "Buying New Soul" (Edit) (Barbieri, Edwin, Maitland, Wilson) – 6:09
- "Pure Narcotic" – 5:20
- "Tinto Brass" (Live) (Barbieri, Edwin, Maitland, Wilson) – 6:48
Track 1 is taken from 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 brand new reissued version 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[1]. 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 (CD)
(2007 stereo mix)
- "Lightbulb Sun" – 5:31
- "How Is Your Life Today?" – 2:46
- "Four Chords That Made a Million" – 3:36
- "Shesmovedon" – 5:14
- "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before it Is Recycled" – 4:49
- "The Rest Will Flow" – 3:18
- "Hatesong" – 8:30
- "Where We Would Be" – 4:13
- "Russia on Ice" – 13:05
- "Feel So Low" – 5:22
Disc two (DVDA)
(5.1 surround sound and high resolution 24-bit stereo)
Track listing same as disc one.
- BONUS MATERIAL ON DVDA
- "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 (CD)
(Pre-order bonus disc)
- "Novak" – 3:51
- "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 in 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[4]. 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[5].
Side 1
- "Lightbulb Sun" – 5:31
- "How Is Your Life Today" - 2:46
- "Four Chords That Made A Million" - 3:36
- "Shesmovedon" - 5:14
- "Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled" - 4:49
Side 2
- "The Rest Will Flow" - 3:18
- "Hatesong" - 8:30
- "Where We Would Be" - 4:13
Side 3
- "Russia On Ice" - 13:05
- "Feel So Low" - 5:22
Side 4
- "Disappear" - 3:40
- "Buying New Soul" - 10:26
- "Cure For Optimism" - 6:36
Sleeve notes: "This double vinyl LP is dedicated to the memory of Michael Piper, who passed away in April 2008."[5]
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 others 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[6].
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[7].
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 "thanks" just before the end of the album, which is considered being Steven Wilson thanking people for listening to the album from start to finish as he has conceived it and simultaneously thanking the person who makes him "feel so low" as to write such songs.
Personnel
- 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
- Stuart Gordon – Violin, Viola
- Nick Parry – Cello
- 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
External links
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