Customer Reviews

Up the Downstair

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I managed to get my hands on one and purchased it and must say that I'm quite pleased with everything. For me, this album takes me on an "Atmospheric" or "Euphoric Journey". I'm referring to 2 particular songs "BURNING SKY" and "FADEAWAY". Most of the songs are instrumental "jamming" tracks. Without relying heavily on loads of vocals, Steven Wilson knew exactly what he was thinking when he recorded the original in 1994. He was and will always remain a Beethoven reincarnate or "Musical Genius". From the first keyboard notes from "FADEAWAY", I'm swept away to another time & place. These 2 particular songs do it for me!

Having been Remastered & Re-recorded, the sound on "UTD" is much richer and fuller than on the original 1994 release. It was originally supposed to be available to Canada & USA as of 06/07/05, but they had printing problems & held back the release for 2 weeks. I didn't take a chance with ordering it online, so instead I ordered instore 2 weeks ago and here it is in my hands today.

With the new drummer (Gavin Harrison), he's replaced the old programmed drums with his own live drum tracks, contributing to the much more "put together" PT sound. I've grown accustomed to seeing & hearing live drums and drum solos at the PT concerts, so I was quite anxious to hear this recording. There have been subtle changes in every aspect in this project. I didn't notice them, but they are there after listening to the album more than once.
This is good, because when something has been changed drastically, the feel has been lost.

The packaging is beautiful, housing the CDs in a glossy 4-fold digipack. Each CD is glossy black with silver titling. Really simple & nice. Inside my copy, I found an advert for the "Blackfield" CD with release info. On the front side is the picture of the front cover of "Blackfield" CD. When you open the CD package, the first "fold" houses the booklet, printed on a semi-matte paper. Anyone who's not familiar with Blackfield.......they are Steven Wilson & Aviv Geffen (From Israel). Their music is amazing & very "PT" based. Without SW's influence, the album would certainly be lacking!

"Up The Downstair" is actually among the top 3 of my fave PT studio recordings. Stupid Dream still remains on top. ;-) I'm anxious to read the comments from other fans in near-future reviews, because there will be some who'll complain about the minor changes.

Between this album and "Stupid Dream", I feel the "Pink Floyd" influence. And because of this, PT's drawn me closer to their music since the past 5 years.

I do have the "Staircase Infinities" CD (Still sealed), as well as the cassette, so the music on the re-issued CD comes as no surprise. Steve Wilson recorded a couple new pieces, one of those being a re-working of a track from the cassette days. There are only 5 tracks total, about 30 minutes.

It's damned good stuff for the collector & will make any PT fan happy if they haven't purchased "Staircase Infinites" elsewhere online. A Highly recommended item for any PT fan old & new. Get them while they're hot! There's nothing like Re-Mastered music from PT! You won't be disappointed!

Tracklist of CD1:
(UPD)
01- What are you listening to - 0:57
02- Synesthesia - 5:16
03- Monuements Burn into Moments - 0:22
04- Always Never - 7:00
05- Up the Downstair - 10:14
06- Not Beautiful Anymore - 3:25
07- Siren - 0:57
08- Small Fish - 2:42
09- Burning Sky - 11:36
10- Fadeaway - 6:19

Disc2
(Staircase Infinities)
01- Cloud Zero - 4:40
02- The Joke's on You - 4:17
03- Navigator - 4:49
04- Rainy Taxi - 6:50
05- Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape - 9:36

I discovered Porcupine Tree via their "Deadwing" album (2005). It got a little bit of air-play on my local radio station with the heavy rocker "Shallow". At my first listen I was mesmerized! I could not believe a modern rock band was playing this type of music.

I read some of the reviews on Amazon.com and then bought "In Absentia". Again, fantastic, incredable, prog-rock. Since then I have begun to dig back into their earlier works. "The Sky Moves Sideways" was next. It just kept getting better. The Snapper Records Remasters were not only great sounding, but a real bargain.

This week I received "Up the Downstair" in the mail. It too is a fantastic collection of songs. Not as "heavy" as Absentia or Deadwing, but very cool. I can tell you right now, Burning Sky is destined for my Best of Porcupine Tree mix, along with the title track and Always Never.

After even more research to figure out when these different albums were actually recorded/released, I realized that the bonus disc entitled "Staircase Infinities" was previously released as an EP with very limited quantities available. It is essentially leftovers from the recording sessions for Up the Downstair. But, by no means are these "throw-aways" or filler. They are mostly instrumentals though, but thats cool. I like the Staicase Infinities tracks even more than the over-all Up the Downstair songs! All this for only $14. And you can dub both discs onto one cd for the car. Up the Downstair is a little over 48 minutes, and Staircase Infinities is another 30 minutes.

Now I'm thinking about ordering some of their "Live" material such as the Warszawa cd recorded Live in Poland 2001, or "Coma Divine" which has also been remastered and expanded by Snapper Records of the UK.

I'm very suprised that there are over 140 reviews for Deadwing, showing how popular it is, and only a dozen or so for most of the back catalog? When I found out Porcupine Tree had been making music for the past 15 years, I was floored! Steven Wilson and company are easily THE Best band that no one has heard of!

Keep spreading the news...

Like any other PT album, this is exactly that... an album. Its not a collection of songs with filler but, rather, a well thought out album which lives and flows from song to song.

Any project from Steven Wilson incorporates the use of layering. Theres a lot of stuff going on in any one of these songs. And to hear it all on one listen would be near impossible.

Steven Wilson has mentioned himself that he doesn't typically make the most complex music, instead he makes simple songs with complex production.

Listen to Burning Sky for a good example of this.

Think of this as sort of pink floyd and spacey pop opera. There are quite a bit of instrumentals, so if you're coming from a pop background then i would recommend trying their newer stuff first: "Deadwing", "In Absentia", "Lightbulb Sun", or the newly reissued "Stupid Dream"

Great stuff. Great journey.

I've been listening to PT for several years now, and have found their music most moving. I really wouldn't care if they sound like Pink Floyd, or whomever. I don't believe that Steven Wilson sits around trying to imitate one group or another. I think it could be said that most artists have their influences from many sources, from many inspirations. So, thank you Steven for re-issuing this CD, and adding such quality and care to the songs. I believe you will influence many other future artists with your creativity. You certainly influence me to listen and enjoy. After all, my son and I travelled over 150 miles, one way, just to see PT in Michigan, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the concert.

THE BAND: Steve Wilson (vocals, guitars, drum samples, bass), with assistance from Richard Barbieri (keyboards), Colin Edwin (bass), Gavin Harrison (drums & percussion on 2005 remastered version only).

THE DISC: (1993) Originally released in '93, this elegant digitally remastered foldout digi-pak was re-released in 2005 by Snapper Music. Disc 1 contains 10 tracks clocking in at just under 49 minutes. The 2nd (bonus) disc labeled "Staircase Infinities" contains 5 tracks at just over 30 minutes (this disc was originally released as an EP on Lazy Eye label in '94). Included with the discs is a 10-page booklet containing a 2-page intro by PT mastermind Steve Wilson, song titles/times, song lyrics, several trippy psychedelic pictures, and thank you's.

COMMENTS: For me, this was Porcupine Tree's first great album. While it's predecessor "On The Sunday Of Life" (1991) had some brief shining moments, it was simply too much off-beat jamming, odd songs and experimentation... quite simply "weird". "Up The Downstair" was almost solely created and produced by Steve Wilson. For this remastered edition, Wilson went back to the original recordings years later... he decided to remove some of the drum programs/samples and have current drummer (1999 - present) Gavin Harrison play them live. Still not happy, Wilson redid some of the guitar work... and he himself says it's a better album for it. Much warmer in depth, richer in texture, better playing in general and more listenable... not to mention substantial improvements with the recording equipment. Comparisons to Pink Floyd are frequent (and I'm okay with that because I loved Pink Floyd back in the 70's), but only slightly in my opinion. The Tree gives you many a long space jam, but I think their craft is much more modern. "Synesthesia" starts the album off as a mid tempo rock/pop song. "Always Never" features some beautiful acoustic moments laced with some brilliant electric guitars and shredding solos. "Fadeaway" is a beautiful mellow rocker - a fantastic album closer - as noted in the booklet the song is one of Wilson's favorites. Steve Wilson is a genius at his craft. As good as "Up The Downstair" may be, I'd recommend starting with PT's more accessible albums... "In Absentia" (2002), or "Deadwing" (2005). Then, expand to one of their live albums "Coma Divine" (1997) or "Warszawa" (2001)... and then collect everything else they've done including this one. With all their releases (except Deadwing), look for the remastered digi-pak versions. Great disc (4.5 stars).

Going by the listed release date of June 21, 2005, I'm assuming this listing is for the reissue of the 1993 album. I just received the reissue as an import from England. It's got a bonus CD, that being the "Staircase Infinites" release from 1994. The reissue 2-CD set was going to be available in America too, just not as soon, that's why I ordered the import.

The reissue also has been re-recorded. Specifically, the current drummer Harrison has laid down real drum tracks to replace the programmed "drums" that were on the original release. Steven Wilson has also re-recorded some of the guitar parts, but only in a very minor way, i.e. some of the softer acoustic melodies. He's also remastered it of course.

So the original feel of the album is the same. However, it's nice to hear the tracks with real drums. I was okay with the original release, I thought Wilson had been masterful with his drum programming, and the songs were great. Up The Downstair was always my favorite studio album of PT. The real drums do add a new dimension though. On first listen, I wish Wilson had left the acoustic guitars alone, but it's not a major issue.

In 1993, Wilson just starting to transition PT from a solo project into a band. Richard Barbieri contributes keys on one song, Colin Edwin contibutes bass on one song. Barbieri's wife contributes vocals on one song. The rest was all Wilson (though long-distance collaborator Alan Duffy supplied lyrics for several of the songs).

This material has a heavy Pink Floyd influence, though there's also plenty of influence from hard-rock and techno/dance. All done in a creative and progressive way (without being technical). The songs are brooding and atmospheric. There are several instrumentals. Lots of great lead guitar and dreamy synths. Vocals are muted and almost seem a mere afterthought, though that is perfect for the songs.

Staircase Infinities had some songs leftover from the Up The Downstair sessions (Wilson's intent was for UTD to be a double album), plus Wilson recorded a couple new pieces, one of those being a re-working of a track from the cassette days. There are only 5 tracks total, about 30 minutes. Very good stuff though, similar in style to Up The Downstair.

Though all of this is quite different from current Porcupine Tree, it's still great music and gets my highest recommendation.

I waited a while to review this and I'm glad. Not near as accessible as "In Absentia" or "Deadwing" but still awesome. Steve Wilson's songs have a way of growing on me like no one else's. Some were instantaneous mainstays, including "Always Never" and "Fadeaway," two of the most emotional performances ever! But the other tracks are all great. Some quite long instrumentals that don't get boring (are actually quite good!) And I really enjoy the bonus CD "Staircase Infinities." Some more great instrumentals. This is music from Porcupine Tree that most resembled Pink Floyd (along with The Sky Moves Sideways.) But I personally think these instrumentals are better put together than some of Pink Floyd's, partially due to updated sound effects, but I think overall due to Steve Wilson's seemingly unending imagination and creativity. I am glad to read that the drum tracks were re- recorded using Gavin Harrison (their present-day drummer,) instead of samples. Poor Gavin: you can hear the restraint in his playing since Steven told him to try to stay close to the original recording! But one of the main reasons I am writing this review is to give credit to Mr. Harrison's phenomenal performances. Even playing under restraint, he manages to out- shine many of his peers. But listen to him on In Absentia or Deadwing. This guy lets the sticks fly perhaps more than any other artist I've heard (with the exception of his predecessor, Chris Maitland!) Now I'm not much of one to get excited by someone banging on a drum, but Porcupine Tree has had two of the best percussionists I've ever heard! Well, there is Bill Bruford... But, anyhow... you can be sure that you will enjoy this recording very much, just give it time to sink in!

One more excellent CD from PT, not so good as IN ABSENTIA, but this double catched me again. The disc 2 has the beuatiful song The Joke's on You, in a SW voice. The other 4 are instrumentals, being three wonderful.
Disc 1 has, besides the fantastic Fadeaway, other 9 songs.

I've read lots of reviews on this band, mostly positive. Many of the negative ones compare Porcupine Tree unfavorably, to Pink Floyd. Admittedly, I own just 3 "Tree" albums ("Deadwing", "In Absentia" and "Up The Downstair") and have only been a fan for about 2 years, but the "Floyd" comparison is short-sighted. As a 46 year old rock n'roll drummer myself, I grew up listening to Floyd and there's no doubt they were an excellent band. In some "Tree" songs I can hear a Pink Floyd influence, but I also hear early, Peter Gabriel-led Genesis, Phish and various fusion jazz bands. The point is that every band has been influenced by another on some level. Songs such as "Always Never" and "Synesthesia" from "Up The Downstair", like many other songs on this record, are very different in terms of tempo, style and range. Therefore, I don't fully understand the Pink Floyd comparisons. The musicians who make up Porcupine Tree are outstanding in their own right. The song writing is excellent and as a drummer myself, I can say the drummer in "Tree" is unconscious.

Fortunately for fans, Porcupine Tree is still playing in relatively small venues, particularly here in Colorado, but I fear it won't last long. This is a great band who will continue to get noticed. I can't wait to here more of their music.

I'm rating the reissue here and not the album itself. The album itself is one of Porcupine Tree's finest and is a psychedelic masterpiece in its own right.

With that said, save yourself the money and track down an original 1993 CD or the much easier to find 1997 remaster. Why? Because this reissue amounts to nothing more than an epic fail on Steven Wilson's part. When an artist goes back years later and revisits their art and changes something, 99.9% of the time it's not for the better. Such is the case with this reissue of Up the Downstair. This reissue is full of revisionist history that would make Frank Zappa twitch. The electronic drums that were on the album originally have been removed and replaced with real drum tracks that were recorded 11 years after-the-fact. I don't have a problem in this in principle, however I do have a problem with it when it means that the original album is now out of print and the revised art gets passed off as the same album.

The real drums just don't work on this record. They don't fill in the space like the drum machines did. Furthermore, on an album that's almost pure electronica such as this, the acoustic drums stick out like a sore thumb.

This reissue is an interesting listen for people who are already familar with the real Up the Downstair album. It provides a new take on the masterpiece, albeit nowhere near as satisfying a take. For people new to the album though, stay far, far away from this and listen to the album the way it was originally. After you're well immersed in it, only then would I recommend checking this out.