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Porcupine Tree Information
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In 1987, Steven Wilson began 'Porcupine Tree', a musical outlet for his early songwriting that became an English progressive rock band. Unique from its conception, Porcupine Tree was created to satisfy growing interest about the "legendary Porcupine Tree," the fictional influence claimed in the booklet Wilson distributed with early tapes of his work.
Originating as the punch line of a joke, Porcupine Tree grew into a successful solo project, and then into a full fledged four-piece group. As a result of growing attention, Wilson recruited keyboardist Richard Barbieri, bassist Colin Edwin, and drummer Chris Maitland to play live gigs. Their first album as a four-piece was Signify in 1996. This configuration remained unchanged until 2002, when Chris Maitland was replaced by Gavin Harrison. Beginning in 2002, Porcupine Tree has been joined on tour by John Wesley, providing additional guitar and vocal contributions to the band's live shows. Steven Wilson himself is the lead vocalist and guitar player for the band.
Discography
Albums
* On The Sunday Of Life... (1991, Remastered 2004)
* Up the Downstair (1CD 1993, 2CD Expanded/Re-recorded 2005)
* The Sky Moves Sideways (1995, US Edition 1996, Expanded Remaster 2004, 3LP + bonus 7 inch single 2004)
* Signify (1CD 1996, 2CD Expanded 2003, LP 2004, Digipack 2004)
* Metanoia (LP 1998, Expanded CD 2001)
* Stupid Dream (1999)
* Voyage 34: The Complete Trip (2000, Remastered 2004, Remastered 2LP 2005)
* Lightbulb Sun (2000, Special Edition 2001)
* Recordings (2001)
* Stars Die : The Delerium Years 1991-1997 (2CD 2002)
* In Absentia (1CD 2002, 2CD European Special Edition 2003, Expanded DVD-A surround sound edition 2004)
* Deadwing (1CD 2005, 1CD + 1DVD-V Special Edition 2005, Expanded 2LP 2005, Expanded DTS 5.1 DVD-A 2005])
Live albums
* Warszawa - Recorded Live In Poland [live] (2005)
Singles and EPs
* Voyage 34 (1992)
* Staircase Infinities (1994)
* Moonloop EP (1994)
* Waiting (1996)
* Piano Lessons (1999)
* Stranger By The Minute (1999)
* Pure Narcotic (1999)
* Four Chords That Made A Million (2000)
* Shesmovedon (2000)
* Lazarus (German release, 2005)
Limited edition
* Tarquin's Seaweed Farm (1989)
* Love Death and Mussolini (1990)
* The Nostalgia Factory (1990)
* Spiral Circus - Live (1993)
* Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape (1994)
* Insignificance (1997)
* Coma Divine II (1999)
* Stars Die - Rare and Unreleased (1999)
* Tonefloating : The Use of Ashes vs Steven Wilson (2000)
* Transmission IV (2001)
* XM (Live radio sessions, 2003)
* Warszawa (2004)
* Porcupine Tree Sampler 2005 (Transmission 3.1) (2005)
* XM II (Transmission 4.1) (Live radio sessions, 2005)
Promotional
* Radioactive E.P. (1992)
* Waiting (1996)
* The Porcupine Tree Delerium EP (2001)
* porcupine tree sampler (2002)
* porcupine tree sampler 2002.1 (2002)
* porcupine tree sampler 2002.2 (2002)
* porcupine tree sampler 2002.3 (2002)
* Blackest Eyes (2003)
* Trains (2003)
* The Sound of Muzak (2003)
* Lava Records Pre-cleared Songs for Film vol. 1 (2003)
* Futile (2003)
* Shallow (2005)
Origin of the name 'Porcupine Tree'
By declining to provide an answer, Steven Wilson has started controversy over questions about the origin of the band's name. A number of theories exist, including the following:
* There is an American Indian legend about a porcupine who tricks the other animals by planting a tree which grows under him so he can shoot his spines down to kill them.
* Douglas Hofstadter's book Metamagical Themas is about computers, fractals and recursion, known as 'tree structures' in computer-speak. It includes a picture of an infinite tree of porcupines to illustrate fractals on page 409. Steven Wilson is known to be a former computer programmer and may well have been influenced by this.
* The name might simply refer to cannabis, a plant known for its distinguished "spiky" leaves and mind-altering effects when smoked or ingested.
* In Edward Albee's 1962 play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, it is mentioned that one character "to avoid a porcupine...drove straight into a tree".
* John Wesley offers the explanation that there is a pub in London called the "Porcupine" and there is a tree outside the pub that is known as the "Porcupine Tree", however, even though band members have been to the pub, Steven Wilson has never been there.
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