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Porcupine Tree — Fadeaway
Album: Up The Downstair
Avg rating:
7.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1194









Released: 1993
Length: 6:11
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I sat in the room with a view
The girl in the photograph knew
Can't you see?
Why is she laughing at me?

I stumbled through the dark unaware
The face in the hall isn't there
Tomorrow has gone
Where do the voices come from?

Watching the leaves as they blew
Lost in the room with a view
Climb the wall
You did not know me at all

I fell through a hole in the floor
The audience cried out for more
Fadeaway
It's just another day

Hit heaven far too high
Hit heaven far too high
Hit heaven far too high
Hit heaven far too high

Hit heaven far too high
Comments (142)add comment
PTree. .  .best band you've never heard of . . .
Saw them in Chicago and it has to be one of the best sounding shoes ever. Love these guys
am I stoned yet? … yawn meh - too slow & dreamy
 LowPhreak wrote:



That was quite the manifesto for a poster who prefers Gabriel to Collins. I do too. But that does not mean Phil is without talent. They do different things. I've listened to KC, Yes, Gentle Giant, Rabbit, etc. They had signature sounds, also.
Got a chance to see PT at the Greek in LA last week- Heard about them here on
RP.
Great concert-Steve Wilson. and the drummer Gavin Harrison  just unbelievable!
 rbrise wrote:

help, I am trying to leave the house and the cool songs just keep on coming. I can't just walk away.
 



The good news - there is a mobile app for just this scenario! ;)
 dmcanany wrote:

I'm assuming the album title is a tip of the hat to the similarly named Led Zepplin album?



Does this sound anything like Led Zep?
 Emwolb wrote:

that's so cute considering Wind & Wuthering 'older' Genesis.  Yes technically it is, but I consider Nursery Cryme & Foxtrot  as 'older' Genesis, not the Collins-era Genesis.  That said, W&W was the last tolerable Genesis album before Phil took them into the pop style that made them (aka, him) a lot of money


I'll agree that W&W was the last "old style" Genesis album, but IMO it was Steve Hackett's departure, not Peter Gabriel's, that had the biggest impact on their change of style. Their direction would likely have been different if Steve had stayed.
 LowPhreak wrote:


If someone happens to like Peter's vocals over Phil's, I'm OK with that, it's just preference. Personally I'd have been glad to have either of them singing in my bands. But I'd encourage the Gabriel nostalgists to try a bit more critical thinking, and less mindless bandwagon jumping to memes that aren't borne out by the facts.


What have memes got to do with anything?  Do you even know what a meme is? 

The point is that the actual music that was made with Gabriel singing and, more importanly, writing the lyrics, is substantively different from the music made with Collins as lead vocalist.  Personally I think Collins was a fabulous drummer with a decent voice but the quality of the songs after The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway plummeted.   Or, to put it another, way,  I thought the songs were mostly shit.
Oh, and you're wrong about Trespass too, but then that's probably not exactly breaking news.
I'm assuming the album title is a tip of the hat to the similarly named Led Zepplin album?
It was near 25 years ago... {#Eek}
Like the live version with the other guitar guy singing, really nice he's got a higher voice that suits this song...one of my faves
 LowPhreak wrote:

"So cute"? Well I think it's just darling that you're still pining for Peter Gabriel and never got over it that Phil Collins was a great musician, singer, and songwriter in his own right. Why does Phil get the "blame" when Tony and Mike (and Steve) weren't exactly dragged kicking and screaming into it? They contributed just as much if not more than Phil to whatever material came after Peter's departure, (though I do think Steve got a bit shit on then, mainly from Tony's and Mike's decisions not to use much of his material, and can see why he left after W&W).

You make it sound like Phil was the all-powerful, money grubbing 'pop Nazi' with an iron fist. {#Lol} Well you don't know much about Rutherford and Banks then I'd say. No shrinking violets were they, who loved the filthy lucre that pop hits would bring them as much as anyone, including Gabriel.

It wasn't like they were all starving artists in the Gabriel years either. The band made quite a few shekels before Genesis went less prog and more pop, which incidentally, I would put more around the time of Abacab, not W&W. In other words, I'd say ...And Then There Were Three... and Duke were mainly prog records too. Go back and listen to them again, start to finish.

So we have what...four decent prog albums with Gabriel (the first album and Trespass, except for maybe The Knife, can be discounted as basically crap I think); and four decent prog albums post-Gabriel. Sounds fairly even to me.

Phil wasn't the only one to get rich from pop tunes in the 80s. Peter did too with his 80s pop records when he was the king of MTV airplay. Did we all hate Peter for stuff like Shock The Monkey, Big Time, and Sledgehammer? As a prog fan and drummer back then, I didn't. Remember too that the famous gated drum sound used on Phil's In The Air Tonight was actually from Peter's impetus, and had been first used on Peter's 3rd solo album (which was considered new wave/post-punk, not prog).

You also have to look at where other big prog acts were then - what bands like Yes, Tull, Crimson were putting out in the same time period of late 70s/early 80s and beyond. Prog was waning...punk, new wave/post-punk, hair bands, and a pop resurgence was coming in.

If someone happens to like Peter's vocals over Phil's, I'm OK with that, it's just preference. Personally I'd have been glad to have either of them singing in my bands. But I'd encourage the Gabriel nostalgists to try a bit more critical thinking, and less mindless bandwagon jumping to memes that aren't borne out by the facts.

  EXCELLENT.....KUDOS!!!

 

Actually I'm a fan of both iterations - Peter for his theatrics, and Phil for taking over (whether willingly or not) as the lead and leading the band to such a successful run.  Not sure if the same would have occurred if Peter stuck around. 


help, I am trying to leave the house and the cool songs just keep on coming. I can't just walk away.
 
 Emwolb wrote:

that's so cute considering Wind & Wuthering 'older' Genesis.  Yes technically it is, but I consider Nursery Cryme & Foxtrot  as 'older' Genesis, not the Collins-era Genesis.  That said, W&W was the last tolerable Genesis album before Phil took them into the pop style that made them (aka, him) a lot of money

 
"So cute"? Well I think it's just darling that you're still pining for Peter Gabriel and never got over it that Phil Collins was a great musician, singer, and songwriter in his own right. Why does Phil get the "blame" when Tony and Mike (and Steve) weren't exactly dragged kicking and screaming into it? They contributed just as much if not more than Phil to whatever material came after Peter's departure, (though I do think Steve got a bit shit on then, mainly from Tony's and Mike's decisions not to use much of his material, and can see why he left after W&W).

You make it sound like Phil was the all-powerful, money grubbing 'pop Nazi' with an iron fist. {#Lol} Well you don't know much about Rutherford and Banks then I'd say. No shrinking violets were they, who loved the filthy lucre that pop hits would bring them as much as anyone, including Gabriel.

It wasn't like they were all starving artists in the Gabriel years either. The band made quite a few shekels before Genesis went less prog and more pop, which incidentally, I would put more around the time of Abacab, not W&W. In other words, I'd say ...And Then There Were Three... and Duke were mainly prog records too. Go back and listen to them again, start to finish.

So we have what...four decent prog albums with Gabriel (the first album and Trespass, except for maybe The Knife, can be discounted as basically crap I think); and four decent prog albums post-Gabriel. Sounds fairly even to me.

Phil wasn't the only one to get rich from pop tunes in the 80s. Peter did too with his 80s pop records when he was the king of MTV airplay. Did we all hate Peter for stuff like Shock The Monkey, Big Time, and Sledgehammer? As a prog fan and drummer back then, I didn't. Remember too that the famous gated drum sound used on Phil's In The Air Tonight was actually from Peter's impetus, and had been first used on Peter's 3rd solo album (which was considered new wave/post-punk, not prog).

You also have to look at where other big prog acts were then - what bands like Yes, Tull, Crimson were putting out in the same time period of late 70s/early 80s and beyond. Prog was waning...punk, new wave/post-punk, hair bands, and a pop resurgence was coming in.

If someone happens to like Peter's vocals over Phil's, I'm OK with that, it's just preference. Personally I'd have been glad to have either of them singing in my bands. But I'd encourage the Gabriel nostalgists to try a bit more critical thinking, and less mindless bandwagon jumping to memes that aren't borne out by the facts.
 LowPhreak wrote:
This reminds me of older Genesis, around Wind & Wuthering I suppose.

Great track, Bill!

 
that's so cute considering Wind & Wuthering 'older' Genesis.  Yes technically it is, but I consider Nursery Cryme & Foxtrot  as 'older' Genesis, not the Collins-era Genesis.  That said, W&W was the last tolerable Genesis album before Phil took them into the pop style that made them (aka, him) a lot of money
I have this on a compilation CD (Stars Die) but do not have the Up the downstairs CD.

EDIT.....   Not yet, that is.   {#Cheesygrin}
 xnavy wrote:
{#Bananasplit}I have tickets to see him in March at the Beacon in NYC

 
Unfortunately Steven was unable to sing due to laryngitis..
{#Bananasplit}I have tickets to see him in March at the Beacon in NYC
 lbaltz wrote:
PT always pleases me and they're way heavier than Gilmore ever was.  They're phenomenal live and Steven Wilson is consistently great!

 
Interesting you should say that.  I was thinking Floyd and then it came up saying PT and I was not disappointed.  PT are like a mood.  I think great Floyd songs are great but I definitely like more by PT where some of the Floyd goes a bit weird for me.
yay -- good stuff.. {#Music}
PT always pleases me and they're way heavier than Gilmore ever was.  They're phenomenal live and Steven Wilson is consistently great!
This reminds me of older Genesis, around Wind & Wuthering I suppose.

Great track, Bill!
 Chingachgook wrote:

Erm... have you listened to A Saucerful of Secrets? Porky Pine Tree's effort is a mere carbon copy of Dave Gilmour's latterday warbling and melodic guitar work....

 
Carbon copy? No

Indebted to? Sure
 Chingachgook wrote:

Erm... have you listened to A Saucerful of Secrets? Porky Pine Tree's effort is a mere carbon copy of Dave Gilmour's latterday warbling and melodic guitar work....

 

A carbon copy gooky? That's a bit of a stretch. All artists are inspired by other musicians/bands. What would Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones sound like without inspiration from the blues?
these guys could barf on a piece if white bread and I'd call it brioche. 
 Neil66 wrote:

As long as middle PT is not PMT.... I agree...


 
Photo Mechanical Transfer?

Now, that's a phrase I haven't heard in ages . . .  
 westslope wrote:

Agreed, agreed.

 



 
Erm... have you listened to A Saucerful of Secrets? Porky Pine Tree's effort is a mere carbon copy of Dave Gilmour's latterday warbling and melodic guitar work....
 {#Yes}westslope wrote:

Agreed, agreed.

 



 


 aspicer wrote:
REALLY liken' this one - haven't' heard it before and sounds different than other PT...in a very good way! PT fans - is the rest of the album more in this Pink Floyd like style or more like their other stuff?
 
This was my first PT album back in '93/94. Saw a half page ad in a music magazine and one of the quotes was

"if Pink Floyd had just released their first album then this is what it would sound like"

So in my opinion more spacy and soundscapey (?) but if you like 'em now go and discover their early stuff. 
  coy wrote:
       
does anyone have a clue what he's talking about ?

westslope replied:

The up and down moments of performing.  From exhilaration to wishing you were dead.  (Well, not literally...) 
 
I'm further confused to see Alan Duffy (King Africa?) credited with the lyrics for this song. I had a fine series of pictures in my mind of a man at the tail end of a stimulant binge writing sentences on 3 x 5 cards, and then finding a sort of non-linear order in his own chaos.
But now I am just impressed with the diversity of Steven Wilson's "connections."
Actually, I'm pretty sure you're right, westslope. {#Cheers}
 coy wrote:
does anyone have a clue what he's talking about ?

 
The up and down moments of performing.  From exhilaration to wishing you were dead.  (Well, not literally...) 
REALLY liken' this one - haven't' heard it before and sounds different than other PT...in a very good way! PT fans - is the rest of the album more in this Pink Floyd like style or more like their other stuff?
 MLavender wrote:
...  Porcupine Tree stands on their own, and in my personal opinion, they're actually better than Pink Floyd (and that's coming from a big Pink Floyd fan).

 

Agreed, agreed.

 


 Shannon is gone away... drifting out to seeeeeee.
had to put on my headphoners for this
now i'm sailin
Some of the greatest progressive rock of the last quarter centurty.  I like all of PT's "phases", but as a big Pink Floyd fan, I might like this phase most.  But it's all good, and by no means do I consider PT a modern Pink Floyd.  Porcupine Tree stands on their own, and in my personal opinion, they're actually better than Pink Floyd (and that's coming from a big Pink Floyd fan).

 coy wrote:
does anyone have a clue what he's talking about ?

Not really, though there's definitely a sad and surreal vibe going on. One of my PT top 5 for sure!


I sat in the room with a view
The girl in the photograph knew
Can't you see?
Why is she laughing at me?

I stumbled through the dark unaware
The face in the hall isn't there
Tomorrow has gone
Where do the voices come from?

Watching the leaves as they blew
Lost in the room with a view
Climb the walls
You did not know me at all

I fell through a hole in the floor
The audience cried out for more
Fadeaway It's just another day

Hit heaven far too high... 

 

 

 




does anyone have a clue what he's talking about ?

...beautiful one, this...
 Propayne wrote:
Early PT, middle PT, late PT.

It's all good PT.

 
As long as middle PT is not PMT.... I agree...

LOVE PT!!!
 sbegf wrote:
You know your going to like a song, when you are completely drawn in by the first few notes!
 

Agreed - this tune always pulls me in deeper as it progresses.   Love It!
 cosmiclint wrote:

Yes, in fact it inspired me to go find this.

Of course, YouTube wasn't even around when you posted that question in 2003.

 
That's cool!  The internet evolves while we watch and listen{#Dancingbanana}
Early PT, middle PT, late PT.

It's all good PT.

You know your going to like a song, when you are completely drawn in by the first few notes!
I love this - I'm in a spacy mood tonight. Snow is coming down like it really hates us and wants to extract revenge. I don't know what we did to piss off snow, but apparently, we're targeted. I will NOT be going anywhere tomorrow, so RP, brandy, and Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits will be my menu. {#Sunny}
 ambrebalte wrote:
Got a new mp3 player two days ago - walking with this song in the streets of Beijing, grey and dark at dusk. It's like walking in another world.
 
{#High-five} A stranger in a strange land.....

Oh yippeeee! I love PT {#Hearteyes} Haven't heard this one before......so chilled and beautiful {#Meditate}


 mandolin wrote:
...but you just played steven wilson twenty minutes ago!..

 
and your point is?  ;-)


Got a new mp3 player two days ago - walking with this song in the streets of Beijing, grey and dark at dusk. It's like walking in another world.


 Dave_Mack wrote:
Nice. Does anybody hear (or remember) "Worlds Away" by Strange Advance somewhere in there?
 
Yes, in fact it inspired me to go find this.

Of course, YouTube wasn't even around when you posted that question in 2003.

Yet another group I heard here first on RP. Thanks for the musical clinic Bill.
 westslope wrote:
Wilson understands that spaces and silences matter, something too often lost on much of the prog rock genre which can get 'busy' and 'noisy'.
 
yep, which is why i can't call myself a true prog-rock fan, nor would i categorize PT as pure prog-rock

{#Sunny}{#Guitarist}{#Sunny}
Some interesting sounds going on here.
...but you just played steven wilson twenty minutes ago!..

Hit heaven far too high.
Wow, I think I can see Russia from here.
 Foot wrote:
Forever thankful RP 'helped' (in the best sense of the word) me discover Porcupine Tree; really good stuff. 
 
I had no idea that they had been around this long (1993) & longer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine_Tree

 etcarroll wrote:


I second that thought! Thanks RP!!!
 
Third!

(also Steven Wilson and Patty Griffin - had never heard of any of them until I came to RP.)


 Foot wrote:
Forever thankful RP 'helped' (in the best sense of the word) me discover Porcupine Tree; really good stuff. 
 

I second that thought! Thanks RP!!!
 Mugro wrote:
{#Sleep} How boring....
 
You mean your own comment?

Forever thankful RP 'helped' (in the best sense of the word) me discover Porcupine Tree; really good stuff. 
so sad I missed this...  was listening to Moth Vellum...  don't bother   {#Tongue-out}
{#Sleep} How boring....
 baltimorelovejoy wrote:
Is this what they call "space rock?"

Maybe it should be called astral-travelling rock.

See you over Greenland?


Is this what they call "space rock?"
That searing guitar chorus kicks ass big time
 Deadwing wrote:
Listen to Dark Matter loud 5 times. It will change your life
 
"Dark Matter" loud 5 times.  OK, I could use a change of life.  {#Music}
AAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh 8
/melts
Hi Rebecca and Bill, Please play more progressive rock. I am missing other prog bands in RP, such as The Flower Kings, Glasshammer, Transatlantic, and, and... There's a lot of them.
eastcoast wrote:
This song drags
This song weaves.
I thought one song on Signify "Waiting Phase One" was excellent, the rest were mediocre
Listen to Dark Matter loud 5 times. It will change your life
Why hasn't John Wesley simply joined the band?
There are several theories here- Gavin says it's because he has silly hair and sings like a girl... (Gav is teasin offcoz) He has been on the last 3 albums doing backing vocals, so in a sense he does record with them already Wes has his own recording studio in Florida and has released quite a few CDs of his own stuff. He's an artist in his own right. I think they are happy with the status quo. It seems to be benefitting both PT and Wes. And btw I'm salty I missed this song- I adore it. That guitar in the beginning... /melts Also I would like to remind all you guys keeping score at home- this is one of the very early PT songs, with Steve Wilson playing all instruments himself and doing all vocals and writing, when he "was" Porcupine Tree.
Not a PT fan, but this ain't bad.
Been out in the wilderness trying to drown myself..... Was unsuccessful. Deadwing: Why hasn't John Wesley simply joined the band?
Hhhmmm... I dunno maybe listen to Nine Cats and then listen to What Happens Now and tell us if you think their music has changed at all. hehehe I LOVE this song The guitar solo in the beginning is so beautiful and well phrased I just adore it and the lyrics and melody are so plaintive and emotional A stunning song all around. Interesting bit of PT triv- when they do this song live John Wesley does the lead vocals and Steven Wilson rips the guitar up It's a perfect song for Wes' voice.
westslope wrote:
Pink Floyd? PT is better than PF. Better than Yes, better than Robert Fripp/King Crimson, broader than early Genesis. For perspective, I am extremely fond of all the forementioned bands.
Wow--that's a serious claim. I too am a PT super-fan, but one thing I have noticed is that PT is having a slow growth period. Their CD's totally rock, but in the past 13 years, how much has their music grown? Look at Yes and Pink Floyd--the end results were TOTALLY different from their early successful releases. Rockers get old, and if they don't grow, they may end up sounding like (gasp!) Peter Frampton or worse...
Sublime
This band has that sound that picks you up and rocks you gently. Very nice.
This song drags
I love it all. In Absentia and especially Deadwing are my favourites, but I'm amazed at how good the early material sounds. (Guess where I heard this first.) Pink Floyd? PT is better than PF. Better than Yes, better than Robert Fripp/King Crimson, broader than early Genesis. For perspective, I am extremely fond of all the forementioned bands. Wilson understands that spaces and silences matter, something too often lost on much of the prog rock genre which can get 'busy' and 'noisy'. There is wonderful flow on the Delerium CD from Up the Downstairs to Fadeway to Rainy Taxi. But what am I saying? All of Wilson's collections flow.
One of my favorites of his.
I like the Floyd-influenced stuff a lot. However, I do like much of their newer, more rockin' stuff too. I hope to see them someday. Until then, I have the DVD!
I don't see how Pink Floyd influence is somehow a bad thing...sure, they have influences. No artist exists in a vacuum. Discussion of influences aside, this is a great, great song.
shayborg wrote:
From the intro I could have sworn this was a Pink Floyd song. I see a previous commenter had the same impression.
I had the same vibe. I'll also detected some similarities to Donovan's voice.
From the intro I could have sworn this was a Pink Floyd song. I see a previous commenter had the same impression. EDIT: Wow, the rest of the song has a very heavy PF influence too. Still an 8.
On_The_Beach wrote:
I like 'em too although I find a lot of their stuff derivitive of Floyd. But hey, I still give it a thumbs up. Some of their tunes are more rockin'; try the "In Absentia" CD, for instance
I agree, King Crimson comes in a close second, PT has a bit more pop and crackle versus KC constant stream of music that just is overwhelming.
jberko wrote:
These guys simply rule modern-day progressive. Noe one else even comes close.
I like 'em too although I find a lot of their stuff derivitive of Floyd. But hey, I still give it a thumbs up. Some of their tunes are more rockin'; try the "In Absentia" CD, for instance
These guys simply rule modern-day progressive. Noe one else even comes close.
What the ............... Another brilliant tune by Porcupine Tree. Can't believe I never heard of them before Radio Paradise.. simply awesome.
I thought "what song could possibly follow S&G's 'Scarborough Fair' without doing it injustice?" But my doubts about Bill's DJ abilities were undeserved. This one does perfectly.
me too...me too...i'm on THIS bandwagon.
Fabulous!
nelamvr6 wrote:
My gawd I love Porcupine Tree!
Me too ... me too...
My gawd I love Porcupine Tree!
Added to my Amazon list; new fan....
Well, I'll be. There must be a pig flying somewhere... A PT song that I like.
Groovy
Now my second adventure up the "Porcupine Tree" This is exactly why RP is great. Not sure I like this but would I have heard it anywhere else? I think not!!! Thanks RP
Wow - Pink Floyd Meddle into this great PT album. Nice set, Bill.
godlike.
Chills up my spine.... and that guy's nihilistic German animated GIF below just tops it off perfectly.
WAY diggin this...new to me...
Nice segue from one great prog rock group to another, spanning over 30 years.
Cruithne3753 wrote:
Hmmm... this the re-recorded version? I've got the original when PT was pretty much just Steve Wilson by himself, and used sequencers and drum machines. This sounds fuller, especially the drums.
Nope. One of my uploads (and a candidate for my fav song of all time). It's from the original version. Personally, I think the re-recorded version of this particular song isn't TOO much different from the original (which is a goood thing since it's pretty much perfect!).
Hmmm... this the re-recorded version? I've got the original when PT was pretty much just Steve Wilson by himself, and used sequencers and drum machines. This sounds fuller, especially the drums.
Relayer wrote:
Thanks to Radioparadise, Porcupine Tree is now one of my favorite bands.
Same here, only I learned of them via www.progarchives.com - a great resource with legally downloadable MP3's for any progrock fan. This song is from their earlier stuff, I rather prefer their current, rockier strain (In Absentia, Lightbulb Sun). Still, what a fabulous sound! Gotta give this a 9. Edit 18.Aug.05 ------ music to make love to ------
Thanks to Radioparadise, Porcupine Tree is now one of my favorite bands. I've been buying up a lot of their CDs over the last year. The new release, Deadwing, is incredible (but a tad softer than In Absentia). Also check out Blackfield, a side project of Steve Wilson's that is very similar and very impressive.
RATS! I only heard the last chord. I can't wait to hear the whole song. This band is great, and like lily I never would have heard nor purchased their music if it weren't for RP.
I dunno, before the Floyd groove kicked in, I was listening to the opening chords and expecting Robert Plant to come in singing, "I'm in the mood for a melody/mood for a melody/I'm in the mood..."
I own three PT albums, but this isn't one of them. Looks like I'll be spending some more $$.
This is SO much more pleasant than what I experience with them live. They opened for Yes a few years ago, and I just found them to be too loud and abrasive.
rah wrote:
kinda floyd-y
PT are what Pink Floyd would have been if they'd begun with newer instruments... or if PF had already existed... they are the moody, brooding English heirs apparent to that legacy, and I love 'm.
I cant make this play loud enough. This is awesome. Thanks RP for introducing me to yet another great band.