PORCUPINE TREE

Vanaf het debuutalbum On The Sunday Of Life is Porcupine Tree zich blijven ontwikkelen; eerst pure progrock, waar ze later metal en melodieuze pop in verwerkten. Dit alles kwam bij elkaar op hun meesterwerk Fear Of A Blank Planet: een dystopisch conceptalbum over mentaal getroebleerde jongeren die zich verliezen in games, drugs en sociale vervreemding – gebaseerd op het boek Lunar Park van Bret Easton Ellis. Zeven songs die helemaal bij elkaar kloppen – intrigerend, pakkend en verontrustend. Hoogtepunt is het 17 minuten lange Anesthetize – met die prachtige solo van gastmuzikant Alex Lifeson – en ook de theatrale afsluiter Sleep Together, waar je de invloed van Bowie hoort, verdient een vermelding. De plaat werd indertijd opgevolgd door de EP Nil Recurring, met vier songs die het album niet hadden gehaald. Deze reissue is één groot feest, met het originele album en Nil Recurring in geremasterde uitvoering, een klein uur aan demo’s, live-opnames (waaronder een unplugged in-store) en een boek erbij. (Louk Vanderschuren)

The set consists of:
112-Page Hardback Book: The centrepiece of this collection is a 112-page book, with an in-depth examination of the process of creating the album by Stephen Humphries with interviews, alongside rare photographs from photographers Lasse Hoile & Carl Glover & the band's personal archives.
Disc 1 (CD): 2024 remaster of ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’.
Disc 2 (CD): 2024 remaster of ‘Nil Recurring’ EP.
Disc 3 (CD): Approx 55 minutes of previously unreleased demos by both band & Steven Wilson, offering a rare insight into the creative process for the album, including 2 tracks not recorded for the final album.
Disc 4 (CD): A live recording of a work-in-progress version of the album made at The Garage, Saarbrucken on 23rd September 2006, while the band were still refining & developing the material. This has been mixed from the multitrack tapes for the first time for this edition.
Disc 5 (CD): A 5 track BBC radio session (Maida Vale Studios, 13th April 2007) plus an 8-song acoustic / unplugged in-store performance from Park Avenue, Orlando (4th October 2007).
Disc 6 (Blu-ray): Includes remastered Stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound mixes of ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’ & ‘Nil Recurring’, as well as a new 2024 documentary - 'The Making of Fear Of A Blank Planet'. Also features 3 music videos, 3 songs performed live on film at The Palladium, Koln (4th December 2007) & 2 live visual films (‘Sleep Together’ & ‘Anesthetize’).
Originally released in 2007, ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’ was Porcupine Tree's ninth studio album & both band & fans a-like consider it to be a high point in their catalogue. Their biggest selling album at the time, it was the band’s first album to break into the Billboard Top 100 in the USA as well as charting significantly across Europe, earning them a Grammy nomination in the process. The album includes guest appearances from Robert Fripp (King Crimson) & Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson & featured in Rolling Stone Magazine’s Greatest Prog Albums Of All Time as well as being named Classic Rock’s Album of the Year in 2007.

A concept album inspired by the Bret Easton Ellis novel Lunar Park, Fear Of A Blank Planet’s lyrics address how the adolescent protagonist battles his terminal boredom & attention-deficit disorders with a regimen of prescription drugs, TV, computer gaming, mindless violence, empty sex & self-harm.

Following the release of ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’ in 2007, Porcupine Tree solidified their reputation as one of the rock’s most celebrated bands with their 2009 release ‘The Incident’ garnering critical acclaim & earning the band another Grammy nomination. After a significant hiatus while members moved on to other projects, 2022’s highly anticipated return with ‘Closure/Continuation’ demonstrated the band's unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of their sound.

This ‘Fear Of A Blank Planet’ Transmission box set offers fans an unparalleled experience, revisiting the album with new, previously unreleased content & 2024 remastered audio.