This was the first PT album I bought way way back. I know i definitely had it in 99/00.
It was actually one of those "bargain bin" purchases. i think I was probably browsing, probably in HMV when I noticed the cover. I may have recognized the band name from reviews in Mojo or such like. Anyway an impulse buy for me.
It took me a while to get into it, in fact I took it into my office at the time and my PA (we all had them then
) kept playing it on the CD player. I'd only really got as far as the first track (Even Less) and I liked Tinto Brass, but every so often I'd listen and hear those brilliant de-tuned metal chords that SW uses, but what struck me about them was that they have that "loud but not loud" production. In fact the production as whole stood out for me, words like supple, smooth but at the same time weighty and full bodied come to mind. Reminded me of the Floyd actually.
The drumming also stood out - Chris Maitland is a brilliant drummer. Anyway, long story short, my interest was piqued and developed into wholesale admiration of SW and PT from that point on (although I missed out Lightbulb Sun as it got a dreadful review in Mojo so I didn't bother at the time, only pickig up again when In Absentia came out).
As for the album, it's really stood the test of time. Quality songs, excellent playing and a production masterclass. An object lesson to any band I would suggest. As time has gone on, I appreciate much more the nuances and my 2 fave tracks are Baby Dream In Cellophane and the awesome A Smart Kid - what an atmos ! That guitar and keyboard call and response figure is just icy and so evocative. You can just imagine being the character in the song.
Barbieri is in top atmosphere creating patch mode on the whole album.
I now prefer the full length version of Even Less, but that's just me.
It's quite Floydian but without being obviously so and is a cornerstone album in the PT canon linking the psychedelia of the first albums with the more direct but harder edged stuff that the band has developed over the years. Interestingly, I detect more of swing back to this style in SW's writing for both The Incident and Grace For Drowning.
It's tempting to position SW as above criticism and is the saviour of all things prog, which I don't think he is, but he's a brilliant innovator and has a keen ear for sounds, melody, texture and production. There are sounds here that are echoed in a myriad other prog bands these days (it's getting a bit samey sometime tbh) but this is a fantastic album which I don't think will disappoint many people.
Not a cast iron classic (I reserve that for The Incident, FOABP and possibly Signify) but a second string PT album is still worth any number of hackneyed copyists. Highly recommended and a good shout.
Prog Fact - Johnny Mitchell auditioned for PT to play the role now performed by Jon Wesley in live gigs.
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