Richard Barbieri - Planets + Persona
"New Found Land"
PT was that band that only a tight circle knew. It's a shame too. With almost 40 albums to their credit it was done with top notch musicians. I was lucky enough to have seen PT live in Detroit. I've seen Steven Wilson solo as well. It's good but I liken it to a knockout blow is delivered with a tight fist not a single finger. Sure, the masses will lump PT in as a Pink Floyd wanna be band but all it takes is a simple pass of 7 albums to understand that there is so much more to them and it's really a smear to say it. The ultimate crime is that their music is still not recognizable on airwaves of radio today. I can say that about a lot of bands, Frank Zappa. Fishbone, Bright Light Social Hour....yada yada yada those were the right there without thinking hard...and PT. That said a lot has been written and said about this being Steven's band. Every band has to have a leader and without doubt he's got a level sophistication to be able to play every instrument in the room and use recording software and recording devices to form it into solid work. Those don't come down the pike much. That said Richard Barbieri's role as keyboardist for PT shows that he's much more than jut a bit musician. He too can play multiple instruments and is deftly aware on how to record a finished product. What lead me to scratch his work was an emptiness of not having new PT material. The band is dissolved with Steven saying there no need to revisit or go back to what was. I hope for his wallet's sake and his new bride that he grasps the magnitude reforming PT and creating new music would do for the coffers. Richard is no slouch. He's very accomplished and tracks like this showcase layering abilities with the bass and sax that sound like it could be an original soundtrack for a movie or crime show. I'm liking where this journey is going by breathing new life into the snail trails that formed one of the best bands you never hear unless you're shown it.
DrMaddVibe wrote:
