My first exposure to The Pineapple Thief was when I heard their debut on Kscope, Tightly Unwound in 2008 . The band was previously on Cyclops and all of their back catalog is in a sort of limbo/ out of print, to be re-released in the future by Kscope.
Bruce Soord (vocals/guitars/keyboards) has hand picked 20 tracks from all of the albums to be remastered and remixed for this compilation album, 3,000 Days.
The album title refers to the approximate time that the band has been together. They’ve been quite busy with 7 studio albums, 3 EPs and 3 limited edition CDs. The material goes all the way back to the band's debut, Abducting The Unicorn, which is represented by Private Paradise (a 10+ minute epic). Each of the albums are represented up to the last studio album, Tightly Unwound with an acoustic version of “Tightly Wound” which was a part of one of the Dawn Raid EPs.
Until the albums are re-released we have this amazing collection of songs that teases our aural senses. It’s so hard to pick songs for a compilation since there’s always going to be something missing. For someone like myself, I couldn’t be so picky since this is my first exposure to these songs. There’s more than 140 minutes of music to digest here. The album is housed in what’s called a “super case” with a slipcase over it and a 24 page booklet that contains all the lyrics and liners for each by Bruce.
My favorites off the first disc are, “Part Zero“, “137“. “We Love You”, “Tightly Wound” and “Remember Us”. One the second disc, “The World I Always Dreamed Of”, “Wretched Souls”, “Private Paradise”, “Snowdrops” and “Too Much To Lose”. All of these tracks represent to me, the highlights of this compilation. I’m sure each and every TPT fan will have a different set of songs as highlights.
In closing, this is a perfect introduction to the band. I believe once you hear the song selection, you’ll be waiting for the proper re-issuing of the previous albums. As of this review, the band’s 2006 release Little Man, in the early part of next year. I’m sure that more will be announced after the first of the year. I feel the sound the band coveys is a hybrid of Radiohead, Muse and Porcupine Tree For the fans of those bands along with label mates Anekdoten, Engineers and Nosound is a highly recommended release to add to your collection.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on December 24th, 2009
1. Why did they make this album? What was the passion or message that forced them to produce what they have? Or, simply what was their motivation for the themes they chose for this album?
Since Ron has already done a complete review (see links below) of this CD pack, I will just add some comments and discuss the highlights from my perspective. Ron has also provided a full track listing, so I won’t duplicate his efforts here. Nor will I review this track by track, because that would be at least a three page review! :^)
I became a PT fan when I purchased the Tightly Unwound CD, shortly after its release in May 2008. I was blown away and really enjoyed the complexity in the music on that album. So all of the songs off TU, including Shoot First, TU, and Too Much to Lose, that are included here, are favorites.
This disc lets the newbie fans like me experience the highlights of the band’s first 3000 Days, and I thank them for sending a copy. It helped me make my mind up on purchasing the entire catalog in due time.
Some of the highlights for me include:
God Bless the Child, Snow Drops and We Love You – Little Man will probably be the first of the back catalog I buy because of the intensity and power of these songs.
Part Zero, Vapour Trails and Remember Us – This will make Variations on a Dream my second album to explore. Long songs like Remember Us are always some of my favorites.
Kid Chameleon and How Did We Find Our Way makes the 137 album another fine album to discover.
The World I Always Dreamed Of and I Will Light Up Your Eyes – I hope these songs are a good representation of 10 Stories Down.
All You Need To Know – Makes the EP, What We Have Sown, another of the discs to include on the initial catalog purchase list.
2. Does this music improve, change, or add to the genre? What does the listener receive from listening to the music?
I have read many reviews and comparisons to Porcupine Tree, Muse, and even some of U2’s earlier work, but for me Soord’s vocals separate the band from the rest of the pack, as vocalists usually do. The sincerity and honesty come through in his vocals. The power of the supporting music throughout all of these hits makes this band one of the most innovative and interesting in the genre.
The support of Kscope, one of the most interesting and supportive labels in the experimental/ ambient/art/prog music genre, have helped this band to reach new heights in terms of exposure to a larger audience.
They are hard at work on their latest album with a release date of April 5, 2010, and an album sleeve designed by the famous Storm Studios who did some of Pink Floyd’s, Led Zeppelin’s, and Peter Gabriel’s famous album covers.
I’m looking forward to that new album and will be listening to this great two disc compilation in preparation.
3. Does it have longevity? Is it something a fan will like to play again and again?
Fantastic and a great introduction to the band for new fans. A nice concise way of listening to the band, whether or not you own the entire catalog.
Rating: 9/10 – No clunkers here, but without hearing all of the rest of the catalog I don’t know if these are the best songs off all of their albums. But it is a very good sampling and does raise interest in the rest of the catalog. It definitely caught me up on where the band has been and prepares me for the next stage in their development.
Reviewed by Prof on February 7th, 2010
