Steven Wilson Retrospective Part 1: Altamont - "Prayer For The Soul" (September 1983)
- Andrew J. Harper
- Jun 18, 2018
- 6 min read
This album marks the earliest recordings of Steven Wilson, who was about two months away from his 16th birthday at the time of its release…on the format of a cassette tape in very limited numbers. To my research, this album has never been officially reprinted on any format. Meaning that unofficial YouTube posts of the individual songs are (as of 2018) the only way to listen to the album. As for the album itself, it is marked by excursions of psychedelia. Ironically so, as the actual Altamont (the site of the infamous Rolling Stones concert where the band had the Hell’s Angels as security and where a fan was stabbed to death) was the antithesis of Woodstock.
“Altamont” (17:50)
Once this happens, a synthesized voice begins speaking (I can’t make out what he says) which repeats the same sample until airy synths drown out his words as they become increasingly distorted and then the full band comes in. There’s even a simple repeating electric guitar melody. This vamp continues until the song ends.
This is Steven’s first long-form piece and it clearly shows. These sections appear hardly cohere together and don’t flow well like the psychedelia-based bands this project was inspired by. Steven would mature his song-writing process in this form in the years and decades to come (excellent examples being “The Sky Moves Sideways,” the full “Even Less,” “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here,” “Anesthetize,” and “Raider II”), but this piece does show that even the greats have humble beginnings..
After this (around 10 minutes in), the synths change to a repeating rhythm of one eighth note, two sixteenth notes, and two more eighth notes. Over this rhythm, shimmering keyboard layers are coated over the top of it. Then, guitar flourishes and the first instance of audible bass. This persists with some faintly-audible electric guitars around the 12 minute mark until 12 and a half minute mark starts a slow crescendo. Around 14 and a half minutes in, drums become audible until everything stops dead at the 15 minute mark.
This whopping number opens with a lengthy fade-in of what appears to be some bizarre synth effects distorted almost beyond recognition. Then, it slowly becomes discernible as percussion and clean-toned guitar come in—almost in an act of sorcery by the wizard on the cover.Then, a clearly 80’s synth melody comes into the fore as the distorted effects die away. Clean-toned guitar flourishes (in a repeating two-note pattern) and hammering drum fills (think Pink Floyd’s “Time” but a bit faster) rear their head around four minutes in until they all die out near the six minute mark, giving way to a sound akin to thunder. Then, synths and wind-effects pulsate out of the silence while the light taps of ride cymbals periodically put order until the guitar and keyboard flourishes add shades of spacey color to this darker setting.
“Watching Statues” (2:57)
This song starts with a voice that sounds like Steven’s, but the lo-fi production makes the lyrics difficult to discern. The instrumentation is solid and reminiscent of the opening minutes of “Supper’s Ready” by Genesis. But when the only lyrics a listener can discern after the synths join in is a stock effect of an evil laugh, it inhibits what’s otherwise a solid track for a 16 year-old Steven Wilson—solid enough to give light foreshadowing towards some elements of his later career. Which is a shame because that is not the fault of the musicians involved, but rather the limitations of the equipment they were able to record with. Even in the state that this song is in, the melodies which this track contains are an early sign of Steven’s impeccable ear for melody and also proof that it was something which he always had.
“The Tell Tale Heart” (5:21)
This track starts out with a chord-heavy keyboard melody until synths drape over it. This persists for a while. In fact, the synths sound like they’ve been ripped straight out of an ELP album. I’d call this one peaceful, deceptively so given the Edgar Allan Poe story that the title comes from. But the lack of non-synthesized instrumentation can point to something inhuman in the source material and that peaceful quality can indicate just how alluring something inhuman can be. In which case, the calming synthesizers stand-in for temptation.
But then one has to discuss the jarring ending at around 4:50. At that moment, the calming melody is abruptly cut off by what sounds like either an explosion or a reverberating shotgun blast (hard to tell with the low-fi production). Then the echo which that sound gives off fades in and out for the last thirty seconds, making a sound akin to that of a compressed and low-pitched version of an airplane passing overhead. In relation to the Poe story, this can stand in for the murder and the hiding of the body, but there’s a flaw to that—the temptation persists in that story after the murder. However, that sound could represent a guilty person’s heightened sense of awareness in regards to the possibility of being caught.
“Split Image” (9:23)
This track starts with tinny multi-tracked guitar leads (would sound great with better production) which are soon backed by synth. Just under 1:30, there’s an audible sample (not discernible due to bad production). Then the guitar plays a different lead that is relegated to the background (bad sound mixing) as the bass is now audible. Then, a fuzz-toned riff joins in that could be either guitar or heavily-distorted synth. Suddenly, everything drops out and gives way to an acoustic guitar. Then, various layers of synth come in before it transitions to a passage with bass, acoustic guitar, and a synthesizer. This persists until a sustained note on the synth gives way to a slow trill-like patter that gradually shifts higher in pitch before reaching a melody wherein the acoustic guitar and bass join in for a crescendo. A vamp on this rhythm continues to build and build and build until the song ends with a generic strumming pattern sans accompaniment.
Musically, this song is more interesting than “Altamont.” Unfortunately, it suffers from many of the same problems that that long piece did. Just because a piece is over nine minutes long doesn’t automatically make it epic. There needs to be a craft, a flow, and a focus that warrants such a length. And at this early point in his career, Steven Wilson had all three but in middling capacities. Especially to some of his later compositions.
“Prayer for the Soul” (8:06)
This one starts with a clean-toned guitar arpeggio before bass and synth shortly follow. Then drums and vocals (which are mixed better than before). From there, a structure appears that is the most standard on the album. That is, until the break that starts around 4:30 (you can tell when the kick pedal comes in). This instrumental break has quite audible bass, fast and aggressive jazz-like drumming, psychedelic guitar flourishes, and backing synths. But it soon gives way to a variant of the opening melody and another vocal section. After the last chorus comes a brief and simple guitar solo over the verse-and-chorus pattern to end the song.
The mixing on this song isn’t superb, but every part is clearly audible at almost all times. This is a step up from every other track on the album and a reminder that even at 15 years old, Steven Wilson had one good song in him.
Final Thoughts:
Listening to this, the inexperience that Steven Wilson had at this stage of the game really shows. Not just in the pedestrian manner in which the longer pieces appear, but my oft-repeated quibble of the quality of the sound mixing. I know that Steven was only 15 when this was released, but Steven also experimented with sound engineering for at least as long as he had been playing instruments. The only excuse that can be made for the quality of the sound mixing is that the equipment used was the best that he could tinker up. While it can be stated that constructing recording software even of this shoddy quality is an impressive feat for a 15 year-old, Steven’s future achievements in related areas (sound mixing, record production)—categories where he’s been nominated for a Grammy both for Porcupine Tree and as a solo artist—make this seem both like a first step and (in hindsight) an embarrassment.
That last word—embarrassment—may ultimately be why this album has never been officially reissued. Sure, it is a fascinating look at the humble beginnings of (in my mind) one of the greatest living British songwriters. But knowing what Steven Wilson has been capable of ever since 1993 leaves one with an inescapable feeling that no matter how impressive this album is for a 15 year old to make, Steven Wilson can do so much better than this.
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