Steven Wilson Retrospective Part 2: Karma - "The Joke's On You" (October 1983)
- Andrew J. Harper
- Jun 19, 2018
- 7 min read
Before going into the material recorded with Karma, there are a few distinctions to make. After doing some research into how the music of Altamont and the music of Karma was created, there are a few differences. The first is that while Altamont was a duo, Karma was a quartet (consisting of Wilson and three classmates). Another difference was that in the case of Altamont, “the music was improvised live onto cassette using primitive analog synthesizers and a home made echo machine.”
However, there is one similarity between them: both have some history of actively-suppressed distribution by Steven Wilson himself. In the example of Altamont, Steven actually asked the label to delete all copies of the cassette tapes for Prayer for the Soul and the only reason anyone can listen to it on YouTube now is because promotional copies had been in circulation for some point after it. In the case of Karma, it’s due to live recordings from that era having only one copy in existence—owned by Steven Wilson himself, who’s probably content with them never seeing the light of day.
This excerpt from an interview of Steven Wilson from around 2013 is particularly relevant:
“Karma was what you would now call a neo-progressive rock band. When I was a 14-year-old-kid, I discovered Marillion. They were local lads. I could go see them play in local venues and loved it. A few of us 14-year-olds started this band which sounded a bit like the bands we liked from our big brothers’ record collections. It was a step in the learning process.”
This youthful discovery of Marillion while they were a local band is a case of a young Steven is indicative of the trains of influence towards various eras of music that has cast a shadow on Steven’s entire career. Indeed, one complaint of Steven Wilson’s music is that it is derivative of others, but this can be countered by saying that influence is so inescapable that there is no such thing as being truly original—only a semblance of originality, something that I think Steven excels at in his mature period. Continuing with the quote, to say that “A few of us 14-year-olds started this band which sounded a bit like the bands we liked from our big brothers’ record collections” entails that Karma was a pale imitation of a band like Marillion, but was ultimately missing something. That such a pale imitation was “a step in the learning process” indicates that the existence of bands like Karma and Altamont were necessary growing pains for the material Steven would later give us his various projects as an adult.
Another interview quote (during a question discussing Steven’s earliest bands) from around 2000 is relevant:
“First, there was a band called Paradox, another called Karma and then another one. The two tapes that we made by Karma (“The Joke’s on You” and “The Last Man to Laugh”) have become more well-known because they have early versions of songs I had later recorded for Porcupine Tree…they became kind of a curiosity to Porcupine Tree fans but I mean they’re not different, better or worse than any other 14-year-old kids demo tapes as far as I’m concerned.”
To pick this one apart, Paradox did exist but broke up before they could record anything. Steven’s mention of “then another one” is telling towards how he regards Altamont compared to how he regards Karma—the former isn’t even worth a namedrop, indicative of an embarrassment at the lack of quality of Prayer For The Soul. The mention of early versions of Porcupine Tree songs on the Karma tapes is true—“Small Fish” (Up the Downstair) and “Nine Cats” (On the Sunday of Life) would later be re-recorded. Steven’s closing remark of the Karma tapes as no different “than any other 14-year-old kids demo tapes” is one that can entail two things—that he holds Karma in a similar light to Altamont and that they’re only noteworthy in that they provide a curiosity that Altamont doesn’t.
But enough about my conjecturing about the words of Steven Wilson regarding this era. The only way I can know for sure if Steven was right on this is by looking at the album itself.
“Intruder d’Or” (3:57)
From the first minute, the instrument levels are crisper than they were on the Altamont album. The bopping bassline, steady hi-hats of drums, revolving synthesizers, and use of both electric and acoustic guitar are evenly mixed. This song also has an abrupt tempo change around the two-minute mark, leading to a section which is faster than the rest of the song. Only to go back to the earlier rhythmic pattern for the finish.
This is more impressive than anything on Prayer For The Soul, but nothing to really write home about.
“Tigers In The Rain” (7:48)
Electric guitar announces its presence right out of the gate, soon greeted by synth and the rest of a hard-rock instrumentation. This continues until we get lyrics, which (thanks to demo-quality recording) are only partly discernable. After that, there’s a change in rhythm and then one back to the verse rhythm. After this, jagged hard-rock electric guitar comes back to make way for a synth solo. This is followed by a guitar solo demonstrating better acumen of the instrument from Steven than on Prayer For The Soul yet also exhibiting Steven’s gifts of restraint and making the most out of his limitations with the instrument. You won’t have Malmsteen/Satriani/Vai-tier shredding from Steven, but he’ll make any guitar solo appropriate to the song. It’s refreshing to hear that that was evident even at his earliest days. Then next part of the song is a verse using the same rhythm as those which backed the solos. This is followed by an outro where all sound drops out save for an acoustic guitar and the sloshing of water.
For something created by a bunch of 14-year-olds, this is a rather ambitious song only undermined by the limitations of the equipment used to record it.
“Small Fish” (4:51)
A heavy synth riff backed by the drums kicks this song off, only to segue into airier synths for the verse. These verses appear to be delivered in a monotone (voice-wise, it doesn’t sound like Steven at all). After the lyrics pass, there is a fuzz-toned guitar solo consisting of Gilmour-style sustains. After this, there is a synth solo and then a drum solo, during the latter of which the bass guitar also begins soloing. Over this, the sounds of crickets and frogs are audible just before the bass drops out. Just as the drum solo wraps up, the sounds of a goat plays out amongst that of the crickets as the song ends.
The increased focus on instrumentation and showing-off of what technical chops this group of 14-year-olds have is admirable. However, the version of this song that appears on Up The Downstair remains superior for reasons to be addressed in that review.
“Nine Cats” (14:33)
Piano opens this track and is soon joined by clean-toned guitar and icy synths for the first verse. To this note, the lyrics to this track are completely different from the version later recorded by Porcupine Tree. Mid-way through the verse, bass pops its head in. Soon, drums and electric guitar make their way in and a new rhythm develops—one that feels funk-like yet not.
This drops out and gives way to the verse-pattern, but some of the lyrics in this verse are of note: “I threw five clocks down on my bed/The chimes danced out on golden threads/And turned to footprints on my wall/Sequined tears began to fall.” These lyrics are notable because they were re-uesed for a later version of “Nine Cats” which appeared on Insignificance (a collection of b-sides and demos from the sessions for Porcupine Tree’s 1996 album Signify). This indicates that these songs continue to develop for Steven even after they’re recorded.
Back to the song, where the song returns (after the verse) to the rhythm which I described as funk-like yet not…only to morph into an instrumental section which starts with clean-toned guitar and synths, but is soon joined in by bass and a disco-beat drum part. Then, everything stops dead aside from guitar chords which fade in-and-out after being strummed. Over this, synth begins to play for a bit before the chords become clear and the rhythm section picks up. Then, everything be the drums die out before guitar feedback slowly comes in. Then, a set of synth triplets spark a new rhythm punctuated by drums and bass. After a while, there is a break of silence after which all the instruments (acoustic guitar, drums, bass, and synth) come in. Then, a chord progression is played on both electric guitar and synth while the snare punctuates each note. After a brief bit where there is just drums and bass, a hard-rock guitar solo starts while the drum rhythm becomes more complex. After this, the chord progression part plays again. Then, a brief respite before an arpeggio begins to play on the synth, which leads to another verse. This time, the lyrics are the first verse of the Porcupine Tree version. After this verse, an instrumental vamp builds on the verse’s rhythm for a while until the next set of lyrics ends. After which, a brief drum fill plays which leads to a melancholic-tinged folk rhythm over a synth solo. This is interspersed with a drum solo before the rhythm comes back and gradually fades out, with the synth being the last to go. After all the instruments are out of the picture, the sounds of meowing cats (but given a ghostly echo) are on a loop for around thirty seconds.
What truly sinks this version is that the instrumental sections go on for longer than necessary. Yes, Steven has been capable of writing excellent songs which extend well past the ten-minute mark. Each of those songs either has a structure or a flow that feels impeccable and doesn’t betray the song’s roots—it feels like a natural extension of the foundation. Because that isn’t the case with this version of “Nine Cats,” it suffers as a result.
Final Thoughts:
While this album is an improvement from the Altamont album, there are some shortcomings. One of which—the production quality—isn’t entirely the fault of the band (as there are economic circumstances surrounding that). Another shortcoming is one that isn’t as pronounced as it was in Prayer For The Soul, but the version of “Nine Cats” on here suffers from a disjointed flow (much like “Altamont” from Prayer For The Soul). This is not a good place to start, but it is also interesting to hear Steven’s humble beginnings.
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