The Raven That Refused To Sing

This has to be one of Steven Wilsons best albums. Sounds amazing on vinyl

Only six tracks but nearly an hour of great, mellow rock music, The musicianship of SW and his band is top notch throughout and you'll often find yourself reminded of seminal tracks by other prog-rock artists. The opener Luminol starts with 5 minutes of rapid bass and percussion akin to Rush or Mars Volta then quietens to harmonised vocals and dense keyboards most mid-70's Genesis albums featured. Indeed, the mellotron on this album is King Crimson's legendary machine.The three shorter tracks are all mellow and memorable. Drive Home features a groovy guitar weaving through it whilst Pin Drop and the closing title track have Wilson's most heartfelt vocals to great effect. On Pin Drop there's a sax solo that- for once- works well. SW's moving vocals and arrangement on the epic The Watchmaker resemble Genesis circa Selling England- you can hear it on the subdued flute and acoustic guitar work. And is Wilson copying the piano from Lamb lies Down on Broadway at approx. 8 minutes 30?A certain Alan Parsons produced this lovely set and the mysterious artwork is appropriate too. All in all, a great album even by SW's meticulously high standards. Surely rock fans will be enjoying this album decades into the future.

I have Steven Wilson's more recent Hand cannot Erase and To the Bone albums and decided to check out The Raven ... having read positive reviews and, to my ears, this is the strongest of the three. I think the length, at 54 minutes, compared to an hour or more for the others is what benefits it: less is more. The Raven is cohesive, mellow and jazzy in parts, with elements of classic prog (Genesis, Yes, King Crimson) evident but with a modern slant. Standout tracks: The Holy Drinker (with Alan Parsons on wah wah guitar), The Pin Drop and The Watchmaker. But there are no weak cuts. There are several great extended guitar solos by Wilson and impactful sax contributions by Theo Travis.

Great album by Steve Wilson

First album i have brought from this artist. Beaning a fan of progressive rock; this was a very good album. Played a few times and it does get better.

Somewhat different to what I normally listen to, this is a series of six long form songs of beautiful delicacy and delicate beauty. They each tell an emotional and haunting story. It took me two or three listens to really 'get' what Steven Wilson was attempting, but definitely worth the perseverance. At least two of the songs (Drive Home and The Raven That Refused to Sing) also have beautiful animated videos on Youtube, so I'd recommend looking at those too.

I don't know if this album's any good or not, because the raven wouldn't sing. Such a tragedy. They tried but it just didn't happen, so they had to replace it with this Steven Wilson character. Don't get me wrong, the man has a good voice...but I paid for a raven and I want a raven, dammit!...on second thought, maybe there's something I'm missing. Oh well. I give it five stars anyway.

Tremendous album from Steven Wilson - very different to and definitely more proggy than Hand.Cannot.Erase but equally good. Guitar solo on 'Drive Home' ranks with the best, both technically and emotionally. If you are into 70's prog rock this is a must have.

"The Raven That Refused To Sing" is one of the most expertly composed and executed musical creations that I have ever experienced. I don't use the word "experienced" lightly. Every time that I listen to this music, I find more nuances and layers of musical elements that invoke strong feelings.This music has a major jazz foundation, especially in the choice of instruments and the playing style. But, it has many other musical styles including electronic, progressive rock, metal and classical. It is a sort of musical potpourri that is masterfully concocted to evoke a satisfying experience with a coherent theme.The performances by the musicians reveal an amazing level of skill and an expert ability to contribute exactly the right type of performance to the entire production. This is obviously the result of people who truly love what they are creating and are willing to work very hard to make it the very best that it can be.

Brian Wilson's answer to "The Dark Side of the Moon". As someone who grew up listening to Pink Floyd, I can say without a doubt that this is a modern progressive rock classic.Please share this underappreciated gem.

Obra maestra, excelente calidad del producto

Superb audio

Buen producto , a un buen precio y con un servicio rápido y eficaz