London label Transmission have announced a new edition of Porcupine Tree’s Grammy-nominated 2007 album, Fear Of A Blank Planet. With a 112-page hardback book, five CDs, and a Blu-ray disc, the new edition includes remasters of Fear Of A Blank Planet and the Nil Recurring mini-album, approximately 55 minutes of previously unreleased demos, an early live performance of a still work-in-progress version of the album, as well as BBC and instore session recordings - the most complete collection of the album and related material to date.
The set consists of:
- 112-Page Hardback Book: The centrepiece of this collection is a 112-page book, with an in-depth examination of the process of creating the album by Stephen Humphries with interviews, alongside rare photographs from photographers Lasse Hoile & Carl Glover.
- Disc 1 (CD): 2024 remaster of Fear Of A Blank Planet.
- Disc 2 (CD): 2024 remaster of Nil Recurring EP.
- Disc 3 (CD): Approx 55 minutes of previously unreleased demos by both band and Steven Wilson, offering a rare insight into the creative process for the album, including 2 tracks not recorded for the final album.
- Disc 4 (CD): A live recording of a work-in-progress version of the album made at The Garage, Saarbrucken on 23rd September 2006, while the band were still refining and developing the material. This has been mixed from the multitrack tapes for the first time for this edition.
- Disc 5 (CD): A 5 track BBC radio session (Maida Vale Studios, 13th April 2007) plus an 8-song acoustic / unplugged in-store performance from Park Avenue, Orlando (4th October 2007).
- Disc 6 (Blu-ray): Includes remastered stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes of Fear Of A Blank Planet and Nil Recurring, as well as a new 2024 documentary - 'The Making of Fear Of A Blank Planet'. Also features 3 music videos, 3 songs performed live on film at The Palladium, Koln (4th December 2007) and 2 live visual films (‘Sleep Together’ and ‘Anesthetize’).
Watch a video trailer below.
Originally released in 2007, Fear Of A Blank Planet is Porcupine Tree's ninth studio album and both band and fans alike consider it to be a high point in their catalogue. Their biggest selling album at the time, it was the band’s first album to break into the Billboard Top 100 in the USA as well as charting significantly across Europe, earning them a Grammy nomination in the process. The album includes guest appearances from Robert Fripp (King Crimson) & Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and featured in Rolling Stone Magazine’s Greatest Prog Albums Of All Time as well as being named Classic Rock’s Album of the Year in 2007.
A concept album inspired by the Bret Easton Ellis novel Lunar Park, Fear Of A Blank Planet’s lyrics address how the adolescent protagonist battles his terminal boredom and attention-deficit disorders with a regimen of prescription drugs, TV, computer gaming, mindless violence, empty sex, and self-harm.
Following the release of Fear Of A Blank Planet in 2007, Porcupine Tree solidified their reputation as one of the rock’s most celebrated bands with their 2009 release The Incident garnering critical acclaim and earning the band another Grammy nomination. After a significant hiatus while members moved on to other projects, 2022’s highly anticipated return with Closure/Continuation demonstrated the band's unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of their sound.
The new edition of Fear Of A Blank Planet will be released on Transmission on October 25. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
Disc 1
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (2024 Remaster) [07:28]
"My Ashes" (2024 Remaster) [05:09]
"Anesthetize" (2024 Remaster) [17:52]
"Sentimental" (2024 Remaster) [05:26]
"Way Out Of Here" (2024 Remaster) [07:37]
"Sleep Together" (2024 Remaster) [07:28]
Disc 2
"Nil Recurring" (2024 Remaster) [06:15]
"Normal" (2024 Remaster) [07:08]
"Cheating The Polygraph" (2024 Remaster) [07:10]
"What Happens Now?" (2024 Remaster) [08:24]
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (Tour Live intro) [02:02]
Disc 3
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (Demo) [07:01]
"My Ashes" (Demo) [05:09]
"Anesthetize" (Demo) [16:49]
"Sentimental" (Demo) [05:03]
"Cheating The Polygraph" (Demo) [07:07]
"Sleep Together" (Demo) [07:26]
"Always Recurring" (Demo) [03:49]
"Hey Sleeper" (Demo) [03:36]
Disc 4
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (Live at Garage, Saarbrucken, 23 September 2006) [09:05]
"My Ashes" (Live at Garage, Saarbrucken, 23 September 2006) [05:44]
"Anesthetize" (Live at Garage, Saarbrucken, 23 September 2006) [17:12]
"Sentimental" (Live at Garage, Saarbrucken, 23 September 2006) [05:07]
"Cheating The Polygraph" (Live at Garage, Saarbrucken, 23 September 2006) [06:58]
"Sleep Together" (Live at Garage, Saarbrucken, 23 September 2006) [08:11]
Disc 5
"Blackest Eyes" (BBC Session, Maida Vale, 13 April 2007) [04:27]
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (BBC Session, Maida Vale, 13 April 2007) [07:29]
"Sleep Together" (BBC Session, Maida Vale, 13 April 2007) [07:20]
"The Pills I'm Taking" (BBC Session, Maida Vale, 13 April 2007) [05:58]
"Halo" (BBC Session, Maida Vale, 13 April 2007) [05:42]
"The Sky Moves Sideways" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [04:02]
"Even Less" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [03:27]
"Stars Die" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [04:34]
"Waiting" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [03:52]
"Normal" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [04:52]
"Drown With Me" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [04:09]
"Lazarus" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [04:06]
"Trains" (Live in-store performance, Park Avenue, Orlando, 4 October 2007) [04:28]
Disc 6
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (5.1) [07:28]
"My Ashes" (5.1) [05:09]
"Anesthetize" (5.1) [17:52]
"Sentimental" (5.1) [05:26]
"Way Out Of Here" (5.1) [07:37]
"Sleep Together" (5.1) [07:28]
"Nil Recurring" (5.1) [06:15]
"Normal" (5.1) [07:08]
"Cheating The Polygraph" (5.1) [07:10]
"What Happens Now?" (5.1) [08:24]
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (Video) [04:19]
"Way Out Of Here" (Video) [04:17]
"Normal" (Video) [03:52]
"Sleep Together" (Live Visual Film) [07:32]
"Anesthetize" (Live Visual Film) [17:14]
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" (Video - Live at Palladium, Koln, 4 December 2007) [08:37]
"Anesthetize" (Video - Live at Palladium, Koln, 4 December 2007) [17:14]
"Sleep Together" (Video - Live at Palladium, Koln, 4 December 2007) [08:03]
The Making Of Fear Of A Blank Planet (Documentary Film) [48:23]
Trailer:
(Band photo - Carl Glover)
