You and I are something else together

Two big events happened in the lives of Steven and Tim between the release of Returning Jesus and Together We’re Stranger. The first was the founding of Burning Shed. Co-created between Tim, Peter Chilvers and Pete Morgan, Burning Shed sought to create an artist focused label and distribution network in the spirit of labels like 4AD and Factory Records. The other was Porcupine Tree’s 2002 breakthrough album In Absentia, which finally launched the band to some status both within the United States and to some extent, the larger world as a whole. It would be against the backdrop of these twin changes that No-Man would rather unexpectedly find themselves hard at work on a new project.

All That You Are EP

Released as something of a stop-gap, and with Together We’re Stranger nearing its release date, All That You Are EP served as more of a home for cut tracks than a proper EP.

At various points, Steven and I had agreed on a 35 minute version of Returning Jesus – comprising the more introspective and epic material – and a 70 minute version, which included  everything we’d recorded during the album sessions. In the end we settled on a 52 minute  collection that we felt represented the most coherent album statement. Favorutie and fully  developed songs, such as Chelsea Cap, Something Falls and Darkroom, were consigned to b-side  status…

Tim Bowness via the sleeve notes for the 2017 edition of Returning Jesus

“Until Tomorrow” makes two appearances on the EP. Both tracks are technically the same  composition wise, with Steven showing off his banjo skills and Tim once again painting a moving  portrait of loss and remembrance. The difference between the two tracks comes down to the  mixing. The first, or the “Hi-Fi” version features the crystal-clear sound that one comes to associate with Steven’s production abilities. The second, or the “Lo-Fi” version however ditches the polished perfection for something akin to hearing a distant radio broadcast crackling  through the static.  

“Chelsea Cap” paints a tale of dissatisfaction with the married life. The song is built around a  strong drumbeat by Steve Jansen, and features the distinctive bass of Colin Edwin and the flute  of Theo Travis. Despite being a favorite of both Tim and Steven, the track was ultimately left off  of Returning Jesus. An alternate version was later included, along with the original track, on the  expanded edition of Returning Jesus. This version goes for a more minimal drum track, instead  utilizing Theo’s flute and Steven’s piano to full effect.  

“Darkroom,” whose title would inspire an improvised music group which Tim contributed to,  can be seen as a return to the darker world of Wild Opera and Dry-Cleaning Ray. With its  claustrophobic atmosphere and foreboding lyrics, it stands in heavy contrast to the otherwise  warm and lush tracks of Returning Jesus. Similar to “Chelsea Cap,” an alternate version of the  track exists that saw release on the expanded version of Returning Jesus as a bonus track. This  version changes the sound of the programmed drums to something akin to the scrapes of metal  while also changing the effects applied to Tim’s ghostly vocals. The end result is a much darker and more industrial sounding rendition of this already dread-filled track.

Tracklist (All Versions)

1. All That You Are
2. Until Tomorrow (Hifi)
3. Chelsea Cap
4. Darkroom
5. Until Tomorrow (Lofi)

1. “All That You Are” – 4:08

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Drums – Steve Jansen
• Written by Tim Bowness

Let me quit the chase
Let me touch your face
Let me take your hand
And love all that you are

Let me understand
All your secret plans
Let me take your hand
And love all that you are

This is not my life
This is not my pain
But it kills me all the same
Let me take your hand
And love all that you are

Let me hear your song
Let me do no wrong
Let me take your hand
And love all that you are

Let me comfort you
When the world seems blue
Let me take your hand
And love all that you are

This is not my life
This is not my pain
But it kills me all the same

Let me take your hand
And love all that you are

2. “Until Tomorrow (Hifi)” – 3:00

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

you’ll change your mind,
you’ll change your life –
until tomorrow.

you understand
it’s in your hands –
until tomorrow.

you used to love it
when you ran wild –
before you shacked up
with superman and child.

scream scarlet red,
and stay in bed –
until tomorrow.

they squeeze you dry,
too drained to cry –
until tomorrow.

3. “Chelsea Cap”- 5:24

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Bass – Colin Edwin
• Drums – Steve Jansen
• Flute – Theo Travis
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

last time that you smiled like that,
you looked good in your Chelsea cap.
your face was thin, but your legs were fat.
you questioned where all our lives were at.

wasting time with some ageing lad,
still good looking though your eyes were sad.
you sold your books and you sold your flat,
and ran to where your illusions sat.

no-one but me to hear it
no-one but me to fear it.
no big deal,
no big deal.
no-one but you to be with,
no-one but you to see with.
no big deal,
no big deal.

not wanting to know what I know
or needing to do what I do,
every time I close my eyes,
all I see is you,
all I see.

no-one but me to hear it
no-one but me to fear it.
no big deal,
no big deal.
no-one but you to be with,
no-one but you to see with.
no big deal,
no big deal.

no-one but me to hear it
no-one but me to fear it.
no big deal,
no big deal.
no-one but you to be with,
no-one but you to see with.
no big deal,
no big deal.

no-one but you to be with,
no-one but you to see with.
no big deal,
no big deal.

4. “Darkroom” – 3:52

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

destiny –
an orange toothbrush.
destiny –
your best friend’s tie.
destiny –
a tired old love song.
destiny –
a green, green eye.

destiny –
a swollen ego.
destiny –
a broken chin.
destiny –
a fucked-up small town.
destiny –
no-one wins.

under the earth we go –
can’t see, can’t feel.
deep in the ground you go –
don’t know what’s real.

count on me
for fresh excuses.
count on me
to kick the lame.
count on me
for choosing nowhere.
count on me
to pass the blame.

under the earth we go –
can’t see, can’t feel.
deep in the ground you go –
don’t know what’s real.

5. “Until Tomorrow (Lofi)” – 3:17

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

you’ll change your mind,
you’ll change your life –
until tomorrow.

you understand
it’s in your hands –
until tomorrow.

you used to love it
when you ran wild –
before you shacked up
with superman and child.

scream scarlet red,
and stay in bed –
until tomorrow.

they squeeze you dry,
too drained to cry –
until tomorrow.

Together We’re Stranger

The origin of the album that would eventually become Together We’re Stranger can be traced back through the years to one of Steven’s many side-projects. Formed in 1994, Bass Communion is an outlet for Steven’s more ambient and drone-based creations. The self-titled 1998 album featured long suites of music using Steven’s own playing, leftover guitar parts from Robert Fripp’s sessions for Flowermouth, and new recordings by saxophone player Theo Travis. It was from one of these pieces, a track called “Drugged,” that the first seeds of Together We’re Stranger were sewn.

A sense of introspection, reflection and melancholy pervaded the songs, all of which dealt with coping with the death of ‘something’, whether that be love, youth, freedom, or possibilities

Tim Bowness via https://timbowness.co.uk/together-were-stranger/

Steven and Tim have a long habit of sending each other the things that they are working on, even if it’s completely outside of the context of No-Man. It was through one of these trades, that Tim received an early mix of “Drugged,” as a possible starter for a future no-man project, unaware of its use in Bass Communion. Much by chance, Tim rediscovered the recording in late 2001 and immediately set to work writing a set of lyrics that tried to capture the feeling of the piece. Drafting in musicians Michael Bearpark, Peter Chilvers and Stephen Bennett the four set to work recording an 18-minute-long demo using “Drugged” as a starting point.

Steven heard potential in this new take on “Drugged” and set to work with Tim to develop the musical themes from the demo into a fully fledged suite.

“Tim had sent me these tracks he had done, and I expanded them into this 28-minute thing. It almost became this sort of tone poem that served as the centerpiece of the album.”

Steven Wilson via Mixtaped

Spurred on by the new creation, Tim and Steven would quickly write out three additional songs, all centered around acoustic guitar and the themes of bereavement that had begun to show themselves across the lyrics. Additional contributions would come to the album in the form of electronics, trumpet and percussion from David Picking, clarinet, bass clarinet and flute by Ben Castle and harmonium from Roger Eno, brother of famed experimental artist/producer Brian Eno.

Perhaps one of the most unique things about the creation of Together We’re Stranger is the existence of a work-in-progress disc. This disc, gifted to a friend of Tim’s and dated to the twenty-first of January, 2002, captures the album midway through the recording process. As such, some instruments, mixes and vocal takes have yet to be finalized. The distinctive clarinet and trumpet of Ben Castle and David Picking aren’t present, while the guitar and bass parts of Mike Bearpark and Peter Chilvers appear to have reach their finalized states. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the complete absence of “The City in a Hundred Ways” and the difference in structure for “Photographs in Black and White,” both of which are a result of Ben Castle’s parts not yet having been laid down.

The title track, which was the first to emerge from the sessions Tim had done around “Drugged,” opens with a wall of noise, before cutting to the dream-like sounds of Peter’s “Space Bass” and the slow fade of organ. Tim’s lyrics and vocals seemingly both blend into the atmosphere and cut through the haze like a knife. Its here that the constant themes of loss and grief first make themselves known, punctuated by Mike Bearpark’s mournful guitar. As the suite rolls on, the arrival of David Picking’s equally mournful trumpet and effects herald the transition into “All The Blue Changes”

“I didn’t get much direction from Tim and Steven, but one specific exception was that Tim asked me to record some of what he called my ‘asthmatic trumpet’. I am not a trumpet player by any stretch of the imagination, but I had learned the basics on the instrument and managed to get some sort of breathy, quasi-Jon Hassell-like tones out of it which I had used in my own music. I recorded a short section in the transition between the first two songs, as that seemed to be the only place that it could fit, and thought, ‘They won’t use that,’ but they did.”

David Picking

“All The Blue Changes” can be seen as the center piece to the entire Together We’re Stranger suite and ranks among the best tracks No-Man has ever released. Tim’s haunting vocals capture the feeling of numbness after the cord has been cut and the pieces of a relationship are left shattered. This is all underscored by Steven’s equally haunting piano, hammered dulcimer and backing vocals. Both “All The Blue Changes” and “Together We’re Stranger” pulled heavily from the original 18 minute piece recorded by Tim, Stephen, Mike and Peter.

A short instrumental piece, “The City In A Hundred Ways” was a late addition to the Together We’re Stranger suite. It is built around layers of Ben Castle’s distinctive clarinets and serves to give the listener a breather from the heavy subject matter that has come before, and what will follow.

“I remember really enjoying the recording process. They had a good idea what they wanted me to play and they knew a lot of the melodies and parts. We worked out some of the woodwind harmonies together and built up the parts as we went along. They also let me loose with some improvising, particularly on the bass clarinet on Photographs in Black and White.”

Ben Castle

Closing out the suite is “Things I Want to Tell You.” The song shows the feeling of loss in the open air. Amidst a backdrop of electronic fog, and acoustic guitar, Tim lays his own fears and insecurities bare, while cloaking them in just enough ambiguity to make the feeling seem universal. The track serves as a fitting end to the suite, leaving us bedside with a dying being, alone with their thoughts before it all fades out into nothing.

“The inspiration partly came from my days working with the elderly ‘mentally and physically infirm’. I often tried to imagine the thought processes and past lives of the people I dealt with (in sometimes dehumanizing and undignified ways) … It seemed tragic to me that all this individual emotional history was fading or lost, trapped inside a malfunctioning brain, forever incapable of
being properly expressed.”

Tim Bowness via https://timbowness.wordpress.com/album-writings/together-were-stranger/

The three remaining tracks chronicle individual stories of loss and grief. “Photographs in Black & White,” like many No-Man songs, pulls from Tim’s own life and experience while living as a young man in the UK. The song builds from a simple acoustic ballad into a cacophony of dulcimer and clarinet, mimicking the rising emotions within the lyrics. The noise is cut through with Steven’s searing electric guitar, leaving only the faint sparks of what were once beautiful memories.

“Back When You Were Beautiful” is more rooted in the present looking back at past loss and loves as opposed to current heartbreak. Built around droning organ, Steven’s tender guitar and banjo and layers of wordless vocals, the track is a perfect embodiment of the failed possibilities that fill life. In a bizarre twist, Tim’s lyrics reflect not his own personal heartbreak and life situation but an unusual encounter with a belligerent man in a chocolate shop!

“The man was continually shouting and swearing at everyone in the shop. Outside of the profanities, he kept repeating, “I write songs! Beautiful songs. Songs you people could never understand!” As you can imagine, this conjured all sorts of possibilities in my mind (Was this a lost, neglected genius? What led to this moment?)

Tim Bowness

Closer “The Break-Up For Real” lays the album’s theme bare for all to see. As with “Photographs in Black and White,” it pulls from emotional moments in Tim’s life and mixes them with the uneasy feeling of mourning for the happier times in one’s own life. The chord progression would be reused by Steven for the Porcupine Tree songs “The Blind House” and “The Séance,” both of which would appear on the band’s 2009 album The Incident.

The distinctive artwork was created by long-time No-Man collaborator Carl Glover and ranks among his finest creations. Several different variations of the cover were created, with changes being made to the background color, focus, and positions of the eye-catching light trails.

(The album cover) is a light trail made by a torch, made to look like it was going around two people. I wanted to show absence. I used one person, who moved sideways after the first pass with the torch to make space for the second outline.

Carl Glover

Released on the 31st of March, 2003, Together We’re Stranger brought some of the band’s strongest reviews to date, alongside renewed interested in the group as a whole. The vinyl edition and DVD-Audio editions would add a pair of new tracks. Cut from the Together We’re Stranger suite because of length, “bluecoda” acts as a small epilogue to the theme of bereavement and loss. Punctuated by Roger Eno’s harmonium, Tim ponders the events of the past and the uncertainty of the future. The other track is an alternate mix of “The Break-Up for Real.” The new mix adds David Picking’s programmed drums and mellotron to the song, giving it a harsher feeling.

The DVD-Audio release also included a short music video of “Things I Want to Tell You.” Created by Stephen Bennett, the video features close-ups of eyes and faces as they slowly coalesce out of nothing. A second music video, this time for “Back When You Were Beautiful,” was created in 2008 and included on the bonus DVD for the concert film Mixtaped. Created over a seven-month period by animator Neil Whitman, the video would end up winning a handful of animation awards within the United Kingdom film circuit.

There was something about “Back When You Were Beautiful” that inspired me. I found the track very moving and imagined a story about an old man on a nostalgic journey through a lifetime of memories. No-Man’s music is very emotive and raw and I wanted to create a story that would reflect this. I had the idea of creating an old man character that had lived, loved and lost. He is forgotten and alone in the world except for reflections of the past.

Neil Whitman

The album remains a high point for both Tim and Steven, who both view it as the perfect example of what the creative essence of No-Man is. Tim in particular views “Things I Want To Tell You” as perhaps his favorite no-man song, while Steven included the album on his own list of the ten favorite records he’s made in his book Limited Edition of One.

Years after its release, the album remains important to me. Although Schoolyard Ghosts and Returning Jesus may contain individually stronger songs and lyrics, I think Together We’re Stranger possesses an emotional, musical and conceptual unity that might ultimately prove more potent than either. Like the emotional states it chronicles, it was an album that took time to get over.

Tim Bowness

Tracklist (2003 CD Edition)

1. Together We’re Stranger
2. All The Blue Changes
3. The City In A Hundred Ways
4. Things I Want To Tell You
5. Photographs In Black and White
6. Back When You Were Beautiful
7. The Break-Up For Real

Tracklist (All Vinyl Editions)

A1. Together We’re Stranger
A2. All The Blue Changes
B1. The City In A Hundred Ways
B2. Things I Want To Tell You
C1. Bluecoda
C2. Photographs in Black and White
D1. Back When You Were Beautiful
D2. The Break Up For Real
D3. The Break Up For Real (Drum Mix)

Tracklist (2007 DVD-A and all subsequent CD editions)

1. Together We’re Stranger
2. All The Blue Changes
3. The City In A Hundred Ways
4. Things I Want To Tell You
5. Photographs in Black and White
6. Back When You Were Beautiful
7. The Break-Up For Real
8. Bluecoda
9. The Break-Up For Real (Drum Mix)

1. “Together We’re Stranger” – 8:32

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Guitar Solo – Michael Bearpark
• Noise – Stephen Bennet
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Space Bass – Peter Chilvers
• Trumpet, Electronics – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

We step outside
And face the poisoned weather.

You and I are something else together.
Arm in arm, We’d waste our charms forever.

Drifting off, despite the cost,
Afraid to ask for better.

You and I are something else together.

2. “All The Blue Changes” – 7:49

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, Backing Vocals – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Space Bass – Peter Chilvers
• Trumpet, Electronics, Percussion – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

All the blue changes
All the blue chains
All the blue changes rearranged

Giving up on beautiful
And making peace with strange
All the blue changes rearranged

All the blue changes
All the blue chains
All the blue changes rearranged

Giving up on beautiful
And giving up on pain
All the blue changes rearranged

All the things we were –
Rearranged

The city in a hundred ways
It wouldn’t let you stay

The city in a hundred ways
Would never let you stray

3. “The City in a Hundred Ways” – 2:23

• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Electronics – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Instrumental

4. “Things I Want To Tell You” – 8:56

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Electronics – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Roll me over on my right side
Roll me over slow
Roll me over on my right side
My left side hurts me so

I’m what you left behind
I’m fading from your mind
I’m what you left behind
I’m fading from your mind

There are things I want to tell you
I no longer tell you
Ways I want to hold you gone to waste

It’s harder in the evenings
Waiting for the phone rings
(The hollow thump of life that has no taste)

I’m what you left behind
I’m fading from your mind
I’m what you left behind
I’m fading from your mind

5. “Photographs in Black and White” – 10:03

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments– Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Harmonium – Roger Eno
• Percussion – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

The city in a hundred ways
It wouldn’t let you stay
Remember all the thankless days
And the lousy take home pay?

The photographs in black and white
That show you playing close to type –
Your eyes against the midday light
Your eyes when they still had the fight

They loved you
When you thought that no-one could
They loved you
When you said that no-one should

You talk so fast
To stop yourself from thinking
You move so fast
So you’ll never see you’re sinking

They love you
When you think that no-one can
They love you
And they’ll tell you that they understand

They love you
Then they say you’re much too
Much too bland

Spending days on the phone
While the cold eats your bones

How in the world do you make it right?
How in the world do you make a life?

6. “Back When You Were Beautiful” – 5:07

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments– Steven Wilson
• Organ, Cymbal – Stephen Bennett
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Bass – Peter Chilvers
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Singing songs
They’ll never understand
Tempo drifts
In half-cut wonderlands

Back when you were beautiful
They’d smile and shake your hand

Friendship comes
But it mostly goes
You mark the time
With your fading clothes

Back when you were beautiful
You’d pass it off as pose

You walk for hours
Your feet like lead
You keep your secrets
Locked inside your heads

Back when you were beautiful
The needle pushed the red

7. “The Break-Up For Real” – 4:39

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, Backing Vocals – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Go back and see the folks
They’re always glad to see you
Trot out the tired old jokes
Avoid the things that seem new

No talk about the wife –
She lives with someone else now
Forget your former life
Warm love became a cold cow

Driving to the coast
It’s hard to know what hurts the most

Learning how to feel
It’s the break-up for real

Go out to see some friends
You hope that you won’t lose it
You sit there and pretend –
Play adolescent music

Singing to the sea
You sing the songs that set you free

Learning how to feel
It’s the break-up for real

8. “Bluecoda” – 2:33

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Harmonium – Roger Eno
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

You stay inside avoiding dreams and danger
You lie to hide the fact that something’s changed you

You’re screening all your calls
You’re starring at the walls

The photographs in black and white still haunt you

9. “The Break-Up For Real (Drum Mix)” – 4:03

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, Backing Vocals – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Percussion – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Go back and see the folks
They’re always glad to see you
Trot out the tired old jokes
Avoid the things that seem new

No talk about the wife –
She lives with someone else now
Forget your former life
Warm love became a cold cow

Driving to the coast
It’s hard to know what hurts the most

Learning how to feel
It’s the break-up for real

Go out to see some friends
You hope that you won’t lose it
You sit there and pretend –
Play adolescent music

Singing to the sea
You sing the songs that set you free

Learning how to feel
It’s the break-up for real

Special thanks to Mike Bearpark, Stephen Bennett, Ben Castle, Peter Chilvers, Carl Glover, Ian Oxley, David Picking, Anil Prasad, Mick Wall, Neil Whitman and my friends and family

All The Blue Changes: 1988-2005

One of the more unexpected boons of the renewed critical attention given to the band after Together We’re Stranger was an interest in the band’s extensive back catalog. As such, Hidden Art, the label that Tim and Steven had worked with in the past for non-album releases, decided that the time was right to release a compilation pulling from the band’s entire history. Of the material chosen for the compilation, several were unreleased tracks, new edits, or alternate mixes. 

A previously unreleased mix of “Days In The Trees” was put in place of the more traditional mix featured on the single and Lovesighs EP. This mix highlights Tim’s vocals as well as Steven’s synths, placing them at the forefront. The other noticeable changes are the extended guitar and violin solos from Steven and Ben during the bridge and a more spacious outro. Dating from the sessions for Loveblows & Lovecries, “Walker” had originally started life as a track from Tim’s previous band Plenty. Tim and Steven took the lyrics and fused them to trip-hop beats and a set of blistering guitar and violin parts. A revived Plenty would end up releasing their own re-recording of “Walker” in 2021, alongside the original demo from 1980 for the album Enough. 

Since putting the entirety of “Heaven Taste” on the compilation would be unfeasible, Steven prepared a shortened mix of the track. This new edit focused more on the motifs and sounds from the first part of the massive track, foregoing the midway beat shift, truncating the percussion section, and removing Mick Karn’s suona and saxophone parts. Steven would use this edit as the basis for the 2016 remix of “Heaven Taste” for Saïko records. Originally planned to be the lead single for Wild Opera, “My Revenge on Seattle” was ultimately shelved in favor of “Dry-Cleaning Ray.” The edited version featured Tim’s stunning vocals and Steven’s various synths at the forefront while also slightly tweaking the backing rhythm.

For “Dry-Cleaning Ray,” Tim and Steven opted to include the full version from the Dry-Cleaning Ray EP over the album version, dropping the fade-out and letting Steven’s full guitar solo be put on display for the listener to hear. While previously available on the vinyl edition of Together We’re Stranger, All The Blue Changes marked the first time that “The Break-Up For Real (drum mix)” and “Bluecoda” were available on CD. 

For the sleeve notes, Tim turned to music journalist and longtime fan of the band, Chris Roberts. Carl Glover provided the distinctive album artwork, continuing his long running collaboration with the duo. Released in February of 2006, the compilation received a handful of reviews mostly praising or critiquing the song choices. 

Tracklist

Disc One (1988-1993)
1. Pink Moon
2. Colours
3. Days In The Trees: Mahler (Alternate Mix)
4. Days In The Trees: Reich
5. Walker
6. Back to the Burning Shed
7. Road
8. Housekeeping
9. Heaven Taste (Edit)
10. Watching Over Me
11. Simple
12. Things Change
Disc Two (1994-2003)
1. Pretty Genius
2. My Revenge on Seattle (Single Mix)
3. Dry Cleaning Ray (Extended Version)
4. Sicknote
5. Carolina Skeletons
6. Something Falls
7. Only Rain
8. Returning Jesus
9. Chelsea Cap
10. Photographs In Black And White
11. The Break Up for Real (Drum Mix)
12. Bluecoda

1-1. “Pink Moon” – 3:03

Originally released on Speak

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Nick Drake

I saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all

It’s a pink moon
Yes, a pink moon

Pink, pink, pink, pink
Pink moon
A pink, pink, pink, pink
Pink moon

I saw it written and I saw it say
A pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all

It’s a pink moon
Yes, a pink moon

1-2. “Colours” – 4:09

Originally released on Colours single

• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Violin – Ben Coleman
• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Written By – Donovan Leitch

Yellow is the colour of my true love’s hair
In the morning, when we rise
In the morning, when we rise
That’s the time, that’s the time
I love the best

Blue’s the colour of the sky-y
In the morning, when we rise
In the morning, when we rise
That’s the time, that’s the time
I love the best

Green’s the colour of the sparklin’ corn
In the morning, when we rise
In the morning, when we rise
That’s the time, that’s the time
I love the best

Mellow is the feeling that I get
When I see her, m-hmm
When I see her, oh yeah
That’s the time, that’s the time
I love the best

Freedom is a word I rarely use
Without thinking, oh yeah
Without thinking, m-hmm
Of the time, of the time
When I’ve been loved

Yellow is the colour of my true love’s hair
In the morning, when we rise
In the morning, when we rise
That’s the time, that’s the time
I love the best

1-3. “Days In The Trees: Mahler (Alternate Mix)” – 7:11

Previously unreleased. Original version released on Days In The Trees EP

• Performer – Tim Bowness
• Performer – Ben Coleman
• Performer – Steven Wilson
• Written by – Wilson/Bowness/George Fenton

The rain fell soft on the green and distant fields.
I saw you run to the shelter of the trees.
I stood alone with weeds and broken brick.
My pale fingers curled around blades of autumn grass.

I heard your feet crack earth and branch, but you were covered by the rain.
I shouted out and called your name, but you were hiding in the trees.
Days in the trees.

You rubbed the sleep from my tired eyes,
And let the real taste of God
Change the color of my thoughts.

I was draining the heaven
From the warmth of your breast,
Lighting fire on the stone.

I tore at the seams of my smooth and laundered clothes,
And ran to the trees, racing naked against the day.

I heard your feet crack earth and branch, but you were covered by the rain.
I shouted out and called your name, but you were hiding in the trees.
Days in the trees.

The ascent to your heaven,
Spending days in the trees.
I can’t stand them laughing at us.

1-4. “Days In The Trees (Reich)” – 2:34

Originally released on Days In The Trees EP

• Performer – Tim Bowness
• Performer – Ben Coleman
• Performer – Steven Wilson
• Written by – Steven Wilson

This is from a long time ago, is that ok?

I was about thirteen years old, fourteen maybe. We were going to the roadhouse to meet boys. They’re about twenty years old. And they’re nice to us. And they make us feel like we’re older.

Rick asks if we wanna go party and Laura says yes, and all of a sudden I feel this knot building up in my stomach. But when Laura gets in the truck with Rick, I go anyway.

A stream in the woods and when I think, it’s pale and light out. Laura starts to dance around the boys. She begins to move her hips. And we take off our clothes. I know the boys are watching. Laura starts to kiss Josh and Rick. I don’t know what to do, so I swim away. I feel like I want to run, but I don’t. He kisses my hand and then me.

I can still feel that kiss. His lips are warm and sweet. My heart jumps. He’s talking but I can’t hear him.

It was the first time I ever fell in love.

Donna Hayward – Twin Peaks “Episode 12”

1-5. “Walker” – 3:24

Previously unreleased. Recorded during the Loveblows & Lovecries sessions.

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Violin – Ben Coleman
• Written By – Wilson/Bowness

Evening finds this ugly place.
Running blind in worn-down heels.
Talking loud, it’s punch drunk dreams.
Never knowing what to feel

Darkness falls, she sits alone
Lifts her eyes to starless skies
Cracks her teeth on cherry stones.
Wonders why the feeling died

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Pointless days spent dreaming trains.
Pointless nights she cries and spits
Fills her room with silver spoons
Fills her mouth with blood and shit

Dying flower in the living room
swaying to the Autumn breeze

Blazing youth in the ancient flames
Taken by the Autumn breeze

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Walk away
Walk away
Walk away
Right out of here

Gone the Days
Gone the Place
Gone the Words
That made your heart beat

Gone the Days
Gone the Place
Gone the Words
That made your heart beat

1-6. “Back to the Burning Shed” – 2:47

Originally released on Ocean Song single

• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by – Steven Wilson

Instrumental

1-7. “Road” – 3:18

Originally released on Brittle Days: A Tribute to Nick Drake

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by – Nick Drake

You can say the sun is shining if you really want to
I can see the moon and it seems so clear
You can take the road that takes you to the stars now
I can take a road that’ll see me through
I can take a road that’ll see me through.

You can take a road that takes you to the stars now
I can take a road that’ll see me through
I can take a road that’ll see me through
I can take a road that’ll see me through.

1-8. “Housekeeping” – 5:31

Originally released on Loveblows & Lovecries

• Guitar, Keyboards – Steven Wilson
• Vocals, Lyrics – Tim Bowness
• Violin – Ben Coleman
• Written By – Steven Wilson & Tim Bowness

You
Sit on the floor,
Broken like clouds.
You scratch your knees ’til they crack and bleed.
I
Walk out of the door,
Naked and bored,
And raise my head to the weeping sky.

You call my name but I can’t answer.
You call my name but I can’t say anything.

We
Looked at the sea,
Sat on the edge.
I gripped your hand until my fingers hurt.
Now,
Somebody screams on the same dirty beach;
He throws down his arms
And he falls to the sand.

You call my name but I can’t answer.
You call my name but I can’t say anything.

You call my name but I can’t answer.
You call my name but I can’t say anything.

1-9. “Heaven Taste (Edit)” – 10:31

Previously unreleased edit. Original version released on Painting Paradise single

• Drum Programming/Percussion – Steve Jansen
• Fretless Bass/Saxophone/Suoana (Dida) – Mick Karn
• Keyboards – Richard Barbieri
• Keyboards/Samples- Steven Wilson
• Violin – Ben Coleman
• Written by Steven Wilson

Instrumental

1-10. “Watching Over Me” – 4:43

Originally released on Flowermouth

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, String Arrangements – Steven Wilson
• Percussion – Steve Jansen
• Violin – Ben Coleman
• Written by Wilson/Bowness

I look at your face,
You take me to the place
Where I don’t know anything,
Anything at all.

You flutter and dance,
I ramble and rant.
I don’t know anything
But I feel that if I fall
You’ll be

Watching over me,
Watching over me,
Watching over me.
I feel that if I fall
You’ll be
Watching over me,
Watching over me,
Watching over me,
Singing angel songs to right my wrongs.

The world leaves no trace
On my stainless face,
My days are clearer now
My nights are right.

I can never retreat.
I can never repeat
This hope for all the things
I know I’ll never know.
I feel you

Watching over me
Watching over me
Watching over me
And I can dream of love again
I feel you
Watching over me
Watching over me
Watching over me.

1-11. “Simple” – 7:04

Originally released on Flowermouth

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Guitar, Soundscapes – Robert Fripp
• Vocal Sample – Lisa Gerard
• Written by Wilson/Bowness

With the sun
On your lips,
You turn around
And spit.

You spit the moon right out of your mouth
For me,
You touch the sky and start to shout
Removing all my doubts

I could really love you,
I could give my heart away.
I could really love you,
It’s so simple,
It’s so simple.

I picture
My ideal.
How it looks,
And how it feels.

No more dreams turning to armchairs
Again.
No more plans turning to blank stares,
As long as you are there.

I could really love you,
I could give my heart away.
I could really love you,
It’s so simple,
It’s so simple.

it’s so simple, simple, simple…

I could really love you,
It’s so simple.

1-12. “Things Change” – 7:31

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Violin – Ben Coleman
• Guitar/Soundscapes – Robert Fripp
• Drums – Chris Maitland
• Written by Wilson/Bowness

You got so clever
You’re leaving me behind you.
You say you’re better
(You’re leaving me behind).

I remember
When heaven’s lips kissed your every word,
I pretended
Nothing you said could ever hurt.

You’re leaving me behind you
Leaving me behind.
You’re leaving me behind you
Things change
Leaving me behind.
Things change

You walk upon the dirt
And chocolate wrappers,
You’re leaving me behind you.
You move across the bridge
Over the river
Leaving me behind.

“Wherever you don’t go,
I’ll be by your side, ” you lied.
I hate the way things change.

You’re leaving me behind you
Things change
Leaving me behind.
Things change

2-1. Pretty Genius – 3:51

Originally released on Wild Opera

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Violin – Natalie Box
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Feel the miracle every day,
Count the numbers fill the cup.
Every move in every way.
Every move is built on blood.

Go find your brightest colours,
Tear all your curtains down.
Don’t hide beneath the covers.
Don’t sit around, don’t face the ground.
Pretty genius.

You could lose your little mind
Never knowing what to find.
You could lose your little mind
Staring blind into the light.

Go find your brightest colours,
Tear all your curtains down.
Take heed of diet mothers.
Don’t sit around, don’t face the ground
Pretty genius.

Pretty genius,
Pretty genius.

2-2. “My Revenge On Seattle (Single Mix)” – 4:46

Previously unreleased. Original version released on Wild Opera

• Vocals, tapes, backing vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, tapes, backing vocals – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Maybe there’s more to life
Than just writing songs.
Maybe not.
Maybe there’s more to life
Than just righting wrongs
Maybe not.

I grow so cold, you reach for gold
I fail to hold your attention.

Their pretty boy ways
Always take you away,
Take you away.
My revenge on Seattle –
I retreat from the battle.
Won’t you stay?

Maybe there’s more to life
Than just biting tongues.
Maybe not.
Out of the sky
And left to die –
Believing the lie of protection.

Their pretty boy ways
Always take you away,
Take you away.
My revenge on Seattle –
I retreat from the battle.
Won’t you stay?

Their pretty boy ways
Always take you away,
Take you away.
My revenge on Seattle –
I retreat from the battle.
Won’t you stay?

Maybe there’s more to life
Than just writing songs.
Maybe not.

2-3. “Dry Cleaning Ray (Extended Version) – 3:28

Previously unreleased. Original version released on Dry Cleaning Ray EP

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Dry cleaning Ray,
At the end of the day,
Always knows what to say,
Always knows what to play

It’s the same old song
With the same old bits

Thirty years without a hit.

Dry cleaning Ray
Says he’s wasting away,
Feeling red turn to grey,
Watching overcoats fray.

It’s the same old thing
It’s the same old shit

Thirty years without a hit.

Dry cleaning Ray

Dry cleaning Ray

2-4. “Sicknote” – 8:10

Originally released on Dry Cleaning Ray EP

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Come dazzle me
Come saddle me

With your hands so soft and white
And your words so hard and right
In the heat of this pointless night
Dazzle me

There’s no need to flap
There’s no need to slap
There’s no need to slaughter your name

There’s no need to fear
There’s no need to be here

You can tell them where to go
When you’re the star of the show –
Dazzle them

It’s dim and dismal but it makes you laugh
Fills in the time you can’t wait to pass
There’s so much wisdom in the heart of trash
The freezing coffee and the falling ash

2-5. “Carolina Skeletons” – 5:08

Originally released on Returning Jesus

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Cowboy Kate came too late,
She’ll never see the dawn.
Cowboy Kate came too late,
She’ll never face the sun.

The love goes by and the life runs dry,
Pulls the tinsel from her hair.
She loses sight in the velvet night,
Drops a tin can by the chair.

Through all the tiny victories and the big defeats,
It’s Carolina skeletons that keep her rooted to her seat.

Cowboy Kate came too late,
She’ll never read the signs.
Cowboy Kate came too late,
She’ll never have the time.

The love goes by and the life runs dry,
Pulls the tinsel from her hair.
She dreams of flight in the velvet night,
Throws a tin can in the air.

Through all the tiny victories and the big defeats,
It’s Carolina skeletons that keep her rooted to her seat.

Through all the shitty obstacles and all the words so sweet,
It’s Carolina skeletons that make her stranger when she eats.

2-6. “Something Falls” – 3:27

Originally released on Carolina Skeletons EP

You’re still too near it to feel it.
You’re still too near it to fear it.

Something has fallen on you.
Something has fallen on me.
Just listen to the trees sing,
Just listen to the trees.

I’d fall down on the forest groves,
And kneel and pray for you.
I’d fall down on the earth and leaves,
I’d cry and die for you.

You’re still too near it to feel it.
You’re still too near it to fear it.

2-7. “Only Rain” – 7:25

Originally released on Returning Jesus

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Double Bass – Colin Edwin
• Drums – Steve Jansen
• Trumpet – Ian Carr
• Acoustic Guitar – Ben Christophers
• Synthesizer, cymbals, additional production – David Kosten
• Written by Bowness/Wilson/David Kosten

What can you say?

A million ways to stay the same

Day after day
A million ways to pass the blame

You catch me and hold me
No more fountains, only rain

2-8. “Returning Jesus” – 5:19

Originally released on Returning Jesus

• Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Slow it all down, slow it all down, it always moves so fast
Slow it all down, slow it all down, it always moves too fast

Follow me down, follow me down, to where I’ll always be
Follow me down, follow me down, to where I’ll always be

I don’t want to stay a million miles away, a million miles away
I don’t want to stay a million miles away, a million miles away

2-9. “Chelsea Cap” – 5:23

Originally released on All That You Are EP

• Vocals – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Bass – Colin Edwin
• Drums – Steve Jansen
• Flute – Theo Travis
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Last time that you smiled like that,
You looked good in your Chelsea cap.
Your face was thin, but your legs were fat.
You questioned where all our lives were at.

Wasting time with some ageing lad,
Still good looking though your eyes were sad.
You sold your books and you sold your flat,
And ran to where your illusions sat.

No-one but me to hear it
No-one but me to fear it.
No big deal,
No big deal.
No-one but you to be with,
No-one but you to see with.
No big deal,
No big deal.

Not wanting to know what I know
Or needing to do what I do,
Every time I close my eyes,
All I see is you,
All I see.

No-one but me to hear it
No-one but me to fear it.
No big deal,
No big deal.
No-one but you to be with,
No-one but you to see with.
No big deal,
No big deal.

No-one but me to hear it
No-one but me to fear it.
No big deal,
No big deal.
No-one but you to be with,
No-one but you to see with.
No big deal,
No big deal.

No-one but you to be with,
No-one but you to see with.
No big deal,
No big deal.

2-10. “Photographs in Black and White” – 10:03

Originally released on Together We’re Stranger

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments– Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Harmonium – Roger Eno
• Percussion – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

The city in a hundred ways
It wouldn’t let you stay
Remember all the thankless days
And the lousy take home pay?

The photographs in black and white
That show you playing close to type –
Your eyes against the midday light
Your eyes when they still had the fight

They loved you
When you thought that no-one could
They loved you
When you said that no-one should

You talk so fast
To stop yourself from thinking
You move so fast
So you’ll never see you’re sinking

They love you
When you think that no-one can
They love you
And they’ll tell you that they understand

They love you
Then they say you’re much too
Much too bland

Spending days on the phone
While the cold eats your bones

How in the world do you make it right?
How in the world do you make a life?

2.11 – “The Break Up For Real (Drum Mix)” – 3:58

Originally released on the vinyl edition of Together We’re Stranger

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, Backing Vocals – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Percussion – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Go back and see the folks
They’re always glad to see you
Trot out the tired old jokes
Avoid the things that seem new

No talk about the wife –
She lives with someone else now
Forget your former life
Warm love became a cold cow

Driving to the coast
It’s hard to know what hurts the most

Learning how to feel
It’s the break-up for real

Go out to see some friends
You hope that you won’t lose it
You sit there and pretend –
Play adolescent music

Singing to the sea
You sing the songs that set you free

Learning how to feel
It’s the Break Up for Real

2-12. “Bluecoda” – 2:36

Originally released on the vinyl edition of Together We’re Stranger

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Harmonium – Roger Eno
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

You stay inside avoiding dreams and danger
You lie to hide the fact that something’s changed you

You’re screening all your calls
You’re starring at the walls

The photographs in black and white still haunt you

Special thanks to Ilda Wijtman

The Break-Up For Real EP

To celebrate the release of Together We’re Stranger on CD/DVD-Audio, Tim and Steven released a special EP of material to commemorate it. The two pulled the track “Back When You Were Beautiful” and paired it with “The Break-Up For Real (Drum Mix)” and “Bluecoda,” two tracks that had previously only been available on the vinyl version of Together We’re Stranger and the All The Blue Changes compilation. In an unusual move, the album artwork featured both Tim and Steven front and center. While previous releases had Tim and Steven being pictured either on the back of the album or within the sleeve/CD booklet, this marked the first time the two had ever appeared on the front cover.

Tracklist

1. The Break-Up For Real (Drum Mix)
2. Back When You Were Beautiful
3. Bluecoda

1. “The Break-Up For Real (Drum Mix) – 3:58

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments, Backing Vocals – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Percussion – David Picking
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Go back and see the folks
They’re always glad to see you
Trot out the tired old jokes
Avoid the things that seem new

No talk about the wife –
She lives with someone else now
Forget your former life
Warm love became a cold cow

Driving to the coast
It’s hard to know what hurts the most

Learning how to feel
It’s the break-up for real

Go out to see some friends
You hope that you won’t lose it
You sit there and pretend –
Play adolescent music

Singing to the sea
You sing the songs that set you free

Learning how to feel

2. “Back When You Were Beautiful” – 5:07

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments– Steven Wilson
• Organ, Cymbal – Stephen Bennett
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Bass – Peter Chilvers
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

Singing songs
They’ll never understand
Tempo drifts
In half-cut wonderlands

Back when you were beautiful
They’d smile and shake your hand

Friendship comes
But it mostly goes
You mark the time
With your fading clothes

Back when you were beautiful
You’d pass it off as pose

You walk for hours
Your feet like lead
You keep your secrets
Locked inside your heads

Back when you were beautiful
The needle pushed the red

3. “Bluecoda” – 2:36

• Vocals, Words – Tim Bowness
• Instruments – Steven Wilson
• Clarinet, Flute – Ben Castle
• Harmonium – Roger Eno
• Written by Bowness/Wilson

You stay inside avoiding dreams and danger
You lie to hide the fact that something’s changed you

You’re screening all your calls
You’re starring at the walls

The photographs in black and white still haunt you

Special thanks to Ilda Wijtman

As the mid-2000’s wore on, Steven’s continuing involvement with Porcupine Tree caused No-Man as a whole to be put on the back burner. While the two remained interested in continuing the direction and tone of Schoolyard Ghosts and Together We’re Stranger, the time needed to write and record was simply not there. In spite of this, Tim began working on a project of his own, writing and recording a large series of songs and ideas for possible use on either a solo project or for various collaborations he was eyeing. It was from these songs that the next chapter for No-Man would spring forth.