Lightbulb Sun (studio album)
by Porcupine Tree

Lightbulb Sun by Porcupine Tree
Year: 2000
Overall rank: 1,983rd   
Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 239 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2000 (37th)
Award Top albums of the 2000s (323rd)
Award Best albums of all time (1,983rd)

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Product Details
Availability

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Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun (140gm Gatefold Vinyl) [New Vinyl LP] Gatefold LP
Condition: New


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PORCUPINE TREE - LIGHTBULB SUN 2 DISC CD W/DVD AUDIO (2008 TRANSMISSION) USED VG
Condition: Very Good


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PORCUPINE TREE Lightbulb Sun 2000 Snapper Music K-Scope Progressive Prog
Condition: Very Good


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Porcupine Tree bestography

Lightbulb Sun is ranked 5th best out of 46 albums by Porcupine Tree on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Porcupine Tree is Fear Of A Blank Planet which is ranked number 448 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 3,836.

Porcupine Tree album bestography « Higher ranked (1,826th)
Stupid Dream
This album (1,983rd)
Lightbulb Sun
Lower ranked (2,865th) »
Signify

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Feb
07
Sat
20:00
An Intimate Evening with JJ Grey & Mofro
Genesee Theatre, Waukegan, United States. United States
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Feb
15
Sun
15:00
Voyager - A Tribute to the Music of Journey
Gila River Resorts & Casinos - Wild, Chandler, United States. United States
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Jan
30
Fri
21:00
SkiiTour with CJ.
Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, Denver, United States. United States
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Lightbulb Sun track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 85 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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1.
Track pick (870 - 75 votes)
Average Rating: 87 (75 votes)Comments: View 1
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2.
Average Rating: 80 (53 votes)Comments: View 2
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4.
Track pick (890 - 89 votes)
Average Rating: 89 (89 votes)Comments: View 1
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6.
Average Rating: 84 (57 votes)Comments: View 1
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Average Rating: 85 (64 votes)Comments: View 1
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8.
Average Rating: 83 (51 votes)Comments: View 0
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9.
Track pick (870 - 77 votes)
Average Rating: 87 (77 votes)Comments: View 2
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10.
Average Rating: 85 (57 votes)Comments: View 0
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Lightbulb Sun rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,983rd | 2000s rank: 323rd | 2000 rank: 37th

Lightbulb Sun collection

Lightbulb Sun ratings

Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 239 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 239 ratings for this album.

Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
90/100
 !
09/19/2025 22:57 Rivera   2,01882/100
 
75/100
 !
09/15/2025 09:18 Jun_Res   27085/100
 
75/100
 !
05/21/2025 23:20 iann97   1,86574/100
 
85/100
 !
02/20/2025 18:37 soulplastic9   73477/100
 
70/100
 !
02/06/2025 11:55 cicadelic   11,40773/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.6/100, a mean average of 79.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.8.

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Lightbulb Sun comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 12 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
90/100
From 02/20/2022 18:09 | #281625
Outstanding album and very possibly my favourite PT album. Personal favourites:

- Shesmovedon
- Hatesong (in my top 3 of PT tracks, so musically diverse and that Mellotron…)
- Russia on Ice
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 01/22/2022 20:46 | #279866
So consistent, no weak tracks whatsoever. The title track is one of my favourite songs. Another brilliant album by Porcupine Tree - they went on absolute tear in the late 90s to late 2000s.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 04/22/2018 21:48 | #213447
My favourite Steven Wilson work. Every song is fantastic, usually I don't think he's a lyrical genius but the lyrics here are great, the whole album flows so smoothly... Also my favourite Steven Wilson track, Lightbulb Sun, starts this whole masterpiece. Yes, that's really my favourite.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/30/2018 19:02 | #206857
I know that SW does not like this record but is my favourite album. Great melodies and his best guitar solo, "Shemovesdown"
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 12/16/2017 09:36 | #203261
not much excited me here except Russia On Ice which is far and away the best track here.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/26/2017 00:00 | #186348
I've been digging into Steven Wilson's back catalogue and enjoying every minute of every hour. This is unique again and immensely enjoyable. Four Chords is downright catchy! You have to love Rest Will Flow, too. And that title track, too - wow! I think I love this as much as any PT album. Damn it's good! Tracks 1 through 7 can go head to head with any album ever.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 01/24/2017 20:02 | #184155
These tracks independently would be 90/100, but when together they make an album 95/100, it is unbelievable that this album is not among the 500 best of all time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 03/08/2016 20:09 | #161581
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -4 votes (0 helpful | 4 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/04/2013 22:47 | #80467
The last half of the album is superior to the first half, and MAN it takes you through a journey. Russia On Ice and Hatesong are key tracks.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/30/2012 03:52 | #49627
The title/lead-off track is simply incredible.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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