4½

​4 ¹⁄₂ is a mini-album by UK musician Steven Wilson. It was released on 22 January 2016. It collects songs that were written during the sessions for Wilson's previous two studio albums, Hand. Cannot. Erase. and The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories). The closing track is a new version of "Don't Hate Me", originally recorded by Porcupine Tree on the album Stupid Dream, sung as a duet with Israeli singer Ninet Tayeb. The title ​4 ¹⁄₂ indicates the EP serves as an interim release between Wilson's fourth solo album Hand. Cannot. Erase. and his fifth full-length studio album To the Bone. [3]

​4 ^1⁄2
EP by Steven Wilson
Released	22 January 2016 (2016-01-22)
Recorded	October 2012 – October 2015
Genre	Progressive rock[1]
Length	36:14
Label	Kscope
Producer	Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson chronology
Transience (2015) ​4 ^1⁄2 (2016) To the Bone (2017)
Singles from ​4 ^1⁄2
"Happiness III" Released: 14 October 2016

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Recording

• "My Book of Regrets" was written in late 2013 and finished in June 2015. Main recording took place from 28 June 2015 in Montreal, with additional recording at No Man's Land.
• "Year of the Plague" was written and recorded during sessions of The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) in 2012–2013.
• "Happiness III" was written in 2003 and recorded during the Hand. Cannot. Erase. sessions at Air Studio in September 2014.
• "Sunday Rain Sets In" was recorded during the Hand. Cannot. Erase. sessions at Air Studios, East West and Spin Studios in 2014.
• "Vermillioncore" was partly written in late 2013, finished in June 2015 and recorded in October 2015.
• "Don't Hate Me" was written in 1998 and originally released by Wilson's band, Porcupine Tree, on their 1999 album Stupid Dream. This version of the track was taken from a live concert in Europe in September 2015, with additional recording at No Man's Land.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steven Wilson.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"My Book of Regrets"	9:35
2.	"Year of the Plague" (instrumental)	4:15
3.	"Happiness III"	4:31
4.	"Sunday Rain Sets In" (instrumental)	3:50
5.	"Vermillioncore" (instrumental)	5:09
6.	"Don't Hate Me"	9:34
Total length:		36:14

Personnel

• Steven Wilson – lead vocals, guitars, autoharp, mellotron, piano, percussion, virtual instruments

Guitarists Dave Kilminster – (tracks 1 and 6) Guthrie Govan – (track 3) Drummers Craig Blundell – (tracks 1, 5, and 6) Marco Minnemann – (track 3) Chad Wackerman – (track 4)

Additional personnel Nick Beggs – bass, chapman stick, backing vocals Adam Holzman – wurlitzer, hammond organ, minimoog, rhodes, piano Theo Travis – reed (tracks 4 and 6) Ninet Tayeb – co-vocals (track 6)

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[4]	17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[4]	33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[4]	47
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[5]	38
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[4]	9
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[6]	13
French Albums (SNEP)[4]	55
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4]	7
Italian Albums (FIMI)[4]	22
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[4]	20
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[7]	49
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[4]	32
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[4]	14
UK Albums (OCC)[8]	21
US Billboard 200[9]	114

References

1. http://progreport.com/steven-wilson-4-12-album-review/
2. "4 ½ – Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
3. http://stevenwilsonhq.com/sw/new-steven-wilson-album-4-%C2%BD-coming-in-january-2016/
4. "ultratop.be - Steven Wilson - 4½". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
5. "Steven Wilson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
6. "Steven Wilson: 4 ½" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
7. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
8. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
9. "Steven Wilson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2016.