COMA DIVINE

Some say porcupine tree is very much alike Pink Floyd. Well, like it or not, i think Pink Floyd´s style has become rather generic over time, on the one hand. Secondly, i think Porcupine tree plays on this album in a way Pink Floyd could not even dream about. don´t misunderstand me, i love pink floyd, i just think they are overated and listening to porcupine tree helps me remember how simple pink Floyd´s music is.

When I listened I got a great Coma!! I mean that for many days pass in my living room enjoing this live performance that still I believe completely its sound is an art work. The band achieve an excelent mixture of tecniche, jam and power. In this time is very hard to find a rock band like this. Exceptional!!

This is one of those cd's which will blow you socks off and give those who have never really heard them a great introduction. This set list is full of their classics with some nice variations. The highlights for me are "Radioactive Toy" and "Waiting" both tracks words can not describe. Steve Wilson and team are at their best and the cd is very well recorded giving the listener a true feeling of being at the show. This is very intelligent space music which comes in somewhere between PINK FLOYD and OZRIC TENTACLES... A real treat!

For mr this band is a revelation. The sound of Porcupine Tree is so inventive and melodic tha excites me indeed. Every song is unique and the band never sounds repeated.In my country this records are very rare, but if there are avaiable , i buy it all.

FIVE BIG STAR for this live performance album! I woke up this morning and didn't know why I grabbed this CD that I had couple years ago (I think around 1998?) and played it loud at my NAD player and B&W speaker set. Wow! It cheers my day man. This live album is damn damn terrific!!! You should not let yourself not having this album in your prog collection. I mean it!

It was my friend, Andy Julias, the Chairman of Indonesian Progressive Society (IPS), who introduced me to this album from the band that (poor me!) I had never known before. To my big surprise, this band blew my mind! Their sound is wonderful! I could not succeed to label this band under what kind of music they played, or even the "alike" of any band I've ever heard. I guessed it was Floyd-alike, but no no no . they have their own identity and I salute them for this because their music is really different. Definitely they are not sort of mainstream rock music. Whatever, they are great! I don't mind people call this band plays "derivatives", the fact is they are great!

My rating for this album goes this way: ***** for musicianship, ****** for music composition, ****** for sound production and ***** for performance. I think I follow the criteria used by PROGRESSION magazine. (For those of you who read this magazine, you know what I mean). So, that's what make up a FIVE BIG STAR for this album. For those of you wanting to know more detail of this album and "how I feel about it", you may want to read the detail below. But if not, just buy the CD. I bet you will love it! Have a great time!

The album is opened by a noisy, uplifting, and high energy instrumental with lead guitar as the main instrument backed up by spacey keyboard sound. It's really nice opening. When the CD reaches track 3 and 4 "Waiting Phase One and Two" this is where I first came to my orgasm about the music of the band. It's so simple, melody-wise. But it creates strong musical nuances that bring you an experience of another life that you never imagined before. True, this is not an exaggeration, it's a reality. All musicians play excellently in these two tracks. The guitar playing and vocal of Steven Wilson are both marvelous. The other noticeable thing in "Waiting" series is the very nice percussion, both . the play and the sound. Top class! Bass playing is also dominant. I have a habit of playing this two tracks as loudly as possible and getting louder at the interlude when guitar sound and bass backed by very dynamic drum playing come together harmoniously. Oh man . this piece of music is really really wonderful!!!

"The Sky Moves Sideways" opened with a very mellow intro and flows naturally to another piece of more upbeat music. It requires patience in listening to this intro. Yeah, patience and patience! But it's OK as you have just done with relatively energetic music of "Waiting" series. Then enters the guitar part and the music starts to uplift a little bit. Steven Wilson voice enters nicely here at around minutes 3:35 "We lost the skyline ." backed by spacey keyboard. Nice entrance, Steve! Having finished with the firs vocals then the guitar enters nicely again. Oh my God .what a terrific segment here! And then at around minutes 7:45 the dynamic bass guitar comes into play followed by nice percussion and backed by spacey keyboard. Here we go, you don't need patience anymore as the music goes uplifting now. It's so energetic with solo keyboard. The ending part of this track closed nicely with guitar as lead combined with other instruments altogether. Top notch music!

"Dislocated Day" is an upbeat music with dominant bass playing. I don't need to elaborate any further as this track is really excellent. "The Sleep of No Dreaming" is another nice track starts mellow and continues into more energetic music. Observe how Wilson sings this part "The Sleep of no dreaming ." followed by his lead guitar. Very nice. Observe also the drumming style of this track. Cool. By the way, almost in every track there must be "strange sounds" produced either by guitar or keyboard. The sounds create great nuances of Porcupine Tree and I guess that this has become their musical identity.

The rest of three tracks "Moonloop", "Radioactive Toy" and "Not Beautiful Anymore" are all excellent tracks that don't require further review. Marvelous! The only thing that I wanna mention is the piece at the opening of "Radioactive Toy" when Steven starts communicating with the audience and followed by clapping from the audience. It's great!

To conclude, I think this album is MUST HAVE for prog lovers. The other thing that impresses me is the excellent sonic quality of this recording. I have never heard any live recording sonic quality better than this one. What do you think? - Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia.

A masterpiece of live albums. So many had critizised or questioned the power of this band. The energy they transmit to the audience and the almost perfect performance makes your soul dance and expolde. OK, from tip to toe, playing the first part of "signify" as the opening cut is just fantastic, very solid and mesmerizing, leaving a some kind of "pause" to play the magnificent "the sky moves sideways", then going into a retrospective playing to end with the great "radioactive toy", and then pleasing the audience with a last song. Simply as great, this is a record, with no flaws, no lost connections and great energy in every aspect of the gig. To me, this band goes beyond the classic rock performance and give us a lesson of how music must be played: as a very delicate thing, with emotion, feelings and respect.

This is a superb live album, make no mistake about it. The version I have is the double cd, with four extra tracks between 'Moonloop' and 'Radioactive Toy'. The playing is flawless, although there are doubtless a few overdubs here and there. Chris Maitland in particular is impressive, but I have always admired his work with this band. It is a shame he is no longer a part of the set-up. I won't go into individual tracks, as they all blend seamlessly together and produce an exhilirating effect on the listener. Highlights though, for me, are 'Signify' which is brilliant, both parts of 'Waiting', 'Moonloop' and 'Radioactive Toy'. The extra tracks are 'Up The Downstair' which is good but not a highlight, 'The Moon Touches Your Shoulder' which is a highlight! 'Always Never' (adequate) and 'Is...Not' (again adequate). This last is part of 'The Sky Moves Sideways' track, which, I believe, when it was released in America, was split into different parts, each given titles. My least favourite on here, (though it is not exactly bad!) is the last track, 'Not Beautiful Anymore'. A little too aggressive for my taste, but a good track to perform live. Certainly a top notch live offering, and one to rank with the best live albums in the business.

Hey, great Live album, probably the best I ever heard. Don't take me for fool...I'm also a great Genesis, ELP,DT, Jethro Tull, etc....listner.... But, these guys are just great. I mean there's no real power playing over there, but THE PRECISION..and the progressive jamming in The Sky Moves Sideways is really, I mean it, really great. Get the chance to listen to it...a unique experience!

Wow!! It blows my mind. Steve Wilson it's really a genious. In fact, I'm sure that Porcupine Tree it's one of the most important bands of the 90's. This live CD is a beautiful mastrepiece of psychedelic/prog sound. Great live versions of "Radioactive Toy", "The Sky Moves Sideways" and "Waiting". I think that it's perfect to beggin to know the fantastic music world of Porcupine Tree. The band sounds like a poetic storm everytime. Cosmic, induces a strage floating state of sadness that takes you to another time and dimension... very well produced and very well played bu Wilson and friends.

A great live album with perfect sound quality. The only problem that makes me not give it 5 stars is that the material in the album is not very strong. It still contains some of the best songs from their first albums, and the album flows naturally between all the tracks. Another plus of this live concert is that the songs sound very different from the studio versions.

The highlights for me is the 'sky moves sideways', 'radioactive toy' and the great versions of 'dislocated day' and 'moon touches your shoulder' But actually, all songs are good here, there is not a single weak track in this live album.

Pros : _The bass guitar sounds superb here, and the bass player uses it in a unique way. _The drumming is very different, and sometimes reminds me of Santana, or African beats _The sound quality is great Cons : _ The songs are not that strong musically. My Grade : B+

(excuse the spelling)The best live album ever made in my book and anyone thats a huge tree fan will agree. when I first got coma divine I was just geting heavly into porcupine tree and every time I listen to it it just spreds the fire more and more...All I can say is coma divine is like a religus experenice of tones and sounds...The best guitar work from steven wilson I've ever hired, and the same goes for the rest of the band. Chris beets the hell out of the drums while he sings and playes percussion that alone should blow your mind. Richared's synth blens nicely with stevens guitar riffs and colins double bass drives the music so steven can go off. porcupine tree is truly the best band, You have to check them out if you haven't already. 5 STAR MASTERPEICE!!!!!!!!!

This is a splendid album, my favourite Porcupine Tree album. All about this album is said by many other reviewers, so I'm gonna be very short. This is NOT just an ordinary live performance. Porcupine Tree reinvented themselves and their music in this marbellous live performance. Once you listen to the album, you probabily won't listen in the next few months to "The Sky Moves Sideways" because in Coma Divine Porcupine Tree play all that album songs in the edge of virtuous, musianship and feeling, particularly in the "the sky moves sideways" track, transforming the ambiental improvisation of the studio version to an explosive kick-off rock song in the end of the track. The same way goes to Moonloop, with its speedy end giving all the intensity the music lacks in The Sky Moves Sideways (you realize it when you listen to this version).

And what about to say about the band's individual performances ? Steven Wilson proves himself as a great skilled guitarist (though his humbleness never permiting to say so). There are many great spacy/emotional guitar solo's, it's difficult to enunciate the best, but I would risk saying the Mooloop solo, because of it's very long duration. Chris Maitland is splendid in the drumms, the best work by far!

Steven Wilson is a very good producer, very requested, so don't expect to find differences of the quality of sound from this live piece to a studio album, because they simply don't exist.

This album is a perfect synthesis of the first phase of Porcupine Tree Music, combining tracks of The Sky Moves Sideways, Up the Downstair and On the Sunday of Life, beside incorporating some of the album Signify. Well, my words won't be enough to show how great the album is. You can see ALL other reviewers showing the same point of view, so this album must REALLY have something different. Magnificent work, 6 STARS.

I have an expanded 2 disc edition of this album. Steve Wilson and co have really expanded these tracks well from their studio versions to fit to the stage. This live album is produced well, you can here all the instruments really well and you also get a good crowd atmosphere. I understand that the tracklisting is almost like a PT best of and the performance is very good. However 2 discs of Porcupine Tree is very difficult to take in. I have always had great difficulty getting into this band. I recognise the talent in PT but I find it very difficult to be able to enjoy their albums in full.

"Coma Divine" displays some really great and varied stuff here and i'm sure it hasn't let the real PT fans down in anyway. However I still haven't clicked into PT, therefore I will only recommend this to strict PT fans. Good but not essential.

I recently purchased this 2 disc set, and it has mesmerized me ever since. I don't need any explantation to rate it five stars; just listen. It is achingly beautiful, haunting and something you will not let go.

This performance is absolutely UNIQUE! At this time, P.T. have just realesed the Marvelous "Signify", and this live album represent a overview of the really wonderfull 90's period. The sound is also awesome.but not really surprising because we know that Mr Wilson is a great producer....A MASTERPIECE and not only for the proglovers!!!

Best listened at night-time. Dim moods and magical sounds are conquering. I specially like Radioactive toy. I recommend this album. It's very good live-album, but not so essential album if compare in other PT-albums.

If you want to have a very clitamic night you really have to try it. It is one of the best concerts on cd I`ve ever heard. Most versions of this live set are better then its studio orginals. the best example is Radioactive toy, this piece really kicks off in live. Studio version really lacks this powerfullness. The audience support the band very good. Early records from Porcupine Tree had artificial drums and that was I think disadvantage. Here we`ve got very strong drummer who does his work very well. All songs have now new dimension, there are more vivid. Now we can feel that this songa are made and played by men not by computers. I give it five stars and I think this album does desevre for this because when ot was out in 1997, it was really original and it was really hard to find even as good live album as this.

If you are going to buy it, you should buy 2cd version because 1cd version is simply to short and there is cut off a lot of marvellous music. For one cd version I give it 4 stars. This album shows the essence of early period of Porcupine Tree and this is the period I love the most.

REGARDS FROM POLAND.

If you want to have a very clitamic night you really have to try it. It is one of the best concerts on cd I`ve ever heard. Most versions of this live set are better then its studio orginals. the best example is Radioactive toy, this piece really kicks off in live. Studio version really lacks this powerfullness. The audience support the band very good. Early records from Porcupine Tree had artificial drums and that was I think disadvantage. Here we`ve got very strong drummer who does his work very well. All songs have now new dimension, there are more vivid. Now we can feel that this songs are made and played by men not by computers. I give it five stars and I think this album does desevre for this because when ot was out in 1997, it was really original and it was really hard to find even as good live album as this.

If you are going to buy it, you should buy 2cd version because 1cd version is simply too short and there is cut off a lot of marvellous music. For one cd version I give it 4 stars. This album shows the essence of early period of Porcupine Tree and this is the period I love the most.

REGARDS FROM POLAND.

COMA DIVINE is Porcupine Tree at its best: in a LIVE setting! Even though recorded in Rome in 1997, just after their album SIGNIFY had been released, this live performance has a superb track listing. However: The 2003 re-issue of COMA DIVINE even gives us more please with the initially deleted tracks Up the Downstair (7:40), The Moon Touches Your Shoulder (5:05), Always Never (5:41) and Is. . . Not (6:09) being restored and fit back on the album as it was mend to be!

COMA DIVINE is probably my favourite LIVE album of PORCUPINE TREE and maybe even my favourite LIVE album of all times. If you are unfamiliar yet with PT this is the way to start exploring this magnificent band!

This is the perfect album to introduce someone to Porcupine Tree. It is soft and mellow at times and aggressive at others. It truly has something for everyone. I am a hige fan of this band ever since I started listening to In Absentia which is an amazing album in itself. I wanted to hear how they could possible bring all of their spacey and complex songs to a stage and to a live audience. They pulled it off, and brilliantly I might add. I was blown away by the performance and the quality of the recording. It sounds like a studio album. Even the audience is right into it. They are respectful and excited at the right times and really bring this album together. Coma Divine Live is one of the best live albums I have ever heard.

5/5 Brilliant

A brilliant live album.

The band creates an atmosphere from the introduction (short taped song) to the end. They catch the listener and manage to keep him following the emotions created by their music. Even with songs about sorrow, melancholy or sadness, you feel well at the end of the album: smart music interpreted with so much feeling takes you on a trip which can only fill with wonder... so you might play this record regularly...

Since this time, the music of the band as evolved in a more energic way. So if you don't know Porcupine Tree, this is a good way of starting, but be aware this time is now completed. And if you discovered them with In Absentia or Deadwing, go on, you could be agreeably surprised of what they did for this more atmospheric periode.

If later you listen to older studio albums you'll understand how improved are the songs in this live: they were good, some excellent ; but joined together and played this way they really become an outstanding live performance !

Yes, it's a masterpiece! (The original 1CD edition as well as the complete 2CD edition...)

This is a great place to start if you want to check out some of PORCUPINE TREE's early stuff, and it's an amazing live album as well.

After the short intro song we are treated to a fan favourite called "Signify".There are lots of riffs pounding drums and waves of synths. Nice guitar 2 minutes in and the bass is prominate around the 4 minute mark. This is pretty faithful to the original. "Waiting Phase One" is one of my favourite PORCUPINE TREE songs and it's good to hear Steven's singing voice finally on this album. This is a dreamy, uplifting song for me. The guitar almost soars on this one and the synths are great ! Nice guitar solo to end the song. "Waiting Phase Two" opens with a lot of synth washes and bongo like drums. Around 4 minutes in we get some scorching guitar and prominant drums. Nice. "The Sky Moves Sideways" is another of my all time favourite PORCUPINE TREE songs.The beginning is so PINK FLOYD-like. Dreamy and spacey. Amazing ! Vocals come in after 4 minutes. Some great drumming during the last 5 minutes.

"Dislocated Day" features some psychedelic lyrics with vocals and drums dominating. Some cool guitar 2 1/2 minutes in. "The Sleep Of No Dreaming" has a powerful chorus and is such a great song. "Moonloop" is another highlight, very spacey with lots of synths.The guitar is beautiful as well. "Up The Downstair" has this pulsating beat for the most part with guitar and drums breaking out together at times. "The Moon Touches Your Shoulder" has this light keyboard sound that gives the impression of the light of the moon touching ones shoulder. Cool. The vocals are reserved and suit the song perfectly. It gets heavy towards the end. "Always Never" is hard and heavy for 90 seconds before it gets pastoral. Some great guitar to end the song. "Is...Not" contrasts the heavy and the atmospheric beautifully. I love this song. "Radioactive Toy" goes from quiet to bombastic with an interlude of atmospheric and experimental sounds, before it returns to original soundscape. "Not Beautiful Anymore" is uptempo for the most part with good guitar and drumming.

This is easily 4 stars, although 4.5 would be more accurate in my opinion.

There's something fantastic in every Porcupine Tree CD. I discover new sounds, new loops, new nuances on every listening. I love Wilson the producer as much as I love Wilson at the guitar and to prove my point I am amazed at the pristine sound he got from this live recording. It is one of best live recordings I have listened to. And what a surprise is to hear that the Rythm section is that good. Maitland sure rocks at the drums. So I am not going to do a song by song review, just to tell you that this is a must have if you love spacey rock. With a nod to Zep and Queen in the last song they show that they are now the kings of british rock.

Live albums are iffy, and even excellent studio bands are capable of putting out a really dreadful live album. The first rule of live albums: all songs must sound different than the studio version, otherwise, why would we bother listening to the live version when the polished studio version is just as accessible? Secondly, a risk of doing things live is sloppiness: in the studio, you have the ability to correct any mistakes you made, and try it again. Unfortunately, sloppiness on a live album is incurable. And lastly, if the sound quality is poor due to insufficient recording material, then it's a real waste. Porcupine Tree conquers all the above obstacles.

With an excellent set list, ranging way back to the debut album, this recording is steller. This is the perfect collection of Porc Tree's psychedelic days, as the proceeding album, Stupid Dream, will have a much rock-ier edge to it. The versions of most of the songs here are a bit different, but not drastically. This album, particularly with The Sky Moves Sideways is the greatest drumming from Maitland ever recording. The majority of the songs are from the preceding album, Signify. The punchy, crunching metal riffs are balanced evenly by the milky free-form improvisations, and the psychedelic, hypnotic pop-ish choruses. Unfortunately, my version of this little gem is the shorter, one disc edit, and I am missing several tracks. But even lacking a total of 24:35 minutes of music, I can firmly proclaim this album's importance. It is the ideal collection of pre-Stupid Dream era Porc Tree.

I must admit, at first, I was not a fan of the early half of Porcupine Tree's career. I found their psychedelic epics a little hard to get into. Then, I got Coma Divine. Recorded on the Signify tour in Italy, it captures PT at their psychedelic peak. Colin's bass is much more pronounced here, and Maitland proves that he is no slouch, even when compared to his replacement Gavin Harrison. Steve displays a lot more guitar prowess live than he does in the studio, ad his voice sounds great as usual. PT epics like "Moonloop" and "The Sky Moves Sideways" are completely changed as the band uses them as the basis for incredible improvs.

Psychedelic live albums are a risky business. They tend to fall into one of two extremes. Either they bore the listener as the band loses itself (and not in the good way) in meandering jams, or they are so good that you the listener become one with the music, feeling its curves and movements as the band guides you through the astral plains. Happily, Coma Divine falls into the latter category with stunning renditions of early classics. "Dislocated Day," "The Moon Touches Your Shoulder," "Waiting," "Radiocative Toy," and the two aforementioned jams are the highlights, but every song is an improvement over the original. Had it not been for this album, I might never have gotten into early PT.

Porcupine Tree was often hailed as the Pink Floyd of the 90s. I prefer to look at them as the Rush of psychedelic rock. With each release they gained new legions of fans but alienated old ones. also, they can make even their weakest material sound essential live. People like me who got into PT from Stupid Dream on would do well to check out Coma Divine. It is the gateway to PT's equally stunning back catalog.

Grade: A

Roma divine ...

This is one of the best live recordings which belongs to my collection - absolutely flawless. Don't know if they ever have been more spacy and psychedelic on the stage. What also strikes are the excellent percussion specials by Chris Maitland. No - not my first collision with PORCUPINE TREE which has been The Sound of Muzak from 'In Absentia'. Since I could enjoy them live for the first time during their Absentia-Tour in 2002 (unfortunately wasn't aware of them before) I got curious about what they worked out on the stage in the past. Therefore sometimes later I discovered the PT gem 'Coma Divine' which was recorded five years before. What I'm writing about is the expanded version released 2003 including 14 tracks which must have been the recordings of the whole concert in Rome.

First of all I must say: what a fantastic stage presence by the band despite of the fact only Wilson managed the guitar and vocal part. What I want to express: there is no help from John Wesley for example. Signify and the two parts of Waiting are somewhat warmups for this fantastic concert. Afterwards the band is breaking all barriers - promised! The Sky moves Sideways opens very floydy and speeds up for the last 5 minutes with a brilliant bass line by Colin Edwin - a fantastic live version of this song. Dislocated Day and Sleep of no Dreaming are also much more emotional presented as the studio versions. Moonloop is my highlight of the first CD because it is a fantastic spacy song with a furious 4 minute finale. Never heard a better (emotional and melancholic) guitar solo from Steven Wilson.

CD 2 begins with Up the Downstair - a dynamic song which really rrrrrrocks, exploding and imploding for several times. The Moon touches your Shoulder is (per)formed with wonderful guitar licks and sensitive percussion work by Chris Maitland. The song gets tempo 'til the end and fades directly into Always never, yet another track which combines uptempo rock and slowtempo psych. Is...not is a fantastic instrumental opener for Radioactive Toy, one of the long time standards played live. With no doubt another beauty of the album. And it is clearly audible: the band is getting vocal help by the italian crowd.

A must have for every PT fan and an advice for every proghead who is interested in listening to excellent live performances.

Porcupine Tree has already have a long career behind them while releasing this live record. While I have never been over- enthusiastic about their releases, when I looked at the tracklist, I was really pleased to discover this album.

It is really a "Best Of" PT live release. Of course the outro space signals of the opening number still irritate me. But I guess that there is no way th get rid of these ones since they also open several studio albums. Since they are very short, I guess that I will have to live with these...

This is the "Signify" tour, so no wonder that the first three songs are taken out of this album. In my review of the album, I already mentioned that I liked very much the "Waiting" phases. Nothing changes here. First phase is still my fave and is the first highlight. But there will be many available during this live set. The excellent "Sky Moves Sideways" is another one.

The only weak song here is "Dislocated Day". Although I liked the song in its studio version, I am far much more sceptical for this live one. But since the next song is exactly the opposite, I guess that it can easily happen while a band is "interpreting" one of their work on stage.

I was not so keen for "Moonloop" so far. But I have to say that this version is just great. Format is a bit shorter (by six minutes or so) and the closing part is seriously rocking. This will ensure that it is by far superior to the studio version which was the prototype of pure space-rock (with all its down sides like monotony, repititiveness, and to a certain extent boredom). Nothing as such here. The song sounds fresher, more dynamic. Another highlight.

The band will also extend one of their very good (and very old) song. "Radioactive Toy" comes from their debut album "On The Sunday Of Life". It is true that the middle part is over-extended and weakens the original. But I guess that this just can happen during a live set. One does not always control every single elements to keep the whole together.

The closing number is going under the same sort of surgery. It is expanded to almost 300 %. But we all know that live sets (especially when reaching their end) might lead to some sort of exaggerations. But don't worry, not too much harm has been done.

This is definitely an excellent entry for the ones who would like to get a good overwiew from the band. There is a two CD set also available with another twenty-five minutes of live music. I have just ordered it and since it sells for cheap, I guess that it is the best option for this very good live album.

Four stars.

A stunningly deep and intense live album featuring everything unique and exciting about PT's early sound. Indeed-- just about every track here sounds as good, if not BETTER than they do on studio albums, delivering a throbbing energy throughout which really delivers the power of the show. The lights are just as ambient and beautiful, while the fast sections blow the studio versions away; I would reach for this live recording before "Sky Moves Sideways".

Steven's guitar sizzles, Edwin's bass pulses, and Barbieri's synths are almost as layered as they sound recorded. The ablum has a very eerie/mystical mood which compliments the songs nicely. The set is a perfect combination of highlights from this era in the band's catalogue and I am always entertained with how the group blends pieces together into lengthy jams and dynamic shifts between songs.

Not to be missed!

Setlist 4 Instrumental Performances 4 Stage Energy 4 Live Experience 5

Radio activity

Porcupine Tree are an excellent live act. Visually there's not a lot of excitement, but the band are masters of their craft. As on their studio albums, Steve Wilson is very much the front man, with the other band members generally playing something of a supporting role. In an interview, Steve Wilson makes it clear that it is he who decides what the band will play, and how the tracks will be played. This will often mean that the tracks will vary, sometimes substantially from those which appeared on studio albums. "Coma divine" confirms that Wilson's judgement in such matters can be relied upon.

"Coma Divine" is the band's first official live album, and hence draws its tracks from their earlier, more progressive albums such as "Signify" and "The sky moved sideways". The album was originally released as a single CD, but the version to go for now is the remastered one, which runs to 2 CDs and adds about another 25 minutes of material. Three of the extra four tracks had previously been released as a very limited edition EP called "Coma Divine II". All the recordings are taken from concerts which took place in Rome, Italy over three nights in 1997, with overdubs being added later. The recordings were made by a local radio station for broadcasting locally.

The standout track for me is "Radioactive toy", originally from the uneven first album, even if it does include some basic audience participation. Running to over 15 minutes, it is the most acidic and powerful track here. That power though is present throughout the album, right from the opening "Signify", driven along by the fact that these performances rely significantly on the band environment (rather than Wilson alone).

Tracks such as "Waiting" and "The sky moved sideways (part 1)" retain the facets which distinguished the studio versions, while sounding fresh and perhaps improved when played live. Richard Barbieri takes the opportunity, particularly on TSMS, to add some wonderful extra colours.

While many live albums add little or nothing to a band's studio catalogue, the same cannot be said for "Coma Divine". This is essential listening, not just for fans of the band, but as an introduction to the music of Porcupine Tree for the unconverted.

Coma Divine Live was Porcupine Tree's first live album, released in 1997 shortly after the Signify album. It's basically the best songs from Porcupine Tree's first four albums performed live, ranging from classics like Radioactive Toy and The Sky Moves Sideways to Waiting and Signify. Some of the songs have been shortened from their studio versions, but many have been expanded upon, which for many reasons is a good excuse for acquiring this. It's always more interesting when a band expands or modifies their original recordings, otherwise it just ends up being a greatest hits album which anyone can compile on their own from the studio albums.

The sound quality and production are exceptionally well done. The mix is also remarkable. The performance of Radioactive Toy is amazing and I can see why it's a crowd favorite. This is a must-have acquisition for Porcupine Tree fans, and would make an excellent addition to a general progressive rock collection. If you've never heard Porcupine Tree before, I would recommend getting The Sky Moves Sideways and Up The Downstair first before acquiring this. Easily a wonderful four-star live album and probably one of the better ones from this genre.

Simply one of the great live albums. A beast of a triple vinyl offerring. An english band doing an italian live album always draws parallels with Simple Minds' The City of Light ... coma's not quite at that level but it's up there.

I'm a huge fan of PT despite Steve Wilson producing some of the most miserable downbeat introspective self-piteous lyrics ever inflicted on the unsuspecting public ( with the exception of ...oh freddled gruntbuggly thy mitcurations are to me as ...). I just love the way he writes such great music to back it up.

There's no getting away from the intimate recording. This is live but recorded with a delicacy which is almost universally lacking in such an environment a bit like Thelonius Monk In Action at the Five Spot [apart form the jazz, and the clinking of drinks in the background, and chat, and Thelonius Monk, and Johnny Griffin, and Ahmed Abdul-Mailk and Roy Haynes ... but apart from that]

There's commensurate control and composure about this performance: Waiting is quite simply superb as is Up the Downstair and The Moon Touches Water.

I would recommened this album as an intro to PT: it has a great selection of tracks and the listener will be given a broad overview as a starting point for more material.

In 1996 i was living in the bay area of San Francisco , bands like Porcupine Tree was available at the music stores , but not popular in that part of the world . When i came back home to Lebanon in 1997 , Coma Divine was just out in Beirut , one of my friends gave me a 90 minutes tape , on side A was Signify , on side B the Sky Moves ..... and said hey Toni , you must hear this perfection in progressive music . Now , after 11 years , i wonna thanks Fadi for his concern , and Maher for completing my Porcupine's discography . So , Comma Divine came to my attention after the best two albums for Porcupine . Comma is the best live performance in progressive since Ummagumma in 1969 . this live performance in Rome ( Italy ) introduce the talents of this band in a perfect shape . Unfortunalely we had no chance to get this performance on Video , still , it satisfies our hunger to real & excellent progressive works . I had both the old cd , and the new remastered in 2003 , the new one is a real perfection in the art of compiling a live performance . All tracks deserves a wide look from you , it's maybe the best it can be done in this century as progressive . I hope that Steve Wilson & friends carry on in supplying the market with such wonderful works & Masterpieces . As this review took place after the magnificient works Deadwing & Arriving somewhere (video) Bravo Porcupine , You deserve the tittle of Pionners of psychadelic rock , and a 5 Stars for all tracks in Comma Divine ......... Tracks Toni .....

Coma Divine is the first live album from british prog rockers Porcupine Tree. It was recorded in in Rome while touring for the Signify album. A large portion of the songs are taken from that album while there is also a couple from the previous album The Sky Moves Sideways and one song from the second album Up the Downstair (Not beautiful anymore) and one from the debut album ( Radioactive toy). I´m not the biggest fan of Porcupine Tree and it´s mainly because of their long jamming ambient songs which leaves me a bit cold in the studio versions. After listening to Coma Divine I understand that Porcupine Tree is a band best heard live. Some of the songs that I didn´t appreciate in the studio versions are very good when played live. Judging from this album Porcupine Tree is an excellent live band.

Coma Divine starts with the heavy energetic Signify right after the intro Bornlivedieintro. This song works even better live than it did on the Signify album where it was one of the best songs. Waiting which are also from Signify is a song in two parts. Part 1 has vocals and are a very atmospheric Porcupine Tree song while Part 2 is an instrumental jam like song. The studio version is boring IMO but this live version is so alive and fresh that I am sold. The sky moves sideways from the album of the same name is a very Pink Floyd influenced song that also works much better live than in the original studio version. Again the instrumental part just works wonders here on Coma Divine. Dislocated Day is one of the vocal tracks from The Sky Moves Sideways. It´s very enjoyable in the live version. The Sleep of No Dreaming is from the album Signify and like Dislocated Day it´s a vocal track and one of the songs I enjoyed from that album as well as in this live version. Moonloop from The Sky Moves Sideways is a bit too long and ambient for me and it doesn´t help that the song is played live. Radioactive toy is from the debut album and it´s a dynamic song which has both excellent parts and a few ambient lowpoints. Not beautiful anymore from the second album Up the Downstair is a Jamming song where too much of the time is spend with making noises.

The musicianship is really a highlight on Coma Divine. We really get to hear Porcupine Tree in their right environment. Great jamming from all four musicians. They are really a tight band.

The sound quality is excellent. Very enjoyable and clean while still maintaining a live feel.

The cover isn´t very exciting.

So it took a live album for me to really start enjoying Porcupine Tree. I´ve always felt that they lacked that last something on their studio albums ( at least on the early ones) to make me clap my hands in excitement. Live they really prove that they are an exceptional band though and I would recommend that you listen to Coma Divine before using your time on the first four studio albums from the band. What a great surprise and well worth a 4 star rating even though the quality does drop a bit towards the end of the album.

Divine indeed!

This is one of those Live Albums that I loved since the very first listen, one of those live albums which have caught my full attention, one of those concerts that I would have loved to attend, when all the music is almost perfect (or perfect) and you think to yourself "God, lucky people who attended to that concert, they had a wonderful night". I am pretty sure that sometimes the concerts that the band choose to record and then release as a Live album or the DVD, are not necessary their best shows ever, but I am sure that they have to be something special as well, this time, the Coma Divine concert in Rome reflects the quality as musicians and composers of the band, linked as well with their excellent communication with the audience, you can notice it while listening to the album.

So this show was recorded back in 1997 and features songs from their first 4 albums, you know from on The Sunday to Signify which was their new record at that time, so for obvious reasons, don't expect songs like Trains or Lazarus here, expect their spacey and best era.

I believe there is a one cd version of this Live album, however the one I have is the 2-CD version and of course the one I am reviewing. So Coma Divine contains 14 songs divided in 8 on CD 1 and 6 on CD2, the first is the one where the band introduces music from their newer album at that time, opening with "Bornlivedie" as the intro, and following immediately with the great "Signify" which is the first of their instrumental passages, a song that I like a lot. Next we find a couple of sweet songs named "Waiting (phases 1 and 2), the first one containing lyrics, a great acoustic guitar sound and a delicate sound overall, the second is instrumental and has a darker atmosphere on it, these songs also belong to the Signify album.

The next song, is my all time favourite PT song, and it's called "The Sky Moves Sideways", as we remember that is a very long song divided in 2 parts on the album with the same name, but the version played here is reduced to a one part song, with a 12-minute length, and it is simply awesome, I really love it. The song is very complex and it is growing and growing through the minutes, starting with a calm and melancholic sound, then pausing, bass lines enter and little by little the song is progressing into a more aggressive and exciting sound, becoming a hell of a song, masterpiece, if I ever wanted to listen a PT song in a concert, that would be this version of The Sky Moves Sideways.

The following songs of CD one are "Dislocated Day", "Sleep of No Dreaming" and "Moonloop", which together make almost 25 minutes of great music, the first two with vocals, great musicianship and pointing that heavy prog label the band has here in PA, while the last song provides us with excellent spacey progressive rock that catches you to its sound, entering deeper and deeper into a another dimension.

The second CD as I previously mentioned has 6 songs, taken from Up the Downstair, The Sky Moves Sideways and On the Sunday of Life, opening with the title track of Up the Downstair, keeping the same spacey sound that finished the first CD. The next track is The "Moon Touches Your Shoulder" which I like a lot particularly because of the guitar, I mean the sound is very peculiar producing a soft sound and a feeling of tranquility, and at the same time the background sound made by both bass lines and synth is beautiful.

The next couple of songs are not really their best, but they both do fit perfectly in this performance so their value Is the same as the other songs, though their complexity might be less, those are "Always Never" and "Is?NOT", worth listening songs of course. I must mention that the second one is a prelude to probably Porcupine Tree's most classic song, yes you guess, "Radioactive Toy" from their very first album (where Wilson was the only official member), so that song is practically a hymn to any Porcupine Tree fan, a great performance for a great song.

And the last track closing this live album is "Not Beautiful Anymore" which again provides the audience of first quality hard/spacey progressive rock, almost ten minutes of great music and an excellent way of finishing the concert, some people would say that there were a couple of songs missing on that show, it is impossible to please all the audience, for me, this is a perfect live album, so as you guess, my final grade will be 5 stars, highly recommendable to any prog lover, and of course a must having for a PT fan.

Enjoy it!

Stage Fright..... Black Light.... Coma.... Divine.....

Review by ProgKidJoel

A truly perfect live album, which captures Porcupine Tree at their all time psychedelic high, COMA DIVINE is 2 discs of pure pleasure. This disc can be looked upon as a live best of - Its a single show, although shows many of the best tracks from Porcupine Tree's first four albums in a live setting. The instrumentation here is perfect - This is before John Wesley stepped in as a session musician for the band, so all of the guitar work is done by Steven Wilson, with some vocal backup from Chris Maitland on the drums. This is a true space rock opera, featuring the band's spaciest work to date in a truly awe-inspiring single concert. Not only is the setlist perfect, but the tracks all feature some amazing improvisation, particularly from Chris Maitland. This recording truly puts Chris in the ball park when he goes head to head with Gavin Harrison, and this is by far his best moment. His vocal work here is also fantastic.

My favourite live versions on this album are Waiting (both phases), Dislocated Day and Up The Downstair. Both feature some stellar differences from the studio versions, and this works to great effect in creating a gratifying re-listen of songs I'm already incredibly familiar with. It's hard to believe this is done in a live setting - The band plays better here than they have on any of their recordings to date, and persistently thrill with the small touches which make this album perfect.

Every track here is significantly different from the studio recordings in one way or another. The tempo is changed in Dislocated Day, being played at a seemingly impossible faster speed. The Sky Moves Sideways Phase One is cut down to 12 minute track, with only the Is... NOT section of phase two being played. The ending riff of The Moon Touches Your Shoulders flows perfectly into the middle riff of Always Never, and the band creates a truly unique live performance with these adjustments.

This is a truly fantastic live album, an even better introduction to the psychedelia that was 90's Porcupine Tree, and an even better supplement to any PT fan's collection!

A truly essential recording, and one of the finest of the past 20 years.

-Joel

Three stars might seem severe considering the average score for this album but it's how I see it: good but non-essential. On the plus side, the sound quality needs to be mentioned. I'm a big fan of live albums as long as the sound quality is fine and that's certainly the case here. On the minus side Coma Divine, although pleasant to listen, didn't give me lots of thrills. Do not expect the In Absentia and forward style. This is much smoother and hooks are absent, at least for me.

Another aspect that future listeners should notice, many songs are instrumental and even in the non-instrumental ones, voices are scarce. This is probably one of the reasons why I feel this album has the same mood from start to finish.

All in all a good album that ages well (and that's not always the case) but if you're a fan of newer and heavier PT albums be noticed that this is different music.

Phil

Obviously it's a personal review and others might disagree?

Coma Divine is the first live CD by Steven Wilson and his merry men. Recorded in Italy during 1997 it is a great document of how the early live Porcupine Tree sounded. The live versions are very different from the studio ones (of wich most are only SW), containing jams, extended parts, and tons of more energy that in the studio. Rhytm section Chris Maitland and Colin Edwin delivers some heavy grooves, Steven Wilson and Richard Barbieri create some wonderful textures. The musicianship is one of the highlights on the CD, because the instruments are used creatively and in unique ways, particulary the drumming.The only "bad thing" about CD is that it only has one guitarist, resulting in the lack of acoustic guitar on some songs. However the amtosphere and ambience are in a league of their own, and this may very well be THE best live album (that i've heard, so far).

The release of Coma Divine marked the ending of Porcupine Tree's first era and offered a perfect closing of their first chapter. I should probably start by saying that I don't generally consider myself a big fan of Space Rock and haven't really listened to all that many pre-1999 releases from Porcupine Tree. But even I cannot deny the sheer power that Coma Divine incorporates in its 100+ minutes of material.

The first thing that really amazed me with this recording was the magnificent sound quality that I honestly don't think have ever been better on any other live release. Every instrument is so well incorporated into the mix with bright sound patterns that gives us the audience an ability to even destination the smallest details that we usually wouldn't even hear on a studio release. The sound production is equally matched by the top-notch material from the band's '90s output. Everything from The Sky Moves Sideways to fan favorites like Radioactive Toy is incorporated in this hypnotic mix of an album and the final result is definitely everything a fan could ever wish for.

This is of course where my biggest problem with the music reminds me that I'm not really much of a fan of this sort of Space Rock material. Since most of the music here incorporates slow progressions and groovy interplays between the instruments it all can become a bit too repetitive and, dare I say it, bland to my ears. This ultimate tribute to the music will make fans fall into submission and definitely makes for a perfect introduction to the early Porcupine Tree material. Still I will be truly amazed if I will ever be able to get through this album in one continuous session.

I bet it would have been a real blast seeing this performance live and I can't help but feel slightly jealous at the audience present at this performance. Although my mixed opinion about the music featured on this 2-CD live album there really is no denying that Coma Divine is a masterpiece of a live recording that should be considered a must have for any fan of the Psychedelic/Space Rock genre. For everyone else this is at least an excellent addition to your prog rock music collection.

***** star songs: Signify (5:29) Dislocated Day (6:35)

**** star songs: Bornlivedieintro (1:25) Waiting Phase One (4:26) The Sky Moves Sideways (12:40) The Sleep Of No Dreaming (5:19) Moonloop (11:49) Up The Downstair (7:40) The Moon Touches Your Shoulder (5:05) Always Never (5:41) Is. . . Not (6:09) Radioactive Toy (15:30) Not Beautiful Anymore (9:39)

*** star songs: Waiting Phase Two (5:24)

This was my first touch of Porcupine Tree, or Porcupink Floyd, as they were actually called by a Rock radio DJ. The gig from which this live is taken was performed in Rome, in a place very close to my office, so I still regret having missed it.

Let's forget Bornlivedieintro and start from the first effective song.

"Signify" has one of the most impressive Metal attacks, very good to open a concert and not properly Floydian so to contraddict the DJ mentioned before. The tempo is everything but 4/4 and the melody changes 3 or four times in less than 6 minutes. What is more prog than this? Excellent drumming, too. Another thing few Floydian.

From the same studio album, "Waiting phase one and two" is one of my favourite PF songs. What I like more here is the bass line that doubles the drums. Also the guitar solo after the first singing is very good. Let me add that I can't see David Gilmour anywhere. Maybe a bit of Wright in the keyboard background behind the vocals. The second solo guitar closes phase one. Then a minor keyboard chord introduces Phase two. Percussions (congas) and drums join the keyboard, then bass. On this base, guitar notes remind to the middle part of "Saucerful of Secrets" at least in the sounds used. It continues more or less in this way until a solo drum invites guitar to the 3rd solo. It has a sort of oriental flavour (Now I think more to Camel) then it ends.

"The Sky Moves Sideways" is what conquered me. The instrumental intro with that guitar is fantastic, then it slows down and the singing starts. A five star track with no doubts. It's quite floydian until a funky section in the middle. I can't add anything else. Just listen to it.

"Dislocated Day" is another classic PT song from their metallic side, even if the oriental flavour makes it very prog. A nice drum solo closes the song.

"The sleep of no dreaming" is a slow ballad which contains good guitar riffs.4-5 stars.

"Moonloop" is one of the most athmospheric tracks. The sound quality, taking into account that it's a live, is remarkable. It is quiet and slow for about 9 minutes, then it changes to space rock. If it's not the most Floydian track of the album is because of the presence of "Radioactive Toy".

Respect to the studio version PT have added an introduction that makes it more Floydian if possible. This is one of my favourite PT tracks and the way they proposed it in the live is exceptional. It pays the cost of the whole album.

The last track "Not Beautiful Anymore" doesn't add much to what already said.

In summary, this is a very good live with an excellent sound quality, specially in the most athmospheric and quiet parts leaving intact the sensation of the live arena. The song's list contains the PT best up to when the gig was recorded so it's essential for who likes the Porcupine Tree.

I listened to the 2 CD re-release of this. Before this I was only familiar with a couple of instrumental EPs from this group. Of the few studio songs I have heard, their '90s stuff I find more enjoyable than what they have done over the past decade. Without being familiar with the original versions, this comes off as a 'best of' to me. Recorded in Rome on the Signify tour in 1997, the sound is very good for a live album. The songs here are supposed to be amongst the best they did in their early years. Apart from a song or two, I generally enjoy the tracks presented here.

"Waiting" is in two parts; not sure if that is the case on the studio album. The first vocal part is pretty good. The second part is spacey with nice percussion. I like the vocal sample "the brainwashed can not know they are brainwashed". Cool propeller sounds done on synth at the end. "The Sky Moves Sideways" is very Floyd sounding before the vocals start. Proceeds to pick up a bit after 7 minutes. Around 8 1/2 minutes gets more rocking with guitar. Gets more spacey with a hip-hop style programmed beat. Rocks out to finish it.

"Dislocated Day" has some good drumming, but I don't really care for this song otherwise. Short drum solo at the end. "Moonloop" is an ambient-rock instrumental until after 8 minutes when it gets more energenic. At 10 minutes really starts to rock out. "Is...not" has some good keyboard work. Wilson does some ripping guitar playing at one point. Nice melodic bass towards the end. Judging by the crowd singing along, "Radioactive Toy" was one of PT's most popular songs at the time of this concert. I guess the lyrics are supposed to be deep and thought-provoking but this song doesn't do much for me. That mellow middle section goes on a bit too long I think.

Although Wilson says that "Radioactive" is the last song of the night, "Not Beautiful Anymore" is instead. Maybe this was an encore? This track contains samples from the woman talking in Voyage 34(which is one of the instrumental EPs I have heard). I like the spacey synth effects at the beginning. Great drumming later on with more spacey synth effects. This song is generally upbeat and rockin'.

I'm still not sure how much I would enjoy a whole PT studio album. I read a lot about these guys over the years and downloaded a few of their songs; I guess I picked the wrong songs. I generally like these guys when they stretch out and either get spacey or more rockin'. Wilson's vocal songs I don't find to be as much to my taste. Still, this is a great live album. 4 stars.

Coma Devine is the only official live release documenting the first era of Porcupine Tree. Given the improvisational attitude of the band in that time it is unfortunate that no other full-length 90s live albums exist, but luckily they made this one to be perfect.

The band had been together for a couple of years and sound like a well-oiled and confident unit, often straying outside the borders of the studio originals, but always remaining tight and focused. Barbieri had already participated on all studio albums and is his usual cool self, effortlessly switching between atmospheric textures and noisy sound effects. Chris Maitland's drums add a subtle punch and liveliness to the songs, of which many were originally recorded with drum machines. Wilson's vocals aren't entirely steady yet, but since the material is dominantly instrumental it doesn't bother at all. His guitar playing is fluid, effortless and majestic, and much more appealing to me then riff-based approach and harsh sound of later years. And of course there's Colin Edwin tying everything together with his solid and magnetic grooves.

Most songs performed here are quite different from the studio versions, and especially the longer instrumental sections easily transcend the originals. With a setlist exceeding 100 minutes, it makes this into one of those rare essential live albums. The 2003 double CD re-issue comes with 4 extra tracks and is obviously the preferred version. A space-rock essential for me.

The first era of Porcupine Tree - in which the entity evolved from a one-man project to a fully- fledged band, and set forth a new and compelling vision of psychedelic space rock - is rounded off marvellously by this excellent live set (the 2CD version of which is the recommended one) which showcases a perfectly chosen selection of songs from the first four Porcupine Tree albums.

The band here perform the songs in substantially more loud and musically aggressive versions than the placid ones that appear on the original albums - the sound being somewhere between of early Pink Floyd as captured on the live disc of Ummagumma and the more intense jams the mid-1970s King Crimson occasionally got into - so even if you already own the originals, it's worth picking this one up for these very different interpretations of the songs in question. I wouldn't call this an absolute all-time classic, but it's certainly a very good example of the best sort of live album - one which both captures the feel of a live gig and at the same time presents the music in question in a new light.

Porcupine Tree's "Coma Divine Live" 1997 album has become a double CD extended release as from 2003 and it is a grand excursion into the deep bowels of psychedelica and dreamy space rock. The members at this stage were of course the visionary Steven Wilson on vocals, organ, mellotron, guitars, Richard Barbieri the Synth wizard, Colin Edwin wonderful on e-bass and double bass, and Chris Maitland, powering out the drum beats. The foursome work well together totally unified and even in the jamming sections are able to compliment one another with perfect timing and instrumental placement.

The production quality is crystal clean and of course Wilson has become one of the most sought after engineers from the likes of King Crimson and Pink Floyd box sets and remasters. While we are dropping names, Pink Floyd and King Crimson style musicianship abounds during this performance. It is some of the spaciest music from Porcupine Tree, drifting along entrancing and mesmirising the captive crowd in Rome. At the time of release there were no other official live documents of the group, though these days the band are highly revered as shakers and movers of modern prog so many recordings including 2 DVDs are on the market.

The set list is composed of some of the earlier more psychedelic material with the likes of 'The Sky Moves Sideways' an ambient 12:40 exploration of serenity. 'Moonloop' is almost 12 minutes of drifting beauty with some incredible spaced out atmospherics. 'Up the Downstair' was always a favourite of mine and it sounds as dark and ethereal as it can on the live stage, along with 'The Moon Touches Your Shoulder' and 'Waiting Phase One' and 'Phase Two'. The band were not into the more aggressive metal side of things during this era and Wilson had not begun to smash ipods yet; they were raw and experimental and it is a delight to hear them in this most exciting chapter of their career.

Of course some of the fan favourites are here such as 'Radioactive Toy', and 'Signify' is definitely one of the more popular Porcupine Tree tracks. The band are very patient with their music, building gradually to intense soundwaves of guitars that crash down forcibly. Wilson's vocals are at some points in a shoegazer mode, reflective, wondering, gentle and then he lifts to the high register and belts out on a more powerful chord. There are moments of dark juxtaposed with light, intensity and release permeate the concert as though taking the audience on a journey. During the performances the audience are gravestone silent intently soaking in the atmospheres generated by the band.

In some cases these live versions are superior to the studio versions,as is the case with many live albums. The versions on "Coma Divine Live" are more aggressive and exploratory, and as a result more interesting in terms of musicianship and interpretation.

'Signify' is a quiet contemplative ethereal piece, Wilson delivering vocals with a gentle timbre. The next few songs drift by with very slow cadence and dreamy keys and guitars, and Wilson's dreamy vocals flowing over. This is a very sleepy part of the show but the atmosphere is mesmirising and spacey on 'Waiting Phase One', 'Waiting Phase Two' and 'The Sky Moves Sideways'. The latter track has an early Pink Floyd vibe, especially those crystal clear guitars chiming over sustained mellotron soundscapes. At 7:20 the pace picks up with a pulsing bassline by Colin Edwin and 70s style keyboards of Richard Barbieri emitting very spacey motifs. The heavy distorted guitar cranks over soon waking up the crowd, and it has an incredible keyboard break gliding over the jagged rhythms.

To hear a tremendous wah wah charged lead solo 'Dislocated Day' is a prime example, a very spacey drifting song and the guitar is absolutely phenomenal, emitting sparks as Wilson shreds. It ends with a stirring drum solo from the wonderful skill of Chris Maitland.

'The Sleep of No Dreaming' feels more like the Porcupine Tree of more recent years, the lyrics as downbeat and poetic as Wilson can get, "At the age of sixteen I grew out of hope, I regarded the cosmos through a circle of rope, So I threw out my plans, Ran on to the wheel, And emptied my head of all childish ideals, The sleep of no feeling." This song has an excellent lead break and cosmic atmospherics, and an endearing melody to latch onto. The ideas of becoming someone in a blank space is explored, a person falling into the abyss of depression, a theme that surfaces often in subsequent albums; "I married the first girl who wasn't a man, And smiled as the spiders ran all over my hands."

'Moonloop' is a pyschedlicatessen of almost 12 minutes of patient instrumentalism; an organic landscape of haunting keyboards and a fractured bassline. It feels like vintage Pink Floyd, the only thing missing is Roger Waters' menacing whispers and insane screams. It even builds with a bass line similar to 'Money' and ends on an uptempo rhythm. I believe the band would be influenced by Pink Floyd instrumentals with such a spaced out musical piece, along the lines of 'One of these Days', 'Careful with that Axe, Euegene!', 'Interstellar Overdrive','Marooned', 'Atom Heart Mother', and 'Terminal Frost'.

Disc 2 opens with the pscyh passages of 'Up the Downstair'. These are beautiful trance prog songs with extended passages of serene guitar and keyboards over gentle pulsing ryhthms. 'The Moon Touches Your Shoulder' is also a soft spacey track that builds into some towering guitar riffs. This leads to the ethereal atmospheres of 'Always Never', Wilson sounding hypnotic on vocals.

The rock returns on the intro of 'Is... Not', with crunchy guitars and then it lapses into more psychedelic keyboards with mindbending spaciness. 'Radioactive Toy' is awesome as always, a favourite in the live arena, and this version clocks 15:26. I love the flowing melody, the build up to the instrumental section, and Wilson's jamming guitar licks. It is great to hear the audience yelling out the title in places. At 5 minutes it changes the vibe and we are treated to an improvised passage of whacked out King Crimson madness. 'Not Beautiful Anymore' closes the set with another lengthy instrumental section in an upbeat tempo.

Overall this is the spaciest official live Porcupine Tree recording and it is a sheer delight. The tranquil relaxing music is mesmirising, with lots of lengthy jamming akin to early Pink Floyd or any other space rock from the 70s. Of course Porcupine Tree became a lot heavier as their sound progressed, but here they are captured in time and space rock glory and it is well worth taking the cosmic journey.

In 1997, between the releases of the albums "Signify" in 1996 and "Stupid Dream" in 1999, Porcupine Tree released this live album "Coma Divine". It gathered together some of the best tracks from the four studio albums that come before it and put them in a live setting, with a full band, consisting of Steven Wilson (guitars, vocals), Richard Baribieri (synths), Colin Edwins (bass) and Chris Maitland (drums, percussion, harmony). The album was recorded live in Rome over a 3 day period (March 25- 27, 1997). The first night unfortunately had some technical problems, so the live album only includes recordings from the 2nd and 3rd days.

Originally, the band had decided to only release a single disc of the best performances. The recording was successful and so 3 other tracks were made available and given away as "Coma Divine II", but these were later added to the single album and re- released as a double album in 2003. The vinyl edition also included a 7" single which had two different demo versions of the track "Disappear" which was a song recorded around the same time as the concert. These different demo versions of the song, one recorded in February of 1997 (before the concert event) and on in April of 1997 (after the concert). The finished version of it included on the single for "4 Chords That Made a Million" which was released in 2000. There were several studio overdubs throughout the live album that were done to make the album have a better and more consistent quality.

This live album is excellent, a fitting document to the band that was quickly becoming a progressive phenomenon. It is an excellent album for both fans and for those wanting to explore the early work of the band, but don't necessarily want to sit through a lot of the early material just to pick out the best songs. The tracks on this album are some of the very best of the band, and the two very long studio tracks, "The Sky Moves Sideways" and "Moonloop" have been condensed down to their best sections for this concert, so if you don't like the psychedelic meanderings of those original tracks, this is the perfect answer as they don't meander, but showcase the band at their inventive best.

This also contains an extended version of the early fan favorite "Radioactive Toy" with an extended instrumental and rousing guitar solo. There are other excellent versions of their early songs here too, and they are done perfectly with perfect sound and minimal crowd noise. You get the heavy rocker "Signify", the psychedelic and Floydian "The Sky Moves Sideways", both parts of the excellent "Waiting", the rarely performed "Is?Not", and the best version of "Moonloop" with the rousing ending that will make you feel like you are there and without all the meandering parts.

I am not one to recommend live albums typically, but this one is amazing with excellent sound. The biggest draw of this album is the new versions (and quite frankly best versions) of their best songs of their early years, perfected by the band and performed live. This makes it an essential album for fans and the curious alike. I would also definitely recommend it for an album to start exploring the band with, right up there quality-wise with "Deadwing" and "In Absentia", it's that good. This is definitely one of my all time favorite live albums ever and a must have for prog lovers and fans, plus the best collection of their early work that is out there.