COMA DIVINE

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