Porcupine Tree – Voyage 34: The Complete Trip

Diese Pressung ist genial. 10/10 So sollten alle Vinyl Scheiben gepresst werden.

Just bought this version, sounds very beautiful. I recommend buying this one.

How does this pressing sound to you? Ten words needed.

Definitely worth one's time. Used copies going for very reasonable prices. Try it - you'll like it.

Phase IV is vastly edited on this release - not sure why...

A strange concept, sampling voices of patients experimenting with LSD, and making an album of it. But it has turned out so well. This EP was meant to be featured on the “Up The Downstair” album, but it did not fit. It tells the story of a group of patients which are given sugar cubes saturated with LSD, with observations and testimonies of the people involved. It plays like an instrumental concert almost, a nod back to Klaus Schulze, Manuel Göttsching and Brian Eno. Steven wanted to bring psychedelic rock into the ambient world, and this EP is an attempt. At 70 minutes, it’s quite a handful to listen to, with its mood changes, interludes and other style changes. The EP is divided into four parts, to be able to fit evenly on a double vinyl release. The first part is mostly a rock song, accompanied by the samples of recordings, while the second dwells in the ambient world. “The LSD trip is a pilgrimage far out and beyond the normal mind...” Here the samples are much more frequent, and the music is mostly suggestive. Some drums here and there, and a layer of dark ambient undertones. But after a few minutes an electric guitar kicks in, and the beat changes to somthing more of psychedelic rock. The main theme of the song repeats in this section, along with the sample from Dead Can Dance’s “As The Bell Rings the Maypole Spins”. The third part goes over to being an electronic track, with subtle drums and hihats througout. It’s called “Astralasia Dreamstate”, because the music is sampled from their music. The next, and final part, is called “A New Civilization”, and serves more as a closer to the album than anything else. It explains how the mind should expand because of LSD usage, and after that it slowly disappears.

I would class this as an historical document.when I listen to it I'm both enthralled and terrified.i took ALOT of acid in the early to mid 90's after which I graduated (unsurprisingly) to ecstasy.in 2002 I was diagnosed with severe OCD.i am told by psychiatrists that I was genetically predisposed to inherit this quagmire of shit but it seems pretty obvious that my recreational activity in the 90's had a huge impact on my mental health.
Point is that this album,which I only discovered about 10 years ago seems to nail everything about the lsd trip,the paranoia,the angst,the introspection,and yes,the euphoria.
There is a tune called LSD by an artist called hallucinogen,it's the only other piece of music that nails the aesthetic as this does.

"Is this trip really necessary?"

As I sit here at my computer in the early hours of the morning, headphones in and Voyage 34 on, I feel the sweet waves of sound licking at my brain like a pleasant drug and I struggle with even the simplest of tasks, like typing this review. This alone is a grand salute to the numbing effect this wonderful album has on one's senses, a sleep inducing marvel that grabs you by the soul and won't let go. This trip is really necessary!

In 1992, Steven Wilson achieved the impossible, alone, he redefined psychedelic rock. Taking the acid-laden cheerfulness that it once was and transforming it into what can only be called a collage of masterful ambience, complete with long soundscapes that make you feel like you're resting in the embrace of a white, fluffy cloud in a dense, blue sky. Not suprising then, that apart from some sampled voices that this record is completely instrumental!
The record is split up in to two distinct parts; Phases 1 & 2 portray a magnificent spectrum of colour and shade, floating blissfully into each age of play. Phase 1 sets the scene as the album's narrator guides you through the harrowing journey of Brian and his friends, taking acid and chewing on plastic flashbulbs. When you've become comfortable with your surroundings, you're abruptly taken higher as the music transforms into an airy, dreamlike rock euphoria with guitar solos to boot! Yes, at this stage you can dump your Pink Floyd comparisons, forget what the future holds for this artist and just float, blissfully in the moment. After Phase 2's haunting opening, the track takes on a similar path; cradling the listener in a psychedelic daydream where waking up is hard to do.
As for the remixes, Phases 3 & 4 have been expertly woven into the fabric of Voyage's blanket-like embrace, working as a downer in the 'trip' if you like. Phases 3 & 4 bring the listener back down to earth with an intensely dark, long look at the harsh realities of your free-spirited journey. The final ages prey on the guilt-ridden underside of a drug like experience, portraying two sides of the same story. This of course could be tagged as genius, if it weren't for the fact that it’s two separate EP releases compiled into one!

"The Complete Trip" is an compilation that will change your outlook on music forever, you won't have the faintest idea what hit you. Enjoy your trip!

Steve Holland,
Lord of Plastic Flashbulbs, January 2010.

Edit: Needless to say, the bulk of this review was typed up AFTER the record had finished.