CD Review

Rating 97%

reviewed by Vivien Anderson

Porcupine Tree are reluctant darlings of the Prog world. They regard Prog as a four letter word, but many of their fans can still be found at Marillion concerts so for now they must live with the tag until the music reaches a much larger audience.

Stars Die is a double CD which celebrates their time spent whilst on label Delerium. During the fruitful seven year partnership much was released including 5 studio albums, 2 EP's and a handful of CD singles, 12''s and vinyl offerings which are now virtually impossible to obtain. With such an array of rarities it was only a matter of time before a collection was released to give the more recent fans the chance to hear the band grow and develop. It is also a nice touch that the packaged box also contains a 40 page booklet packed with photos, interviews and accounts of how the flower grew from a bedroom to a touring band thanks to the musicianship and the effort from Delerium's Richard Allen and Silhobbit.

We've all got the albums, but here you will be rewarded with the tracks that you missed if you joined the bandwagon after the journey had started.

This selection is a diverse mixed bag. Much of it is brilliant, some of it is 'interesting', yet the whole package is certainly worthwhile. 

Everyone will have their own highlights, but for me the standout tracks are The Sound of No-one Listening, Colourflow in Mind, Phantoms, Up The Downstairs, and the now legendary Men of Wood.

March 2002 - Stars Die : The Delerium Years 1991-1997
(Delerium Records/Kscope SMADD0851)

A double CD set exploring the Delerium era, incorporating album, EP and single tracks together with assorted rarities, new mixes and previously unreleased tracks. Includes a 40 page booklet featuring a history of Porcupine Tree drawn from interviews with band members.

Disc A - 1991-93
Radioactive Toy 
Nine Cats 
And the Swallows Dance Above the Sun 
Nostalgia Factory 
Voyage 34 - Phase One 
Synesthesia - extended version 
Phantoms 
Up the Downstair 
Fadeaway 
Rainy Taxi 

Disc B - 1994-97 
Stars Die 
The Sky Moves Sideways - Phase One 
Men of Wood 
Waiting 
The Sound of No-one Listening 
Colourflow in Mind 
Fuse the Sky 
Signify II 
Every Home is Wired 
Sever 
Dark Matter 

Disc A
1,2,3,4 - from "On the Sunday of Life..." album
5 - from "Voyage 34 - the Complete Trip" CD
6 - previously unreleased unedited version
7 - previously unreleased
8,9 - remixed versions of "Up the Downstair" album tracks
10 - from "Staircase Infinities" mini album

Disc B
1 - from "Moonloop" EP
2 - from "The Sky Moves Sideways" album
3 - previously unreleased
4,5,6,7 - from "Waiting" 12 inch / CD single (track 5 remixed)
8 - previously unreleased
9,10,11 - from "Signify" album

The 3 remixed tracks do not differ substantially from the original versions but were remixed to improve the sonic quality and instrument separation.

www.porcupinetree.com