VOYAGE 34 - THE COMPLETE TRIP

As mentioned in Part I, Steven Wilson had originally intended for Up the Downstair to be a double album, with the 30-minute suite "Voyage 34" comprising the second disc. This ideas was dropped in the end, and "Voyage 34" was remixed by Wilson and Richard Barbieri to be a sprawling, 70-minute piece that finally saw a full release in 2000. In this immense song, spoken narration describes an LSD trip as the music evolves to match the mood. "Voyage 34" is, stylistically, more closely aligned with the era when it was written, rather than when it was released. It's packed full of Floydian space rock, and Barbieri's ever-present electronics.

However, as one might expect from any 70-minute release, there is some trimming that could have been done. This piece absolutely could have worked as a 30-minute song. I don't know what Wilson's original version of the song was like, but much of the soloing and instrumental exploration could have been tightened up or otherwise reduced. And the entirety of its fourth movement could have been axed. The song closes on 15 minutes of ambient effects and the occasional stab of guitar.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/11/24/deep-dive-porcupine-tree-steven-wilson/