VOYAGE 34

Voyage 34 is a half hour-long ambient space rock workout by Porcupine Tree, interspersed with audio extracts from a "Reefer Madness"-esque piece about the dangers of drugs. Laying the groundwork for later space rock escapades from the project like The Sky Moves Sideways and Up the Downstair (the latter of which takes its name from one of the aforementioned samples), it showcases Steven Wilson's ability as a guitarist, arranger, and all-around multi-instrumentalist, and does an interesting job of blending the approaches of 1970s freakout space rock and 1990s ambient chillout music.

The original EP is pretty solid, and offered up the entire half-hour experience (sometimes divided into "Phase 1" and "Phase 2"). What's more commonly available these days is various variations on Voyage 34: the Complete Trip, which adds on Phase 3 and Phase 4. These remixes I consider rather inessential, and risk belabouring the point, and when I relisten to the piece these days I just go with phases 1 or 2. I'd rate either release 4 stars, but on the understanding that Phases 3 and 4 are basically bonus tracks, and I don't incorporate bonus tracks into my ratings generally (either positive or negative).