STARS DIE: THE DELERIUM YEARS 1991 - 1997

It's been a long time since I've rated anything with five stars, but now I can truly do it. I have listened to PORCUPINE TREE for only less than a year (albums Lightbulb Sun & Fear Of A Blank Planet, and their Anesthesia concert DVD). I guess I had some prejudices of them, too heavy and depressive for me or something like that. Well, I may not like them at their heaviest, but this 2-CD compilation covering PT's early years was a fantastic enjoyment, and I'm guaranteed now that Steven Wilson is a multi-talented musical genius. I didn't know that at first he played ALL the instruments himself. Who could ever guess, listening to this set? Very few musicians in the whole history of rock have the similar broadness of talent.

I won't go into track-by-track analysis. The music can be described as trippy, dreamy, spacey, psychedelic, exciting, dark-toned and emotionally captivating. Their (or his) originality is in no doubt right from the start, even if the influences can be rather easily spotted. Especially PINK FLOYD, Syd Barrett, ambient and Krautrock such as ASH RA TEMPEL or KLAUS SCHULZE. These names are also mentioned in Wilson's comments on each track. Thanks for them, this set serves perfectly also as a companion into the band history and Wilson's creativity.

For a newcomer this is a perfect place to start, but as there are a lot of material that is not on the main albums, at least not in the same format, this is very useful package to the long-time fans too. The best tracks take you to heavenly trips, so to speak.