Coma Divine by Porcupine Tree

The recordings were made in Rome over three nights in a row, from March 25 to 27, 1997, at the legendary Frontiera.  Even though the concert was fantastic, the making of the album had a few hiccups. Unfortunately, due to technical issues with the recordings, the March 25 show was not included. For the final mix they used only the recordings from the second and third night. The original vocal performances weren’t quite up to the band’s standards. So, Steven Wilson re-recorded some vocal parts in the studio.

Coma Divine, Porcupine Tree’s live album, was recorded in March ’97 and released in October of the same year.  The expanded triple-vinyl (3 LP) edition is a real journey through the band’s early discography.

Recorded and released right after the fourth studio album, Signify (1996), Coma Divine marks the end of Porcupine Tree’s first era, the period on the Delerium Records label, before the arrival of the fifth album, Stupid Dream (1999).  Unlike the original ’97 CD, which had to cut a few tracks for space reasons, the triple-vinyl version includes all 14 performed tracks, spanning all the first four studio albums by the band.

The lineup on stage for Coma Divine is the classic Porcupine Tree quartet:
Steven Wilson – Guitar and vocals
Richard Barbieri – Keyboards and synthesizers
Colin Edwin – Bass
Chris Maitland – Drums, percussion and backing vocals
 

On stage, the band was the same as when they recorded Signify in 1996 and there were no guests. The entire performance was carried solely by the four official members of the band.
 

The title “Coma Divine” (which in Italian means “Coma Divino”) has no official explanation from Steven Wilson, but it fits perfectly with Porcupine Tree’s aesthetics and themes in that period
Before moving into alternative rock and metal in the 2000s, Porcupine Tree were known for their long instrumental passages, hypnotic and spacey atmospheres, a bit like early Pink Floyd.  Putting these two words together captures perfectly the mood the band wanted to create for listeners:
• Coma: A state of unconsciousness, total detachment from reality, and deep trance.
• Divine: A spiritual, celestial and ecstatic connotation.
So, “Coma Divino” describes the almost mystical, hypnotic experience of getting lost in psychedelic music, a mental trip induced by the concert’s long sonic journeys (like the 18 minutes of “The Sky Moves Sideways” or the cosmic textures of “Moonloop”).
 

Some tracks are absolutely memorable:
 

The Sky Moves Sideways is an almost 19-minute version that turns the complex studio suite into a truly overwhelming psychedelic, spacey experience. Richard Barbieri’s hypnotic synths are the stars of this journey, making it the definitive version of the track.

Radioactive Toy, Porcupine Tree’s first real “anthem,” expands to over 12 minutes in the Rome recording. The final crescendo, with Wilson’s distorted guitar and Chris Maitland’s powerful drumming, is a truly moving moment of the concert.

Signify and Waiting open the live set, showing the band’s shift toward a more assertive, structured rock sound.  Signify kicks off with an energetic riff, while Waiting follows right after with its dreamy yet rhythmic melody, split into two parts—listen all the way through.

Moonloop is a long space-rock improvisation with   Colin Edwin and Chris Maitland on the rhythm section, creating a hypnotic groove over which Wilson and Barbieri weave cosmic soundscapes.

Before this tour, Porcupine Tree were seen mostly as Steven Wilson’s solo project. But with “Coma Divine,” the band showed all its grit and its identity as a tight, powerful live unit, finally establishing itself as a real band.

“Coma Divine” is also a valuable document of an unrepeatable era for Porcupine Tree.  The album perfectly captures their “space/psychedelic rock” period, a style they would soon leave behind to embrace the pop/progressive song-form of “Stupid Dream” and the 2000s progressive metal of “In Absentia”.
Recording “Coma Divine” in Rome wasn’t a random choice. Italy was, in fact, one of the first European countries to appreciate Porcupine Tree’s talent, giving them an audience success that in the UK was slow to arrive. The energy and warmth of the Roman crowd can be clearly heard throughout the recording, making “Coma Divine” an even more special album.

Coma Divine is one of the best live albums of the ’90s and a true milestone of modern progressive rock.  
There are lots of things that make this album special. First of all, it’s clearly superior to the studio versions. Richard Barbieri on keyboards and Chris Maitland on drums are simply fantastic, each with their own unique touch.  

A perfect album for anyone who wants to dive into Porcupine Tree’s more psychedelic and visionary side, but also for those looking for one of the most intense live records progressive rock has ever seen.
Essential.

My Copy

Label: Transmission – TRANSM202LP, delerium – TRANSM202LP
Format: 3 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Europe
Released: 24 Nov 2023

Tracklist
LP 1

• A1. Bornlivedie (intro) – from Signify (1996)
• A2. Signify – from Signify (1996)
• A3. Waiting Phase One – from Signify (1996)
• A4. Waiting Phase Two – from Signify (1996)
• B5. The Sky Moves Sideways – from The Sky Moves Sideways (1995)
• B6. Dislocated Day – from The Sky Moves Sideways (1995)

LP 2

• C7. The Sleep Of No Dreaming – from Signify (1996)
• C8. Moonloop – Bonus track (taken from the 1994 EP Moonloop, later included as a bonus track on reissues of The Sky Moves Sideways)
• D9. Up The Downstair – from Up the Downstair (1993)
• D10. The Moon Touches Your Shoulder – from Up the Downstair (1993)
• D11. Always Never – from Up the Downstair (1993)

LP 3

• E12. Is...Not – from Up the Downstair (1993) (the studio track is originally called "Is...Not", but in this live version it fades out while also absorbing the melody of "Small Fish", taken from the same album)
• E13. Radioactive Toy – from On the Sunday of Life... (1991)
• F14. Not Beautiful Anymore – from Up the Downstair (1993) 

Lineup

Steven Wilson – Guitar and vocals
Richard Barbieri – Keyboards and synthesizers
Colin Edwin – Bass
Chris Maitland – Drums, percussion and backing vocals