Customer Reviews

Sky Moves Sideways (Dig)

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Once upon a time I was hopelessly mired in the 60s and 70s with respect to rock, particularly with respect to progressive rock. Then I discovered that even though progressive rock is not accessible by radio to much of the United States, it is alive and well. In fact, as a listener could tell from this incredible two-disc CD, it is prospering and doing better than ever.

The first Porcupine Tree CD I acquired was "In Absentia," which is a phenomenal album that uses traditional progressive elements as a backdrop to highly creative compositions that often transcend any single appellation. I have yet to review "In Absentia" because it will be difficult to describe that incredible music with mere words. This CD was re-mastered from the original 1995 release and includes extra tracks, including an incredible 34:37 alternate version of "The Sky Moves Sideways." This CD has some of the elements of "In Absentia," but sounds heavily influenced by Pink Floyd (one person overhearing a song said that that song sounded like Pink Floyd though they knew it was not), with tinctures of Yes and possibly the Moody Blues.

Another reviewer said that this music is psychedelic. The first song, "The Sky Moves Sideways," which is 18:39 long, is lightly psychedelic music with sixteen lines of very psychedelic lyrics. As a brief example, here are the opening lyrics:

We lost the skyline
We stepped right off the map
Drifted in to blank space
And let the clocks relapse.

Each line is quietly repeated in an overlay that is barely heard, and then the song elevates the volume to soar on the third stanza, though the soaring is sedate and thick, gliding to the heights before realizing the heights have given way to a plateau and the music is back on earth. The song leaps from the plateau once again for a soaring journey until it reaches ground once more to begin running to percussion and synthesizer beat. A lead guitar kicks in to urge the song along, but to keep up with the long haul the lead guitars let the bass and keyboards take over. At last the instruments, flute, synthesizers, guitars, and drums, possibly more, come together to play with each other and exult in the ability to declare their presence. This song is a wonderful combination of the elements that make middle-of-the-road progressive rock fun.

Porcupine Tree jams on "Dislocated Day." The vocals are the most prominent of any song on this CD, and are also psychedelic and surreal. This song is instrumentally much more powerful as the guitars crunch and churn, the drums keep up a steady beat, and the synthesizers fill in the empty holes. All this is jammed in a telephone call intro, and hanging up at the end.

"The Moon Touches Your Shoulder" is as quiet as the previous song was raucous. The lyrics keep their poetic surrealism, and are harmonious with the instruments. Turn the lights out, lay on a soft, flat surface, and drift away with the soft synthesizers and the acoustic guitars as they take you away into the black of the night sky.

"Prepare Yourself" is a musical interlude between the last song and the nearly seventeen minute long second part of "The Sky Moves Sideways." The last song is a bit of musical noodling that meanders in a vague, yet interesting way. The song is actually multiple parts that could have been defined separately, but were not. There are vocal portions by Suzanne Barbieri, there are whale noises near the end, there are lots of synthesizers and general instrumental fun that brought to my mind Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds," the soundtrack to "Zardoz," and Pink Floyd in general.

Under the category of those television commercials that exhort you to wait because there is more, this CD features a second disc that contains an early, alternate version of "The Sky Moves Sideways," when the concept was to create a single track for the release. This track has significant differences from the released version, including a portion that contains elements that recall "Timesteps," composed by Wendy (then Walter) Carlos for the movie "A Clockwork Orange." I am happy to see that someone else discovered the elements of this wonderfully bizarre work of art.

The next extra is the mellow, beautiful and still psychedelic "Stars Die." Once again the feel is surrealistic and fantastic, with splotches of imagery that may lead you to believe there is a basis in reality for this song, but the glimpses of reality are fleeting at best. I got the impression from this song that the group was making a statement about the intrusion of man into space destroying the dreams and visions that we had populated space with.

"Stars Die" folds into the sixteen plus minute "Moonloop (improvisation)." This instrumental is relatively free-form, as the title suggests, and reminds me of a much more polished style that King Crimson tried with "Moonchild" from "In the Court of the Crimson King." The music does meander and drift in and out of formality, but the tapestry the music weaves seems to strive for a purpose that makes this instrumental a joy for those who like this style. Near the end of this composition is a voice overlay from the first landing on the moon, at least, it sounds authentic.

This CD ends with "Moonloop (coda)," an energetic wrap up of the previous instrumental with a finish that reminds me a little of the finish to Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds," except the end of the song has a phone ring that is a throw back to an earlier track.

Where did progressive rock go? It is all around if we could but perceive. Porcupine Tree is one of the numerous groups that carry on the tradition. If you like Pink Floyd, Yes and the Moody Blues, I believe you will like this.

Whenever records get some kind of special-processing or re-packaging, there is the question of whether it is just some trick to coax more money out of the loyal fans of the group, or whether there is some real added value to the new release. So, in reviewing the re-issue, some people will want to know "was this album *ever* worth listening to?", while others want to know "is *this* release of the album worth buying?"

In this case, the original album was excellent progressive-rock, and the re-issued version is definitely adding value over and above the original release. This re-issue is not just some minor polishing of the sound. For this re-issue, Steve went back into the studio, and reorganized and remixed many parts. And the result takes a great album, and makes it even better. The music is a little clearer (less muddy) on this version. This is particularly true for some of the drumming parts, which are high points of songs such as "The Sky Moves Sideways, Part 1", and "Moonloop".

This happens to be the first Porcupine Tree album I bought, and I bought it because the guy who ran my local record store knew I was a big fan of Pink Floyd. And you can definitely hear a heavy influence of Pink Floyd in this music. In fact, initially I thought they sounded too much like Pink Floyd. Particularly the early Floyd, with somewhat spaced-out lyrics. But now that they've released a few more albums and developed a much wider range of songs, I can go back to this album and really enjoy it. Especially this partially re-recorded and expanded edition of it.

The songs here tend to have a few somewhat obscure lyrics, and then lots of great instrumental passages. You can check out the lyrics at htttp://www.porcupinetree.com/ (look at the discography section, it includes all the lyrics). If you've only heard their two newer albums ("In Absentia" and "Deadwing"), then these songs have less of an edge than those two albums. They tend to be more of a floating feel to them, and the guitar parts are not as aggressive.

I would also say that enough has changed with this release, that a fan who wants to be a "true completist" of porcupine tree will also want to track down a copy of the original release.

Some of the songs on the second CD are alternate versions of the songs on the first CD, but they all sound great to me.

Note: The "Product Details" section on this page says that this album was originally released in 2003. That's the release date of *this* version of the album. The original, single-CD version of "Sky Moves Sideways" was released back in 1994, if I remember correctly.

It constantly amazes me that this group has been writing and playing music this good for so many years now, and yet so few people have heard songs from them! (or at least, not here in the USA).

I am 48 yrs old and have been an active music listener for years. I took a chance on this cd,basically relying on the 30 second snippets from Amazon. These guys in a word are stupendous. I have heard others say they are similiar to Pink Floyd. I can see the comparison,but I think they take ambient,space-rock to another level. The music on "Sky moves Sideways" IMO is somber and beautiful,and then,harrowing and aggressive. Superb musicians (excellent lead guitar from Steven Wilson) In describing this band it is hard to begin and harder to stop with superlatives. I am utterly amazed. Peace.

You should buy this album.

I love Porcupine Tree. I love the metal edge of Deadwing, the beautiful introspective pieces of Recordings, even the simpler melodies of Stupid Dream. For a band to have 20+ albums out there, where everything sounds DIFFERENT, yet it all is unmistakeably PT is very impressive.

That said, The Sky Moves Sideways is a completely different experience. It is a psychadelic space trip through textures of ambient vocals and guitars, backwards drums, flutes, and all other elements you haven't heard Steven Wilson use before (yet you're not that surprised he uses them here). It's so hard to get away from comparing this to Pink Floyd, but if you're a fan of the earlier (I mean, very earliest) PF, a la "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", then this album is right up your alley.

The title track(s) were originally a concept to be one track over the entire album. For the album, they are divided into an 18-minute opener and a 16-minute closer, sandwiching the normal-length songs. Of these, "Dislocated Day" can best be described as SPACE METAL. Wilson has taken these metal riffs and layered them into this trippy song topped out with very soft vocals. This is an intense song. In contrast, "The Moon Touches Your Shoulder," is a soft, beautiful, mellow piece. It reminds me most of "Buying New Soul" off of Recordings. This is the song here that will most remind you that this is Porcupine Tree. "Prepare Yourself" is a very good song, but it's less than two minutes and really only serves to ease the transition back into the final track.

The bonus disc is almost strong enough to stand as a separate album. It kicks off with an alternate version of the title track. This is a more/less finished track that basically serves to show what it might have been like if the original idea to have only one track encompassing the album had actually been completed. You really need to listen through the 34-minute track... it's amazing that Wilson and crew can keep up phenomenally inventive music for this span of time. "Stars Die" is another mellow class PT piece. But this disc's triumphs are the two versions of "Moonloop". This song is of the same vein as the title track, but I don't know what it is really... it just is addictive. It's an instrumental, but very emotional.

If you're looking for the Porcupine Tree you know and love, I'm sorry, but you're looking in the wrong place. But no one really "knows" what PT's music is like; it's changing so often. But again the cliche, Pink Floyd fans will love this CD. Or buy it if you're looking for something you've never experienced before. It is, all in all, a great album.

Several months ago, a friend turned me onto Porcupine Tree. The first disc I got was "In Absentia", which is one of the best releases I have heard in years. I wanted to go back and see what this band is all about; how they got to that point, and how they evolved. "Sky Moves Sideways" was one of those purchases.

First of all, the term musical genius is one of the most over-used phrases in music, but Steve Wilson comes pretty close. Good vocalist, suberb guitarist, producer, and song writer. The new releases of PT's back catalogue is a great idea. excellent production, and the bonus previously unreleased material is easily woth the purchase.

For those who came to this band later, the sound of the earlier releases is quite different; the later stuff is harder edged, while the earlier discs are much more like the old time "head music". Many people refer to Pink Floyd when reviewing the earlier discs, and there is some validity to that comparison. To ,however, dismiss PT's music as a Floyd wannabe's is a disservice to both bands. Of course, there are similarities. The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Who, the Yardbirds, Cream, etc...took the Music of the Blues as insiration. Steve Wilson had his inspirations, too. What is important is not what the inspiration was, but where does the artist take it. He takes it very far and puts his own stamp on it.

The music is powerful, sweeping, almost orchestral. Every time you listen to it, another layer unfolds itself. You notice a guitar solo, a keyboard phrase for the first time. This is music of discovery. Highly recommended stuff, indeed.

I have just about all of Porcupine Tree's material, and this is my favorite album of theirs. The exquisite "Stars Die" was left off the original release of "The Sky Moves Sideways", but on this 2-CD release it is there in all its cosmic glory, along with a 30+ minutes version of the title track. The arrangements, the sequencing of the tracks, the musical performance... everything fits perfectly into place within this work of art.

From start to finish, the album is a journey. I can see how people would compare this CD to the works of Pink Floyd, maybe during the time of "Wish You Were Here"... there are plenty of places to explore in your mind when you listen to this recording. A good friend of mine describes "The Sky Moves Sideways" as the kind of music Pink Floyd might still be capable of making today had they not imploded 20-some-odd years ago.

But there is a lot more going on here than a Floyd-influenced prog-rock band. This a group of talened, versatile musicians who create transcendent landscapes of sound and mood, making music that can take the listener to other lands.

I usually take this CD along when I have a very long drive ahead of me. With this music as a soundtrack for the scenery, the landscapes always become alive for me and the routine trip becomes more of an experience.

This is "head music" at its best. Don't let this one pass you by!

Contrary to popular belief, In Absentia was not PT's first American release, it was indeed The Sky Moves Sideways on the small C&S label. Back in 1997 I bought the C&S CD, not realizing it wasn't exactly the same as the UK original on the Delerium label. I later found out the British version never had "Stars Die". This ended up on an EP called Moonloop, in which the American version was called Stars Die (not to be confused with the compilation CD currently making the rounds, which only the U.S. version included "Always Never" off Up the Downstair). The British version of The Sky Movies Sideways had a short guitar interlude called "Prepare Yourself", and the two title tracks weren't divided in suites.

For those new to the album, it was originally released in 1995, was their third proper album (they had a couple of early cassettes at the end of the '80s/beginning of the '90s, a lot of it ended on their proper debut album, On the Sunday of Life anyways). Up until this point, it was entirely a Steven Wilson project, and in the middle of recording The Sky Moves Sideways, he assembled a band, with ex-Japan keyboardist Richard Barbieri, bassist Colin Edwin, and drummer Chris Maitland. The title track (both parts) and "Moonloop" were full band interaction, while "Dislocated Day", "The Moon Touches Your Shoulders", and "Prepare Yourself" was all Steven Wilson (drum tracks were drum machines, which got replaced by real drums on the current reissue, which you won't notice much difference).

I have since acquired the Snapper reissue, which I'm ever glad I did (since I never acquired the Delerium original). First disc contains the original British album, but ommitting "Moonloop" (the original LP never had this cut, only the CD, due to time constraint), but with new drummer Gavin Harrison providing drums on "Dislocated Day" and "The Moon Touches Your Shoulders" (which you'll hardly notice the difference if you owned the original). The band wanted this album to be one 50 minute piece, but apparently didn't have enough good ideas to warrant such, so instead, they pull a Wish You Were Here by sandwiching four songs in between (although only three on this reissue, after all, "Moonloop" is now on the bonus disc). The title track is divided in two, which varies from Pink Floyd-like pieces to Ozric-like techno experiments to nice spacy ambient sections. The end part of "The Sky Moves Sideways Phase 2" includes a bunch of themes revisited, plus some played in reverse. The other songs? Well, "Dislocated Day" is a more aggressive number, while "The Moon Touches Your Shoulders" is a nice acoustic piece with some nice Mellotron backdrops. "Prepare Yourself" is a rather atmospheric guitar-oriented piece that pretty much "prepares yourself" for the last piece on the album, the closing title track.

Now for the second disc. First off, you get a 34 minute alternate take of the title track. You get yourself some extra lyrics not found on the version we're all familiar with. Some of the material is arranged differently, plus some familiar sounding stuff. I can see why they didn't make it the full 50 minutes, this version does seem to end without knowing how to end. But I found some of these arrangements superior, while others you can see why it didn't make the cut. Plus I love how Suzanne Barbieri gets to have her voice a second time on this version, which I thought was great! The rest is the complete Moonloop EP. "Stars Die" is exactly the same as the old American version, but you'll quickly learn that "Moonloop" was abridged, and here you get the complete version. I was even more blown away by this full version! Since I have not heard the original Delerium CD, I can't say if there's any difference with that version of "Moonloop" over the EP version.

While many people like to think Porcupine Tree's best starts with Stupid Dream, I prefer the stuff before it, and I really think this is one of their best. This is truly one of the greats from the 90s, as far as I'm concerned.

"Sometimes I feel like a fist
Sometimes I am the colour of air
Sometimes it's only afterwards
I find that I'm not there"

Far from the self-absorbed whining of many musicians (some of which I admit I enjoy) Wilson's call sends chills down my spine.

Where In Absentia is the pinnacle of their progressive rock phase, Sky Moves Sideways is the pinnacle of their progressive phase. After this album Porcupine Tree moved into a more song-oriented direction, but this album is one long chain of jam session -esque music, ranging from the spacey flittering of the first 4 minutes, moving into the lyrical swooping drug induced middle section, and finally moving to the pulsing, almost Trance-like middle-end section. The final section leads you back to ambient flickering, and then Dislocated Day slaps you in the face like a jilted lover.

While this album takes some getting used to, it is one of their most unassuming masterpieces. I would recommend later albums before this one, this is not for the new-comer unless you are familiar with this sort of music.

(The Bonus Disc actually has an alternate version of "The Sky Moves Sideways" that is 34 minutes long. The whole album was meant to be one continuous track, but the longest they got to was 34 minutes.)

Music is the universal language, but even on the surface it can be something that can help us get pumped up, wind down, or merely let our minds wander.

My fiancé' was always listening to this band but I never paid much attention, since I thought it was some "new band" that wouldn't be around in four years.

I was so wrong, this band's music is phenomenal and they remind me a lot of Pink Floyd's material from the mid seventies. Really blissful, elongated sounds that are a treat of art rock. Very relaxing but also very intelligent music! Some songs really get crazy and shall we say "rock" well, like the song "Dislocated Day" which is one of the shorter songs on the album.

Some of these songs are over 12 minutes long, which remind me of the progressive rock that was again, popular years ago. Sky Moves Sideways is my first album of these guys (well, it is my fiancé's) but I just ordered two more of their albums on Amazon.

Having recently heard P.T.(thanks to Pandora)I discovered to my delight that there is a vast and credible Progressive movement in existance.Yes and Pink Floyd could/should have taken their music in this direction instead of selling out to the pop genre. This is an excellant CD for anyone who has not heard P.T. before. Progressive rock is still alive and todays artists rival the great ones that started it all back in the day.