HOLIDAYS IN EDEN

Thus far I loved the Fish era Marillion albums and I was not unimpressed with Marillion MK 2's album "Seasons End" although it was a different Marillion from the one that I loved and knew previously. "Seasons End" is a beautifully melodic album.

This album is thus far the lowest rated studio Marillion album here out of the five released up to this point. Lets see what I think -

"Splintering Heart" - I have a real affinity for this track. It starts off sounding different from anything that Marillion had done previously with an electronic rythm sound. Hogarth's voice is as good as ever, this guy can impart emotion through the use of his voice in no uncertain terms. The Hogarth lead is as lush as ever and he punctuates the emotion of the track beautifully with soaring guitar when the track asks that of him. The keyboards used rythmically throughout and the bass make up the balance of the sound nicely. Love it for the emotion contained in it.

"Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven)" - An upbeat number, commercial in nature, I don't dislike it at all. Well done pop music performed nicely.

"The Party" - Exceptional track, seriously sad and full of drama in the lyrics. I've always looked at this track as being about rape of innocence - in that context the track is brilliant.

"No one can" - Very nice commercial radio friendly track - I don't usually go for radio friendly music however as a love song this is exceptional lyrically. Hogarth's voice soars here.

"Holidays in Eden" - Starts off with birdsong leading into the sound of a jet before the music starts up. Nice solid opening riff leding into a track that's ok but nothing special. Here the listener starts to realise that Marillion are heading in a much more commercially friendly direction. This is nothing special in the Marillion context at all but it's pleasant enough.

"Dry Land" - Again a "pop" track from the band. It's pleasant but nothing special. It's now blatantly obvious that Marillion here were looking to cash in on the "radio friendly" wagon. This could have been a Journey love song.

"Waiting to Happen" - Once more, in the commercial vein. Again, pleasant enough enhanced by the vocals.

"This Town" - Light Rocker. Not worth much at all. By this time the album is starting to annoy me a little. If I wanted pop rock I would have gotten hold of any number of albums that are similar to this. Not what I expected of the band at all.

"The Rakes Progress" - Short emotive piece that means very little.

"100 Nights" - Purely going through the motions stuff.

I enjoyed this album up until the point of the title track and from then onward the music bored me. The first four tracks are good, the rest do nothing for me. Perhaps "100 Nights" is a little spoiled for me by the preceding five tracks that are, in all honesty, Marillion climbing on the pop bandwagon. For the first time since they starting recording as a band in the studio I'm disappointed in the offering. Marillion had sold out as far as I was concerned. The only reason that this gets a 3 from me is that the first four tracks are very good - the rest of the album, for me, is totally disposable if pleasant.