MARBLES IN THE PARK

Marillion

Neo-Prog

3.91 | 31 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

You really don't have to buy a new Marillion studio album. You only have to wait until the band's tour on the road to promote the new album and then buy the live performance of the new album (with the bonus of extras materials which comes with the new music). This is because the band have been playing together for forty years. They can be compared to a classical music string quintet in the way they execute the music. On stage each performer's instrument is an extension of the arm of the other band member's instrument, while Hogarth's lyrical style of delivery (you either love his voice or hate it) serves the purpose of the music. By the time the band gets to perform the new album all the nuances of the music have been explored and improved upon and you get to hear a superior product.

The above is a general rule. There are one or two exceptions. Marbles is that exception. The single CD edition of the Marbles studio album is the best work of the Hogarth Marillion era and should be celebrated as their finest work. Any highlights package of the H era music would have to include Fantastic Place and Neverland. I would personally add You're Gone, which is a perfect bridge between the intro, The Invisible Man and the slow Angelino. I've never been sold on the Marbles double album studio edition which includes Ocean Cloud. Ocean Cloud is a piece of Space Rock, rather like early Pink Floyd with some David Gilmour type guitar runs from Steve Rothery. Impressive as it is I don't feel it belongs on the Marbles studio album. However here on the live album, Marbles In The Park, the song is fine and works well with the other songs which have been rearranged in appearance order for the audience. With Drilling Holes, you get an interesting back story of it's writing which stems from the early days when Hogarth joined the band and they were recording the Seasons End album. Fish issued the band members with writs. Steve Hogarth was the only one not being sued.

Marbles is Hogarth's best work with Marillion. This live album doesn't quite match the studio album in brilliance. However, it works well as a narrative promoting the album and the audience in Holland would have found themselves in a fantastic place lapping up the familiar music.

iluvmarillion | 4/5 | 2020-5-31

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