HEART OF LOTHIAN

"Heart of Lothian" is a single release by UK progressive rock act Marillion. The single was released through EMI Records in November 1985. It was the third single released to promote the band´s third full-length studio album "Misplaced Childhood" from June 1985. The 7" single version features "Heart of Lothian" in an edited single version on the A-side and a live version of "Chelsea Monday" (recorded at the Muziekcentrum Vredenburg in Utrecht on 15 October 1985) on the B-side. The 12" maxi-single version features the full album version of "Heart of Lothian" on the A-side and the two tracks from the 7" version on the B-side.

"Heart of Lothian" is a slightly more energetic track (after the emotional mellow opening to the song), than the songs chosen for the two preceding singles, but it did not fair quite as well as the "Kayleigh/Lady Nina" (1985) and "Lavender/Freaks" (1985) singles did a few months before. The sales and chart positions were still respectable enough though. Personally I usually applaud alternate single versions of album tracks, but seldom when those alternate versions are edits, and I´m afraid the edited single version of "Heart of Lothian" doesn´t do the song any favors (although listened to while watching the very 80s time-typical music video along with it, it´s more acceptable). The original version, which is more than 2 minutes longer than the edited single version, features so many additional parts, which can´t be left out if you want the full experience of the song.

A live version of "Chelsea Monday" is of course always a treat, and as it was one of the tracks not featured on the 1984 "Real to Reel" live album, it was at that point the first chance for the fans to listen to a live recording of the song. It should be noted here that this live version of "Chelsea Monday" is a different recording to the live version featured on the 1988 double live album "The Thieving Magpie", making this single a slightly more worthy purchase. Because upon conclusion that would be the reason for purchasing this particular single. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.