B'SIDES THEMSELVES

'B'Sides Themselves' is a compilation album by Marillion. This album was released on CD in January 1988 and is the last Marillion album that was released while Fish was still in the band. Typically, I find compilation albums to be redundant. Especially when it comes to progressive rock bands, as many prog studio albums are intended to be listened to from start to finish for an optimal listening experience. However, 'B'Sides Themselves' is a necessary addition to the Marillion discography, because it's no ordinary compilation album. As the title denotes, 'B'Sides Themselves' is a compilation of Marillion B-sides with Fish. Not all B-sides are included. Missing are "Chelsea Monday" from "Heart of Lothian," as well as "White Russian" and "Incommunicado" from "Warm Wet Circles," as these were live versions of studio tracks. "Going Under", the B-side of "Incommunicado," was also not included. This particular version contains a different mix than the one found on the original 'Clutching at Straws' CD. Eventually, the version of "Going Under" from the B-side of "Incommunicado" was included on the bonus disc of the 1999 remastered edition of 'Clutching at Straws.'

The cover artwork was created by Mark Wilkinson, who had done all of the Marillion albums while Fish was in the band. Wilkinson's photorealistic artwork is part of what gave Marillion a unique image. In a way, he was like a sixth member of the band. The cover artwork is a collage comprised of fragments of front and back-cover artwork from previous Marillion singles. The spades-shaped head in the center is taken from the back cover of "Assassing," a reference to that single's B-side "Cinderella Search." The blue-lipped mouth is taken from the front cover of "He Knows You Know," a reference to its B-side "Charting the Single." The suit and tie is a reference to "Tux On," the B-side of "Sugar Mice." The fragments on the left of the face are taken from the front cover of the single "Market Square Heroes," and the back covers of "Kayleigh" and "Incommunicado." The fragments on the right side are taken from "Incommunicado," "Kayleigh," and 'The Video EP.'

Three different drummers are credited on 'B'Sides Themselves.' Mick Pointer, Marillion's original drummer, drums on tracks 1 ("Grendel"), 2 ("Charting the Single"), and 9 ("Margaret [Live at the Edinburgh Playhouse, 7 April 1983]"). John Marter (credited as "John Martyr") drums on tracks 3 ("Market Square Heroes") and 4 ("Three Boats Down from the Candy"). Ian Mosley, Marillion's current drummer, drums on tracks 5 ("Cinderella Search"), 6 ("Lady Nina"), 7 ("Freaks"), and 8 ("Tux On").

'B'Sides Themselves' opens with the 17-minute epic "Grendel." "Grendel" was taken from the "Market Square Heroes" 12" single. This is first epic Marillion wrote and the only one that features Fish. "Grendel" comprises of four sections: I. Heorot's Plea and Grendel's Awakening, II. Grendel's Journey, III. Lurker at the Threshold, and IV. Finale. "Grendel" often gets criticized for being an inferior imitation of "Supper's Ready" by Genesis. This is especially apparent during Finale when Marillion write their own version of "Apocalypse in 9/8 (Co-starring the Delicious Talents of Gabble Ratchet)" as evidenced by the guitar riff ostinato. "Grendel" ends with a majestic Steve Rothery guitar solo, which is the highlight of the epic. One guitar line during the "Grendel" solo was also used during the solo in "The Web," which was released on Marillion's debut album, 'Script for a Jester's Tear.' While "Grendel" isn't as great as "Supper's Ready," it's still an impressive piece of prog rock, especially for a band that were relatively new.

I have a penchant for songs that are conceptual, particularly ones that are inspired by works of literature or history. "Grendel" is a good example of that. Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, and is one of three antagonists in the poem who is an enemy of Beowulf. Grendel is described as an "earth rim walker" due to his exclusion from society. The line, "the shaper's songs no longer heal the fear...," is a reference to the bard of Danes known as the "shaper." His songs can't dispel the fear the Danes feel when Grendel is near. The line, "he knows that victory is secured, his charm will testify," references Grendel's magical immunity to damage from weapons. Evenutally, Beowulf would defeat Grendel by ripping the monster's arm off and leaving him to bleed to death. The Finale is written from the perspective of the titular monster, rather than the narrator.

"Charting the Single" was taken from the "He Knows You Know" single. The lyrics to "Charting the Single" are Fish's most ironic and humorous. He uses a series of puns and wordplay to convey the double meaning of the song. "Charting the Single" is about the story of success in the music industry including references to the assumed behavior of band members while on tour in Europe.

I was confused to see "Market Square Heroes" on the tracklist, as I know that song as the A-side for Marillion's 1982 debut single release. That was until I realized that this was an edited re-recording that was the B-side of "Punch and Judy."

The title of "Three Boats Down from the Candy" is about a couple who meet to have surreptitious sex underneath a boat on Brighton Beach, which is located on the south coast of England. The boat has no name, nor do the two next to it, but another boat called "The Candy" is three boats away. Fish would introduce "Three Boats Down from the Candy" live as a song about one night stands. The chorus of this song is irresistibly catchy and melodic. This version of "Three Boats Down from the Candy" was also an edited re-recording taken from the "Punch and Judy" single.

"Cinderella Search" was taken from the "Assassing" single. The lyrics to "Cinderella Search" describes a man trying to find a new companion in a bar after having recently broken up with his partner, and eventually succeeding. Once the lyric "exposing bedside manners" begins, then the song describes the failure of that relationship.

"Lady Nina" was taken from the "Kayleigh" single.

"Freaks" was taken from the "Lavender" single. The title of the song is a reference to Marillion's fans. The word "freaks" has a negative connotation, but I view it as an endearing description in this context. Freaks could also refer to any group of fans who obsess over a famous person.

"Tux On" was taken from the "Sugar Mice" single. Despite the upbeat music, the lyrics are depressing as they describe the downfall and death of a rock star. Fish may even be partly describing himself, as this was written at a time when he felt uncomfortable by Marillion's massive commercial success and eventually left the band. There's a recent interview on YouTube where Fish said that the band was "too big."

The album ends with a 12-minute live version of "Margaret," taken from the "Garden Party" 12" single. "Margaret" was an energetic jam that the band would close their concerts with in the early days. 2 traditional songs are adapted and interpolated into this song: "The Bonnie Banks of Lock Lomond" and "Mairi's Wedding."

In conclusion, 'B'Sides Themselves' is a great compilation album of great B-sides from Marillion. I have a slight issue with this album that can be found in nearly every track, with the exception of "Grendel." All of these tracks are lyric-driven, but the music accompanying Fish's storytelling can be overly simple at times. In other words, there is a reason these songs didn't make it on to a studio album. I think Fish's lyrics are brilliant, but that's only one aspect of what makes Marillion exceptionally great. On the other hand, the music is lackluster and merely providing a background for Fish to sing over. "Charting the Single" is a perfect example of this. The music sounds empty, and all of the attention is put on Fish and the words he's singing. While I do enjoy these songs, at the end of the day, they are B-sides, and for good reason.