ANORAK IN THE UK LIVE

As good as Made Again is, Anorak In The UK (specifically the 2 disc version from Racket Records) is the definitive live disc from Marillion. I thought Made Again played it too close to the vest; whereas, Anorak tossed in a surprise or two. Compound this with it's amazing production and overall energy, it makes for a must have for all Marillion fans.

Recorded on the Anoraknophobia tour, it would stand to reason that it includes several tracks. The thing is, the live versions sound better than the studio. Never more is this more apparent than "Separated Out" and "Between You And Me". They appear to be a bit more raw and livlier than the studio. "Quartz" would qualify as well. "If My Heart Were A Ball..." and "Map Of The World" are pretty true to the original, but sound great nonetheless. The 2 disc version has "This Is The 21st Century" and "When I Meet God" performed in front of a very lucky group of fans at The Racket Club. I much prefer the spacier studio version of "21st" to live.

The surprises are the inclusion of "Go!" from the mediocre (by Marillion standards) Marillion.com, "Out Of This World" from Afraid Of Sunlight, and "Man Of A Thousand Faces" from This Strange Engine. "Go!" and "Man Of A Thousand Faces" requires some samples towards the end to replicate the incredible conclusions of each song (and if you've heard "Man Of A Thousand Faces", you know what I'm talking about), but I think adding the extra help is warranted in this case.

The usual suspects of "The Great Escape", "Waiting To Happen", and "Afraid Of Sunlight" are included, but it's always great to receive a visit from these old friends. "Afraid Of Sunlight" leads right into the always emotional "Mad" from the Brave album, which is a classic case of how a band such as Marillion can produce something so unearthly beautiful, and something so crazed and hyper like "Mad". The brilliance of this band still boggles my mind.

Anorak isn't 100% perfection, however. I wouldn't mind hearing something else other than "Rich" or "Answering Machine" simply because they do nothing for me. I would've rather heard "A Few Words For The Dead", "The Party", or even "Uninvited Guest". That being said, Anorak In The UK is still an excellent inclusion to anyones collection.