MADE AGAIN

This album comprises songs recorded during three separate gigs in London, Rotterdam and Paris, respectively in the years 1991, 1995 and 1994. Whereas disc 1 comprises songs from various studio albums, disc 2 consists of a full-length live rendition of Marillion's 1994's prog rock masterpiece: the conceptual "Brave" album.

The overall sound quality on this recording is rather good, though the production has its flaws. The individual instruments sometimes 'drown' in the overall mix, resulting in the fact that for instance Ian Mosley's drumming on the otherwise heavy driven Hooks in you is hardly noticeable, causing the song to sound inferior to other live renditions, like for instance on the "From Stoke Row to Ipanema" live video/DVD.

Another song which suffers from the bad production is the closing track on disc 1: King. Normally this song ends with a massive wave of noise gradually built-up by the various instruments, but here it is only synthesizers and the whole wall of sound is hardly noticeable, which takes away the charm of song's original ending.

Disc 2 however is far superior to disc 1. A far more transparent sound results in a noticeable distinction between the various layers of music. Although when performed live, "Brave" still is very dark and depressing, just as 1994's studio recording, it still has a more 'light' and 'positive' edge to it on this release. This live rendition shows that there's more to the various songs than one might notice while listening for the first time. Now, after knowing the original "Brave" album for quite a few years, I still notice new melodies, samples and sounds each time I listen to the album, whether I give the studio or the live release another spin.

To conclude, I have to say this is a good live release, although disc 1 could have been more enjoyable if the quality of the record was just a little bit better. On the plus side: although the tracks on disc 1 are taken from multiple gigs (disc 2 was complete recorded one night in Paris), all the tracks run together, giving it a feeling as if you were listening to one full-length gig, instead of excerpts from various individual shows. That certainly puts this album in higher regard than 1988's "The thieving Magpie" live album, which featured fade-in and outs between tracks.

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