MISPLACED CHILDHOOD / SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR

"Misplaced Childhood/Script For A Jester's Tear" is a very special compilation album of Marillion. It was released in 2011. It's an economic package that includes their debut studio album "Script For A Jester's Tear" released in 1983 and their third studio album "Mispalced Childhood" released in 1985, on only one CD package. This is a very interesting compilation album because it includes the two albums that are considered the best works of Marillion in Fish's era. Both albums are also considered the two greatest masterpieces ever released by the band. So, we can say that it can be a very worth purchase if you don't have the two original albums yet. It means that, if you buy it, you can save on money.

So, "Script For A Jester's Tear" and "Misplaced Childhood" are two fundamental albums of Marillion because they represent the beginning of the band, besides they're Marillion's best works. It's true that the other two studio albums of Marillion in Fish's era, "Fugazi" released in 1984 and "Clutching At Straws" released in 1987 are also great works. So, we are in presence of some of the greatest progressive rock albums released in the 80's, a less good decade for prog.

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my both reviews. However, in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

"Misplaced Childhood": "Misplaced Childhood" is a conceptual album, the first conceptual album released by the group, consisting of a continuous piece of music. Armed with a handful of lyrics, "Mispalced Childhood" is a river of mood, feeling and atmosphere. Everything fits, the individual pieces merge into a whole and the transitions are perfect. Besides be their most commercially successful album, "Misplaced Childhood" is, for me and without any doubt, their best studio album until today, and it's also, in my humble opinion, one of the best studio albums ever made in the progressive rock music. Even the former drummer of Dream Theater, Mike Portnoy commented that this was the best Marillion's album of all time. With "Misplaced Childhood", Marillion proved they weren't a clone of Genesis and with it they reached the status of be considered one of the best progressive rock bands ever. "Misplaced Childhood", put Marillion on the same quality level of Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Van Der Graaf Generator, Camel, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Rush and Dream Theater. It put them as one of the greatest and most influential prog bands of ever too. If you don't know the band yet and want to buy a Marillion's albums, this is the best. "Misplaced Childhood" is an album that every music lover, no matter from which corner he comes, should own, really.

"Script For A Jester's Tear": It's commonly accepted that "Script For A Jester's Tear" is with "Misplaced Childhood" the two best studio albums released by Marillion in the era of Fish. It's also true that the opinion of which of these albums is the best, is divided. Both have their supporters. However, and in my humble opinion, "Misplaced Childhood" is a better album because is a more cohesive and well balanced musical work. Still, nobody can't deny the fundamental importance of "Script For A Jester's Tear", in those times, for progressive rock. In a certain way "Script For A Jester's Tear" was as important as "In The Court Of The Crimson King" of King Crimson was for the progressive rock music in the 70's. In the summer of 1982 the punk explosion was gone but remained some echoes, a parade of a new romantic musical movement. So, when the music world seemed to be at the mercy of the new romantics, "Script For A Jester's Tear" represents a landmark and a breath of fresh air to that progressive rock music, so needed at the time. We can even say that since "Script For A Jester's Tear" the world of progressive rock has raised again and no longer was the same. So, this is an album that should be known as a prog interested, since it was significantly involved in awakening a somewhat dormant genre from its slumber and was responsible a new decade to push prog to its correct classic path.

Conclusion: Marillion is and still is, even now, one of the most commercially successful bands of the neo- progressive revival of the 80's. The band keeps their fan scene together and was always resourceful in terms of financing their music without the support of a major record label. Despite unpopularity in the mainstream media and a consistently unfashionable status within the British music industry, Marillion have maintained a very loyal international fanbase. They have sold over 15 million albums worldwide. And all this began in the 80's in Fish's era, the era were these two albums were released. So, here we are in presence of two very important albums for Marillion and for the progressive rock music too. Here we are in presence of two of the most important albums to the progressive rock style. They're, somehow, almost as important as the first classic prog rock albums. So, if you don't have them yet, you must buy them.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)