MARILLION

Previously issued as a webcast and a DVD, this is an audio release of the concert from the Saturday evening of the 2002 Marillion Weekend. Marillion like to give their Weekend concerts interesting structures and themes to make sure they feel special, rather than "just another Marillion gig", and for this one they semi-randomised the setlist by using the mighty Butlins bingo machine to generate random numbers corresponding to songs from their repertoire over the course of the gig.

It's a light-hearted affair - perhaps appropriately, given that it followed on the heels of the previous evening's live performance of Brave - and for the most part the audio does a good job of capturing the ambience. There's a few hiccups here and there - most notably, because the crowd are filtered out, you don't get to hear them sing along to The Uninvited Guest, which rather ruins the moment where H stops singing to encourage them to sing along. On the other hand, any H-era live album which includes both the excellent This Town triptych and Warm Wet Circles/That Time Of the Night (one of the Fish-era songs which H has really made his own) is a treat, and this is no exception.

One of a number of rare acoustic gigs Marillion have performed over the years, A Piss-Up In a Brewery compares well to Unplugged At the Walls or Live From Cadogan Hall. Acoustic Marillion really needs the intimacy of a live setting to shine, and this piss-up certainly delivers, with the band in a relaxed and playful mood. Note that whilst the original Christmas CD release for Marillion's fanclub contains a truncated version of the concert, the Marillion website now offers for purchase a download of the full audio of the concert as featured on the associated DVD, which I think provides a more cohesive experience than the edited highlights on the original CD release.

After seeing so many mixed reviews for this album I had to have a look see. Sure, this is not the old Marillion that I and many others loved, the old Marillion that almost single handedly rescued prog music in the 80's when much of the music that we all love here went on a very long downhill ride. I adored the Fish iteration of the band and it took me a while to accept Marillion without the fiery Scotsman at the helm. The "Season's End" album was a really good start to Marillion Mk 2 and I loved that album for its melody and emotion. Hogarth has a voice that is suited to the melancholy and the sad where Fish commanded anger, angst. disdain and sarcasm in his vocals. If I separate the two iterations of the band then I can enjoy both however I enjoy them differently. A constant throughout Marillion's music is Steve Rothery whose lead guitar is always of a high quality and those lead breaks soar a lot of the time. I don't enjoy radio friendly music and unfortunately a lot of Marillion's work after Fish vectored towards radio friendly territory however there is magic still in a great deal of it. The thing about Marillion post Fish is that I can't sit through too much of it in a single sitting as it all starts to sound the same to me and I guess that's due to Hogarth's voice which I do enjoy but it keeps everything in melancholy territory without much mood change. The first half of this offering from Marillion suffers from being too entrenched in melancholy. It's laid back music performed well but, my goodness people, break the mood sometimes with something different. The best track on "Essence" (the first half of the album) is the longest track being "Happiness is the Road" with its almost dramatic flair. The "Hard Shoulder" (second half of the album set) is more lively however I don't really like a lot of it at all. It's like the band are attempting to encompass a standard rock sound attached to the melancholy and that is not the bands strength at all. Marillion's strength are their ability to soar and be highly melodious and there is very little of that on offer here. We get a lot of Hogarth crying through the mike and we get way too little Rothery. Sorry fans of the album - I personally am not impressed at all and I have to vector in with those that don't like the album very much at all. Two stars from me.

Marillion have made some stellar B-Sides over the years and this collection is in aspects of being most excellent. GRENDEL starts the show off in fine Gabriel era Genesis fashion with it's wooden figures and pagan Gods. The music twists and turns not unlike Suffers Ready, especially in the second part. This is where vocalist Fish is at his angsty best as he sings about someone receiving punishment from a pretty fed up Grendel. The blood appears to flow a lot in this song too. The only fault i can find in this song is some cheesy keyboards by Ned Kelly but apart from that it has me a tapping my toes and dancing around the room in a very merry fashion. Great Prog which is best listened to sitting down and chilled out. CHARTING THE SINGLE has some super play on words by Fish and appears to be about floating in seine whilst plastered in paris. At another stage of the song Fish appears to take a midnight train too. MARKET SQUARE HEROES is a re-recorded version and to my ears doesn't have the honesty of the original. The song is about following Fish around because he thinks he is the Antichrist. There is also a distinct Vince Anstey vibe to this song too A solid song which recalls two Christians making me a spaghetti bolognese. THREE BOATS DOWN FROM THE CANDY is another Gabriel era inspired Genesis song, and because of that would have fitted seamlessly on albums like Nursery Cryme and Relayer. The melodic yet menacing vocals of Fish at the beginning of this track is pure Patrick Troughton as he recalls Dr Whos cries. The song itself seems to be about Fish wiping sweat from his brow and tears from his eyes.....No doubt after trying to eat a phal curry. The song also has a vague Denise feel to it too. CINDERELLA SEARCH is Marillion and Fish at their romantic best with a sweetheart of a song that reminds me very much of Ramona Towelwiper. Some lovely guitar lines from Steve Howe and solid drumming from Mick Pointer come to the fore here. The only criticism i have of the song is that it reminds me of Sonyyyas ex boyfriend Grant Hunt being in mode of tease, and i can really do without the Joan Collins-ish vocals of Fish in the mid section. Apart from that it has a supreme celebrating Christmas on November 10th feel to it. LADY NINA has a fantastic "That Girl In The Book" feel to the instrumentation and features a great guitar solo from Steve Rothery. The song appears from my angling to be about making marks, and one day being Elizabeth Taylor and the next being Marilyn Monroe. A great song that has a very Alvin in a pub sound to it. If i am not mistaken, the band seem to sound a little bit like Leonard Cohen on this song too. FREAKS has a nice Eastern -ish influence and is very Croydon House-ish in it;s simplicity too. The song has a sniify Fenerbahce vibe and is very complex in it's instrumentation. The vocals of Fish are of the usual high standard and the whole band take on a Monday sixpenny bit Fitzgerald approach. TUX ON is simply brilliant ( although i heard that Rothery rates it as the worst song Marillion ever wrote......Mysterious ) It starts off with Fish being on a really jammy run of good luck as he wins a fortune at Bingo on the Friday night, and then the next day wins the jackpot on the pools, and if that is not enough he then fills the local hall and becomes a famous musician. His luck however appears to run out when his Brother pulls his cuffs down to hide the blue black vein in the parlour as he lies in state with a tux on, look at him nowwwww with a tux on. MARGARET was a live staple in the early days and is a rousing song as Hogarth pays homage to his native Scotland, with a distinct girl griffiths approach to the vocals. This song however always makes me think of Stephen Matnill being a bigheaded bully in 1970 and has quite a cringeworthy False Jim Dick sound to it. Apart from that the song is great and is probably sang lustily by Belgian patriots everywhere.

If you enjoy the music of Marillion, Gabriel era Genesis and The Rolling Stones, you will love this album.

I've first read about Marillion in 1994-1995. Then I bought the well known in CIS (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, etc.) rock encyclopaedia by Progressor (Eugeny Menshikov). The guy knew a bit of a little about many of performers he mentioned there. And the author's view was a bit too specific. So, everything in the world was considered art-rock or inclining with art-rock. Back then I could not have an idea of many singers he noted upon. But at least I got an info, though not necessarily correct. Thank you, Mr. Menshikov, you did a very decent job!

One of the most intriguing articles in the book was of Marillion. The title of the band was very fairysh, and when I read the discography given after the article... Man, we got jester! I was in love with the imagery that I imagined on my own when reading of the stuff like this. I would fall in love with Tarzan's adventures in a year after that.

Now, to be frank, I first listened to their music in 2000-smth. I had an expectation of the music from the medieval fairy tale consisting of the respective imagery, respective melodies, respective bridges linking the main melodies with all surrounding parts, variety. I had already known and loved so much early Genesis (primarily, Trespass and Foxtrot). I thought of the consistency that made Looking For Someone so tremendous. I thought of the grandeur of Cressida's Munich. I thought of what I had read in rock encyclopedia when I was a child.

What I really heard in Marillion's debut, really disappointed me, thus making me a moderate hater of any neo prog. Really fine imagery, really fine art work (on their first albums), really groundbreaking melodies (on their first 3 albums), plots, spirit. I adore, I respect. The bad side is the banal plain linking of the perfect melodies in the song, arrangements looking all the same, complex expected unexpected changes in mood and rhythm that do not really work. It may be 80s, or it may be better sound producing, or clearer recording quality, but I bet I was not able to hear the lyrics. I am not a native English speaker, I am Ukrainian, I can speak Ukrainian and Russian. But when I listened to Peter Gabriel, I could pick some verses. And I heard the man singing in different voices. Here I was expecting for a musical tale, with voices sounding different. The first track sounded so promising to me in all respects.

What's then? Basically, all the same, and never as great the first track. I have heard FISH squealing, FISH singing, FISH speaking, going to the start, unexpected change, 80s melodic bridge, banal drumming, finish of the tune. Talented musicians that really created good melodies but went nowhere with them. I'd rather expect for more elaborated but however a variant of JT's Up To Me performing. You got the main melody and developing over it, making a sonata form upon it - but no, Marillion chose their own path. This problem would be perfectly seen in their later albums, notably in Incubus from Fugazi. We start from the great intro that would no longer appear in its perfection. I mean, I really felt like listening to some black metal with fine orchestration in the beginning and just ahh, oohh, rrgh afterwards. More intelligent incarnation, but however.

It is totally the same that blackens Camel's heritage in my eyes. Such perfect melodies that lead nowhere. At first, I gave it 4 stars because it is known as the first neo prog recording ever, and thanks to them for playing such intricating intricated deep music in the hard and heavy in all respects 1980s. Then I've listened to it just for rating giving purpose, and honestly I've found the bonus tracks' melodies even more engaging than the originals'. It is worth of two stars and that is what I give it now. I still listen to it sometimes (and I also listen to the next 2 albums). Decent as the start of the movement, banal in the arrangement sounding. Yezda Urfa sounding does not beat Gentle Giant, Gabriel singing & fairy-tale lyrics & perfect main melodies could not beat real Gabriel-era Genesis. Every lover of the classic 70s prog must hear this album (and, probably, its 2-3 successors) to get an idea of the substyle, though. Although, musically it is a banality raised to a power of cult.

There are many prog albums over the years that have enjoyed a dazzling musical entrance. The mighty riffs of Red or the piano arpeggios of Can You Understand (Ashes are Burning) come to my mind immediately. Not many albums, however, have enjoyed a striking lyrical entrance, with the vocalist softly rendering a powerful turn of phrase. Script for a Jester's Tear is one of those few. "So here I am once more in the playground of the broken hearts". With such a spirited entrance, it is hard for me, at least, to dislike the album that follows.

Not only does this line serve as a fitting opening to the album, it is also used as a motif for the title track as such. It is a technique that singer and lyricist Fish employs throughout the album. Not just a repetitive chorus, but a lyrical motif as a theme is explored through the length of a composition. As you can gather from this, Script for a Jester's Tear is very much a lyrical album.

Menswear's review mentions that this is an album that you need to read the lyrics along with to enjoy. In addition to that, I would also opine that your interpretation of a track's emotions might be completely at odds with what the band intended if you do not read the lyrics. Let me explain. For instance, Chelsea Monday sans lyrics might sound like a cheesy, overly melancholic dirge. That is at least the impression I got and, combined with Fish seemingly wailing through it, it may not be an inviting proposition. But on reading the lyrics, one gathers that it is a biting, ironic account of a narcissistic starlet. Thereafter, my impression and opinion of the track changed greatly. I especially love the lines, "Perform to scattered shadows on the shattered cobbled aisles/Would she dare recite soliloquies at the risk of stark applause".

Lyrically, Marillion are hard hitting, emotional and poetic right through, also attacking high society, politicians and war along the way. Their assault, unlike Genesis's witty approach, tends to be direct and in your face. Fish accentuates this directness to further distinguish the band from Genesis. He is usually heard wailing, shrieking or growling (NOT death- growls, mind) and Peter Gabriel-esque light hearted moments of pop comic relief are nowhere in sight. The emphasis is on forcefulness rather than finesse.

The finesse (or relative lack thereof) is also what distinguishes Marillion further from not only Genesis but the other prominent bands of the first wave of 70s prog. There's not much by way of subtlety in the music. Similarities with Banks and Hackett begin and end with arpeggios and the tone respectively. It might sound closer to 80s Banks, I give that.

But this is essentially hard hitting, keyboard based 80s rock music attempting to fit into the complex structures of 70s prog. The textural depth of great 70s prog which made the complexity more palatable is not quite in evidence here. Mark Kelly's keyboards sound rather predictable after a while and there is more of Kelly and less of guitarist Steve Rothery on this album. That would change to an extent on Fugazi and more the better, in my opinion. The drums too lack dynamics and tend to be rather loud and stiff. Even as Fish slips into soft falsettos to contrast his grittier, angrier moments. The expression in Fish's lyrics and vocals doesn't seem to be evident in the accompanying music, save some superb Rothery solos. The "Oh, it was the 80s" apology doesn't entirely convince me because Kate Bush used 80s technology to craft the incomparably more eclectic The Dreaming. Nor is the musicianship nearly as virtuoso as on King Crimson's Discipline. Who's to say that, given the chance, even in the 70s, Marillion perhaps may not have matched up to the standards of Genesis or King Crimson, musically that is.

Still, the complexity of five of the six tracks (excluding the radio-ready He Knows You Know) also serves to make it an engaging listening experience. Taken together with the lyrics, the album is more than solid and has an appealing consistency (if a bit tiresome on days when you are not quite in the mood for listening right through). Four stars for a very satisfying album that just lacks that something extra to push me to consider a five.

Fugazi was Marillions second album, coming hot on the heels of Misplaced Childhood ( for those of you travelling backwards in time ) And what a treatie it is. Opening with the dark enveloped "assassing" with it's eastern type opening and cutting lyrics about Fish being an Assassin of sorts. It also has a distinct England getting thrashed 5-0 by The West Indies at cricket feel to it. "Punch and Judy" has a nice pop prog feel to it, not unlike "Garden Party" from the forthcoming album "Script For A Jesters Tear" ( again for the benefit of those travelling backwards in time ) Jigsaw is about standing straight and looking into somebodys eyes and saying goodbye. It is also about picking up some pieces of something or other on the ricochet, and stylistically has a nice romantic Sex Pistols feel to it. "Emerald Lies" appears to be about the sufferings of Doug Slocombe at the hands of Diane Slocombe, and has a great sliced Beef sandwich feel to it.

"She Chameleon" starts side 2 ( on vinyl or tape ) and is the only track i am not keen on, reminding me as it does of the snooker player Cliff Thorburn etching a cat on a scratchboard. "Incubus" is however a fantastic track with The song starting off in fine Muddy Legs Gray organ mood before Fish comes in with the lyrics Oooh Wahhhhh!! a real treat of a song which also has Ronnie Corbett hiding under the stairs. The title track "Fugazi" ends the whole shooboodle with some fine Doug and Diane revisited vocals from frontman Fish, and some astounding Kissacky sounds from the rest of the band.

I think this album is the most commercial oriented of the three in a row (This Strange Engine and Radiation). The album is not bad, it is just that they went farther to progressive sound as they could. This is the period when Marillion tried to give a message to the world, a message of peace, happiness and joy, and you can perceive that in the songs and their webpage created from this album: find a better way of life at marillion.com. the best songs for me are 'Deserve' 'Go!' and 'Home' and maybe 'Interior Lulu', the rest are good for the message but in terms of progressive sound, very distant.

Misplaced Childhood is a concept album by Marillion, and maybe the most popular Neo-Prog album ever. Musically speaking, this is very "80s". Cheesy and melodic. I think this album is something like a new wave progressive rock. If you are looking for an album full of technical passages, you are not looking for this.

Some people say Misplaced Childhood is another Genesis Clone. I refuse. Even Fish trying to look like Peter Gabriel, Marillion is absolutely NOT a Genesis clone. Their music is very simple and easy listening. Actually, their songs are leaded by feeling, despising the complexity and exhibitionism, and focusing on the poetic side, covering themes like love, regret and inner struggles. This is not bad. But very different than symphonic progressive rock. Got it?

The album sound is nostalgic. The keys and guitar deep solos is a quest to make you think of your own past while Fish sings about his childhood concept. The album didn't fail, I mean, the songwriting reaches the goal. But as a Neo-Prog album, this record (mainly the suites) is full of 'ups and downs'. I must say this album has no mistake from Pseudo Silk Kimono (the great album opening, following the hit Kayleigh, wich came from the same atmospheric background) til Lavender (the third track, short but intense).

A great soundtrack to your midlife crisis.

When I bought and heard MARBLES for the first time I said: "Wow, Marillion has practically reformed heir sound and worked intensely to create a memorable album". But, I was listening only to the single version of the album. Then, years later I could manage to hear the complete version with the two CDs and luckily I was able to get the newest version of it with both albums and I said: "Wow, this is definitely one of the best albums Marillion has". In my opinion the first album of the 2 CD set contains one of the most beautiful songs: "The Only Unforgivable Thing" and one of the best songs of Marillion ever "Ocean Cloud" a complete epic of almost 20 minutes. Incredible, impressive, awesome, amazing, enjoyable from beginning to end!