MARILLION

"Warm Wet Circles" is a single release by UK progressive rock act Marillion. The single was released through EMI Records in October 1987. It´s the third single released to promote the band´s fourth full-length studio album "Clutching at Straws" from June 1987. The 7" single version of the release features a remix of "Warm Wet Circles" on the A-side and a live version of "White Russian" on the B-side, while the 12" version also features a live version of "Incommunicado". Both live tracks were recorded at Freilichtbühne Loreley (Open-Air Stage) Loreley, St. Goarshausen, Germany on the 18th of July 1987. The two live tracks were also available as part of the November 1987 "Live from Loreley" VHS tape, but audio versions of the tracks along with the remaining tracks recored at the same concert, wouldn´t appear until 2009 with the release of the "Live from Loreley" live album.

"Warm Wet Circles" is an intriguing progressive rock song featuring lyrics by Fish, which have elements of both innocense and brutality, deep melancholy and fear of a normal life without adventure. Fish uses the image of a warm wet circle to create several different images in the listener´s mind, and tell multible stories along the way, using very few words. It´s quite brilliant really...

"White Russian" is one of the more challenging and epic tracks on "Clutching at Straws" (1987), and as always Marillion perform on stage with what sound like ease and natural comfort. The same is the case with "Incommunicado". These live versions are slightly less polished than the live versions on the 1988 "The Thieving Magpie (La Gazza Ladra)" live album, but still very well sounding, detailed, and powerful. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

"Sugar Mice" is a single release by UK progressive rock act Marillion. The single was released through EMI Records in July 1987. It´s the second single released to promote the release of Marillion´s fourth full-length studio album "Clutching at Straws" from June 1987. It was released in multible formats from a 7" vinyl single version, to a 12" vinyl EP version (picture discs of both versions also exist), plus a 5" CD single version. The regular 7" vinyl single features "Sugar Mice" (album version) as the A-side track and the B-side track "Tux on", while some of the other versions feature a radio edit version and/or an extended version of "Sugar Mice".

"Sugar Mice" is one of the highlights of "Clutching at Straws" (1987), as it´s an incredibly well composed track featuring a signature guitar motif from Steve Rothery and an engaging emotive vocal performance by Fish singing melancholic and moving lyrics about an unemployed man who feels like he has let his family down and drinks to ease his sorrows and hide his shame. "Tux on" is a great track too, which at this time was exclusive to this release. It was later included on the "B'Sides Themselves" compilation from January 1988. The lyrics for "Tux on" are about a rock star who becomes more and more arrogant and egocentric the more famous he gets and ends up doing drugs. So upon conclusion "Sugar Mice" is a strong single release from Marillion featuring to great quality tracks and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Marillion put out a fairly large quantity of live albums, perhaps because they can be produced comparatively cheaply - not too cheaply, of course, you still need to do an actual live show and have all the associated expenses there, and producing a nice-sounding live recording requires a bit more effort still, but in general if you're already putting on the live show, recording it isn't that huge of an extra expense in these modern days and distributing that recording is even easier.

As a band who have embraced an independent existence ever since their pioneering crowd-funding efforts proved that they didn't really need to be tied to a record company at all, it obviously makes sense to have lots of live releases available - if you have a passionate fanbase, a core of which will buy as many live albums as you put out, why the hell not get some extra long tail income out of those live shows?

At the same time, this has ended up leading to something of a glut; if you like the band so much you'll get every live release they offer, that doesn't matter so much, but if you're more discerning it can be hard to pick out which live releases to try out. One of the reasons their regular Marillion Weekend fan conventions yield so many live albums is that they like to make the set lists for them a little bit special, perhaps to help this, and one of the recurring gimmicks is the Friday night where they play a studio album from their back catalogue in its entirety (and perhaps add some extra songs for the encore).

That's what you get here, with a 2015 rendition of Marbles (in its full 2CD configuration.) That's fine, but if you prefer the precision and polish of a studio album... well, the studio album is widely available. If you dig live Marillion, they've played the best songs on here a hell of a lot of the years and released a great swathe of live versions, including entire live run-throughs of Marbles (in its 1CD and 2CD configurations) for that matter. The band are alright here, but the live set doesn't quite come to life for me, and I am not sure whether it's because the band come across as jaded or I'm just jaded; you can only hear so many live versions of Neverland before they all start to blend together, you know?

-- First review for this single --

The second Marillion studio album with the new vocalist Steve Hogarth, Holidays in Eden (1991), was a disappointment after the fairly strong Seasons End. I didn't keep the vinyl very long, and only years later I returned to appreciate its better songs such as Splintering Heart and The Party, but for me they really are a minority. The band took a much more mainstream pop direction which is best showcased with the three single outtakes. The other two were 'No One Can' and 'Dry Land'.

'Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven)' peaked at #34 on the UK Singles Chart, but reached #14 in the Netherlands, becoming the band's biggest hit there since Kayleigh. There is no shade of prog, this is a plain straightforward pop- rock song. The guitar especially at the very beginning is reminiscent of the style of The Edge of U2, on songs such as 'Where the Streets Have No Name' (which is a whole lot better song than this one!). The way Hogarth howls repeatedly the words "pain and heaven" is a bit irritating. Otherwise a decent, accessible pop song, nothing more.

On the B side there is a non-album song 'How Can It Hurt' which rocks harder. It slightly reminds me of 'Hard As Love' (Brave, 1994) but it doesn't have the more serene moments that IMHO save the mentioned song. This is just a boring and totally unoriginal rocker to me.

The 12" maxi single and the CD single contain also 'The Party', perhaps my favourite song from Holidays in Eden.

I remember the day this arrived in the post from Racket Records. It had been a long work-day, and after everything settled down around 11PM, and after opening the CD and transferring it onto my iPod, I ran myself a hot bath and lay in the water with my headphones on taking in these new sounds. Eldorado starts with Rothery gently picking away on an acoustic guitar, and I thought that it had a definite "Pink Floyd" vibe. For the next hour the music just washed over me. On that first listen. I found It difficult to take in, and could only really remember fragments of the songs. It was almost as if I had slipped into a dream state where I was half awake and half asleep. I knew I liked what I had heard, but I couldn't explain how or why. Now we are six years on from that evening, and every play of FEAR brings me part-way back to those initial moments. I can't say that this record is the finest Marillion creation, but it certainly has a special uniqueness that is still hard to fully define.

For the most part this is another solid live album from one of Marillion's famous weekend conventions, though on some classic songs - like Waiting To Happen - they do the irritating thing where they get the crowd to sing a bunch of verses. I say "irritating" because whilst this is a lot of fun when you are attending a gig in person, it's less interesting to listen to when you're listening to a live album after the fact. (There's also moments here where Steve Hogarth's voice seems to be struggling, mind, so he may have been trying to conserve it to an extent.) Decent, but not essential.

Marillion, Marillion is no longer to be presented, no longer to be compared, you just have to talk about it with your guts, far from criticism, far from fanatical Ayatollahs ready to be ostracized as soon as "we don't say like them". Marillion let's say it straight away released an album with 3 great tracks, a hymn title where the progressive instrumental developments are missing, which makes it an interesting musical magma but without musical island, without catchy relief and where the presence of Steve singer is too noticed, this in view of their original sound.

'Be Hard on Yourself' in 3 parts with an intro that hit me, slow evolution and voice in osmosis with the instrumentation, maybe a great album, in short it's fresh and playful while the lyrics reflect the world pandemic noir, a paradox in itself; break with vocal Steve who assures, already a little too much compared to the quality of the musicians too in withdrawal I persist and sign; I think of 'Brave' there which I liked for the concept concept and the progressive instrumental spaces; the 3rd part in line, ie break we imagine a solo and well no it's the voice that is there and the solo is only in the background, too bad! it's beautiful but it could have been so much more beautiful! 'Reprogram the Gene' with Mark's gorgeous 25" intro against a schoolyard backdrop; at 2 minutes a superb solo from Steve (the guitarist!) on the flamboyant 'Lavender' era otherwise it's Steve with the nervous voice, well, I'll listen to the album in instrumental afterwards because I like his voice but it drowns the musical fish well and prevents one from really escaping (is it ambition after all?); the lyrics are beautiful but I keep hearing the vocals like an instrument, so problem, problem, how good was that song from yesteryear! The finale with the instruments very indented, like a Bugatti that you don't dare to roar, good but not transcendent and don't tell me I'm not a fan! 'Only a Kiss' sublime so nothing to add. 'Murder Machines' in mid-tempo, title not chained and Steve and Mark who set the mood, always behind when are they going to let go and put the voice in the background? In short, here everything works well anyway, it's the unstoppable melody and the finally greasy solo, between spleen and distress, the voice in the megaphone does good. 'The Crow and the Nightingale' tribute to the great Cohen for the title bringing me back to 'Brave', intoxicating melody, real guitar solo, highlighted synths, here Steve keeps a solemn voice and the crescendo with the Marillionian guitar, oh yes one had the more marked instrumental I will say that it is sublime everywhere; the Three Choir Noir reinforces the chills and more guitar, put?. It's good ; the solemn string quartet, the title of the album. 'Sierra Leone' in 5 pieces with sounds of the fabulous 'Misplaced' and 'Marbles' for a time, it's latent, evanescent I read and confirm; the piece that moves slowly in prog convolutions and that makes you dream, here is the album that takes height especially with the 3rd part; the title that makes you forget time, that's also what we're looking for with prog, original music, art rock and many don't dare to admit it, advancing in age and having the fear of death, of the pandemic, of fear, here I am slipping, wanting to philosophize with two bullets. 'Blue' with the smell 'Brave' the best of the Hogarth period in my opinion raises the tension and it is in this situation that Hogarth is good without doing too much, by letting his friends do their job, moreover I see Pete stamping with his bass, that's to say; the end with the guitar highlighted, remember that it is still the goldsmith of the group, in short I did well to criticize objectively since they begin to do what I dreamed of them! 'Care' in 4 parts, deaf groove, dark texts on the end, the big departure; electro synth bass, guitar solo like Saga's Crichton that makes your mouth water right in the middle; the chorus with the plaintive guitar refers to the fabulous 'This Strange Engine' with a dreamlike character, the one that makes the hair shiver, since the hair has often deserted the fans; 'An Hour' floydien' latent, so progressive, so all good, good hurry up before it becomes all black, 'Every' prolongs the feeling and Steve gives in my opinion the most beautiful of his languorous voice magnificently accompanied by Steve-guitar whose masterful solo is expected with this climb, solo which arrives just perfect, I'm putting the replay back! Do not forget this piano arpeggio at the start and at the end concluding the 2nd most beautiful title. For those who follow, I omitted the finale which seems to repeat almost all the titles, a mixture of voices sprinkled on the instrumentation and a nervous crescendo, enjoyable as in the time of the Marillions; well the choirs amplify the moment as much as this last real guitar solo, so I counted 4 of them in the whole album, and I won't forget to quote Ian with his roll of boxes which propels this title, which erases a little impression of departure. A white and a bit of alternative 'Murder' to conclude.

Well, we had to give him some time! An album by Marillion, my favorite band, is still not nothing, so far from glorifying it, far from writing it's my top 2022 without any real argument, and without having listened to anything else (at this moment in the middle of year I'm over 100 on the clock), in short, this latest Marillion keeps my original feeling: good but could do better, but how? Less vocals, less Harillion, more instrumentation as in the last 2 river titles where they exult, where they transcend themselves, where they show that they are not a major group for nothing. So yes it's easy to criticize but to tell the truth is my motto and I reiterate my opinion that Marillion made a very good album which could have been perfect with ifs; you'll notice that I didn't name any other bands in my column which shows that they still do Marillion; in short, good listening.

At this stage in any bands musical journey, they are usually broken apart, filled with various substitutes, still hanging onto songs from a distant glory. Not so with Marillion! After Fish left, the remaining four members, armed with new frontman, Steve Hogarth, still continue to create and amaze. This new entry, into their collection of beautiful Neo-Prog albums, is a shining star example of the special gifts, this amazing band bring to your ears. I won't go into each song, as so many before me have done an excellent job of. The more I listen, in detail, to each section, each thoughtful lyric, each layer of sonic beauty, the more I fall in love all over again. Adding the Friends from the Orchestra and the beautiful Choir Noir, adds so much depth and beauty, to what was already breathtaking, lays a finishing touch to a job very well done. This is my favorite band, so call me a little prejudiced but I absolutely love this creation...from Marillion!

Real to Reel was a pretty solid Fish-era Marillion live album which has since been overshadowed by releases of full shows (like the Early Stages boxed set, or Recital of the Script, or Live From Loreley). Brief Encounter was an EP largely notable for having a few more live tracks, plus two Misplaced Childhood-era B-sides tacked onto it. This 2CD release is an affordable presentation of them. Is it a loving, deluxe reissue? No, but I am not wholly convinced this needs one; when you're looking at the Fish era you'll want the studio albums first, and then when you dive into live releases there's more tempting prospects you'll want to look at before you reach this. That said, you probably will want these eventually, and this is as good a way to get them as exists.

"Incommunicado" is a single release by UK progressive rock act Marillion. The single was released through EMI Records in May 1987 as a teaser for the subsequent release of the band´s fourth full-length studio album "Clutching at Straws" (June 1987). Lead vocalist Fish wrote the lyrics to explain how fame alienates an artist from their fans and the world in general. As always the lyrics are spawned from Fish´s own personal experiences.

The "Incommunicado" single exists in a couple of different versions. The original 7" version features a shortened single edit of the title track (which appears in it´s full version on "Clutching at Straws") and B-side track "Going Under" (which is also culled from "Clutching at Straws"), while the original 12" features the album version of "Incommunicado" on the A-side and an alternate mix version of the track on the B-side along with "Going Under".

"Incommunicado" is a relatively unusual Marillion track as it´s an uptempo rocker with a pounding beat and a strong keyboard hook and solo. Although Marillion certainly have had a few uptempo tracks on preceding releases ("Market Square Heroes" immediately comes to mind), it´s not what they do most or best). "Incommunicado" is a strong track though featuring great energy and power. "Going Under" is the complete opposite as it´s a slow, mellow, and melancholic track.

Since both tracks on "Incommunicado" are available on "Clutching at Straws", this single is a bit redundant unless you´re a completist. The quality of the material is high though and a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.