Marillion and Me

Hi,

Edited by moshkito - August 03 2016 at 08:55

Ghost Whistler wrote: Guldbamsen wrote: 'It's a bit presumptuous to even call ourselves a band'  I think we all know that feeling. Never got into Grendel? I love that tune - even with the 'not-quite-up-to-par-drumming' from monsieur Pointer and the abnormally shrieky vocals from the Fish. I have a large collection of tapes that never really get played either...but maybe that could be rectified with a tape deck? I say this a couple of times each year but I'm no closer now to getting one as I was 5 years ago. I thought they did better songs than Grendel, but then that's as it shoudl be since it was one of their very earlier efforts.

I have a lot of stuff on record - my Yes collection for starters - and casette, but I can't be bothered buying a taoe deck. Sooner or later I'll get them on cd.

Guldbamsen wrote: 'It's a bit presumptuous to even call ourselves a band'  I think we all know that feeling. Never got into Grendel? I love that tune - even with the 'not-quite-up-to-par-drumming' from monsieur Pointer and the abnormally shrieky vocals from the Fish. I have a large collection of tapes that never really get played either...but maybe that could be rectified with a tape deck? I say this a couple of times each year but I'm no closer now to getting one as I was 5 years ago.

I thought they did better songs than Grendel, but then that's as it shoudl be since it was one of their very earlier efforts.

^ I have three working tape decks but only one cassette 

I don't recall which version of the album I listened to, it was pre spotify. I'm currently listening to them using Spotify (which I hate, but what are you going to do?)

I'm giving Brave a tentative thumbs up with a view to purchase as it's cheap and I've been buying a lot of prog (metal) recently). Somewhere in mya ttic I have cassettes of Clutching and Fugazi as well as Spirit on record (iirc). I have neither a record or cassette player. Funny old world. I think I have the BSides album as well, i liked Cinderalla Search, Freaks, and Charting the Single. Lady Nina was kinda silly and I never got into Grendel.

I nver liked Fish's solo work. He's not a great singer and he's also one of those solo vocalist types that needs a band to work (I'm looking at you Mr Jon Anderson).

One thing I've always admired about Marillion though is their fanbase who seem to have enabled them to continue and thrive. THat's really inspiring.

Somewhere I have a cassette with a few tracks record on 4 track I did with those guys I met. It's a bit presumptious to even call ourselves a band, but it was good times.

I think my problem with Hogarth era can be summed up as being low concept. I LOVE high concept music. THat's what i've always struggled with when people criticise prog: all they moan about is what I love about it. I want to hear about wizards dragons or robots, or interesting real world stuff (like Dark Side of the Moon). Songs about teenage kids drinking cider? No, just no.


Edited by Ghost Whistler - August 03 2016 at 04:44

(warning, long winded)

Many years ago I had joined a very (we never gigged) amateur band inspired by prog music. It's what really cemented my love of the genre. The two guys I met were very talented but our friendship didn't last and they chucked me out after 18 months. Woe is me. :D

Interestingly, the keyboard player was a relative of one of the guys in Marillion. For years (before and after) I had/have a love/hate relationship with that band. This was at the time of Holidays in Eden and he got an andvanced copy of that album prior to release.

It didn't impress me. Aside from Splintering Heart and the last couple of songs the rest, IMHO, is dirge. I have always struggled with Hogarth's voice as it sounds like he permanently sings with a cold.

The Fish years interested me more at the time, but even then Marillion always seemed close to the golden prog touch, but were never quite there. I've always admired their musicianship, Pete is a superb bassist and Ian is desperately underrated as a very subtle drummer, for example. Fish was never the best singer but they had heart. I never really got on with Misplaced CHildhood as it seemed er self indulgent and depressing. Clutching at Straws has some good tracks, once you remove the dirge like Sugar Mice and the self indulgent 'i'm a romantic poet with a drunk problem' lyric.

Season's End is an interesting album, but one of the things that put me off the HOgarth era, was their preference for really naff lyrical concepts. Holloway Girl? The Party? Ugh, sorry. A song about teenage drinking? Really? Not for me.

Sunset Town is a great track, Easter is cheesy but solid. After Me is nice, Hooks in You is crap, Uninvited Guest has promise. And so on.

So for years I've dabbled with their output post-Eden, but never really got drawn in. People say Brave is really good and I'm giving it a listen right now. It seems interesting. I tried Afraid of Sunlight, but struggled. They have moments of greatness but always seem to sink into mediocrity. The last album I listened to was (iirc) Marbles. I couldn't get on with much of it. It seemed bland. Fantastic PLace has a nice vibe, but the lyric again is awful "you can screw a man down till he turns to drinking". Hogarth Marillion has this propensity for this kind of naff lyric and, probably quite unfairly, it puts me off.

What think you, good people of the Archives? What am I mssing? Help me appreciate the boys from Canterbury. Do people here even like Marillion?