Marillion and Me

Just ordered Clutching At Straws. I rather like Going Under.

Could care less about the demos of post CaS material, or Fish's solo career (except Shadowplay and Credo)

Despite all the 'inconsistencies' the H-era holds, I find their blend of Rock-Pop-Indie-Prog sits fine with me. Sure, I love when they stretch the compositions out and do what they do best, but there's a lot of wit and cleverness put into the more direct tunes that I still admire a lot. It took me a long time to warm to after the superb Fish years though.

Ghost Whistler wrote: [....] 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?

I have always liked Marillion foremost among neo prog bands, and I like the Hogarth era about as much as the Fish era, with caveats.  "H"-era is possibly less even in terms of quality, and I think you're right that the lyrics by Fish were generally better.   So, ... going in with a knowledge things will run a little hot-and-cold, it's better to start with an album with a more consistent quality and feel throughout.  I personally like Anoraknophobia and took to it right away. A little bit skewed toward the pop end of the spectrum, but by this point the boys were pretty vocal about wanting to ditch their status as a "prog-band" as they felt it no longer described them anyway.  Marbles was a slog at first, but once I saw what they were trying to do with it (emulate a sort of psychedelic Beatles/Pink Floyd hybrid style for one album ) I eased up and liked it much better.

Controversially:  I liked the Marbles follow-up "Somewhere Else" quite a bit and thought it was strong and quite original (especially for a band sometimes accused of aping various other bands). Your mileage may vary.


Edited by CapnBearbossa - August 05 2016 at 17:03

Don't get the hate for Hooks in You, tbh. It's a thrilling rocker of a track.

Ok, so i now own Seasons End (cheap), Brave, and Afraid of Sunlight. Hooray for cheap labour on Amazon :D :( (it's not really a good thing, they are an awful company).

Sounds That Can't Be Made sounds promising. Maybe the new album won't suck as bad as the title makes it sound.

Catcher10 wrote: Ghost Whistler wrote: Catcher10 wrote: Marillion for me is easily a top 10 band in my 40+ years of listening to music. Hey, if you like them then great! I'm not here to dismiss other people's preferences. This is just a friendly convo. No worries....don't take my reply in the wrong context. I'm not dissing you for "dismissing" Marillion, I am not taking your comments that way. I was merely pointing out it seems you are trying hard to "like" a band. I don't think most people like all albums a band puts out, especially when the catalog is as extensive as Marillion's. Take the albums you like and enjoy them....I don't listen to Holidays/Eden on purpose, it pops up on a shuffle play and that's about it for me.

Actually, Jose, I am sure that what you meant to say was people who don't "get", or like, Marillion need to be forcibly taken away by the men in white costs and subjected to a period of reeducation

Ghost Whistler wrote: Catcher10 wrote: Marillion for me is easily a top 10 band in my 40+ years of listening to music. Hey, if you like them then great! I'm not here to dismiss other people's preferences. This is just a friendly convo.

Catcher10 wrote: Marillion for me is easily a top 10 band in my 40+ years of listening to music.

Hey, if you like them then great! I'm not here to dismiss other people's preferences. This is just a friendly convo.

Barbu wrote: Guldbamsen wrote: It is perfectly feasible to discuss music - even the stuff others like or dislike. Absolutely, as long as we don't go back to the glorious devilizing PA years. Respect, gentlemen.

I have just found Fish's solo output to be lacking.

He's an ok singer, but that was always the case.

I'm sorry if those preferences don't meet your own, but variety is the spice of life as they say :D

I just listened to (almost all of) Season's End again. It's a decent album with a pretty good vibe as quite a few records of that period did. The title track never deserved the hate it got. Even Holloway Girl isn't as offensive as it used to be, aside from the cheesy chorus.

Hooks in YOu can die in a fire though, utter bilge.