MISPLACED CHILDHOOD

Who knew that the year of my birth could bring the second renaissance of progressive rock and one of the genre's all-time classics. Misplaced Childhood is my favorite Marillion album since it has so much to offer regardless of the circumstances when I listen to it!

I always considered Script for a Jester's Tear to be a bit too dominated by amazing lyrics while Fugazi was more of an instrumentally driven affair. Here the band manages to finally fuse together the music with the lyrics and make it into a perfectly balanced combination without overshadowing one another. This is what also makes this album twice as rewarding compared to the previous two releases.

The music here is timeless and out of all Marillion's albums Misplaced Childhood is the only one that has really withstood the test of time for me. It's a well-balanced concept album with the two medley tracks, Bitter Suite and Blind Curve standing as the two pillars supporting the rest of its weight. I always feel the greatly rewarded whenever I here the guitar intro of Childhood End? implying that I've went through this storm of emotion and can appreciate the conclusion in all its glory!

This was a great period for both the band and the development of Neo-Prog. Too bad the winning steak wouldn't last long for Marillion, but I can live with that, as long as I have this album in my collection!

***** star songs: Pseudo Silk Kimono (2:13) Kayleigh (4:03) Lavender (2:27) Bitter Suite (5:53) Blind Curve (9:29) Childhood End? (4:32)

**** star songs: Heart Of Lothian (6:02) Waterhole (Expresso Bongo) (2:12) Lords Of The Backstage (1:52) White Feather (2:23)

Total Rating: 4,69