SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR

Marillion

Neo-Prog

4.25 | 2219 ratings

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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator

Marillion and Fish are as iconic as the 80s decade itself.

The debut for Marillion is a milestone album that virtually started the Neo Prog genre single handedly and also kept alive the prog scene during the difficult 80s. Prog took a nosedive after the glorious 70s and bands like Rush and Marillion were the saviours of the genre.

Fish was the mastermind of the band and his enigma shines through on the debut. Fish's dramatis personae, composure and self assuredness holds the album together, and he is well supported by the incredible keyboard wizardry of Mark Kelly, percussion by Mick Pointer, the indispensable Steve Rothery on guitars and maestro bassist Pete Trewavas, who would later continue to dazzle as Transatlantic's bassist.

The tracks have become bonafide classics, namely the title track, The Web, Garden Party and Chelsea Monday. The epic Grendel raises her ugly head, on the bonus CD version and is well worth a listen, and Market Square Heroes is included among other singles and alternative takes, so it is definitely worth getting hold of the bonus double CD version.

Trewavas is excellent on bass and the guitar work throughout is absolutely exceptional. The songs have infectious hooks and the voice of Fish is mesmirising, a storyteller style with high octave resonating timbre. The songs are lengthy with a great deal of instrumentation to revel in. Although the debut album is definitely not my favourite from Marillion, this album is still excellent Neo and is important for grounding the foundation for other Neo style bands to come such as Pallas or IQ. This album acts as a blueprint for how to reinvent music. "Misplaced Childhood" would bury this for sheer quality but "Script for a Jester's Tear" is highly revered as one of the greatest albums of the 80s.

AtomicCrimsonRush | 4/5 | 2011-4-29

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