FUGAZI

Fugazi is one of the greatest albums of the prog rock genre. The songs have bite, generally conveying a mood of anger and disillusionment, and Fish sings them with real venom. There are solos galore, with Steve Rothery's guitar hitting new heights, particularly on Jigsaw and Incubus, and Mark Kelly conjures wonderful melodies galore from his keyboards. Both Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosley show that the rhythm section is not just there for show; in particular, Trewavas produces dynamic and inventive bass lines which complement the lead instruments. The first 3 tracks on the first side are all masterpieces, with dark themes of assassination, wife murder and relationship breakdown respectively. Those who have suggested that Marillion are mere Genesis clones can stop here; Marillion are darker and harder than Genesis ever were (though there is undoubtedly some influence). Emerald Lies is weaker but still fine. The second side opens with the slow She Chameleon - clearly the writer has not enjoyed the casual sex on the road - and proceeds into Incubus, which is faster and heavier. It deals with the theme of betrayal and contains some sublime guitar work. But the best comes last; the title track conjures up visions of an urban nightmare haunted by the spectre of Neo-Nazis, nuclear weapons, prostitutes and the like, Fish spitting out the vocals with passion. All the tracks are quite long except Punch and Judy, which would have been an ideal single except for the dark nature of the lyrics, so they have plenty of time to develop the mood of each track. Overall, this is just their best (although not their most commercially successful) album because, unlike on the excellent Misplaced Childhood, they studiously avoid any pandering to commercialism - they just make great music.