MARBLES

Marbles is an album that I like a lot, but am going to only give it three stars since so many of the songs do not even register on my personal prog meter. As such, I cannot say that it makes an excellent addition to a prog music collection. While I believe it to be very good music, I am just not willing to say that it is very good prog music. Keep in mind, I only have the single disc version and am perhaps missing out on a crucial piece of the puzzle since I have not had a chance to hear the song "Ocean Cloud."

"The Invisible Man" starts things off nicely. This song takes a bit getting used to though. What first appears to be a mellow song moving at a lethargic pace evolves into a nice piece of music. It has an enjoyable build-up at the nine minute mark creating a dynamic flow which leaves me satisfied every time I hear it.

The "Marbles" vignettes are complete filler as far as I'm concerned and are not worthy of discussion in this review.

"You're Gone" is a great song with a catchy tune and engaging lyrics ("You have the day, I have the night, but we have the early hours together.") While the music here resembles straightforward rock rather than prog, this is still an excellent track.

"Angelina" is next and no matter what the song says, I just can't get into "Angelina." I will acknowledge that Marillion does create some dark, brooding atmosphere which I find compelling in an artistic sense; yet, the song bores me.

"Fantastic Place" is decent. Once again, a track with no progressive sound to it, in my opinion. It's pleasant to the ears and an overall enjoyable number to relax to.

Now for the really good stuff: "Drilling Holes" and "Neverland". The last two songs are home runs, with "Drilling Holes" showing that the Marillion can do the Beatles better than the Beatles ever did. "Neverland" is definitely the highlight of the album and is so good, I'm almost inclined to add another star to my rating (but I'll resist). Hogarth sounds great here and Rothery's guitar is scintillating. They pulled out all of their tricks with this track, making it worth the price of the CD all on its own.

If you like great music, this album will not disappoint. However, if you are only interested in very progressive music, you may find this a little dull.