SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR

I tried so hard to let this album grow on me, I really did. I'm a big Marillion fan and their early work is so exciting and fun to listen to. But not so much with the bands debut, 'Script for a Jester's Tear'. I struggled over this album for ages and ages, trying to think of what to say. The thing is, every song has it's high and low points. For example; 'Forgotten Sons'. The first half of this song features some of my favourite Marillion melodies. It's vibrant, energetic, and catchy. But when the song reaches the four-minute mark, it just stops dead. I feel like it's lost all its momentum, and the remainder of the song fails to catch my interest.

This is pretty much how I feel about every song on the album.

With the only exception being 'He Knows You Know', which is the only song I like all the way through, it just feels like there aren't any songs that I like from start to finish.

It's my only legit complaint, because otherwise, this would be a fantastic debut album. The passionate guitar playing, the beautiful keyboard melodies, the witty lyrics, it all comes together nicely to give Marillion a fresh and refined sound, that helped revitalize the prog scene in the 1980's.

'Script' isn't a bad album, but I really can't justify giving it more than two stars.