HEART OF LOTHIAN

'Heart Of Lothian' is the emotion-loaded ending track of Misplaced Childhood's first half. Anyone who's familiar with that album remembers how the songs are linked together seamlessly, forming a coherent suite in two parts. While the hits 'Kayleigh' and 'Lavender' (also from the first half) sound like they were designed for single charts - in addition to being equal parts of the suite, of course - , this track is more problematic on its own. In the album it comes after 'Bitter Suite' and follows its way to move from minor to major key; from somehow depressed mood to a more bombastic, chorus-driven intensity. When I listen to it separately, I get the feeling that the music starts somewhere from the middle. And on the contrary, when I listen to the album, I'm never quite sure where 'Bitter Suite' changes into 'Heart Of Lothian', and it couldn't matter less, for that matter. Also, the ending with the much repeated "I was bo-oo- orn with the heart of Lothian" gets more irritating here than on the album where the grandiosity (as the finale of Part One) is more justified.

That said, I don't consider this single worthy, unless you're a diehard collector of Marillion. The Mark Wilkinson cover art is again pretty good if you're after them. Well, I did have this as a maxi- single vinyl long ago. I don't remember where I bought it (and a couple of other Marillion singles) but I'm quite grateful my most intensive days of "Marillionism" in the age of 16-17 didn't last very long! What a waste to have a single when you have the album in question.

B-side features a live version of 'Chelsea Monday' from their debut album, with the usual mediocre, slightly stuffy sound quality. Fish-era Marillion may have been a strong live act, but I prefer listening to the studio albums. (Maxi-single also had an extended version of 'Heart Of Lothian', if my memory serves. A plain phoney one really.) But I guess this music is too good to rate this with only two stars. Let's say 2½.