SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR

I wonder how many GENESIS fans jumped ship to this new band called MARILLION in 1983. IQ released "Tales From The Lush Attic" the same year. As a prog fan I have so much respect for these guys.To see many of the seventies greats change to what was fashionable back then.Then along comes this new band to take up the mantle of progressive music, at a time when it was not the popular thing to do. In fact i'm sure a lot of industry insiders felt they were committing suicide with their careers. Funny thing was that they even gained some commercial success with this new take on seventies prog. On this their debut album the star of the show is no doubt FISH with his animated vocals and fantastic lyrics, he drew a lot of attention to the band. The lyrics are emotional, thought provoking, very personal and dark. He sings about love, drugs, society, suicide and politics.

To hear the self titled track open this record is so inspiring to me. I can't help but think of Peter Gabriel when Fish opens the song with those reserved vocals. It kicks in at 1 1/2 minutes.Great sound 2 minutes in. Check out the chunky bass as Fish sings with emotion. I have to mention Steve Rothery, the guy can flat out play and he really has his way with his guitar on this first track. I like when it settles 4 1/2 minutes in, i'm reminded of the intro. Kicks back in. Such a great track ! "He Knows You Know" becomes bombastic with Fish spitting out the lyrics. A calm before 2 minutes then it kicks back in with some excellent synths and bass. Guitar follows lighting it up. "The Web" is my favourite track on here.The moods change often and the main melody sounds so good. Love the guitar 4 minutes in.

"Garden Party" opens with the birds chirping and people talking. Hey it's a garden party ! The song changes from bombastic to mellow quite often. Fish gets theatrical later on. "Chelsea Monday" is such an emotional song, and Steve has a lot to do with that with his weeping guitar that is so sad, until it turns into an uplifting, soaring solo after 2 minutes. Pure emotion right there. Check out both Fish and Steve after 5 1/2 minutes. "Forgotten Sons" is Fish delivering a theatrical vocal display. Some spoken words as Fish says the same words in the background with passion. Some nice bass and guitar follows. Best part of the song for me is before 6 minutes to the end. The guitar soars and Fish sings. The perfect ending.

This album isn't without it's faults but it's a classic that breathed life into the dying progressive music scene and at the same time helped spawn a new genre.