KAYLEIGH

This is one of those budget best-ofs that I picked up when I was just switching to the CD format. It covers just Fish-era Marillion, and as it includes three great B-sides not available on the four original studio LPs (Scripts For A Jester's Tear, Fugazi, Misplaced Childhood and Clutching At Straws) the band put out during that golden period, I think I will hold on to it. Because of some glaring omissions, I have little doubt that a superior single CD compilation to cover this era could have been conjured up, but there really is some great neo-prog on here, and I'm sure it would make for a decent introduction to the band.

The greatest selling point (to proggers at least) has to be the 17 minute fantasy epic Grendel, which was initially issued only as part of an EP that showcased Marillion's first single Market Square Heroes. It is clearly influenced by early Genesis, although I feel the main part of the song suffers from a lightweight sound that doesn't match the epic tone of Fish's impassioned performance (the drum sound is really pathetic). Nonetheless there's enough class from guitarist Steve Rothery and keyboardist Mark Kelly to make sure this song is still one of the greatest prog moments of the 80s.

There are many fine songs here. The excellent ominous accusatory He Knows You Know, with some kick-ass Kelly synth lines that underpin the chorus, is one. Jigsaw which spends half its time being barely audible, and the other half soaring on a beautiful Fish chorus is another. Another B-side, Cinderella Search, is a memorable hard-rocker that drips with melancholy, while Lady Nina and Torch Song boast that massive Marillion sound I've come to love. There are also two classic slices of Marillion pop from the group's chart-topping album Misplaced Childhood ... Kayleigh and Lavender (which actually had to be extended to be long enough to be a single).

I don't quite like Punch & Judy, and the omission of early singles Market Square Heroes and Assassing, not to mention huge chuncks of the excellent Script For A Jester's Tear album as well as later efforts like the awesome Incommunicado and Warm Wet Circles, gives this compilation a pretty haphazard feel. Also Marillion fans who've bought B'Sides Themselves will have no use for this record. I have to admit though, that this is a convenient little pocket-sized snapshot of Marillion. ... 61% on the MPV scale

Marillion - Kayleigh

In the mid 90s, several low profile record labels, "Disky" among others, decided to release compilation discs of Marillion's backcatalogue (with Fish). This release here is mostly a collection of singles, b-sides and a rare album track. Though the choices for the songs are obvious, I still do not have this release in high regard.

The fact that it is identical to the "Essential Collection" disc, except for the artwork, seems a bit like fanboy-exploitation to my ears. Surely most Marillion fans already own the songs included in this compilation and this release will therefore most likely only be bought by people who are totally unfamiliar with the band (Mainly buying it because it is so cheap, the average price is ? 5,-) or are die hard collectors of the bands output.

This album does not work as a singles collection, but also not as a brief overview of The Fish Years. I recommend to purchase another compilation on the Disky label instead. 2003's "Warm Wet Circles" is also a cheap compilation disc, but at least it features typical Marillion songs from the Fish era, mind you no Fugazi-related stuff included though.

Cheap compilation or great introduction to the early Marillion?

I probably picked up this Marillion compilation disc some ten years ago for a couple of bucks. (guilders actually). I guess it got my interest because I wasn't too familiar with Marillion yet and who's going to miss 10 guilders (around 5 euros) anyway?

Of course I knew their hit single Kayleigh, but furthermore all tracks I was unfamiliar with. And I must say what a surprise was the opening track "Grendel" to me! Wow! This track was initially some B-side I believe and later on re-released in 1997 as a bonus disc for the Script Of A Jester's Tear album. This track has all Prog elements in it that make the genre so appealing: many shifting moods, soft vocals, loud vocals, great drumming and wonderful guitar play. I fell completely in love with this song and think it's one of Marillion's highlights.

Then of course there's "Kayleigh", but the other 7 tracks are all really worth it as well. So what is my final conclusion/rating on this compilation disc? Difficult! As to Marillion fans this release is completely irrelevant and abundant. But to people who aren't or weren't familiar with the Fish-era Marillion yet, I would highly recommend it! But as from 1997 I my recommendation would probably go out to the re-issue of the 1983 Script . album.

So probably 2 stars for Marillion fans, but 4 stars for newbie's.

From my early reviews onwards, you know that I am almost working chronologically. This means that I'll review whatever is possible of the great Fish Marillion era before starting with their second period.

I am an old dirty freak. Having experienced all major rock influences during the last thirty five years. You can easily know where my roots are in terms of prog, should you just ckick on my reviewer nickname and have a look at my reviews.

I have already said that I discovered Marillion only a few years ago (2001). A colleague of mine introduced me to "Misplaced". And here we go.

I was just nuts about the band (although I belong to the "No More Heroes" generation). I started a crazy Marillion quest, wanting to grab whatever was possible (official releases or not - and believe me, there are an awful lot of great unofficial releases) from the Fish era of course.

Some will argue that he is trying to emulate Peter (I guess you all know whom I am talking about). Yes, you are right. So, what ?

I spent fabulous years listening to one of the most fanstastic and creative band on earth : Genesis.

I was only 15 at that time (1974) and emotion was already a major theme for me. For lots of reasons (which I soon will outline in my reviewer profile), I put a hold to any prog music in 1978. Little by little my enourmous love for this this music grew back. And all of a sudden, I discovered Marillion.

Very few times in my life I will be transported to such a level of souvenirs. It seemed that "Script" almost reverted me into the glorious days (you know, the early seventies ones).

I am EXTREMELLY thankfull to Marillion to have brought me back there.

There will be lots of compilation works from the Fish era. I have to say that this is a good one. It features some of the most achieved Marillion songs (although lots of progheads are reluctant when listening to it). Yes, "Grendel". I do not know how many friends I turned into a Marillion fan thanks to this one.

Thanks to the liner notes, you will discover some useful informaton about the band and their charting history.

All the songs featured here are extremely catchy and belong to the poppiest early Marillion repertoire. Except "Grendel" of course. I bought this one several years ago in London (city to which I use to go every year with my brother to buy some interesting stuff and attend great concert like "The Musical Box" in 2005 as well as 2007 (at the Royal Albert Hall).

Even if several songs are edited, they belong to the classic early Marillion repertoire. As such I would rate this compilation with four stars.

I only got hold of this for 'Grendel' and it was a nice budget way of grabbing this ecletic immortal epic track. All the other tracks are simply easy to get Marillion from their best albums to this point. Kayleigh is such a brilliant track I could listen to it as infinitum however I missed that beautiful intro 'Pseudo Silk Kimodo' so I recommend the CD 'Misplaced Childhood' over this of course.

Back to 'Grendel' - it is 17 minutes of pure prog bliss and simply one of the greatest epic length tracks I have heard along with Genesis' Suppers Ready or Caravans' Nine Feet Underground.

The other tracks on this compilation are all fan favourites so grab this out of the bargain bin and enjoy the best of these masters of neo prog.

I've made the mistake of buying this album after having already bought B'Sides Themselves. What EMI has done is just replacing a couple of songs respect to B'Sides and propose almost the same package giving it a title that should have been more attractive. Kayleigh was and probably is still the only big success that Marillion had with the mainstream consumers, recognisable also by those were not aware of an album called Misplaced Childhood.

Even if almost identical to B'sides I can't give it the same rating as it came after and doesn't add anything to the previous.

Marillion fans can stay away as they already have all the music inside, non-fans can start from anything else.

An useless album released only to make some cash with old material. Very bad that the same material has been used twice for the same purpose.

I see no reasons to buy it, neither the sleeve design which includes shots from the first albums with the exception of the one which gives the title that's replaced by B'sides, like it was considered an official one from which making a compilation. I think Torch Song was actually unreleased, but this doesn't change the rating.

Review Nº 295

'Kayleigh' is a compilation of Marillion which was released in 1996. It's a compilation album with songs that were only taken from Marillion in Fish's era. But, it has songs performed by their two drummers, their founder drummer Mick Pointer and their current drummer Ian Mosley.

So, the line up on this compilation is Fish (vocals), Steve Rothery (guitars), Mark Kelly (keyboards), Pete Trewavas (basses), Mick Pointer (drums and percussion) and Ian Mosley (drums).

'Kayleigh' has nine tracks. The first track 'Grendel' was released on their debut EP 'Market Square Heroes'. It was the B side of that EP. It's an epic and complex track, one of their best and is one of their most progressive too. This composition is usually compared (mostly unfavourably), with 'Supper's Ready' of Genesis. This version is the 12' version. The second track 'He Knows You Know' was released on their debut studio album 'Script For A Jester's Tear'. It was also released as the A side of the Marillon's second single 'He Knows You Know', taken from that studio album, with 'Charting The Single' as the B side. It was also released as a 12' version of 'He Knows You Know' as the A side and the edited single of 'He Knows You Know' and 'Charting The Single' as the B side. It's a great track with powerful lyrics. The version on this compilation is the album's version. The third track 'Jigsaw' was released on their second studio album 'Fugazi'. It's a slow track, very nice. This is a sensual song with some beautiful lyrics. The version on this compilation is the album's version. The fourth track 'Punch And Judy' was released on their second studio album 'Fugazi'. It was also released as the A side of the Marillon's first single 'Punch And Judy', taken from that studio album, with the edited re-recorded versions of 'Market Square Heroes' and 'Three Boats Down From The Candy' as the B side. It was also released as a 12' version with 'Punch And Judy' as the A side and 'Market Square Heroes' and 'Three Boats Down From The Candy' as the B side. It's a wonderful track that features everything that's great on Marillion's songs. It has catchy riffs and great melodies and the typical sound of Fish's era. The version on this compilation is the album's version. The fifth track 'Cinderella Search' was released on their single 'Assassing' and it was the B side of that Marillion's single. It was released on their second studio album 'Fugazi'. It was also released as a 12' version with the full version of 'Assassing' as the A side and the full version of 'Cinderella Search' and the edited version of 'Assassing' as the B side. It's one of my preferred songs from 'Fugazzi' sessions. The version on this compilation is the edited single version. The sixth track 'Kayleigh' was released on their third studio album 'Misplaced Childhood'. It was also released as the A side of Marillon's first single 'Kayleigh' and with 'Lady Nina' as the B side. It was also released a single to US market with 'Kayleigh' as the A side and 'Heart Of Lothian' as the B side. A 12' version was also released with the alternative mix and an extended version of 'Kayleigh' as the A side with an extended version of 'Lady Nina' as the B side. This is maybe the most recognizable Marillion's tune. It's also one of their most accessible tracks. The version on this compilation is the single version. The seventh track 'Lavender' was released on their third studio album 'Misplaced Childhood'. It was also released as the A side of the Marillon's second single 'Lavender', taken from that studio album, with 'Freaks' as the B side. A 12' version was also released with 'Lavender Blue' as the A side and 'Freaks' and 'Lavender' as the B side. It features beautiful lyrics, nice vocals and great musicianship. This is a ballad track, albeit short. The version on this compilation is the single version. The eighth track 'Lady Nina' was released on their single 'Kayleigh' and it was the B side of that Marillion's single. It was released on their third studio album 'Misplaced Childhood'. It was also released as a separated single in U.S.A. It was the A side of that single. This is possibly one of the poppiest tracks of the band. The hook is huge, and even when the lyrics get flowery they still work in the context. The version on this compilation is the edited single version. The ninth track 'Torch Song' was a track originally released on their fourth studio album 'Clutching At Straws'. It's one of the slower tracks on that album. But it still is a great prog rock song. The version on this compilation is the album's version.

Conclusion: Marillion released several compilations from Fish's era. They released 'B Sides Themselves', 'A Singles Collection ' Six Of One, Half A Dozen Of The Other', 'Marillion Music Collection', 'Kayleigh', 'The Best Of Marillion' and 'The Singles '82-88'. Of all those compilations 'Kayleigh' isn't definitely one of their best. Probably 'The Best Of Marillion' is the best and the most complete compilation of all. So, 'Kayleigh' despite has some great progressive music, isn't the best place to have the first contact with Marillion's music in Fish's era. It doesn't bring anything new. It's very similar to other compilations released before. Still, a compilation, as good as it may be, can never replace the originals. I advice all the newbies on Marillion to buy all the studio albums in Fish's era, because all must be purchased.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)