SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR

Script for a Jester's Tear for me falls into the same category as Minstrel in the Gallery and Songs From the Wood, they are very good but not quite masterpieces. Script for a Jester's Tear shows Marillion at the height of their power, excellent compositions, musicianship and ideas all contribute to the overall quality of the music on this album. MArillion is a very Genesis sounding band, but they aren't all out copies as they also combine more modern rock with Symphonic Prog.

The result is very good and there are some very memorable moments on Script for a Jester's Tear. The guitar work on Script for a Jester's Tear is one large difference between Marilion and Genesis, MArillion's guitar passages are generally heavier and more dominant. While Genesis seem to relay on them more as fillers. The Vocalists are very similar, which isn't a bad thing as they are both very good singers. I only wish Fish would sing in a Scottish accent as it sounds good and add character to the music.

Synthesizers and Keyboards are a very important feature of Script for a Jester's Tear and they succeed in creating haunting and strange sound scapes. The sound of the Synthesizers on Script for a Jester's Tear sound much more modern, if you get my idea. But there are a few good old style mini-moog (at least I think It's a mini-moog) solos here and there, the solo on the Web comes to mind.

Script for a Jester's Tear is perhaps the best song on the album; it is a very progressive song which follows the same basic pattern as many other prog songs. There is a fantastic guitar solos and the closing section of the song is very good. The other highlight of Script for a Yester's Tear is the Web which is another very proggy song. The other songs on the album aren't quite as impressive but are still excellent. The synthesizer work on The Web is a highlight of the album, it is spectacular.

1. Script for a Jester's tears (4/5) 2. He knows you know (3/5) 3. The web (4/5) 4. Garden party (3/5) 5. Chelsea Monday (3/5) 6. Forgotten sons (3/5) Total = 20 divided by 6 =3.333 = 3 stars

Good, but non-essential

Script for a Jester's Tear is in summary a very good album but is not quite at the masterpiece level, but hey, it still is an excellent album and it is very high on the PA top 100. I'd recommend Script for a Jester's Tear to all symphonic fans as it is very interesting to see a more modern approach to classic prog.