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Posts tagged Ian Mosley
Marillion – Less Is More (2009) (@256)
06 Jun 2010
(Review from popmatters.com, progarchives.com)
“Less is More” is made up of acoustic or semi electric versions of selected tracks (post-Fish era), something the band have actually done before in the shape of a gig at Oswestry The Walls restaurant a few years ago.
The acoustic arrangements allow the band to throw in piles of extra percussion instruments to give the songs a more organic feel. Finger cymbals, glockenspiel, xylophone, autoharp, and hammered dulcimer all make multiple appearances throughout the album.
The album’s only new song is the simple “It’s Not Your Fault”, featuring Hogarth alone on piano and vocals. It’s a sad, beautiful song that doesn’t try too hard to be clever lyrically.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Steve Rothery / acoustic guitars
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Peter Trewavas / bass
- Ian Mosley / drums & percussion
Track List:
01. Go! – 4:59
02. Interior Lulu – 7:32
03. Out Of This World – 5:07
04. Wrapped Up In Time – 3:40
05. The Space – 4:51
06. Hard As Love – 4:58
07. Quartz – 5:47
08. If My Heart Were A Ball – 5:11
09. It’s Not Your Fault – 3:32
10. Memory Of Water – 2:37
11. This Is The 21st Century – 5:40
12. Cannibal Surf Babe – 3:27
Link in comments.
Marillion – Live From Loreley (1987) (@256)
29 Aug 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
By the time this show was recorded on the Clutching At Straws tour, this era of Marillion was nearing it’s ultimate conclusion. Separation between Fish and the rest of the band was causing turmoil, and Marillion was pretty much divided. Nonetheless, Marillion’s Live At Loreley is still a valuable addition in anyone’s collection.
Fish manages to captivate the crowd like he always seems to do. The older material is a collective fan favorite, with “Script For A Jester’s Tear” being the obvious highlight. A very telling and poignant moment is during the Misplaced Childhood suite when Fish approaches Rothery, puts his arms around him and sings, “It’s getting late, for scribbling and scratching on the paper. Something’s gonna give under this pressure. And the cracks are already beginning to show.” It’s almost as if he’s sending Rothery a message during this part of the song. Still, the tenderness of “Kayleigh” on through the triumphant “Heart Of Lothian” is a great moment during this performance.
Another highlight is the painful “Sugar Mice”, and one of Rothery’s more powerful solos. This song is wrought with pain that it makes the listener ache. That solo just never gets old.
The disease that was ripping this band apart towards the end of 80′s is obvious. There’s hardly any interaction between Fish and the others, and they pretty much ceased to be a band. That being said, it’s still crucial to have amongst your Marillion collection to witness the closing of one era, and the beginning of another.
Line-up:
- Fish / lead vocals
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Pete Trewavas / bass, backing vocals
- Ian Mosley / drums
Track List:
01. Slainte Mhath – 5:24
02. Assassing – 6:38
03. Script For A Jester’s Tear – 9:39
04. Sugar Mice – 5:55
05. Hotel Hobbies – 3:54
06. Warm Wet Circles – 5:57
07. That Time Of The Night – 4:31
08. Kayleigh – 4:30
09. Lavender – 8:14
10. Heart Of Lothian – 6:28
11. The Last Straw – 6:31
12. Incommunicado – 6:59
Link in comments.
Marillion – Early Stages Official Bootleg Box Set (1982-87) (@256)
18 May 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
This set of live CDs from the BBC’s “In Concert” vaults and EMI’s own recordings, captures Marillion in the years from 1982 to 1987, a period which under the leadership of charismatic frontman/vocalist Fish saw them make the leap from the pubs & clubs, to major festivals & finally to arena headlining status in their own right. It is in the tracks repeated on various discs from this set where you see them growing and progressing (to coin a phrase): “Garden Party” (formerly known as The Garden Party Of The Giant Cucumber Massacre) appears in all but the 1987 recording, “He Knows You Know” in the first three concerts, together with anti war protest Forgotten Sons (just as relevant now as then), and early stage favourite, the 20 minute Grendel, appears in the 1982 Marquee set, and again in stupendous form on the Reading Festival recording from 1983 (ironically, the last time they played the piece on stage) – as an aside, “She Chameleon” is played in the 1982 Glasgow set, a full 2 years before it appeared on their second album Fugazi: slightly different lyrically & musically, but the same song nevertheless.
The first of these recordings, from Glasgow’s Mayfair in September 1982 the week after the band had signed to EMI Records is a mixed affair; Marillion as a young band, having only just attained their first recording contract already had a strong and loyal fan base, and in addition had the bare bones of what would become future stage favourites. The versions recorded here, however suffer from a poor sound balance (Stephen Rothery’s guitar being virtually inaudible throughout), and what appears a fairly nervous performance – far from being faster than the eventual studio recordings, as is usually the way, the versions here are slow and considered. Despite this, however, Fish’s commanding stage presence & the early versions of the (at the time) unreleased first single Market Square Heroes & what would become the debut album closer ‘Forgotten Sons’ save the day.
In 1982, Marillion had a spiritual home – the Marquee in London’s Wardour Street; it is on residencies here they honed their live reputation, and it is one of their final Marquee gigs which is represented in full here by the second and third discs of this set. One of three post Christmas gigs in December 1982 from which crowds had to be turned away due to Marillion’s now huge popularity (at one point, Fish virtually apologises for having to play Hammersmith Odeon in future) and one of their final stepping stones to the larger halls their as yet unreleased first album would guarantee them, these recordings, made only three months after the Glasgow gig, see Marillion as a far more confident & coherent force; the playing is tighter and more assured, the sound balance considerably better, the crowd, packed in like sardines as they were, hugely enthusiastic, and rightly so. The set list is very similar to the Glasgow CD, but here includes the epic Grendel (the confines of the Marquee being ideal for Fish as Grendel to pull a punter out of the front row & ritually dismember him) and the first recorded instance of their playing Script For A Jester’s Tear; at the time a new track they had debuted on these three shows, this is recognisably a very early version, with mellotron replacing piano in the opening & some of the lyrics still at a formative stage. As usual, the set is closed with the usual threesome of Forgotten Sons, Market Square Heroes and the playful if maybe a little over-long crowd favourite, Margaret.
By August 1983, the new progressive rock bands had been taken to the hearts of the rock press, and the Reading Festival, which at the time was the number one music festival for aspiring bands to play, was packed with the new breed, but pride of place again belonged to Marillion, who’d played there mid-Sunday afternoon the previous year, but here made a return on Saturday evening. The year had been a good one for the band, with sold out shows across Britain & Europe, the debut album riding high in the charts, the only down point being the departure of Mick Pointer from the drum stool, temporarily replaced here by session men John Martyr & Andy Wall on drums & percussion respectively. Playing to approximately 40/50,000 people in the open air, subtlety is a casualty, with Marillion having a whale of a time & playing full blown progressive rock. Opening with probably the strongest version now available of Grendel – ironic, as this is the last time it was played live – Marillion’s popularity is immediately in evidence, with the crowd singing along to every word (something noticeable throughout this CD) and the band play off this enthusiasm throughout their 75 minute set. Grendel closes with a mellotron and guitar swathed coda which bears more than a slight resemblance to Yes’ Starship Trooper & then it’s into yet another version of Garden Party with the Reading Festival choir lustily singing back during the call & response section (unsurprisingly strongest on their response to “I’m rucking”). Script For A Jester’s Tear is followed by the first of the new songs here, an almost complete “Assassing”, soon to be the opening track of the second album, and “Charting The Single”, Marillion’s arch swipe at the vagaries of the record industry, and also their next single. With these behind them, Marillion are back in familiar, but understandably populist territory, closing the main set with a storming rendition of Forgotten Sons featuring Fish on superb form, before returning for encores of He Knows You Know, and the predictable, but inescapable Market Square Heroes, which the crowd’s singing and the band’s evident enjoyment of the moment closes the set on a massive high.
At London’s Hammersmith Odeon just over a year later, disc 5 of the set was recorded by the BBC for their ‘In Concert’ series. In the intervening period, the second album Fugazi had been released to a mixed reception and showing the band’s starting to move away from the symphonic progressive rock of their original influences, to forging a sound more recognisably their own. The Hammersmith Odeon disc sees Marillion in confident rock band mode, with a much more focused, cleaner and tighter sound (courtesy of Ian Mosley now being installed on drums/percussion), yet losing none of the warmth toward the fans they were known for. Overall, the new material sits happily alongside established favorites Garden Party and Chelsea Monday, which had been given a wash & brush up, but these older songs were already beginning to sound dated against the newer, more hard edged songs such as Assassing and the single Punch And Judy. The real gem of this disc though, and a prime example of Marillion’s confidence at the time is their decision to showcase an entire side of their at the time unreleased album Misplaced Childhood. This is given an expansive introduction by Fish describing it as their new direction; the selection chosen is virtually unchanged from the version eventually released on album, with only a few lyrical differences and is received enthusiastically – although it could be said at that stage in Marillion’s career any new material would be given a good reception, Part one of Misplaced Childhood showed this band at the peak of their creativity & this is reflected in the reaction of the Hammersmith audience. The set closes with the incisive Incubus – a high point from the Fugazi album – and a rousing version of Fugazi itself, with the audience in fine voice during the “where are the prophets..?” closing section.
The sixth and final disc of the series from November 1987, is recorded at London’s cavernous Wembley Arena, the band playing a gig in aid of muscular dystrophy on the back of the commercial success of the Clutching At Straws album; this is also Marillion by royal appointment, the show being attended by Prince Edward (which Fish jokingly alludes to in the intr
o to Fugazi, stating if he explained what the title meant, he’d end up in the Tower Of London). By this time, the band were seasoned professionals, and the 10,000 seat venue must have seemed a long way from playing the confines of Glasgow’s Mayfair, a mere 5 years previously. The selections here highlight Marillion’s sound becoming more guitar based, with Rothery playing well throughout, ably supported by Kelly’s always fluid lines. The gig comes across as a little too workmanlike, with the previous connection to the crowd seeming to fray at the edges (Fish urging the singalong to Fugazi sounds a little forced); this could be down to the venue itself, Wembley Arena being notorious as a soul-less barn – similarly it could be the fact this gig was recorded just a few months prior to Fish’s departure from the band, but whilst this is not Marillion merely going through the motions, the warmth of previous performances on this set is noticeably down by several degrees.
So there you have it, a six CD retrospective of Marillion live during the Fish years; from struggling band playing the clubs to multi million album selling international success story; if you’re an established fan of the band, this is without a doubt a full five star release, a true essential box – seen overall, though, even given the sound problems & nervous performances on disc 1, and the usual warts & all qualities of any live album without overdubs, this set still stands up as a solid release – a good reminder of exactly how good they were in the early years.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Peter Trewavas / bass
- Ian Mosley / drums & percussion
Track List:
CD1 (Live at the Mayfair, Glasgow, 13 September 1982)
01. Garden Party – 8:19
02. The Web – 10:29
03. He Knows You Know – 5:22
04. She Chameleon – 5:39
05. Three Boats Down From The Candy – 5:19
06. Market Square Heroes – 6:20
07. Forgotten Sons – 10:24
CD2 (Live at the Marquee, Part 1, 30 December 1982)
01. Garden Party – 8:29
02. Three Boats Down From The Candy – 6:49
03. Grendel – 19:54
04. Chelsea Monday – 9:21
CD3 (Live at the Marquee, Part 2, 30 December 1982)
01. He Knows You Know – 8:24
02. The Web – 11:49
03. Script For A Jester’s Tear – 10:20
04. Forgotten Sons – 12:03
05. Market Square Hero – 7:39
06. Margaret – 11:15
CD4 (Live at Reading Festival, 27 August 1983)
01. Grendel – 18:07
02. Garden Party – 6:46
03. Script For A Jester’s Tear – 9:00
04. Assassing – 7:45
05. Charting The Single – 5:22
06. Forgotten Sons – 11:41
07. He Knows You Know – 5:42
08. Market Square Hero – 10:22
CD5 (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 14 December 1984)
01. Assassing – 6:50
02. Garden Party – 6:53
03. Cinderella Search – 6:16
04. Punch And Judy – 3:30
05. Jigsaw – 7:02
06. Chelsea Monday – 8:13
07. The Pseudo-Silk Kimono – 2:53
08. Kayleigh – 3:53
09. Bitter Suite – 6:01
10. Heart Of Lothian – 4:24
11. Incubus – 9:08
12. Fugazi – 10:32
CD6 (Live at Wembley Arena, 5 November 1987)
01. Slainte Mhath – 5:03
02. White Russian – 6:01
03. Incubus – 8:56
04. Sugar Mice – 7:03
05. Fugazi – 8:15
06. Hotel Hobbies – 4:07
07. Warm Wet Circles – 4:30
08. That Time Of The Night – 5:53
09. The Last Straw – 6:13
10. Kayleigh – 4:29
11. Lavender – 2:24
12. Bitter Suite – 8:07
13. Heart Of Lothian – 3:56
Links in comments.
Marillion – Made Again (Live 1996) (@256)
19 Nov 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
It did make sense that after releasing four studio albums: “Seasons End”, “Holidays in Eden”, “Brave” and “Afraid of Sunlight” the band’s Hogarth era released a full fledge official live album. By this time the band has gathered enough material for a live show featuring Hogarth as front man.
“Made Again” is a 2CD set that chronicles the Holidays in Eden, Brave, and Afraid of Sunlight tours. Each song is performed on a bedrock of the band’s chemistry and onstage energy.
The first CD has a nice collection of songs from Seasons End, Holidays in Eden, and Afraid of Sunlight. Also worthwhile are the two Misplaced Childhood pieces. For the most part this CD has a diverse cross section of tracks from the Hogarth era. The most notable thing here is that “Lavender” is much like the single version of the track, which had an extended guitar solo, and it segues into the Lost Weekend part of Bitter Suite (which utilizes the same riff from Lavender), which is a fun live addition.
The second CD is the entire Brave album. It’s well performed and there are subtle differences and additions with this incantation of this album as opposed to other live versions and the studio version of the album itself. The crowd really seem to get into it as well, with them going along for the entire 73 minute ride, even drowning out Hogarth’s introduction to “Made Again”. The version of Great Escape here is phenomenal (as with the song “Brave”).
Marillion are not generally what might be described as adventurous in their live performances, sticking by and large to the Script. Yet it’s always a delight to hear the band live.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
CD1
01. Splintering heart (6:33)
02. Easter (6:28)
03. No one can (4:44)
04. Waiting to happen (5:09)
05. Cover my eyes (4:06)
06. The space… (6:35)
07. Hooks in you (3:02)
08. Beautiful (5:35)
09. Kayleigh (4:04)
10. Lavender (4:20)
11. Afraid of sunlight (6:55)
12. King (7:27)
CD2
01. Bridge (3:26)
02. Living with the big lie (6:49)
03. Runaway (4:46)
04. Goodbye to all that (0:41)
05. Wave (1:22)
06. Mad (1:24)
07. The opium dew (2:38)
08. The slide (4:10)
09. Standing in the swing (2:12)
10. Hard as love (6:58)
11. The hollow man (4:33)
12. Alone again in the lap of luxury (6:44)
13. Now wash your hands (1:15)
14. Paper lies (5:34)
15. Brave (8:39)
16. The great escape (1:18)
17. The last of you (2:42)
18. Falling from the moon (3:27)
19. Made again (5:25)
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Marillion – Thieving Magpie (Live 1984-87) (@256)
23 Aug 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
This is a two-disc compilation of songs from various performances during the Fish-era. Whereas the first disc is a true compilation of live tracks, the second disc is an integral performance of the Misplaced Childhood album.
“Thieving Magpie” is a worthy record of the band’s Fish era performances. The event opens in true prog fashion (per “Yessongs” among many others), with a recorded rendition of the classical title piece (originally titled “La Gazza Ladra”) by the opera composer Gioacchino Rossini. This moves stright into the appearance of the band, and we’re off with “Slŕinte Mhath” from the “Clutching at Straws” album.
The track selections cross the four official Fish era studio albums, but puzzlingly room is not found for the non album track “Market Square Heroes”, which was always a live favourite. While there is no doubt these performances are live, there is little variation from the studio originals. The rendition of “Part 1″ of “Misplaced Childhood” (up to “Heart of Lothian”) is superb, with a majesty to Rothery’s guitar work in particular which does go beyond even the studio version.
Clearly the tour during which this album was recorded must have been difficult. “Clutching at straws” was a thinly veiled farewell album for Fish, the lyrics of a number of the songs reflecting both his personal issues and those he had with the rest of the band. “The Thieving Magpie” does serve well though, as a fitting epitaph to this all too brief part of the band’s existence.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
CD1
01. Intro – 2:45
02. Slainte Mhath – 4:49
03. He Knows You Know – 5:12
04. Chelsea Monday – 8:00
05. Freaks – 4:06
06. Jigsaw – 6:24
07. Punch & Judy – 3:23
08. Sugar Mice – 6:03
09. Fugazi – 8:39
10. Script For A Jester’s Tear – 8:45
11. Incommunicado – 5:23
12. White Russian – 6:14
CD2
01. Pseudo Silk Kimono – 2:19
02. Kayleigh – 3:52
03. Lavender – 2:27
04. Bitter Suite – 7:38
05. Heart Of Lothian – 5:12
06. Waterhole – 2:16
07. Lord Of The Backstage – 6:07
08. Blind Curve – 5:34
09. Childhoods End – 2:48
10. White Feather – 4:22
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Marillion – Somewhere Else (2007) (@256)
29 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com, dprp.net, blogcritics.org)
“Somewhere Else” sees Marillion still managing to survive and flourish in a music industry that is less than supportive. Three years have passed by since Marbles was released, and Somewhere Else comes with the huge responsibility of trying to be more successful than its predecessors. Somewhere Else is a mix between progressive rock, with psychedelic and some rock’n’roll-esque elements, that immediately reminds of marillion.com and Anoraknophobia.
Songs like “The Other Half” and “Most Toys” are rocking pieces that really show how the band can write faster numbers, while the middle pieces like “Somewhere Else” and “Voice From the Past” take the listener through more atmospheric and gentle atmospheres. The album also takes a political stance with songs like “The Last Century For Man”, which has an oblique lyrical theme and a chorus that has sarcasm and sincerity all in one fell swoop. The concluding piece to the album, “Faith”, has been played by the band for many years prior to the release of this album, and it’s gentle acoustics and fragile vocal performance from Hogarth really act as a fitting conclusion to the album.
“Somewhere Else” makes a transition out of the emotional, intense, and dense Marbles.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Peter Trewavas / bass
- Ian Mosley / drums & percussion
Track List:
01. The Other Half – 4:23
02. See It Like A Baby – 4:32
03. Thankyou Whoever You Are – 4:51
04. Most Toys – 2:47
05. Somewhere Else – 7:51
06. A Voice From The Past – 6:21
07. No Such Thing – 3:58
08. The Wound – 7:18
09. The Last Century For Man – 5:51
10. Faith – 4:11
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Marillion – Marbles (2004) (@256)
27 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
Marillion’s 2004 album has the familiar feel of their Hogarth era output. Yet It’s more “Seasons End” / “Brave” than “Radiation” / “Anoraknophobia”.
It is both a telling and courageous move, especially after their apparent distaste in recent time for being labelled progressive, that the album opens with a thirteen minute track, “The Invisible Man”. This is indeed pure progressive which passes through various emotions and time changes. There’s a bit of “Seasons End” (track) cascading guitar, and a lovely choral keyboards backed section which finds Hogarth at his emotive best, as the band rocks out behind him. A wonderful opening track.
“Fantastic place” once again feels very “Seasons End”, with some lovely guitar and “orchestration”, building to a fine crescendo ending. The final track, “Neverland” is the other feature track, running to 12 minutes. The highlight of the track is the excellent guitar work, with it’s echoes of Dave Gilmour. The track is more reminiscent of the “Afraid of Sunlight” album, especially “Out of this world”.
The single “You’re Gone” which Marillion fans managed through excellent collusion to get into the top 10 of the UK singles chart is also included here, and in truth makes for a better album track than single. This double CD edition also includes an excellent 18 minute track, “Ocean Cloud”.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals, hammered dulcimer
- Steve Rothery / guitar, bass
- Pete Trewavas / bass, acoustic guitar
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Mark Kelley / keyboards
with
- Carrie Tree / additional vocals (3)
Track List:
CD1
01. The Invisible Man – 13:37
02. Marbles I – 1:42
03. Genie – 4:54
04. Fantastic Place – 6:12
05. The Only Unforgivable Thing – 7:13
06. Marbles II – 2:02
07. Ocean Cloud – 17:58
CD2
01. Marbles III – 1:51
02. The Damage – 4:35
03. Don’t Hurt Yourself – 5:48
04. You’re Gone – 6:25
05. Angelina – 7:42
06. Drilling Holes – 5:11
07. Marbles IV – 1:26
08. Neverland – 12:10
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Marillion – Anorak in the UK (Live 2001) (@320)
26 Jul 2008
(Review from marillion.com, progarchives.com)
This live album was recorded in the UK over 3 days during the May leg of the 2001 Anoraknophobia tour. 2 additional tracks, When I Meet God and This is the 21st Century were recorded live at Marillion’s Racket Club Studio in front of a small private audience after the October leg of the 2001 Anoraknophobia tour.
The usual suspects of “The Great Escape”, “Waiting To Happen”, and “Afraid Of Sunlight” are included, but it’s always great to receive a visit from these old friends. “Afraid Of Sunlight” leads right into the always emotional “Mad” from the Brave album, which is a classic case of how a band such as Marillion can produce something so unearthly beautiful, and something so crazed and hyper like “Mad”.
“Seperated Out” and “Between You & Me” have brilliant moments, extremely wild and passionate. “If My Heart… ” has been converted into a hard-rock piece of music. The surprises are the inclusion of “Go!” from Marillion.com, “Out Of This World” from Afraid Of Sunlight, and “Man Of A Thousand Faces” from This Strange Engine.
So just how good can a live recording really sound? Apparently this concert was mic’d using a very new and unusual method which sounds incredible and rich.
Line-up:
- Steve “H” Hogarth / vocals
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Pete Trewavas / bass
Track List:
CD1
01. Intro
02. Separated Out
03. Rich
04. Man of a Thousand Faces
05. Quartz
06. Go!
07. Map of the Worlds
08. Out of This World
09. Afraid of Sunlight
10. Mad
CD2
01. Between You and Me
02. The Great Escape
03. If My Heart Were a Ball it Would Roll Uphill
04. Waiting to Happen
05. The Answering Machine
06. King
07. This is the 21st Century
08. When I Meet God
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Marillion – Anoraknophobia (2001) (@256)
25 Jul 2008
(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)
The band, still unhappy with their record label situation, decided that it would be trying a radical experiment by asking their fans if they would help fund the recording of the next album by pre-ordering it before recording even started. They result was over 12,000 pre-orders which raised enough money to record and release Anoraknophobia in 2001. The band was able to strike a deal with EMI to also help distribute the album. This allowed Marillion to retain all the rights to their music while enjoying commercial distribution.
The title appears to have been Marillion’s attempt to demonstrate that they do after all have a sense of humour, and are not as serious as they appear to be. At the time of this release, the band were becoming increasing conscious of their “progressive rock” tag, and the associated dinosaur references which came with it. This resulted in them attempting to, as they saw it, turn their back on progressive and seek to be acclaimed by the media with making “current” music.
“Anoraknophobia” is certainly different to their previous releases, but it’s not as different as the band perhaps liked to think. Seen in retrospect, and in the context of both previous and subsequent releases, it is a natural progression (oops, nearly used the progressive word there!).
The opening track, “Between you and me” is a straight forward piece of pop rock, with some U2 like guitar. Later, “Separated out” continues in a similar vein, with something of a wall of sound driving the beat. That track is dedicated to the band’s fans, and the fact that they are prepared to stand up and be counted, despite “ridicule for their dedication to the cause”. “Map of the world” is the most commercial track on the album, with an almost Beach Boys feel to the high vocals on the very catchy chorus. That’s really about it though in terms of up tempo songs, the remainder being ballad based. “When I meet God” typifies much of the Hogarth era Marillion output, with its delicate vocals and dreamy atmosphere. The punch-line here is the reference to “God” as she. “This is the 21st century” works remarkably well — this 11 minute track has an extended instrumental section.
Though not one of the best albums of the era; “Anoraknophobia” is enjoyable, with some strong melodies and fine performances.
Line-up:
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Pete Trewavas / bass
Track List:
01. Between You and Me – 6:26
02. Quartz – 9:07
03. Map of the World – 5:01
04. When I Meet God – 9:15
05. The Fruit of the Wild Rose – 6:57
06. Separated Out – 6:15
07. This Is the 21st Century – 11:05
08. If My Heart Were a Ball, It Would Roll Uphill – 9:30
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Marillion – Marillion.com (1999) (@320)
24 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
Believe it or not, at times the band actually sound happy. It’s not immediately apparent, “A legacy” is a bit of a plodder for a starter, but by track two, “Deserve”, they’re starting to rock out. There’s even a screaming sax solo. After pausing for breath on the lovely soft “Go!”, they’re at it again, partying on with “Rich”. There’s a nice lyric on this track to the effect “Failure isn’t about falling down, failure is staying down”. Things drift a bit thereafter, until the west coast, almost county twang of “Tumble down the years”.
The album closes with the two longest, most progressive tracks. “Interior Lulu” is a bit of a hotchpotch with Hogarth rather over doing the vocals, but there are some nice guitars and keyboards. “House” is opened by a muted trumpet, which solo’s again later. It has something of a lazy lounge jazz feel, very soft and relaxed, with only the pained vocals belying the fact that it really is Marillion.
Marrilion.com certainly sees the band exploring different directions, something which many of their fans found difficult to stomach, and led to Marillion insisting they were not progressive. Sometimes the testing of the boundaries works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
01. A Legacy (6:16)
02. Deserve (4:23)
03. Go! (6:11)
04. Rich (5:42)
05. Enlightened (4:59)
06. Built-in Bastard Radar (4:52)
07. Tumble Down the Years (4:33)
08. Interior Lulu (15:14)
09. House (10:15)
Link in comments.
Marillion – Zodiac (Live 1999) (@320)
23 Jul 2008
(Review from dprp.net)
Zodiac is the name of the venue in Oxford, where Marillion played four consecutive sold-out shows in July 1999. The four shows have been recorded and a compilation is now featured on this live album.
Each night featured a short acoustic set in which some of the song-arrangements from the Oswestry shows were played. The songs in this short set varied each night. The songs picked for this album are a beautiful Sugar Mice (with a piano solo replacing the guitar solo) and The Answering Machine, to which Ben Castle’s saxophone is a great addition.
An interesting track is part of “Goodbye to All That” (sections Wave, Mad, The Opium Den and The Slide) off the Brave album. They previously had played this song live, tied in between the songs Man of a Thousand Faces and Three Minute Boy, here it’s standalone.
Castle joins the band once again for an excellent rendition of “Berlin”. With “Cathedral Wall” the band shows that they are still capable of writing songs that are impressive in concerts. The heavily played Waiting to Happen is another one that makes you musing of days gone by.
Despite questionable song choices and sound quality, this is quite an enjoyable album. The band shows to be still in top-shape and especially Pete Trewavas has to be commented on his playing, as this was his first live performance after his accident seven months ago back then.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / bass
Track List:
01. Rich (5:42)
02. The uninvited guest (4:38)
03. Goodbye to all that (9:19)
04. Afraid of sunlight (8:00)
05. Deserve (5:03)
06. Sugar mice (5:49)
07. The answering machine (4:11)
08. Berlin (8:33)
09. Cathedral walls (7:20)
10. Waiting to happen (5:54)
11. Garden party (7:37)
Link in comments.
Marillion – Radiation (1998) (@256)
22 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
After the overly acoustic “This Strange Engine” album, Marillion decided to come back with a more rock-orientated album: “Radiation”. The influences for the songs presented here are obvious: Beatles and Radiohead.
Especially the raw production, which is really a contradiction compared to the previous “This Strange Engine” album, is interesting. The sound perfectly fits the songs, but sometimes it is a bit difficult to notice individual instruments in the overall mix, mainly the drumming.
The album consists of three different ‘movements’. The first four songs are all uplifting rock songs, whereas Now she’ll never know , These Chains and Born to run are slightly more emotional songs than the first set of songs. These songs are also ‘darker’ and more moody.
The final set of songs are for the most part progressive. “Cathedral Wall” is a metal progressive song which includes some ethereal keyboard playing and heavy guitar work. Hogarth’s vocals also sound very eerie and he even screams during some parts of the song. The title of the track fits the song perfectly, it sounds as if you indeed are inside a cathedral and there’s a wall of noise coming at you.
Closing the album is the 10+ minute beauty that is “A Few Words for the Dead”. Basically discussing the poetic significance of good and evil, the song’s lyrics work as a clear division between the two parts of the songs. The first half of the song is very ambient and atmospheric and makes the listener wonder if (s)he is in the middle of the jungle. The lyrics are a bit ‘disturbing’ and portrait the role of ‘evil’, but they surely fit the dark mood of the music. Halfway through, the song changes into something joyful and uplifting. Hogarth’s voice certainly sounds more beautiful now and he really shines. The music switches to a higher pitch of sound, which accompanies the positive lyrics superbly.
“Radiation” is despised by half of their fanbase, loved by the others. This is certainly understandable because the album is indeed one of a kind.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
with
- Viki Price / backing vocals (4)
- Jo Rothery / backing vocals (4)
Track List:
01. Costa Del Slough – 1:27
02. Under The Sun – 4:10
03. The Answering Machine – 3:47
04. Three Minute Boy – 5:59
05. Now She’ll Never Know – 4:59
06. These Chains – 4:49
07. Born To Run – 5:12
08. Cathedral Wall – 7:20
09. A Few Words For The Dead – 10:32
Link in comments.
Marillion – This Strange Engine (1997) (@256)
21 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
“This Strange Engine” proved to be more progressive than most of the previous Hogarth era Marillion albums, while retaining all the best qualities from those albums. The band themselves came to resent their progressive tag, and tried hard later to disown it, but when they can produce music such as this, it’s hard to see what their problem was.
The tracks are generally longer, peaking with the title track clocking in at almost 16 minutes. This track is an excellent piece of progressive, with superb guitar work, and plenty of space for the band to stretch themselves beyond their previous self imposed boundaries. This is especially true of the albums which immediately preceded this one.
The first track “A man of a thousand faces” starts in fairly typical Marillion fashion, but slows towards the end to an almost tribal recital, very effective too. There are a number of mellower tracks to follow, such as “One fine day”, “Estonia”, and “Memory of water”. They sit well together, creating a relaxed and pleasant mood for the album. There are some livelier numbers, such as “Hope for the future”, and “An accidental man”, but the general feel is smooth and melodic.
Yet another undervalued album deserving of greater appreciation.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals, keyboards
- Mark Kelly / keyboards, backing vocals
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars, backing vocals
- Pete Trewavas / basses, backing vocals
with
- Charlton & New Bottle School Choir / chorus (1)
- Tim Perkins / Balalaika (4)
- Paula Savages / trumpet (7)
- Phil Todd / saxophone (8)
Track List:
01. Man of a Thousand Faces
02. One Fine Day
03. 80 Days
04. Estonia
05. Memory of Water
06. An Accidental Man
07. Hope for the Future
08. This Strange Engine
Links in comments.
Marillion – Afraid of Sunlight (1995) (@256)
21 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
Marillion’s 1995 release came out in the wake of their modern masterpiece “Brave”. “Afraid of Sunlight” feels more like a loose concept based around discarded pieces from “Brave” than anything else, but the quality of these “throwaways” and the craft put into each individual song is fantastic.
All the tracks here are melodic, well written, and beautifully produced. The sound is much softer than the Fish era, and even that of the early Hogarth era albums. The title track is the best of the lot being a soft verse, loud chorus song with an awesome keyboards section, including bass notes to shiver your timbers . The song finds the band back on their ecological bandwagon, along the lines of “Season’s end”, with which the track has a fair bit in common.
“Cannibal surf babe” is a Beach Boys inspired (almost) song, which endeavours to show that Marillion do in fact have a sense of humour. It’s certainly a well constructed parody, complete with subtle vocal harmonies. “Beautiful” is descriptive both of itself and of the following “Afraid of sunrise”. The latter is a fragile piece with a similar theme and structure to the title track, for which it is virtually a guide vocal.
Two of the tracks are about people who died before they should have. “Out of this world” pays tribute to Donald Campbell who died attempting to beat the world water speed record, while “King” is (obviously) about Elvis. Both are sympathetically written, and musically superb, with Hogarth in particular contributing heartfelt vocals.
An inspired album which deserved a far greater audience than it ultimately gained.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
01. Gazpacho – 7:28
02. Cannibal Surf Babe – 5:45
03. Beautiful – 5:12
04. Afraid of Sunrise – 5:01
05. Out of This World – 7:54
06. Afraid of Sunlight – 6:49
07. Beyond You – 6:10
08. King – 7:03
Link in comments.
Marillion – Brave (1994) (@256)
19 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
“Brave” is probably the most challenging, dense album in their whole discography that is known to cause bafflement on the first play but if the listener is prepared to stick with it, it will repay untold rewards. It continues to reveal new layers even many years after the first listen. Although not always a comfortable listen, it’s always a compelling one.
The concept is based around a girl’s thoughts of suicide on a bridge and what brought her to that decision. The beginning of the album appropriately called ‘Bridge’ sets the scene superbly, with the foghorn cries and Mark Kelly’s subtle, underplayed synthesiser motif that is genuinely affecting. This gives way to ‘Living With The Big Lie’ that rises in intensity to become a full-on assault with aggressive guitar work from Steve Rothery and manic vocals from Steve Hogarth.
The section of the album which runs from the epic, multi-sectioned ‘Goodbye To All That’ to ‘Hard As Love’ is perhaps the band’s most uncompromising work. The former is a multi-layered beast, ranging from gentle, near-ambient textures with pulsing bass from Pete Trevawas to a ‘King Of Sunset Town’- flavoured guitar break to the full-on heavy rock of ‘Hard As Love’, complete with aggressive Hammond organ runs from Mark Kelly. Meanwhile, the cathartic ‘Now Wash Your Hands’ and ‘Brave’ edge towards Peter Gabriel at his most soulful. It all still sounds fresh now, and shows the band are far from the anachronistic dullards they are unfairly painted as being by some of the British music press.
There are a few moments here that hint slightly at the band’s earlier and future sound; certainly ‘Runaway’, with that trademark Steve Rothery guitar sound and a brilliant yet not over- technical guitar solo, harks back to earlier classics like ‘Easter’. ‘The Hollow Man’ arguably edges towards their later classic ‘Fantastic Place’, having a similar piano/vocal ebb and flow, and the yearning strains of the Mellotron really add to this track too. ‘Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury’ was released as a single, but should have been a bigger hit, possessing a moving chorus with some of Steve Hogarth’s finest vocals and a rippling guitar motif from Steve Rothery.
The climax of the album is some of the most genuinely moving music they have produced, however. The reprise of ‘The Great Escape’ section, with even more pathos from both Hogarth and Rothery in their respective roles, packs a real punch, and ‘Made Again’ is a beautifully sparse climax featuring some delicate acoustic guitar and, for once, uplifting vocals and lyrics that at least send the listener out on a high after the emotional rollercoaster ride of some of the other tracks.
“Brave” was a remarkable achievement during an era where this type of music was often frowned upon.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
with
- Tony Halligan / Uillean pipes
- The Liverpool Philharmonic / cellos and flutes
- Darryl Way / Orchestral arrangements
Track List:
01. Bridge – 2:55
02. Living With the Big Lie – 6:46
03. Runaway – 4:40
04. Goodbye To All That – 12:26
05. Hard As Love – 6:41
06. The Hollow Man – 4:08
07. The Lap of Luxury – 8:13
08. Paper Lies – 5:47
09. Brave – 7:56
10. The Great Escape – 6:30
11. Made Again – 5:02
Links in comments.
Marillion – Seasons End (1989) (@256)
18 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
‘Season’s End’ may well rank as the best comeback album in progressive since at least 1980, with Yes’ ‘Drama’, and maybe even Genesis’ ‘A Trick Of The Tail’ in 1976. The comparison would no doubt infuriate the Marillion of today, but the links are obvious- both of those acts lost their immensely talented and charismatic frontmen, meaning the outcome of what followed was always going to be under close scrutiny. Like those albums, ‘Season’s End’ is a success and ultimately closes the chapter on one stage in Marillion’s career whilst starting another.
The new vocalist, Steve Hogarth’s voice and vocal style is somewhat different to his predecessor, and any remaining links with the Genesis sound were roundly eliminated with Fish’s departure.
The album finds the band moving towards a slightly softer overall sound, with the title track in particular being virtually a ballad. The song, a message about global warming, starts softly then moves through powerful choruses, and a great keyboard section. Having appeared to finish, it is then moves in to a coda with a long acoustic section, which slowly builds again before the final fade. A wonderfully structure song which clearly demonstrated that this version of Marillion came with new and fresh ideas.
There is a consistency to the remaining tracks which means that you’ll either enjoy the whole thing, or you won’t enjoy much of it at all. “The uninvited guest” is lyrically a slightly humorous dig at the departed Fish.
“Seasons End” is a confident venture into the brave new world without the “fifteen stone first footer”, which, while it may have caused a few of the band’s fans to jump ship, reassured the vast majority that the band had plenty of life left in it yet.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
with
- Jean-Pierre Rasle / pipes (2)
- Phil Todd / saxophone (6)
Track List:
01. The King Of Sunset Town – 8:04
02. Easter – 5:58
03. The Uninvited Guest – 3:52
04. Seasons End – 8:10
05. Holloway Girl – 4:30
06. Berlin – 7:47
07. After Me – 3:20
08. Hooks In You – 2:57
09. The Space… – 6:14
Link in comments.
Marillion – B Sides Themselves (@256)
17 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
With many collections of B sides, outtakes, non-album singles, live and alternative versions, etc., you can often be distracted by the sound of the barrel being scraped. With this collection from Marillion however there is good reason to gather these tracks together to form an album. Indeed, the title rather belittles what is on offer here, as it may imply a collection of sub-standard tracks.
While that connotation may indeed be applicable to some of the content, others such as the three tracks from the “Market Square heroes“ EP would be worthy of inclusion on any Fish era album. The opening track, “Grendel” is an excellent piece of music, despite the fact that has been the subject of repeated debate, due to the strong similarities on one part of it, with the “Apocalypse in 9/8″ section of “Supper’s ready” by Genesis.
Inevitably, being a collection of on the whole pretty good B sides, there is a lack of cohesion and continuity to the album. This is especially apparent with the live “Margaret” which ends the album. While this may well be an enjoyable climax to a live concert, it is a rather tedious indulgence when taken out of context.
A worthwhile collection of rare tracks, which offers a simple and effective way of obtaining them.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Mick Pointer / drums, percussion (1-2)
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
01. Grendel – 17:15
02. Charting The Single – 4:48
03. Market Square Heroes – 3:56
04. Three Boats Down From The Candy – 4:01
05. Cinderella Search – 4:21
06. Lady Nina – 3:43
07. Freaks – 4:04
08. Tux On – 5:12
09. Margaret (Live) – 12:17
Links in comments.
Marillion – Clutching at Straws (1987) (@256)
16 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
‘Clutching At Straws’ is very much a transitional album for Marillion. Their previous album, ‘Misplaced Childhood’ was a huge success. However, instead of going down the ‘Passion Play’ route of doing a more of the same, albeit bigger and more bombastic, concept album, the band streamlined their sound. Although there are no big epics, this is the point where the band completely shunned any accusations of cloning and had a clear identity of their own.
From the very front cover of the record to the last song performed in here, you can perceive a sensation of sorrow, of darkness and that irremediable impact of confusion the album’s got for you.
Most of the songs written and composed for “Clutching at Straws” are intended to be breathed and lived intensively by the listener, and the album achieves that important commitment: it drives you through your inner fears, your captivated feelings and brings out the sensitivity locked away in you.
The “concept” of this album is about a “tormented artist” who is having problems with substances and who is in a personal crisis about what he is going to do in the future. In the case of Fish, he was tired of touring, he wanted to have a more “quiet” life, he had some problems with substance abuse, and he wanted to spend more time with his new wife, as he didn’t want to spoil his love relationship as he did in the past because he was so concentrated in his musical career. Also, he started to have some political ideas and these were not shared by the band.
So out went the larger-than-life Fish on a high note, leaving a hole that would be difficult to fill.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums, percussion
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
with
- John Cavanagh / Dr. Finley (8)
- Christopher Robbin Kimsey / backing vocals (7)
- Tessa Niles / backing vocals (2-11)
Track List:
01. Hotel Hobbies – 3:36
02. Warm Wet Circles – 4:25
03. That Time of the Night (The Short Straw) – 5:57
04. Going Under – 2:49
05. Just for the Record – 3:10
06. White Russian – 6:26
07. Incommunicado – 5:17
08. Torch Song – 4:05
09. Slrinte Mhath – 4:42
10. Sugar Mice – 5:48
11. The Last Straw ~ Happy Ending – 5:59
Link in comments.
Marillion – Brief Encounter (EP 1986) (@256)
16 Jul 2008
Thanks to Bragi Taliesin for the contribution.
(Review from progarchives.com)
In 1986, on the back of the hugely successful album Misplaced Childhood, Marillion began a tour as the special guests of Rush and the Brief Encounter mini-album was released to commemorate the tour, primarily as a thank you to the bands then existing fans and as a helping hand in initiation for the new fans.
“Lady Nina” and “Freaks” were recorded during the “Misplaced Childhood” recordings at Hansa studio in Berlin, but didn’t make it to the final album.
There is a live track from each Marillion album so far. They were recorded at The Hammersmith Odeon in London on January 9th and 10th, 1986. Despite the sound of those 3 tracks is not crystal clear, like on the studio albums, Fish’s theatrical lead vocals are very palpable, especially on “Fugazi” and “Script From a Jester’s Tear”. The last live track, “Kayleigh”, has a pleasant live atmosphere, as reveals the responding crowd shouting “Kayleigh”.
This EP is a good companion to “Real To Reel” live album, released in 1985. In later pressings, both were regrouped on a double album.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
01. Lady Nina (Extended) (5:47)
02. Freaks (Single) (4:09)
03. Kayleigh (Live) (4:11)
04. Fugazi (Live) (8:32)
05. Script for a Jester’s tears (Live) (8:52)
Link in comments.
Marillion – Real to Reel (Live 1984) (@256)
14 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
This is an early retrospective live album featuring seven tracks by the Fish era version of the band. Of these, two are from their first album, three from their second, one non-album B-side, plus the final track, the non-album single “Market Square Heroes”.
The airy, atmospheric intro to Assassing was always going to make this the perfect song to open up a live show and the band dutifully perform it to perfection setting a strong tone for the rest of the album. This followed by a really emotional performances of Incubus, complete with a stunning solo from Rothery, and Cinderella Search. The first half of the album is closed out with the paranoid Emerald Lies, a song that has had its character strengthened in this live performance.
The remaining three songs are all from either the debut album Script for a Jester’s Tear or from the EP Market Square Heroes. The first of these is the powerful anti-war song Forgotten Sons. For the most part this song is performed pretty faithfully to the studio version with only a different guitar part before the prayer section and drawn out, poignant silence after it. However, the end of this song is vastly superior to the end of the studio version, which was pretty good already, with Fish adding extra lyrics and singing the “Ring-a-ring-a-roses” lines himself. This is followed by Marillion’s break through song in the mainstream market, Garden Party, which segues into Market Square Heroes, two songs that are both performed excellently.
“Real to Reel” feels like an integral concert recording, offering a great live experience.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
01. Assassing – 7:30
02. Incubus – 8:41
03. Cinderella Search – 5:47
04. Emerald Lies – 5:25
05. Forgotten Sons – 10:35
06. Garden Party – 6:31
07. Market Square Heroes – 7:30
Link in comments.
Marillion – Fugazi (1984) (@256)
14 Jul 2008
(Review from progarchives.com)
After the somewhat unexpectedly big commercial success and critical acclaim obtained by the “Script for a Jester’s Tear” album, Marillion had to cope with the pressures of coming up with something, at least, as fresh and impressive for both fans and music press.
The band fired Mick Pointer, the drummer on the first few singles and their debut album ‘Script For A Jester’s Tear’, and went through a few rather unsuitable, possibly even unstable, replacements, most famously Camel’s Andy Ward. They eventually settled on Ian Mosley, something of a veteran in progressive circles having played with Pye Hastings, Steve Hackett and Darryl Way’s Wolf. The troubles didn’t end there, however, with the album’s production being something of a nightmare- rumour has it the band went through some ten (!) different studios during the album’s recording process. The band named their second album, “Fugazi”, referring to a slang term from the Vietnam War.
With new drummer Ian Mosley in the fold, Marillion’s rhythm section gained precision, swing and strength, a factor that notably allowed Trewavas move more freely in his bass playing role. Meanwhile, Rothery’s solos and riffs tend to be very aggressive in many places and Kelly’s labour complements their partners’ inputs properly with the use of absorbent multi-layers, dense orchestrations (which at times sound a bit “gothic”), and some powerful solos occasionally alternated with those by Rothery. Many of Mark Kelly’s parts are really delicate, particularly some of his flute-like solos, string layers, and piano arpeggios – his softer side is the link between the massive prog revival of “Script” and the harsher new attitude incarnated in “Fugazi”. Fish delivers his lyrical labyrinths with the usual sense of drama, but accordingly, his way of spitting out his singing has also acquired a harder edge. The highlights of this harder album include fan favorites “Assassing”, “Incubus” and the title track “Fugazi”.
The album’s opening salvo ‘Assassing’ emerged after no less a person than Peter Hammill gave Fish a tape of Arabian music that inspired the melody of the track, and it’s an astoundingly confident track with aggressive, almost heavy metal-like guitar work from Steve Rothery, swirling keyboard lines from Mark Kelly and Fish barking out the vocals with real aplomb.
‘Incubus’ is an astonishing track that is one of the best things the band ever recorded. The closest comparison here is not Genesis but arguably Van Der Graaf Generator, as seen in Fish’s barbed, acidic vocals and the aggressive lyrical content with Fish playing the part of a jilted lover with a lasting grudge on his former lover. Mark Kelly’s weaving keys and the muscular percussion of Ian Mosley are as integral to this track’s success.
The title track builds and weaves towards the marching beat finale, with echoes of Genesis “Knife” much in evidence. Fish is at his menacing best here, as he delivers the spiteful lyrics, “this world is totally Fugazi”.
The Fugazi album may not be the strongest point of Marillion, but there is a very respectable amount of classic material contained in its 46 minutes. What may be more important than Fugazi actually being a classic album is that the band challenged itself with new ideas and techniques that would certainly come into play later on their career. Though Marillion were still inexperienced in these new techniques and explorations, they would hone their skills and create some of the best music ever to be found in the neo progressive genre.
This edition of Fugazi features a bonus CD full of oddities and demos.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
CD1
01. Assassing – 7:02
02. Punch & Judy – 3:21
03. Jigsaw – 6:49
04. Emerald Lies – 5:08
05. She Chameleon – 6:52
06. Incubus – 8:30
07. Fugazi – 8:12
CD2
01. Cinderella Search (12” Version) – 5:31
02. Assassing (Alternate Mix) – 7:40
03. Three Boats Down From The Candy – 4:00
04. Punch & Judy (Demo) – 3:50
05. She Chameleon (Demo) – 6:34
06. Emerald Lies (Demo) – 5:32
07. Incubus (Demo) – 8:09
Links in comments.
Wolf – Saturation Point (1973) (@192)
11 Dec 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
When a progressive rock band has violin and guitars in his music, usually they are not played at the same time. In fact, they are simultaneously played here, and this really contributes to give Wolf a very personal trademark.
Their second album is full of impressive violin, electric + acoustic guitars and dynamic & punchy bass! Drums are very well played and quite complex. Everything is very well synchronized, like Gentle Giant. The tracks are mainly instrumental and the keyboards are surprisingly rare, simple and discreet: they mostly consist of electric piano.
This record is heavier, more symphonic and straightforward than their first album, “Canis Lupus”: there are some very seriously loaded parts, very progressive and the violin is more omnipresent.
Line-up:
- Darryl Way / violin, viola, keyboards
- John Etheridge / guitars
- Dek Messecar / bass, vocals
- Ian Mosley / drums
Track List:
01. The Ache (4:52)
02. Two Sisters (4:21)
03. Slow Rag (5:19)
04. Market Overture (3:40)
05. Game of X (5:49)
06. Saturation Point (6:47)
07. Toy Symphony (7:12)
Link in comments.
Wolf – Canis Lupus (1973) (@256)
10 Dec 2007
(Review from progressiverock.com)
Violinist Darryl Way left Curved Air earlier in 1973 to form Wolf and assembled a remarkable collection of talent: a young John Etheridge (of later Soft Machine) had his professional start here on guitar, while Ian Mosley (of later Trace and Marillion) had previously drummed for Walrus. Dek Messecar (of later Caravan) joined on bass and vocals, and King Crimson’s Ian McDonald produced the ensuing debut album.
The first side contains vocal numbers : “The Void” clicks along and “Isolation Waltz” gets down right heavy; there’s a slightly psychedelic and spooky feel they’re aiming at and ultimately achieve.
The second side is instrumental : “Cadenza” is a regular hoot, highlighting Way’s acoustic violin and some nice clean guitar lines from Etheridge, while “Chanson San Paroles” features Way’s considerable keyboard skills.
Wolf carries on Darryl Way’s brand of progressive rock, predictably mixing classical elements with heavy rock.
Line-up:
- Darryl Way / violin, viola, keyboards
- Dek Messecar / bass, vocals
- John Etheridge / guitar
- Ian Mosley / drums
with
- Ian McDonald / piano, percussion (track 6)
Track List:
01. The Void (4:35)
02. Isolation Waltz (4:37)
03. Go Down (4:45)
04. Wolf (4:06)
05. Cadenza (4:48)
06. Chanson Sans Paroles (6:28)
07. McDonald’s Lament (7:10)
Link in comments.
Trace – Birds (1975) (@256)
20 Nov 2007
(Review from vintageprog.com)
Pierre van der Linden left the band and was replaced by future Marillion-drummer Ian Mosley. Their second album “Birds” stayed true to the sound of the debut-album.
Side 1 of the album was pretty much what you could expect: classical covers with a few self-written tunes thrown in between. The version of Bach’s “Boureč” is fresh and energetic with a cool clavinet-break in the middle. The version of “Opus 1065″ (another Bach-composition) is a bit more ambitious, and features a guest appearance from Curved Air’s Darryl Way on violin. Interestingly enough there’s also a short cover here of a tune by one of Linden’s very first musical influences: Bix Beiderbecke.
What really makes it worth having is undoubtedly the 22-minute “King Bird Suite”. It’s a very glorious and impressive piece of keyboard-based progressive rock, and it was next to “Gaillarde” probably the best thing the band ever did.
Line-up:
- Rick Van Der Linden / keyboards
- Jaap Van Eik / bass, guitar, vocals
- Ian Mosley / drums, timpani, gong, tambourine
with
- Darryl Way / acoustic & electric violin on 4
- Coen Hoedeman / assorted monkeys on 1
Track List:
01. Bourree (2:27)
02. Snuff (2:28)
03. Janny (In A Mist) (1:15)
04. Opus 1065 (7:46)
05. Penny (2:53)
06. Trixie-Dixie (0:38)
07. King-Bird (22:01)
08. Birds (Short Edit) (3:41)
09. Tabu (Second Version) (4:14)
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Marillion – Holidays In Eden (1991) (@256)
01 Nov 2007
(Review from progarchives.com, progressiveworld.net)
Marillion’s second Hogarth era album was really the first to be devoid of any Fish influences, given that he had been involved in the rehearsals for much of the “Season’s End” album. “Holiday’s in Eden” is however a natural follow on from “Season’s End”, with no major change of sound or direction.
Though poppier, “Holidays In Eden” has everything that is typical of Marillion — from Steve Hogarth’s emotive vocals, Steve Rothery’s often light and whispy (and somewhat uncharacteristic) guitar phrases (but oh, those Rothery solos can be heard here, too), Pete Trewavas’ steadily throbbing bass, Mark Kelly’s feathery, atmospheric keys to the vital pulse of Ian Mosley’s drumming.
The opening and closing tracks, “Splintering heart” and “100 nights” are the most adventurous, both being slow powerful pieces, with some decent guitar. Melodies are strong throughout the album, especially on tracks like “No one can”, “Dry land” and the sing-a-long title track.
This edition includes a bonus disc containing over 40 minutes of unreleased material of alternate/demo versions.
Line-up:
- Steve Hogarth / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
CD1
01. Splintering heart (6:54)
02. Cover my eyes (Pain and Heaven) (3:54)
03. The party (5:36)
04. No one can (4:41)
05. Holidays in Eden (5:38)
06. Dry land (4:43)
07. Waiting to happen (5:01)
08. This town (3:18)
09. The rakes progress (1:54)
10. 100 nights (6:41)
CD2 (Bonus)
01. Sympathy (single) (3:30)
02. How can it hurt (single) (4:41)
03. A collection (single) (3:00)
04. Cover my eyes (acoustic single) (2:34)
05. Sympathy (acoustic single) (2:30)
06. I will walk on water (Alternate ’98 mix) (5:14)
07. Splintering heart (live) (6:42)
08. You don’t need anyone (Moles Club demo) (4:04)
09. No one can (demo) (4:51)
10. The party (demo) (5:45)
11. This town (demo) (4:16)
12. Waiting to happen (demo) (5:31)
13. Eric (Video OST) (2:32)
14. The epic (Fairyground) (demo) (8:31)
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Wolf – Night Music (1974) (@192)
02 Jul 2007
(Review from progarchives.com, gepr)
When Curved Air fell apart in 1972-1973, Darryl Way formed a new band called Wolf who carried on much in the same style as Curved Air. The band compromised of Darryl Way (naturally) on violin and keyboards, Ian Mosley on drums (later to be in Trace, Steve Hackett’s band and of course Marillion), John Etheridge on guitar (later to be a member of Soft Machine) and Dek Messacar on bass (later to be a member of Caravan).
On their third (and alas last) album, John Hodkinson (ex-If) joined on vocals to produce very ripe and intelligent music. With the violin lead, it is in a mold similar to Curved Air but a slightly more refined style. Some of the musical interludes are similar to mid-period Caravan. A fusion style playing, great instrumentation and strong melodies.
Line-up:
- Darryl Way / violin, keyboards
- John Etheridge / guitars
- Dek Messecar / bass
- Ian Mosley / drums
- John Hodkinson / vocals
Track List:
01. The Envoy (6:28)
02. Black September (4:48)
03. Flat 2-55 (6:52)
04. Anteros (4:21)
05. We’re Watching You (5:10)
06. Steal The World (4:18)
07. Comrade Of The Nine (2:43)
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Marillion – Misplaced Childhood (1985) (@256)
27 Mar 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
After a couple of early album which, while competent and enjoyable, sounded a bit too like (Gabriel era) Genesis tribute albums, Marillion suddenly found their own identity with “Misplaced Childhood”.
Nominally a concept album, this is not so much a story, as series of individual tracks blended together to form a coherent, beautifully constructed piece (as Genesis did with “Supper’s Ready”). The album opens with orchestral keyboards introducing Fish on the brief but melodic “Pseudo silk kimono”. This leads into a couple of what might be considered surprise hit singles. “Kayleigh” (a name which Fish apparently conjured up from the names Kay and Leigh, but which led to a generation of similarly named female offspring!), and “Lavender”, an interpretation of the “Lavender blue” nursery rhyme song. These two tracks manage to achieve the usually elusive feat of blending in completely on a classic prog rock album, while simultaneously holding a wide commercial appeal.
The “Lavender” theme reappears in instrumental form later on side one, as part of a powerful lead up to the closing track (on LP side one), “Heart of Lothian”. The title of this track relates to Fish’s Scottish heritage, Lothian being the area in which the city Edinburgh is located (one of the city’s football clubs is “Heart of Mid-Lothian”). Side 2 is the slightly weaker side, but it’s all relative, and in CD format the album flows well from start to finish.
In summary the best album by far from the Fish era, and possibly the best Marillion album to date.
Line-up:
- Fish / vocals
- Mark Kelly / keyboards
- Ian Mosley / drums
- Steve Rothery / guitars
- Pete Trewavas / basses
Track List:
01. Pseudo silk kimono (2:13)
02. Kayleigh (4:03)
03. Lavender (2:27)
04. Bitter suite (5:53)
05. Heart of Lothian (6:02)
06. Warterhole (expresso bongo) (2:12)
07. Lords of the backstage (1:52)
08. Blind curve (9:29)
09. Childhood end? (4:32)
10. White feather (2:23)
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Renaissance – Songs from Renaissance Days (@192)
02 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Songs From Renaissance Days is a collection of material that never made it onto a studio album. It was never intended as a mainstream release, and should therefore be approached as a bonus. One track – Island Of Avalon – was recorded in 1979 when John Tout and Terry Sullivan were still in the band. The remainder originated from the early 1980s when the core threesome of Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford and Jon Camp were joined by a variety of assistants.
Considering its genesis this is not a bad album at all. Many of the songs are of the standard of Camera Camera and in many cases are superior to most of Time-Line. There is good and bad though. Africa begins with clichéd African tribal sounds and rhythms before heading off onto an averagely nice song; Dreamaker is a pleasant lullaby-like ballad; Northern Lights is a new-wave version of the old hit single; No Beginning No End is very good Abba-pop; Only When I Laugh enters Diva territory with a slow ballad; The Body Machine is lively new-wave pop; Writer Wronged is a beautiful song with a sublime flute solo; Island Of Avalon jangles along spiritedly with the help of Tout and Sullivan; America is an average rendition of Paul Simon’s classic; finally, You is a true mini-mini-epic of old style Renaissance but stuffed full to the gills with wall-to-wall synths.
Clearly, the band were investigating the options at this time, though I don’t hear any punk …. ! Not a lot of Prog either really, nor much old piano-and-orchestra-and-acoustic-guitars symphonic Renaissance, but at least Annie is still here trying to make sense of it all without all the silly vocal affectations she adopted on Time-Line, and Dunford’s acoustic guitars make their presence felt occasionally amidst predominantly synth based arrangements. Overall, the kind of album that would appeal to someone who enjoys the soft-rock of Camera Camera or pop of Time-Line. Everyone else should beware.
Line-up:
- Michael Dunford / acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Annie Haslam / lead and backing vocals
- Jon Camp / bass, backing vocals
- Terry Sullivan / drums (8)
- John Tout / keyboards (8)
- Peter Gosling / keyboards
- Eddie Hardin / keyboards
- Mike Taylor / keyboards
- Rod Edwards / keyboards
- Peter Baron / drums
- Gavin Harrison / drums
- Ian Mosely / drums
- Dave Dowle / drums
- Bimbo Acock – flute
Track List:
01. Africa (4:43)
02. Dreamaker (4:59)
03. Northern lights (4:24)
04. No beginning no end (5:06)
05. Only when I laugh (4:10)
06. The body machine (4:08)
07. Writers wronged (4:00)
08. Island of Avalon (2:46)
09. America (3:59)
10. You (8:18)
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