Before I became a fan of hard rock and heavy metal, I listened to cIassic rock stations. A lot of their broadcasts were dedicated to the pioneers of today's rock, which is why I have some odd bits floating around my collection (several tapes by Rush, Genesis, and The Police, to name a few).
The best station in the area at the time, WPYX or PYX106, went one step further, and played some of what they thought would become "cIassic" among the popular songs and bands on pop radio. It wasn't unusual to hear Phil Collins' latest collaborations among the Zepplin blocks ("Easy Lover," anyone?). In this way, I was introduced to band I ordinarily wouldn't give a second thought to.
One of the songs that got rotation in 1985 was a somewhat saccharine love song by an unknown British band that I totally mistook for Collins-era Genesis (similar styIe, similar vocalist). It set itself apart from the usual run-of-the-mill love ballad, however, with a poetic sensibilty that was almost visual, and a much different rhythm.
The song was "Kayleigh," and the band was Marillion.
Part Genesis, part Pink Floyd, part The Who... it's hard to pin a genre on these guys, especially in their early years. The closest I've seen to a category is "neo-progressive" or "neo-prog," and even that seems a bit useless a description.
Over the years, I've collected as many of their CDs as I could lay hands on... no easy feat, as their popularity in the US was fleeting (after "Kayleigh" and "Incommunicado," their radio airplay dried up, and news of the band's releases was incredibly hard to come across). It wasn't unusual to stumble on a new disc as long as a year after it was released. Thanks to the internet, I've been able to keep tabs on what's released next and when.
Another interesting tidbit: the 2 most expensive discs in my collection are Marillion-related: "B'Sides Themselves" was $35, and Fish's first solo album, "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors," was $30. Both were imports, not for general sale in the US. Both were worth every penny.
(I think my wife paid $25 for "Real to Reel" at a local music store; she's just as big a fan as I am. I believe introducing her to Marillion is one of the bigger reasons she agreed to date me in the first place... 8) )
There is one more astonishing (to me, at least) bit of trivia attached to Marillion... but I'll tell you that a bit later. ;)
The first part of my look at Marillion is their earliest albums, with Fish (aka Derek Dick... with a name like that, I'd take a stage-name, too :lol: ) as lead singer. During this period, the band was much more experimental and political, which may explain why they never caught on with American audiences the way other popular bands of the '80s did. I'll also look at the first albums Fish and Marillion did after their less-than-amicable parting, because each still influenced the other after the split to a remarkable extent.
To the music:
Script for a Jester's Tear: Despite being a short album (only 6 songs), "Script" packs a lot of mileage into those songs. It starts with a love song (the title track), but the arrangement sets it apart from the typical "bubble-gum pop" ballad, with lyrics and musicianship that makes it clear that this is not simple pop music. "He Knows You Know" is a subtly-creepy about death and drug addiction; "The Web" is a haunting tune about loneliness. "Garden Party" is a sarcastically-cheerful poke at high society, and probably the best song on the album. "Chelsea Monday" is a downbeat song about dreams unfulfilled. The finale, "Forgotten Sons," is a bitter anti-war song and a fitting end to an amazing debut album.
Throughout the disc, the lyrics remain surprisingly visual, and the music itself compliments them with odd time signatures and haunting melodies.
Rating: * * * * (yes, I gave a debut album 4 out of 4 stars... it's that good)
Fugazi: The overall theme of this album seems to be "bitterness," and the mood drags down the otherwise-excellent songs on the album. When I think "sophomore slump," the first album that always jumps to mind is this one.
The best track, "Assassing," opens the disc strong, with Marillion's signature odd timing and melodic sensibilty. Things start to turn sour thereafter: "Punch and Judy" and "Jigsaw" seem simple and bland, although their subject matter (break-ups) isn't. "Emerald Lies" is an almost forgettable tune about a cuckolded husband, and "She Chameleon" and "Incubus" almost seem to be taking stabs at the cheating wife. The title track mercifully wraps up the album, but fails to save it entirely.
Rating: * *
Real to Real: Pretty much a typical live EP. It's only real value is the inclusion of two songs that, at the time I got the tape, were unavailable anywhere else ("Cinderella Search" and "Market Square Heroes").
Rating: * * *
Misplaced Childhood: This is the album that introduced me to the band, and consequently, it's hard to review this one impartially.
It's a concept album about a broken musician/revolutionary reviewing the life he's lived, and trying to find the fire he once had. Shades of Pink Floyd and very early Genesis are found at every turn, and the poetry of the lyrics is, at turns, sad and yearning, angry and bitter, or happy and hopeful.
It's not an easy listen: song breaks are hard to pin down, as each side seems to be one long narrative without pause. Side one ("Pseudo Silk Kimono"/"Kayleigh"/"Lavender"/"Bitter Suite"/"Heart of Lothian") is the more "conventional" side, with two single-worthy songs worked into the overall tapestry. Side two ("Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)"/"Lords of the Backstage"/"Blind Curve"/"Childhoods End?"/"White Feather") is much more experimental, and less accessible, but better musically and lyrically.
Rating: * * * ½ (* * * * for me, though... ;) )
Clutching at Straws: Although it's not represented as a "concept album" per se, "Straws" is one in spirit: all the songs are told from the point of view of a bar patron at "Happy" Hour. The result is... mixed.
Part of the problem is the frictions within the band during recording that would result in Fish leaving after the tour for "Straws." Another part is the overall negative (and depressing) tone of the album. Mostly, however, is the burden of following up the brilliant and successful "Childhood."
There are a few stand-out tracks (the self-parodying "Incommunicado," the haunting ballad "Warm Wet Circles," and the sad-but-relevant tale of the laid-off worker, "Sugar Mice"), but it's tough to listen to overall.
Rating: * *
B'Sides Themselves: Is this collection of B-sides to popular singles worth the money I paid for it? Hell, yeah!
"Grendel" alone is worth the money: an epic-length song sung from the point of the creature itself. "Charting the Single" is a bit tame, but lyrically brilliant (I especially like the line that starts "Home is where the heart lies/But when the heart lies, where is home..."). "Market Square Heroes" is a working-cIass anthem that, surprisingly, didn't make it over to the US; "Three Boats Down from the Candy" is another subtly-creepy ballad. "Cinderella Search" is a deceptively-cheerful-sounding song about pickup lines (I think); "Lady Nina" is a love song to a prostitute (I couldn't make that up if I tried). "Freaks" and "Tux On" are kind of forgettable, but the album finishes with a strong live track ("Margaret") that gets you singing along and smiling.
Rating: * * *
The Thieving Magpie (La Gazza Ladra): The title is kind of odd: it doesn't explain that this is a live double-album, and has nothing to do with the songs on the album itself.
It's a pretty good album, though, with a nice selection of tracks, and a live performance of the entire "Misplaced Childhood" album. The standard "it's live, but not live" complaint applies, but not as much as it does with other live albums (as Marillion has rarely toured where I could see them,, so this is my only real exposure to their live performances).
Rating: * * *
Seasons End: Imagine my surprise at purchasing this album, and finding out that the band had a new vocalist (Steve Hogarth, or "h"... even after 20 years as their vocalist, I still think of him as "the new vocalist"). Not only that, but Hogarth's voice was radically different from Fish.
The result was a warming-up period to the disc that spanned about 10 years. Consequently, it still remains one of my least favorite Marillion albums.
Objectively, it's not a bad album. Some tracks stand out as winners ("Easter," "The Uninvited Guest" and the metal-sounding "Hooks In You"), but much of that can be attributed to the lingering Fish influence.
Rating: * * * (unless you're me... then it's * *... no, I don't adjust easily)
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors: Never has a solo career been more confusing for me to follow. Part of the problem is the singer's anti-American stand (making his solo albums hard to follow), but most of it can be laid at the feet of a Vermont-based jam band named... Phish. I had to ask record-store clerks several times for the latest release by "Fish, not Phish" and get blank stares until I spelled it out.
"Vigil" was tricky to get because it didn't get a general American release: I had to haunt the import bins at several stores until it turned up. When I did manage to purchase it, it lived up to most of my expectations.
The rhythms and melodies of Marillion can be heard to a certain extent, but much of the "magic" of the band's releases is absent. Also, it's clear where much of the bitterness and anger in Marillion's lyrics came from: without the band to temper his ire, "Vigil" comes across as several rants with no real humor to soften the blow.
And now... the surprising fact I teased earlier: Two of the tracks on "Vigil" ("Family Business" and "View from the Hill") were co-written/arranged by Jannick Gers of Iron Maiden. Who says music isn't universal?!?
Rating: * * ½ (* * * if you can get past the anti-US "Big Wedge")
Next up: The rest of my Marillion collection... just because "Seasons" was such a disappointment for me doesn't mean the band totally died to me.
Also... I still have 3 other Fish albums. Just because he left the band, doesn't mean he's not important as well.