| Script For A Jester's Tear | 1983 |
| Fugazi | 1984 |
| Real To Reel (live) | 1984 |
| Misplaced Childhood | 1985 |
| Clutching At Straws | 1987 |
| The Thieving Magpie (live) | 1988 |
| Seasons End | 1989 |
| Holidays In Eden | 1991 |
| Six Of One, Half-Dozen Of The Other (compilation) | 1992 |
| Brave | 1994 |
| Afraid Of Sunlight | 1995 |
| Made Again (live) | 1996 |
| Best Of Both Worlds (compilation) | 1997 |
| This Strange Engine | 1997 |
| Radiation | 1998 |
marillion.com |
1999 |
| Anoraknophobia | 2001 |
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Script For A Jester's Tear. LOW POINTS: None.
From the outset on its' debut effort, Marillion was ready to carry the torch of long-winded art rock at a time where many founding bands in that style had gone in a more poppy direction. They're often dismissed as lame Genesis ripoffs that merely coasted on that success with talentless songwriting, though they do share some of the same qualities (theatrical vocalist that sounds like Peter Gabriel and wears face paint on stage, minimalist guitarist who tries to make the most out of every note, a fondness for multi-part arrangements, huge climaxes and dramatic endings), they do have a good amount of their own identity. The biggest difference is that Fish's lyrics are very much personal, only with completely whacked out, obscure and colorful metaphors to add an even more creative twist to them. There are other differences too, but they're more apparent when listening to the songs individually (they're long multi-part things here, too - 6 of them in 46 minutes).
Especially good is the title track, which is probably one of the most dynamic songs you'll hear from a debut album opener, going through at least five different sections in its' 8-1/2 minutes - contemplative piano ballad, bouncy theatrical part, majestic middle solo buildup, moody atmospheric climax where personal feelings really shine through, and huge, explosive pleading coda ('do you still love me???'), all of them flowing quite well and excitingly. I also quite like the fast, tricky-sounding rhythmic punch of "He Knows, You Know", actually the album's shortest song at a 'mere' 5 minutes, and arguably the catchiest. Cool poppy keyboard riff, and I love the way the menace of it is countered with the almost duck-like goofiness Fish's vocal tone has. That's actually one of the cool quirks of his voice, and especially hilarious is the end of the song, where he yells 'DON'T GIVE ME YOUR PROBLEMS!' and slams the phone down. Haha.
The big 'problem' I have with this album (well, besides the lack of orignality, but that's a given for the band as a whole) is that sometimes the songs can be too multi-part for their own good. For instance, "Chelsea Monday" has this simple but friggin' awesome bassline for the first couple minutes over the most interesting lyrics on the album, as well as a long, absolutely gripping guitar solo, but that's only, like, half the song - outside of the upwards guitar part that appears, I can't even remember how the rest goes. Likewise, "The Web" has a few really good ideas (another fun keyboard part, a neat alien noise beneath the quieter sections, a great upbeat coda, and the best guitar solos on here that just about cement Steve Rothery as the finest talent in the band in my opinion), but tends to ramble a bit too much for my liking. It could easily make its' point just as well trimmed down a few minutes from its' near 9 minute length.
Still, all of these tracks have several cool things going for them, even if none of them really blow me away from start to finish like a few later songs would. The last two tracks I didn't mention on here are no exception - the single "Garden Party" is probably the most entertaining, with an upbeat melody and fast keyboard part contrasting the society-bashing lyrics, which actually happen to be quite funny and clever, and the closing "Forgotten Sons", while still overlong, is highlighted by a confident pace for the first couple minutes, a cool funky breakdown portion, and inventive spoken word vocal layering portion over a pummeling rhythm that defintely ranks as one of the band's most intense moments ever. These are the kind of neat parts that get the album to a strong 7, bordering on 7.5, from me. A solid debut that proves right from the getgo the band were more than just a Genesis imitator.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Assassing, Punch And Judy. LOW POINTS: She Chameleon.
Ever hear that running joke about how the band Fugazi should call their next album Marillion? Har har. Was that a cymbal crashing in the distance? Eh, who cares - at any rate, Fugazi shows the band developing their sound ever further from the first album, and a few links to the excellent conceptual opus that's on the horizon are apparent here as well, like almost suite-like song structures and Fish's overtly personal lyrics disguised as insane, indecipherable ramblings. Oh, and there's also Ian Mosley, a new drummer in the mix. Also, you've just got to love how progressive rock sounds in the hands of 80's production, with the modern sounding keyboards (which can sometimes pass for Tony Banks circa The Lamb during the solos, but are very 80's ish otherwise) interplaying with the booming drums of the newcomer, and a frontman who has no intention of making his 'lyrics' straightforward at all. It's interesting.
Especially since the first two songs on here rule. The very rhythm-heavy, almost tribal, opener and single "Assassing" is especially great because the crazy, somewhat violent, lyrics effortlessly combine with Indian-influenced textures, funk styled guitar work, and the fabulous keyboard soloing make for one hell of a 7 minute epic. I swear, the way all of this combines with Fish's extremely energetic delivery of the lyrics (coming to a climax in the great 'a friend in need is a friend that bleeds' line) rules. One of Marillion's best songs ever, for sure. The more condensed pop styled number "Punch And Judy" is fantastic, too, with multiple insanely quirky and catchy vocal melodies (with Fish singing in falsetto most of the time, and answering the Mosely rhythm with yells of 'PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH!') and more effective fast paced Banks-styled keyboard work to match it.
The rest of the album really pales in comparison to those opening tracks, and in almost boring fashion, too. There's stuff like "Jigsaw", which builds most of its' structure on nice, but somewhat dull, lullaby-styled verses, and the only thing that really stands out in that track is the more anthemic 'STAND STRAIGHT!' chorus. Elsewhere, the 8-1/2 minute "Incubus" shows a real lack of effective song dynamics - this song has at least three or four distinct vocal melodies and atmospheric mood changes, none of which really hold together very well at all. It has its' moments, though - I dig the Steve Rothery solo starting around 5:40 here, and the entertaining 'I the mote in your eye, EYE EYE EYE' outburst, so that's good. As for the side closer, "Emerald Lies", it just seems kinda there to me - the opening's nicely tricky time-changing synth pop, but as a whole it's just an okay ballad.
Fortunately, there's actually only one weak tune here, but it's a real rating killer. Indeed, the nearly seven minute "She Chameleon" is a truly awful song that robs the album of a potential 7 - it's got a really dreary, unbearably repetitive church organ line running through most of it, a bland melody, some ugly vocal effects, and a 'was it just a fuck' passage that creates a lizard-related mental image I didn't need. I guess the song's only slight saving grace is the keyboard solo, derivative as it is. But the closing title track does end things on a good note, and while it's still a bit overlong, clumsy and not quite as good as the two highlights, there are several features in this 8 minute anthem I get a kick out of - the dark, epic buildup that goes right to the end with that 'wherrrre arrrrre the prophets...' chant, the opening piano buildup, and the bouncy passage starting about 2-1/2 minutes in that leads the song into more Fish craziness (like the coining of the phrase 'this world is totally fugazi'). Decent album on the whole, but still heavily flawed, especially compared to the next one.
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Jamie Anthony)
Amongst others, this album contains, in my opinion, Marillion's best song to date, "Fugazi". This song displays the best elements of the Fish era: sombre, ominous keyboard lines; fast, rocking sections middle sections; catchy, memorable melodies; apocalyptic - but intelligent - lyrics; and an ecstatic finale - all done with the standard complexity, of course. Although the lyrics are indeed difficult to decipher (I think Fish may have chosen whisky as his dictionary-washing beverage), there's a site I thought I'd mention which I found very helpful and interesting in working out what Fish was raving about. Here it is: http://freespace.virgin.net/james_fraser.marshall/Marillion/Firstpage.htm (hope there's no objection to a link on this site - it's not my page!)
Anyway, this is one of my favourite Marillion albums, I actually find it does touch me - especially the song "Jigsaw". Yay!
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Childhoods End?, Bitter Suite, and the shorter interlude stuff. LOW POINTS: None.
By the time the mid 80's hit, there really weren't all that many signs of life for art rock as a genre, but this album, Marillion's most famous effort, is a huge exception. Basically an introspective concept effort whose 10 tracks are meant to run together continuously in suite-like form, the band's third effort is still regarded today by neo-prog fans as a classic album as Fish pours out his emotions throughout. I won't be going too much into the actual 'concept' here, mainly because the lyrics are somewhat cryptic in a confusing Fish kind of way (which means I don't really get much out of the storyline, but it's still intriguing). What's more important are the actual music and melodies on here, and for the most part, this aspect of the sound is a total success. My only real complaint is that several of the most breathtaking songs here are much too short for my liking, and the odd flow of the tracks on side one is really offputting at first, but once you get used to these aspects, you're dealing with a pretty thrilling album here.
The thrilling suite-like aspect of the album is perhaps at its' finest near the beginning here, as the introductory 2 minute track "Pseudo Silk Kimono" sets everything up on an ominous keyboard part and haunting vocals. It leads into what I consider to be one of the most effectively subtle and smooth transitions I've ever heard, going flawlessly into "Kayleigh", the band's biggest commercial hit. This failed romance song is actually a lot more effective in the context of the album, with perfectly placed guitar solos by Steve Rothery over the smooth pop melody and longing vocals. And then we come to the other hit single "Lavender", which is where I kinda get thrown off slightly, since it appears to be an overblown piano ballad that sounds as if it should come right toward the end of the album. Don't ask me how, but somehow the mood created through the opening lyrics and piano line works in the long run on repeated listens. The 'dilly dilly' parts in the yearning chorus are a bit distracting, but the melody and beauty is just fine here.
Side one appears to get back into more haunting territory with "Bitter Suite", which has one of the coolest intros I can think of. It's just great how everything comes together here - the drum fills, haunting keyboard parts (I should mention Mark Kelly's tone on this album rules!) and spoken parts from Fish in his 'Scotsman' voice that make the strange, almost ridiculous lyrics come alive. The rest of the song is nothing to ignore either - a cool bass/drum groove leads the song into more effective musical shifts and soloing. And to close off the side is "Heart Of Lothian", which is able to shift from soft ballad mode to a really thrilling and glorious rocker on the fantastic and energetic 'wide boys...' anthemic hook. The combination of this, the fast keyboard led groove and Steve Rothery's solos over it really make things exciting.
Side two starts off with two sort of 'interlude' sounding songs that are exciting and powerful enough musically and melodically to make me really wish they were longer, but no matter, "Waterhole (Espresso Bongo)" and "Lords Of The Backstage" are excellent short tunes anyway, both of them having really huge theatrical quality and fun grooves to them (cool marimba-like keyboards in the former and energetic, catchy as hell hook to the latter). I kind of wish they were extended and the 9 minute epic "Blind Curve" shortened, since that's my least favorite song on the album. The transition to this song is really weird - it almost sounds like you're being pushed into a "Comfortably Numb" ripoff (though the melody is just different enough to give the song its' own identity) but luckily it's able to go through different mood phases effectively, including a dramatic middle where Fish yells 'CHILDHOOD!' in his little goofy duck voice to set up the thrilling end.
But thankfully, after the weakest point comes the pinnacle. "Childhoods End?" has an amazingly addictive acoustic guitar and bass groove, plus the most memorable vocal melody on here. The vocal conviction and overall energy in the chorus is also awesome beyond words, so I love it quite a lot. And finally, there's the uplifting 2 minute anthem "White Feather", which, lyrically, is certainly the most politically influenced number on the album. The amount of rebelliousness and confidence in the music seems to be the perfect ending to everything, and it certainly leaves me satisifed. Basically, this is arguably Marillion's crowning achievement, and although the flaws of the experience are definitely noticeable, they don't really affect any one song completely, and there are a lot of thrilling performances to be heard, so call it a solid 8.5, or maybe even a low 9 on the right kind of day. One of the best art rock albums of the mid-80's for sure.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: White Russian, Warm Wet Circles, The Last Straw. LOW POINTS: None.
While Misplaced Childhood found Fish looking back on his childhood in a random, confusing chronology of sorts, on this album he seems to be more focused on his present troubles, as Clutching At Straws is another somewhat conceptual effort about his struggles with alcoholism and probably drugs. It's not a huge departure from the previous efforts or anything - the songs remain more condensed (and probably more conventional) in order to maintain flow between different 'stages' of this match between Fish and The Bottle, but what's really striking this time around for me is how great the lyrics are. There's still some obscure metaphorical stuff that only very educated people could get, sure, but there's also all sorts of cool imagery in lines like 'on promenades where drunks propose to lonely arcade mannequins', 'doctor says my liver looks like leaving with my lover', 'hotel hobbies padding dawns hollow corridors', and many more neat, creatively written one-liners throughout.
So yeah, this is probably Fish's lyrical peak, and some of his best emotional outpourings - I suppose his exit from the band after this album gives them extra resonance. It's definitely an album based more on the lyrics and atmosphere than actual music and hooks, yes, and in this era, Marillion usually weren't overwhelmingly great melody writers, but that doesn't mean there aren't some choice memorable musical moments as well. There's the desperation in the melody and 'burn a little brighter now...' hook in "Torch Song" (as well as a creepy spoken middle section where Fish's doctor tells him 'if you keep on living this lifestyle, you won't reach 30' - ouch!). There's the awesome intro and conviction-filled 'sometimes it seeeeems like I've been here before...' refrain on the very Genesis-sounding "Incommunicado" (keyboard line from the 'waiting for battle..' part of "Supper's Ready" crossed with Invisible Touch's more rocking moments), the high-speed keyboard solo on "Just For The Record", the neat funky guitar line and 'this is the story so far...' chorus of "Slainte Mhath", and several others.
There are also several points where the album gets quite gripping, most notably on the highlights. The single "Warm Wet Circles" (what the mugs of beer leave behind on the countertop, of course) has a gorgeous introductory guitar line that definitely has a 'watery' quality to it (and there's also an outstanding solo later on), while the softly sung lyrics are among the album's best. When it switches to a piano-led mood, it gains even more conviction - that 'giving it all awaaaaaay...' part is great! Then there's "White Russian", where Fish yells out about 'uzis on a street corner...', 'swastikas spat from aerosolos', 'the DJ resigned today they wouldn't let him have his say', and other wonderful political stuff, with a quiet 'where do we go from here' plea following each raving verse. Plus, some of the band's best melodies can be found in the final dramatic 'racing the clouds home...' portion that brings the song to a gripping end.
The album isn't quite as good as the last one, though, as much as it's a peak for the band in several areas. Some of it can get a bit dull, like the still decent reflective ballad "Sugar Mice" and the standard quiet-to-anthemic opener "Hotel Hobbies", while "Going Down" doesn't do a whole lot other than build on the conceptual flow. Still, as much as a lot of the actual music and melodies here are somewhat good but don't blow me away or anything, Fish's presence definitely brings an edge to the proceedings. For more examples of that, don't miss the climactic moments of the introspective "That Time Of The Night", and perhaps the greatest, most spine-chilling moment in Marillion history on the otherwise just good closer "The Last Straw", where during the coda a female background vocalist joins Fish in singing 'Still drowning... we're clutching at straws...' over a huge bombastic sound, and after it fades out, out of the murk comes a chilling, drunken laugh. Death by alcoholism at the close of the Fish era! Ahh!!!!!
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Easter, The King Of Sunset Town, Seasons End, Hooks In You. LOW POINTS: After Me, Berlin.
Tensions and bitterness between Fish and the other members were apparently so high during the late 80's that it led to his departure from the band for his own solo career, and all of a sudden, there was a huge void that the remaining members had to fill. And this was not the easiest decision to do - you can't exactly 'replace' a huge personality like that and expect to continue on like nothing changed, but in the end, their eventual choice turned out to be the best they could have ever pulled off (at least in my mind). Even if that replacement essentially can make one view Marillion as two totally different bands, since Steve Hogarth, instead of being a theatrical monster, was actually more of a pop singer than anything else. So naturally, that was the more simplified direction to take here. And so the second period of the band commenced with Seasons End, a much less 'in your face' effort than before.
But don't think this is just a generic, schmaltzy pop album. Sure, the production style and instrumentation might suggest that to someone who's not paying close attention, and the arrangements aren't exactly complex at all, but the sound just has an expansive, majestic and wintery quality that help the material out so much (with the Floyd-ian guitar work and 'atmospheric' keyboards especially). Then there's the matter of Hogarth, who has an incredibly rich vocal style that totally resonates with me - there's something about the emotional delivery he has that could even make lyrics like 'I crept downstairs to the kitchen at night / to get a snack' sound powerful. And let me tell you, the lyrics are pretty resonant - there's a song about a plea for peace in Ireland, the injustice of incarcerating the mentally ill, and other not exactly meaningless stuff like that. So the atmosphere manages to suck me in a lot.
Especially, since all the songs on the first half are fantastic, beginning with the opener "The King Of Sunset Town". There are several things I love about this song - the way it goes from a very simple, but effective atmospheric keyboard backdrop with a great bassline to a glorious rocking part within the buildup rules enough, but man, the anthemic chorus gains incredible power with that voice of Hogarth's (as does the slow, booming piano-laden bridge). This is the kind of epic that just couldn't have worked with Fish, but one that excitingly signals the beginning of a new era. The side-closing title track (the other 8 minute song on here) is also a great one - the metaphorical lament on how 'it might never snow again... in England' is delivered in this cold, depressing atmosphere, and the guitar/chiming keyboard soundscape (where the refrain is sung with the vocals mixed very quietly in the background) is near genius.
The pinnacle, though, has to be the single "Easter", a real beauty that seems to get more and more gorgeous for me with every listen. I simply love songs that go from melodic and understated (with the acoustic and piano lines in there) to expansive and emotional, and the impact here is indescribably perfect, especially with the sheer emotional power of those lyrics and vocals. That great guitar solo in the middle from Steve Rothery (in the 'calculated' tradition of Dave Gilmour) that fits perfectly with the tone of things, plus the subtle key changes and upbeat ending are just added bonuses to an absolute classic. It actually doesn't seem out of place with "Uninvited Guest", a straightforward and somewhat warmer poppy tune that might be the catchiest thing on here. Fabulous bass playing, too - Pete Trewavas might not be a virtuosic player, but he plays a lot of melodic bits that get under your skin and totally suit the songs.
Had the entirety of this album been as good as side one, I could have easily called this a near-masterpiece (funny, I can also say the same thing with side two of Brave), but the second half doesn't even come close in my mind. Not that it's bad - the final single "Hooks In You", despite sounding almost totally out of place with the rest of the album with its' energetic and upbeat arena rock tone, is quite an awesome rush with its' straightforwardness, while "Holloway Girl" effortlessly goes from a more raw opening bassline to that full sound again, with more emotionally charged lyrics and vocals, and a great power chorus. But a couple songs are particularly weak - I can't really remember very much about the half-hearted "Berlin" (which is an epic 7 minute bore while it's on, anyway), and the pop ballad "After Me" has almost exactly the same guitar-led intro as "Easter" and an undistinguished cheese to it.
But still, the strength of those first four or five songs here are enough for me to give the album an 8 (not a high one, but an 8 nonetheless) in spite of the inconsistencies in the second half, since, at its' best, it's very convincing and admirable proof that this band could go on without their most dominating personality in the mix. And at least the album ends in a great declaration on the closing "The Space..." ('everybody in the whole of the world....') that kind of makes up for the underwritten generic symphonic tendencies of the rest of the song. So yeah, the album's good! Certainly not solo Phil Collins quality mush, as much as the sound could easily be turned that way in the hands of a less ambitious band. I can't guarantee hardcore fans of the Fish era will enjoy it, but I certainly do.
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COMMENTS
Hogarth sucks.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Easter, Assassing, No One Can, etc. LOW POINTS: ehh... I dunno.
Even though Marillion had quite a few singles (though the UK was where they made most of their substantial impact) that were enough to solidify their reputation commercially, that doesn't mean they really work all that well on compilation. My first impression of the band, after hearing how awesome they were from various people, was something like, "This is supposed to be great prog rock? All I hear are overly boring adult pop songs with maybe a couple of earlier Fish-era artsy Genesis ripoffs thrown in for good measure." Well, to a point, yes, they are a derivative band in their early years, and maybe they're a little too pop oriented and sluggish in their later ones, but I still think this isn't the best and most ideal representative place to start if you really want to get into the band. And I don't think it was a smart idea to do the 'Hogarth era followed by Fish era' pattern throughout the first 12 songs on here, either - there's just too much of a contrast.
So what makes the studio albums more preferrable? Oh, don't get me wrong - there are a few classics in the track selection preserved here (even these may not get to casual listeners the first couple times, though), like the already discussed "Easter" from the pop period and "Assassing" from the art/prog rock one, but in general, these showcase the more accessible and radio-friendly side of the band, and when taken out of the context of the original albums, they simply don't sound as powerful. This probably hurts the Misplaced Childhood songs the most - "Kayleigh" just seems like an almost ordinary Phil Collins-influenced pop number here, but it's only in the context of the album in which it becomes an even more substantial song than that. Same thing with "Lavender", though I do appreciate it being extended by a minute or so. Plus "Cover My Eyes" and "Incommunicado" showcase the kinda dull side of this accessibility.
Nevertheless, for me at least, the music on here is mostly good, and often great, once you actually get used to their sound (and maybe get acquainted with a few of their actual albums). I could argue, of course, that "Garden Party" isn't the most ideal choice for representing the Fish era, or that stuff like "Dry Land" or "I Will Walk On Water" is kinda insubstantial or unmemorable, but yet wonderful ballads like the desparing, yet hopeful, "No One Can" are very much recommended by me (though I admit the latter can sound schmaltzy to some ears - not mine, though!), as are other 'hits' such as "Warm Wet Circles" and "Hooks In You". There's a new track, too - the hymn-like closing cover "Sympathy", which is a pretty relaxing, though not terribly spectacular, atmospheric piece. All in all, not the worst buy in the world if you only want to get one Marillion album, but I'd be more pleased if you tried Misplaced Childhood and Seasons End and see which of the two paths you prefer.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: The Great Escape, Made Again, Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury, Brave. LOW POINTS: Hard As Love.
Well, after recording their most pop-oriented album to date in Holidays In Eden (probably brought on by record company pressure, as far as I know), Marillion were not about to go in an overly commercial direction again, as much as Steve Hogarth's voice is well suited to pop music. So in attempt to go in a more ambitious direction, they spent 15 months writing and recording a lengthy and involved concept album with really a lot to digest in the vague plot. I guess they were trying to prove they could still make really artsy music without Fish in the lineup, though it isn't exactly the progressive kind as in the early days - the music here quite often involves really lengthy Floyd-ish soundscapes as instrumental builds, with symphonic, orchestrated keyboard textures in others, and even the occasional hard rock (well, for Marillion anyway) and simple acoustic balladry. So I guess you could say this is at least musically accessible.
Lyrically, though, I'm not exactly sure - the storyline was apparently inspired by a young girl spotted by Hogarth on a bridge wandering around, and there seem to be other elements in the plot about amnesia, molestation, reflecting back on a past life, and all that other good stuff. The comment below pretty much elaborates on it more (in response to the original review), but if anyone else has information about the story, feel free to comment. But anyway, heading back to the music, the atmospheric keyboard/piano introduction piece "Bridge" is pretty much an effective way to set the mood for the remainder, and "Living The Big Lie" does the quiet-to-loud dynamic thing pretty well in exploding majestically almost like a great movie score (incidentally, Brave was actually made into a movie as its' counterpart). "Runaway", meanwhile, features one of those 'desperation plea' vocal jobs from Hogarth and hits the quiet/loud dynamic pretty well. So far, pretty intense stuff.
Unfortunately, the album begins to lose a little steam with the 12 minute epic "Goodbye To All That", which does have more showstopping vocal intensity and builds the story to a gripping climax, but then it quiets down to a really long moody instrumental build which could have been trimmed down significantly. A 12 minute song with somewhat more than half of it being composed of aimless keyboard backing that doesn't really enhance the mood is a little much - why couldn't they have shortened that build and extended the ending guitar solo, which absolutely floors me? I don't know, I guess Steve Rothery is just too tasteful. This lengthy middle section build of that song and the following "Hard As Love" are the only spots that I would call filler, with the latter song a rocker that features awkward lyrics, weak melody, and an anthemic vibe that would be much better off in the hands of Bono or Bruce Springsteen than Steve Hogarth, so it's a miss, despite a captivating bridge.
Following the deceptively routine but actually quite inventive and introspective piano ballad "The Hollow Man", though, the album really begins to grab me in a stretch of music so incredible that you might be looking at Marillion's career pinnacle here if only those weak spots were omitted or at least trimmed significantly. Essentially an 8 minute pop epic, "Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury" starts things off as a slow-building ballad with absolutely gorgeous verses that definitely have hit single potential (as do those brilliantly melodic guitar breaks), and they get such a huge majestic, passionate sound out of the chorus that it just floors me. Even the eerie tacked-on ending ('now waaash your haaaands...') fits in perfectly. As does the hard-hitting arena rocker "Paper Lies", which fits in surprisingly well amongst the moody stuff, not unlike the straightforwardness of "Hooks In You" on Seasons End.
Of course, it's back to atmospheric territory in the absolutely chilling title track, which is about as simplistic as possible musically - one or two really sustained moody keyboard chords, but it's absolutely amazing how it, combined with only Hogarth's vocal power and an effective melody, can cause such a devastating emotional impact (ah, there we go with the 'more with less' Floyd comparisons here). And that midsection of haunting soundscapes is really creatively arranged. The multi-part climax "The Great Escape", though, is surely one of the most beautiful, epic things they've ever written - the way it makes the transition from contemplative piano ballad to the huge trademark Marillion anthemic passage with a long 'hooooooooooolding on' yell devastates me every time, and the heartwrenching 'don't ask me why I'm doing this, you wouldn't understand' chiming third part is really just as stunning. Seriously, songs like this really justify this band's existence for me, as well as Steve Hogarth's place among my favorite singers. Wow.
And as if that wasn't enough the whole album ends with the second best song on here, the peaceful reflection "Made Again", as if the album's breaking all the rules by ending a dark and moody concept album with a happy acoustic number. What a great pop melody on here, though, and the acoustic sound they get is one of the many instances I notice how wonderfully this album is produced (of course, they spent so much friggin' time on the whole thing, so it had better be!) What an emotionally draining album. I want to give it an 8.5 or even 9, damn it, as the incredible side two is easily the most classic stretch of music they've ever done, though it is brought down a bit by the fillers, occasional derivativeness (Pink Floyd are definitely obvious ones on more than one occasion), and a few songs that work a lot better as decent conceptual setups than great songs themselves. Still, this is definitely one of the band's finest achievements.
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[email protected] (Jeff Oaster)
Hope I'm not too late in responding, but here's my version of what Brave is about. I actually got this from an interview with Steve Hogarth on a South Jersey progressive rock radio show called the Gagliarchives.
Apparently, one night Steve Hogarth was listening to a police scanner and he heard reports about a young woman who was wandering around aimlessly on a bridge somewhere in England, apparently trying to kill herself. She was in such a distraught state that she couldn't remember her name or her past (basically, she was summering from amnesia). So the police and, I believe, a local radio station, starting searching for any information about her. Gradually, things start coming back and we hear her life get recounted throughout the album. There are many interludes throughout the album which are present tense and most of the rest is in flashback mode (sound familiar?)
I think that it's a phenomenal concept album, ranking up there will some of my all-time favorites.
Hope that helped.
Well, the bridge which the girl was found wandering on is actually the Severn bridge, which connects Bristol (England) with Cardiff (Wales). I think it's the largest bridge in the UK, and is a remarkable engineering accomplishment, but aside from that, it's also a notorious suicide spot. Many a suicide victim has chucked themself into the dangerous currents of the river Severn, they have. Aside from that, I actually think this is probably Marillion's weakest album, it just bores me to death. The song "Brave" is defintely an excellent song, though, but the beginning synth passage sounds exactly the same as Vangelis' Bladerunner soundtrack, and the ending acoustic song sounds like a weak carbon copy of "The Cord Of Life" passge from Yes' "And You And I". I'ts still not a BAD album, though.
SOLO ALBUMS / SIDE PROJECTS
| Ice Cream Genius | 1997 |
| Live Spirit Live Body | 2002 |
Post your comments about Steve Hogarth / H Band
released by H Band
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: The Loving, Really Like. LOW POINTS: None.
A somewhat interesting live album. In 2001, Steve Hogarth decided to assemble a professional cast of musicians, the most famous of which include guitarists Dave Gregory of XTC fame, and Aziz Ibrahim (who Stone Roses fans might remember as John Squire's replacement), as well as Richard Barbieri on synths, some guy named Jingles on bass, and so on. The H Band then recorded performances at Dingwalls in London, and released them on this two disc set. What's most striking here is that the sound quality and performance is incredibly good for a live record, with the songs sounding just as professional and polished as if they'd been worked on extensively in the studio (which it's possible they might actually have been, but if there aren't actually any overdubs on here, then I have to give out some major respect to the players). Hogarth is in top vocal form as the band alternates between performing his Ice Cream Genius album in its' entirety (though not in a row or in order, of course) and assorted cover material, with cool stage banter throughout.
As well-performed as Live Spirit Live Body is, though, it's long. Both discs here hover around the 75 minute mark, which is sort of really excessive for a release like this, but hey, at least the actual songs are good. Of course, I've never heard the original versions of those Ice Cream Genius songs, and I only know about half the originals as far as the covers are concerned, so that made it a different experience for me than listening to most live outings. Not that I'm really curious about that particular Hogarth album as being anything potentially great, but judging from the renditions of these songs here, it's definitely at least good. I especially like the lively and amusing arena rock stomp of "You Dinosaur Thing", the Brave-styled orchestral tune "Better Dreams", the overlong though intriguing worldbeat-turned-reggae epic that is "Cage", and best of all, the 'likeable' singalong "Really Like", which hits upon a great rhythmic tabla groove that interplays nicely with the piano, guitars and vocals. The vocal hook almost seems Moody Blues-ish, which can only be a good thing.
The cover half of the album is the one that actually sounds more interesting to me, and these songs often come off as very nice breathers in between all the epic-styled and often atmospheric Hogarth originals (though a couple are epics in themselves). Their performance of Jethro Tull's "Life's A Long Song", when taken into consideration how much more 'pleasant' Hogarth's vocals are than on the original, just reaffirms what a gorgeous tune Ian Anderson had written there (plus it has a wonderfully full sound), while the quite pretty takes on 10cc's "The Old Wild Men", Tim Buckley's "Song To A Sailor" and especially Elvis Costello's "New Amsterdam" make me even more curious about exploring those artists than I already am at this point. On the slight downside, though, Fleetwood Mac's "Man Of The World" strikes me as okay but nothing really special, and in addition to being a somewhat predictable choice, Hogarth really sounds awkward trying Paul McCartney's vocal style on "Maybe I'm Amazed" (this also comes up to a lesser extent on David Bowie's "Life On Mars?").
The most revelatory cover is actually of XTC's "The Loving" (I'm sure Dave Gregory must have been really into being able to play one of his former band's songs live) - I guess it's partly because Hogarth's voice is a lot more suited to singing simple pop songs than Andy Partridge's, but here, a formerly just 'good' XTC song is turned into a soaring and undeniably beautiful, thoughtful pop classic. In addition, "Dream Brother" is very faithful to the 'epic' way Jeff Buckley did it in his own live versions, Aziz Ibrahim leads the band during his own 10 minute guitar instrumental buildup piece "Xen & Now", and it's really cool how they replicate the original psychedelic keyboard sounds and effects of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" almost to a tee (a good example of the professional nature of the H Band right there). Except for "The Loving", these performances may not be essential or anything, but they're quite enjoyable, and it's just cool to know that Hogarth and his band have great taste in music.
Oh yeah, and they also do a couple late period Marillion songs ("Estonia" and "This Is The 21st Century") as an encore of sorts, both of which turn out really well. The whole affair does turn out really well, actually - the only noticeable detraction is that the experience drags at times mostly due to that 2-1/2 hour marathon length of it all (which makes listening to one disc at a time more preferrable), and sitting through the more drawn out solo Hogarth stuff like "The Deep Water" and the slooooooooow "The Last Thing" doesn't particularly make it better. Still, nothing on Live Spirit Live Body is unenjoyable at all, and it's certainly recommendable for Hogarth-era Marillion fans. It's very hard to come by, though. Try actually finding it listed in the All Music Guide (haha).
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