tri.ad's Marillion Top 40 v. Like anyone cares anyway

[tri.ad]

It was really tough to figure it out, but I'm quite happy how it turned out. Maybe someone will be interested to see how the ranking of the top 40 songs of one of my favourite bands looks like. I've always been very certain about the top 5, but ranking 40 songs was pretty hard.

So without further ado, let's start this journey.

40. Genie (Marbles, 2004)
Only to be found on the 2CD version, and it's a very nice tune. It contains a catchy chorus, some really, really nice guitar work by Steve Rothery, and the outro is just amazing. Side note: Steven Wilson also played a part in the production/engineering process, and you can hear his influence quite a bit; however, it's not so blatant that it might be considered disturbing.

39. That Time Of The Night (Clutching At Straws, 1987)
There's a reason why my favourite Fish performance can be found on CAS, and this song is certainly part of it. He really shines on this song, singing unusually discreetly regarding the way he sang on Fugazi or SFAJT, thus making this song much more emotional. Steve Rothery delivers as usual, and I love the chorus on this one. The "Warm Wet Circles" singing in the background at the end throws me off a bit, though, and it prevents the song from ranking even higher.

38. Quartz (Anoraknophobia, 2001)
I LOOOOVE Pete's bass work on this one. A very unusual song for Marillion, very jazzy, with some trip hop and even funk mixed in there as well. Nonetheless, it works really well, the instrumental works complement each other greatly, and h's lyrics and his singing make the song even more powerful. In many ways, this song is House done right. The mood is more intense, the song is more interesting, and the jazzy/trip-hoppy feeling feels less forced overall. Great, and often overlooked song.

37. You're Gone (Marbles, 2004)
The second song off Marbles to appear on this list (and some more are to come). Love Steve's e-bow work on this song, and h's lyrics are some of my favourites of his. A very atmospheric song, and the drum samples complement this feeling surprisingly well. Great chorus, too, and it's really fun to sing along to it. Being the first single off Marbles, I can't blame Marillion to have chosen this song. It represents Marbles rather nicely, and it's damn catchy. One of many Marillion songs I'd love to see in concert.

36. Man Of A Thousand Faces (This Strange Engine, 1997)
This one's interesting. If it wasn't for Mark Kelly's various keyboard patches, it could be a plain acoustic song. Clearly, the star of this song is h, his singing on this song is impeccable. Very nice piano solo by Mark as well, and when you think that the song is over, there's that huge build-up to the choir part at the end which is simply breathtaking. What a way to open an album, and definitely a big highlight on This Strange Engine.

[skydivingninja]

Still haven't heard This Strange Engine, but those other four songs are really awesome.  Are you going to include L=M renditions?

[tri.ad]

Since I don't have that CD, no.
And you should listen to TSE. Granted, it has the worst Marillion song ever (Hope For The Future), but the title track alone is worth it.

[The Letter M]

Ooooooh... a Marillion rankings thread! I will be following/reading/possibly replying as you post your countdown! I've recently (over the last year) gotten into Marillion, and love nearly everything they've put out, but my favorite albums have to be Marbles, Happiness Is The Road and Anoraknophobia, with This Strange Engine and Brave rounding out the top 5. I like their earlier stuff too, but post-Fish, they really turned into something different and more unique from the Genesis-esque sound they had back in the 80's.

-Marc.

[tri.ad]

Next five songs are up!

35. Angelina (Marbles, 2004)
Another Marillion song that goes in a very unusual direction. Very jazzy with some blues is to be found, and it's a damn fine tune. A song for sleepless nights full of thinking, dreaming, regretting and more stuff that requires loneliness. Steve's guitar solo is really fitting, and Pete complements it with some nice melodic bass playing. It shows what Marillion can do best - create an atmosphere you can sink into very easily.

34. Between You And Me (Anoraknophobia, 2001)
After a little piano intro, this song changes drastically and becomes a terrific rocking one. Great song to sing along to as well. The bridge seems a little out of place for me, but the rest of the song makes up for it without any problems. I really love the half-riffing half-solo of Steve near the end. For me, BYAM is the song that got Marillion back on track after a lackluster marillion.com, it really sounds like a coup de liberation.

33. After Me (Seasons End, 1989)
A very underrated gem on my possibly favourite Marillion album. In many ways, it's a bit like Easter's little brother, but it still conveys a respectable amount of emotion. And once again, Steve delivers a simple, but very effective guitar work. Also, it's one of the few Marillion songs that don't come across that well live, it really needs that electric guitar lead in the second part. Great vocal delivery from h as well. Shame that this song is only three minutes long, but somehow, it doesn't need to be longer.

32. Afraid Of Sunlight (Afraid Of Sunlight, 1995)
If there is one Marillion member that shines the most on this song, it has to be Mark Kelly. He almost goes unnoticed throughout the verses, but really creates some amazing stuff during the chorus, the bridge and the instrumental section. Basically, he drives the song and makes it what it is: A very appropriate description of the whole album (not too unreasonable, since it's the title track), musically, and thanks to h, lyrically as well. Steve keeps a rather low profile, but still manages to add immensely to the song as well.

31. Splintering Heart (Holidays In Eden, 1991)
Among Marillion fans, it's one of the most loved concert openers. And I definitely can't blame them, the beginning with a basic drum beat, some keyboard melodies in the background, a thumping bass line and h's vocals over all that builds up an incredible tension before the song bursts into an incredible guitar solo by Steve (which he even outdoes later on). This song is an emotional rollercoaster, once quiet, and then crying out in sheer desperation again. Splintering Heart was my favourite off HIE for a long time, but it's recently been overtaken by two other songs which will show up later.

[lonestar]

I do care, and if Sugarmice is not in the top five, I will take your life in the most disgusting way possible.

[Nick]

You'll make him listen to H-era Marillion until he kills himself?

[skydivingninja]

You'll make him listen to H-era Marillion until he kills himself?

God I hate you.

Notes on the list:
-JustJen would kill you for putting Angelina so low.  I remember she used to really like that song
-I'm surprised Afraid of Sunlight is so low.  Oh well.
-BYAM is an awesome song.
-If "Neverland" is not in the top five I will take your life in the second most disgusting way possible.

[tri.ad]

You'll make him listen to H-era Marillion until he kills himself?

Only if the songs are Hope For The Future, Now She'll Never Know and The Damage.

-JustJen would kill you for putting Angelina so low.  I remember she used to really like that song
-I'm surprised Afraid of Sunlight is so low.  Oh well.

Well, I really, really like all the songs that are included in here, and aside of the first five or six songs, it was ridiculously difficult for me to rank them properly.

[Nick]

For the record I don't actually hate H-era Marillion, I just don't think it comes close to the greatness of the Fish era. I will further add that a few months back I went back and listened to Marbles and Brave again and found them more enjoyable than I had previously. Still, I find that Season's End is better than both.

[skydivingninja]

-JustJen would kill you for putting Angelina so low.  I remember she used to really like that song
-I'm surprised Afraid of Sunlight is so low.  Oh well.

Well, I really, really like all the songs that are included in here, and aside of the first five or six songs, it was ridiculously difficult for me to rank them properly.

That's kind of what I figured.  They're great songs.

Nick: "Neverland" alone surpasses the greatness of the Fish era.  I'm actually not too keen on the first two Fish albums, though I love Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws.  Maybe its just because I heard H-era first, or maybe its because H-era has more material, but I find the highs of the H-era to be higher than most of the highs of the Fish-era, though Clutching at Straws is their second best (behind Marbles).

[tri.ad]

Next batch!

30. Cathedral Wall (Radiation, 1998)
This one's a real monster. Probably Marillion's most creepy song, and definitely my favourite song off Radiation. My favourite part is the build-up to the huge scream by h. Needless to say, I was positively surprised to see it on Out Of Season, and its rendition kicked ass. This is a song that needs more love, but doesn't really get it since it's found on an album that's generally disliked. Nevertheless, Marillion has managed to put at least one great song even on their worst albums. The next song is further prove of that:

29. Interior Lulu (marillion.com, 1999)
The longest song on marillion.com, and one of their great epics. Huge Steven Wilson influence in there (not only the telephone voice kind of thing), and in spite of some of the lyrics being kinda corny, it's an amazing journey all the way through. Every member gets his own part where he can shine, and they do it thoroughly. The outro really reminds me of Russia On Ice - perhaps Steven Wilson took some parts from this part for the song, who knows? Also, like Cathedral Wall, it's in kind of an ungrateful position because it's on a rather mediocre album. Another song that needs more love.

28. This Is The 21st Century (Anoraknophobia, 2001)
Another song that's longer than ten minutes. Another song that's amazing. More atmospheric than anything, and Steve's guitar playing surely adds to that. I also love how Ian sneaks into the song about halfway through, complementing the drum machine. Also, great lyrics and great vocal delivery by h. There's not much more that can be said about the song, other than it's a very good one, of course.

27. The Only Unforgivable Thing (Marbles, 2004)
The intro and the outro are pure bliss, Mark Kelly deserves major kudos for that. A very nice ballad, and it contains some of h's best lyrics. Steve's guitar lead fits in very well, and the general build-up makes it very nice. Also, I like how the bass is turned up in the bridge, it adds more depth to the song imo. It's a shame that this song can be found only on the 2CD version of Marbles; more people should be entitled to listen to it. Fun fact: h said the first line of this song's lyrics in his text sample for Dream Theater's Repentance.

26. Somewhere Else (Somewhere Else, 2007)
I heard this song on Out Of Season for the first time and I was surprised, to say the least. I know that the album gets an enormous amount of flak among the fanbase, but this song is just out of this world (). h overdoes it a little bit with his falsetto, but I love how much emotion he puts into it; also, the megaphone part is amazing. Mark Kelly shouldn't be overlooked either, his keyboard work on this song is sublime. And once again, Marillion proves that they are masters of creating a build-up and a climax that does it justice. The last 90 seconds should prove it sufficiently.

[tri.ad]

25. Script For A Jester's Tear (Script For A Jester's Tear, 1983)
Truly inspired by Genesis, particularly by the song Dancing With The Moonlit Knight, this song makes a very strong impression. The topic of this song has been regurgitated over and over again, but SFAJT is one of the few that deliver it with so much genuine passion. Definitely one of my favourite performances by Fish: Not too theatrical, but still dramatic enough to convey the right emotions ("Too late to say 'I love you'" should be enough proof of that). Also, the full band treatment of the lines "So here I am once more / In the playground of the broken hearts" is mindblowing and one of my favourite Marillion moments ever. The song loses a bit of its momentum in the second part of the song, thus making it only 25th, but I still love listening to it every time it comes on.

24. Happiness Is The Road (Happiness Is The Road, 2008)
What an intro. Once again, Mark Kelly shows a reason why he's my favourite keyboardist. Dreamy, melancholic but still happy, and just perfectly fitting for a CD closer. Sadly, the verses don't strike me as that great, but the one-line chorus makes more than up for that. Truly epic. The contrast of the key (minor) with the message of the lyrics adds something very interesting as well. I'd love to see this song live; singing "Happiness is the road!" over and over for five minutes or so with hundreds of other people must be an amazing experience.

23. Assassing (Fugazi, 1984)
First appearance of Ian Mosley here, and he does a pretty neat job, I have to say. The Eastern feel during the intro makes for a great build-up, and the whispered "watching you, watching you" by Fish adds quite a bit to it. My favourite moment is this short, but very sweet guitar solo, followed by the semi-clean riffing at 1:37 by Steve Rothery, followed by the bridge at 4:20 and the saw patch keyboard solo shortly before that. This song could have ranked even higher if Fish sang a little more restrained, but that was his style at that time... *shrugs* Great opener, and you could hear the band adding a lot of their own style to the Genesis foundation they loved using early in their career.

22. Beautiful (Afraid Of Sunlight, 1995)
This is probably where I have to return my membership card of the men's club. It's a sappy ballad, but damn, do I love it. Pete's bass work is definitely among the best of the 90s, he truly utilises the provided space for his melodic playing. (Side note: I love how the bass sounds on this album, so full, punchy and almost dominating.) Again, we get a very catchy chorus, nice clean guitar playing by Steve Rothery, and h really shows that singing ballads is one of his great strengths. No One Can? Forget that, Beautiful is probably the defining short love ballad of Marillion (at least in the 90s).

21. Sugar Mice (Clutching at Str... *gets punched*)
Yeah. Haters gonna hate and stuff. I'm sorry. I really love this song, but it doesn't quite hit me the way it does many people here. Fish's performance is nothing short of amazing, and so is Steve's (of course I'm mostly talking about the solo, but that should go without saying). In the concept that revolves around Torch, it's probably the most heartfelt and most melancholic song, and it makes for a very poignant pre-conclusion to the album ("Daddy took a raincheck"). It definitely features some of Fish's best lyrics, and giving this song less than a 9/10 should be considered a crime (I give it a 9.5+, by the way).
And it doesn't mean anything that this song is 21st in my ranking. Again, all the songs in the top 40 mostly lie terribly close to each other. Sugar Mice is one of my favourite Fish-era songs. NOW PLEAFE FTOP PUNFING ME.

[skydivingninja]

Script is really the only song I listen to off the first album.  Happiness, of course, is a great song thats even better live with the crowd participation.  I read a blog somewhere where the author gave an interesting perspective on the song: that H is actually pretty desperate with this song in the line "Happiness ain't at the end of the road," and that song is implying "Happiness had better be the road because if its not I'm screwed."

And like I told you on skype, your Sugar Mice placement wounds me, and Lonestar will now kill you with bacon grease.  AND NO I WON'T STOP PUNCHING YOU.

[lonestar]

 

Bacon grease is too good for him.  I am dissapointed in you. 
*bust out endlessly looping tape of Skyrockets in Flight*

[Nick]

I will be pleased with this as long as 3 out of every 5 songs you post from this point on are Fish-era songs.

[skydivingninja]

Judging from Tri.ad's user title, which I just noticed, I predict "The Invisible Man" at #1.  Not a bad choice at all if its correct.

[The Letter M]

Judging from Tri.ad's user title, which I just noticed, I predict "The Invisible Man" at #1.  Not a bad choice at all if its correct.

Good eye! That being the case, I hope "Neverland" and "Ocean Cloud" make it to the top 10, along with "This Strange Engine"

I also wonder if there will be any more songs from the first album from here on out in the top 20? I doubt it considering how many great songs came after it... also, where will "Grendel" be?!

-Marc.

[tri.ad]

I listened to Grendel only once and wasn't impressed with it.

[Perpetual Change]

I　ｓｕｐｐｏｒｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｅａｒｌｅｓｓ　ｄｉｓｐｌａｙ　ｏｆ　Ｍｒ．　Ｈ　ｍａｔｅｒｉａｌ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｌｉｓｔ．

[Dittomist]

Good choices so far! The Invisible Man would certainly deserve to be #1 on this list. It's a breathtaking piece of music and it gives me chills/goosebumps every time. I also hope to see Incubus, Berlin, House (although this is doubtful since you criticized it earlier, heh), The Great Escape, and Out of This World.

[tri.ad]

Entering the top 20 now...

20. Kayleigh (Misplaced Childhood, 1985)
THE Marillion classic. Many, many people - not only Marillion fans - know this song, despite not really knowing the band behind it. One of the key songs on MC imo, and it definitely deserves all the credit and airplay it got and still gets. Catchy as hell, and Fish's singing is really, really good. MC pretty much marked Fish's transition from a theatrical screamer to a genuine, serious vocalist - and it did the band's style much good. Nice Steve Rothery solo as well.
I loved this song already back in 1991 when I first heard it on a sampler, and I still love it now. As the first Marillion song I've ever heard (and I think that applies to many Marillion fans), I think it will hold a special position in my musical soul.

19. Fugazi (Fugazi, 1984)
Album closers were, to a certain extent, some kind of a mixed bag for Marillion, at least in the Fish era. Forgotten Sons ends a bit abruptly and White Feather simply doesn't fit as a closer, neither musically nor (really) conceptually. Fugazi, on the other hand, closes the album in a certainly epic way. Speeding through five sections in eight minutes, managing to musically sum up the whole album and keep the mood screaming "conclusion" all the way through, it quickly became one of my favourite Marillion songs. Also, the last one and a half minutes, particularly when the big snare drums start rolling in, is one of the most majestic Marillion moments ever. Slight downside again: Fish's singing in the "In search of absent school friends" section is far over the top and not really enjoyable. Still - this song should get more credit. It deserves it.

18. The Party (Holidays In Eden, 1991)
Another song that gained a newly found appreciation through the Out Of Season DVD. It starts out like the protagonist in the song - innocent while on the verge of losing that - before it starts firing on all engines. Mystic, even haunting, just like the novelty of being at a party for the first time. Great vocal (and also piano) delivery by h, and the bass with the chorus effect definitely adds to the haunting atmosphere of the wordless scene of what happened in the backyard of the house. Also, the outro deserves a remark on its own. Definitely one of the strongest songs on HIE, and it has a righteous place in the live setting.

17. Brave (Brave, 1994)
Marillion goes ambient! Well, sort of. Eight minutes of pure bliss - from the pad in F sharp with the pipes to the lamented "and she's crying" by h, this song truly shows what Brave is all about: The state of being jaded and just fed up with trying and not succeeding anywhere. Probably the most minimalistic song they've ever done, and it's also one of the most beautiful ones. Less is more - this phrase applies perfectly to the title track of one of my favourite Marillion albums. Once again, Mark Kelly shows that he's a master of creating the atmosphere that a song needs. Also, the nice build-up into a section that conveys some sort of bustle leads you to scenes of blurry flashbacks is done very effectively. This song definitely deserves kudos, and despite being the key track on Brave, it's not my favourite one.

16. Beyond You (Afraid Of Sunlight, 1995)
Another song to which I have a certain personal connection. The Phil Spector section in the middle is very unusual for Marillion, but they made it work. Since Steve Rothery is almost completely absent here aside from some nifty leads near the end, Mark and Pete have to drive this song on their own, and they do it very effectively. Love h's vocal delivery as well and I like how this song never really fades out completely and flowing into King instead. Also, it fits very well as the penultimate song on the album; I couldn't imagine it as the closer for AOS, though.

[skydivingninja]

Nice to see Brave get a mention.  A note on Kayleigh though: my favorite moment involving the song was driving around in Grand Theft Auto, turning to the 80s radio station, and hearing "IS IT TOO LATE TO SAY I'M SORRY" as I accidentally ran over some pedestrians in shock.

[tri.ad]

  Nice.

[Tick]

I applaud this thread!

[ClairvoyantCat]

I　ｓｕｐｐｏｒｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｅａｒｌｅｓｓ　ｄｉｓｐｌａｙ　ｏｆ　Ｍｒ．　Ｈ　ｍａｔｅｒｉａｌ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｌｉｓｔ．

H > Fish

[skydivingninja]

Hell yeah! o/

[Nick]

Hell yeah! o/

Fish is way better.

*\o

[skydivingninja]

Not only have you intercepted my high five, you have corrupted its very meaning.  You stole a piece of my soul today Nick and stepped on it in hellish cleats.

[Tick]

Hell yeah! o/

Fish is way better.

*\o

NO, he is not.

[Nick]

Not only have you intercepted my high five, you have corrupted its very meaning.  You stole a piece of my soul today Nick and stepped on it in hellish cleats.

Well at least things went as planned for once.

[zerogravityfat]

my god i disagree with your entire list so far, those would mostly be in my top 15 or so.

[Tick]

my god i disagree with your entire list so far, those would mostly be in my top 15 or so.

I personally don't give a shit whats on the list, taste is subjective. I just think its cool he made a top 40 Marillion list!

[The Curious Orange]

I had a go -

1. Neverland
2. Estonia
3. This is the 21st Century
4. Beautiful
5. Enlightened
6. Sugar Mice
7. Easter
8. No One Can
9. Real Tears for Sale
10. This Strange Engine
11. Now She'll Never Know
12. Man of a 1000 Faces
13. Quartz
14. Slainte M'Hath
15. This Town / Rake's Progress / 100 Nights
16. Kayleigh
17. The Answering Machine
18. Season's End
19. The Bell In the Sea
20. Somewhere Else
21. Punch and Judy
22. Cannibal Surf Babe
23. Freaks
24. A Collection
25. Lady Nina

Found it quite hard to rank the Fish stuff in with the h stuff.

[tri.ad]

15. This Town / Rake's Progress / 100 Nights

Interesting. I originally planned on raking this in one, but I see the This Town suite as a suite of three songs, therefore I'd rank them separately.