Author Topic: Marillion  (Read 232670 times)

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Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #630 on: April 07, 2015, 11:30:23 PM »
Fish releases deluxe re-releases of solo-discs. This is from his Facebooksite.

Ok I know there are going to be an avalanche of questions as to choices/ formats etc etc etc so I'll try and cover what I think will be FAQ's now.

In 2001 when I moved from the house to my present residence ,The Studio a lot of things went missing including some demos and other recordings of ideas.

I was never one for making demos as there was no one to get opinions from, no record company to get an ok from and when we worked on songs we rarely kept track of progress.What there was wasn't really logged as the material wasn't that great in early stages so I wasn't inspired to hoard it as some artists do.

Because I had my own studio we worked on ideas and erased what wasn't good enough. I never took the Bruce Springsteen route of writing loads of material and choosing the best for the album. If it wasn't good enough I mostly discarded it or salvaged sections to be worked on that became the finished songs.

As the studio recordings up until 1998 were made using a Mitsubishi 32 track digital and a 24 track Studer analogue machine I have 2 different sizes of tape ( one inch and 2 inch respectively). I closed the studio at the end of 98.

These machines are now relative rarities and expensive to hire to make digital copies. I had to sell mine when I closed the studio as a refurbishment to keep it commercially viable was impossible to realise and I was under tremendous pressure from my bank to pay back loans and a crippling overdraft. The recorders and most of the equipment went in a "fire sale" delivering a pittance that was a band aid on a burst artery!

Another story for the autobiography!

The tapes, which I still have would have to be "baked" to allow them to run on the machines. To be absolutely frank the cost of doing this is prohibitive as I don't honestly think there are enough potential sales outside the loyal fan base to make it viable. More harsh realities!

Full remixes on "Sunsets" and "Raingods" are therefore not feasible.

"Fellini Days" is another issue. That album was recorded on hard drives. The tech was young and the formats now old. The drives were not backed up and when I examined them 2 years ago the actual physical characteristics of the drive were totally corrupted and despite sending them off to be rescued at a recognised firm the contents were irretrievable.The multi track copy was lost forever!

Chris Kimsey was to remix "Raingods", "Fellini Days" and "Field of Crows" but in the end only "Field" was accessible. He's done a superlative job on the songs and his remix alone makes it practically a brand new album!

Calum Malcolm has mastered nearly all the albums and the live material so he has access to the stereo files. These are decent sizes but not all available in 24 bit. Please don't go into techy issues with me as I am a singer not an engineer. I can get info from Calum but even I know now we don't have sooper dooper sizes available.He is remastering every single track to get the best out of them that he can and I know he will make them sound great.

Regarding 5-1 mixes again the expense overrules the implementation. I talked to Steven Wilson and Nick Beggs about this at the gig in Edinburgh recently and had already discussed them with Calum on the "Feast" sessions. There isn't the demand you may think and once again the cost overrules the reality. It's a promo tool that is very expensive and even Steve said that he is overrun with requests from clients with far bigger fan bases than I have with far heftier budgets from major labels supporting them.

The live tracks I have chosen together with Steve Vantsis are what I consider great versions and stand together with the studio material in the packages. A lot of the original live albums are out of print or deleted and the others that exist will not be reproduced. The live versions stand together with the original recordings to give an overall insight into the different renditions across the years and across the various line ups. They are I believe the definitive versions although some of you will disagree. They are what I have available and were chosen originally from ranks of recordings as being the best at the time.

Vinyl versions will eventually be available but it won't be the 3 cd version and they will be 2 albums on 180 gramme vinyl. Again tbh I can't afford to invest huge amounts in production of titles across different formats. It has to be done bit by bit.

The full albums will be available for download but I am restricting streaming sites to a few tracks per album and won't be putting everything up.

I've thought long and hard about these re releases and seeing copies of the originals going on e bay for 30-60 pounds it's time to get my solo catalogue out there in a final definitive form at a reasonable price.

I've got a hell of a lot of work to put in on the content of the actual packaging together with Mark Wilkinson in the coming months to make this something really worth having for fans and people discovering my songs.

 These are the final versions that I'm delivering as the legacy. I hope you like them!
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Offline SoundscapeMN

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #631 on: April 08, 2015, 04:38:40 AM »
"Vinyl versions will eventually be available but it won't be the 3 cd version and they will be 2 albums on 180 gramme vinyl. Again tbh I can't afford to invest huge amounts in production of titles across different formats. It has to be done bit by bit."

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #632 on: April 09, 2015, 09:28:35 AM »
And I finally paid to get Feast from England a few days ago. After a really strong showing with 13th Star he actually managed to go a step above with this I think. The album is less in your face and more balanced, more Fish-like I would say, and it works well. Also a step up in production I would say. Overall very pleased.

The deluxe version of feast is quite beautiful.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #633 on: April 12, 2015, 01:12:29 PM »
I'm sure the vinyl will be great, but I'll be picking up the CDs again.

Have all of the various originals and remasters anyway so I'll be taking the plunge one last time.

I guess I'm fortunate to have all of those live releases since they are being left to the sands of time.

Offline The Curious Orange

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #634 on: April 15, 2015, 05:28:31 AM »
Just got back from the UK Marillion Weekend. F*ck, they were the best gigs I've ever been to.

Friday - the Anoraknophobia Album. What a great collection of songs, all of which have extra energy when played live. This Strange Engine and Gaza as encores.

Saturday - the Marbles Album. The production, lights, lasers and projections made this phenomenal, the biggest thing the band have ever done. Hogarth gave it everything, and it was truly moving. The ovation after Ocean Cloud will stay in my memory a long time.

Sunday - Party night! I won't spoil it for anyone going to Montreal, but the band came on at full throttle and never let up. The crowd went wild - best gig I've ever been to. I love this band!!!!! :metal :metal
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Offline lonestar

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #635 on: April 15, 2015, 09:30:28 AM »
Had to check the set since I'm nowhere near going to Montreal.


Dude.....  :hefdaddy

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #636 on: April 16, 2015, 12:04:59 AM »
They played Marbles?! The 2 disc version? Wow...I wonder if they'll bother to release another live version of Marbles. I wouldn't mind as I've not been able to track down the first one they released awhile ago.

I'd definitely will get a live Anoraknophobia at some point though

-Marc.
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Offline seasonsinthesky

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #637 on: April 16, 2015, 12:13:57 AM »
i bet "Ocean Cloud" was transcendental. what a song!

Offline Prog Snob

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #638 on: April 16, 2015, 12:20:24 AM »
i bet "Ocean Cloud" was transcendental. what a song!

That song is beyond amazing.

Offline The Curious Orange

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #639 on: April 16, 2015, 02:18:21 AM »
They filmed the 3 nights at Port Zeland, Netherlands for future DVD/CD release, and yes, it was the full 2 disc Marbles!  :hat
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Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #640 on: April 16, 2015, 09:07:46 AM »
Listening to CaS again after a long break. Like everyone else.. just in awe at the music and wondering what would have come next if Fish hadn't left.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #641 on: April 16, 2015, 12:13:31 PM »
They filmed the 3 nights at Port Zeland, Netherlands for future DVD/CD release, and yes, it was the full 2 disc Marbles!  :hat

Awesome, and it was performed in album order, too (from what I saw of the set list), which is unlike their performance order on their earlier full-album performance (which moved "Ocean Cloud" to the encore).

I'll happily buy all of these nights on CD and DVD. The Sunday set list looks amazing, but I'm baffled that the first night was quite a bit shorter than the rest, although those two encores after Anoraknophobia look amazing.

-Marc.
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Offline ytserush

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #642 on: April 16, 2015, 07:26:00 PM »
Listening to CaS again after a long break. Like everyone else.. just in awe at the music and wondering what would have come next if Fish hadn't left.

I only wonder about that when I listen to the second disc. It really hits home then because the evidence is there.

Probably no surprise that I love both A Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors and Seasons End.

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #643 on: April 17, 2015, 10:05:17 AM »
Probably no surprise that I love both A Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors and Seasons End.

I just put Vigil on.  :rollin

I'll need to listen to the second disc of CaS more closely.

Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #644 on: April 18, 2015, 04:23:26 PM »

Probably no surprise that I love both A Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors and Seasons End.

This. I loved Season´s End when it came out. Then I listened to Vigil. It was just as good. 
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Offline Prog Snob

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #645 on: April 18, 2015, 10:36:54 PM »
Listening to CaS again after a long break. Like everyone else.. just in awe at the music and wondering what would have come next if Fish hadn't left.

I only wonder about that when I listen to the second disc. It really hits home then because the evidence is there.

Probably no surprise that I love both A Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors and Seasons End.

Season's End was the first Marillion CD I ever bought. 

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #646 on: April 20, 2015, 07:01:35 AM »
So I do a majority of my music listening at work in the background.

This morning I was listening to CaS on the way to work. That keyboard jingle in "That time of the night" hit me like a ton of bricks. Simple yet catchy.

Might be my new favorite song on CaS.

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #647 on: April 30, 2015, 03:00:11 PM »
Scored this on eBay




Offline ytserush

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #648 on: May 02, 2015, 03:33:28 PM »
Nice!  I got one of those.

A signed litho also hangs on a wall in our dining room.

Unfortunately, the picture disc and the litho have airbrushed clown faces over where Mark Kelly and former manager John Arnison should be. They were removed from all but the initial pressings due to legal reasons. I was always bummed by that. I think it gives the piece more character.

Fish/Marillion (Mark Wilkinson) have a lot of awesome picture discs.  I think he's my favorite album artist.   

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #649 on: May 19, 2015, 10:15:08 AM »
The more I listen and absorb Misplaced Childhood and CaS (I haven't gotten into Script or Fugazi yet) the more I am saddened by the split.

Watching Hogarth try and do some of the Fish era songs live (at least on Youtube) make me sad, I don't think he holds a candle. And nearly none of the H era stuff grabs me like the Fish era has.  But I think even to the bands own admittance they're more pop now than ever.

Then again we might not have had Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors, Sunsets on Empire or Feast .... if they hadn't split.


Listening now to Seasons End.. trying to get a feel for it and H's vocals are so different it's hard to even think of them as Marillion.

Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #650 on: May 19, 2015, 10:27:02 AM »
It was a terrible loss. That's for sure.

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #651 on: May 19, 2015, 10:39:37 AM »
It was a terrible loss. That's for sure.

It is.

Then again, I think H took care of his voice better. Fish (again on youtube) from recent shows sounds pretty freakin bad. 

Why do singers do that?  So many wreck their voices doing dumb stuff...


Offline snowdog

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #652 on: May 19, 2015, 12:38:02 PM »
The more I listen and absorb Misplaced Childhood and CaS (I haven't gotten into Script or Fugazi yet) the more I am saddened by the split.

Watching Hogarth try and do some of the Fish era songs live (at least on Youtube) make me sad, I don't think he holds a candle.
To be fair Fish can't hold a candle to that material anymore.  I saw him several years ago at NEARFest.  It was a shame that all the CaS material he performed had to be tuned down and even then he couldn't hit the notes too well.  It's a shame.

But comparing Hogarth to Fish in his prime I do agree that Fish wins.  That said I do really like Season's End, Brave, and most of Afraid of Sunlight.  Hogarth's voice is fine on those albums it is just different than Fish.

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #653 on: May 19, 2015, 12:53:33 PM »
To be fair Fish can't hold a candle to that material anymore.  I saw him several years ago at NEARFest.  It was a shame that all the CaS material he performed had to be tuned down and even then he couldn't hit the notes too well.  It's a shame.

But comparing Hogarth to Fish in his prime I do agree that Fish wins.  That said I do really like Season's End, Brave, and most of Afraid of Sunlight.  Hogarth's voice is fine on those albums it is just different than Fish.

Yeah I mention how Fish sounds bad now.

H "sounds" fine, but there's something about Fish and how he sings, his inflection, accent and all. It really makes it stand out.  H is just kinda there singing.

Listening to Brave Now. it's ok.

Offline BlackInk

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #654 on: May 19, 2015, 01:08:26 PM »
I don't listen to Marillion, but my cousin had his second daughter a few months ago, who he and his girlfriend named Leah Marillion Larnhem, after this band. Just a fun little thing I felt like sharing.

Offline jammindude

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #655 on: May 19, 2015, 01:43:04 PM »
In his prime, Fish's conviction and emotion could not be beat.   

But to tell you the truth, I *always* thought he was lacking as a singer.   His tone was was always really nasaly and I don't think I heard a single album where he didn't have pitch issues.   Lots of singers will hit the odd sour note live, but to have multiple takes in a studio and still have issues getting it just right?   Not good.

I do love Fish-era Marillion, but I consider Fish to be someone I like for their performance *rather than* their talent.   Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction is someone who reminds me a bit of Fish.   Never thought Perry was a talented singer on any level whatsoever.  But his performance, emotion, and conviction was what sold it.
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Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #656 on: May 19, 2015, 02:05:03 PM »
but to have multiple takes in a studio and still have issues getting it just right?   Not good.

Is this well known or something? I think this applies to nearly every singer and every studio session EVER. That's part of the point of the studio and professional services. Multiple takes, multiple sessions.. perfection.


Offline jammindude

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #657 on: May 19, 2015, 02:09:39 PM »
You're not getting what I'm saying.  Fish had multiple takes and professional services and in spite of that he STILL had issues getting it "perfect"...doesn't say a lot for his "singing" ability (which I feel he had little of in the first place)
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Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #658 on: May 19, 2015, 02:14:41 PM »
You're not getting what I'm saying.  Fish had multiple takes and professional services and in spite of that he STILL had issues getting it "perfect"...doesn't say a lot for his "singing" ability (which I feel he had little of in the first place)

I think the studio stuff sounds pretty good to me. Much more passable then a lot of other stuff I've come across.


Offline ytserush

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #659 on: May 19, 2015, 04:16:55 PM »
The more I listen and absorb Misplaced Childhood and CaS (I haven't gotten into Script or Fugazi yet) the more I am saddened by the split.

Watching Hogarth try and do some of the Fish era songs live (at least on Youtube) make me sad, I don't think he holds a candle. And nearly none of the H era stuff grabs me like the Fish era has.  But I think even to the bands own admittance they're more pop now than ever.

Then again we might not have had Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors, Sunsets on Empire or Feast .... if they hadn't split.


Listening now to Seasons End.. trying to get a feel for it and H's vocals are so different it's hard to even think of them as Marillion.

I try not to think of Hogarth doing any Fish songs myself. But then I also try and forget Marillion recorded Brave and Afraid of Sunlight too.

Fish didn't succeed for his vocal talents, that's for sure, but the guy never stops coming at you and all you hold dear.

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #660 on: May 19, 2015, 07:13:49 PM »
The more I listen and absorb Misplaced Childhood and CaS (I haven't gotten into Script or Fugazi yet) the more I am saddened by the split.

Watching Hogarth try and do some of the Fish era songs live (at least on Youtube) make me sad, I don't think he holds a candle. And nearly none of the H era stuff grabs me like the Fish era has.  But I think even to the bands own admittance they're more pop now than ever.

Then again we might not have had Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors, Sunsets on Empire or Feast .... if they hadn't split.


Listening now to Seasons End.. trying to get a feel for it and H's vocals are so different it's hard to even think of them as Marillion.

I try not to think of Hogarth doing any Fish songs myself. But then I also try and forget Marillion recorded Brave and Afraid of Sunlight too.

Fish didn't succeed for his vocal talents, that's for sure, but the guy never stops coming at you and all you hold dear.

He does have a way with words but I also think his vocals aren't bad at all.

Offline Shadow Ninja 2.0

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #661 on: May 19, 2015, 07:36:58 PM »
Honestly I've always enjoyed H much more than Fish.

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #662 on: May 20, 2015, 07:01:46 AM »
Honestly I've always enjoyed H much more than Fish.

Listening to Fish era vs H era.. it feels like the music got less complex on top of the different vocals.


Offline goo-goo

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #663 on: May 20, 2015, 08:22:10 AM »
Honestly I've always enjoyed H much more than Fish.

This. I'm not a fan of the Fish era but H blows me away. Love his lyrics. They are always great to hear and interpret.

Offline ?

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Re: Marillion
« Reply #664 on: May 20, 2015, 01:23:55 PM »
I like both singers - my top 2 albums are CAS and Seasons End. I'm glad the band parted ways with Fish, because as cool as another album with him would've been, obviously the chemistry wasn't there anymore. Luckily we have both Marillion and Fish's solo career to follow.

However, H has definitely taken better care of his voice. Fish himself has admitted he strained his voice too much in the Marillion days: https://fishheadsclub.com/?wpmlmethod=newsletter&id=51
Quote
My voice was holding together well as we'd set the keys up in the writing where it wouldn't be straining. In the old days I'd rattle it out full pelt into the wee hours accompanied by wine and other "additives" that weren't exactly conducive to vocal stamina. Occasionally tapes would be slowed down for those really awkward high notes if continually running and jumping against the wall didn't get the desired result. I didn't know enough about music or think of asking the band to move keys in writing stages back then. They played. I sang with them. It would create problems later on as the years went by and I just physically could not sing like the 20 odd year old did on the albums.At 55 I take a different outlook and plan accordingly. My voice has changed over the years as I've got older and the wear and tear took it's toll. I've settled into a vocal area where my voice has lost some of it's range but benefited from the richness and tone working in lower keys that suit my voice. it's a lot more natural than that false falsetto I used to use that was untrained and forced resulting in long term issues that I had to deal with later on. The vocals on this album are spot on and I learned a lot on the Fishheads Club acoustic tour.
I've also read he used to be a smoker, which most likely didn't help, either.