I can't think of another band that I own more albums from that I'm more "on the fence" about than Marillion.
I own more than half their catalog, and less than half does it for me.
I think Childhood, Straws, Anorak, and Marbles are among the most brilliant albums I've ever heard and I've never gotten tired of listening to them from start to finish. Absolutely 10/10....all of them.
Script and Fugazi are really hit and miss. I like half or less of the material. Same with Season's End, Holidays in Eden, and Brave. Although all of these albums have songs on them that I consider to be must have's. (Easter, Brave, Splintering Heart, and a few others). Afraid of Sunlight does nothing for me.
This Strange Engine came out when I was working at a CD store, and it just got played in store a lot, and it ended up grabbing me. So I like that one. On the strength of that, I got Radiation and dot com....Radiation had some gems, but dot com fell completely flat for me.
Then I had a buddy tell me I had to check out Anorak....and I absolutely fell in love with it. ADORE that album. Then Marbles came and I really began to become a bigger fan about that time. And on the strength of Marbles I even got in early on the pre-order of Somewhere Else.....which was one of the biggest let downs of my entire life. Really really boring album.
Based on that disappointment, I never even listened to Happiness, Less is More, and Sounds. But then everyone started freaking out about FEAR, so I picked that one up and it just didn't grab me at all.
Maybe it's just been timing.
I'm off on some of the details but this is pretty accurate for me, as well. I got in with Misplaced Childhood, in the same way I got in to Dream Thetaer: "hey, cool video, I need to check that out!". Huge Fish-era fan, and even collected all the 12" singles (b-sides). MC was the first CD I ever bought (with Perfect Strangers, Brothers In Arms, and Power Windows). Due to poor planning and hard work towards my Alcoholic's Degree, I missed them in '86 when they toured MC, but I finally got to see them on the Season's End tour, and it was MAGIC. I loved Season's End, even with the singer change. Then the bumps started. Holidays sucked (and the two versions were confusing and betrayed a sort of lack of confidence by the band). There's little on there that I go back to at this point (Waiting To Happen is good, though).
But then... Brave. Not as good as MC, but it was a sort of confirmation that they still got it. PLUS, Dave Meegan. I LOVE the work that Dave Meegan did with the band, and while I get that the band didn't like the working style (he was sort of relentless about saving scraps and bits and making the band go back to them) he got a great sound for them. I got Afraid of Sunlight, but I didn't really click with it, and I HATED Cannibal Surf Babe at first. Then, "This Strange Engine" and I hated it so much I swore off Marillion for good. I did go back and purchase the two-CD remasters, and subsequently warmed to Afraid... once I knew what they were doing (all the songs are homages of a sort, and CSB was a sort of Beach Boys pastiche which I really liked once I knew what the point was). But I was out on new music.
THEN the fervor over Marbles. One CD, two CDs, 20-minute epic (which I find overrated now) I thought I'd give it a shot. And it's GOOD. It's REALLY good. I love Neverland (I've seen it twice, live, and it's made me cry both times) I love Drilling Holes, The Damage, Genie, Marbles IV... I love how H put himself out there and it really resonated (contrast that to H as social justice warrior, and I tune out). I went back and filled in the blanks: Radiation is very good (like the remix better), marillion.com is average, Anoraknophobia is EXCELLENT. But then the wheels came off (and haven't really been restored). I hated Somewhere Else (it sounded like a throwaway). I didn't quite get "Happiness..." and it still hasn't really clicked. I hated Less Is Less. Both Sounds... and FEAR are okay - I saw the FEAR tour - but hit or miss. As I noted, I don't really care for H's self-righteousness at times, and the music doesn't seem to be... epic. I don't need 20-minute bombast, but I don't really care for their Massive Attack-style noodlings either. I like a little more "rock band" and a little less "atmosphere". I don't want them to change for me, there is plenty in the catalogue for me to dig into, but there's a LOT in the catalogue I don't. I think the only other band I'm SO into but so indifferently is the Grateful Dead.