Marillion

[XeRocks81]

really excited about the complete 1984 Montreal Spectrum show.   I wasn't there of course, I was too young but the first time I saw Marillion live was at the Spectrum in 2004 on the Marbles tour and that venue closed just a few years later.  Such a shame.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Details of the Fugazi deluxe re-issue announced:

https://www.marillion.com/shop/albums/remast53.htm?fbclid=IwAR3A7T0Zj-HtVsbHZl4KCwmy-YKMjHrayh_KNdjHa7wGrHIW7U65y4EUUYY

I imagine this one will benefit from a modern remix, though the original isn't bad to me.

I think the original mix is fine. However Fugazi is my least favorite of the Fish era.  It's still a decent album though.

I prefer Fugazi to Script, but those are my two least favorite Marillion albums for sure. Fugazi starts really strong with Assassing, Punch and Judy, and Jigsaw, but then it just falls off a cliff into dense bloviating from Fish.

Yeah, those 3 songs are amazing, but then the rest is just, meh.....

Jigsaw is right up there with the best Fish-era songs.

[BelichickFan]

Misplaced Childhood
Fugazi
Script

(big gap)

Clutching at Straws

are my favorite Marillion albums in that order.

Zero interest in Hogarth albums, I've tried and find him to be the most boring singer ever.  Love the Fish era though.

[HOF]

Misplaced Childhood
Fugazi
Script

(big gap)

Clutching at Straws

are my favorite Marillion albums in that order.

Zero interest in Hogarth albums, I've tried and find him to be the most boring singer ever.  Love the Fish era though.

Man, setting aside the dislike for Hogarth (taste and all that), Clutching is just a tremendous album in my view. It was really the apex of the Fish era and the one Fish album I consider as good as anything else they've done with Hogarth.

[BelichickFan]

Misplaced Childhood
Fugazi
Script

(big gap)

Clutching at Straws

are my favorite Marillion albums in that order.

Zero interest in Hogarth albums, I've tried and find him to be the most boring singer ever.  Love the Fish era though.

Man, setting aside the dislike for Hogarth (taste and all that), Clutching is just a tremendous album in my view. It was really the apex of the Fish era and the one Fish album I consider as good as anything else they've done with Hogarth.

Most people say that about Clutching.  I've tried to hear it from the "great" standpoint but it's just good for me.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Wow, I mean tastes and all that, but Hogarth is one of the most emotive singers out there. Especially in his prime.

[jammindude]

Clutching is Fish's best lyrical album period. Possibly one of the greatest lyrical albums I've ever heard. (That's saying a lot for someone who revers Neil Peart as much as I do)

I had always wondered what the fuss was about with Marillion. I really liked a couple things f their albums. Misplaced Childhood and Anorak were particularly good...but I never understood the reverence they got. The rest seemed barely passable.

But then I heard Clutching and it all clicked. That is one of the most phenomenal albums I've ever heard. After that, the rest started to click with me a bit more. I've gotten to the point where I really like Script as well. I'm still up and down on the H material. Still can't get into FEAR. But I love Marbles, Anorak, and Season's End.

I'm with the majority on Fugazi. It's my least favorite of the Fish stuff, but it's got redeeming tracks, and I already have the other 3 collections, so it would be a shame to split it up. I'll definitely get Season's End when it comes out, and the Holidays one might be an opportunity to revisit that album. I haven't heard it in awhile

[HOF]

Clutching is Fish's best lyrical album period. Possibly one of the greatest lyrical albums I've ever heard. (That's saying a lot for someone who revers Neil Peart as much as I do)

It's also possibly Steve Rothery's finest guitar performance and a really great guitar album in general. Rothery was just on fire, and since he and Fish were on bad terms at the time it almost feels like they were trading jabs musically/artistically.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Clutching is Fish's best lyrical album period. Possibly one of the greatest lyrical albums I've ever heard. (That's saying a lot for someone who revers Neil Peart as much as I do)

It's also possibly Steve Rothery's finest guitar performance and a really great guitar album in general. Rothery was just on fire, and since he and Fish were on bad terms at the time it almost feels like they were trading jabs musically/artistically.

Rothery's performance on that album is stellar. However, I have to give the nod to Marbles, just because of the sheer diversity and the pure emotion. I am a bit biased though, since that album is as close to perfect as an album can be.

[HOF]

Clutching is Fish's best lyrical album period. Possibly one of the greatest lyrical albums I've ever heard. (That's saying a lot for someone who revers Neil Peart as much as I do)

It's also possibly Steve Rothery's finest guitar performance and a really great guitar album in general. Rothery was just on fire, and since he and Fish were on bad terms at the time it almost feels like they were trading jabs musically/artistically.

Rothery's performance on that album is stellar. However, I have to give the nod to Marbles, just because of the sheer diversity and the pure emotion. I am a bit biased though, since that album is as close to perfect as an album can be.

Marbles is almost a perfect album for sure, with some monster moments from Rothery.

[jammindude]

Interesting. I've already listed Marbles as one of their greatest albums. Ocean Cloud alone may be the greatest Hogarth song of them all. But as an entire body of work, I think I still consider Anoraknophobia as the H-era's finest hour.

[HOF]

Interesting. I've already listed Marbles as one of their greatest albums. Ocean Cloud alone may be the greatest Hogarth song of them all. But as an entire body of work, I think I still consider Anoraknophobia as the H-era's finest hour.

Anorak was one of my entry points to the band (the current release at the time I got into them). I don't think I really loved it at the time, and it wasn't really until Marbles came out that I went back and sort of got it. It's at times been one I really like and at other times kind of a forgotten Marillion album for me. I need to pull it out again because it's been a while. I've been going album by album along with the Between You and Me podcast, and they're on Radiation now so I'll be getting to it soon I guess!

I will say that one of my favorite underappreciated Marillion tracks is The Fruit of the Wild Rose. Think that one was really brilliantly put together. Love how it goes from the little jam at the beginning to the more expansive chorus and then that amazing middle section.

[Stadler]

Misplaced Childhood
Fugazi
Script

(big gap)

Clutching at Straws

are my favorite Marillion albums in that order.

Zero interest in Hogarth albums, I've tried and find him to be the most boring singer ever.  Love the Fish era though.

Man, setting aside the dislike for Hogarth (taste and all that), Clutching is just a tremendous album in my view. It was really the apex of the Fish era and the one Fish album I consider as good as anything else they've done with Hogarth.

Yeah, me too.  Clutching is BY FAR my favorite Marillion album - of both eras - and one of my probably top 10 or even top 5 albums of all time by any artist ever.

Clutching
Misplaced
Fugazi
Script


I really like, not love, the Hogarth era; some is great - Marbles, Season's End - and some not - Somewhere Else, This Strange Engine.   

None of it approaches CaS. it is, to me, a perfect album.

[HOF]

Misplaced Childhood
Fugazi
Script

(big gap)

Clutching at Straws

are my favorite Marillion albums in that order.

Zero interest in Hogarth albums, I've tried and find him to be the most boring singer ever.  Love the Fish era though.

Man, setting aside the dislike for Hogarth (taste and all that), Clutching is just a tremendous album in my view. It was really the apex of the Fish era and the one Fish album I consider as good as anything else they've done with Hogarth.

Yeah, me too.  Clutching is BY FAR my favorite Marillion album - of both eras - and one of my probably top 10 or even top 5 albums of all time by any artist ever.

Clutching
Misplaced
Fugazi
Script


I really like, not love, the Hogarth era; some is great - Marbles, Season's End - and some not - Somewhere Else, This Strange Engine.   

None of it approaches CaS. it is, to me, a perfect album.

To me there are 4 great Marillion albums that I could rank in almost any order, but sitting here now, I'd probably go:

1. Afraid of Sunlight
2. Brave
3. Clutching at Straws
4. Marbles

Maybe Misplaced Childhood should also be in that grouping, but I think it's in the next tier down for me along with FEAR which I really think is a tremendous album. I generally love all of the H era, though I agree on Somewhere Else and This Strange Engine being among the weaker ones.

My second tier might be something like (all fairly interchangeable):

FEAR
Misplaced Childhood
Radiation (2013)
Marillion.com
Season's End
Holidays in Eden
Sounds that Can't be Made
Anoraknophobia
Less is More

The stragglers would be:

This Strange Engine
Happiness is the Road
Somewhere Else
Fugazi
Script

[Stadler]

I would swap Less Is More and Fugazi, in terms of groupings (maybe Script too) but there's not a lot to disagree with there. 

[HOF]

I would swap Less Is More and Fugazi, in terms of groupings (maybe Script too) but there's not a lot to disagree with there.

Yeah, I hesitated to include Less is More anyway, but I really do enjoy it. It actually kind of pulled me back in after being let down a bit by Happiness is the Road and I wanted to give it some love.

I don't know why I don't like Script very much. I feel like I should enjoy it more on a classic prog level than I do. I think it has more to do with it being kind of way out of range of what the band would become (same reason many original Marillion fans don't connect so much with the H era I guess), and Fish just being a little bit grating in his performance.

[Stadler]

I would swap Less Is More and Fugazi, in terms of groupings (maybe Script too) but there's not a lot to disagree with there.

Yeah, I hesitated to include Less is More anyway, but I really do enjoy it. It actually kind of pulled me back in after being let down a bit by Happiness is the Road and I wanted to give it some love.

I don't know why I don't like Script very much. I feel like I should enjoy it more on a classic prog level than I do. I think it has more to do with it being kind of way out of range of what the band would become (same reason many original Marillion fans don't connect so much with the H era I guess), and Fish just being a little bit grating in his performance.

I don't know, because I wasn't there, but I imagine if you saw the early Marquee shows in person, the album would resonate a lot more.  All those songs were concert set pieces and I think played that way on record.   The title track is the only song I would ever knowingly go to to listen to.  Maybe "He Knows You Know".   

[HOF]

I would swap Less Is More and Fugazi, in terms of groupings (maybe Script too) but there's not a lot to disagree with there.

Yeah, I hesitated to include Less is More anyway, but I really do enjoy it. It actually kind of pulled me back in after being let down a bit by Happiness is the Road and I wanted to give it some love.

I don't know why I don't like Script very much. I feel like I should enjoy it more on a classic prog level than I do. I think it has more to do with it being kind of way out of range of what the band would become (same reason many original Marillion fans don't connect so much with the H era I guess), and Fish just being a little bit grating in his performance.

I don't know, because I wasn't there, but I imagine if you saw the early Marquee shows in person, the album would resonate a lot more.  All those songs were concert set pieces and I think played that way on record.   The title track is the only song I would ever knowingly go to to listen to.  Maybe "He Knows You Know".

I like Garden Party and He Knows you Know a good bit. I think H (when he tries) does Garden Party better than Fish did though!

[romdrums]

Details of the Fugazi deluxe re-issue announced:

https://www.marillion.com/shop/albums/remast53.htm?fbclid=IwAR3A7T0Zj-HtVsbHZl4KCwmy-YKMjHrayh_KNdjHa7wGrHIW7U65y4EUUYY

I imagine this one will benefit from a modern remix, though the original isn't bad to me.

I think the original mix is fine. However Fugazi is my least favorite of the Fish era.  It's still a decent album though.

I prefer Fugazi to Script, but those are my two least favorite Marillion albums for sure. Fugazi starts really strong with Assassing, Punch and Judy, and Jigsaw, but then it just falls off a cliff into dense bloviating from Fish.

Yeah, those 3 songs are amazing, but then the rest is just, meh.....

Jigsaw is right up there with the best Fish-era songs.

I'm a big fan of Fugazi.  Superior to the debut in every way, and easily my second favorite of the Fish era albums after Clutching.  I like the first three tracks, but I think the album gets much better (and darker) starting with Emerald Lies and going through to the end.  Some of my favorite Fish era stuff in there.

[nick_z]

Clutching the Straws is amazing and my favorite Marillion. Misplaced Childhood and Seasons End follow pretty closely.

As for the rest of Fish era - I might prefer Fugazi to Script too, although the latter's title track is classic.

I have a soft spot for Holidays in Eden, no matter how "commercial" it was trying to sound. Some of the melodies are just fantastic in there. Brave and Afraid of Sunlight are great too. Then things get a little shaky for me, in Marillion-land  This Strange Engine has very good moments alongside questionable ones (LOVE Man of a Thousand Faces, though), and I was very disappointed when Radiation came out. As a result, I didn't pay attention for a little while (although, in retrospect, Anoraknophobia is a good one). Marbles I enjoyed, but not as much as I thought I would, given the reactions at the time...

...and after that, it's again a bit of a blur. Of the last few albums, I haven't heard Happiness, Less is More and FEAR, and I wasn't terribly impressed with Somewhere Else and Sounds That Can't Be Made.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I know most don't rate Somewhere Else very highly, but I have a soft spot for that album. It does sort of feel like Marbles B-sides, but I think the overall atmosphere is great.

On the flip side, I think Brave is waaaay overrated. There are some great tracks to be sure, but as a whole it just doesn't click with me.

[HOF]

I know most don't rate Somewhere Else very highly, but I have a soft spot for that album. It does sort of feel like Marbles B-sides, but I think the overall atmosphere is great.

On the flip side, I think Brave is waaaay overrated. There are some great tracks to be sure, but as a whole it just doesn't click with me.

There are some songs on Somewhere Else that I rate highly (The Other Half, A Voice from the Past, the title track), and I don't hate it the way some fans do. I do think it's a relatively weak Marillion album, but it's not a bad album necessarily. There really isn't an H era Marillion album that doesn't have songs that I really love. That ability to consistently produce gems even on their lesser albums is one of the reasons I love them so much. For instance, a lot of people don't like Marillion.com. It has some low points for sure, but then Go!, Tumble Down the Years, Interior Lulu, and House are four of my favorite Marillion songs.

[SoundscapeMN]

I know most don't rate Somewhere Else very highly, but I have a soft spot for that album. It does sort of feel like Marbles B-sides, but I think the overall atmosphere is great.

On the flip side, I think Brave is waaaay overrated. There are some great tracks to be sure, but as a whole it just doesn't click with me.

There are some songs on Somewhere Else that I rate highly (The Other Half, A Voice from the Past, the title track), and I don't hate it the way some fans do. I do think it's a relatively weak Marillion album, but it's not a bad album necessarily. There really isn't an H era Marillion album that doesn't have songs that I really love. That ability to consistently produce gems even on their lesser albums is one of the reasons I love them so much. For instance, a lot of people don't like Marillion.com. It has some low points for sure, but then Go!, Tumble Down the Years, Interior Lulu, and House are four of my favorite Marillion songs.

I'm of this feeling for the most part. 1 reason I considered them my favorite band many years ago was how even with my least favorite records, I enjoy many moments and tracks. .com I happen to love nearly all of.

Somewhere Else I recall initially I was let down by, finding it a bit too much of a downer. But I remember by the end of the year in 2007, I grew to enjoy much of it. Voice of the Past and the title track namely.

[Stadler]

Clutching the Straws is amazing and my favorite Marillion. Misplaced Childhood and Seasons End follow pretty closely.

As for the rest of Fish era - I might prefer Fugazi to Script too, although the latter's title track is classic.

I have a soft spot for Holidays in Eden, no matter how "commercial" it was trying to sound. Some of the melodies are just fantastic in there. Brave and Afraid of Sunlight are great too. Then things get a little shaky for me, in Marillion-land  This Strange Engine has very good moments alongside questionable ones (LOVE Man of a Thousand Faces, though), and I was very disappointed when Radiation came out. As a result, I didn't pay attention for a little while (although, in retrospect, Anoraknophobia is a good one). Marbles I enjoyed, but not as much as I thought I would, given the reactions at the time...

...and after that, it's again a bit of a blur. Of the last few albums, I haven't heard Happiness, Less is More and FEAR, and I wasn't terribly impressed with Somewhere Else and Sounds That Can't Be Made.

We mirror a lot here.  Some differences - I'm a fan of the melodies on HiE, too, but the album just sounds too wimpy for me.  I don't mind commercial, that wasn't it, it was the sound.  CaS and SE are two of the best sounding records I own and they ditched that.  But things get shaky at the same time for us; but with me, it was TSE that made me lose attention, and once I rejoined - with Marbles - I went back and yes, Anoraknophobia is a solid record. 

[Stadler]

I know most don't rate Somewhere Else very highly, but I have a soft spot for that album. It does sort of feel like Marbles B-sides, but I think the overall atmosphere is great.

On the flip side, I think Brave is waaaay overrated. There are some great tracks to be sure, but as a whole it just doesn't click with me.

There are some songs on Somewhere Else that I rate highly (The Other Half, A Voice from the Past, the title track), and I don't hate it the way some fans do. I do think it's a relatively weak Marillion album, but it's not a bad album necessarily. There really isn't an H era Marillion album that doesn't have songs that I really love. That ability to consistently produce gems even on their lesser albums is one of the reasons I love them so much. For instance, a lot of people don't like Marillion.com. It has some low points for sure, but then Go!, Tumble Down the Years, Interior Lulu, and House are four of my favorite Marillion songs.

The problem with Somewhere Else is that it is Zooropa, or Draw The Line, or The Final Cut... it followed Marbles, which for me fired on ALL cylinders. That was everything the hype made it out to be (and the last with Dave Meegan, if I recall; they need to rekindle the fire with that dude, stat.)

[HOF]

I'm a fan of the melodies on HiE, too, but the album just sounds too wimpy for me.  I don't mind commercial, that wasn't it, it was the sound.   

Holidays in Eden is a weird one that I didn't love for a while but it grew on me every time I revisited it. I think it was partly due to the US version's track listing. A Collection is nice, but I can't stand How Can it Hurt, and I think the UK track order just works a little better. I don't mind the Christopher Neal production. It has more muscle to it than something like Mike + The Mechanics, and some proggy moments next to the pop, which made the whole thing a bit of a mash up of styles. It's a unique album that was clearly intended to reach a broader audience, but the band couldn't really get all the way there to a pop album. Maybe it ends up doing neither pop nor prog very well, but I kind of like that about it.

I do like this demo version of No One Can a lot. More stripped down and it just rocks a little more than the final product.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwxyDMCUgQI

The problem with Somewhere Else is that it is Zooropa, or Draw The Line, or The Final Cut... it followed Marbles, which for me fired on ALL cylinders. That was everything the hype made it out to be (and the last with Dave Meegan, if I recall; they need to rekindle the fire with that dude, stat.)

It's interesting because Meegan was just on Hogarth's podcast the other week, and I got the impression that he thinks fondly of the band and that he and H at least are still on good terms. I don't know that I've ever heard a specific reason why they stopped working together after Marbles other than wanting to try something new, and Mike Hunter seeming to know and work with the band well (quirks and all) due to running live sound and helping out in the studio. I get the sense that they are sort of joined at the hip with Hunter now as he's a big part of the Marillion organization and almost another band member. I'm not sure how easy it would be to get him to move over for Meegan to do an album, but I suppose if the band wanted to do it they could.

[DTA]

I know most don't rate Somewhere Else very highly, but I have a soft spot for that album. It does sort of feel like Marbles B-sides, but I think the overall atmosphere is great.

On the flip side, I think Brave is waaaay overrated. There are some great tracks to be sure, but as a whole it just doesn't click with me.

Somewhere Else is sloppy overall but The Wound is a track I highly recommend revisiting. Seems to have disappeared from everyone's memory but it's a really great track surrounded by a lot of mediocrity. The title track is also spectacular and Faith does it for me as well.

[HOF]

I know most don't rate Somewhere Else very highly, but I have a soft spot for that album. It does sort of feel like Marbles B-sides, but I think the overall atmosphere is great.

On the flip side, I think Brave is waaaay overrated. There are some great tracks to be sure, but as a whole it just doesn't click with me.

Somewhere Else is sloppy overall but The Wound is a track I highly recommend revisiting. Seems to have disappeared from everyone's memory but it's a really great track surrounded by a lot of mediocrity. The title track is also spectacular and Faith does it for me as well.

I do like Faith a lot, but The Wound is one of the disappointments of the album for me. It starts off well and then kind of gets lost in the second half and never finds its way back to anything super interesting. More of a missed opportunity than anything. 

[Stadler]

It's interesting because Meegan was just on Hogarth's podcast the other week, and I got the impression that he thinks fondly of the band and that he and H at least are still on good terms. I don't know that I've ever heard a specific reason why they stopped working together after Marbles other than wanting to try something new, and Mike Hunter seeming to know and work with the band well (quirks and all) due to running live sound and helping out in the studio. I get the sense that they are sort of joined at the hip with Hunter now as he's a big part of the Marillion organization and almost another band member. I'm not sure how easy it would be to get him to move over for Meegan to do an album, but I suppose if the band wanted to do it they could.

Don't ask me where I heard this, because I can't recall, but he was pretty intense.  He would catalogue all the little riffs and bits and pull them out during recording and... these are my words, but you'll get the idea - sort of force them on the band.  "This should go here" kind of thing.  I think the band wanted to get away from that structure a bit and do a little more free-flowing thing.  To their detriment, if you're asking me.

I think he also got their second best sound (behind Kimsey).

[HOF]

It's interesting because Meegan was just on Hogarth's podcast the other week, and I got the impression that he thinks fondly of the band and that he and H at least are still on good terms. I don't know that I've ever heard a specific reason why they stopped working together after Marbles other than wanting to try something new, and Mike Hunter seeming to know and work with the band well (quirks and all) due to running live sound and helping out in the studio. I get the sense that they are sort of joined at the hip with Hunter now as he's a big part of the Marillion organization and almost another band member. I'm not sure how easy it would be to get him to move over for Meegan to do an album, but I suppose if the band wanted to do it they could.

Don't ask me where I heard this, because I can't recall, but he was pretty intense.  He would catalogue all the little riffs and bits and pull them out during recording and... these are my words, but you'll get the idea - sort of force them on the band.  "This should go here" kind of thing.  I think the band wanted to get away from that structure a bit and do a little more free-flowing thing.  To their detriment, if you're asking me.

I think he also got their second best sound (behind Kimsey).

He definitely worked that way and I know on at least Afraid of Sunlight he ruffled some band member's feathers by the way he assembled some of the songs (I know Mark Kelly was not initially happy with the album). But the thing is, I think Hunter does pretty much the same thing in terms of cataloging all the jams and pulling the best parts out, etc. I get the sense that maybe they had the chance to bring him on full time as sort of the producer in residence at Racket and possibly save some money (not cynicism, just reality given the way they work).

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

It's interesting because Meegan was just on Hogarth's podcast the other week, and I got the impression that he thinks fondly of the band and that he and H at least are still on good terms. I don't know that I've ever heard a specific reason why they stopped working together after Marbles other than wanting to try something new, and Mike Hunter seeming to know and work with the band well (quirks and all) due to running live sound and helping out in the studio. I get the sense that they are sort of joined at the hip with Hunter now as he's a big part of the Marillion organization and almost another band member. I'm not sure how easy it would be to get him to move over for Meegan to do an album, but I suppose if the band wanted to do it they could.

Don't ask me where I heard this, because I can't recall, but he was pretty intense.  He would catalogue all the little riffs and bits and pull them out during recording and... these are my words, but you'll get the idea - sort of force them on the band.  "This should go here" kind of thing.  I think the band wanted to get away from that structure a bit and do a little more free-flowing thing.  To their detriment, if you're asking me.

I think he also got their second best sound (behind Kimsey).

Sounds a lot like the way Devin Townsend produces albums. Everything has to be exactly where he wants it. He is a perfectionist to the extreme. However, I think he gets great results every time. Some people just have a knack for knowing the perfect structure of songs and all their various parts.

[HOF]

Out of sheer curiosity and because it would be different, I'd kind of like to see the band work with Trevor Horn. Hogarth has done some stuff with him recently and Horn told him he was a fan of "what he does," so I could see him maybe being willing to produce an album or some sort of special project.

[The Curious Orange]

Dave Meegan is expensive. That's why they stopped working with him. Mike Hunter is fantastic at pulling the music together, but when it comes to mixing and mastering, he's a cloth-eared clod. Audiophile albums these aren't. 

[HOF]

Latest update. Sounds like recording should be done this month, then they are taking August off and mixing in September. They mention the first time we might hear new material is at the November shows, so I'm guessing we're looking at early/spring 2022 release date for the album. Kind of a bummer.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7OhkUn1O4BU

[ytserush]

Details of the Fugazi deluxe re-issue announced:

https://www.marillion.com/shop/albums/remast53.htm?fbclid=IwAR3A7T0Zj-HtVsbHZl4KCwmy-YKMjHrayh_KNdjHa7wGrHIW7U65y4EUUYY

I imagine this one will benefit from a modern remix, though the original isn't bad to me.

Preordered for the two live gigs and the doc.