Marillion

[HOF]

One of these days I really need to write down my thoughts on Marbles, since it's my favorite album ever, and it's really not close.

And for what it's worth, Clutching At Straws is my No. 3 (I've gone crazy with that damn RankingEngine site since doing my Rush list).   Love that Marillion can have two (or maybe more) albums that are so impactful to people.

I see each of AOS, Brave, Marbles, and Clutching at Straws as all time great albums by any band. And then they still have Misplaced Childhood below that tier for me, which many people would still call their strongest.

[romdrums]

I have those 4 in my top 20 all time favorite records.  Misplaced has never done much for me, as I feel like it's 4 hours of lyrics crammed into 20 minutes of legit music.

I downloaded the new album last night, and I've tried to get through it today.  I hope this gets better, because I've yet to make it through a full track yet.  I used to hold H in such high regards, but he's my main gripe so far with this record.  The lyrics just don't match the music for me, and his vocal "melodies" are tuneless and strained.  My main impression listening to this so far is "okay Grandpa, time to sit down." 

[HOF]

I have those 4 in my top 20 all time favorite records.  Misplaced has never done much for me, as I feel like it's 4 hours of lyrics crammed into 20 minutes of legit music.

I downloaded the new album last night, and I've tried to get through it today.  I hope this gets better, because I've yet to make it through a full track yet.  I used to hold H in such high regards, but he's my main gripe so far with this record.  The lyrics just don't match the music for me, and his vocal "melodies" are tuneless and strained.  My main impression listening to this so far is "okay Grandpa, time to sit down."

Ha! As an avid listener of his podcast, I'm keenly aware of what an old fart H is these days (I say that lovingly). He's aged and he admits it, and I think his writing and singing reflect it as well. I don't have a problem with that, but it's not quite the same as when he first joined the band for sure. I'm still waiting for my copy, but I thought he did a really good job on FEAR sort of playing to his limitations and making the most of the voice he has. From what I've heard so far of the new one, it sounds like maybe he's leaning into that further maybe, but that's ok with me.

[Lowdz]

I didn’t listen to Marillion for years because I just didn’t like H’s voice. Now, I can tolerate it but I like Marillion in spite of the singing rather than because of it.

[SoundscapeMN]

I actually made a ranking of all the Marillion studio albums last September here on YouTube (after making review videos for all of their albums), and apparently pissed off a few people in the comments, which isn't all that surprising, lol.

Some people just love to feel offended when their favorite albums are not ranked high, and vice-versa, lol.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I actually made a ranking of all the Marillion studio albums last September here on YouTube (after making review videos for all of their albums), and apparently pissed off a few people in the comments, which isn't all that surprising, lol.

Some people just love to feel offended when their favorite albums are not ranked high, and vice-versa, lol.

I just used ranking engine to rank all the Marillion albums, I didn't rank B-Sides Themselves.

1   Marbles
2   Seasons End
3   Clutching at Straws
4   Afraid of Sunlight
5   Script for a Jester's Tear
6   Misplaced Childhood
7   Holidays In Eden
8   Anoraknophobia
9   Fugazi
10   Somewhere Else
11   Brave
12   This Strange Engine
13   Marillion.com
14   FEAR
15   Sounds That Can't Be Made
16   Happiness is the Road
17   Radiation

[HOF]

Started with the ranker but then ended up doing it all manually and putting them into tiers because the specific order within those tiers changes so frequently.

1. Afraid of Sunlight
2. Brave
3. Marbles
4. Clutching At Straws
…
5. F.E.A.R.
6. Seasons End
7. Holidays In Eden
8. Radiation
9. Marillion.com
10. Sounds That Can’t Be Made
11. Misplaced Childhood
…
12. Anoraknophobia
13. Happiness Is The Road
14. Somewhere Else
15. This Strange Engine
…
16. Fugazi
17. Script For A Jester’s Tear

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Seems Brave and Script is where we really differ in ranking. Interesting.

I have never been able to connect with Brave. It has a ton of great ideas, but the sum of its parts does not add up to a great album to me.

Whereas Script can be really rough around the edges at times, but to me it just connects more. The sum is greater than its parts, so to speak.

[majo]

Wow... what a fantastic brilliant album 

[HOF]

Seems Brave and Script is where we really differ in ranking. Interesting.

I have never been able to connect with Brave. It has a ton of great ideas, but the sum of its parts does not add up to a great album to me.

Whereas Script can be really rough around the edges at times, but to me it just connects more. The sum is greater than its parts, so to speak.

Script just feels like an entirely different band to me, so it’s kind of hard to compare it with the rest of their catalog. I really don’t like how early Fish sang, and a lot of the album comes off as a bit amelodic. I like He Knows You Know and Garden Party, but I’ve never been able to latch onto much else from it.

[lonestar]

Love the new album...not quite as strong as FEAR, but also different, more condensed and tight. Care is the strongest track for me, followed by Murder Machines, though that is subject to change. H's lyrical tone seems very desperate throughout, kind of fits with his vocal tone for me. Solid effort for sure.

[HOF]

I’m on my third listen. Some really strong moments, Care is really powerful and contrasts nicely with/complements Murder Machines. I actually like Be Hard On Yourself more the more times I hear it. A lot of it feels like it needs more time to digest. But I like how it all sounds if that makes sense.

[HOF]

Ok, this album is at the point where it’s really starting to reveal itself to me. It’s a remarkable work with a lot of layers both musically and lyrically. It’s not all immediate, so it’s worth investing a little time to get it. The second half is especially fantastic I think. You have kind of a rockier start with the first three “songs,” and then a lot more of an atmospheric ending to the album with the last three. But then you have a huge, epic crescendo of sound at the end that only Marillion could make (with some help from a really cool choir). I’m sold.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Here's my interview with Steve Rothery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rFA4JHo_Pc

If you can leave us a comment, like the video and subscribe to our channel, that would be great. These are ways you can help us by spending zero dollars.

[Stadler]

Wow. Puppies and HOF; it's surpising (to me) what good albums are BELOW Holidays In Eden on your lists.  I get it, tastes, so I'm not being critical, just making an observation.   I might try the Ranker here in a couple minutes....

[HOF]

Wow. Puppies and HOF; it's surpising (to me) what good albums are BELOW Holidays In Eden on your lists.  I get it, tastes, so I'm not being critical, just making an observation.   I might try the Ranker here in a couple minutes....

Holidays is an album that has grown on me a lot over time, and perhaps because it is sort of controversial I feel like I’ve given it a lot of chances. Something that helped, and I don’t know which version you have, was getting the remastered edition with the original UK running order. The US edition had a different order and two extra tracks (A Collection, which is great, and How Can It Hurt, which I don’t like at all). The UK running order flows better IMO. I’ve come to think of the album as a really great balance of pop and prog. Though I’d also say I’m in no way married to the specific order of my ranking as much as I am the tiers.

[Stadler]

The funny thing is, I LIKE pop.  I don't mind a bit of pop in my music.  I LOVE melody, so there's that.  But there's something just... flat about that record.  Bearing in mind, though, that I heard it in real time (and the release was a mess, with the two versions).  I had just finished a real-time run of Misplaced Childhood, Clutching At Straws and (the excellent) Season's End, then the flat Holidays In Eden... it never really recovered for me.

EDIT:
1   Clutching at Straws
2   Misplaced Childhood
3   Seasons End
4   Marbles
5   Brave
6   Afraid of Sunlight
7   Fugazi
8   Script for a Jester's Tear
9   Anoraknophobia
10   Sounds That Can't Be Made
11   Radiation
12   FEAR
13   Holidays In Eden
14   Marillion.com
15   Happiness is the Road
16   This Strange Engine
17   Somewhere Else

This is okay; I'm surprised some of the Hogarth albums bubbled up over the Fish records (it's no secret I'm a Fish guy). But this is fair; it doesn't reflect the b-sides, though.  I'm a fan of the Marilloin b-sides (Cinderella Search and Lady Nina are both top 15 songs for me).

[HOF]

Fugazi would have really benefitted from having Cinderella Search on it (not sure if that song was written for those sessions or if it came later though). It’s a shame it never made an album. It’s a top tier Fish song for sure.

[Stadler]

It's hard to tell; it was the b-side of "Assassing", which was the second single (it came out about a month after the album came out).  Ian Mosley was on the track and a co-writer, so it dates from either the album sessions or REALLY quickly after.  But having said that, the ending of recording was cut off abruptly because of the impending tour. I think the closing section of "Fugazi" was "constructed" in the studio because the band was already on tour.  That seems to suggest that any other songs had to be part of the recording proper.

[The Letter M]

The band have shared that AHBID is currently number 2 in the UK Midweek chart, sandwiched between Stereophonics' Oochya at number 1 and Coral's The Coral at number 3.

Ever since the new album dropped I've been revisiting some Marillion albums which I haven't heard in a long time, including Marbles, which is still probably my favorite album of theirs.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Here's my interview with Steve Rothery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rFA4JHo_Pc

If you can leave us a comment, like the video and subscribe to our channel, that would be great. These are ways you can help us by spending zero dollars.

Great interview Rodrigo! Enjoyed it.

[goo-goo]

I'm trying to dig up some pictures but during the FEAR tour, the last show of the USA tour was in Dallas and a buddy and myself went. Great show, loved it. We were waiting for the band outside since the Granada Theater has the stage access just next to the parking lot. We waiting for an hour or so and nobody was leaving the building (stagehands etc). Nothing. The backdoor suddenly opened and some guys told us to go inside. And we went. There was Marillion and the crew and probably the Marillion USA fanclub drinking and celebrating the end of the tour. We were in awe but Rothery was serving drinks to everyone, approached us and he served us a couple of white russians. And we mingled with him and H and Pete I believe. Ian Mosley left as soon as the show was over.  I don't recall seeing Mark. Anyways, a memory I will always treasure. Very weird, very bizarre but can't get any better than sharing a drink with one of your favorite bands.

[romdrums]

So I gave the new album a full, devoted listen today, and overall, it went much better than my initial listen.  I really like how Care calls back to the other songs on the album, and Rothery’s guitar solo at around 8:30 is fantastic.  Plus, the whole “The angels in this world are not in the walls of churches” section to close out the song is classic, epic Marillion.  Overall, there are some nice details that I missed in my initial run through the album.

[HOF]

So I gave the new album a full, devoted listen today, and overall, it went much better than my initial listen.  I really like how Care calls back to the other songs on the album, and Rothery’s guitar solo at around 8:30 is fantastic.  Plus, the whole “The angels in this world are not in the walls of churches” section to close out the song is classic, epic Marillion.  Overall, there are some nice details that I missed in my initial run through the album.

Those last three songs have a lot of intricacies instrumentally. The mix is a bit dense because there is a lot going on, but it’s been really cool to kind of register new bits with each listen. I love how they brought in some outside musicians to fill out the sound. There’s the Choir Noir, a string quartet, some harp and French horn, an additional percussionist. It could have become overkill, but I don’t think it was.

The version I ordered came with a DVD that includes a documentary and interviews which gives a lot of good insight into the songs. There’s also an instrumental only mix of all the tracks, and that revealed a lot of detail for me with The Crow and The Nightengale and Sierra Leon. Sierra Leon in particular has some really gorgeous bass work by Pete Trewavas.

Something that was bugging me last night when I was trying to get to sleep was where I’d heard that bass groove in the opening section of Care. Turns out that section is very similar to the AOS b-side Icon, which is kind of cool (not sure if intentional or not).

[RodrigoAltaf]

Here's my interview with Steve Rothery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rFA4JHo_Pc

If you can leave us a comment, like the video and subscribe to our channel, that would be great. These are ways you can help us by spending zero dollars.

Great interview Rodrigo! Enjoyed it.

Thanks!!! And hey...bonus points if you can identify what's on ny shirt - it's not related Marillion though.

[devieira73]

Great interview, Rodrigo! They keep flowing even better than the previous ones and so on... congratulations!
To me, as I'm not much a fan of the "slow burner" Marillion, this album is easily their best since Marbles, no doubt. And Care is indeed awesome!

[RodrigoAltaf]

Great interview, Rodrigo! They keep flowing even better than the previous ones and so on... congratulations!
To me, as I'm not much a fan of the "slow burner" Marillion, this album is easily their best since Marbles, no doubt. And Care is indeed awesome!

Thanks man!

[T-ski]

Really like the new album.

Really DON’T LIKE how the track listing is screwed up on my CD player and I have no idea what track I’m listening to.

[The Letter M]

Really like the new album.

Really DON’T LIKE how the track listing is screwed up on my CD player and I have no idea what track I’m listening to.

Is your CD player reading the info right from the disc, or is it gathering info from the net via a database? Is it displaying the 7 songs names as the first seven tracks, and then giving you blanks for tracks 8-18?

Thankfully the band provided a 7-track version of the album and not 18-tracks, so all my digital copies at home, work and on my phone are the album with the song in complete tracks rather than segmented versions. I almost wish I hadn't heard the album with its split up tracks first because now the divisions in the songs seem really obvious to me, but I'm slowly hearing the songs as a whole now.

After almost two weeks of listening to it, I've come to really enjoy "Care" quite a lot, especially the ending. "Sierra Leone" continues to be a favorite of mine as well, but the album as a whole is really clicking with me. This is definitely one of their best albums of the 21st century.

-Marc.

[T-ski]

Really like the new album.

Really DON’T LIKE how the track listing is screwed up on my CD player and I have no idea what track I’m listening to.

Is your CD player reading the info right from the disc, or is it gathering info from the net via a database? Is it displaying the 7 songs names as the first seven tracks, and then giving you blanks for tracks 8-18?

Thankfully the band provided a 7-track version of the album and not 18-tracks, so all my digital copies at home, work and on my phone are the album with the song in complete tracks rather than segmented versions. I almost wish I hadn't heard the album with its split up tracks first because now the divisions in the songs seem really obvious to me, but I'm slowly hearing the songs as a whole now.

After almost two weeks of listening to it, I've come to really enjoy "Care" quite a lot, especially the ending. "Sierra Leone" continues to be a favorite of mine as well, but the album as a whole is really clicking with me. This is definitely one of their best albums of the 21st century.

-Marc.

-Marc.

I was listening in my car and the disc was about half way through and it said it was on track 11.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Yeah I really don't like how they split up all the tracks. Same with FEAR. When I ripped the disc to my Plex server I loaded up the album in Audacity and combined the tracks correctly.

[HOF]

Don’t get me started on the tracking. 18 tracks for 6 songs is ghastly and obscene. I went ahead and bought the download version through the Townsend website (even though I bought my CD off Amazon) because they merged the tracks on the download. Why they didn’t merge the tracks on the CD I’ll never understand. I get that they want to maximize streaming revenue, but there’s no reason to penalize the people who buy the CD.

[Nel]

Yeah, I ripped it as a bunch of joined tracks so it's just 8 with that Murder Machines remix at the end. Then I went back and re-ripped FEAR with the tracks joined. I've had it ripped as the 17-track album these past six years and honestly having it in the player as

1. El Dorado I: Long Shadowed Sun
2. El Dorado II: The Gold
3. etc.

for El Dorado, The Leavers and The New Kings just looks silly imo.

[HOF]

Listening to the instrumental mixes again, and man is the underlying arrangement on Sierra Leon fantastic. I do think H’s vocals are a little too far up in the mix on some of these tracks. It feels like the vocals maybe crowd out some of the texture and details. I do like the overall sound though. Think Hunter continues to outdo himself as a producer in general.

[RoeDent]

Gotta get them scrobs in, m8