Marillion released debut album, Script for a Jester’s Tear

First posted 3/10/2011; updated 3/13/2020.

Script for a Jester’s Tear Marillion

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Released: March 14, 1983 Peak: 175 US, 7 UK, 51 CN Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.3 UK, 0.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: neo-progressive rock

Tracks: (Click for codes to singles charts.) Script for a Jester’s Tear [8:42] He Knows You Know [5:07] (1/31/83, #21 AR, #35 UK) The Web [9:10] Garden Party [7:17] (6/6/83, #16 UK) Chelsea Monday [8:17] Forgotten Sons [8:22] Lyrics by Derek Dick (Fish). Music by Marillion (Dick/ Kelly/ Mosley/ Rothery/ Trewavas). Total Running Time: 46:45 The Players: Derek Dick, aka Fish (vocals) Steve Rothery (guitar) Mark Kelly (keyboards) Pete Trewavas (bass) Mick Pointer (drums)

Rating: 3.925 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings) Quotable: -- Awards:

About the Album: Marillion formed in 1979 in Aylesbury, Buckinhamshire, England. By the time of the neo-progressive rock band’s first officially released recordings in 1982, only drummer Mick Pointer and guitarist Steve Rothery remained from the original lineup. Fish had joined as the leader singer and lyricist, Mark Kelly as keyboardist, and Pete Trewavas as bassist. This lineup released the October 1982 single “Market Square Heroes” in October 1982 and, in March 1983, Script for a Jester’s Tear, “a landmark debut album that would give prog a much-needed shot in the arm.” DE The myth that punk rock killed prog has been overstated; the genre “was doing a job of killing itself. Its founding fathers had either imploded (Yes, ELP), streamlined their sound so much as to be virtually unrecognizable (Genesis, Rush), or faded into commercial irrelevance (Caravan, Camel).” DE Marillion was “regarded as the pre-eminent force of this neo prog movement,” MD a banner Fish wasn’t excited to hoist. “I never saw us as being champions of anything…We were just doing what we did.” DE As Trewavas said, “We weren’t necessarily a rock band, we certainly weren’t a pop band. But we were selling out clubs like the Marquee, and we had quite a fan base.” DE They weren’t the first of their kind, “but they were certainly the most successful, and arguably the most important.” DE A large part of the band’s appeal was due to Fish, who Rothery called “a very forceful frontperson.” DE The songs on the album completely satisfy as Fish’s poetic and introspective lyrics require repeat listening to completely absorb. Fish always has something to say and is never at a loss for a clever way to do so. Musically, it sounds like the rest of the band shuffled through instrumental bits and pieces until they found suitable background noise to accommodate whatever Fish retrieved from what one guesses is a vast collection of journals and diaries. That isn’t to say that the music doesn’t adequately complement the lyrics (the title track exemplifies how the music can enhance the drama of the vocals), just that neither appears to have been crafted with the other in mind. Detractors have accused Marillion of copying early Genesis when they were fronted by Peter Gabriel, a comparison not without merit considering both band’s tendencies toward complicated imagery and dramatic flair, not to mention the theatrical stage presences of their frontmen. Regarding the musical similarities, Fish said, “I look back on it now and a lot of those criticisms were justified. I mean, ‘Grendel’ [the 17-minute epic featured on the ‘Market Square Heroes’] was ‘Supper’s Ready’ [a nearly 23-minute song from Genesis’ 1972 Foxtrot album]. We were holding onto the skirts of our influences, trying to find the confidence to break away from it.” DE “Mark Kelly’s keyboard textures and Steve Rothery’s restless guitar work” DE also “paid lip service to their influences.” sup>DE Even so, “this was new music for a new decade” DE as Marillion reignited interest in progressive rock. “Script for a Jester’s Tear” Every song on the album except the title cut had existed in some form for at least a year. Fish wrote the song about his first serious relationship and, as he said, “all the questions and issues that brought with it. There was a lot of introspection going on in the lyrics.” DE Musically, it “started with a piano-led lamentation that then transitioned into a playful, Medieval-styled mid-section that conjured an image of a bustling king’s court. The mood then turned gloomy and dark with marked flourishes of distorted guitar along side lush organ, then bleeding into an epilogue of anthemic guitar ad-lib as well as glassy chimes and bells.” CR “He Knows You Know” This “rockin’ stomper” CR was the first single and the only cut on the album to come in under seven minutes. Lyrically, it “sweated junkie paranoia from its every pore” DE while musically it was “vibing off something more sinister and metallic, courtesy of the scathing guitar as well as punchy bassline.” CR “The Web” On this “nine-minute, textured epic,” CR “Fish’s lyrics veered between rage, frustration, and heartbreak.” DE “With its spider-like guitar plucks, keyboard melodies, and heat-of-the-moment guitar interlude” CR this “was a prog bedsit anthem.” DE “Garden Party” The second single from the album “showcases Marillion at the peak of its powers.” JF Fish lashes out at the cultural elite with phrases like “smiles polluted with false charm” and “social climbers polish ladders, wayward sons again have fathers.” “It was the anti-Brideshead Revisited; a furious, sarcastic class-war anthem that punched and jabbed like a Muirhouse street fighter.” DE “Here, the influence of Rush was very apparent, especially in Fish’s vocal timbre and phrasing that recalled that of Geddy Lee, as well as the rhythm section’s symphonic shots and overall structure.” CR “Chelsea Monday” Fish was inspired to write this “tale of a doomed rich girl” DE because of a newspaper headline he read on “one of the amphetamine-fuelled early morning walks through London he had taken to going on.” DE This “was initially a bit bluesy and starry, then breaking into a stellar mid-song guitar-led instrumental interlude, and ending in a piano coda.” CR “Forgotten Sons” This song “concludes the opus magnificently.” JF Fish attacks warmongers “who order desecration, mutilation, verbal masturbation in their guarded bureaucratic wombs.” It “was ostensibly a protest song about the situation in Northern Ireland, though it could be read as a furious critique of the Thatcher government.” DE Musically, it displays “vestiges of the band’s Punk and Post-Punk beginnings; then proceeded to the mid-section in a gracefully flowing rhythm; and ultimately, wrapped up the entire jester’s show with the majestic Yes/ELP/Styx-reminiscent, horn-adorned denouement.” CR Notes: A reissue includes a second disc with a demo of “He Knows You Know,” an alternate version of “Chelsea Monday,” and non-album tracks “Market Square Heroes” (two versions), “Three Boats Down from the Candy,” “Grendel,” and “Charting the Single.”

Review Sources: Marillion’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry CR CrypticRock.com (3/21/2018). “Marillion – Script for a Jester’s Tear 35 Years Later” MD LouderSound.com (2/18/2015). “Cover Story: Marillion – Script For A Jester’s Tear” by Malcolm Dome DE LouderSound.com (5/17/2013). “Marillion: The Story Behind Script For A Jester’s Tear” by Dave Everley JF AllMusic.com album review by John Franck WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Link(s):

3/14/1983: “Script for a Jester’s Tear” opened Marillion’s debut album

First posted 3/13/2020.

Script for a Jester’s Tear Marillion

Writer(s): Fish, Steve Rothery, Pete Trewavas, Mick Pointer, Mark Kelly (see lyrics here) Released: March 14, 1983 (album cut) First Charted: -- Peak: -- US (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 4.2 video, -- streaming

Awards:

About the Song: “Script for a Jester’s Tear” is the lead track from Marillion’s debut album of the same name. The song was the newest amongst the batch of songs which otherwise had been around for a year or more. Lead singer Derek Dick, better known as Fish, said the song was inspired by his turbulent love life. “I was getting involved in my first serious – and I mean really serious – relationship and all the questions and issues that brought with it. There was a lot of introspection going on in the lyrics. If I look back, it was put across in a very naïve way.” DE Of the “poignant title track,” JF AllMusic.com’s John Franck said, “Fish leads his band of merry men on a brokenhearted tour de force that culminates with the singer decrying that ‘the game is over.’” JF The song starts “with a piano-led lamentation that then transitioned into a playful Medieval-sttyled mid-seciton that conjured an image of a bustling king’s court. The mood then turned gloomy and dark with marked flourishes of distorted guitar along side lush organ, then bleeding into an epilogue of anthemic guitar ad-lib as well as glassy chimes and bells.” CR The title song not only served as the album’s focal point, but the inspiration for the accompanying artwork. The artist, Mark Wilkinson, said Fish wanted to portray a struggling writer who looked like a jester. “I then…set him in a bedsit surrounded by lots of objects to portray that sort of existence,” MD such as sheet music, records on the floor, an ashtray, an empty coffee cup, and crumpled paper. While it was the first song on their first album, “Script” wasn’t the world’s first exposure to Marillion. The neo-progressive rock group formed in 1979 in Aylesbury, Buckinhamshire, England. By the time of their first officially released recordings in 1982, only drummer Mick Pointer and guitarist Steve Rothery remained from the original lineup. Fish had joined as the leader singer and lyricist, Mark Kelly as keyboardist, and Pete Trewavas as bassist. This lineup released the October 1982 single “Market Square Heroes,” which included “Three Boats Down from the Candy” and the 17-minute epic “Grendel;” all three appeared on the 25th anniversary reissue of the Script album. Then, in support of the debut album, two singles were released – “He Knows You Know” in January 1983 and “Garden Party” in June 1983. Resources and Related Links: Marillion’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry DMDB page for Script for a Jester’s Tear album CR CrypticRock.com (3/21/2018). “Marillion – Script for a Jester’s Tear 35 Years Later” MD LouderSound.com (2/18/2015). “Cover Story: Marillion – Script For A Jester’s Tear” by Malcolm Dome DE LouderSound.com (5/17/2013). “Marillion: The Story Behind Script For A Jester’s Tear” by Dave Everley JF AllMusic.com album review by John Franck

Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” hits #1

First posted 1/22/2013; updated 4/8/2020.

Billie Jean Michael Jackson

Writer(s): Michael Jackson (see lyrics here) Released: January 2, 1983 First Charted: January 22, 1983 Peak: 17 US, 16 CB, 12 RR, 9 AC, 19 RB, 11 UK, 12 CN, 15 AU (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.5 US, 1.44 UK, 9.5 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 651.0 video, 535.0 streaming

Awards:

Review: With its “insanely catchy melody atop an insistent beat,” BB100 “this fabulously funky slice of disco-pop” BBC is “the single that made Jackson the biggest star since Elvis.” RS500 The Thriller album, from which this was the second single, became the best-selling album of all-time with a record-breaking seven top ten pop singles. Michael sings of a supposedly real life situation in which a woman claimed that he was the father of one of her twin sons. In his Moonwalker autobiography, though, Michael described the situation more as the “kind of thing has happened to some of my brothers.” KL On the surface, the song may have been about a paternity suit, but it hinted at something more – the struggle of a major musical star being a target for the public. Regardless of its inspiration, the song’s game-changing quality is in what it inspired. The video for “Billie Jean” was revolutionary for breaking the dominance on MTV of videos by predominantly white artists. The head of CBS, Jackson’s label, threatened that there would be no more CBS acts on MTV if they refused to show the video. TB MTV caved. Not only did “Billie Jean” show how important visual presentation had become in the early ‘80s via its video, but with Michael’s eye-popping live performance of the song on the U.S. TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever. He debuted his iconic moonwalk dance for an audience in excess of 47 million; TB it launched him as the King of Pop. Resources and Related Links: Michael Jackson’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry DMDB blog post for Thriller BBC BBC Radio 2 (2004). “Sold on Song Top 100” BB100 Billboard (9/08). “All-Time Hot 100” KL Jon Kutner/Spencer Leigh (2005). 1000 UK Number One Hits: The Stories Behind Every Number One Single Since 1952. London, Great Britain: Omnibus Press. Page 289. RS500 Rolling Stone (12/04). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 208.