Monday, January 4, 1988

Marillion released B-Sides Themselves

B-Sides Themselves

Marillion

Released: January 4, 1988

Recorded: 1982-1987

Peak: -- US, 84 UK

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: neo-progressive rock

Tracks:

Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

Grendel [17:15] (10/25/82, --)
Charting the Single [4:48] (1/31/83, --)
Market Square Heroes [3:56] (10/25/82, 60 UK)
Three Boats Down from the Candy [4:01] (10/25/82, --)
Cinderella Search [4:21] (4/30/84, --)
Lady Nina [3:43] (4/7/85, --)
Freaks [4:04] (8/27/85, --)
Tux On [5:12] (7/13/87, --)
Margaret (live) [12:17] (6/6/83, --)

Total Running Time: 59:42

The Players:

Derek Dick, aka “Fish” (vocals)
Steve Rothery (guitars)
Mark Kelly (keyboards)
Pete Trewavas (bass)
Ian Mosley, Mick Pointer, John Martyr (drums)

Rating:

3.726 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

About the Album:

Marillion had released four albums at this point, all with Fish as the lead singer. He would leave the band in October 1988, making this his last studio album with the band. This album did not, however, contain any new material. Instead, as the title suggests, this was a collection of B-sides from the singles Marillion had released.

B-sides are often considered throwaways that didn’t past muster for placement on an album. In the case of these songs, they often didn’t make the cut simply because they didn’t quite fit whatever theme the current project had. Some of these songs, including Tux On and Freaks are strong songs that hold up just fine and would have made decent singles. In fact, a live version of “Freaks” was released as the band’s final single from the Fish years.

You can see a full discography of Marillion’s singles here. This page, however, will detail the songs featured on B-Sides Themselves and their original appearances on singles.

“Market Square Heroes”
This free-standing single was Marillion’s first release in October 25, 1982. It reached #60 on the UK charts. The version on B-Sides Themselves is actually a re-recorded version which was used as the B-side of 1984’s “Punch and Judy.”

“Three Boats Down from the Candy” and “Grendel”
These were released as B-sides to “Market Square Heroes.” Considering the 17-minute running time of Grendel, this was really an EP and not a single. Like “Market Square Heroes,” the version of Three Boats Down from the Candy featured on B-Sides Themselves is the re-recorded version of the song which was released as a B-side of “Punch and Judy.”

“Charting the Single”
This was the B-side of “He Knows You Know,” which was released in January 1983 and reached #35 on the UK charts and #21 on the Billboard album rock tracks chart. “He Knows You Know” was the first single from Marillion’s debut album, Script for a Jester’s Tear.

“Margaret (live)”
The second single from Script for a Jester’s Tear was “Garden Party,” released in June 1983. The song reached #16 on the UK charts. The B-side is a live performance of Margaret, recorded on April 7, 1983 at Edinburgh Playhouse.

“Cinderella Search”
The lead single from Marillion’s second album, Fugazi, was “Assassing” in April 1984. It climbed to #22 on the UK charts. The B-side was Cinderella Search, which would also appear on Marillion’s 1984 live album Real to Reel.

“Lady Nina”
Marillion’s third album, Misplaced Childhood, was released in 1985. The lead single, “Kayleigh,” gave the band their greatest success, reaching #2 in the UK as well as #74 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the album rock track chart. The B-side, Lady Nina, would also be featured on the 1986 EP Brief Encounter.

“Freaks”
“Lavender” was released as the second single from Misplaced Childhood. It reached #5 in the UK, making for the band’s second most successful single in its history. The B-side, Freaks, was also released on the 1986 EP Brief Encounter and ended up being the last Fish-era single when a live version of the song was released as a single in November 1988 in support of the double live album The Thieving Magpie. That version got to #24 on the UK chart.

“Tux On”
Marillion’s fourth album, Clutching at Straws, was preceded by the “Incommunicado” single in May 1987. That song’s B-side was “Going Under,” which was released on the CD version of Straws. The second single, “Sugar Mice,” featured Tux On. “Sugar Mice” was released in July 1987 and reached #22 on the UK chart.

Notes There were a few B-sides which didn’t make this collection, including the aforementioned “Going Under,” released as the B-side of “Incommunicado.” Other than that, a live version of “Chelsea Monday” (a song from Script for a Jester’s Tear) was the B-side of 1985’s “Heart of Lothian” and live versions of “White Russian” and “Incommunicado” were released as B-sides of “Warm Wet Circles.” Studio versions of those songs were initially featured on 1987’s Clutching at Straws.

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