Monday, June 24, 1991

Marillion Holidays in Eden released

Holidays in Eden

Marillion


Released: June 24, 1991


Peak: -- US, 7 UK, -- CN, -- AU


Sales (in millions): --


Genre: neo-progressive rock


Tracks:

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

  1. Splintering Heart [6:51]
  2. Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven) [3:56] (5/28/91, 34 UK)
  3. The Party [5:36]
  4. No One Can [4:39] (7/22/91, 26 UK)
  5. Holidays in Eden(Marillion, Helmer) [5:58]
  6. Dry Land (Hogarth/ Woore) [4:42] (9/23/91, 34 UK)
  7. Waiting to Happen [4:55]
  8. This Town [3:18]
  9. The Rakes Progress [1:54]
  10. 100 Nights [6:42]

Lyrics by Steve Hogarth; music by Marillion (Hogarth/ Kelly/ Mosley/ Rothery/ Trewavas) unless noted otherwise.


Total Running Time: 48:17


The Players:

  • Steve Hogarth (vocals, percussion)
  • Steve Rothery (guitar)
  • Pete Trewavas (bass)
  • Mark Kelly (keyboards)
  • Ian Mosley (drums)

Rating:

3.593 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings)


Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

This was Steve Hogarth’s second album with Marillion after Fish left in 1988. In an effort to boost sales, the band “paired themselves with pop producer Christopher Neil for 1991’s Holidays in Eden. It wasn’t exactly a move that paid either commercial or artistic dividends, as the results are so diluted and bland that one can only hope this was a desperate attempt to appease their label.” AMG

The lead single, Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven), was a rewrite of the song “Simon’s Car” which Hogarth originally recorded with his band How We Live. With its “ringing guitars…it sounds as though they want to reinvent themselves as U2.” AMG

Similarly, Dry Land was also a reworking of a song originally released on How We Live’s only album in 1987. Marillion released it as the third single to support Holidays in Eden. The album’s highest-charting single, No One Can, was a ballad. All three singles reached the top 40 in the UK.

While Hogarth called it “Marillion’s ‘pop’est album ever,” WK he also said “obviously Splintering Heart or This Town is not exactly pop music. There were things within that album that were not overtly commercial.” WK Hogarth said the band “reacted to that and went 360 degrees” on the next album. WK


Notes: When released in the U.S., the tracks were in a different order and B-sides “A Collection” and “How Can It Hurt” were added. Those 2 cuts were also on the 2-disc reissue, along with non-album cuts “Sympathy” (2 versions) “I Will Walk on Water,” (both of which were on the 1992 compilation Six of One, Half of Dozen of the Other), “You Don't Need Anyone,” “Eric,” and “The Epic (Fairground).” Also included are alternate versions of “Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven),” “Splintering Heart,” “No One Can,” “The Party,” “This Town,” and “Waiting to Happen.”

Resources and Related Links:


Other Related DMDB Pages:


First posted 3/14/2008; last updated 3/6/2022.