A Retrospective: 1982-2017 |
 |
The Fish Era |
 |
The Hogarth Era |
|
The Beginnings: “Melded with a complex and subtle musical tapestry,” WK “Marillion emerged from the short-lived progressive rock revival of the early ‘80s” AJ known as “neo-progressive,” WK “to become one of the most enduring cult acts of the era.” AJ The name was adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. They initially formed as an instrumental group in Aylesbury, England, in 1978 with Steve Rothery on guitar, Mick Pointer on drums, Doug Ivrine on bass, and Brian Jelliman on keyboards. Irvine sang on some of the band’s early demos in 1980, but was replaced by Fish in 1981. He gave the band its identity with his “poetic and introspective lyrics” WK and “strong Peter Gabriel-inspired vocals,” JB which, along with elaborate stage costuming and makeup, “enforced critics’ accusations that Marillion owed more than just a heavy debt to Genesis.” JB “The combination of imaginative, enthralling music and image filled lyrics soon found favour amongst their expanding fan base and journalists who had tired of some of the more formulaic music that dogged the live scene of the time. Several sold out nights at the legendary Marquee club forced the record labels to recognise the impact of their music and a deal with EMI was quickly signed.” MC Fish & Co. released their first single, Market Square Heroes, in 1982 and their debut album, Script for a Jester’s Tear, which “ranks as one of the most accomplished debut albums of any progressive rock bands” WK followed in 1983. On the Web:
The Players:
Lists: |
|
Compilations: This page highlights the compilations below. 
The Studio Albums: This page offers snapshots of all the studio albums below, noting those songs which appear on compilations with the codes noted above. Appearing after song titles are the songwriters in italicized parentheses, running times in brackets, and when relevant, the date the song was released as a single and its peaks on various charts. Click for codes to singles charts. Hover over an album cover to see its title and year of release. Click on the album to go to its dedicated DMDB page. 
Script for a Jester’s Tear (1983): By the time Marillion released their debut album, Script for a Jester’s Tear, Irvine and Jelliman were gone in favor of bassist Pete Trewavas and keyboardist Mark Kelly. Pointer was gone after the first album. After a series of short-lived drummers, the band settled in with Ian Mosley.
Lyrics by Derek Dick (Fish). Music by Marillion (Dick/ Kelly/ Mosley/ Rothery/ Trewavas).
Fugazi (1984): “Fugazi, the second album, was not of the same quality (mostly because of apparently ridiculous production circumstances), but contained sophisticated song material” WK and “streamlined the intricacies of the group’s prog rock leanings in favor of a more straight-ahead hard rock identity.” AJ
Misplaced Childhood (1985): Marillion’s “third and commercially most successful album, Misplaced Childhood, was quite possibly their most cohesive work.” WK Although “considered hideously unfashionable at the time,” WK the band undertook “the brave decision to create a concept album” WK “reflecting Fish's formative experiences.” AJ The gamble “paid off, with great success both for the album (which was number one in the UK) and for the singles spawned from the album. One of these, Kayleigh, charted at #2 in the United Kingdom” WK “and became a hit in the U.S. as well. The follow-up, Lavender, was also a smash, but the group began crumbling: Fish developed alcohol and drug problems, and egos ran rampant.” AJ
All songs written by Dick/ Kelly/ Mosley/ Rothery/ Trewavas.
Clutching at Straws (1987): “The fourth album, Clutching at Straws, also followed a concept,” WK delving into Fish’s substance abuse issues. The album “did not quite achieve the same popularity [but] the lyrics remained as clever as ever, with the song Warm Wet Circles arguably representing the most carefully crafted piece of poetry in the entire genre.” WK “Musical difficulties between Fish and the band caused him to leave after 1988’s [double live album] Thieving Magpie (La Gazza Ladra).” JB Marillion had “already recorded demos of the next studio album.” WK Those “demo sessions…with Fish vocals and lyrics [are] on the bonus disc of the remastered version of Clutching at Straws…the lyrics [also] found their way into various Fish solo albums such as his first solo album, Vigil In a Wilderness of Mirrors, some snippets on his second, Internal Exile and even a line or two [on] his third album, Suits.” WK
All songs written by Dick/ Kelly/ Mosley/ Rothery/ Trewavas.
|
Best of Both Worlds, Disc 1Marillion |
 |
Released: February 1997 Recorded: 1982-1988 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: neo-progressive rock |
Tracks: (1) Script for a Jester’s Tear (2) Market Square Heroes (3) He Knows You Know (4) Forgotten Sons (5) Garden Party (6) Assassing (7) Punch and Judy (8) Kayleigh (9) Lavender (10) Heart of Lothian (11) Incommunicado (12) Warm Wet Circles (13) That Time of the Night (The Short Straw) (14) Sugar Mice |
Rating:  3.873 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
|
About Best of Both Worlds, Disc 1: This two-disc compilation covered Marillion from 1982 to 1996. The first disc focused on the Fish era (1982 to 1988) and the second on the Steve Hogarth era (1989-1996). “Assassing,” “Kayleigh,” “Lavender,” “Heart of Lothan,” and “Warm Wet Circles” are single versions that differ from the versions on the albums. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
|
Seasons End (1989): After Fish left Marillion, the band recruited Steve Hogarth, the former keyboardist and sometimes vocalist of The Europeans, as their new lead singer. He was “quite similar in sound and style to Fish himself.” JB “Hogarth set to work, crafting new lyrics to existing songs with lyricist and author John Helmer.” WK The subsequent album became Seasons End and, like its four Fish-predecessors, landed Marillion in the top 10 album charts in the U.K.
Holidays in Eden (1991): Like its predecessor, Holidays in Eden, would hit the top 10 in the UK, but then Marillion were in for a long commercial drought. The latter, “considered to be Marillion’s most commercial and mainstream album” WK featured songs Hogarth “wrote in partnership with the band [as well as] the song Dry Land which Hogarth had written and recorded in a previous project with the band How We Live.
|
Six of One, Half Dozen of the OtherMarillion |
|
Released: 1992 Recorded: 1982-1992 Peak: -- US, 27 UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: neo-progressive rock |
Tracks: (1) Cover My Eyes (2) Kayleigh (3) Easter (4) Warm Wet Circles (5) The Uninvited Guest (6) Assassing (7) Hooks in You (8) Garden Party (9) No One Can (10) Incommunicado (11) Dry Land (12) Lavender (13) I Will Walk on Water (14) Sympathy |
Rating: 3.872 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
|
About Six of One, Half Dozen of the Other: In the UK this was released under the name A Singles Collection. The Six of One title is a reference to the fact that the compilation contains six songs from the Fish era and six from the Hogarth era. The versions of “Warm Wet Circles” and “Assassing” are remixes. Also, there are actually fourteen songs on the collection. “I Will Walk on Water” and “Sympathy” are new. The latter is a cover of a song by Rare Bird. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums:
|
Brave (1994): “Marillion’s record label, EMI, gave the band a higher budget for the next album and the result of 15 months labor was Brave, a concept album that mixed classic symphonic progressive rock with standard rock.” AJ The album “marked the start of the band’s long-time relationship with producer Dave Meegan. An independent film based on the album, which featured the band, was also released. While critically acclaimed, it did poorly commercially, but it is now considered to be one of the best progressive rock albums to come out of the ‘90s.” WK
Afraid of Sunlight (1995): Afraid of Sunlight “considerably altered the band's approach with great success – it is the most consistent Marillion release to date.” AJ Nonetheless, it was the band’s last album with record label EMI. “One track of note…is Out of This World, a song about Donald Campbell, who died while trying to set a speed record on water. The song, in turn, inspired an effort to recover both Campbell and the Bluebird K7, the boat which Campbell crashed in…The recovery was realized in 2001, and…Hogarth and Steve Rothery were invited to the occasion.” WK
|
Best of Both Worlds, Disc 2Marillion |
|
Released: February 1997 Recorded: 1982-1988 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: neo-progressive rock |
Tracks: (1) The Uninvited Guest (2) Easter (3) Hooks in You (4) The Space (5) Cover My Eyes (6) No One Can (7) Dry Land (8) Waiting to Happen (9) The Great Escape (10) Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury (11) Made Again (120 King (13) Afraid of Sunlight (14) Beautiful (15) Cannibal Surf Babe |
Rating: 3.873 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
|
About Best of Both Worlds, Disc 2: The first disc in this collection focused on the Fish era (1982-88) while this disc focuses on the Steve Hogarh era (1989-1996). The versions of “The Uninvited Guest,” “Easter,” “Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury” and “Beautiful” are radio edits. “Hooks in You” is an alternate mix. This Strange Engine (1997): “Following Afraid of Sunlight, the bandmembers split up briefly to record side projects. Hogarth released Ice Cream Genius under the name H, Rothery formed the Wishing Tree (which produced Carnival of Souls), and Mosley and Trewavas joined Iris for Crossing the Desert. The Rothery and Hogarth projects were both very acoustic in nature, and when the band re-formed for This Strange Engine…Marillion's style changed again to a softer sound.” AJ The album received little promotion from the new label. “Marillion scheduled a European tour, but keyboardist Kelly posted an Internet message stating that the band would not tour the United States due to a lack of record company support. Fans of the band worldwide joined forces to raise over $60,000 to underwrite the tour, and the band undertook its largest North American tour since Holidays in Eden.” AJ “The band's loyal fanbase, combined with the Internet, would eventually become vital to the band's existence.” WK
Radiation (1998): “Tenth album Radiation saw the band taking a drastically different approach in an effort to sound more modern and reflect the influence of more modern bands like Radiohead,” WK “specifically OK Computer.” AJ “The album was received by fans with mixed reactions.” WK
marillion.com (1999): Marillion.com “flagged their newly launched web-site and record label” MC “and showed some progression in the new direction.” WK
Anoraknophobia (2001): ”The band, still unhappy with their record label situation, decided that it would be worth tapping into their loyal fanbase” WK again. “The revolutionary concept of asking their fans to pre-order and pay for the recording costs an album some 12 months in advance of its release…hit the headlines in 2001.” MC “Over 12,000…fans pre-ordered and an additional deal was struck with EMI to market the resulting Anoraknophobia album.” MC “This allowed Marillion to retain all the rights to their music while enjoying commercial distribution.” WK
|
Best ofMarillion |
|
Released: July 22, 2003 Recorded: 1982-2001 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: neo-progressive rock |
Tracks: (1) Garden Party (2) Assassing (3) Kayleigh (4) Lavender (5) Heart of Lothian (6) Incommunicado (7) Sugar Mice (8) Warm Wet Circles (9) Hooks in You (10) Easter (11) Cover My Eyes (12) No One Can (13) Dry Land (14) Sympathy (15) Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury (16) Beautiful (17) Man of a Thousand Faces (18) Between You and Me |
Rating: 4.031 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)
Awards: (Click on award to learn more).
|
About Best of: This is essentially a single-disc version of Best of Both Worlds as sixteen of these songs appear on that collection. There are only two songs on this collection to represent the four studio albums released since Best of Both Worlds. |
Marbles (2004): “The success of Anoraknophobia allowed the band to start recording their next album, but they decided to leverage their fanbase once again to help raise money towards marketing and promotion of a new album. The band put up the album for pre-order in mid-production, and the fans once again responded overwhelmingly.” WK “Displaying the influences of both U2 and Pink Floyd,” AJ Marillion’s thirteenth album, Marbles, was “intense…musically rewarding” MC and “packed full of atmospheric and stirring songs.” MC It “was released in 2004 with a 2-CD version…only available at Marillion’s website. As a thank-you gesture to the 17,000 fans who pre-ordered Marbles, their names were credited in the sleeve notes.” WK The fan-funded marketing campaign met with astonishing success, landing “the singles You're Gone and Don't Hurt Yourself [on] the UK Chart in the Top 10 and Top 20 respectively…Following this, they released a download-only single, The Damage (live), recorded at the band’s sell-out gig at the London Astoria. It was the highest new entry in the new download chart at number 2. All this has succeeded in putting the band back in the public consciousness, making the campaign a success.” WK
Somewhere Else (2007): 2007 saw the release of Marillion’s 14th studio album, Somewhere Else. Once again, Marillion went to the fans to promote the album, offering them a first-week-only promo DVD with three live songs from the album. Marillion also hit up fans to buy digital downloads of lead single See It Like a Baby. Now that digital downloads counted toward singles sales on the UK chart, the hope was to do even better than the last time out and land a #1 song. Alas, the song peaked at a mere #45 in its first week out with many of Marillion’s fans saying they didn’t buy downloads.
Happiness Is the Road (2008): Marillion went back to the studio quickly after Somewhere Else and went to work on their second double album. Released as two separate albums, known as Essence and The Hard Shoulder, the set focused on a disc’s worth of more introspective material and a disc of more straightforward fare respectively. Once again, Marillion proved their grasp of the digital age with an official release of the album through a P2P site that let people download the album for free. They also posted a free download of the song Whatever Is Wrong with You and let people create videos for the song and upload them on to YouTube for a contest to see which video would get the most viewings.
Less Is More (2009): This was a collection of newly recorded versions of some of Marillion’s songs in a more acoustic setting.
Sounds That Can’t Be Made (2012):
F.E.A.R. (Fuck Everyone and Run) (2016):
|
Crash Course SamplersMarillion |
In 2001, Marillion released a free, downloadable sampler of their music. As it says on their website, “Please don’t upload our music…our music costs a lot of money to make, and by buying our CDs, DVDs & merchandise direct from us you’re ensuring that we can continue to make music in the years to come…If you want other people to hear our music, just ask them to come to this page where the can download a ‘Crash Course’ sampler, with our compliments, for FREE.” As of 2017, Marillion had released nine editions of Crash Course. The songs are also listed under the original studio albums with the raised number codes to indicate which Crash Course editions they appear on. 31 different songs have appeared on the samplers, representing all fourteen of the studio albums Marillion has released with Steve Hogarth. The 31 songs represent the equivalent of a 3-CD set. |
|
01 Crash Course 2001: (1) This Is the 21st Century (2) Rich (3) Afraid of Sunlight (4) A Legacy (5) Under the Sun |
|
02 Crash Course 2002: (1) Between You and Me (live) (2) This Is the 21st Century (3) Rich (4) Man of a Thousand Faces (5) Out of This World (6) Afraid of Sunlight (7) The Great Escape (8) Easter |
|
04 Crash Course 2004: (1) The Damage (2) Neverland (3) Between You and Me (live) (4) This Is the 21st Century (5) Man of a Thousand Faces (6) Out of This World (7) Afraid of Sunlight (8) The Great Escape |
|
06 Crash Course 2006: (1) Neverland (2) Fantastic Place (3) You’re Gone (single edit) (4) Between You and Me (5) Estonia (6) Afraid of Sunlight (7) The Great Escape (8) Easter (live) |
|
07 Crash Course 2007: (1) Faith (2) Somewhere Else (3) Neverland (4) Fantastic Place (5) You’re Gone (single edit) (6) Estonia (7) Afraid of Sunlight (8) The Great Escape |
|
08 Crash Course 2008: (1) Whatever Is Wrong with You (2) This Train Is My Life (3) Somewhere Else (4) Neverland (5) Fantastic Place (6) Estonia (7) Afraid of Sunlight (8) The Great Escape |
|
09 Crash Course 2009: (1) Hard As Love (2) Interior Lulu (3) This Train Is My Life (4) Asylum Satellite #1 (5) Somewhere Else (6) Neverland (7) Fantastic Place (8) Estonia (9) Afraid of Sunlight (10) The Great Escape |
|
12 Crash Course 2012: (1) The Sky Above the Rain (2) Power (3) Neverland (4) Fantastic Place (5) Hard As Love (6) This Train Is My Life (7) Real Tears for Sale (8) Somewhere Else (9) Afraid of Sunlight (10) Estonia |
|
17 Crash Course 2017: (1) The New Kings (2) Living in FEAR (edit) (3) Power (4) Sounds That Can’t Be Made (5) Somewhere Else (6) Fantastic Place (7) Quartz (8) Three Minute Boy (9) Afraid of Sunlight (live 2003) (10) No One Can (Best Sounds Version) |
Resources and Related Links:
First posted 3/10/2011; last updated 8/9/2021. |
