I never got the Genesis comparison either. Sure, they were influenced by them but that didn't come to my mind when I first listened to them.
I was / am a big Marillion fan, particularly the Fish era ..still buy the Hogarth era albums but kinda admire them more than love them now. Script I bought on release after picking up the Market Square Heroes 7 inch and being blown away by the b side (three boats down..) , especially that guitar solo. So any run thru of album by album needs a special mention for the three track debut 12 inch ... Script is great ..I listened to my original vinyl recently and it’s held up really well , every song is great , well sequenced album and it’s got fabulous art work. Yep some tracks were better live (forgotten sons especially) but for me as a 12 year old in 1983 it was magical.5\5
I enjoy Marillion. Fairly new to them. Came via the 5.1's. I probably won't have much to contribute, but I have enjoyed the 5,1s. Listened to Script on Sunday, very good debut album, the 5.1 mix is good, but could have been better.
I heard Market Square Heroes on the radio at the time (was it on Tommy Vance?) and went out and bought the 12" single with its amazing and slightly disturbing cover (still have it of course). I was old enough to be getting into music just as the big prog bands were splitting up or mutating. But then suddenly after a few years there was this band playing music that I didn't think anyone was playing any more! When Script came out I thought it was amazing, and it's still my favourite Marillion album after all this time. I was there on the night they filmed Recital Of The Script. Fish said they would be playing everything they had recorded up to that point so that meant the whole album and all the B sides, which of course included Grendel. Fish of course was magnetic, a totally charismatic front man. It seemed like the whole crowd was singing along to every song. Well, you can watch it for yourself on the DVD! I know they became more polished later but Script is still my No. 1 Marillion album.
I think it was just auto-locked because nobody posted in it for a while. In fact I was the last poster on there - I was annoyed that I had missed it. On the bright side, I'm far more familiar with the Hogarth era material by now. On the not so bright side, I realize I never listened to the first two albums all that much. Still I'll try to get involved. Also, the original thread starter @Mike B hasn't been around these forums for a long time. I hope he's well...
Script For A Jesters Tear is my favourite Marillion album. In the late 80’s I also thought they were highly original. Then I heard the early 70’s Genesis output. Then Fish quit (or was sacked) and they brought in H. They should have changed the band name also. There, I said it.
I first heard Marillion back in 1985/86 when I was in high school and "Kayleigh" was a fairly big hit on MTV. I thought the song was pleasant enough but it didn't grab me at the time. I remember thinking they had an interesting vocalist who looked and sounded kind of out of step with most rock singers of the 80s-a big guy losing his hair and an acquired taste as a singer. A year or so later, I decided to pick up "Misplaced Childhood" based on the cover art and my memory of the song. Again, the album didn't really grab me much, although it reminded me a bit of Pink Floyd circa "The Wall". Figuring I must have been missing something as I loved the bands that were an influence on Marillion, I took a chance on "Script for a Jester's Tear". It hooked me from the very start. I became a fanatical Marillion fan and went back to MC and it finally clicked with me. I started buying each album on new release starting with "Season's End" and have done so ever since. It was Script that turned me into a fan. Since then, I've grown to like other albums better, but Script will always hold a special place in my heart. I'd say it's the most Genesis inspired album they ever did-and after the 82/83 era, I find very little that reminds me of Genesis. I always bemoaned the fact that Marillion never really made it in the US and the tours become more and more infrequent over time. I don't want to go on and on, but it was Script that made Marillion among my top 10-maybe top 5-favorite artists of all time.
I rarely listen to anything prior to Clutching At Straws so here's a chance to take another run at the Fish era. D.D.
Rothery is a grand master at those soaring, building, terrifically-melodic solos that are bespoke for each given song and become an integral part of them. Each one is a full-on composition with structure and purpose and they're beautifully crafted and expressed in his stunning tone. Never a surplus note or tedious showboating. The man is a god. D.D.
The Dr surprisingly is similar between the originals & the 1999's. It must have been bright EQ that I despised.
The song “The Web” is an underrated classic. Top to bottom a complete progressive rock gem in my book.
I’m not sure about a ‘god’ but he certainly is an incredible player (and a personal favorite of mine).
Script is my favorite too. It and Fugazi are punkier [angrier] than most later stuff, plus I just really like every song. I haven't listened to the new stereo mix yet - I have a very busy listening schedule.
Fish sounds like Gabriel. First album I got was Misplaced, and my first thought was "Oh they're an early Genesis clone". I don't think that anymore, but I get it.
I don’t hear that at all. I think he sounds more like Peter Hammill. The timbre of his voice is why I’m reminded of Hammill. I don’t get the Genesis comments and I’m A HUGE Genesis fan.
I just don’t think Hogarth’s voice has gotten better with age. I prefer his voice around the time of Brave and Afraid of Sunlight (my two favorite Hogarth albums anyway), but of course this has been many years ago and he was a lot younger.
Unfortunately with the current listening schedule I have only had a once each listen so far. I like them all, but I havent really absorbed anything yet.
I do hear the Genesis comparison in the Fish days; but I love both PG Genesis & Marillion so it's cool.
Even Fish said in hindsight that they wore their influences a little too openly ... or something along those lines. I think the Genesis comparison is fair and real, but certainly not unusual for many young bands. They certainly developed beyond that pretty quickly, from what I heard. I am very interested to hear Fugazi, the stepping stone between Script and Misplaced... apparently the 5.1 will be coming out either late this year or early next year.
I doubt that Fugazi will be coming out next as the way the releases have gone so far has been this: Misplaced Childhood, Brave, Clutching at Straws, Afraid of Sunlight, and Script For A Jester’s Tear. By this kind of release scenario, we’ll see a Hogarth era release next. Either Holidays in Eden or Seasons End.
