Marillion Album By Album Thread (Continued)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Mirror Image, Apr 10, 2020.

  1. craigobau

    craigobau Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, England
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  2. Matt S

    Matt S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire, UK
    Phil Brown is Marillion's live front of house engineer - maybe the audio was pulled directly from the mixing desk at the venue? I've found the sound at Marillion gigs to be pretty variable - the sound at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019 was fantastic, however Birmingham Symphony Hall a few weeks ago was pretty awful - very muddled sounding during louder passages, which is surprising as the Symphony Hall has excellent acoustics. The livestream from Hammersmith sounded OK, but Steve Hogarth's livestream a couple of weeks later didn't - there was a lot of distortion on the vocals.

    Mike Hunter's mixes are generally okay - they always have a rather rosy sounding EQ and a touch of compression, but otherwise well done.

    Anyway, I received the Steve Rothery Band set as a gift for Christmas - I'll have to give it a play and report back.
     
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  3. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    I'll be interested in your thoughts, but maybe it would be better to continue this discussion in a different thread, or on a dedicated new one. There are only two Rothery threads on this forum and they're both closed.
     
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  4. Matt S

    Matt S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire, UK
    I've watched the Bush Hall concert film in full this evening - its a great gig, fantastic performance and musicianship. The sound quality is excellent too - good dynamics with excellent separation between the instruments. The keyboards had real bite, and cut through the guitars nicely.
    I've moved onto the Islington film now, the sound quality definitely isn't as good. The opening track, Morpehous, wasn't too bad, but the later Marillion tracks which also have vocals aren't soo great - there were some funny buzzing sounds at points during Sugar Mice. Overall sounds a bit muffled and constrained. The Islington audio is 48/16, as opposed to 48/24 for Bush Hall.
    So a mixed bag overall - however 2 full concerts on BluRay for £20 isn't bad. The Bush Hall film is the main event really - I'd consider the Islington concert a bonus.

    Apologies for further derailing this thread - feel free to move to a new thread if preferred.
     
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  5. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Brave Live 2002:

    CD (Racket 22)
    [​IMG]
    DVD (Racket 93D)
    [​IMG]
    CD/DVD reissue from 2013 (Racket 107N)
    [​IMG]
    1. River 2:54
    2. Bridge 2:39
    3. Living With The Big Lie 6:40
    4. Runaway 4:49
    5. Goodbye To All That 0:42
    6. Wave 1:18
    7. Mad 1:32
    8. The Opium Den 1:52
    9. The Slide 3:32
    10. Standing In The Swing 2:07
    11. Hard As Love 6:42
    12. The Hollow Man 4:09
    13. Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury 6:27
    14. Now Wash Your Hands 1:11
    15. Paper Lies 4:45
    16. Brave 7:54
    17. The Great Escape 1:13
    18. The Last Of You 2:32
    19. Fallin' From The Moon 2:31
    20. Made Again 5:46
    21. Band interviews (DVD bonus)
    22. The Fan (Short film - DVD bonus) 2:11
    Recorded live at Marillion Weekend, Pontins, Brean Sands, UK, Friday 5th April 2002

    In 2002, the Marillion Weekend started existing as we know it. There had been little conventions before, usually coupled with small acoustic gigs, but the idea of playing three nights in a row at a holiday park, surrounded by other events like “Swap the Band” and quizzes, certainly was new and groundbreaking.

    Right from the get-go the tradition of performing an entire album on Friday night was formed: After a secret rehearsal Marillion took on recording a full performance of Brave for a live album and video. I’m going to say a few random things that pop into my head listening to this rendition.

    “River” is represented by the last three minutes. I’ve never actually listened to the whole thing, something for the future I guess…

    Rothery’s foghorn guitar at the beginning of “Bridge” sounds immense. Chills.

    The crowd erupting in cheers before the music does shows what a difference it makes to have an audience that actually knows the songs. Hogarth’s voice is in fine form. But he forgets to cram in a line “before I got used to it”.

    The crowd also sings along with the “Great Escape” teaser in “Goodbye To All That”. Ian is very busy with his toms on “Wave”. Hogarth misses a few lines in “Mad”. Crazy sounds abound.

    Pete’s bass growls and gnaws in “Standing in the Swing” - spectacular.

    “Hard as Love” is as dynamic as ever. Mark’s organ sound is a bit thin, though.

    “The Hollow Man” was re-recorded two days later (as you can read in the DPRP review). But since it’s the interlude anyway, I’m not sure I would’ve noticed, except that Hogarth sounds a bit like he’s not quite warmed up and that Mark seems to struggle with the pacing of the keyboard parts a bit. Still a good performance but I’ve heard better versions.

    Mark sings bits of “Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury”, as usual. Somebody - Mark again? - also trades vocals with Steve Hogarth on “Paper Lies”. Still not the most inspired song, though.

    “Brave” is a great rendition, while I’m less enthused about “The Great Escape”, which seems taken a bit too slow and misses some flourishes. However, starting with the second part, Hogarth throws himself at the song and makes it work.

    After “Made Again” (no electric guitar) the band gets announced. They actually performed three up-tempo encores ("Between You and Me", "Cover My Eyes" and "The Answering Machine") but those didn’t make the release.

    All in all, it’s a nice alternative for any fan of Brave, but I don’t think it can rival either the studio version or the live version from Paris 1994. I’d also say the re-run eleven years later fares better, but we’ll get to that.

    As for the rest of the Weekend, I refer you to this exhaustive and excellent review: DPRP : CONCERT REVIEW ARCHIVE

    (I chuckled at the typo - "Run Through the Hills" sounds like an intriguing song though!)

    And here is a nice and complete overview over the themes of all the Weekends so far and resulting releases (unfortunately the setlists aren’t complete, but we got setlist.fm for that):

    Marillion Weekend Conventions

    By the way, while Brave Live 2002 is available for free on Bandcamp (slightly tainted by the fact that Bandcamp doesn't allow seamless transitions from one track to another), more - including the video version of Brave Live - can be found on the band's own streaming service The Space: Wish You Were Here - The Very First Marillion Weekends 2002 / 2003

    The only other bit of video I could find on YouTube is this - a rough recording but a great performance of “Easter” with two wannabe Marillion members who are doing very well!



    Next up: The 2003 Weekend represented by Before First Light / Afraid of Sunlight Live 2003 and Popular Music.
     
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  6. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Marillion – Before First Light (Afraid Of Sunlight Live 2003)
    [​IMG]
    Label:
    Racket Records (2) – Racket 94D
    Format:
    DVD, DVD-Video, NTSC

    Country: UK
    Released: 16. März 2003
    Genre: Rock
    Style: Prog Rock

    Tracklist
    1 Intro 1:07
    2 Gazpacho 7:03
    3 Cannibal Surf Babe 5:55
    4 Beautiful 7:07
    5 Afraid Of Sunrise 5:02
    6 Out Of This World 7:31
    7 Afraid Of Sunlight 7:15
    8 Beyond You 6:13
    9 King 9:35
    Encores
    10 Faith 4:54
    11 Easter 6:59
    Credits (Featuring The Names From All The People In The Audience)
    12 Afraid Of Sunlight (Acoustic) 4:58

    Credits
    Comments
    Packaged in a standard black plastic DVD case with 4 page booklet.
    Note: a world-first, this DVD was recorded on the Friday night of the Marillion Weekend 2003, mixed live, and available on the following Sunday, less than 2 days later!

    In booklet;
    Live at Marillion Weekend 2003, Minehead, England, Friday 14 March 2003.
    Audio mixed live in Les Coulisses Studio.

    On back of dvd case:
    ℗ 2003 Racket Records. © 2003 Racket Records


    Marillion – Afraid Of Sunlight Live At The Marillion Weekend 2003
    [​IMG]
    Label:
    Racket Records (2) – Racket 39
    Format:
    CD, Album
    Country: UK
    Released: 2011
    Genre: Rock
    Style: Prog Rock
    Tracklist
    1 Gazpacho 8:11
    2 Cannibal Surf Babe 5:55
    3 Beautiful 6:24
    4 Afraid Of Sunrise 4:49
    5 Out Of This World 7:25
    6 Afraid Of Sunlight 7:06
    7 Beyond You 6:16
    8 King 7:58
    9 Faith 4:09
    10 Easter 7:14
    Credits
    Comments
    Record Live At The Marillion Weekend, Minehead, England, Friday 14th March 2003.

    Track times from CD playback.

    "Also available as part of 3 CD box set "Marillion Friday Night Live"
     
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  7. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Another Weekend, another review:

    DPRP : CONCERT REVIEW ARCHIVE

    It’s interesting to note that the full-album performances started with Brave - the album Marillion with Steve Hogarth consider the first time the new line-up really meshed well together - and continued chronologically with the next record. Those two albums encapsulate the early Hogarth era and represent a sort of high point after the initial probing and before the band started drifting in search of a new direction.

    Like the 2002 Weekend, there was a dress rehearsal of sorts, but as you can see, the setlist following Afraid of Sunlight differed greatly: marillion.com | The Official Website

    The actual Friday night was devoted to an entire album like 2002, but with a twist… the band were going for a record attempt at producing a DVD! As it says in the liner notes...

    'AOS: Afraid of Screwin' up'

    If you're watching this video, then we're probably dead.... No, wait, that's a whole other movie! But, if you left Butlins at a fair lick... and didn't hang around too long before slipping your DVD into the machine, then it's probably quite safe to say that if you're watching this video, then you're more than likely doing so before any of the people actually involved in making it!

    What all started as a fairly hair-brained scheme dreamed up as an 'excuse’ to once again travel half way around the globe has, over the last few months, loomed increasingly large on the horizon. See, it’s easy - from the womb like safety of a darkened edit suite - to say let's shoot and cut a concert absolutely live - but the physical reality is far more daunting than the theory. Throw in the idea of then turning that raw video into a fully functional DVD, all within hours of the actual event and what you're talking is (as far as we can tell) a world first. Probably no one else has been quite crazy enough to try it!

    But, as long as everything has worked as advertised, the silver disc you just slipped into your DVD player is the result of several months of planning and many hours (most of them this past Friday night & Saturday morning) of barely controlled panic! It's not perfect (even without watching we can tell you that), it's not been tweaked, it's not been polished..... What it IS, is the real deal, a raw unaltered record (warts & all) of a very special gig, an official bootleg if you will - something unique and (hopefully) magical and quite unlike anything we've ever done before…

    What you are about to watch is what happened one Friday night at Butins when five of our closest friends got up on stage and performed for over 2000 of theirs.

    Hope you like... Hope WE like it. We'll let you know when we get the chance to watch it ourselves!

    THE boom boom BOYS



    Gazpacho:

    A rarely played gem to start things off... You can hear the boxing announcement and other vocal samples much better in this recording.

    Song seems to start off slow but quickly picks up pace. Great version - Hogarth attacks the song like a rabid dog, and that really gives it a different edge compared to the relatively mannered and "nice" original version. Rothery also really starts freewheeling on the end like I've rarely heard him do - he even manages to somehow "save" a bad note.

    Unlike Brave Live this is not an uninterrupted rendition, as Hogarth makes a short announcement (and a fan screams something unintelligible, leading H to ask "You alright, luv?").

    Cannibal Surf Babe:

    Opening with the Beach Boys intro of the album as opposed to the Motörhead lead bass from the AOS tour, but this still has much more octane than the album version.

    Although I'll never be the biggest fan of this song and its silly lyrics, it's hard to resist the intense energy emanating from this live recording. Hogarth in particular sounds hysterical.

    Showing that the band do honor original segues and transitions, the bit of "Icon" that links this to the next track plays, including the French spoken female vocals, leading nicely into...

    Beautiful:

    Oh what a gorgeous organ tone. As with the previous song, I wouldn't ever call "Beautiful" a real highlight, but the live version has more heft than the original.

    Afraid of Sunrise:

    Rarely played song. This one has lost nothing of its magic. The song dissipates at the end.

    Out of This World:

    Likewise, this was not a song Marillion hadn't played a lot... it would become a standard but wasn't one yet. This rendition starts out great (like everything so far). THAT Rothery solo comes in like a truck.

    The ethereal ending gets a slight extension, although not to the degree of later, even more monstrous live versions.

    Afraid of Sunlight:

    At this point, I think this was already widely accepted as one of the biggest Marillion anthems of the Hogarth era. This recording confirms it in all its glory. Check out Hogarth's long note before the instrumental part - breathtaking.

    Beyond You:

    One of the most desperate and desolate songs in the Marillion canon, and therefore a hard one to do live... Debuted in a stripped-down manner at The Walls, but here is the full-bodied album arrangement recreated to frightening detail. If anything, it's better. I mean, try not to feel something during the wailing Rothery slide solo... :O

    King:

    No break in the flow here. Afraid of Sunlight has one of the strongest closers ever, and "King" is just as majestic as ever. The audience can be heard clapping during the first verse. Rothery's wah-wah/feedback noise attack solo has rarely sounded more titanic. This band is on fire! Further proof: Hogarth's little twirls and twists around the melody, the pumping bass, Kelly's organ... and Mosley abusing the snare before the song's climax. The ending never sounds the same but it's always thrilling.

    Faith:

    A new song. Compared to the final version, it starts with a descending motif instead of the ascending one that makes the beginning of the song extremely similar to "Blackbird" (known as a song Pete would play on the acoustic guitar, e.g. Unplugged at the Walls). Other than that, the format of the song is pretty much fixed.

    We'll debate the song's merits once we get to Somewhere Else, but as a breather after a full album performance it works very well.

    Easter:

    The last song to be filmed for the world record DVD, which I guess some fans took as meaning "the end of the show"... it's a gorgeous version, with Rothery's solo ringing out loud and clear.

    Playing Afraid of Sunlight in full is such a simple idea - but what a great one. It's a good setlist that allows for a natural flow. And Marillion, perhaps having to focus less on getting the theatrics right (although this gig was filmed just like Brave Live 2002), just blaze through it with ease. Maybe it was also getting comfortable with the Weekend format one year after the tentative beginnings - either way, the band evidently were in fantastic form.

    This didn’t change after the recording for the world record DVD was finished; the encore went on for five more songs, ending with “Garden Party”. Two of those recordings are on YouTube.

    Neverland:



    Now after the main course was finished, the band opted to throw out another quartet of new songs. And what songs they were! Can you imagine being a Marillion fan and hearing four unknown songs of this caliber in a row? “Angelina”, “Neverland”, “Don’t Hurt Yourself”, “Ocean Cloud”!

    Even if nobody knew “Neverland” at that point except the band, I think many fans immediately realized that this was something truly epochal. It’s absolutely fascinating to hear and watch this performance. Almost everything that makes the song great is already fully in place. But the little differences make it unique - the handful of variations in the lyrics, the shorter ending. The most interesting aspect is clearly Rothery’s guitar playing. He’s one of the focal points on this song, and he’s not arrived at the now famous arrangement yet. There are more bits of soloing at various points, especially once the huge keyboard chords come in - he thinned out those bits for the final arrangement, making it more repetitive and slower. That change underlines the song’s gravitas but I almost think this live take was musically a tad bit more intriguing. Also fascinating is that he puts on the slide for that final part, which he never did on the song later.

    Ocean Cloud:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsnisek0KPY

    Likewise, this is a fascinating recording. While "Neverland" is structurally the same as the studio version, “Ocean Cloud” (still called “Pacific Rower” at that point) is over four minutes shorter than the eventual album version - and hearing it for the first time now, as someone who is very familiar with the song, is almost like hearing a Reader's Digest version. But it is actually an early arrangement. Some points of interest:

    - The first spherical part sounds quite Genesis-y here (think "Home by the Sea"), which I never thought until now

    - The other quiet parts are entirely missing (including the "dream of your legs" and the "between two planets" vocal parts), as are the sound effects / voice samples

    - There is a reprise of the early "big" theme before it goes back to the chorus. Actually that was not a bad idea - it ties the song together more. Guess it was axed for length reasons.

    - Since I haven't watched much of the early h-Marillion, I might be wrong but I think this is one of the first Marillion songs that featured Hogarth playing a substantial amount of keyboards

    - Rothery throws his slide away after the crucial transition

    All four Marbles previews were released on the Racket Records 2DVD edition of the later concert movie Marbles on the Road and are available on the band’s streaming service The Space as “Our First Bag of Marbles”.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2022
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  8. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it

    Location:
    Italy
    Thank you @JulesRules for another wonderful writeup.
    I'm going to have to dig out the CD in question and play it while reading your listening notes.
    I bought the standalone CD a few years ago from Racket Records because... I guess I needed AoS but the Steve Wilson remaster was still only a dream, so I decided I would go for this.
    I can't say I paid much attention to the music but I will rectify that soon enough.
    Also, I had never realised that at that event Marillion played (rehearsed?) songs from the upcoming (and wonderful) Marbles - I'll be sure to check the videos out.
    In the meantime, thank you very much for your input, attention to detail and ability to put all of this and more into words: I love it when I feel like I need to revisit a particular piece of music to hear it through someone else's ears, as it were.
     
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  9. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    This DVD set came out in 2005. For the full tracklisting go here: Marillion - Wish You Were Here

    The content of the first DVD is also available as a double CD, which was reissued as part of earmusic's 10 Live Albums series in 2018.

    [​IMG][​IMG]
    original release / 2018 reissue

    Marillion – Popular Music
    Label: Racket Records (2) – RACKET 25, Racket Records (2) – Racket 25
    Format:
    2 x CD, Album
    Country: UK
    Released: 2005
    Genre: Rock
    Style: Prog Rock
    Tracklist
    1-1 A Few Words For The Dead 9:40
    1-2 Dry Land 4:58
    1-3 When I Meet God 10:14
    1-4 White Russian 6:17
    1-5 Estonia 7:51
    1-6 This Town 3:48
    1-7 The Rakes Progress 2:43
    1-8 100 Nights 5:14
    1-9 Sugar Mice 6:40
    2-1 Berlin 8:40
    2-2 Warm Wet Circles 4:18
    2-3 That Time Of The Night 5:58
    2-4 Script For A Jester's Tear 9:59
    2-5 This Strange Engine 22:13
    2-6 The Space... 7:13

    Companies, etc.
    Credits
    Notes
    Live at Marillion Weekend 2003,Minehead,England,Saturday 15th March 2003
    A setlist of songs voted for by the fans.
     
  10. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Continuing my coverage of the 2003 Weekend releases. Notorious prog reviewer Darren Lock was also at the event and rambles his way through his memories here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjM1K9A_9xE

    Why was the DVD called Wish You Were Here? Well, here's an answer. And here's a playlist with a few more videos from the event.



    Steve Rothery joined in the comments, saying this:

    To really understand this video you need some background. This was at a Marillion weekend convention and was completely spontaneous. My good friend Matt Prior started playing the intro acoustic riff and I joined in. You can see Mark Kelly trying to explain the vocals to Steve Hogarth who wasn't really familiar with the song. When the crowd started singing he shrugs his shoulders and walks off. Pete, Ian and Mark (who was a bit vague with the chords) then also join in. It shows what an amazing audience we have!

    Anyway, here's my thoughts on Popular Music. Because I'm lazy, I adapted another of my German reviews for Amazon and ran it through DeepL.

    Not pop, not popular, but great *****

    Popular music, i.e. pop music? Light music compared to serious music? Strange title. If you know Marillion's humour, you'll understand it better, because the band has rarely dealt with pop music and actually only does what they feel like doing. But that only works because they have a loyal fan base, the so-called "anoraks", and of course they want to be served. At no event are band and fans closer than at the "Marillion Weekend". You have to picture it: Hordes of Marillion fans make a pilgrimage to a place and spend a weekend there with three concert evenings, with many activities also taking place during the day, such as jamming together with the musicians. On the one hand, such events are of course suitable for experimental setlists with which one can hardly convince a mixed audience at a regular concert (e.g. complete albums from front to back), but on the other hand they also offer real "fan service". Popular Music falls into the latter category, and this explains the title: At the Weekend 2003, they not only played the complete album Afraid of Sunlight (unfortunately not re-released in this series), but for one evening also what the fans had requested. Whether the track list really reflects the most popular songs, I dare to doubt (at least "A Few Words For The Dead" I can't really understand, although the song apparently even ended up at number 4 in the online voting!), nevertheless the live album is noticeably different from most recordings of the Hogarth era. That's because the proportion of Fish songs is higher than usual: five songs come from the first four albums, including "Sugar Mice" and "Warm Wet Circles"/"That Time of the Night", which Steve Hogarth often sang, but also totally unusual songs like "Script for a Jester's Tear" from the debut (which was also on the setlist in 1991) and "White Russian" (which was already played in 1995).

    It starts with "A Few Words for the Dead", and even if the band overestimates the piece a bit, it develops something like tension towards the end after the rather uniform beginning. “Dry Land" is one of the band's most beautiful short pop songs (even if the song actually comes from Hogarth's former band How We Live), always an experience because of Hogarth's vocal performance alone - but Steve Rothery's guitar solo, at least as good as the one on "Kayleigh", is also worth listening to. It's just a pity that the band plays the song a bit too slowly.

    "When I Meet God" is the next long track and the only piece from the then still current album Anoraknophobia, with which Marillion had, as is well known, found their way back on track. On the studio album, "When I Meet God" is not the strongest song for my taste, but the live version not only beats the studio version by far, but becomes an absolute highlight here: The ending (not present on the album) with a great Rothery slide solo is so emotional that it can really bring tears to your eyes.

    Then follows "White Russian", the first song from the Fish era. On the one hand, it's great to hear the tense anti-Nazi song again, especially since the band plays dynamically (and even doesn't forget the music box finale). However, the song seems a bit strange with Hogarth's singing, as his voice just doesn't have the pressure that Fish could build up in his heyday. (By the way, it's actually not performed in a different key, as the review I linked to earlier suggested.)

    He is in his element again on "Estonia", which provides a thoughtful, reflective resting point. You notice: the dramaturgy is right. The next three pieces are quite short in themselves, but actually form a seamless suite that once concluded "Holidays in Eden" and is played live again and again with pleasure. "This Town" is the driving rock song, "The Rake's Progress" the atmospheric interlude and "100 Nights" the slow, powerful finale that could hardly be more Marillion-archetypal - Hogarth soars above himself and Rothery pushes you to the wall with the guitar solo. Mark Kelly once explained that he didn't really get to work on "Holidays in Eden" and would have liked to include more keyboard parts. You can hear that well here: Subtly, but still clearly audible, he adds more synthesizer effects to the first two parts of the suite, which don't hurt the piece.

    With "Sugar Mice" there is a ballad from Fish times, which Hogarth is known to have mastered well, but as you notice, there is actually no need for a singer for this song - with *this* audience... By the way, the only single hit of the album besides "Dry Land"! So much for the title...

    Marillion have rarely played the melancholic epic "Berlin" since the fall of the Berlin Wall, so it's nice to hear it again (even if the saxophone is canned). By the way, the piece goes back to the late Fish era, even if it only got its final polish (and new lyrics) with Hogarth. It's back to "Clutching at Straws" afterwards with the mini-suite "Warm Wet Circles"/"That Time of the Night", and the band doesn't show that they've really played these two linked pieces many times now. It still sounds wonderfully wallowing to furious.

    "Script for a Jester's Tear" is probably mainly meant as a concession to the old fans. You can clearly hear how much Marillion have developed as composers in the years since, and Hogarth isn't necessarily the best singer for the song (though the audience once again takes over large parts of the vocals), but it still commands respect that he managed to work out the flowery lyrics.

    First encore is "This Strange Engine", one of the longest Marillion songs ever, and live even longer: Hogarth improvises (sung!) words of thanks to the fan audience, quotes Sting songs (with reference to the Iraq war - the repeated quote of "No such thing as a winnable war" points to a future Marillion song) and declares "immigration... let 'em all in"! At the end he pulls out all the stops again vocally.

    The highly dramatic "The Space" is finally an unplanned encore ("And now: 'Ferry Cross the Mersey'" ;) ), but Marillion have probably played this song so often that they don't really need to rehearse it, and it is the perfect ending. The fact that Steve Hogarth masters the extremely demanding finale almost without any problems after almost two hours of performing (not always the case) demands absolute respect. However, he also says at the end, not entirely without reason, "Hope I'll still have a voice tomorrow" ;)

    It's really hard to criticise much about this album (the penultimate encore "Cover My Eyes" is missing, but there are enough other versions of it), and if you want Marillion live, it's certainly not a bad choice. The sound is very good for my taste, at most a little dry (while Smoke and Mirrors on the other hand almost drown in echo/reverb). The atmosphere comes across well through the mixing - you can hear the enthusiastic audience clapping and singing along, which tends to get lost a bit on some of the later Weekend recordings.

    With this CD (and the simultaneously released "Live in Glasgow") the series of ten limited live albums comes to an end. And what can I say? A blast! Each of the releases has its right to exist. If edel records / earMUSIC want to do something like this again, I will probably take part again. After all, with Live in Chile and The Gold - Best of Convention 2017 I have two recent Racket releases and can only say that the quality level of the recordings selected for this series is no exception. Marillion know what their fans want and they give it to them (and probably earn quite well from it). Add to that the concert recordings that come out as part of the book reissues of their EMI albums. At least right now I can say: You can never have enough Marillion live albums!

    Here's "The Space" from this set:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7St_FXFY6Q&list=PL66DC480D7FEA4BA5&index=5

    Thank you for the nice words. I guess you meant the Michael Hunter remix :) And I think this live version is a very good alternative to the original album, which speaks to the band's qualities.
    I think "Faith" was also earmarked for Marbles at that point, but not sure.
     
  11. marblesmike

    marblesmike Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Great live album.... Popular Music. I remember listening to it at or around the time of the 2005 weekend.
     
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  12. WhatDoIKnow

    WhatDoIKnow I never got over it, I got used to it

    Location:
    Italy
    Of course, you're right, it wasn't Steven Wilson but Michael Hunter!
    D'oh! :doh:So much for being a fan!

    Thank you for the WYWH video, not sure what to think of it really, with Steve h not knowing the words and Steve R not knowing the solo :sigh:
     
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  13. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Soon it's time for the album in your username ;) Reviewing that will be a large undertaking. :help:
     
  14. Riccardo2

    Riccardo2 Forum Resident

    Both the "Clutching at Straws" UK and US CD (and also the Japanese) use the master, so they should sound indentical.

    The original CD of "Vigil" sounds really good (listen to the drums!).
     
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  15. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    I think I just read in an older thread that the US LP sounds worse than the UK LP, but maybe that was for a different album.
     
  16. Riccardo2

    Riccardo2 Forum Resident

    Ah, I was talking about CD, not LP
     
  17. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Yes, I realize, and I think that @moomoomoomoo might have mixed things up there, or it happened somewhere else. (See what I did there?)
     
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  18. moomoomoomoo

    moomoomoomoo WhoNeedsRealityWhenThere'sMoreSleepToLookForwardTo

    It looks like Riccardo2 quoted an older post of mine. I bought that USA clutching original months ago.

    I rarely comment on vinyl as I haven't even owned a turntable since early-mid last decade.
     
  19. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    But maybe the person you quoted was mixing up vinyl and CD, no? Anyway, the box set did contain a direct port of the original mastering on the Blu-Ray.
     
  20. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    [​IMG]
    Marillion – Remixomatosis
    Label:
    Racket Records (2) – racket24
    Format:
    2 x CD, Album, Limited Edition
    Country: UK
    Released: Aug 2004
    Genre: Electronic, Rock
    Style: Alternative Rock, Ambient
    Tracklist
    1-1 Between You And Me (Chance's Loopy Heart Remix) - Remix – Chance's End 5:28
    1-2 When I Meet God (Blissed Remix) - Remix – Gary Hughes (2) 4:58
    1-3 Quartz (Dreamtime Mix)- Remix – Cameron Lasswell 8:37
    1-4 If My Heart Were A Ball It Would Roll Uphill (TH Mix) - Remix – Tito Huapaya 8:02
    1-5 Number One (One Funky Number [Re]mix) - Remix – Kostia Rapoport - 7:14
    1-6 Separated Out (Outré Mix) - Remix – Carl Homer - 5:38
    1-7 Map Of The World (Acid Kitsch [Re]mix) - Remix – Kostia Rapoport 5:18
    1-8 The Fruit Of The Wild Rose (Lullaby [Re]mix) - Remix – Kostia Rapoport 6:02
    1-9 This Is The 21st Century (Ancient Instinct [Re]mix) - Remix – Kostia Rapoport 7:52
    Bonus Disc
    2-1 Between You And Me (Marillion Vs Plasma) - Remix – Robert De Fresnes 3:33
    2-2 The Fruit Of The Wild Rose (Rose-Tinted Mix) - Remix – Carl Homer 4:16
    2-3 Separated Out (In The Groove [Re]mix) - Remix – Kostia Rapoport 4:13
    2-4 Map Of The World (As We See It Mix) - Remix – Redroque 4:11

    Companies, etc.
    Credits
    Notes
    Remixomatosis is the result of an experiment where Marillion invited anyone anywhere to reconstruct their music.
    As this experiment took the form of a competition (the Anoraknophobia Remix Contest), they selected winners from over 500 entries. Winners have been awarded a cash prize and a place on this CD.

    ℗ 2004 Racket Records © 2004 Racket Records

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  21. moomoomoomoo

    moomoomoomoo WhoNeedsRealityWhenThere'sMoreSleepToLookForwardTo

    Didn't know that existed! Remixes (unless it's a Wilson type: improving the original mix while staying pretty true to the music, rather than a club remix) aren't really my thing.
     
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  22. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Remixomatosis:

    Marillion's second remix album doesn't get as much attention as Tales from the Engine Room does. In fact, I think it’s a much better record. Why? For a number of reasons.
    • This Strange Engine was a rather organic record, built on acoustic guitars and pianos. It didn’t lend itself naturally to the electronic treatment. Anoraknophobia had more of an underlying "modern" electronic element already built-in.

    • Tales from the Engine Room was the work of Marc Mitchell and Mark Daghorn. So much so that they put a track on there that had only minuscule traces of Marillion in it (“Face 1004”). By comparison, Remixomatosis was done by other people, but selected from over 500 (!) tracks by the band itself.

    • And Remixomatosis features the work of several remixers, which keeps it from being one person’s or team’s vision all the way through. I see that as a good thing - it provides variety.
    You can hear the album here:

    Racket 24 - Remixomatosis, by Marillion Official

    Note that I have never heard the original version of "Number One" - there are only a few live versions of it on YouTube.

    Chance's End: Between You and Me (Chance's Loopty Heart Remix): A percolating bass motif, Hogarth's looped voice, keyboard arpeggios, Big Beat drums... Pretty Fatboy-Slim-like. A really nice moment around the three minute mark but the looped vocals are annoying.

    Gary Hughes: When I Meet God (Blissed Remix): Ambient start with the hushed vocals from the song's second half. Then it becomes some pretty neat uptempo synthpop. Hogarth's vocal works surprisingly well against the electronic backdrop. If I didn't know the original, I wouldn't assume that this was a remix - which is a huge compliment. Of course knowing it, I miss the song's development and second half, but it's one way to tackle it.

    Cameron Lasswell: Quartz (Dreamtime Mix): A clear trip-hop vibe. Again, Hogarth's voice sounds totally at home in this new environment. Taken on its own merits, this is another fantastic track. It even matches the original in its scope, keeping every part of the vocal/lyric. But I miss the guitar motif - that's really the heart of the song.

    Tito Huapaya: If My Heart Were a Ball It Would Roll Uphill (TH Mix): Acapella opening (taken from the chorus). Then a slightly trashy beat enters. The vocal works, but not quite as well as on the previous two tracks. The chorus needs more oomph behind it to stand out. A new lead synth replaces the keyboard solo of the original - not badly, actually. Another synth solo replaces the transition into the faster second part. The actual transition happens shortly afterwards and it's quite stark - the beat drops out and all we're left with is Hogarth's echoing voice and angelic synth pads. Thankfully, all the chords of the ghostly sequence are left intact. The third part is actually quite similar to the original version, as the beat builds up with Hogarth's layered, increasingly agitated vocal parts. It gets more ambient at the end though.

    Kostia Rapoport: Number One (One Funky Number Remix): A warbling, warm electric piano giving way to - nomen est omen - a subdued, funky disco groove. The electric piano is really good - it's giving me some Donald Fagen vibes. Even the never changing rhythm fits with that impression. Nice, chilled-out track.

    You can hear it here, although for some reason the video is twice as long as the song - nothing happens anymore in the second half of this upload, don’t hold your breath:



    Carl Homer: Separated Out (Outre Mix): This remix maintains a few of the rock elements of the original with electric guitars and fat drums, but it's still heavily changed. The chords are different, there are new guitar parts, and the drum beat again reminds me of Fatboy Slim a bit. I'm not really crazy about this mix, the original was already an edgy track and this one is too nervous for my taste.

    Kostia Rapoport: Map of the World (Acid Kitsch Remix): The Russian-born, Berlin-based musician, composer and producer is the clear winner of this remix collection, as Marillion selected no less than four of his reconstructions. At the time this album was released (and the selection must have taken some time) he was just twenty - impressive. This remix replaces the safety of the original with a jumpy, jazzy samba arrangement that reminds me of Matt Bianco's "Half a Minute" a bit.

    Note the title - I’m not sure who chose them but I feel it may have been the band, as the term “acid kitsch” appears in the lyrics on a song from the next album.

    Kostia Rapoport: The Fruit of the Wild Rose (Lullaby Remix): No doubt that Rapoport displays some immense talent (his biography since then has been even more impressive). Here he strips the song back down to just voice, bar piano, double bass and some discreet beats. But he also makes use of dynamics, as the middle eight gets much denser.

    This is the second of these mixes that made its way to YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ0hOnDIFxc

    Kostia Rapoport: This Is the 21st Century (Ancient Instinct Remix): Maybe having these two remixes in one go wasn't the greatest idea, as the underlying concept is pretty similar - piano, double bass, some beats that never get annoying. However, it's interesting to hear a vocal part that's pretty buried on the album version. Unfortunately, the instrumental part at the end is entirely gone, replaced with... wind noises? Well, that's a way to do it.

    Robert De Fresnes: Between You and Me (Marillion vs. Plasma): Another guy who went on to become heavily involved with music outside the regular music biz - while Rapoport is mostly doing art and theater, De Fresnes has become a TV composer. Unfortunately, his rather clichéd trance EDM remix of "Between You and Me" doesn't do much for me. Just like the Chance's End version, this one loops one line ad nauseam (it's a different one, lol!). At least we get a bit of the original instrumentation here - that rapidly strummed acoustic guitar. Apparently there's a longer version of this on the "You're Gone" single credited to the artist "Remixomatosis".

    Carl Homer: The Fruit of the Wild Rose (Rose-Tinted Mix): Slow strings open this. The idea to take the funk out of this song must've been obvious to both Rapoport and Homer. Strangely, this version turns it into a dirge that isn't too far from Marillion's own stuff, especially later songs such as "Somewhere Else" or "This Train is My Life".

    Kostia Rapoport: Separated Out (In the Groove [Re]Mix): The title says it all - replace the voice with a less miserable sounding singer and you've got a Jamiroquai track! Funky wah-wah electric piano and organ rules the night. I literally let out a laugh when I heard the song morph into a Right Said Fred style song during the chorus. It's absolutely hilarious. And I like this one much more than the Homer mix. Rapoport also noticed the oddity of the original song only using its title line once, and dutifully rectified this.

    Redroque: Map of the World (As We See It Mix): Uptempo version, pretty much rooted in Celtic folk with wild fiddles and fast strummed acoustic guitars, plus bongos. This sounds like something Marillion could've done themselves for a laugh. The guitar solo is replaced by - exactly - a violin one.


    So, Remixomatosis ended up being great fun for me listening to, and I’ll probably return to some of the tracks at least.

    One thing it shares with Tales from the Engine Room, aside from the occasional transitions (mixtape / DJ mix, anyone?), is that it barely makes use of the original instrumentation. There isn't even one Rothery solo left. That is a bit of a shame, especially since Marillion released stems of all the music for the nine songs. However, it’s got a much more varied and organic palette; the electronics almost never get too edgy or “dance-ey” for my taste, and you can tell that there were some really talented musicians putting in their own creative ideas (especially Kostia Rapoport’s wonderful keyboard playing) whereas Tales from the Engine Room sometimes feels like it’s not breathing due to the amount of pure, cold programming.

    Given how many remixes were submitted to the band, it’s not surprising that they had quite a few versions they liked but couldn’t put on Remixomatosis. These were released on the free fan club CD Baubles: Marillion – Baubles : Christmas 2004 (2004, Gatefold, CD)

    Unfortunately, this set is not on Bandcamp, and none of the tracks seem to be available on YouTube either. Mike Ladano did a review here: REVIEW: Marillion – Baubles – Christmas 2004

    He actually reviewed all the Marillion Christmas releases, so there’s some reading in case you’re interested on something I’ll likely not cover on this thread.
     
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  23. ytserush

    ytserush Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast US
    Either I forgot about this one or didn't know it existed.

    Might be good to hear out of curiosity.
     
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  24. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
  25. JulesRules

    JulesRules Weaponized, Deranged Warthog Thug

    Location:
    Germany
    Marbles (album)
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    [​IMG]
    Studio album by
    Marillion
    Released
    27 April 2004 (preorder)
    3 May 2004
    Recorded The Racket Club, Aylesbury, 2002, 2003 and the beginning of 2004
    Genre Progressive rock, art rock
    Length 98:48 (2CD version)
    68:11 (1CD version)
    Label Intact
    Producer Dave Meegan
    Marillion chronology
    Anoraknophobia
    (2001) Marbles
    (2004) Somewhere Else
    (2007)
    Singles from Marbles
    1. "You're Gone"
      Released: 19 April 2004
    2. "Don't Hurt Yourself"
      Released: July 2004
    Marbles is the 13th studio album from rock band Marillion, released in 2004. Unlike their previous studio album, Anoraknophobia (2001), which was financed largely by a preorder campaign, the band funded the recording, and it was the publicity campaign that fans financed for the album. Those fans who pre-ordered the album received an exclusive 2-CD "Deluxe Campaign Edition" with a booklet containing the names of everyone who pre-ordered before a certain date. The public release date of the retail single-CD version of the album was 3 May 2004 while a plain 2-CD version was made available from the band's website. A limited (500 copy) edition was released on white multicoloured vinyl by Racket Records on 13 November 2006.

    In 2017, the 2-CD version became available as a retail edition by the Madfish label,[1] who also released the full album on vinyl for the first time, occupying three LPs.[2]

    The album did not chart in the UK, due to it being packaged with a couple of stickers, which is against chart rules. So despite selling enough for a top 30 position, the album was declared ineligible for the album chart; however, its first single "You're Gone", reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming their first UK top ten hit since 1987's "Incommunicado". The follow-up single "Don't Hurt Yourself" peaked at #16. Classic Rock ranked Marbles #11 on their end-of-year list for 2004.

    Concept and reception[edit source]
    Professional ratings
    Review scores
    Source
    Rating
    Allmusic ***[3]
    The Guardian ***[4]
    Record Collector ***[5]
    Classic Rock ****[6]
    Guitarist ****[7]
    Marbles was the second Marillion album in a row produced by Dave Meegan, who had already helped the band craft Brave and Afraid of Sunlight, albums to which Marbles was compared by both reviewers as well as the band itself. Unlike Anoraknophobia though, Marbles was mostly not mixed by Meegan but Mike Hunter. Exceptions are "The Invisible Man", "Fantastic Place", "Ocean Cloud", "You're Gone" (mixed by Meegan) and "Genie" (mixed by Steven Wilson) and "Angelina" (mixed by Meegan and Wilson).

    While Marbles is not strictly a concept album, it is tied together by thematic threads. Several of the songs are connected via segues or crossfades. The four parts of the title track work as musical interludes, but they also tell a continuing story about the narrator's childhood fascination with marbles, collecting them and losing most of them over the years. ("Losing one's marbles" is slang term for going insane, which has also been described as a theme of "The Invisible Man".) Furthermore, the song "The Damage" includes multiple lyrical call-backs to "Genie"; "Ocean Cloud" mentions "the invisible man" and in a key moment of "Neverland", the line "you're gone" appears.

    According to Steve Hogarth, escape is a recurring theme on the album.[8]

    "Ocean Cloud" is inspired by and dedicated to Don Allum and the Ocean Rowers, even including a link to Allum's at-sea diary and actual samples of him talking about the experience.

    Track listing
    All songs written by Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly, Pete Trewavas, Ian Mosley.

    Double-CD version
    Disc one
    1. "The Invisible Man" – 13:37
    2. "Marbles I" – 1:42
    3. "Genie" – 4:54
    4. "Fantastic Place" – 6:12
    5. "The Only Unforgivable Thing" – 7:13
    6. "Marbles II" – 2:02
    7. "Ocean Cloud" – 17:58
    Disc two
    1. "Marbles III" – 1:51
    2. "The Damage" – 4:35
    3. "Don't Hurt Yourself" – 5:48
    4. "You're Gone" – 6:25
    5. "Angelina" – 7:42
    6. "Drilling Holes" – 5:11
    7. "Marbles IV" – 1:26
    8. "Neverland" – 12:10
    Single-CD version
    1. "The Invisible Man" – 13:37
    2. "Marbles I" – 1:42
    3. "You're Gone" – 6:25
    4. "Angelina" – 7:42
    5. "Marbles II" – 2:02
    6. "Don't Hurt Yourself" – 5:48
    7. "Fantastic Place" – 6:12
    8. "Marbles III" – 1:51
    9. "Drilling Holes" – 5:11
    10. "Marbles IV" – 1:26
    11. "Neverland" – 12:10
    12. Bonus track (in Europe): "You're Gone" (single mix) – 4:05
    13. Bonus track (in North America): "Don't Hurt Yourself" (music video)
    Limited edition vinyl reissue
    Side one
    1. "The Invisible Man" – 13:37
    2. "Marbles I" – 1:42
    Side two
    1. "You're Gone" – 6:25
    2. "Angelina" – 7:42
    3. "Marbles II" – 2:02
    Side three
    1. "Don't Hurt Yourself" – 5:48
    2. "Fantastic Place" – 6:12
    3. "Marbles III" – 1:51
    Side four
    1. "Drilling Holes" – 5:11
    2. "Marbles IV" – 1:26
    3. "Neverland" – 12:10
    Personnel
    External links
     
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