That was my entry point...Misplaced Childhood. A good friend of mine bought it after seeing the video on MTV and played it for me a few times. I liked it a lot but wasn't blown away by it until I saw them open for Rush twice. I'm pretty sure I saw the He Knows You Know video which I liked a few years earlier, but never put two and two together. First album I ever bought was Brief Encounter, which was the live gateway to the older albums. Became a huge fan after seeing them live. Haven't missed a US Tour in the tri-state area except for The Afraid of Sunlight Tour which was at the low ebb of my Marillion fandom. Chose not to go to that one. The rest as they say is history.
I'm been loving Hogarth's voice over the last 10 years or so. He's really hit that sweet spot. It was OK before that but now it's much better.
For me, the definitive version of Chelsea Monday is the live version on the 1985 live album recorded in Utrecht included in the MC deluxe edition. The whole live album is outstanding.
I agree that Fish's early vocal style owes far more to Hammill than to Gabriel, but in fairness, most people making the Gabriel comparison are probably not familiar with Hammill (when I first heard Hammill's Over about a decade ago, it was a real epiphany in terms of understanding Fish's style). I remember that when I first heard of Marillion via the "Kayleigh" video that actually got some US MTV airplay, I was fully immersing myself into '70s progressive rock, and especially older Genesis, Yes, and King Crimson (hadn't even heard of VdGG at that point). Something struck me as fascinating about that video, and when I bought the CD, I realized what it was--unlike current-day Genesis, this group was making music at least somewhat in the spirit of Gabriel-era Genesis! While we now know there was a whole "neo-prog" movement going on in England with several other bands as well, I didn't end up learning about the existence of any of that until well into the next decade (mainly due to the rise of the internet). So Mirror Image's point about the comparison mainly being just due to the symphonic rock stylings has some validity, because no one else on the charts was doing anything remotely like that at the time. And tracks like "Pseudo Silk Kimono," "Heart of Lothian," "Blind Curve," etc., sounded way closer to '70s Genesis than they did to Yes, KC, UK, or ELP, who were my main Prog touchstones. So the '70s Genesis comparison seemed pretty valid and even obvious to me--no one was saying they were an exact copy, but they were playing the kind of music one might have expected Genesis to have been making in the '80s if one were to only be familiar with their earlier work, complete with swirling keyboards and alternately sighing and soaring guitar leads. In fact, I tricked a friend of mine who was only a casual fan of Genesis, saying that they found some unreleased material from the Gabriel days, and cleaned up the sound to make it sound modern--and I played "Blind Curve." He seemed to buy it, but did say he had some suspicions after I revealed that it was actually a current act, mainly based on the vocals. I relay all this because I get the sense that John (Mirror Image) is younger than me and didn't experience the same context of Marillion coming out during the peak of the Phil solo and Genesis success, and how it seemed almost like a very specific counter-reaction to that, at least from the perspective of a lot of fans of early Genesis who resented the current direction. Add in the stage make-up (not to mention "Grendel") and the comparison makes even more sense. That said, I'm fully aware of all the differences, including Fish's heart-on-the-sleeve Scots passion as opposed to Gabriel's (not to mention Banks's) very British, ironically reserved cleverness. Comparisons like these are always relative, and always come down to context. It's a bit like the way that to most casual listeners, the band Broadcast sounds a lot like Stereolab (or Tori Amos sounds a lot like Laura Nyro or Kate Bush), but the more familiar you are with both of them, the more the differences come into focus.
(Too late to edit my post, but I just realized that I should have referred to Gabriel and Banks's very English (rather than British) cleverness, as I realize that Scotland is fully a part of Great Britain).
I hope you're right as I just ordered a 1987 USA. A regular poster in another thread I frequent said he heard major differences between the 87 UK & USA. At this point, I'll just be glad to get my original 1987 USA back! From the first 1999 2 cd set I bought I didn't like the sound & like the brainwashed idiot that I was, I replaced all my 1980's Marillion with the screechy 1999's.
I'm sad to say that Fish/Marillion are one of my few favs that I never saw live other than on video. I've heard of Hamill, but never heard him. The Fish albums had a PG Genesis "vibe" to me, but if anything that felt like a plus.
Hammill's voice is very unique, as he ranges from a delicate, almost androgynous croon to an acid-scarred, blood-curdling howl, and not infrequently in the course of the same song. Not all of his vocals sound much like Fish, but when Fish hurtles back and forth from falsetto to screaming to almost speak-singing, it is remarkably reminiscent of Hammill. Of all the Hammill and VdGG albums I've heard, the one where he reminds me the most of Fish (to the point where it's almost uncanny at times) is his 1977 solo album Over. The fact that this album cover appears on the back cover of Fugazi is probably not a coincidence. Think of Fish singing something like "Forgotten Sons" or "Assassing" and then play this opening track (a rocker that sounds nothing like the rest of the otherwise moodily introspective album):
A bit of a side track, but since it's been brought up, I've never been able to entirely get behind Fish's solo albums. I give him credit for not trying to sound like his old band, but he never developed a musically distinctive sound of his own either. There are a few strong albums like Vigil, Sunsets on Empire and 13th Star, but I could never figure out what he was going for. You can hear bits of prog, bits of hard rock, bits of pop and folk but even among his stronger albums, there seems to be a lack of focus, IMO. A lot of people checked out by the time of Suits and I can kind of understand why. I still check out his albums and every once in a while I'm pleasantly surprised. Just something always missing for me.
Now it’s time to discuss their next studio album... Fugazi (1984) Tracklisting: 1. Assassing (7:02) 2. Punch And Judy (3:21) 3. Jigsaw (6:50) 4. Emerald Lies (5:09) 5. She Chameleon (6:53) 6. Incubus (8:30) 7. Fugazi (8:13) Personnel: Fish - vocals Steve Rothery - guitars Mark Kelly - keyboards Pete Trewavas - bass Ian Mosley - drums Additional personnel: Chris Karen - percussion Linda Pyke - backing vocals Additional information: How Marillion Fashioned an Early Neo-Prog Triumph on 'Fugazi'
So I got Fugazi on release (probably the first album as a 13 year old I’d been anticipating buying ..saved up ..and waited for mom to bring home as she got a staff discount buying from Boots) ... release days were Tuesdays if I recall correctly This delivered everything I wanted from the Script sequel ..as I had been a tad disappointed by Punch and Judy ...great cover art- check ... better production..check..better drumming ..double check... progression of sound ..check.. Assassing is a great opener ..what a build up ...Punch..works far better as an album track ..Jigsaw is a great ballad ..Emerald Lies I absolutely love ..it’s a mini epic ..that climax ..then onto side two ..She Chameleon..probably the weakest track for me back then but one I love now ..it unwinds beautifully..then the big finish ..Incubus is one of my favourite Marillion tunes and the best song on the album ..and then Fugazi ..great live ..the studio version doesn’t quite nail it for me ..that faded ending ..should have been a big finish ..they did a similar thing with White Feather on the next album So a 5/5 for me ..and they also served up a killer b side with Cinderella Search ...
I always like to point out that the band was started by Mick Pointer, so it's a big slap when you get asked out of your own band. That said, I did find his drumming somewhat stilted and pedestrian on Script; and to give him respect, his playing improved greatly in his newer band, Arena. Ian's drumming was great from the get-go.
My entry point to the band in mid-1984 and still my favourite album. A school friend traded the vinyl to me in exchange for an album by metal band Virgin Steele. I think I might have come out on top of that particular trade!
Just listened to side one last night, likely spurred on by this thread. First off, for those of you who listen mainly to vinyl, the UK pressing of this is far, far better than the US--it doesn't have the same screechy highs, and yet the drums have a particularly satisfying presence. Musically, I find this album (and the first side in particular) to be enjoyable as all get out. It doesn't exactly move me emotionally the way some of their later work (or even some live versions of their earlier work) does, but I guess it's almost like the closest I come to a pure "head-banging" experience with music--this just "rocks" in a way I find fun (whereas most conventional hard rock and metal I just find completely tedious). "Assassing" in particular is an absolute ear-worm, and makes me want to belt it out along with Fish and the band. While "Jigsaw" is one of the tracks that I found stunning on The Thieving Magpie and comparatively disappointing in the studio, last night's listen had more of the magic I remember from the live version than I was expecting. In particular, it sounds like Rothery's more mature tone is starting to emerge on this wonderful solo, whereas he still sounds thinner and less emotive elsewhere on the album. I may just listen to side 2 tonight (if it sounds odd that I only listened to a single side, I unfortunately have developed an issue with hyperacusis in my right ear, so more than one album side at a time--even at relatively low volumes--becomes uncomfortable. So I have to select my nightly album side with care).
Another awesome album. I only have the cd, & haven't played it in a few years, so no current comment on SQ. Knowing me, I'll obsess about the (likely) awful sound quality of the new box & the 1999 2 cd when the box comes out & I listen again! I like everything here, favs are Assassing, Punch & Judy, Incubus & Fugazi.
Not a huge fan of Fugazi. As I mentioned before, I like Incubus and Jigsaw. The production values on this album are horrendous, IMHO. Harsh, brittle, and missing a lot of bottom end. Fish’s vocals grate on my nerves on this album. I haven’t listened to this album in probably 20 years. I may revisit it soon to see if my opinion on it has softened. I’m hoping a remix can restore some depth of this recording, because right now it’s razor-sharp and the equivalent of someone hitting a block of ice with a hammer.
Sadly I expect the TERRIBLE mastering style that Marillion has been using since the 1999 2 cd sets will likely make it worse. You don't know now much I hope I'm wrong, but with the exception of 1 or 2 of the Racket live albums, that's been the pattern for over 20 years.
