Marillion - Fugazi

“Where are the prophets, where are the visionaries, where are the poets?”

I sometimes think Marillion's second album gets overlooked, stuck between the initial excitement of Script and the huge success of Misplaced Childhood.

A friend asked if I'd go back and revisit the album for a blog piece, and as I listened to it again, I was struck by how prescient some of those lyrics still are, even 35 years on. I also found myself thinking that it's one of their best sounding albums (Trewavas' bass really thunders on this one.)

So, this creature of habit begs your boatman's coin:

https://momentstransition.wordpress....n-fugazi-1984/

 

I still love Fugazi and play it a lot, bought it the day it came out.

That said, it shows its age a lot more than the two Fish albums that followed and lacks some of the originality of Script, albeit we now have a much better drummer on board.

Assassing was the greatest thing I ever heard when I first heard it, but now the build up is kinda let down by the main riff which is a bit lame (da-da-da-da-da-da --- ching-ching-ching-ching, ching-ching). The key change out of the middle section is still very cool though!. Jigsaw is a bit boring, and the swearing on She Chameleon must have seemed radical at the time but it is now a bit silly. Punch and Judy and Incubus have held up very well - and the title track - as you say - is still brilliant, superbly constructed, amazingly good lyrics, great arrangement.

Fancy a game of Brixton chess?

 

My memory is that it's a stereotypical second album: all the good songs were used on the first album; new ideas would come with the third album.

 

Always been my favorite. Only Punch and Judy i find a little to basic, the other songs are all great, with a great ambient to it and pretty amazing solos from Steve Rothery. Also the drums are vastly superior to the first album with Ian Mosley inclusion.

Favorite song: Emerald Lies

 

Easily their best Fish era album and a big improvement on the debut. The double CD also enhances it even further with the brilliant Cinderella Search. I dont think Fish ever sounded better than on Fugazi. They where ready for a change after the drab Clutching at Straws.

 

I love every second of it. Wouldn't change a thing.
It's unique. It's perfect as is.

 

I still like it. I think it’s aged better than the first at which I cringe at most of the lyrics

 

Not a big fan of it, the songs just aren’t as appealing as the debut.

 

The first had two great songs, the title track and Forgotten Sons, the rest is forgettable.

 

He Knows & Garden Party are classics

 

I find pre-Hogarth Marillion terribly dated now.... I used to love the early stuff, but can't really listen to it anymore. Clutching At Straws is probably my only exception to this, which I find still a good album, but I think the early stuff has been overshadowed by the material they've been producing since the Brave album onwards. They're definitely one of those bands of two faces, and for that reason they reinvented themselves when Hogarth joined, and for the better in my opinion.

That said, Fugazi is a good album and in my opinion a better album than the first one... I don't see it as the poor relation to either Script of Misplaced. It is overlooked, but shouldn't be.

Please don't let this turn into a Fish V Hogarth thread.... I'm just pointing out my viewpoint on why I don't really appreciate the early stuff anymore.

 

My favorite Marillion album. I saw them on the tour here in NYC at the Ritz.

 

My first Marillion album purchased in 1984 and still my favourite.

When I moved to London, I revelled in the local references in the title track, seeing the knights for Embankment folding their newspaper castles and seeing Brixton chess!

Incubus is probably my favourite track, but they are all great and for me the perfect fusion of the widescreen sound of the musicians being matched by some pretty thought provoking lyrics and vocals.

 

Definitely the weakest of their 3 first trilogy, like left over materiel from their first. I remember how disappointed I was hearing steady beat drumming.

 

Bought this album the day it came out and still love it. Agree with the OP that it gets overlooked. Only thing wrong with it is that they didn't include Cinderella Search on it. Why that was relegated to the B-side of Assassing I will never know.

At the recent Steve Rothery Band convention they played Incubus, Fugazi and Cinderella Search - so one of the band still likes it!!

 

Just beats their debut as my favourite Fish-era album. Assassing and Jigsaw are the stand outs for me.
I look forward to the box set.

 

The weakest of the four Fish/Marillion albums for me, although those albums are four of my all time favourites so I still love it!
A slight feeling that it was a little rushed after the success of Script. Incubus, Emerald Lies, Jigsaw are all amazing. I've never liked Punch & Judy, probably the worst song of the whole Fish era. Cinderella Search should have been added to all rereleases, a fantastic song.

 

At one point in time Fugazi was my favorite Marillion album. That age has long since passed, maybe it was the Floyd and Hammill album covers on the Jesters bedroom floor, maybe it was the scintillating wordplay....
(Apocalyptic alphabet casting spell the creed of tempered diction
Adjectives of annihilation bury the point beyond redemption) uh huh? Ok , Fish Lol

 

I must confess I love ALL Marillion.

So I'm gonna rave about every album in every thread.

 

I’m certainly not going to turn this into a Fish vs. Hogarth discussion, but let me say that I still believe that Brave is best thing the band has done.

 

"Assassing" and the title track are great, but I agree that the sound of this dated badly. I prefer Fugazi to Script simply because it shows the various influences beginning to coalesce into the band's own voice, while Script wears its influences on its sleeve a bit much for my liking. But Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws, for me, are toweringly great albums in a different league.

 

Don't know this album. My favorite of them is Repeater

 

The OP is about a Marillion album called Fugazi, not a Fugazi album called Marillion.

 

I love Fugazi. I tend to regard it and its predecessor as two parts of the same album, these days. Rarely play one without immediately playing the other. Always a highly satisfying experience. Jigsaw remains my favourite Marillion song.

Over the course of their long career, Marillion have released the album that hasn't clicked but for the most part I reckon that they've been very consistent regardless of era. Not always an easy listen but then I have my Air Supply albums for that.

 

I will confess to only ever having owned the first 4 Marillion albums ... for some reason, don't really know why actually, I never continued with them after Fish's departure

Fugazi - I've always liked most of it, though I haven't played it in a number of years. Punch & Judy is not too good though, and I can't even remember She Chameleon as I sit here. The rest of the album gets a general thumbs up from me