I liked it a lot when I first got it, but I haven't listened to it much since. I prefer Happiness is the Road.
I liked it a lot when I first got it, but I haven't listened to it much since. I prefer Happiness is the Road.
Received this one as a Chirstmas present and have given it about one and a half spins, which is pretty much all I've had time for over the festive season. Really hasn't grabbed me so far, to be honest, but maybe it'll grow on me with time.
This is what I don't understand about ProgArchives. The list is completely chosen by readers based on ratings. If someone reviews an album, their rating holds more weight. And more rates are good too, provided they are good ratings. What I don't understand is, I was looking at our cd the other day and it was at #70, the average was around four of five stars, with 42 people rating it. (most cds have way more rates obviously). But then yesterday, it only showed that 39 people had rated it, which shot it up into the #43 I think. So what happened to three votes? Were they discarded as troll votes? Or did three people quit progarchives and take their ratings with them? Or is there an error going on? I saw Marillion had good ratings, but there were something like 2500 entries of cds this year.
EDIT: I had quoted the poster who was compaining that Marillion hadn't made the top 100 ProgArchives list, and the quote didn't appear with my post. I was adding my question to his post about ProgArchives' list.
This album sneaked its way into my 2012 list, loving it a lot more then Happiness which I thought was 50% ok (The Hard Shoulder cd I liked most where as Essence was just a string of mildly interesting ideas in search of a good overarching structure). Read quite a few remarks about Montreal and that people either could or could not relate to it. Well, it is Hogarth's love letter to that city but I also see it as a general love letter to Marillion's fanbase with Montreal used as a focal point. And I like the matter-of-fact-ness of the words. Anyone who has ever been to or seen (on dvd) an H Natural show knows where it comes from. For instance, This Strange Engine seems like a lyric full of cryptical metaphors where in fact it is all literally true (as he sings at the end) portraying his childhood and his relation with his father.
One of the better ones since Fish left. Not the best tho. The best after-Fish record is Marbles.
Disappointing IMO: too many one-vamp blancmanges, always a potential problem with the band, made very apparent on this.
Good parts - of course - but overall not as good as the invigoration of Somewhere Else.
Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?
I think the test of a album is the one of time. As noted, a few very good tracks but I don't find myself drawn back - haven't played it in ages.
Is everyone still listening to this? I am, but not too often. I do love it, and I think it's a stellar release. There are just some songs on this that touch me emotionally. So, I find that I can listen to it too often. Gaza and The Sky Above The Rain bring me to tears the most, with Pour My Love not far behind. Btw, is that 'Tron flute on Pour My Love?
Just played it yesterday. I got a little verklempt listening to the last song and remembering Ken Walsh's fondness for it.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I gave this another listen last week, wondering if I had been overly harsh. Unfortunately for me, I still don't think very much of it. There are way too many embarrassing moments (prime example, "I'm sorry, I can't continue" on Gaza and the dreadfully maudlin final track) and frankly forgettable songs, like the three shorter tracks.
I like 'Montreal' a lot.
Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?
What's wrong with the "I can't continue" line in Gaza? H is telling a story, and in the story a letter is being recited. Obviously, the person that is reading the letter is so overcome with emotion that they can't continue. Do you have ice in your veins, or something? I don't think anything about this CD is embarrassing. So, yes, you are being harsh.
I completely agree with your overall assessment of the record, but for me, Montreal is the worst song on it. Musically, it's a carelessly cobbled together incoherent patchwork of snippets, and lyrically, well, it's just awful. There's the embarrassing, "so I skyped home and said, "it's me babe, how are you?"" line. And then of course there's the "and down at the sports bar, the ice hockey never ends" line that gets repeated over and over at a climactic point in the song. Dreadful stuff.
JIF, if you are capable of not being a fool, please try to do so. In the meantime, resist the urge to make moral judgements about people based on their musical taste.
As for me and Fr. T, no we aren't married. We were engaged, but he when I reach out he turns away, when I talk about it he says I'm cruel. Now I feel ugly and the big gorilla wins over me.
I'm sorry, I can't go on...
Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?
I love this album and have spun it repeatedly after finally getting my deluxe edition (Was a little peeved at how long it took to arrive, and the crappy mp3s we were given as a concession was just salt in the wound to me... Oh well. Rant over). Album is fantastic and holds its own well when compared to Marbles. I think it blows Happiness out of the water! I love Gaza and Montreal. Power is a beast! STCBM is another great song. Lucky man, pour my love, and invisible ink are ok: but the wife loves them all! SATR does connect emotionally with me, and has brought a tear more than once, which makes it a marvelous song. Overall, a great album for me!
I think I already done said it, but Pour My Love is on the wife and i's jiggy mix. She like.
Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that
Let me say I love Marillion. Brave is one of my all time favorites!
BUT, I don't really care for this one. A bit disappointing for me.
I don't think I will be spinning this one anytime soon. I actually like HITR better.
To each his own, right?
Haven't listened to it in a little while, but still really enjoy it.
I do have to agree, however, that "Montreal" is by far the weakest track.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Bookmarks