Brave, Marbles and Radiation (remixed). It doesn't get better than that.
Brave, Marbles and Radiation (remixed). It doesn't get better than that.
Last edited by StevegSr; 06-06-2016 at 04:58 PM.
To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.
Ahh yes, it's important to point out the Radiation remix, because of all their albums that one was in the most dire need of it, and it is indeed an improvement! As for the album itself, it's similar to Anoraknophobia in that the strong tracks are *very* strong ("A Few Words For The Dead" is a classic Marillion track for example), but the middle of the album sags a bit. Stuff like "These Chains" and "Now She'll Never Know" kinda bore me a bit. And they did live too, when I saw the full album played. Everything else is great though, very underrated album!Originally Posted by StevegSr
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
That's the South Park one isn't it? I've never heard it.Well good to see some love for Anoraknophobia!
Doesn't bore me a bit. Love it. Love it.
To be or not to be? That is the point. - Harry Nilsson.
They often complain about their writing process. They apparently just jam in a room and hope that magic spark shows up. I get the idea that they're often frustrated about it.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Hogarth has said that if the magic happens, it will always be in the first half hour of jamming. If it hasn't happened in the first half hour, he claims that day is basically shot. They very nearly broke up making Sounds That Can't Be Made, so I imagine it is indeed a frustrating procedure for them. I know that producer Mike Hunter is the guy who goes through the day's recorded jams and picks and chooses what he thinks will work (this according to just about everyone in the band from what I've heard/read), so that's a very involved producer role right there.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
I just remembered the Beastie Boys/Marillion mashups in my sig below are all from Anoraknophobia, using the Anoraknophobia remix contest tracks.Well good to see some love for Anoraknophobia!
I just typed Anoraknophobia three times and only had to backspace twice - not counting when I backspaced to fix the word backspace.
When it first came out I thought it was rather weak, but it has grown on me over the years. There are still many Marillion albums that I like better, but I think it is a decent effort.
I figured as much. Just jamming can be so boring. So, do these dudes have day jobs?
No, they're "full-time" musicians. Many of them have developed other projects over the years, too.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
The only H-era music I can't get into is Holidays in Eden. I like large parts, or everything else. I do prefer Essence over the Hard Shoulder. All of Marbles is excellent, especially Ocean's Cloud. I can see why they dedicated a song to Montreal, their fans worship them.
I usually come late to the party with Marillion albums, buying them years after the event, so I miss all the fuss at the time. As far as Montreal goes, I just felt it dragged on way too long - they could have written about my living room and it would have been the same result. I tried several times to make it through to the end but fell asleep every time.
And yet I don't have a problem with their other longer songs - 21st Century is a slow paced song but it holds my attention from first to last note. Same with Invisible Man.
My reference to hard core was really about those fans who will sit through anything the band issue but without any kind of critical awareness - if it's Marillion it's brilliant or else! I'm not suggestion you're like that - your comments are also interesting and thoughtful - but there are some real obsessives out there and Marillion seem to attract the most vocal of these.
I'm happy for them that they make music for themselves first, otherwise they become hollow men, but I still feel at times that they need a critical voice in the mixdown stages.
It's good that they're still on the go after all these years - I still recall grabbing a bun thrown by Fish offstage in Dundee in 1983, so I've been in for the long haul. But with my form, it'll probably end up being 2018 before I get round to hearing FEAR.
I've got them or heard them, just don't rate them as much as their earlier output.
i could rave on about my deep and unconditional love for “AoS” until the cows come home. let me just put it at the top of my list:
AFRAID OF SUNLIGHT – faultless. in many respects the first album where the h-fronted MARiLLiON finally sounded like themselves. a blueprint for all of the many albums that followed. one of the finest albums ever and i don't say this lightly.
MARBLES (2CD) – again, faultless and deeply moving … with the notable exception of “ocean cloud” which i consider to be at length for length’s sake and, thus, a bit tedious. “the only unforgivable thing” is a lost gem.
SEASON’S END – musically still somewhat rooted in the fish era … but, oh, what a mighty appearance and what a determined hand played by steve hogarth. operation successful, the new band is alive and well!
BRAVE – a venerable meisterwerk to many; i personally think that they were trying a bit too hard for their own good. deeply satisfying effort but not their best.
.COM – MARiLLiON, seeking for pathways and answers … and producing a fine mix of vintage stylistics (“interior lulu”) and new expressions (“house”, “tumble down”). always an enjoyable listen – made during a difficult time for the band but it never shows.
THIS STRANGE ENGINE – ushering in their indie wilderness years. a bold move, some iffy material – but it has “man of a thousand faces”, the 17minute title track and “estonia”, which is know to have reduced grown men to tearful debris.
ANORAKNOPHOBIA – MARiLLiON go entirely indie and completely on their own terms. some unwieldy material, but self-confidently presented and with a real sense of purpose. “quartz”, “21st century”, excellent stuff.
RADIATION – most hate it; i don't. a brave, brash and bold album for them at their most experimental. prepare to dig deep and you will be rewarded.
SOUNDS THAT CAN’T BE MADE – a strong album in most respects, can't get over the last two tracks which i absolutely dislike. h’s vocals are slowly becoming to be a bit of a nuisance.
HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD (2CD) – like CD1 (them being themselves), dislike CD2 somewhat (them trying to be someone else). that is all
HOLIDAYS IN EDEN – the pop album by a new configuration that is still finding its feet. i do like the ususal suspects but, on the whole, it feels flawed and misguided.
SOMEWHERE ELSE – dislike. absolutely. never to be listened to again. not a single redeeming moment. h was in a bad state at the time and it shows. this is just bleak and utterly depressing and it completely misses that shining ray of hope(fulness) that they could always insert into even their gloomiest material.
just my two eurocents.
HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD (2CD) – like CD1 (them being themselves), dislike CD2 somewhat (them trying to be someone else).
Agreed with this assessment. I played Essence a few weeks ago and it still totally holds up for me. It's a song cycle, so I'm not sure how many of the songs would work separately (I remember comment to this effect on their forum when they did the UK tour for the album). But in the context of the album, they work very well.
The Hard Shoulder, though, I waited for it to click...and it never did, beyond a couple of songs. Stuff like 'Thunder Fly' and 'Planet Marzipan' were praised to skies by some...for me, they are studio doodles, not songs.
I actually haven't encountered many or any like that - everyone seems to have albums they prefer to others, and the same with specific songs. And they all seem to have certain songs they really don't like.
I don't think I've ever heard that he threw buns offstage - cool! Did you eat it?
I think Thunder Fly and Planet Marzipan are both great songs. I've heard others say they don't care for Thunder Fly - I never understood their problem with it. Neither of these seems like "studio doodles" to me, but that's an interesting comment.
Looking at the tracks on The Hard Shoulder:
1."Thunder Fly" – 6:24
Great song
2."The Man from the Planet Marzipan" – 7:55
Great song
3."Asylum Satellite #1" – 9:32
Great song
4."Older Than Me" – 3:11
I've grown to like it, but don't love it. I amused people on the Marillion forum by saying I assumed it was about a young guy and a woman who was MUCH older - like 90 or something.
5."Throw Me Out" – 4:01
Great song
6."Half the World" – 5:08
I've grown to sort of like it. Reminds me too much of Map of the World. I found if I interpret the lyrics sort of like those of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" it helps a bit. They're sort of menacing, in a way, hinting that bad things can happen to her as well as good things. But musically it's not great. I definitely don't like the few sort of "happy" sounding poppy tracks they've done (Map of the World, Half the World, Tumble Down the Years, Made Again. A lot of people like Made Again, but not me).
7."Whatever Is Wrong with You" – 4:16
Great song
8."Especially True" – 4:37
Great song
9."Real Tears for Sale" – 7:34
Great song
Were you shouting "Gi'e us a bun!" at the time?
I listened to the first few songs on Marbles. I think I'm going to get it. I like the atmospherics. Still a bit hesitant about H's vocals. We'll see. Looking forward to sitting with it for a while. I'll check back.
Interesting that they are all professional musicians. I don't know how anyone makes money in the music these days unless you're a popstar. I guess the Marillian members make enough from their conventions as they don't really tour anymore, do they?
Oh, and how is Rothery's solo album?
They tour quite a lot. Just finished a South American tour, coming to the U.S. this Fall, Europe in there somewhere. They have a large fan database, do preorders for most albums to finance the recording. They're well organized and communicate well with the fans.
Absolutely fantastic.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Lol.....it took it home and tried to preserve it as a memento of the gig. It was just a cheap and nasty roll, and it didn't last long before my Mum chucked it out.
And yes, it was during the Gie's A Bun chant, although I had no idea what it was all about until later. The Script tour was my first live encounter, but I was surrounded by lots of guys who'd supported them in the club days, and knew all the banter.
Interestingly, one reason for Marillion's high profile pre-EMI was from a club tour in Scotland when Pallas offered them a support slot, and they went down just as well as headliners. I ended up seeing Pallas just a couple of weeks before seeing Marillion's Script tour. It was fun watching both bands sign to EMI and watch their parallel careers. Shame it didn't go so well for Pallas. Apparently The Sentinel was scheduled to come out just before Fugazi, but Fish was so worried about the competition that he lobbied hard for the Sentinel to be delayed, and it didn't come out until well after Fugazi.....
Sorry for the Fish detour on the H thread...
And
It'd be funny if you came home and a member of your family was eating it!
Personally, although I was in the kickstarter for it, bought all the live stuff Rothery released, and saw Rothery perform it on Cruise to the Edge, I can't say I LOVE the album. It's good, and I think any Rothery fan would want to hear it, but somehow it isn't that satisfying. I think it's because ALL Marillion solo projects have been like that - while all the members of the band are excellent, and I totally worship at the altar of Rothery, the sum of Marillion is definitely greater than it's parts.
The one exception is that I LOVE Hogarth's solo shows. I'd love to be able to see one some day. But of course, it's all Marillion and cover songs he's performing, so it's all great material. Actually, a few of the covers I'm meh on, but that's often the case with Marillion. There was that show they did at one of the weekends, of which they released the CD called "Friends," which featured a lot of covers, and I a) wasn't familiar with a lot of the covers, and b) didn't like most of those songs.
Was it mostly Adele songs?
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