What Was The Deal With Marillion?

[MisterSinister]

This was their attempt to enter mainstream almost hair rock back in the day.

Hooks In You
https://youtu.be/r_FXT5YGXWs?si=ZsOuGtxZ80HEBVN7

.

This doesn’t really count. The first Hogarth record was neither representative of what Marillion had been for their four prior albums nor what they would become over their next several albums. It’s just a throwaway song, unless you’re a hardcore. It isn’t what you would tell someone to listen to if they want to learn about or listen to Marillion.

[VinnieVincentsVag]

This was their attempt to enter mainstream almost hair rock back in the day.

Hooks In You
https://youtu.be/r_FXT5YGXWs?si=ZsOuGtxZ80HEBVN7

.

This doesn’t really count. The first Hogarth record was neither representative of what Marillion had been for their four prior albums nor what they would become over their next several albums. It’s just a throwaway song, unless you’re a hardcore. It isn’t what you would tell someone to listen to if they want to learn about or listen to Marillion.

While I agree that this is song is the red headed step child of that album, I 100% disagree that Seasons End was a big departure from the previous 4.
They began writing this with Fish and there are demos with Fish singing to these songs.
It’s pretty cool to hear what could’ve been the 5th album with Fish.
Also very interesting to hear the lyrics/vocal parts that didn’t happen, appear on the first Fish solo record.

[kanister]

I see Fugazi mentioned here but not their debut. In my opinion the best are 1. Clutching at Straws 2. Script from a Jester`s Tear 3. Misplaced Childhood 4 Fugazi

I think Fish`s olo career was much closer to the spirit of original Marillion than the Hogart era Marillion. Nothing against Hogart, but their songs are not quite as memorable.

All in all a great band!

[skeptic555]

I saw them (try to) open for Rush on the Power Windows tour. It went as well as expected, with Fish at one point imploring the crowd to "Give the band a chance!"

The crowd did not.

Kayleigh is freaking great, of course.

[VinnieVincentsVag]

I think Fish`s olo career was much closer to the spirit of original Marillion than the Hogart era Marillion. Nothing against Hogart, but their songs are not quite as memorable.

All in all a great band!

100%

[VinnieVincentsVag]

I saw them (try to) open for Rush on the Power Windows tour. It went as well as expected, with Fish at one point imploring the crowd to "Give the band a chance!"

The crowd did not.

I saw that tour.
They were received fine at the show I saw.
They came out and played Misplace Childhood in its entirety.
People weren’t frothing at the mouth, but there was positive response.

[MisterSinister]

This was their attempt to enter mainstream almost hair rock back in the day.

Hooks In You
https://youtu.be/r_FXT5YGXWs?si=ZsOuGtxZ80HEBVN7

.

This doesn’t really count. The first Hogarth record was neither representative of what Marillion had been for their four prior albums nor what they would become over their next several albums. It’s just a throwaway song, unless you’re a hardcore. It isn’t what you would tell someone to listen to if they want to learn about or listen to Marillion.

While I agree that this is song is the red headed step child of that album, I 100% disagree that Seasons End was a big departure from the previous 4.
They began writing this with Fish and there are demos with Fish singing to these songs.
It’s pretty cool to hear what could’ve been the 5th album with Fish.
Also very interesting to hear the lyrics/vocal parts that didn’t happen, appear on the first Fish solo record.

I am very interested in hearing those Fish demo’s! I love Fish’s first solo album, “Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors” and a few of his later albums, but I think without the writing partners of Steve Rothery and Mark Kelly and later Mickey Simmonds, his lyrics and melodies fail to reach their absolute heights. Are those demo’s on a special edition of “Season’s End” or something?

[MisterSinister]

The song called market square hero was ok too. Thern came the song that put a lot of people off them, where the lyrics went sort of " lavender blue dilly dilly " .

“Lavender”! That song has KILLER lyrics!

I was walking in the park dreaming of a spark
When I heard the sprinklers whisper
Shimmer in the haze of summer lawns
Then I heard the children singing
They were running through the rainbows
They were singing a song for you
Well it seemed to be a song for you
The one I wanted to write for you, for you
Lavenders blue, dilly dilly, lavenders green
When I am King, dilly dilly, you will be Queen
A penny for your thoughts my dear
A penny for your thoughts my dear
I.O.U. for your love, IOU for your love
Lavenders green, dilly dilly, lavenders blue
When you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you
A penny for your thoughts my dear
A penny for your thoughts my dear
IOU for your love, IOU for your love
For your love

https://youtu.be/ZTdOMV-yTRg?si=HiZi5d2g6bFTLSgV

[MisterSinister]

Yes

I've always thought they were the answer to the question "What would Genesis sound like if Peter Gabriel sang on the late '70s - early '80s albums?". Marillion were so much more than that though. I never listened to much after Fish left but I really like their early records

Fish was such an excellent lyricist with a lot of emotion in his voice.
Technically not a great singer.
You really should check out the couple they put out with H on vocals.
Some good stuff

Couple? They’ve done like 30 albums with Hogarth!

[MisterSinister]

I saw them (try to) open for Rush on the Power Windows tour. It went as well as expected, with Fish at one point imploring the crowd to "Give the band a chance!"

The crowd did not.

I saw that tour.
They were received fine at the show I saw.
They came out and played Misplace Childhood in its entirety.
People weren’t frothing at the mouth, but there was positive response.

The most exciting opening to a show I’ve ever seen was Marillion 1992 on the “Holidays in Eden” tour in Boston. They played The Paradise rock club in Boston and opened with “Splintering Heart”. It was the greatest time I’ve ever had at a show. The crescendo in that intro …. Wow. At that time, Marillion was one of my favorite bands and I was there with my best friend who was also a Marillion super-fan (you people might know him from his YouTube show with Ahmet). A once in a lifetime experience.

Here’s a video of a show from that tour:

https://youtu.be/Jqs2w78A9qk?si=6rwKtxb2Gh2Vb8HM

[VinnieVincentsVag]

I've always thought they were the answer to the question "What would Genesis sound like if Peter Gabriel sang on the late '70s - early '80s albums?". Marillion were so much more than that though. I never listened to much after Fish left but I really like their early records

Fish was such an excellent lyricist with a lot of emotion in his voice.
Technically not a great singer.
You really should check out the couple they put out with H on vocals.
Some good stuff

Couple? They’ve done like 30 albums with Hogarth!

Yes.
Loved most of the H stuff up to and including Marbles.
Kind of lost interest after that.
I hear FEAR is good, but it didn’t grab me.
The exact same with Fish solo.
The first 2 are classic masterpieces.
My favorite is Suits (his least favorite ).
I lost some interest in his later stuff too, it sounded very “cut n paste” with lots of repetition.
His voice is pretty shot as well.
Did you watch any of Fish Lockdown Sessions?
Those were pretty cool. Just him at his house discussing everything from Marillion to solo to his garden etc….

I believe the demos are on Seasons End remaster as bonus tracks.
It’s pretty cool to hear him sing the lyrics to Fortunes Of War over the music of, say, Seasons End.
It would’ve been a great album.
But, we got 2 great albums out of it, so not complaining.
Have you watched Live At Lorely or Recital Of The Script?
I got to see them live with Fish 3xs
First time was on the Script Tour. My brother in laws band opened for them at Bogarts in Cincinnati (They played Grendel).
They blew my mind and was a fan since.
Saw the Rush opening slot and the Clutching At Straws Tour.
I’ve seen them a couple of times with H as well.
They don’t/didn’t tour the US very often.

Fish On Friday, is what they were called.
Here is one from yesterday…
https://www.youtube.com/live/r2qfix9Ng ... WDlzT2CcB4

[mullet_head]

That song called Kayleigh put them in the spotlight. All the Genesis fans got into them. Then they went shít. They didnt do anything good other than the kayleigh song.

The whole album is a masterpiece, I would argue that Blind Curve is better than kayleigh.

Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws is an unfuckwithable back to back combo...

Those and Fugazi are my favourite Marillion albums.

I remember getting Fugazi on vinyl when it came out and listening to it while reading the lyrics.
Fish was a poet. Such great lyrics.

I had it on vinyl as well. Well technically it was my uncle's record, but I got his old room and his entire music collection when I moved in with my grandparents. His record player was one of those really old ones where you had to manually set the needle, so it wasn't possible to just choose any particular track to listen to without scratching the whole thing.

It was a great album to listen to while reading the lyrics when you're stoned out of your mind.

But I still rank Misplaced Childhoodas my #1 Marillion album though.

[aznsquirt]

I remember every European metal mag in the 80's (Kerrang, etc.) always had at least one article on Marillion.....But, after just taking a dive into them, they aren't metal by any stretch of the imagination. Sort of like luke warm Phil Collins meets Mr Mister.

Were they another one of those bands that were some European phenomenon but never caught on in the states?

I only remember them as a band that VERY briefly held out hope for a resurgence in the mid 90s when Dream Theater broke into the mainstream, and uh, it didn't happen.

[VinnieVincentsVag]

I remember every European metal mag in the 80's (Kerrang, etc.) always had at least one article on Marillion.....But, after just taking a dive into them, they aren't metal by any stretch of the imagination. Sort of like luke warm Phil Collins meets Mr Mister.

Were they another one of those bands that were some European phenomenon but never caught on in the states?

I only remember them as a band that VERY briefly held out hope for a resurgence in the mid 90s when Dream Theater broke into the mainstream, and uh, it didn't happen.

Didn’t happen?
They’ve released 20 studio albums and another 20+ live and compilations.
They’re still touring and recording a new album now.
They also sound absolutely nothing like Dream Theater or strive to.

[aznsquirt]

I remember every European metal mag in the 80's (Kerrang, etc.) always had at least one article on Marillion.....But, after just taking a dive into them, they aren't metal by any stretch of the imagination. Sort of like luke warm Phil Collins meets Mr Mister.

Were they another one of those bands that were some European phenomenon but never caught on in the states?

I only remember them as a band that VERY briefly held out hope for a resurgence in the mid 90s when Dream Theater broke into the mainstream, and uh, it didn't happen.

Didn’t happen?
They’ve released 20 studio albums and another 20+ live and compilations.
They’re still touring and recording a new album now.
They also sound absolutely nothing like Dream Theater or strive to.

That's kind of the point.

Having a modest/steady career is different than breaking through or having a resurgence.

When DT broke through with images and words, there was a very brief moment there in the early/mid-90s where there was a vibe that "prog is going mainstream". Meanwhile, as it happens, you have an established band like Marillion who (while like you said, sound nothing like DT) always had this "punk edge" cred, so they were one of the bands swaths of new DT fans who suddenly thought they were into "Prog" decided to go check out.

Also, DT had opened for Marillion early on, they thanked Marillion and mentioned them in interviews, as well as collaborating on some live recordings IIRC.

So there was sort of a "oh, Marillion is this cool band that DT is going to drag up with them as they get big" (or at least help them break through in the U.S.) and it sort of didn't materialize and they even got dropped by EMI around then.

Marillion "sounding absolutely nothing like dream theater" is kind of the point. Rather than "prog going mainstream", it was really just DT was heavy as fuck early on and managed to have a big hit, and were approachable enough to get a semi-mainstream cult following type audience. Marillion is also a cult-following type band with a solid career, but that big "uptick" I remember thinking they would have around that time just didn't materialize. That's all.

[veritas]

Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws are GREAT. sure a bit derivative or Pink Floyd meets Genesis, but still great songs, lyrics, and all around works.

I ignored them after Fish left (and yes, and others said, he sounds more like Peter Gabriel than Phil Collins), but I recently found some of their Hogarth stuff, and it's also very good;

These jumped out at me:

Beautiful (huge in south america for some reason):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYplFCf-Gt0

Neverland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZh17m2IBbk


Care:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA7Dl7TTrOQ

[Bono Nettencourt]

I love to watch people simping for the shitty bands they stan for... it's like a window into an abusive relationship.

[kanister]

Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws are GREAT. sure a bit derivative or Pink Floyd meets Genesis, but still great songs, lyrics, and all around works.

I ignored them after Fish left (and yes, and others said, he sounds more like Peter Gabriel than Phil Collins), but I recently found some of their Hogarth stuff, and it's also very good;

These jumped out at me:

Beautiful (huge in south america for some reason):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYplFCf-Gt0

Neverland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZh17m2IBbk


Care:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA7Dl7TTrOQ

One of the most accessible and memorable songs of Hogarth era:
Cannibal Surf Babe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFdXuaWpcI0

[kanister]

I love to watch people simping for the shitty bands they stan for... it's like a window into an abusive relationship.

Oh the irony of reading this on web forum where people discuss Kix and Bang Tango in all seriousness .

[Z28]

Yes, I clearly remember lots of articles on the Popular 1 magazines!
Here's Fish

Fish - Kayleigh / Lavender - Live 2002
https://youtu.be/102qnnrQzMw?t=107

a couple of years
https://youtu.be/tz5M08mrCG8?t=36

[BiggusDickus]

Marillion is also big in Brazil. "Beautiful" was a huge hit here. Every time Marillion comes to Brazil, they are obliged to play that song.

[MisterSinister]

Marillion pioneered crowd funding over 20 years ago

https://www.loudersound.com/features/pl ... owdfunding

[MisterSinister]

Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws are GREAT. sure a bit derivative or Pink Floyd meets Genesis, but still great songs, lyrics, and all around works.

I ignored them after Fish left (and yes, and others said, he sounds more like Peter Gabriel than Phil Collins), but I recently found some of their Hogarth stuff, and it's also very good;

These jumped out at me:

Beautiful (huge in south america for some reason):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYplFCf-Gt0

Neverland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZh17m2IBbk


Care:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA7Dl7TTrOQ

One of the most accessible and memorable songs of Hogarth era:
Cannibal Surf Babe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFdXuaWpcI0

Here is a very accessible Hogarth-era Marillion song I always loved:
https://youtu.be/QUM76r59K-s?si=fHLWICRcNV58BSpq

And here is a solo Fish song I thought was unbelievable:
https://youtu.be/E-llki5Wvro?si=g61IG7rdDVb7g1Ph

[MisterSinister]

I see Fugazi mentioned here but not their debut. In my opinion the best are 1. Clutching at Straws 2. Script from a Jester`s Tear 3. Misplaced Childhood 4 Fugazi

I think Fish`s olo career was much closer to the spirit of original Marillion than the Hogart era Marillion. Nothing against Hogart, but their songs are not quite as memorable.

All in all a great band!

Yes, their debut album, “Script for a Jester’s Tear”, is incredible. I just love the live album “La Gazza Ladra - The Thieving Magpie” because the production/sound is better than ANY of their studio albums, and it has all of the best songs of the original Fish albums including the full live performance of the “Misplaced Childhood” album.

[kanister]

I see Fugazi mentioned here but not their debut. In my opinion the best are 1. Clutching at Straws 2. Script from a Jester`s Tear 3. Misplaced Childhood 4 Fugazi

I think Fish`s olo career was much closer to the spirit of original Marillion than the Hogart era Marillion. Nothing against Hogart, but their songs are not quite as memorable.

All in all a great band!

Yes, their debut album, “Script for a Jester’s Tear”, is incredible. I just love the live album “La Gazza Ladra - The Thieving Magpie” because the production/sound is better than ANY of their studio albums, and it has all of the best songs of the original Fish albums including the full live performance of the “Misplaced Childhood” album.

I left the live albums out but La Gazza Laddra was my second Marillion album and I love it to this day, even if I wish it was recorded from one concert. Live from Loreley is equally fantastic video from the era.

[Tommy2Tone84]

I’ve heard of them

[Love_Industry]

I’ve heard of them

So had a guy I went to school with. He started hyping them but nobody understood what he meant. He called them "Marry Lion"...

[DwightFry]

Chalk me up as another introduced via Kerrang. Attended the Misplaced Childhood tour in '86. Exceptional album, fantastic tour!

The b-sides, Lady Nina and Freaks, are both under appreciated classics as well.

[alexleehooker]

One of my favourite marillion songs is a Hogarth era b-side ‘the bell in the sea’

It’s about a folk legend of Whitby and Saltwick Bay.

A couple of weeks ago I drove out there and walked from one to the other and back. Got some good photos at saltwick bay and sang the song to myself as I walked the beach.

[kanister]

One of my favourite marillion songs is a Hogarth era b-side ‘the bell in the sea’

It’s about a folk legend of Whitby and Saltwick Bay.

A couple of weeks ago I drove out there and walked from one to the other and back. Got some good photos at saltwick bay and sang the song to myself as I walked the beach.

Your trip sounds very nice. Whitby looks really great in pictures. I think it was recently picked as one of the top seaside locations in England in some article.

Only have experiences Tynemouth - Whitley Bay area further up NE which is very cool too.

Need to listen to that song now.