Rock, Metal

Marillion - A Monstrously Festive(al) Christmas (2015)

2016-12-05T12:55:15Z

Marillion - A Monstrously Festive(al) Christmas (2015)

Disc 1:
1. Gaza (17:53)
2. You’re Gone (6:59)
3. Power (6:36)
4. Sugar Mice (6:31)
5. Man of a Thousand Faces (7:54)

Disc 2:
1. Neverland (10:29)
2. King (8:05)
3. The Invisible Man (15:14)
4. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (4:03)
5. The Christmas Song (3:12)

Bass – Pete Trewavas
Drums – Ian Mosley
Guitar – Steve Rothery
Keyboards – Mark Kelly
Vocals – Steve Hogarth

Recorded direct from the mixing desk at the 'Ramblin Man' Festival on 26th July 2015.
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) recorded on 17 December 2014 at Palladium, Cologne, Germany
The Christmas Song recorded live on 13 December 2014 at Le Splendid, Lille, France.

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Marillion - Sounds That Can't Be Made (2012)

2012-09-16T16:46:44Z

Marillion - Sounds That Can't Be Made (2012)


1. Gaza
2. Sounds That Can't Be Made
3. Pour My Love
4. Power
5. Montreal
6. Invisible Ink
7. Lucky Man
8. The Sky Above The Rain

Musicians:
    Steve Hogarth – vocals, keyboards
    Mark Kelly - keyboards, backing vocals
    Ian Mosley - drums, backing vocals
    Steve Rothery - guitars, backing vocals
    Pete Trewavas - bass guitar, backing vocals, guitars

People who know me, my family especially, and readers who've been around this blog for a while might well know that I am a bit of a Marillion fan. It may be somewhat unfashionable but what the hell do I care. Although recently Prog Rock does seem to be garnering more acceptability, there was even a short piece on the BBC news about the first ever prog rock awards event, and with bands like Rush and Asia etc. turning out great releases and touring you have to say it is still alive and well, the younger generation like Opeth and Steve Wilson also keeping the old beast alive.

So Marillion then - if you have heard of them no doubt it is memories of the Fish era 25 years ago when they popped up every now and then on TOTP with a minor hit, often looking very oddly dressed and playing even odder keys and time signatures. After Fish departed they drifted away from the general consiousness, sadly in my view. Steve Hogarth (H) replaced Fish in 1989 and the band has continued to have a very very loyal following since. So much so that many of the albums the band have produced in the last 15 years have actually be funded by preorders from the fan club members. I'm one of those bunch by the way parting with my hard earned readies many months before there is any sign of a physical result. The one advantage is receiving the release before general release. So it has been with Sounds That Can't Be Made the bands latest offering.

In summary one of their best albums for many many years. It has taken some time since the last new studio offering as the band knew they needed a re-charge. It was definitely worth the weight.

The album kicks off with Gaza. A fantastic piece of music inspired by the Gaza situation. This is 17 mins of pure brilliance. This is a Marillion heavier than normal, very charged and back to the multiple sections linked well together. This piece is frankly the highlight of the album and almost worth getting on it's own it is a mini-masterpiece. Steve Rothery's solo is once again a master-class is tasteful augmentation to a song not an over-dominating blitz to boost the guitarists ego.

As the final strains of Gaza drift away you think - what can follow that? The answer is a complete change of mood - again a driving sound with a tuneful chordal riff that sticks in your head instantly. H is superb on this track his emotion pouring from the speakers (headphones) in an excellently executed performance.

Those for me are the two stand out tracks of the album but there are other amazing gems, particularly the 14 min Montreal, Lucky Man and the 10 min closer The Sky Above The Rain. Erstwhile lyrist John Helmer returns with lyrics for the track Pour My Love. it's been some albums since he last got a credit on a new Marillion track.

Sadly Marillion like many other bands/artists are pigeon-holed by previous pre-conceptions and people thinking "Oh they can't be good/relevant any more". It is interesting that somehow a band like say U2 continue to be considered hip/cool/of the moment whilst others drop away but I don't feel the quality of output justifies it - certainly not with this release. Marillion may play to smaller venues, not feature in chart shows etc. any more but their music is frankly more relevant and vital now than 25 years ago in my humble opinion. --- guitarsandlife.blogspot.com

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Marillion ‎– FEAR (Fuck Everyone And Run) [2016]

2018-07-02T12:40:28Z

Marillion ‎– FEAR (Fuck Everyone And Run) [2016]


1. El Dorado	(16:44)
 I. Long-Shadowed Sun 	1:26
 II. The Gold 	6:12
 III. Demolished Lives 	2:23
 IV. F E A R 	4:08
 V. The Grandchildren Of Apes 	2:35

2. Living In F E A R	6:25
3. White Paper	7:18
4. The Leavers	(19:06)
 I. Wake Up In Music 	4:27
 II. The Remainers 	1:34
 III. Vapour Trails In The Sky 	4:49
 IV. The Jumble Of Days 	4:20
 V. One Tonight 	3:56
 
5. The New Kings	(16:43)
 I. Fuck Everyone And Run 	4:22
 II. Russia's Locked Doors 	6:24
 III. A Scary Sky 	2:33
 IV. Why Is Nothing Ever True? 	3:24
 
6. Tomorrow's New Country 	1:47

Bass, Vocals [Additional Vocals] – Pete Trewavas
Drums – Ian Mosley
Guitar – Steve Rothery
Keyboards – Mark Kelly (4)
Lead Vocals – Steve Hogarth
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Michael Hunter 
+
Vocals [Additional] – Sofi Hogarth (1)
Vocals [Yeah Yeahs], Handclaps – Dan Lucy, Band, Rick Armstrong, Simon, Sofi, Stephanie (2)
Bass [Fretless, Additional] – Steve Rothery (3)
Handclaps – The Band (4) 
The Web UKVocals [Additional] – Jennie Rothery (4)
Sofi HogarthXylophone [Bass] – h (4)
Cello – Abigail Trundle (5)
Dulcimer [Hammered] – h (5)
Strings – Covent Garden String Quartet (5)
Viola – Theresa Whipple (5)
Violin – Eleanor Gilchrist, Geraldine Berreen (5)
Vocals [Additional] – Sofi Hogarth (5)
Voice [Additional] – Mrs Bond's Class (5)

Delivering a political album is always risky, with the possibility that it will get locked in its historical era usually a direct consequence. On their 18th album, prog rockers Marillion don't seem to care, and they have nothing to lose and no one to account to but themselves. FEAR is an acronym for "Fuck Everybody and Run." Two of its three lengthy, multi-part suites ("El Dorado" and "The New Kings") are overtly political statements that look at England and the calamitous state of the world not only observationally but experientially. Topical songs have been part of the band's catalog as far back as 1984's "Fugazi," and have shown up as recently as the multi-part "Gaza," from 2012's Sounds That Can't Be Made (the latter was perhaps an impetus for this record). The centerpiece, "The Leavers," is an inside view of life on the road, the strain it places on relationships, and how tenuous one's connection to the world can become as a result. There are also three independent tracks that evolve from the suites.

The first section of "El Dorado" commences as a reverie on an England at once exactly the same but eerily and disturbingly different. As guitarist Steve Rothery and keyboardist Mark Kelly urge vocalist Steve Hogarth on in the second section, as he laments the pursuit of capital as more deadly than plutonium, drummer Ian Mosely and bassist Pete Trewavas offer a progression reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "Any Colour You Like" before the band opens up and Hogarth soars. The fourth section broodingly then thunderously reflects on the tolls of war, nationalism, religious fanaticism, and environmental decay. Amazingly, it's not preachy, but deeply personal. Kelly's orchestral keyboard stylings are brilliant. The hinge cut, "Living in Fear," is the catchiest thing here, with an anthemic, sweeping chorus, and a stinging guitar in the bridge with a hook that is almost pop. Throughout its four sections, "The Leavers" weaves from the gently melodic to the majestic. Hogarth's lyrics have matured, delivering deep insight into the melancholy state of being the protagonist inhabits, as the trace of Radiohead's influence that slips in and out of the mix offers a poignant sense of alienation and dislocation. "The New Kings" is the knottiest, most intense track on the set. Over 16 minutes long, it's a scathing, sarcastic takedown of the new political power brokers: Corporate overlords whose cynicism is a virus. Throughout its four parts it shifts in tempo, key, and form, wafting, hovering, and power rocking through to an apocalyptic conclusion.

Fans of the musical direction Marillion pursued during the '90s on Brave and This Strange Engine will find much to enjoy on FEAR. It requires repeated listening to fully absorb, but the payoff is easily the band's most consistent, inspiring date since 2004's Marbles. ---Thom Jurek, allmusic.com

Progresywny rock i regularne wydawanie płyt przez całą karierę raczej nie idą ze sobą w parze. Marillion jest pod tym względem chwalebnym wyjątkiem. Angielscy weterani od początku kariery wydają średnio trzy albumy na pięć lat - czapki z głów. Co prawda "F*** Everyone And Run" (lub po prostu "F E A R") ukazało się po czteroletniej - najdłuższej w historii grupy - przerwie, to przecież w tym gatunku jest to okres co najwyżej średnio długi. Przeszło trzydzieści lat po debiucie Anglicy wciąż pamiętają, jak nagrać płytę. I to bardzo dobrą płytę.

Kręgosłupem osiemnastego krążka Marillion są trzy kilkunastominutowe kompozycje. Każda dzieli się na cztery-pięć części, po których następuje osobny, pojedynczy utwór. Dzięki dopracowanej spójności tekstowej i melodycznej "F E A R" można uznać za przypominający "Marbles" koncept album. Całość jest stonowana, wyważona, bez żadnych niespodziewanych eksplozji. Choć jedna czy dwie zdecydowanie by się przydały, a tak krążek jest dość przewidywalny i nieco monotonny. Rdzeniem muzyki niewątpliwie są klawisze i trzeba przyznać, że jest to ciekawa i dosyć odważna zmiana w brzmieniu grupy. Do tej pory głównym elementem była gitara, ale na "F E A R" Rothery schodzi na nieco dalszy plan. Aranżacje Marka są bez zarzutu, czy to w klasycznej ( "The Leavers"), czy w elektrycznej ("The Gold" z "El Dorado") formie. Doskonale współgra z Trewavasem, tworząc przeciwwagę dla bębnów. Mosley niespiesznie ciągnie całą płytę, choć pozwala sobie na szybsze fragmenty np. w "White Paper". Gdy perkusja cichnie, puls przejmuje właśnie duet klawiszowo-basowy. Steve przebija się choćby w "The Jumble Of Days" czy "The New Kings" (zwłaszcza początek "Why Is Nothing Ever True?"), pokazując, że nawet w mniejszych ilościach potrafi zrobić wrażenie. Fani albumów Marillion z przełomu lat 80. i 90. mogą być nieco rozczarowani wokalami; Hogarth w zasadzie nie pozwala sobie na tak upodobane przez nich wybuchy emocji. Jest spokojniejszy, jakby w obawie przed głośniejszym fragmentem, panujący nad swoim głosem. Zdarza mu się schodzić ku wyższym nutom, w pierwszej części "The New Kings" popadając nawet w falset, co swoją drogą wypada znakomicie.

Jeśli chodzi o teksty, to atmosfera jest ciężka jak listopadowa mgła, w której ukazują się nam ponure, choć niestety prawdziwe sceny. Jak łatwo poznać po tytułowym akronimie, tematem przewodnim jest tu strach. Anglicy dowodzą, że społeczeństwa żyją w nieustannym lęku, przybierającym różne postaci, choć mającym zwykle te same źródła. Głównym powodem jest prowadzący do wypaczeń konsumpcjonizm i materializm (The Gold stops us/The Gold Always Did/The Gold took more lives than Uranium). Dotyczy to przede wszystkim polityków, którzy dla własnego zysku gotowi są poświęcać masy (On your knees, peasant/You're living for the New King) czy nawet wywoływać konflikty (The colours of the flag we wave/Were and will become blood red again). Nie mogło również zabraknąć tematu uchodźców; zespół sprzeciwia się zatrzymywaniu ich na granicach, a budowanie jakichkolwiek murów nazywa wprost "stratą czasu".

Podtrzymuję moje twierdzenie, że "F E A R" to bardzo dobra płyta, jedna z najlepszych w dorobku zespołu. Ustępuje nieco "Braves" czy "Marbles", ale miłośnicy Marillion z pewnością przyjmą ją z otwartymi ramionami. Zakładam, że któraś suita zostanie włączona do koncertowych setów zespołu. Mam nadzieję, że fragmenty nowego albumu usłyszymy w czasie kwietniowego The Marillion Weekend w Łodzi. ---Jędrzej Rakoczy, rockmagazyn.pl

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Marillion – Seasons End (1989)

2015-05-09T15:50:42Z

Marillion – Seasons End (1989)


01. The King Of Sunset Town   8:00
02. Easter   5:55
03. The Uninvited Guest  3:49
04. Seasons End   8:07
05. Holloway Girl   4:27
06. Berlin   7:42
07. After Me  3:18
08. Hooks In You   2:53
09. The Space…   6:12

– Steve Hogarth – vocals
– Steve Rothery – guitars
– Mark Kelly – keyboards
– Pete Trewavas – bass
– Ian Mosley – drums, percussion
+
– Phil Todd – saxophone (06)
– Jean-Pierre Rasle – bagpipes (02)
– Nick Davis – producer

After Fish's departure, Marillion teetered on the brink of collapse: The frontman's distinct voice and poetic prose made him the defining member of the band. One can only imagine how record executives held their collective breath as Steve Hogarth was brought in to take the reins. His first outing with band, 1989's Season's End, removed all doubts about the band's future. Hogarth's unique, expressive voice fit Marillion perfectly; on the full-throttle rock assault of "The Uninvited Guest" or the emotional "After You," Hogarth's singularity is unmistakable. The heartfelt "Easter," with its imaginative electric-acoustic arrangement, is another showcase for Hogarth's talents. Marillion's ability to write music whose ideals live and breathe in the listener continues on Seasons End, particularly on the inspiring "Holloway Girl," which dissects the injustice of incarcerating mentally ill female inmates (at England's Holloway Prison) instead of placing them in appropriate psychiatric facilities. The beautiful "Easter" is the band's plea for peace in Ireland, while "The King of Sunset Town" has its lyrical roots in the massacre at Tiananmen Square. Hogarth's flexible range and beautiful phrasing shine on the entire album. In 1999 Marillion released a remastered version of Seasons End, including a bonus disc of outtakes and alternate versions as well as the previously unreleased "The Bell in the Sea" and "The Release." Both are strong tracks and are welcome additions to the Marillion catalog. While 1995's Afraid of Sunlight is the peak of Marillion's growing, impressive body of work, Season's End shouldn't be missed either. --- Jeri Montesano, allmusic.com

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