Marillion: Are they really that bad?

actually just looked and i have 4 marillion songs on there! other 3 are 'incommunicado', 'he knows you know', and 'easter'. all dope jams imo. i'm slightly curious about what they sound like now since afaik they still exist

'Incommunicado' is a fucking jam. I don't really like any of their other songs though.

I heard Kayleigh recently for the first time in eons, what a horrible horrible digital 80s production, urgh. Just no life in it whatsoever. Basically IQ Tales From The Lush Attic pisses all over Marillion.

that's unfair. maybe The Wake.

That too!

I was a fan as a kid. When I hear Fish-era tracks now I almost faint with embarrassment at the cringey lyrics and the fact that I lapped that shit up as a 12 year old.

I will rep for IQ for sure.

the lads of progressive ears are evaluating the new one, sounds that can't be made

http://www.progressiveears.com/forums/thread.asp?ForumID=1&TopicID=149253&posttime=9%2F26%2F2012+2%3A53%3A52+PM&page=1

http://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/marillion-misplaced-childhood-round-35-grahams-choice-of-weapon/

I'd gone years and years hearing about Marillion, and hearing them in the context of music I like (Genesis, say, or sometimes Rush). So I finally heard some Marillion today, and it sucked. I think it was "Misplaced Childhood?" It was horrible. I did hear this OK pop-prog thing from the '80s by a band called Twelfth Night. Album was ... "Fact or Fiction?" Not bad. Sort of like Magazine, of all things.

I like IQ a lot! Another band that clearly wears their influences on their sleeve but they make great music and have a keen sense of humor too. My issue with Marillion is that even when they're good (and I think in terms of composition and playing, "Script for a Jesters Tear" is pretty solid) it's hard for me to get over how much they sound like Genesis. I can't imagine what bad Marillion must sound like.

It sounds bad.

I loved Misplaced Childhood when I was 10.

That should be a sticker on the cover of the album, sort of a reverse "parental guidance."

I loved Misplaced Childhood when I was 15, apparently. Clutching at Straws was better tho.

I love the song "Lavender" but I dont know anything else.

i owe a lot to marillion. i got into them because my sister was going out with their first drummer. i saw lots of small shows before they got signed which were pretty great. i bought the early records and really liked "script for a jester's tear". saw them a couple of times at a much bigger venue in edinburgh and felt i'd had enough of all the pomp and circumstance but just couldn't let go. i clearly remember queuing up outside edinburgh playhouse to see them for the last time in 1984 after "fugazi" came out (which wasn't doing much for me) and noticing this group of the weirdest people i'd ever seen carrying these strange instruments into the venue upstairs. i looked at the poster and saw it was 23 skidoo who i'd read about in sounds but knew nothing about but decided to go to that instead as it seemed a more interesting proposition. it was phenomenal. life changing! i don't think i ever listened to marillion again voluntarily after that but big thanks to them for happening to be playing the same day as the skidoo.

I love the idea that the best thing about Marillion was that they inadvertently pushed you to pursue more interesting music.

Maybe there's an argument for 'Marillion as gateway band for 14 year olds', Fish blatheed on about Peter Hammill and some other interesting bands back in the day.

Misplaced is pretty wretched in the cold light of day, it was never my favourite of theirs. The only decent moment in the whole thing is the little passing section 'Mylo', where Fish drops his guard and thesaurus long enough to introduce a little genuine pathos.

Cardiacs used to support them didnt they?

I saw them with Cardiacs supporting, I have never to this day seen as much vitriolic hatred towards a support band (to be fair, I hated them then too). Fish actually had to come onstage at some of the gigs and tell everyone to shut up I think.

Peter Hammill was booed off when he played with them too, or so I heard.

So they're the ICP of prog?

Fish tried, bless him, he even used to confess his love of ABC in interviews as if it would be some shocking revelation. Also Marillion audiences are/were kinda dicks.

Marillion are that bad, but IIRC Fish was always a pretty chill dude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0OPSCcqo6c

great story stirmonster!

Hey Frogbs, do me a favour, check out a band called Big Big Train, listen to the first couple of tunes on their album English Electric Pt 1 and *marvel* at the big brass balls involved with their shameless and obvious Genesis appropriation, what's funny is nobody seems to call them on it.

I guess no-one cares enough about a Neo-Prog V2.0 band sounding like Genesis these days, it was such a huge deal in the 80s with Marillion/IQ/Pallas/Twelfth Night/Pendragon etc:

Now listening to IQ. Sounds like Genesis! Dare I even try Spock's Beard, or do they suck?

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

Which IQ record Josh?

Tales from the Lush Attic. I mean, it really does sound like Gabriel Genesis. Drummer not as good as Phil, but that's pretty much a given.

xpost At times Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree sounds like the perfect conflation of, like, 10 different prog acts.

oh my ... loving the 23 skidoo story ..

random interaction = lifelong obsession.

my own was walking along with current nme, bumping into local record shop bloke, he asked me if there was anything i wanted, i pointed at cabaret voltaire review of sensoria 12" in nme and said, 'get this in for me .. ' (having never heard a single track by them)

.. result : lifelong groove

nowhere near as cool a story, but prior to getting that 12" i was all ztt/new pop/second rate guitar shyte ..

oh, and re thread : when i was a 6th former, all the fuckers i hung out worshipped this lot, and analysed the sleeve art to the point of tedium.

for this alone, they are worthy of all the hate.

That (and Nomzamo) are the best IQ ones to go for, probably.

How is The Wake?

The Wake is the best

it never quite coheres into perfection but the first 3 tracks are their finest 20 minutes

f#*ck.

deja vu.

this is the common room all over again ..

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/this-is-what-radiohead-looked-like-in-the-80s

lol beautiful

Tales from the Lush Attic - that's the one I've heard. The recent remaster is incredible. It's definitely very close to classic Genesis, but maybe it rocks a little harder? I'd be curious to hear what their later records sounded like.

I've heard a lot of good things about Big Big Train and do want to hear the English Electric albums. That said, I have heard their early material (up to Bard) and it's profoundly boring and personality-free.

The one I've gotten big into the last year or so is Echolyn, which is more of a Gentle Giant knockoff, though they have a more distinct sound.

NV, that pic is priceless. Iron Maiden and Marillion the two pillars of every teenagers music obsessions round our way

Cardiacs are said to have got booed mercillessly supporting Blur. Can you imagine a Blur audience? Going to see any truly massive band always brings out the misanthrope in me, because so much of the audience just seems hostile to the idea of a support band who isnt famous.

Some of IQ's 00s albums are really good.

Peter Hammill was booed off when he played with them too, or so I heard.

he played with them on the "script for a jester's tear" tour. i seem to recall fish introduced him and made a little speech about how important his music was and at least at the gig i saw he was treated with great reverence. it was just hammill with john ellis (from the vibrators) on stage and was one of the starkest and most unusual live things i'd heard up to that point (aged 14). i guess i have to thank marillion for that too as i still love and listen to peter hammill records. fish also used to rhapsodise about random hold who i checked out and liked as a result but i haven't revisited their records in eons.

good story too mark e. a vibrant music press back then definitely led to lots of great discoveries that remained life long favourites.

Yeah I saw that, I think the booing was a couple of years later, maybe only at one gig. Beltane Fire went down well as support on the Misplaced Childhood tour though!

XXP - I think Cardiacs only ever supported Blur at one day long gig in Mile End Stadium in the mid nineties.

xp

I was gonna say Beltane Fire got heckled unmercifully at the Birmingham Odeon gig on that tour, I still remember a flexidisc from the programme sailing in a gorgeous arc from the balcony to stott the singer square in the forehead

didn't they have like swords and stuff though? should have waded into the crowd and butchered their assailants

like all Scot Nats their bluster crumbled before determined resistance

never been all that into marillion but the latest fish album, a feast of unintended consequences, is pretty decent. not that it'll ever get any attention. segregation in all its forms is bad imho

to be fair marillion are absolutely nothing like those early albums now

Okay so I checked out the Marillion discogs page for the hell of it

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Marillion

And Jesus H. how many albums have they released? I count something like six Christmas albums alone (though sadly almost none of them are proper Christmas albums).

Well they are a cottage industry, like Steven Wilson whose every fart and utterance has to be released as a live Blu-Ray.

Thread making me not so much want to hear Marillion as douse their fans in bovine effluent

Well that would be me age 16! Sounds painful.

Marillion fans vs Cardiacs fans, maybe needs a poll.

no ones as bad as cardiacs fans

PENIS

IS IT TOO LATE TO SAY I'M SORRY?

Jon Poole (ex-Cardiacs) used to refer to Grendel as Apocalypse In 4/4

lol quality zing

yeah the vast majority of those on discogs are fan club only releases. I think they have about 15 proper albums.

i wonder how many total votes a poll between marillion's two lead singers would get

More than a poll between their two drummers I'd wager

I always thought Fish from Fishbone would be an awesome prog drummer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeK3sziX9rI

They've got a new album coming out next week, and the title of it - F*** Everyone And Run (F E A R) - is probably the worst album title of the year...

https://www.marillion.com/shop/images/Faceheader1.jpg

feat Eazy E

ayiyi

https://youtu.be/DnoqP4B8J6U

You did not have to link that, and yet.

Eh, not remarkably good or bad. Whatever, I kinda like the new Isuldur's Bane with Hogarth.

DG such a sweetheart, enjoyed seeing him bopping about there, I hope he makes enough money out of music, must be difficult for a life long sidemouse.

That was a great cover, Gregory has such a great guitar tone

Who's the singer for Marillion now? He seems like he's having a good time

Haha, Steve Hogarth, took over in '89 iirc

5 disc reissue of Script for a Jester's Tear, I refuse to believe anyone actually needs this

http://marillion.com/shop/albums/remast49.htm

http://marillion.com/shop/images/packshots/2227PS.jpg

Ooh tempted

i heard the remix is poor but I'll probably give a listen to a streaming version.