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Over the last decade, Marillion have established themselves as a household name around the world. In a climate of constantly evolving trends in popular music, the band has maintained an identity as leaders in the echelon of progressive rock. Marillion's seventh studio release Brave is a distillation of everything special about the band.
With all of their recordings, Marillion have offered consistently effortlessly expressive rock-pop of the highest caliber. More intricate and emotionally willing than previous recordings, Brave is an unashamed concept album that works on numerous levels. A return to the roots tempered with maturity and hindsight. The songs shine with a new vitality, as breathtaking as any previous release by the band.
Recorded at Miles Copeland's 14th-century chateau in Bordeaux in a block of two months of intensive work, Brave grew in body and wealth. Produced by Dave Meegan, the startlingly powerful and evocative recording addresses the concept of truth and the fact that truth has become more difficult to unravel than ever before. Vocalist and principal lyricist Steve Hogarth explains, "Ever since I was born I've been bombarded with a huge amount of information, but it's not necessarily the way it might seem. I think we're in more danger than we ever were of losing faith in everything. Brave is about a loss of faith."
The story which unfolds within Brave is fictitious, but it is based upon the real-life event of a teenage girl with amnesia found wandering on the Severn bridge, and her subsequent search for a past. The album is about how we get here, what we're doing here, what we're doing with our lives, and how the crumbling of the edifices on which we construct our sense of reality can radically alter our perception of life. Musically, the band mirror the uncertainty and confusion that dog the central character's trawl through her subconscious with baffling agility.
Within this soul-searching journey for identity, the album hits some timeless highs, especially in the gentle "The Slide," the elegiac "Now Wash Your Hands," and the heart stopping "The Great Escape." Brave is moody, ambient and graceful all at once. Certainly too much for a solitary listen, reveling in the reality that it is an album made without boundaries, rules or concern for fashionable acceptability.
On the question of being out of touch, guitarist Steve Rothery acknowledges, "Oh, we are totally! But then being in touch means having to immerse yourself in what's trendy that week. We don't chase fashionability." Keyboardist Mark Kelly added, "People don't like the fact that we're still around. We never set ourselves up to be trendy for five seconds. We exist outside of the scene. But we can laugh at ourselves. Fair comment doesn't upset us."
Be brave. It's okay to like Marillion.
Thanks to Stu Hasic
To all Freaks,
The advance copy I heard was simply fantastic. They have yet found a new place to travel, musically, arrangement wise and lyrically.
The first three tracks grab you instantly, while the rest of the album comes on slowly only to take you in and have you discovering new things every time you listen. There is a loose thread that seems to bind the album together lyrically that is subtle and grabbing.
I love the record and I think they have three solid singles and the best shot at radio they have had in a long time. Beautiful is simply moving, Gaspacho is unnerving in it's revelations, and Canabal Surf Babe promises to be a hell of a lot of fun on record and in concert, so I can't wait!
Submitted by: Francesco Sbrana <fsbrana@dcci.unipi.it>
Marillion Afraid of Sunlight /Emi
4/6 (interesting)
Fourth record for Marillion with Hogarth, the singer that Fish's place after "Clutching at straws", 1987. The group, key element of post-Genesis progressive rock, was awaited with worry after the good "Brave" , album that in 1994 raised his fame, clearly lowered after "HiE" in 1991. The eights songs contained in AOS confirm the good period of Marillion creativity, in a territory at the bor derline between SH's pop desires and guitarist SR's more elaborated ideas. The album is quite homogeneus, in spite of the continous alternation between romantic moments and aggressive ones, that remind me of hard-rock. Quite intense lyrics that, even if not having a unique theme as Brave, start from Kurt Cobain' s suicide and analize contemporary icons and miths as Elvis Presley, John Lennon Andy Warhol, Mike Tyson, O.J. Simpson, Ayrton Senna and even Princess Diana.
Submitted by Mik Escolme <psdmre@cent1.lancs.ac.uk>
For all who are interested ORACLE (British TV text system) recently reviewed AOS, they had this to say about it..
"They've found their rut and seem happy to stick in it. But that doesn't mean they've run out of imagination. True, there's little here to attract much in the way of credibility or mainstream success, but they have the concept album, er, concept down pat. Name-checking everyone from Elvis to OJ Simpson via Pam Anderson, this is worth checking out."
3.5 out of 5 - One of the better reviews Maril have had from Britains
mass media I'd wager.
Note: I wrote this review pretty much as a joke.
Rather more nitpicking than informative :) Marillions first AOS single, Beautiful, is at some places released
as a double single. This is the version i obtained (thanks Jussi Backby
of EMI Finland!). I have not heard the single yet, but at least i can
babble a bit about the package. The whole single gives me a rather christian overall view. The
single cover is blue, seems like a wave crashing towards the shore.
There is a big ring of fire on the cover, and written in a red
monospaced font (the sort of font you get out of a
pc-connected laser writer, whenever it's not courier) marillion and
(new line) beautiful. To the left of "marillion", there's a distorted
MAR-ILL-ION logo, to the right of "beautiful", there's a ring with
thorns (hey, what do you call this thing Jesus was said to wear
on his head at the time of his death?). This ring of thorns is
repeated in an awful lot of places on the single cover. On the inside of the cover, there's a big Jesus statue, possibly the one
on that hill in Brazil. The status is violet. In the single package, there is, again, some more art. Three pictures,
as a matter of fact. The first one is black with the ring of fire and a dirty boy angel
leaning on some stick. The second one is blue and shows the fin of an
american '57-alike car with the ring of thorns in the background. The
third one is also blueish, but with a huge field of red flowers in the
lower right quadrant. This one shows a silver suit (!), maybe the one
of a tv-preacher, behind the ring of thorns. The artwork is once again by Bill Smith Studios. I'll scan the images... one fine day.The Beautiful single, part one
By llaurén
Translated and submitted by John Kaunisto
Marillion made themselves again when Fish left the band. The departure was marked by the live-double "La Gazza Ladra". The "new" vocalist Steve Hogarth has now been in the band for 7 years and Marillion is now at the same point, when looking at the number of released albums, as La Gazza Ladra.
The meter has a reading of four studio albums, one of them being the concept album Brave. This over 70-minute great play fills the second disc of Made Again completely. The show recorded in Paris is exemplary, and especially Hogarth, guitarist Steve Rothery and keyboard maestro Mark Kelly are brilliant.
The first disc of Made Again contains songs from Season's End (1989), Holidays in Eden (1991) to Afraid of Sunlight (1995) and the high- lights being The Space, Splintering Heart, Afraid of Sunlight and King. The somewhat rather boring pop/AOR-attempts from Marillion turn out to be acceptable played live - thanks to Ian Mosley's and Pete Trewavas's muscular work at the rhythm section. Some songs from Marillion's past are heared in form of Kayleigh and Lavender.
All in all, Made Again contains a couple of hours of good music, so go and buy it!
Petri Silas
((((( 5 sausages, MAXIMUM TOP SCORE!!!
When I was in high school, one of the bands I listened to a lot was Marillion. In fact, the first song I listened by them was Lavender, and I spent days trying to get all the other material the band had done. After Fish left, I lost interest in the band and had only a passing knowledge of what the band did. Then I got their latest double CD live release, Made Again, which focuses on work from their four most recent releases, including a live version of the entire Brave album on disc two. As I listened to this album, I found myself really flipping for the live recording of Brave, and I went out and checked the studio work with Steve Hogarth on vocals. While I liked some of the previous efforts by Hogarth, I thought that the Brave record is one of the best efforts by Marillion, regardless of whether or not Fish is on the vocals.
The album as a whole features some brilliant guitar solos and rhythm work by Steve Rothery and the vocals by Hogarth are really good. As I listened to the albums more and more, I found the vocals growing on me. I think he does a great job on the old stuff, and even though he's stylistically different than Fish, it all works out very well. Production wise, I thought that Hogarth's vocals were crisp and clear and I think this is great when most studio records today have buried vocals. I thought the keyboards (Mark Kelly) were a bit low in the mix (particularly on disc one), but the rhythm section (Pete Trewavas on bass and Ian Mosley on drums) was really strong complementing the guitar and vocals well. The performances are all really tight and the electronise noises, the pitch-shifting-like effect at the end of King in disc one, are really really cool. This album made me a believer in Marillion with Hogarth, and if you were a skeptic like me, I highly recommend checking this release out.
This and other reviews/interviews can be gotten on the www: http://www.ram.org/music/music.html
Marillion have spent the post-Fish years trying to counter the long memories of those who saw little merit in the kind of clod-hopping progresso-pop that brought success abroad and sneers at home. Their 1995 greatest hits collection demonstrated how effectively they were shedding that skin and this, their first album since waving off EMI, completes the job.
Singer Steve Hogarth helms the new, nimbler Marillion with an iron hand, and if occasionally they're still vulnerable to the charge of overindulgence, the deft pop melodies and substantial musicianship demonstrate that everyone recognises where the edge is these days. Hope For The Future jangles through its mad key changes in pleasing Crowded House fashion, Man Of A Thousand Faces has a convincing momentum, while Accidental Man and One Fine Day are primo power pop. Mind you, anything that can survive all the sleevenote guff about Jungian collective thought has to be a good record. Three stars out of five.
Marillion have long suffered the stigma of being the band that sounded like old Genesis. Since the departure of the Brobdignagian frontman Fish, their music has taken a new direction and has, with the exception of a devoted cult following, gone almost completely unnoticed in the U.S. This Strange Engine, the band's fifth studio release with vocalist Steve Hogarth, is a magnificent collection of eight tracks that balances the band's strengths with their propensity to seek new directions.
Under the shimmering production, keyboard solos, acoustic guitar and ubiquitous waves of ambient sound effects, this is actually a pop album. What distinguishes it is that it is as lyrically intelligent as any release you will hear this year. From the understated "Memory of Water" come the lines "I wonder if my rope's still hanging from the tree/By the standing pool where you where you drank me/And filled me full of thirsty love/And the memory of water." There are similarly arresting lines on every song, and they never seem forced, nor does the music appear shaped strategically around it. Tracks like "Man of a Thousand Faces" and "80 Days" (one of the most insightful homages to the wear and tear of touring) are tailor made for radio, with their crisp verses and thundering choruses engaging the listener.
The disc commences with the epic title track, which clocks in at just over 16 minutes. It is a slice of the songwriter's childhood, a magical juxtaposition of wonder and lower middle class struggle. It is clearly a progressive piece, a throwback to Marillion's days with Fish, but it also reminds us how they are still capable of outdoing themselves, and entertaining whoever is lucky enough to be listening.
Thanks: Adam Perkowsky
Marillion is a band that toes the line between various genres, from top 40 to progressive rock, and it's really hard to pin down exactly where they belong. While this is a disadvantage from a marketing perspective, it does help if you're looking for music that is out of the ordinary. After 15 years, the band is still going strong, while keeping their sound fresh and innovative. This Strange Engine combines everything that one associates with Marillion (complex arrangements and deep lyrics), with a few twists and turns here and there (primarily in the form of acoustic guitars). Vocalist Steve Hogarth fits in very well with the subtle guitar work of Steve Rothery and the ambient keyboard of Mark Kelly. The lyrical work is some of the best I've seen by Marillion. The production is impeccable. The guitar work in the title track and Man of a Thousand Faces alone make this release worth getting. Highly recommended, especially if you're a progessive rock fan.
This and other reviews can be found at http://www.ram.org
Perhaps for some of you the question "What does a non Marillion fan think of the new Marillion album?" is, after such an amount of reviews by fans on Freaks, more interesting than "What does a Marillion fan think about the new album?" ;-)
Compared to all of you, I'm a layman in Marillion, of course. But I have a very wide interest in may kinds of music. I've been a Queen addict for many years but I'm always 'open' to music that I don't know that much about and oine of the bands I met some time ago, is YOUR favourite. Up till now I've heard four Marillion albums: Misplaced Childhood (which is absolutely WONDERFUL, in my opinion!), Afraid Of Sunlight, Cultching At Straws and, finally, This Strange Engine. I also know almost all songs on Best Of Both Worlds, but I personally don't see such an album as a 'regular album'. While listening to their latest album, I didn't concentrate to much on the lyrics, because they're always kind of hard to understand when you've heard the album only a few times. So I paid the most attention to the over all' sound of this album.
When I first heard the beginning of this song, I immediately thought of "Fell In Love With An Alien" by the Kelly Family, and that thought hasn't gone out of my mind yet, to be honest. This song reminded me of a beautiful and very impressive "Unplugged Session" Marillion did for a Dutch radio show, Leidsekade Live. I like the accoustic, intimate atmosphere of this song, which reminds me a little of Crowded House, when they're playing live.
The ovice harmony in "the voice of humanity/insanity" etc. is a bit disorderly, but beautiful. This song's OK to me and it stays in your mind for a while too!
I LOVE the wonderful bluesy guitar sound, that is (to me!) a bit like Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight". The violin bit is also great! I've always liked influences of classical music in pop and rock music. This violin bit immediately brought back nice memories of other pop/rock songs with violin bits like "Whatever" (Oasis), "Sweet Talking Woman" (ELO) or even "Dear Jessie" by Madonna. This song sounds good and is quite easy 'to get to'.
When I read this title I thought of that journey around the world in 80 days, but I can't decide whether this song IS aobut such a journey (which would be a GREAT theme for a long and epic song, in my opinion!) or something else. Perhaps it's a love song: "One night with you, if that's all right with you..." It's hard to DISlike this song, it's an 'easy' sound, a friendly flow. I LOVE the trumpet part!
I almost fell asleep when I was listening to this one, which is not really meant as criticism... I like the melody of the chorus, but the song's a little TOO quiet for me, too little 'action'.
Melancholy, sadness, in a quite simple way (soundwise)...beautiful. This one can't do much wrong because of the vioins, of course... ;-)
Hey, some electric guitar again! I like the beginning of this song, because it has a much stronger sound than the ones before. But after a while it gets a little boring. This one's definitely nog very special, I think.
I like the "come and sit around the fire'-sound of this one, at least that's the thought that comes to MY mind while listening to this. Very nice and cosy, perhaps great when played live, but now it's realy much 'the same'.
I felt quite bored by this one, perhaps it's great for 'die hard fans' like you, but I just can't get through it. The faster guitar part after "And ever since I was a boy..." sounds OK to me, so does the symphonic bit and the piano part after that has a nice melody. And after the silence you hear that VERY mean laugh and you think: "is THIS what I've been waiting for ??!!" Nice sense of humour, guys...;-)
Well, the 'over all' sound... I think it's all a bit TOO quiet. When I compare TSE quickly to AOS, I have to admit that I prefer the 'fuller', electric, synthy sound of songs like "king". I miss the energy, the magic, the 'pleasant itch' you feel when you're listening to brilliant songs like "easter" and "Beautiful".
I like the first two songs on this album, and 'number five', but the rest definitely didn't do much to me, to be honest. Therer's too little diversity in MY eyes (but I'm used tot a certain band that kept on using as many different musical styles a band could possibly use through their whole carreer, so I think that's more MY 'fault') It's always hard to keep paying attention to LONG songs like many of Marillion's, EXCEPT when they're full of variety like Arena's "Jericho" and Queen's "Innuendo". I can't help losing interest after a while when listening to TSE, except the first two songs. I also think Steve's voice gets a little monotonous after listening to it for about half an hour...
Greetings,
Elke (E.v.Thuijl@stud.tue.nl)
KKKK (Max rating : KKKKK)
PROOF POSITIVE that some clouds do indeed have silver linings. If prising themselves away from EMI's comforting wallet didn't make financial sense at the time, then the commercial realities of running their own affairs have given Marillion a right old boot up the arse creatively. 'This Strange Engine' shoves Marillion firmly back on track after 1994's bleakly impenetrable 'Brave' and 1996's downright weird 'Afraid of Sunlight', inspiring them to put together their most accessible, well-rounded and plainly enjoyable work since 1991's 'Holidays In Eden' in the process.
There's all the usual musical flamboyance, of course, but '80 Days' and 'Man of a Thousand Faces' show traces of the backbone that has been noticably lacking these last few years, and the title track's captivating trawl through Steve Hogarth's childhood memories builds into the kind of swirling prog-rock that hasn't been heard in these parts for years. Nice one, chaps.