Marillion
Early Stages: The Official Bootleg Box Set 1982-1987 Limited Edition
[album]
“If
you’re
looking for the perfect gift
for Marillion fans, what better choice
than the 6-CD Marillion Early Stages:
The Official Bootleg Box Set 1982-1987
Limited Edition?”
HOW DO YOU PIGEON-HOLE a unique band like Marillion? Just when you think
you've got it, you realise that the band is something else. Marillion's
brilliant slow-burning style of rock-infused, folk-scented, country-flavoured
and heavy metal-seasoned work is deliberately rebellious and refuses to slot
into conventional genres — an inspired collection of poetry to music with
a nod to traditional refrains.
Marillion was one of the finest and biggest draws on the UK and European circuit
during the period of these recordings. The albums released from 1982 to 1987
— Script For A Jester's Tear, Fugazi, Misplaced Childhood,
Clutching At Straws — sold hundreds of thousands of copies and featured
many of the band's biggest singles. Everybody seems to remember the delightful
hit Kayleigh — a memorable, well constructed, track with emotive
words. But the bouncy, fun and compulsive singalong Market Square Heroes,
with its folk-esque air, is another one of the great fan favourites along with
the melodic, likeable epic Grendel.
Garden Party, with its unusual delivery and distinctive opening melodies
is worthy of note as is The Web, an emotional and punchy journey set
to music that weaves a kind of magic. The latter's subject matter of depression
and trying to makes decisions puts you in mind of the great Leonard Cohen as
does He Knows You Know with its rare treatment of a serious song with
serious lyrics.
She Chameleon is a creditable track with enthusiastic vocals and terrific
lyrics about someone standing on the edge of the spotlight. And how about mucking
about on beaches in Brighton with Three Boats Down From The Candy?
When it comes to controversial topics, Forgotten Sons is passionate and
heartfelt and is about men fighting for their country. It is, says Marillion,
a song for peace. The band has an assertive, darkish-Goth sound laced with surprisingly
gentle melodies and admits it delves into the greyer side of life. The dialogue
is amusing with the expected occasional F-word.
Assassing is about various members leaving and about an elegant strategy
involved in the business world. It is racy and indulgent and sits well among
the tragic — like Chelsea Monday (about a girl who cannot face the
prospect of failure to the point of being suicidal: "stringing all the pearls
from her childhood dreams") and Script For A Jester's Tear, where a guy
deliberately provokes the break-up of a relationship — and the very pretty,
melodic and romantic Cinderella Search "for those in search of Angels".
Daring to be different, Marillion treats you to the intriguing and mysterious
Bittersuite, the darkly dramatic Incubus and the haunting melodies
of The Pseudo-Silk Kimono with its shades of Swan Lake. Super-indulgent
is Heart Of Lothian with its patriotic feel and rousing verses backed
by swirling notes of misty Scotland; and Margaret — a musical excursion
to the highlands, shot through with verses from Loch Lomond and Marie's
Wedding.
Marillion describes Fugazi as "a very European song for the poets, the
prophets and the visionaries". The undulating notes and moody ambience of Hotel
Hobbies is reminiscent of classic Jazz while That Time Of Night echoes
with the weird, winding guitar work of a little night music. Stainte Athath
is a neat and enjoyable number and The Last Straw is a very catchy, much
more rock-inspired track with its waves of power. And if that's not enough to
send you to your nearest CD stockist, then I don't know what is!
EMI is pleased to announce the release of Marillion Early Stages: The Official
Bootleg Box Set 1982-1987 Limited Edition that brings together officially
for the first time the much sought-after, previously unreleased live recordings
that include concerts recorded for BBC Radio 1 and Radio Clyde.
• This ultimate, Fish-era live anthology will
be released on 17 November (2008) as a collection of unique (100% previously
unreleased) material on a set of six CDs. The set will feature cover artwork
from artist Mark Wilkinson, who designed the artwork for all the Fish-era Marillion
albums. Each CD comes in its own individually-designed pouchette and they are
housed in a clamshell box. A booklet is included and this will feature relevant
memorabilia from each gig represented, along with an introductory note from
Fish himself. A veritable treasure chest for all Marillion fans. (Catalogue
No: BOOTBOX1).
Tracklisting
CD 1 — Live At The Mayfair, Glasgow, 13 September, 1982 (Radio Clyde
recording). A classic early concert recorded the week after the band had signed
to EMI Records. Recorded for radio by Radio Clyde, the set features an early
version of Fugazi album favourite She Chameleon, with different
lyrics and arrangement. Storming renditions of first single Market Square
Heroes and anti-war, future debut album track Forgotten Sons finish
the seven-song set.
Tracks — 1 Garden Party | 2 The Web | 3 He Knows
You Know | 4 She Chameleon | 5 Three Boats Down From The Candy
| 6 Market Square Heroes | 7 Forgotten Sons
CD 2 & 3 — Live At The Marquee, 30 December, 1982 (mixed in 2007
at Abbey Road from the original multi tracks). Marillion was all but The Marquee's
band in residence throughout 1982. Recorded by Nick Tauber for EMI, but only
mixed down last year, this is the band's final concert at the famous venue as
Marillion, though the band was later to play secret gigs there under different
names for their fan club. As Fish announces during the gig, the band had simply
outgrown The Marquee with hundreds of fans locked out. For Fish, the next stop
— to accommodate everybody — had to be Hammersmith Odeon. The gig
features the just-written Script For A Jester's Tear and the lengthy
fan favourite Grendel as highlights.
CD 2 Live At The Marquee 30 December, 1982 (Part 1).
Tracks — 1 Garden Party | 2 Three Boats Down From The
Candy | 3 Grendel | 4 Chelsea Monday
CD 3 Live At The Marquee 30 December, 1982 (Part 2).
Tracks — 1 He Knows You Know | 2 The Web | 3 Script
For A Jester's Tear | 4 Forgotten Sons | 5 Market Square Heroes
| 6 Margaret
CD 4 Live At The Reading Festival 27 August, 1983 (BBC radio recording).
By now Marillion was quite simply one of the biggest live bands in Europe. Recorded
for BBC Radio 1, they blew headliners Black Sabbath off the stage at 83's Reading
Festival. A performance that has gone down in Marillion legend, the set relies
heavily on debut album Script For A Jester's Tear but features Assassing
from the following year's album Fugazi. Also featured are the band's
last performances of firm fan favourite Grendel and the closing Market
Square Heroes, featuring a segment of David Bowie's The Jean Genie.
Tracks — 1 Grendel | 2 Garden Party | 3 Script
For A Jester's Tear | 4 Assassing | 5 Charting The Single
| 6 Forgotten Sons | 7 He knows You Know | 8 Market Square
Heroes
CD 5 Live At Hammersmith Odeon 14 December, 1984 (BBC radio recording).
Recorded by BBC Radio 1 (and also broadcast in the US on syndication by Westwood
One) on the band's pre-Christmas Fugazi tour the set, as well as featuring many
favourites from the band's first two albums, is noted for the performance of
what would become Side 1 of their biggest selling
and most famous opus — Misplaced Childhood. Clearly the project
is still a work in progress as heard by the different lyrics and vocal melody
of Kayleigh compared to the version that became the huge hit single.
Tracks — 1 Assassing | 2 Garden Party | 3 Cinderella
Search | 4 Punch And Judy | 5 Jigsaw | 6 Chelsea Monday
| Misplaced Childhood Side 1: 1 The Pseudo-Silk Kimono | 2 Kayleigh
| 3 Bittersuite | 4 Heart Of Lothian | 5 Incubus | 6 Fugazi
CD 6 Live At Wembley Arena 5 November, 1987 (BBC radio recording). A
charity concert in aid of muscular dystrophy and attended by His Royal Highness
Prince Edward, this concert saw the band on a live and commercial high. Having
stormed the album charts all over the world with Misplaced Childhood
and, more recently, Clutching At Straws, the band could do no wrong.
Featuring both old live favourites such as Assassing and Incubus
from Fugazi, the reworked Misplaced Childhood Side 1 — now
more closely resembling the album — and a huge chunk of Clutching At
Straws, this sees Marillion a long way from those heady days in The Marquee.
Due to time constraints and legal issues, the encores of this BBC Radio 1 recorded
concert — The Boys Are Back In Town, All The Young Dudes, Gimme Some
Lovin' and With A Little Help From My Friends, and featuring Iron
Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, Janick Gers and Nicko McBrain — have had to be
omitted.
Tracks — 1 Slainte Mhath | 2 White Russian | 3 Incubus
| 4 Sugar Mice | 5 Fugazi | 6 Hotel Lobbies | 7 Warm
Wet Circles | 8 That Time Of The Night | 9 The Last Straw |
10 Kayleigh | 11 Lavender | 12 Bittersuite | 13 Heart
Of Lothian
• On October 20 (2008), Marillion released
their new album Happiness Is The Road, exclusively through the band's
website marillion.com. The album
is already receiving rave reviews and the media coverage of their innovative
use of peer-to-peer sites to market the album has been phenomenal.
• Fish left Marillion in 1988 and went on
to forge an impressive solo career. The band, with new vocalist Steve Hogarth,
continued to thrill their ever-growing fan base. On 6 October (2008), Fish released
his second single from the album 13th Star, entitled Zoe 25. The
single was inspired by Page 3 Girl Zoe McConnell, and looks set to take over
from the classic Kayleigh as the rock front-man's biggest hit single
to date. The album and single can be found at his official website the-company.com.
"Marillion's brilliant slow-burning style of rock-infused, folk-scented, country-flavoured
and heavy metal-seasoned work is deliberately rebellious and refuses to slot
into conventional genres — [Marillion Early Stages: The Official
Bootleg Boxset 1982-1987 Limited Edition is] an inspired collection of poetry
to music with a nod to traditional refrains" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
