Collection, The - Marillion

Advantages: A great representative selection of Marillion songs from the Fish years
Disadvantages: Not all tracks are easy listening. Don’t try and multi-task!

.... That’s what Marillion are like. This is a great little collection of Marillion songs. Largely live (which is when I think the band are at their best) and including both some of their mostly widely know and accessible songs, and also some of their most obscure. The opener, ‘Lady Nina’ is a good one. Catchy tune, memorable lyrics. It seems to be about a prostitute. ‘One night you'll play Elizabeth Taylor The next night you're Marilyn Monroe Forever kissing frogs that think they're princes Oh, Lady Nina, where did all the romance go?’ It’s actually quite ambiguous in some ways, since the protagonist in this story sings ‘I know that you’re in love with me…’ I think maybe he’s just another frog as far as she’s concerned, and our Lady is quite glad he can’t leave his family! ‘Freaks’ was, I think, released as a single. It’s a more... Read review

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Advantages: Great lyrics. Outstanding cover. Nostalgic.
Disadvantages: Unfashionable proggy heavy rock.

.... Profound, thought provoking and listenable again and again, this is an album which everyone should have in their collection somewhere. Marillion at their absolute peak. Highly recommended.... Read review

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Advantages: Superb crossover project
Disadvantages: Availability

...OK, so I'm a big-time Marillion fan. But mainly thanks to the company of Pete Tong on Friday night commutes home down the M4, I also have a keen interest in the club music scene. I never believed that I would find something that combined the two. This album does. And how! It was originally lent to me by an even bigger big-time Marillion fan - a guy who collects everything, including the solo projects, singles and of course, the T-shirts. I was so impressed that I wouldn't give it back until my own copy had arrived - it is, unfortunately, only available as new from Racket Records (Marillion's own label). Steve Hogarth, the band's lead vocalist, had always vowed "we'd never let anyone do this". His main fear was that some dance act looking for an easy life would take the vocal track and glue it on top of whatever kind of beat... Read review

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Advantages: A complete live Misplaced Childhood
Disadvantages: A few 'second choice' songs

...This was the last album released by Marillion with Fish on lead vocals. It's a live album and seems to be something of a filler, giving the band time to search for a new singer and lyricist. The main drawback with the album is that Marillion had already released a live album four years previously (Real to Reel) and had used up most of the really powerful songs from their first two albums on there. So the material on disc one goes for some lesser songs like Jigsaw and Chelsea Monday. The live material from their more recent albums fare better and the songs from 'Clutching at Straws' (last studio album with Fish) sound fresh and lively. However, the overall feeling of disc one is of a collection of unrelated live performances. Disc two is a complete live performance of their epic 'Misplaced Childhood' album and is quite stunning. Including... Read review

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Advantages: Good Album
Disadvantages: not enough tracks on the album

...The Year 1999 - 80'z Rock band Marillion Release the Album - "marillion.com" - And What an album it is With tracks such as "Rich" and "interior lulu" this good all rounder of an album. The songs on the album don’t all follow the same style all the way though, for example, the Rich pop style of Rich – compared to the deep emotional “built in Bastard radar” if you are a fan of Marillion, or are thinking of buying a marillion album, just to see what there like – I fully recommend this one. Well done lads! Tom Gould :o)... Read review

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Advantages: Great music
Disadvantages: More commercial than the first 2 albums

...This album contains the one song that everyone knows of Marillions - the famous Kayleigh. This is of course a perfectly good song, but the album is packed with great music. It is a concept album and has 2 songs - side 1 and side 2 (it was recorded in the days of vinyl!). My favourate song is Mylo although really the whole album is great. The music is intricate and melodic and the lyrics are, as is the way with Fish, a fascinating read. Kayleigh & Lavender, being the two hits are very good, but the albums third single, Heart of Lothian comes at the end of (the old) side 1 which is musically and lyrically the most superior part of the album. Fishes voice on this album is arguably at his best!! The subsequent album and his solo career never reached these standards again. In my opinion, the Script era and Fugazi produced better... Read review

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