The Marillion Round Table

I wouldn't buy the Friends album; I'm not really into covers I might buy the This Strange Convention DVD though. Is that one good Joren?

I think I might - I was considering it a while ago. This Strange Engine is my favourite Marillion album, so seeing the whole thing live would be awesome

progkidjoel wrote: I wouldn't buy the Friends album; I'm not really into covers I might buy the This Strange Convention DVD though. Is that one good Joren?

I bought the Friends disc because I'm a completist (to a fault). I've listened to it twice and they do play some rare Marillion tunes and b-sides ("Holloway Girl", "The Release"); but, yes, the rest are covers. I do love their take on Crowded House's "She Goes On", though.

Get the Family CD, though. Top shelf!

This Strange Convention DVD is VERY solid. Plus, hit has the Family performance (as well as Friends).

E

E-Dub wrote: I thought you got Anorak In The UK? Dude, you MUST get that one. Probably the best sounding live disc I've ever heard. You definitely need to get Happiness Is Cologne, Popular Music (could be OOP by now, though), Family and Marbles By The Sea. All are excellent! E

Anorak in the UK is an essential live LP - incredible album.

lazland wrote: E-Dub wrote: I thought you got Anorak In The UK? Dude, you MUST get that one. Probably the best sounding live disc I've ever heard. You definitely need to get Happiness Is Cologne, Popular Music (could be OOP by now, though), Family and Marbles By The Sea. All are excellent! E Anorak in the UK is an essential live LP - incredible album.

I have to side with Steve on this. It's a great sounding disc. And if Racket still has a copy, go for the 2 disc version. The retail is a 1 disc release.

E

Basíleia wrote: E-Dub wrote: lazland wrote: E-Dub wrote: I thought you got Anorak In The UK? Dude, you MUST get that one. Probably the best sounding live disc I've ever heard. You definitely need to get Happiness Is Cologne, Popular Music (could be OOP by now, though), Family and Marbles By The Sea. All are excellent! E Anorak in the UK is an essential live LP - incredible album. I have to side with Steve on this. It's a great sounding disc. And if Racket still has a copy, go for the 2 disc version. The retail is a 1 disc release. E Well, I just listened to Anorak in the UK and I'd have to say it really is a phenominal live performance. The quality of the disc itself sounds better to me than Made Again which is a good live album, too! The thing is, the great feeling Made Again provides you with, is mainly due to the second disc - the marvelous live performance of Brave in its entirety. The first disc does not really strike me as irriplaceable. Apart from all this, I think I prefer h's vocals on Anorak in the UK to those on Made Again, but that's just my taste.   All things considered, Marillion is a great band for live shows!!!

I think I'm right in saying that Made Again was released by EMI after the band left the label for the first time and, thus, they didn't have a great deal of input into the record, much in the same way as The Theiving Magpie was released after Fish left. Both are, IMHO, fine LPs, but lack that band input that makes Anorak so much more special.

And, of course, we now have a whole host of live recordings by the band themselves on Racket that shows them at their very best, in other words in the real live experience untouched by record executives hands.

I've got a couple of Front Row discs from the Brave tour and the energy is a bit better than that of the Paris recording on Made Again. I'd have to say that the Brave Live 2002 could quite possibly be the best recording of Brave that I have.

Joel, Afraid Of Sunlight is so beautiful. Aside from "Cannibal Surf Babe" (which is an alright tune, but a bit out of place), the entire album has such an underlying pain and ache to it. I also believe that it's Hogarth's best performance as a whole. His vocals just really shine on this.

And the title track could be one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It's just absolute magic. Afraid Of Sunlight is usually right behind Brave and running neck and neck with Marbles as my favorite Marillion discs.

E

E-Dub wrote: I've got a couple of Front Row discs from the Brave tour and the energy is a bit better than that of the Paris recording on Made Again. I'd have to say that the Brave Live 2002 could quite possibly be the best recording of Brave that I have. Joel, Afraid Of Sunlight is so beautiful. Aside from "Cannibal Surf Babe" (which is an alright tune, but a bit out of place), the entire album has such an underlying pain and ache to it. I also believe that it's Hogarth's best performance as a whole. His vocals just really shine on this. And the title track could be one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It's just absolute magic. Afraid Of Sunlight is usually right behind Brave and running neck and neck with Marbles as my favorite Marillion discs. E

With regard to Afraid of Sunlight, what, to me, makes it even more amazing as a piece of honest and serious work is the fact that the band knew full well that it would be their swansong in the studio with EMI. How many other bands can we think of that would not take the easy road, and basically put out an inferior product simply to fulfill a contractual obligation (and I am especially thinking of Oldfield here with Virgin, as much as I admire him)?

No, they did the hardest thing - they entered the studio and produced a work of such sublime beauty and emotion that it is difficult to put into words - certainly my own review came nowhere near expressing this in the right words.

As Eric said, this album is right up there with the best of the band's works, and I am staggered that it is rated as low as it is on the Archives. As I said in my review, definitely one for those who are prepared to think beyond Fugazi.

Cannibal Surf Babe is also to me a track which is somewhat out of keeping with the rest of the album - good fun, but that is the extent of it. However, every other song is worthy of a five star rating, and I will never ever tire of hearing Out of This World. The absolute epitome of how to write a tribute to a great man in words and music.

As you know Joel, absolutely no arguments about Radiation from me at all - I listened to it again a couple of days ago, and it really is such a powerful LP. Easily the most underrated thing they ever did, and I'm sure that a lot of reviewers would change their rating if they went back to it and gave it a new appraisal.