SEASONS END

Right then, Season's End. A record I knew very well on its initial release (I was still at school). The effect of Fish's departure was massive. Now I was a fan of the early records - Script For a Jester's Tear and Fugazi were ugly, unfashionable, tasteless, and brilliant - but Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws while certainly displaying some nice touches both threatened to embrace that late eighties pop/rock mundanity: you know, thin ties, white suits, tidy mullets... I liked the grubbiness of the early records, these two albums seemed a bit polished. Season's End saw a different direction - or at least the beginnings of one. Marillion made the important decision to replace the distinctive vocal range of Mr Dick with something completely different. Trying to find a copycat would (and should) have spelt their demise. There are six good songs here. Holloway girl is mis-judged and cringeworthy in its... worthiness; Uninvited Guest might have worked better as a comeback single that wasn't on this LP, it's too breezy among so many epics; Hooks in You is just ghastly - embarrassing. King of Sunset town is a bit sixth-form in the lyric stakes but reminds me of Massive Attack's Big Wheel which I bet has never been said before. Easter comes close to twee but just about escapes with its dignity intact thanks to some rather wonderful guitar playing by Mr Rothery (not sure if the 'duck 'n doo doo's' add much to this though). After Me is sweet. Season's End and Berlin show how far the Marillion sound has come and are for me, the standout pieces here. The title track is genuinely moving and is more reminiscent of Gabriel- era Genesis than anything produced by Fish while Berlin is fabulously sinister - full of concrete and fetishistic imagery: cabaret! Marillion became a different group in 1989; no better or worse, just different. The next LP hippupped a bit but they found their feet again in 1994. Season's End lays a few ghosts to rest and points the way to better things.