LIVE FROM CADOGAN HALL

No one knows what causes a performer to come alive in a concert setting. This is part of the magical process that occurs during some live shows and it is in full evidence on this wonderful two CD offering from Eagle Records.

Live From Cadogan Hall is a live presentation of the More Is Less album. But where that album comes out dull and sterile, there is a complete reversal here. And it all comes down to Steve Hogarth's emotive interaction with the audience and his own stellar emotive singing. And I mean emotive with an upper case E.

Disc 1 is the complete More is Less album performed in the same track order, but with some greatly appreciated descriptions of the songs and the stories behind some of them. Go starts the concert with the same mesmerizing tone that kicks off the Marillion.com album and Steve Rothery's acoustic guitar solo is sublime, as Hogarth just gets his voice and sincerity warmed for the following song Interior Lulu, which is more enchanting and seductive than both the original version and the acoustic make over on More Is Less.

By the time we get to track 5, the More Is Less version of The Space, Hogarth is in full command of the audience and the rest of the band are firing on all eight cylinders, which is needed to make this completely different arrangement of this song work. It does, beautifully.

Disc 1 concludes with band favorites from the Anorakanophobia album , Quartz , If My Heart Were a Ball, and This Is The 21st Century. I personally don't like the material from this album due to it's excess verbiage but fan's of the album should like this make overs.

Before the Anoraknophobia songs, there's a beautifully moving version of it's not your fault song by SteveH wiith his solo piano as backing. It is a heartfelt masterpiece as Hogarth put's his entire heart into it.

Disc 2 starts off with another beautiful solo outer by H, a new reworking of No One Can that far excells from that the poppy studio original, before the band rejoin him for an acoustic reworking of Beautiful from the Afraid Of Sunlight album. One again, Steve H makes theses song's shine as well as reworkings of This Train Is My Life, Estonia and the evergreen Easter.

Disc 2 ends with a full electric version of the Three Minute Boy from Radiation, just to let the audience (and us) know that they can still rock at will.

LFCH is extremely well recorded and mastered, with the sound as clear as a bell. My only complaint is that Rothery's guitar is a little hidden in the mix on two songs, but that's all.

LFCH is a showcase live album for Steve Hogarth in that it shows off his live concert prowess and just how powerfully sensitive his vocals are devoid of the band's thundering electric sound. And, for that fact alone I highly recommend this wonderful double CD. 4 Stars.

Share this MARILLION review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to SteveG
• Report this review (#1309604)
• Buy MARILLION music online with PA partners
• Show all MARILLION MP3/Stream
• Go to MARILLION page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Live From Cadogan Hall page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for MARILLION related discussions