CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

"Clutching At Straws" is the fourth studio album of Marillion and was released in 1987. Like their previous third studio album "Misplaced Childhood", "Clutching At Straws" is a conceptual album and the last studio album with the participation of their former member and front man Derek Dick "Fish", who left the band in 1988 to pursue a solo career.

Written and conceived during a period of time of inner great turmoil on the group, "Clutching At Straws" would prove to be Fish's swan song album, and perhaps Marillion's most unknown and underrated studio work of all four studio works of Fish's era. Still, commercially it wasn't quite as successful as its predecessor "Misplaced Childhood", but "Clutching At Straws" reached the album chart and it's also considered amongst the best musical studio works of Marillion's Fish era, by many fans and critics. It's also very well rated on Progarchives, and it's also to Fish himself ated, on several interviews, that this was the best album that he made with the band. I think it was his most personal work with Marillion.

"Clutching At Straws" is another conceptual album. The character of the story is a man with 29 years old, unemployed, whose life is a complete void. He seeks of comfort especially in alcohol to numb himself. He is trying but failing. He has a failed marriage, he is being a deadbeat father and professionally he feels his lack of commercial success as a vocalist on a group. So, he will be drunk and he writes about his own fails and laments. As he can't find no other real solutions, he ends up in bars, hotel rooms, and on the road, whining and drinking without redemption and a real future hope.

"Clutching At Straws" is very different, on lyrics and music, from its predecessor's albums. It's darker and, in a certain way, it's a kind of a Fish autobiographical album, exploring the excess of alcoholism and life on the road, representing the strains of constant touring that would result in the departure of Fish from the group to pursue his solo career.

The line up on the album is Derek Dick "Fish" (vocals), Steve Rothery (guitars), Mark Kelly (keyboards), Pete Trewavas (bass) and Ian Mosley (drums). The album has also the participation on vocals of Tessa Niles, Chris Kimsey and John Cavanaugh.

"Clutching At Straws" has eleven tracks. Because this is a conceptual album, the music moves and flows continuously. Despite the clear differences, the music here is very similar to the first three Marillion's albums, even though the mood is much darker and melancholic and the sound is slightly more mature. This means that you should expect a much dark neo-prog album with beautiful vocal melodies, poignant lyrics, and some melodic instrumentation. The keyboards on "Clutching At Straws" are much more atmospheric than on the first three albums, even further proving Mark Kelly's keyboard prowess. Many of the solos made on this album are from Steve Rothery. Personally, I adore his melodic playing style and, even though he isn't the most technical guy out there. Still, his picking has more feeling and emotion than almost anyone. "Clutching At Straws" also features some of the best bass lines that Pete Trewavas would ever perform, not to forget about the spot-on drumming from Ian Mosley. The musicianship all over the album is very professional overall, and this is yet another reason to love this album. However, the greatest assets of this entire album lie in the strength and sheer emotional power of the compositions. When I say that this album has some of the most beautiful music ever written, that is no overstatement. Songs like "Sugar Mice", "Warm Wet Circles", "Going Under", and "The Last Straw" are all great emotional masterpieces. There are also some more upbeat tunes like "Just For The Record" and "Incommunicado", both of which are also masterpieces. Every song on "Clutching At Straws" is of high quality. I don't hesitate in saying that this album contains some of the greatest lyrics ever written. Add in some of Fish's most inspired and emotional vocal performances, and you have another aspect where "Clutching At Straws" is superb.

Conclusion: "Clutching At Straws" is an excellent album. Some consider it a more mature work than the other three previous studio albums. They say the lyrics and compositions are more emotional and dramatic as ever, on Fish's era, and that they had found finally their musical identity and balance, and this album is the last definitive break with Genesis musical influence. Sincerely, I think there is some truth in these things. Still, I personally think that "Clutching At Straws" isn't, in a certain way, a Marillion's album, but a solo musical effort of Fish. Lyrically, the character was inspired by Fish's life experiences, and it has everything to do with his personal life in those times, with his problems of the excess of alcohol and the abuse of drugs. Musically, it's also much close to the music that Fish would make on his solo albums. Anyway, and despite "Clutching At Straws" be a great studio album, it isn't as good as "Script For A Jester's Tear" or "Misplaced Childhood" are. Still, it still remains, for me, an excellent addition to any prog musical collection and represents the last contribution of a great artist on a great band, too. Fish left the band by the front door.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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