REAL TO REEL - BRIEF ENCOUNTER

'Real To Reel ' Brief Encounter' is a very special compilation of Marillion. It's an economic package that includes their debut live album 'Real To Reel' released in 1984 and their EP 'Brief Encounter' released in 1986, on only one CD. This is a very interesting compilation because it includes two Marillion's works in Fish's era, what will be a very worth purchase. 'Real To Reel' is an indispensable album but I can't say the same of 'Brief Encounter', really. Still, 'Brief Encounter' has its high points too, the three live tracks. 'Brief Encounter' is the perfect companion to 'Real To Reel'.

Like Gatot, I was also totally in doubt to purchase this compilation because I had already 'Real To Reel'. However, because 'Brief Encounter' has never been released in CD format and due to initially it was aimed strictly at the American market and not officially released elsewhere, I decided to buy it. 'Brief Encounter' was also very demanded in Europe because Marillion's breakthrough, with the departure of Fish, and also because the band hadn't released any new material in 1986, the year when it was released in the U.S.A. market. So, 'Brief Encounter' became, in reality, their first work in terms of studio albums in that year. It was released to support the 'Power Windows' live tour of Rush.

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my both reviews. However, in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

'Real To Reel': 'Real To Reel' is a great debut live album of Marillion. The album includes two songs from their debut studio album, 'Forgotten Sons' and 'Garden Party', three songs of their second studio album 'Assassing', 'Incubus' and 'Emerald Lies', a song from their historical debut EP 'Market Square Heroes' and 'Forgotten Sons' which was only released as a singe. However, some of their best and most representative songs from their beginning like 'Script For A Jester's Tear', 'The Web', 'Fugazi' and specially 'Grendel' aren't included on this live album. The live performance is very competent, despite only few things can distinguish the live versions of these tracks from their studio original versions. In reality and in my opinion, to 'Real To Reel' lacks some live performance flame, to be considered a masterpiece. Nevertheless, 'Real To Reel' is still a great live album with a magnificent live performance of some of their most representative songs comprising their earlier musical material in their first musical period in Fish's era. Besides, the songs are played with conviction and energy. 'Real To Reel' isn't a perfect live album, but shows us why Marillion is the top progressive band in the 80's and also proves why Marillion is in generally considered one of the best, one of the most important and one of the greatest progressive groups in the progressive rock scene, even today.

'Brief Encounter': 'Brief Encounter' is an EP of Marillion that was released in 1986. It's a compilation with two studio tracks and three live tracks. The two studio tracks are 'Lady Nina', which is an extended version of the original track released on the single 'Kayleigh' as the B side, in 1985 and 'Freaks' which is a single version of the original track which was released on the single 'Lavender' as the B side, in 1985 too. The three live tracks were released by EMI, the American label of Capitol Records, in 1986, coinciding with the Marillion's live tour on U.S.A and Canada, on that year. So, we can see 'Brief Encounter' into two separated parts, the two studio tracks and the three live tracks. In relation to the two studio tracks, and although 'Freaks' and 'Lady Nina' be two nice songs, they aren't properly essential in Marillion's catalogue in Fish's era, and personally, I don't like particularly of this version of 'Lady Nina' too. In relation to the three live tracks, I think they're all excellent live versions of the original songs, but they don't add anything new, compared to other live versions on other live albums from the band. So, 'Brief Encounter' doesn't add anything important and new to Marillion's catalogue, and because of that, we may say that it isn't very important to buy it, really.

Conclusion: If you have already 'Real To Reel' you don't need to buy this compilation because it hasn't anything really important to offer. However, if you don't have yet 'Real To Reel' and you are interested in have 'Brief Encounter' too, this compilation is a good option for you because it's cheaper than to buy both individual works. So, it will be a very worth purchase and is a better option because you save on price and space. However and as I said before, 'Brief Encounter' isn't an indispensable document of Marillion in Fish's era. 'Brief Encounter' is a good EP, but quite dispensable. But with 'Real To Reel' is quite the contrary. 'Real To Reel' is an indispensable album, a great testimony of the band when they were in live shows in Fish's era. Besides, if you buy this compilation you can have both works as a complement. So, because of that and due to 'Real To Reel', I think this compilation deserves to be rated with 4 stars.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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