CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

This is Marillion's masterpiece. They were good before, but this transcends and becomes an all time classic. A concept album based on Fish's own life at the time, disillusionment with the band and the society he found himself in, he writes himself as a musician named Torch spending time alone at hotel bars with his thoughts and his inner turmoil and journey. The rest of the band are with him, crafting each song as an individual chapter in the story with it's own ideas and world. So brilliant.

Hotel Hobbies: Brilliant opener, setting a moody tone and incredibly evocative lyrics capturing the premise, Torch alone in a bar with his thoughts, with the music kicking into high gear as his thoughts turn dark, with a brilliant guitar solo. Slows down at the end leading to...

Warm Wet Circles: Torch wanders through a scene of colorful characters, romancers, dreamers, and the lyrics are stunningly written to paint a vivid picture of the scene. Beautiful melody and shifts to minor from major, rocking harder, and just a perfectly self-contained song that is part of the bigger picture.

That Time of the Night: beautiful atmospheric guitar playing with a lyrical overture of sorts as the keyboards and drums slide along underneath, the bass urgently pounding. Then the keyboard melody begins, nicely capturing the feeling of a certain time of the night... when streetlights through crosses through window frames, etc. More beautiful lyrics from Fish. The chorus loudly proclaims Torch's feelings, that he hates where he's at, and wants to get away. He pleads with the listener to come with him, find a way out, leading to a brief reprise of the pounding Warm Wet Circles theme.

Going Under: not included on the original LP, I think this piece is essential to the overall work Marillion have made here. Having raged against his circumstances in the previous song, Torch takes a moment to reflect on himself, making sure he hasn't lost himself completely. It's short, lovely and well placed in the story. Great soaring guitar work to complement the lyrics.

Just for the Record: shift to a very upbeat in a nice fun time signature, the keyboard and guitar work is excellent here, interplaying with one another, weaving in and out effortlessly. The lyrics deal with Torch asserting he's going to stop drinking and change his life, with a perfectly written note of doubt at the end. "Just for the record, I could stop any day"... with the implication being, not yet. The keyboard interlude is very Genesis, but forgivable on a record so perfectly original and written.

White Russian: the clear and powerful centerpiece of the album, coming appropriately at the center. Stemming from Fish's disgust for a rising Neo-Nazi movement in Europe and all they represented, the fury and anger couldn't be more evident in his performance and lyrics, with a pounding beat and sinister melody to drive the point all the way home. Ends on a quiet note, of despair perhaps, as Torch gives in to the idea that he can do nothing to stop the things driving him to drink. All time brilliant prog song.

Incommunicado: very upbeat charging song as Torch escapes from the things he hates. The target now is celebrity musicianhood, and all the problems that come with that, as he kisses it all off and says he's going incommunicado. More excellent, top notch guitar and keyboard interplay here. Fish's vocal performance here is aggressive and exuberant at the same time. Really, all the musicians have reached their absolute peak with this album in every possible way.

Torch Song: a much slower, more thoughtful song as Torch again stops to collect his thoughts, drinking and wallowing more. As much as this album sounds depressing when describing it, it's really quite invigorating. Makes you want to burn with as much passion as Fish/Torch does, to care how he cares. Spoken word from a doctor tells us Torch is literally drinking himself to death, and Torch himself finds this romantic.

Slainte Mhathe: a bright piano melody leads us into this song, a cryptic song that seems to be about trying to write, trying to create, and the thought process that that entails. More evocative imagery, but it's not immediately clear what happens in this song.

Sugar Mice: An absolutely lovely penultimate song. Torch is still lost, trying to figure out a direction, how to reorient himself. The chorus shows he has all but given up on the anger that once drove him. It doesn't matter who you blame, we're all just "sugar mice in the rain", only going to last so long. A gorgeous, soaring guitar solo from Rothery leads to Torch settling the blame for all this on himself after all, and seems to come to be at peace with it.

The Last Straw/Happy Ending?: the closing song, a power ballad of sorts. Tying all the themes together, Torch essentially sums up what he's learned, in extremely florid language of course: life is meaningless, humanity is inherent cynical and amoral, and nothing we do matters. Again, pitch black stuff here, but the delivery gives it something special.

If this is not an essential masterpiece of prog, I don't know what is.