THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

I view both iterations of Marillion as I do Van Halen. There are enough elements in place that allowed the respective bands to retain their commercial appeal and technical reputation, not to mention their fan base. But make no mistake about it, they are two different bands. Ironically both bands have compilations with the same name. Because I view Marillion as two different bands, I found it difficult to review Best of Both Worlds as a whole. This set would have worked very well as two compilations released individually. I enjoyed the fish fronted disc 1 Immensely. Each track seems to meld seamlessly with the other. If I was not a Marillion fan and I was listening to this disc for the first time, I would be easily convinced that this was an original album and not a compilation. It's a fun set of tracks that spotlight the unique sound of Marillion's technical prowess and the storytelling talents of Fish.

Disc 2 was a different experience for me. I did enjoy the selection of tracks. Many of the songs are tracks that I enjoyed off their original albums that arguably are the best of the Hogarth era. There are others that I wish were included here, but any fan has their own preferences of course. The difference with the Hogarth era is that I find that Marillion mark 2 crafted a sound that feels more emotional. The track Afraid of Sunlight is an example of a song that has always had a profound emotional impact on me. I am glad it is included in this collection. While many songs during the fish era were fun and generally an easier listen relatively speaking, the Hogarth era was contemplative and on many occasions quite dark. This is not a knock-on Hogarth at all. it just illustrates the profound differences in both versions of this band and why a two-disc set compiled of two different bands can feel uneven. And unfortunately, it does . In spite of that, I have to recommend this set because it generally has great songs from both eras. Just remember you are buying two different albums at the same time. From that perspective, It's quite an enjoyable listen.

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