AFRAID OF SUNLIGHT

I've been a Marillion fan of the first time having received a copy of a promo containing Grendel, Garden Party and Three boats down borrowed by a friend before Script was published. I didn't dislike Hogarth initially. They were just something different from the Fish era but not bad. I still have to decide if I like Brave or not, but Afraid of Sunlight is the album which made me quit with Marillion. The first track, Gazpacho, is not that bad. Just a bit too long and repetitive for what it effectively contains. The problems started with Cannibal Surf Baby. I wasn't meaning to purchase a Beach Boys album.

And if it wasn't enough, the following track has the title and the athmosphere of a soap- opera. Soap-orific.

This is when I picked it off from the CD reader.

Now, 15 years after, I have decided to retry. Just to discover that because of the first three tracks I didn't pay enough attention to the rest of the album.

Afraid of sunrise is nothing special but it doesn't cause me to use the CD as a frisbee. Out of this world is the surprise. I really like this song that I had missed at the first try.

Unfortunately it can't save the whole album alone, and Afraid of sunlight doesn't help at all. I skip it after 3 minutes as the chorus doesn't tell me anything.

Beyond you is beyond the minimum. Another good aid against insomnia.

"King" is the surprise. A good track in the end. The guitar sounds like on some passages of the previous albums. Hogarth appears more inspired. Well is very similar in the structure (and also in tempo and chords) to Clutching at straws. This is probably the reason why I have found it enjoyable.

I have the original issue, so I can't say anything about the bonus disc, and I'm not intentioned to buy it twice.

2 stars - one for each decent song.