LIVE FROM LORELEY

I had wished for a Real To Reel or a Thieving Magpie DVD for a long, long time. While Recital For A Script is a terrific, essential-buy video, it also came a little too early on their career. After all, the band had only an EP and an album to rely on in terms of repertoire then. So I was thrilled when I found this VHS and later, the its DVD format, in the market. It was recorded aroung the time of their Clutching At Straws LP, in Germany. It was to be the last tour Marillion would ever do with their charismatic singer/poet Fish.

Ok, this is not as complete as I wished: I guess the concert could be a little longer and include some hard to find perfomances of classic stuff like Cinderella Search, Fugazi or Jigsaw, just to name a few, but you can´t have everything. And the only song this DVD has in common with Recital... is the title song of their debut, Scritp For A Jester´s Tear. All the remaining tracks are from their fololow ups, what makes this release the perfect companion to Recital... If you like Marillion´s albums, then you should see them on stage. Unlike most other symphonic prog bands, Marillion always had a better performance live than on the studio. Those guys could play note perfect versions of the tunes and still add extra power to them when they were in front of an audience. Fish in particular seems to be in his ideal enviroment. But we should never forget the brilliant Steve Rothery on guitar and the fabulous rhythm section of Pete Trewavas (a very underestimated bass player) and drummer extraordinaire Ian Mosley.

Even if the band was in the verge of breaking up (or, at least, losing its singer and lyricist), they still could put up a great show, full of energy and passion. I loved the inclusion of the whole side A of Misplaced Childhood (although in my DVD back cover it is credit as only 3 songs). it was a nice surprise, as it was the very good rendition of Incubus (from Fugazi). The added female vocalist is a plus specially on songs like Warm Wet Circles and The Last Straw. The general sound and images are good (actually better then my earlier VHS copy), but could be a little better still.

Conclusion: an essential masterpiece of progressive rock music, even if it has some small flaws as I stated before. If you´re a fan of 80´s Marillion, or a fan of symphonic prog rock in general, this is a must have along with Recital For A Script. Final rating: something between 4.5 and 5 stars. Highly recommended!