SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR

This is the debut album by Marillion and saved many Prog rockers lives when Genesis" went all abacab on us. The title track starts off with Fish and his lonely voice stating that here he is once more......Strange since this was the debut album???? However aside from that he is then joined with some melancholic piano playing by Mark Kelly which always reminds me of my Sisters ex jailbird boyfriend for some reason. Sweet synths enter the mix as Fish goes into a playground but can't get on the swings or roundabouts, prompting a tantrum of yelling that the game is over. Steve Rothery then takes over with some soulful Gary Gilmore -ish guitar playing. Next up is "HE KNOWS YOU KNOW" a song about Dr Stefan cutting down somebodys tranquillisers before they are ready. The song is very wintery sounding and has a very distinct blonde barmaid feel to it. Apart from Dr Stefan this song appears to be about yellow fevers too. bleak but beautiful. "THE WEB" opens up in nice Ronnie Roast fashion with crashing sounds before Fish auditions some rain for some reason. I find the rest of the song doesn't really go anywhere though. "GARDEN PARTY" Could have been "Genesis" in one of their lighter moments, solid drummer by Mick Fleetwood and some nice keyboard lines by Mart Kelly ensures that this song will warm the 1978 cockles of your heart in the finest fashion possible. "CHELSEA MONDAY" is back to a bleaker sound again, and tales the tale of a Princess in a catalogue having a Chelsea Monday. Some great guitar soloing by Steve Morse in this one. "FORGOTTEN SONS" is without a shadow of a doubt the greatest anti war song ever written, although it's not as good as "Sequences" by Twelfth Night on the Live and let live album. Fish is at his caustic and Vince Anstey best on this one as he parades the carpeted corridors of Whitehall. The newscaster part sounds a little bit too much like "our little Shaun" for my liking, but that is a minor critisism as the whole band takes us all home on a tidal wave of proggy heaven with waves of sound which bring to mind, Bob, Maureen and three teasing chinese checkers players.

Enjoy Chit