HOLIDAYS IN EDEN

To me "Holiday's In Eden" is a transition record. It could not be heard with the promise of "the" Marillion album of all times, or even "the" H's period album. It is - as someone mentioned above - the first album the band got to do togheter as a band with their newest member (Steve Hoghart, "H") involved in the whole process. And "Holydays" can be pointed as Marillion's most Hogarted-flavored album ever.

This is more of a continuation of H's previous work and songwriting before Marillion. He came from a more pop oriented background (The Europeans) and before joining Marillion and he did an album in 1987, by the name of "How We Live", titled "Dry Land" (so start doing the math!). That was a very 80's oriented pop - slightly more rocking than The Europenas sound- and included, of course, the song "Dry Land" as well as other numbers like "Simon's Car", for example, wich wer'e re-worked with Marillion for this particular album.

The above can give us some hints of why the album may not sound that concistent through-out and why it lacks of a distinctive Marillion sound as a whole (because H brought his songs and the band also had their own ideas to work on). But as I said, it's a transitional record and, I think, listening from that perspective will help some of you, not so positive about it, maybe to give it another shot. If not all the songs in it, about 80%, are absolutley wonderful and as proof, they sound perfect in their live sets over the years next to the Fish era stuff or the more modern sounding aproach of Radiation and Anoraknophobia. "Waiting To Happen" and "Splintering heart " are nothing short of magical moments. "No One Can" and "Cover My Eyes" sure will sound comercial if you have played King Crimson's "In The Court..." just before, and if they're not prog-rock suites (wich they aren't and don't try to be) without doubt are great - honest and well crafted - melodic rock compositions wich can't be easily ignored. On later albums such as "Brave" or "This Strange Engine", H will fit more confortably (finally letting all of his talent shine, like he deserves to) and Marillion will sound much more tight an as a whole than they ever tought they would. Even the band accepts not to be very happy with the album results (because they did it under EMI's wishes and not their own) "Holiday's In Eden" is an eclectic good collection of tunes that will show you other side of the band and will help you to tie some missing links in their accendent progression to make some of the greates music ever known to man.