CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

This album was released when I was 15. At the time, my table tennis coach was a huge Marillion and Rush fan (and he still is). He got me hooked on both in the end, although Rush did a much better job at sticking with me - probably because I'm a 'Fish-era Marillion fan'. I recall that he didn't want to lend me this album at first, because he thought it was too dark and possibly confusing for me, from a lyrical perspective. Little did he (and I) know that this would over time become my favourite Marillion album. That didn't happen on the spot, I only really started listening to it after I was stricken by the raw energy of Slaínthe Mhath on the live album The Thieving Magpie.

Over time, Just for the Record, Slaínthe Mhath, Sugar Mice and White Russian have become part of my list of all time Marillion favourites, together with the often despised Incommunicado. The story of the album, the melancholy of the singer wasting away and loosing his dream has inspired the band to great music - a pity it also led to the departure of their own singer.

Musically, this album contains everything that Marillion is known for: emotional vocals, wonderful guitar work, driving, yet melodic bass and ever present keyboards. This album defines Neo-prog, if it needs a definition, and as such will always be one of the few real prog master pieces of the 1980's.

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