MARBLES LIVE

Personnaly I have always prefered Fish era Marillion to Hogarth era but that wasnt going to stop me getting this album when it came out. And at half the price that the studio album is (still!) being sold at who could blame me.This album comprises the performance of the album Marbles that you can find on the Marbles On The Road DVD, only without the extra tracks of the DVD but Estonia added to the end. Its not quite the same track listing as the studio album as Drilling Holes has been replaced with The Damage, and I have to admit I still havnt heard the studio album so I dont know wether thats a good thing or not.

Steven Hogarth has taken a lot of flack in the past for turning Marillion much closer towards a pop sound than they ever did with Fish. However, the album opener, The Invisable Man, is a stuning full on prog track that ranks up there as one of Marillions all time best songs. Sadly all the songs dont keep to this level brilliance, but also non of them are bad. A lot of the songs enhabit the 4-6 minute mark, witch isnt a bad thing as the songs tend to move from one emotionall ride to another, interspersed with Marbles parts I to IV. The album closes with two of the longest tracks on here. Neverland is the studio album closser and is a really powerfull, epic feeling song. This would have made for a very memorable finishing for the album except that Estonia was still to play. Though Estonia isnt actually a ba song it just gives the album a bit of an anti-climactic final after Neverland.

One problem I have with this is that a lot of the songs are mid paced and if it wasnt for the short Marbles tracks, you probably wouldnt notice huge changes between songs from Your Gone up to The Damage. This may sound like a bad thing but it does give the performance a nice mellow feeling. this changes at The Damage witch is a very up-tempo raucus song that really helps to lighten the mood before the end two songs.

the performances of each of the musicians is very good as well, there is not one that I think could have performend this material better, though I would have prefered Mark Kelly's keyboards to have been slightly more prominent in the mix. Hogarth also gives a really good performance, though it takes half of The Invisable man for him to really hit his stride.

Overall this is a very enjoyable live album that showcases just how good Marillion are live, its not perfect but I highly recommend it, 4 stars.

This was recorded live in London, England in July of 2004 during the "Marbles" tour. I was surprised that the track listing here is almost track for track the same as the single disc version of "Marbles".The exception is track 9 where they replaced "Drilling Holes" with "Damage", a song that was on disc 2 of the special edition "Marbles" recording. As a bonus they end this live album with "Estonia", a song from the "This Strange Engine" record.

"The Invisible Man" takes a while to get going with vocals arriving after a minute. Lots of atmosphere of course. Almost silent 3 1/2 minutes in and then vocals return 4 minutes in. I like the guitar here and the bass is prominant. It calms right down again after 6 minutes before starting to build 7 minutes in as the crowd gets involved. Passionate vocals 9 minutes in and when it all stops suddenly the crown cheers wildly. Reserved vocals return quickly as it starts to build again.The crowd joins in, this is so emotional as Hogarth sings from his heart and Rothery lights it up. "Marbles I" is laid back with vocals and piano. "Your Gone" has this good beat as the crowd joins in.The guitar soars as vocals join in. This is all about the beat, vocals and guitar. Great song ! "Angelina" is mellow with vocals, organ and bass. The tempo starts to pick up a little 1 1/2 minutes in. Nice bass lines too. Tasteful guitar solo 5 minutes in. "Marbles II" is laid back as well but it builds to a good guitar solo 2 minutes in. I like the lyrics. "Don't Hurt Yourself" is the first of three amazing songs in a row. Guitar opens as the crowd claps along. A full sound as drums join in and then vocals. This one moves me. Organ after 3 minutes. There is a prolonged cheer when this song ends.

"Fantastic Place" opens with fragile vocals. The tempo picks up slightly 1 1/2 minutes in. Gulp. Some good affects here from Kelly. A fuller sound before 4 minutes with some incredible guitar to follow. This song gets the biggest applause yet. "Marbles III" opens with piano as background synths then bass comes in. Vocals follow. It's so emotional a minute in.This is my favourite "Marbles" interlude by far. "The Damage & Marbles IV" opens with lots of piano, guitar and vocals. A good driving tune. It changes 4 1/2 minutes in to the second part ("Marbles IV"). "Nevermind" opens with piano, fragile vocals and synths. A fuller sound before 1 1/2 minutes. Emotional guitar solo a minute later. Organ after 3 minutes. Rothery is so impressive 4 1/2 minutes in. Again it's the emotion of his playing. Love the vocal style Hogarth uses to follow. More amazing guitar. After the song ends Hogarth introduces the band. "Estonia" opens with lots of atmosphere. Vocals before a minute. Drums after 1 1/2 minutes. Just a gorgeous sound 2 minutes in. Themes are repeated. I like the keys after 5 minutes.This song is a perfect way to end it.

A must for MARILLION fans, and especially for fans of the "Marbles" record.

This is a decent live performance of Marbles from Marillion, with the track listing mainly matching that of the 1CD version with a couple of tweaks: Drilling Holes has been replaced with The Damage, and Estonia from This Strange Engine makes an appearance as an encore. Overall, it's a really good set, with energetic performances of the songs, though there are a few issues with the set; most particularly, after the spacey drifting of Neverland, playing Estonia as an encore makes the set feel a bit monotonous - what the encore really calls for is one of the band's livelier songs as a counterpoint to what's gone before. On the whole, though, it's a pretty good companion to the studio album, though those particularly fond of Marbles may want to get Marbles By the Sea (a live set of the complete 2CD album) instead.