The Marillion Round Table

Dellinger I think you'll find that the new album is not only more like the "Epic Style of writing" that is "The Final Breath Before November" but probably exceeds it. And yes they did re-release the first album and added Haunted Memories to it as a hidden track which is one of their best previous songs (which was a b-side from A Million Miles Away). 

I agree with you about SBHAT that it is a bit of a mashup with some very good moments (Growing Down in Brooklyn is a very cool song) but in the end was a bit all over the place. The fact that the band went dark for 4 years after it and not explaining it except for a brief commentary on the inside of the album didn't help matters. Finally Pete Trewavas came out publicly to let the world know about a month ago what that was all about and why E.C. disappeared for so long while leaving behind the "cutting room floor album" Somewhere Between Here and There which was meant to introduce Rick Armstrong (Son of Neil Armstrong - 1st man on the moon and one great step and all that) after Rick had played with them live before Eric's severe injury. 

The Lead singer/lead guitarist Eric Blackwood who wrote a large part of the two epic albums with Pete Trewavas was badly mangled in an accident where he does Special FX for big Hollywood motion pictures. (Blackwood did the FX on I Am Legend and American Gangster and Spiderman 3 and Men In Black 3 and dozens of others as you can see on wiki). While Pete Trewavas won't come out and say publicly exactly what happened and Eric Blackwood has been very tight lipped about it and says he legally can't talk about it, one of Marillion's techs who I know well said that his bicep was completely severed in the accident and whatever was left had to be "drilled into his armpit" causing him to not be able to play for several years and several surgeries later Eric is still trying to learn how to use the arm which is in a constant state of pain. If that wasn't bad enough Blackwood was also rumored to have caught MRSA which was on a few of the Marillion boards. Eric mentioned at the recent Marillion weekend that while that was a rumor he did have one of the worst cases of Lyme Disease after being bit on the knee by a poisonous spider and was hooked up to an IV for several years which Pete Trewavas confirmed in a video he put out about Eric Blackwood's condition last month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6FxpjpFFlM  The band decided to put out an album of "non-epic" related stuff (thus the title Somewhere Between Here and There) while the original album they were supposed to put out "The Disturbance Fields" was put on the back burner until Eric could play again properly. With Rick Armstrong now making the band a trio, Rick was able to finish up Eric's parts while adding some of his own style and the album that was supposed to come out back in 2015 and didn't (which led to the release of SBHAT), finally came out on 7/20/2019 which was the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. 

So the reason for Somewhere Between Here and There was to let the fans know that they weren't gone forever but taking a break while they figured out what to do with all of Eric's sudden health crisis issues. It was meant to keep the fans from forgetting about them in the meantime but it may have had the adverse effect in that it may have scared away some who were left wondering "what exactly is this"?

Luckily The Disturbance Fields which may have left us waiting since 2013' The Final Breath Before November for the "real new album" was worth the wait. Eric Blackwood also was able to finally take the stage again and though he admitted he was "heavily medicated", actually did a fine job live playing with Edison's Children at the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 Celebration at Cape Canaveral. His vocals were as good as ever and they played a lot of classics and a few new tunes along with the encore of Games People Play with the Alan Parsons Project. Just would have preferred after hearing how good this album was that they did more of the new album and more of The Final Breath Before November. Especially "The Approaching Front/Indigenous" which along with A Random Disturbance and Asphyxiation, may be the best things they've done. I do understand though they were playing for astronauts and people there to celebrate Apollo 11 and probably had to do a "festival set" with their hits more than the AOR style of songs I would have preferred to hear like The Longing and Where Were You.

Hello, Eric. Nice to see you.

The thread burps into life only sporadically these days. Needs a bit of a kick start, really.

Anyhow, I will ask a simple question. FEAR. I think it is a work of genius, and well in the top five of Marillion albums.

Agree or disagree?

I really wish I shared your opinion of FEAR. I tried over and over and I couldn't get into it, and if not for Less Is More, it could be my least favorite Marillion album ever produced. I just find it lacks energy and melody. I think what started it for me is when the the advanced download of "The New Kings" was given to those who pre-ordered. About 3-4 minutes into it I just had a sinking feeling. And then when I got the whole album, it just didn't grab me at all. I would shelve it and then come back to it and still nothing resonated. I did listen to Afraid Of Sunlight (the new deluxe) and the Friday night show in Montreal recently, but have basically been on a Marillion break. 

Sort of got into it with management and (sorry) some pretty insulting and offensive things were said to me. People hold her in high reverence, but I'm definitely not one of them. I think that combination has cooled my jets. I hate it because I miss the passion I had with the band. Hopefully it comes back again. Hopefully a new album that blows the skirt up over my head (that's just a figure of speech. HA!) will change things. 

Glad everyone is doing well. I still keep in contact with Steve Perry. He actually flew down last year and we drove to Nashville to attend Morsefest. A couple of years before that he came down for Morsefest, but we drove over to my hometown of Kansas City and stayed with mom and saw the ARW version of Yes. Steve's still doing very well. 

Hope all are doing well,

E

Well Steve, you make a good argument to not spend the cash. Since you love to iron maybe you can start a small Saturday night ironing service to help fund the Marillion streaming service.....I believe that is a brilliant idea coming from your brilliant friend across the pond. I'll send you a bag of my boxers to press as a start.

 

I would suspect that what is streaming is available on Youtube, you could do the 7 day free trial and then decide if the content is something you already have. Our Mrs Generals are similar in that the one I report to would not mind either, she regularly encourages me to buy records online during this stay at home period but its me, just not too interested right now plus I prefer to flip thru bins rather than click thru bins.

As you detailed the fee is out of line with what you pay for other services, but it is Marillion.

Sheer class

There's quite a bit of positive energy and enthusiasm in say, Holidays in Eden and This Strange Engine. But I haven't seen that in the band in a long time. They've lost their way. Maybe too many people have cheered them on regardless of what they put out - sort of a worshipping complex. But older fans, musicians, and close listeners could share some helpful tips for them.

There's a danger that tends to come with bands at it for decades, many years. A certain tunnel-vision, to where their long-standing ways dominate, and earlier fresher and more objective ways are hard to see, sense, or remember.