CLUTCHING AT STRAWS

Clutching at Straws was the last Marillion album to be fronted by Fish as he would leave the band in 1988 due to "musical differences." There are quite a few critics that consider Clutching at Straws to be the best of the Fish era. I guess I am in the minority here, as I think of it as the worst of all the Fish-era albums released by Marillion. That's not to say that it's bad, it's a rather good album. It's just not on the same level of musical ability as the first two Marillion albums, Script for a Jester's Tear and Fugazi. Clutching at Straws is less progressive than their earlier efforts and consists chiefly of more song-oriented, radio-friendly material. It's mostly because of this that I cannot assign this album more than three stars. If it were "Rock Archives," four stars would have been more suitable.

In many regards, Clutching at Straws has the feel of a Fish solo album. If you've ever listened to Fish's solo material, you'll understand what I mean by that. Definitely a precursor and foundation for the rest of Fish's career. Recommended for Marillion fans as this album fares better than most Hogarth-era releases. Also recommended for prog fans on the lighter side of AOR-tinged, accessible, song-oriented prog. All others, Marillion's first two albums are the place to start. Three stars. Good, but hardly essential.