MARBLES

Surprisingly enough, I have to consider myself at level "0" on this album, as I have had it in my library on Apple Music for quite some time, but it never seems to come up. The only song I have any indication of having heard is "You're Gone (Single Version)." But, that said, I generally tend to enjoy Marillion (both Fish and H eras), so I doubt this will be an exception. (NOTE: After I began reviewing the album, I discovered that there are two versions of the album, and that Apple Music only has the short, single CD version. So, I am using the YouTube playlist for the full picture.)

Track 1 - The Invisible Man

We fade in on synth sound effects and then a synth bass rhythm This is the 2nd longest track on the album at over 13 minutes in length. More synth sounds emerge and a bit of percussion before the vocals begin. H shows his unique vocal style on the line "How did this happen," as he shifts to falsetto. Most of the instruments drop out shortly thereafter and begin to build up again. This song is a very slow build. The dynamic begins to increase as we hit the 5-minute mark. The rhythm changes again at about 6:30. I like the organ sound that comes in at around 8:30. Things are getting more intense. We are in 7-8 here. Things drop out in favor of piano at 9:40. It becomes almost a bit of a piano ballad, with piano, and a subtle bass & drum backing with some guitar fills. Those guitar fills lead to a brief guitar solo from Rothery. H's vocals are very intense around 12:45. The band showed a lot of restraint in this song allowing it to build up slowly. The song ends abruptly. Good track.

Track 2 - Marbles I

There are four Marbles parts distributed on the album, with the longest one being just over 2 minutes long. The first one is rather jazzy.

Track 3 - Genie

This one begins with mellow guitar arpeggios and vocals. The rhythm section gradually works its way in, along with subtle keyboard backing. The rhythm becomes more steady starting around 2:30. Followed by a nice bridge. The vibe of this one is very Beatle-esque. I love how this one built up as it went along.

Track 4 - Fantastic Place

Another mellow start. Very quiet indeed at the beginning. This one feels a bit like it's going to be a song like the band Live did in the 90s (Example- Lightning Crashes). However, by the 2nd verse, the vibe has changed to an almost 70s pop-rock vibe. Nice solo from Rothery. I like some of the chord changes as the song goes along. I like the backing harmonies that enter at around 3:45. A second solo from Rothery, this one more in his signature style. Excellent singing near the end from H.

Track 5 - The Only Unforgivable Thing

An organ fade-in licks us off, soon joined by bass drum heartbeats. There is another slow build happening in this one. The tempo and dynamic level changes at around the 4-minute mark. I like the vocal harmonies at around 5:20. The organ is again featured at the end.

Track 6 - Marbles II

Another brief interlude, with H singing about his childhood love of playing marbles.

Track 7 - Ocean Cloud

The big epic of the album at nearly 18 minutes, starts with H singing 2 a cappella lines. We then get shoreline sound effects and gentle guitar strumming with very subtle bass and synth sounds filling in the spaces. Ian Moseley plays a lot of rim-shot snare beats on this album. I like the heavier guitar sound that briefly appears at about 3:00, just before the band kicks in heavier behind Rothery's slide guitar solo. There are some nice organ sounds at around 4:45. The band takes it into overdrive at about 5:15, reminiscent of rough crashing waves during an ocean storm. They bring it back down at around 6 minutes in. There are what sound to me like sounds that represent the sun coming back out. In this portion of the song, there are news reports or radio transmissions describing the storm. At around 8:25 we have a prog-gasm as the band kicks back in with full force! I love the juxtaposition of heavier and mellower parts in this track. A new 6-8 rhythm greets us around 10:15. At shortly after 13:00 the 6-8 becomes even more pronounced as we have a gloriously slow massive crescendo. At around 14 minutes things ease off again and Pete Trewavas' brilliant bass playing is featured. At around 15:15 H whispers a few lines and Mark Kelly provides some interesting synth sounds. Following that Rothery gives us another excellent guitar solo. At approximately 16:30 we get serene sounds and sea birds singing. Those seabirds bring us to a close. OUTSTANDING TRACK!! One of the finest Marillion songs I have heard thus far. (Even if I'm only 20 years late in hearing it!)

Track 8 - Marbles III

This portion of the Marbles tracks is more rhythmic than the first 2.

Track 9 - The Damage

We open with a strident, piano-led 4-4, punctuated with a brief guitar feature before the first verse. This sets a pattern for the phrases of the first verse that end with these heavier accents. This one is almost giving me Spock's Beard vibes, but with H's unique vocal style. (Of course, Pete Trewavas is bandmates with Neal Morse in Transatlantic, possibly an influence?) Lots of power chords and even a hint of guitar feedback here & there. Probably the hardest rockin' song on the album, at least so far.

Track 10 - Don't Hurt Yourself

Acoustic strumming, slide guitar and bass lead the way on this one. The drums kick in at around 0:35 and establish an upbeat tempo. This song is a pretty straight forward, (possibly radio-friendly) track. Good track, I like it, but not exactly prog.

Track 11 - You're Gone

We start this one with a bit of a funky beat on what my ears think is a drum machine (apologies to Ian Mosely, if I am wrong). Mark Kelly plays a synth melody over the top as H's vocals come in. Rothery has some nice guitar fills as we proceed, while Trewavas has a nice bass line. I really like H's vocals in the chorus. The overall sound of this track reminds me of another song from this era of music (maybe even late 90s) that I can't quite place. A phasey eighth-note pattern is giving me those vibes.

Track 12 - Angelina

Sound effects at the beginning, sounds like someone starting a car and driving off then fiddling with the radio. Slow jazzy guitar chords and vocals take over shortly thereafter. We have a shift at just before 2:00. Is Angelina a DJ, or is it a metaphor, not sure yet. Pretty mellow track so far. Rothery gives us a clean guitar solo starting around 5:20.

Track 13 - Drilling Holes

Almost a new wave/funk sound here at the beginning. I like Mark Kelly's synth sounds. Things are building up with a nice ascending pattern in the instrumentation. Harpsichord enters the sound at around the 3:00 mark. The 5 note ascending pattern returns and thin things settle down a bit again.

Track 14 - Marbles IV

This one sounds like it's performed live by a real lounge-lizard kind of band. Only the synth sounds take us out of that vibe.

Track 15 - Neverland

The third longest track at 12:10. We start out quietly until the drums kick in at 1:25. They start building anticipation with Rothery's power chords after that. Then we get a signature Rothery guitar solo between verses, with that soaring/singing sound that he does so well. Kelly gives us some nice keyboard beds under the verses as we progress. At just before 4:30 we have an acoustic guitar solo, before we return to that great Rothery electric soloing. The next portion is full of delay-soaked vocals. Kelly plays some nice synth fills underneath the vocals. He doesn't seem to take solos very often, but I like what I hear from him. So nice to hear Rothery so prominent on this track. Things appear to be winding down at 10:30, but still a minute and a half to go. OK, so we have triangle and/or finger cymbals for a bit, but still 0:45 left? Hmm slow fade out.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Great album on the whole, but some tracks stand out more than others. The star of the album is definitely Ocean Cloud for me! I am glad I discovered that there were 2 versions of the album, or I would have missed out on that one. I don't understand why they released a shorter version of the album missing the best track. A few of the tracks are just OK for me, not great. Nothing bad here though. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Ocean Cloud definitely brings it up from what would have been probably 3.5 stars.