THE THIEVING MAGPIE - LA GAZZA LADRA

This was the first actual Marillion album I purchased about three months or so ago. As of right now, Marillion is really the only neo-prog I like, but that may change in the future. I really enjoy it and think that all of the songs are executed especially well live. This is Fish's farewell to Marillion and a mighty fine farewell at that.

Disc one starts out with that famous classical overture, The Thieving Magpie. After that, there are a bunch of tracks that represent the best of Marillion live so to say. My main problem with disk one is, while all of the songs are good, they all fade off between numbers, making it seem less like a coherent live album. The best tracks on side one are Script for a Jester's Tear, He Knows You Know, Fugazi, and Jigsaw.

Disc two presents the listener with a full performance of Misplaced Childhood. I have not heard the studio version yet, but can safely say that this is much better than disc one. It also is obviously more coherent and does not fade off. Fish's concept album is well executed live. The best tracks here (although all of them are good) are Pseudo Silk Kimono, Kayleigh, Heart of Lothian, and White Feather.

This is a really good live release. Since purchasing this album, I also have got Script for a Jester's Tear and Fugazi. I still love listening to the live version of Misplaced Childhood though. I can recommend this to any Marillion fan, seeing as it was a fitting way for Fish to end his career with the band. 4 stars.