Marillion – Marillion.com SDE

What does it sound like?:

The band’s eleventh studio album, originally released in 1999, gets the deluxe treatment in this 3 cd plus bluray box set, generously accompanied by a 52 page book to round off the package. I think it’s fair to say this is an album from the band’s wilderness years, where, as they sought to move forward with a new sound, their audience and commercial success declined markedly. This record therefore attempts to have the best of both worlds, partly looking back and recreating the sounds of the Fish era while continuing to push ahead in a more modern direction. Some of the material had been extensively demoed during the sessions for 1998’s Radiation album, but was held over as it didn’t fit the feel of that album, with the reworkings they ultimately came up with for this record being aided and abetted by Steven Wilson, who coproduced five of the nine tracks. The album takes a while to get into its stride, with the music not being quite what long-term fans expected, but it really comes into its own in the second half, particularly the closing trio of Tumble Down The Years, Interior Lulu (the standout track) and House, which has a sort of Massive Attack vibe to it. The first cd has a 2026 remix of the album, while the other two cds have a previously unreleased live show recorded in London in November 1999. As with all these sets, the real treasure trove is the accompanying bluray disc. As well as the usual surround mix of the album, it has an extensive and fascinating selection of jams and early versions, plus a super and very interesting 100 minute documentary on the making of the album, and how the advent of the internet and crowd funding came to the band’s rescue in the proverbial nick of time. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the full Shot in the Dark concert video, supplemented by a carefully chosen selection of other live tracks for your delectation. In summary then, a fine addition to this ongoing series of reissues.

What does it all *mean*?

Overall, this is maybe not the strongest record in the band’s back catalogue, but it certainly bears relistening to, and this superbly compiled set helps you re-evaluate its pros and cons with fresh ears – and all at a great price too!

Goes well with…

Previous sets in this excellent series. The eagle eyed will have noticed that the band has skipped the preceding year’s Radiation set in the chronological sequence of reissues. I did read somewhere that they weren’t especially enamoured of that record so perhaps that’s the reason, or maybe they will simply return to it a later date.

Release Date:

19 June

Might suit people who like…

The post Fish era of the band. As with Tull and Crimson, they really know how to put a release like this together, lots and lots of content for a very reasonable price. Now if only all box sets were created with this level of care and attention and provided the same value for money….other artists should take note!

5