Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Marillion
Label: EMI Records
Released: 1983
Length: 25:58
Rating: 4.5/5
“Garden Party (subtitled The Great Cucumber Massacre)” was the third Marillion single released to promote their debut “Script For a Jester’s Tear” (1983), and the last release to feature their original studio lineup. The court jester, the trademark of the Fish-era Marillion, went from a sad, mad outcast to a mischievous cucumber-sporting bourgeois on the cover, designed by the cult artist Mark Wilkinson. It fits the whole vibe of one of the most slapstick creations in the career of this legendary prog rock band, and the 12-inch vinyl version has it in full, uncut form.
Who could forget the unforgettable promo video, where the band members play village urchins who sneak uninvited into a garden party of British blue-blooded gentry and end up causing total chaos with their antics? The exception is the ever-serious guitarist Steve Rothery, who plays an Anglican priest. In the video, instead of original drummer Mick Pointer (a member of Arena since 1995), it’s the legendary former Camel drummer Andy Ward who shows up in short trousers. Ward, who was briefly followed by John Marter (sometimes spelled Martyr) and Jonathan Mover (later of the supergroup GTR), lasted less than a month as a member of Marillion, since he was chronically tormented by depression and anxiety.
His sudden nervous breakdown even forced them to cancel the remaining dates of the North American tour. Luckily he recovered over the years, but his days as an active studio drummer were more or less over. At Fish’s urging, after the failed, extremely short stints with Marter and Mover, he was replaced by Ian Mosley (ex-Steve Hackett, Curved Air), another cult drummer who proved to be the right choice, as he’s still a member of Marillion today. With his arrival, the drummer troubles that marked 1984 were over for good.
“Garden Party” is a track marked by slapstick lyrics, cheeky synth arrangements and stomping rhythmic quirks on the drums, adding up to an extremely fun and original prog rock fusion. Once again there’s no shortage of striking guitar and keyboard solos from the Steve Rothery–Mark Kelly duo. And of course Fish’s unforgettable, thoroughly cheeky vocal performance is front and center the whole time. The funniest bit is where Fish sings in the verses about the merry gang’s favorite secret pastimes and the famous f-word turns up. It was censored on the 7-inch version of the single (swapped for another word), while the 12-inch version (the same as the album version) thankfully has none of that prudish embarrassment. At the end, the track takes a special turn and shifts into a fast tempo, and with that Marillion wrap up this “great cucumber massacre.”
The A-side of the 12-inch single, best known for the uncut version of the evergreen described above, also holds the live version of “Charting the Single”, recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon. “Margaret”, the unofficial Scottish national anthem, stretched out to more than twelve minutes, was fittingly recorded during the show in Edinburgh. “Margaret” was a medley of two traditional Scottish folk songs, “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond” and “Marie’s Wedding”. During Fish’s tenure, it was often played as an encore at Scottish gigs, to the delight of his countrymen.
“Garden Party” stands out strongly among the “Script For a Jester’s Tear” classics. Against the dark nature of that cult album, it has a markedly upbeat, party-loving spirit, so it’s no surprise that it’s still one of their most beloved classics today, and one of the few from the Fish era that occasionally finds its way onto the setlist. With its sunny nature, simple, lightly bouncing, steady rhythm and cheeky lyrics about the decadence and snobbery of the British upper bourgeoisie, it remains a thoroughly entertaining creation, one that first introduced Marillion as superb musical entertainers with a sharpened sense of humor.
Line-up
Fish – vocals
Steve Rothery – guitar
Mark Kelly – keyboards
Pete Trewavas – bass
Mick Pointer – drums
Production
Nick Tauber
Track list
1. Garden Party (Full version)
2. Charting the Single (Live version, London Hammersmith Odeon, April 18 ’83)
3. Margaret (Full live version, Edinburgh Playhouse, April 7 ’83)
