Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Marillion
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1984
Rating: 4.5/5
On “Fugazi,” their second album, Marillion got a lot more refined and found an even silkier, crystal-clear sound, while also stepping a bit further away from flirting with the legacy of the prog rock giants of the 70s. They started bringing some new musical elements into their own recognizable sound, without losing anything in complexity or intensity. They pretty much nailed the balancing act of blending their style, packed with progressive elements, with the typical sound of the 80s. The keyboards got even more intense. The album also deepened the definition of what would eventually be recognized as neo-progressive rock. The charismatic Fish, with his vivid vocals and exceptional feel for drama, was once again the band’s driving force. His excellent lyrics, in which his own life experiences played a major part, once again toyed with the problems of fame, addiction, and social issues.
An important addition, after brief and unsuccessful attempts with Jonathan Mover (later of GTR) and Andy Ward (ex-Camel), is the new drummer Ian Mosley (ex-Steve Hackett, ex-Curved Air, ex-Darly Ways’s Wolf), an excellent replacement for Mick Pointer, whose far more varied and dynamic drumming helped give the band’s rhythm section much greater range. Once again the album is remarkably balanced in terms of the quality of the individual pieces, yet they are once again completely different from one another and have totally different moods and structures. If the first album was about loneliness, unhappy love, and isolation, “Fugazi” carries on with that theme, only now it deals with similar consequences caused by excessive fame. The unhappy court jester from the cover has managed to become a famous rock star this time, and he’s checked into a luxurious hotel, but he still lies there sad and abandoned, because he couldn’t avoid running into a “vampire” woman who drained him dry (generally, Fish wrestles a lot with female vampires this time around, which indirectly hints that he had big problems in that department himself). On the cover we see him without his costume, lying abandoned by the “lizard” (it’s actually unclear who left whom), staring apathetically out the window and watching the gray of everyday life.
The excellent “Assasing,” which was also released as a single, opens the album in grand style with vivid oriental sounds through synthesizer effects and drum looping, accompanied by whispered vocal effects. Then a building rhythm kicks in on the drums and keeps climbing until it peaks, followed by a masterful transition with an incredibly refined and subtle Rothery solo and a dazzling wash of Kelly’s synths. Then comes an unforgettable crystal-clear melody and Fish’s expressive vocals. The chorus is top-notch and legendary. In the second half comes the build-up and the climax, as the main motif is repeated several times through to the end. The lyrics are full of allusions to corrupt government agents, terrorists, and Cold War conspiracy. Important changes in Marillion’s sound are already audible on this track (the rhythm section got a lot fuller than before, and the keyboards are pushed a bit further to the front). Rothery and Kelly impress once again with their solos. The whole band is perfectly in sync here, and the result is one of their most striking pieces, with the potential to be a hit single, which it probably would have become if it were a bit less complex. “Punch And Judy,” another track that came out as a single, opens with incredible vocal acting from Fish that dominates the whole piece. Then comes an unforgettable transition with a melancholic chorus over some excellent solos on guitar and keyboards. “Jigsaw” is one of the best pieces on the album. An extremely melancholic track that opens with a quiet intro and Fish’s melancholic vocals, accompanied by a repeating, tinkling keyboard effect. Then a dramatic, epic passage arrives, where melancholy and new hope mix through Fish’s phenomenal lyrics. Subtle guitar passages follow, then a phenomenal section where monumental synthesizers come in, joined by a breathtaking Rothery solo. A short Fish narration pops up in between. This is without doubt one of the band’s best pieces from this period of their career. “Emerald Lies” opens with a guitar solo and a punchy riff, then Fish’s mysterious and slightly creepy vocals take over, shifting between singing and narration until he has a “nervous breakdown.” Then an intense rhythm kicks in, with Trewavas’s rattling bass, Mosley’s scattered drums, and Rothery’s “wild” guitar solos. It’s hard to describe the whole flood of emotion Fish’s voice pours out this time, but it sounds enraged and sad like only rarely before. The part where the atmospheric keyboards come in is especially wonderful, pushing the mood another step forward. “She Chameleon” opens with a downright spooky organ intro. Fish’s vocals are full of pain, as the lyrics once again warn about the female chameleon vampire and her two-faced charms. The slow rhythm is followed by the chorus and then an extremely dramatic instrumental section. Then the keyboard effect comes back and ramps up the creepy mood, sending an icy shiver through the listener again and again. Only Rothery’s melancholic solos manage to break that ice a little. A building drum rhythm and Fish’s vocals carry the song to its close. “Incubus” is yet another masterpiece with an extremely intense and dramatic atmosphere. Fish is in exceptional form this time in the technical sense too (when it comes to his charisma and the color of his voice, he’s indestructible anyway), and his loud “ooo-whoops” in the choruses are especially impressive. In places we can also hear female backing vocals. Rothery plays the main motif on a single note on guitar for a long stretch, which only ramps up the tension. In the middle section there’s a calm piano part with yet another Fish vocal tour de force. That’s followed by another subtle Rothery solo (it’s really hard to pick his best one on the album). At the end, Fish’s furious vocals and the escalating interplay of keyboards and guitar bring the song to a wonderful finish. The peak of the album, though, is the title track “Fugazi,” whose lyrics take aim at the madness of the world we live in. It opens with subtle piano and Fish’s cynically mocking, extremely high vocals. Then, after a short lull, an excellent guitar riff kicks in and then merges with the keyboards. Next comes a part where the other band members join Fish with backing vocals that only crank up his rage. Then comes a brilliant transition that turns the rhythm of the composition in a completely different direction, with the keyboards setting the tempo and Fish treating himself to another unusual narration. But the best is yet to come, with an unrepeatable chorus. That’s followed by a short lull and a dramatic rhythmic build-up as Fish calls out “to revolution,” until finally he “loses it.” Then comes the “final revelation” and an unforgettable instrumental section that closes the album in what is pretty much perfect fashion. Especially great is Fish’s line “did you realise this world is totaly Fugazi?!” His lines also close out the song beyond its fade-out. Brilliant!
The second disc of the 1998 double reissue of the album contains quite a few interesting extra tracks. First is the excellent “Cinderella Search,” dedicated to all “heartbroken” people, with an especially great second half and the superb, escalating lines “welcome back to the Circus.” Then there’s an alternate version of the excellent “Assasing” and the final version (so different from the one on their debut) of “Three Boats Down From The Candy,” which has an even more dramatic atmosphere and greater intensity in the keyboards and rhythm section. There are also previously unreleased demo versions of tracks like “Punch & Judy,” “She Chameleon,” “Emerald Lies,” and “Incubus.” Very fitting rewards for any fan of the band.
With “Fugazi,” Marillion further cemented their place as one of the most exciting bands of the new wave of progressive rock that happened in the early 80s, while also showing serious signs that they could become one of the biggest rock bands of the 80s. By further perfecting their trademark elements, they shook off the unnecessary comparisons with the prog bands of the 70s and created another masterpiece, which sadly too often stays in the shadow of their unforgettable debut, even though it’s its logical continuation. “Fugazi,” a record that gives the listener something new with every spin, only got its due recognition from prog rock fans many years later. It was also a hugely important springboard for the band’s next album, the one that finally wrote them in among the immortals.
Line-up
Fish – vocals
Steve Rothery – guitar
Pete Trewavas – bass guitar
Mark Kelly – keyboards
Ian Mosley – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Chris Karen – percussion
Linda Pyke – backing vocals (6)
Production
Nick Tauber
Track list
1. Assassing (7:02)
2. Punch and Judy (3:21)
3. Jig saw (6:50)
4. Emerald lies (5:09)
5. She Chameleon (6:53)
6. Incubus (8:30)
7. Fugazi (8:13)
Album length: 45:54
Bonus CD (1998 edition)
1. Cinderella search (12″ version) (5:32)
2. Assassing (’92 Alternate mix) (7:41)
3. Three boats down from the candy (’84 Re-recorded) (4:01)
4. Punch and Judy (demo) (3:50)
5. She Chameleon (demo) (6:34)
6. Emerald lies (demo) (5:32)
7. Incubus (demo) (8:10)
Album length: 41:16
Total length: 87:10
