Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Marillion
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1983
Length: 13:33
Rating: 4/5
The legendary British neo-prog standard-bearers Marillion picked the claustrophobic, hard-hitting evergreen “He Knows You Know” as the second single to promote their cult debut “Script For a Jester’s Tear” (1983). Plenty of people remember it for their second official video, but the first one with an actual performance, in which the charismatic original frontman Fish, as usual, plays the lead role. Fish wasn’t just an outstanding singer, songwriter and lyricist, but a gifted actor too.
Longtime fans rate this Marillion classic most for its trademark ‘heavy rock’ guitar riff, its gloomy atmosphere and its fairly harrowing lyrics about alienation and madness as the fallout of drug abuse. Fish, who always loved writing deeply confessional lyrics, was basically writing about himself here, since even back then he was struggling with dependence on certain intoxicating substances. Later, once his career with Marillion was over, he did manage to beat that unhealthy habit, which was tied to his hedonistic lifestyle.
Given those personal experiences, the utterly immersive vocal performance is no surprise at all, as Fish’s dramatic, almost anguished voice delivers the story of an addict’s alienation, drowning in stress over bureaucratic paperwork while the drugs crank up his manias, madness and illusions. Mark Kelly’s monumental synth passages and Steve Rothery’s melancholic guitar solos build the dramatic climax that hits again and again in the paranoid title chorus, which is powerfully backed by harmony vocals. In every respect it’s a full-blooded Marillion classic and one of the best achievements of Fish’s neo-prog era.
The 12-inch vinyl release also includes a shortened version of “He Knows You Know”, which, as is usually the case with edited versions, was a rather pointless marketing move, while the B-side features “Charting The Single”, one of the weakest songs of the Fish era, with a repetitive chorus and an ‘eternal’ mid-tempo groove. Worth noting: it’s the last studio recording with original drummer Mick Pointer, who later built himself a nice career as a member of neo-prog champions Arena.
“He Knows You Know” really comes into its own as one of the building blocks of the masterpiece “Script For a Jester’s Tear”, but it’s also a Fish-era classic in its own right, so this gem of the new wave of progressive rock deserves respect as part of the collection of every loyal fan and collector.
Lineup
Fish – vocals
Steve Rothery – guitar
Mark Kelly – keyboards
Pete Trewavas – bass guitar
Mick Pointer – drums
Production
Nick Tauber
Tracklist
1. He Knows You Know (album version)
2. He Knows You Know” (single edit)
3. Charting the Single
