Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Marillion
Label: Intact Records
Release: 2004
Duration: 1:38:48
Rating: 5/5
British prog rock champions Marillion created one of the best achievements of their long musical career with the album »Marbles«, which, for a band in the middle of constant artistic evolution, wasn’t all that shocking. The thirteenth studio album from ‘Britain’s best-kept musical secret’ was an even more ambitious project than its splendid predecessor »Anoraknophobia« (2001), which came out as the fruit of diligent online funding from loyal Marillion fans. Unlike »Anoraknophobia«, where the fans chipped in money for the pre-order process, this time the entire process of making the new album was funded.
At the same time, the loyal Marillion supporters played a key role in the promotion and marketing of the new album, and their response beat every single expectation the band members had. The band was immensely grateful and thanked them by listing their names in the booklet of the special, double, strictly limited edition of »Marbles« that this review is all about. The album originally came out in a single and a special double version. The latter was originally available only through pre-order on the Marillion website, as a thank-you to the more than 18,000 fans who helped fund »Marbles«.
Even the single version of the album was top quality, but it ‘pales’ next to the phenomenal double version of »Marbles«, with which Marillion, against all expectations, managed to create a masterpiece that can hold its own with the concept masterpiece »Brave« (1994) and the best of the Fish era. The album could have had far greater commercial success, too, if the gatekeepers of the British charts hadn’t sworn by a rather idiotic rule that a new record must not contain stickers. Because »Marbles« had stickers, the valiant devotees of corporate logic and capitalist elitism automatically banned it from the British charts and treated it as if it had never come out. And they say Americans are the dumbest nation in the world.
Still, they couldn’t stop the incredible success of the single »You’re Gone«, which, to their great fury and shock, landed at number seven on the British charts, something Marillion had last pulled off way back in 1987 with the Fish-era evergreen »Incomunicado«. The incredible success for a prog rock band was topped off by the next single, »Don’t Hurt Yourself«, which reached number sixteen on the British chart, so there was no shortage of pleasant surprises.
Because of the structure of the individual pieces (especially the four-part title track) and the nature of the lyrics, some fans are still convinced today that »Marbles« is a concept album, but that’s only partly true. Most of the lyrics, penned by singer Steve ‘Mr. H’ Hogarth, deal with loneliness in an alienated world (»The Invisible Man«), the desire to escape to a better place (»Fantastic Place«, »Ocean Cloud« and »Neverland«), faith in a better tomorrow (»Don’t Hurt Yourself«), corrupted love (»Genie«, »The Damage« and »Angelina«), memories of lost childhood innocence (all four parts of »Marbles«) and lost love (»You’re Gone«).
The album opens with the shattering, more than thirteen-minute epic »The Invisible Man«, one of the most ambitious achievements in Marillion’s story so far. Jittery electronic samples courtesy of keyboard wizard Mark Kelly slowly build a gloomy atmosphere, which is deepened further by the arrival of Hogarth’s fatalistic vocals. The dark lyrics tell the story of a man who, thanks to the mediocrity and ‘mousy’ unremarkableness that institutions encourage, was noticed by no one anymore, until he literally became invisible to a modern, vampiric, hyper-egoistic neoliberal society. A wonderful contrast comes with the shift into an ambient section with dense synth textures and melancholy guitar variations from guitar legend Steve Rothery, who shines at every opportunity on this album. There are few guitarists in this world as refined as Rothery, and you could count them all on your fingers. Complex rhythmic variations with a reign of digital samples back up H’s phenomenal vocal performance, into which he pours all his emotion, slipping perfectly into the role of the modern invisible man.
The brilliant rhythm section of bassist Pete Trewavas and drummer Ian Mosley is worked to the bone on this brilliant, dark epic, while the melodramatic atmosphere swells from second to second. In the closing stretch comes an unexpected turn into a calm section with melancholy, almost bluesy guitar passages, so the gloomy mood ends up taking on almost bright shades. After a moving build-up comes a dramatic, triumphant turn into an epic section with a mighty chorus and a shattering Rothery solo.
»Marbles I« suddenly ushers in a calm ambience with an almost jazzy stamp, while H’s melancholy singing is the key source of nostalgia for lost childhood, when it seemed that all the secrets of the world were hidden inside marbles. The positivist »Genie«, H’s tale of love’s ups and downs, is another wildly varied ambient creation with pop rock elements and a pronounced melodic chorus, where the vocal master demonstrates incredible vocal versatility, slipping perfectly into both the male and female side of this dramatic love story. The brilliant time shift into an epic section with harmonic interplay between guitar and keyboards deserves a deep bow, while the rhythmic pulse is commercial enough that in some ‘normal world’ this Marillion standard would surely have become a hit.
The idealistic-nostalgic »Fantastic Place«, another splendid song that swears by a melodic central arrangement, opens with a subtle piano overture, built upon by H’s inconsolable vocals. The melancholy intro is followed by a shift into a more positive ambience with lush symphonic curtains in the background and effective percussive seasoning. Rothery’s guitar finesse is once again a chapter of its own, while the arrival of layered harmonies brings the triumph of boundless positivity, where H’s voice, in the middle of its huge emotional surge, seems to be flying somewhere above the clouds.
»The Only Unforgivable Thing« opens with a rising ambient motif where fragile guitar passages and H’s confidently colored vocals play the key roles, while extremely effective keyboard minimalism rules in the background. Fantastic guitar-keyboard harmonies deepen the mighty mood, while Hogarth proves to be a stunning vocal chameleon. Rothery casually pulls a moving guitar solo ‘out of his pocket’, which flows beautifully into a soaring arrangement. On »Marbles II«, the melancholy-nostalgic motif returns with the help of a gentle vocal melody and symphonic embellishments, with sonic elements reminiscent of a children’s lullaby.
Every track on »Marbles« is a triumph of songwriting, arrangement and lyrics, but the title of the album’s most ambitious achievement goes to the almost eighteen-minute epic »Ocean Cloud«, which belongs at the very top of Marillion’s output so far. This wonderful epic was dedicated to the memory of the late English sailor and rower Don Allum. The lyrics tell of Allum’s incredible feat from 1987, when he managed to row a boat across the Atlantic from Newfoundland in Canada to Ireland, barely surviving his fight with wild nature. A mysterious ‘a capella’ intro melts into the cries of seagulls and the rush of ocean waves, while subtle keyboard and guitar embellishments develop a magical ambience.
Mr. H is once again outstanding on vocals at conveying deep and varied emotions, while the shattering ambient intensity swells from second to second. Suddenly a melodramatic shift into a punchy section arrives, in which Rothery unfurls a ‘weeping’ solo that even the legendary David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) would applaud, given how much the two have in common in style and level of guitar finesse. Despite the complex nature of the individual arrangements and rhythmic nuances, Marillion shape a melodic, uplifting chorus, while in the middle section Mr. H properly loses it vocally. In that middle section comes a recording of Allum’s speech, a reminder of his extraordinary transoceanic adventure.
This is followed by a shift into a punchy section with jittery guitar passages and massive drum fills, while Mr. H, describing Allum’s struggle with countless hardships in the middle of the Atlantic, is this time fully enraged. Hogarth describes Allum’s adventure so vividly that the listener often feels like they’re caught up in the fight with the Atlantic waves and storm themselves. Another tense ambient build-up follows, with H at the end of his rope, depicting the sudden onset of a raging storm. At the same time a dark, pompous section takes over, where it’s not hard to picture a man’s grueling battle against nature. The brilliant closing ambient section has almost post-rock dimensions, which isn’t surprising, since Mr. H has always adored the look and work of Talk Talk, while the big, energetic finale brings an epic guitar solo and the return of the melodic chorus.
The first part of the double version of »Marbles« alone would have been enough to earn the album masterpiece status, but its second half is on a completely equal quality level, so it only cements the enviable reputation of not just one of the best albums in Marillion history, but even one of the best achievements in the history of progressive rock. The second part of the album opens with »Marbles III«, which, despite its short length, is one of the album’s many ambient climaxes thanks to subtle arrangements and H’s enviably sensual singing. The vocal master is ‘in his element’ on the spirited »The Damage« too, where mighty guitar passages rule, as he once again transforms into a true vocal chameleon. An especially fun, almost comical moment comes when he imitates the monologue of some horny slut. Ruffled guitar variations and variable synth embellishments in the middle section create an almost psychedelic mood. The live version of »The Damage«, recorded with Marillion performing at London’s Astoria, was later released as the third »Marbles« single.
The phenomenally arranged masterpiece »Don’t Hurt Yourself« could, with its idealistic message, have become one of the biggest pop hits of the new century, but even the sixteenth spot on the British chart beat all expectations. The opening section alone, with Rothery’s slide guitar and Trewavas’s moving chords on acoustic guitar, is a real feast for the ears, followed by a flow into a melodic and nostalgic section. H’s singing is at the peak of its potential this time and hits its high point in the epic chorus, while melancholy guitar variations flow in the background, backed by dynamic rhythmic interplay.
Then comes the even bigger hit single, »You’re Gone«, which caused total confusion on the British commercial charts, where, after a long time, a prog rock band whose greatest successes came in the eighties managed to break through, the horror of all horrors for the modern ‘hipster’ generation. This unforgettable Marillion classic opens with digital samples, while guitar variations and H’s moving vocal performance shape an extremely relaxing melody. Slightly funky rhythmic nuances add further color to the melodic structure of this seemingly simple but ambiently very complex achievement, peaking in a triumphant chorus. Of course, the band never dreamed in a million years that this evergreen would break into the top ten of the British chart.
The ballad »Angelina«, whose lyrics aren’t about Angelina Jolie, as most might assume, but about a lesser-known call girl, opens with a slow, melancholy intro, followed by a dramatic shift into a hypnotic section ruled by digital samples and flowing synth curtains. Mr. H once again shines on vocals with his enviable emotional range, while the cynical lyrics about modern love on call stand in sharp contrast to the otherwise romantic ambient pulse. The punchy »Drilling Holes« contains a series of interesting digital effects and unusual sounds, while it’s all backed by scattered rhythmic nuances, ruffled guitar passages and H’s energetic singing. A shift into a turbulent section with an almost phantasmagoric ambience follows. »Marbles IV« is the last of the very pleasant and romantic »Marbles« interludes that give the album a slight conceptual stamp.
»Marbles« closes with the twelve-minute epic masterpiece »Neverland«, yet another unforgettable Marillion classic in which they combine some of their best sonic and vocal elements into a perfect ambient blend. They simply couldn’t have pulled off a better ending to the album. The opening section alone, with super emotional singing from H and a piano build-up, is a real balm for body and soul, while with an epic shift into a shorter instrumental section and the arrival of piercing Rothery guitar improvisations, this evergreen takes on downright stunning ambient dimensions. The closing, emphatically epic part works especially well, with fascinating vocal harmonies and a ‘weeping’ guitar solo that would make even the ‘heavens weep’.
With »Marbles«, Marillion created a modern prog rock classic and one of the finest moments of their colorful career, proving that even the ‘dinosaurs’ can shake things up at the top of the modern commercial charts. Most importantly, with this (double) masterpiece they outdid themselves and reached a new level of artistic maturity, after it had already seemed they would struggle to surprise anyone again with anything as exciting as the albums »Brave« and »Afraid Of Sunlight« (1995) and the four masterpieces from the Fish era. Whenever the peaks of progressive rock in the first decade of the 21st century come up, »Marbles« has to be mentioned, since it significantly boosted Marillion’s confidence on the back of unexpected successes and poured enormous energy into future endeavors.
Line-up
Steve Hogarth – vocals
Steve Rothery – guitar
Pete Trewavas – bass guitar, acoustic guitar
Mark Kelly – keyboards
Ian Mosley – drums
GUEST SINGER:
Carrie Tree – backing vocals on “Genie” and “Angelina”
Production
Dave Meegan
Track list
CD 1 (53:43)
1. The Invisible Man (13:37)
2. Marbles I (1:42)
3. Genie (4:54)
4. Fantastic Place (6:12)
5. The Only Unforgivable Thing (7:13)
6. Marbles II (2:02)
7. Ocean Cloud (17:58)
CD 2 (45:14)
1. Marbles III (1:51)
2. The Damage (4:35)
3. Don’t Hurt Yourself (5:48)
4. You’re Gone (6:25)
5. Angelina (7:42)
6. Drilling Holes (5:11)
7. Marbles IV (1:26)
8. Neverland (12:10)
