Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Marillion
Label: Racket Records
Released: 2006
Rating: 4/5
“Mirrors” is the second installment of two live releases recorded at the band’s traditional convention in the summer of 2005, which Marillion put out at the same time as another live album called “Smoke”. This live album is a lovely reward for all the band’s loyal fans, and above all for everyone who was at that event. While “Smoke” captures more energetic takes on some better and lesser known pieces from their past, “Mirrors”, which came out on two CDs, is a collection of mostly slower, more melancholic material, dominated by ballads but also acoustic versions of both lesser and more beloved songs. As on “Smoke”, the choice of songs and the performance of most of them is a surprise, including lesser-known pieces like “A Collection” and “Faith”, which never made it onto studio albums. The wide selection from “Radiaton” (1998) and “Marillion.com” (1999), considered their lower-profile albums and pretty much overlooked by most fans, is a surprise too. You can feel that the band played and recorded all of this mainly for their own fun, and above all for the great enjoyment and satisfaction of that handful of lucky people who gathered at the band’s two-day convention.
So for a select crowd, Marillion allow themselves to rework both their more popular songs and the ones they almost never play live. Some of them they had never played live before, and they’ll probably never play them again. It’s no surprise that Marillion find their feet in acoustic waters, since this kind of treatment is nothing new to them. Hogarth’s voice in particular was always made for emotional ballads, while both Rothery and Kelly have always been at home without electrification. Kelly in particular was always a master of ambient keyboard curtains. Maybe you feel a bit of a void in the rhythm section, since Trewavas and Mosley don’t exactly stretch themselves on the first disc, but this is, as mentioned, a live recording of a special kind. A few of the interpretations, especially of the basically energetic songs, are interesting, while some differ very little from their studio versions.
The opener “Born To Run” (Radiation, 1998) is already an ideal ballad at heart, with bluesy touches on Hammond and acoustic guitar that are unusual for the band, and it differs very little from the studio original. The first big surprise is the choice of the ballad “A Collection”, a bonus track from the album “Holidays In Eden” (1991) that they’ll probably never play live again. On “Now She’ll Never Know” (Radiation, 1998), bassist Trewavas himself plays acoustic guitar, and does it well, and combined with Hogarth’s vocals it makes for an extremely emotional rendition of this fan favorite. The acoustic, stripped-down take on “The Space…” (Seasons End, 1989) is interesting too: in the original it’s one of their most dramatic and epic creations, but in the acoustic version it sounds like a plain, somewhat jazzier elegy. Even more interesting is the acoustic version of “Brave” (Brave, 1994), with ambient soundscapes in the intro and some Celtic sounds in the background. Another big surprise is the performance of “Faith”, a song from the “Afraid Of Sunlight” (1995) era that was never officially released. I’d say it’s a very good, forgotten piece, and it’s a shame it never came out on any official release. “One Fine Day” (This Strange Engine, 1997) is an ideal song for an acoustic treatment to begin with, so it comes across as one of the most inspiring performances on this album, even though it’s very similar to the original version. Kelly’s excellent orchestral keyboard arrangements, Hogarth’s outstanding vocals and Rothery’s masterful guitar solos are the main strengths of what I’d call a band classic. Trewavas and Mosley are a bit more active here too. The first CD closes with the naturally, exceptionally emotional “House” (Marillion.com, 1999), another highlight of this live recording, which likewise doesn’t stray from its studio version, widely seen as one of the best things Marillion have done in the last ten years.
The second disc opens with another piece from “Marillion.com” (1999), “Enlightened”, which is played a bit more energetically than the other live performances, since this time Rothery finally picks up an electric guitar here and there. Steve says this song, which they played live quite often, was written after some pleasant hours in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Most of the other pieces on the second CD have an electric color too. Next comes the classic “Estonia” (This Strange Engine, 1997), which Hogarth dedicates to two friends of the band who left too early (and who, strangely enough, had the same name – Tom Vance). This performance is inspiring as well, even though they stick pretty faithfully to the studio version, except that in the second half they allow themselves an interesting, almost baroque keyboard interlude. “After Me” (Seasons End, 1989) is another smaller surprise, not exactly a regular in their live repertoire, and its performance will delight all true fans of the band. Two longer epics follow; “When I Meet God” (Anoraknophobia, 2001) is excellently played but sticks faithfully to the studio version, while “A Few Words From The Dead” (Radiation, 1998) has a bit more variation, opening with a short narration and sweeping electronic keyboard sounds. Steve also allows himself a few deliberate changes to the lyrics, and among the words you can even catch Al-Quaida, a word banned in the “developed” world. The acoustic rendition of “Made Again” (Brave, 1994), with the audience actively joining in, ends the show in an extremely pleasant, homey atmosphere, confirming Marillion once again as masters of great live vibes who always squeeze out the maximum for their followers.
Like “Smoke”, “Mirrors” is first and foremost meant for all the true fans of the band, who appreciate every live release from this legendary group. The release will especially delight those who don’t mind an overdose of ballads, acoustic versions of most of the songs and the absence of some of the better-known pieces. Personally, despite the large share of ballads, I really love that they once again took a different approach to performing their songs, which they usually play even better live than in the studio. For those who are only just discovering Marillion, though, I’d advise against this live recording, because with so many classics missing and some different approaches to the material, it’s not a faithful picture of what the band is really like. But anyone who already has “Smoke” in their collection absolutely can’t go without “Mirrors”.
Lineup
Steve Hogarth – vocals
Steve Rothery – guitar
Pete Trewavas – bass guitar
Mark Kelly – keyboards
Ian Mosley – drums
Production
Marillion
Track list
CD 1 – 43:31
1. Born to Run (5:51)
2. A Collection (3:24)
3. Now She’ll Never Know (4:32)
4. The Space (4:05)
5. Brave (8:00)
6. Faith (3:56)
7. One Fine Day (5:56)
8. House (7:47)
CD 2 – 43:03
1. Enlightened (4:41)
2. Estonia (8:28)
3. After Me (3:14)
4. When I Meet God (10:16)
5. A Few Words for the Dead (10:13)
6. Made Again (6:11)
Running time: 86:34
