Marillion and the myth of the early concept album
This may turn out to be a rather long article, but bear with me. I will be delving into the concepts of progressive rock, classical music & symphonies, and the idea of a concept album in rock music. I will also address the contentious issues of when a band changes a key member and the effect on fans.
First, a bit about me. I joined band in fourth grade and stayed in the music world all the way through to a bachelor’s degree in music education from Western Michigan University. I have played in symphony orchestras and symphony bands as well as small brass and wind quintets and a jazz big band. My major was french horn with a minor in percussion. While I listen to a lot of “classical” music, I best enjoy the Romantic Period with composers like Liszt and Wagner. As a rock music fan, I would classify myself as a fan of progressive rock. Unlike most pop or punk music which bangs out a song in three to six minutes at a steady tempo and volume with perhaps one key change. Progressive rock, like romantic period classical music as increases and decreases in volume, as well as tempo changes.
The impetus for this article was the receipt of my latest Marillion album “An Hour Before It’s Dark.”[1] My wife and I have been fans of the band since we heard songs from their third album “Misplaced Childhood” in 1985. We have since seen the band four times in concert and met them personally at an acoustic performance at Aris Hampers’ record store in Grand Rapids in 1997. (Hampers was a local DJ on the album rock station WLAV at the time and was also a fan of the band).
While members early on and later came and went, the effective core of the band since the early 1980s has been:
Steve Rothery — guitars
Mark Kelly — keyboards,
Pete Trewavas — bass guitars
Ian Mosley — drums.
Lead singer is where the contention takes place. I am sure most rock music lovers are familiar with the “are you a fan of Van Halen or Van Hagar.” David Lee Roth was the original singer who left. The band recruited Sammy Hagar to sing lead for several albums of which hard-core Van Halen fans hated.
A similar effect happened to Marillion, but with an added twist. The initial singer, Derek Dick, nicknamed “Fish” left the band in 1988. I don’t know specifics, but suspect he got too big for his britches and wanted more control of the band. His career and album output after he left the band was lackluster which validates the other four members’ decisions to hold firm. Marillion then recruited Irish singer Steve Hogarth who is still with the band. Fish served vocals for four albums with Hogarth now on the last SIXTEEN studio albums! (As an aside, the concert at the orbit room in 1997 after the release of “This Strange Engine” album, Hogarth sang signature song “Warm Wet Circles” from Fish’s last album “Clutching at Straws” and sang so well the audience gave rave applause)![2]
Anyway, the controversy. I had other friends who were also huge Marillion friends and they decried the departure of Fish. But unlike Van Halen, their complaint focused not only on the departure of his voice (which was distinct), but on their contention that the band had departed from doing concept albums.
The online dictionary defines a concept album as “A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical.” In classical music symphonies, the guideline is clear that musical themes and motifs are used throughout the entire symphony of four movements.
So the question with Marillion is: Did Marillion abandon concept albums after Fish departed the band?
But another question could be: Did Marillion actually DO concept albums on their first four albums? I would say the answer is NO.
Marillion’s debut album, Script for a Jester’s Tear, was NOT a concept album as it had no central theme lyrically or compositionally. Neither was their second album Fugazi. Only with the release of their third album Misplaced Childhood does one start to get a sense of musical or lyrical link throughout the album though the album still retains several distinct standalone songs. Where Marillion of the Fish era hit a true concept album was Clutching At Straws which had some lyrical as well as musical themes throughout.
(As an aside, one of my other favorite bands, Rush, also delved into concept album territory with their seminal album 2112. Side one on the vinyl was one long suite based on the Ayn Rand novel Anthem, but the second side were all stand alone numbers. Rush took the closing song on their Farewell to Kings album, “Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage,” and segued that number to the first side of the vinyl album Hemispheres which again is one side as a cohesive suite. Side two returns to stand alone songs).
Back to Marillion. Their fifth, album Afraid of Sunlight, had been developed while Fish was with the band, but with his departure Hogarth stepped in to sing songs already written. This is not a concept album, but is instead, a standard album of individual songs. So the complaint that the band departed from concept albums because Fish left and blaming the departure from concept albums on Hogarth is completely false! Had Fish stayed with the band through this album he would have been lead singer on a non-concept album!
Album six, Splintering Heart, is where Hogarth really comes into his own as the voice of Marillion with the opening song “Splintering Heart.” This song will then later resonate in his singing on albums Afraid of Sunlight and especially the fifteen minute opus song This Strange Engine from the album of the same name.
(Another asde here regarding the differences between Fish and Hogarth. First, Hogarth is a better musician all around. But more pointedly, lyrics he contributes FEEL real and personal. When Fish writes of angst or break or pain, it comes across as cliche music writing rather than as personal feelings. Hogarth’s singing of his lyrics actually sound real and from the heart, especially the lyrics on This Strange Engine which are based on his life).
The album This Strange Engine did exhibit significant thematic and musical connection throughout. But the real peak CONCEPT album by Marillion was in the middle of these Hogarth era albums was 1994’s Brave. A true start to finish concept album- the kind you can’t just put in the CD player as background music. You will want to put it on, put on the headphones and immerse yourself in it!
According to the Hogarth and Rothery: “We lost a lot of fans on Brave,” said singer Hogarth in 2018. “It wasn’t well received. Everybody now looks back and goes, ‘What a great album.’ But nobody was saying that the day it came out.” “I think it needed at least a year or two after its release before people saw it for what it was,” said guitarist Rothery in 2018.
I loved the album from day one!
Marillion did several more albums through 2012, all of which are good, but not concept albums in any way. Then came 2016 and the album FEAR (Fuck Everyone and Run)[3]. This is a return to a true concept album style with themes and lyrics repeated or referenced throughout. It is a subtle critique of society especially with the lyrics.[4]
We are the new Kings
Sailing our seas of diamonds and gold
We are the new Kings
Seldom seen, elsewhere and unknown
We are the new Kings
Buying up London from Monaco
We do as we please
While you do as you’re told
Go to the link below [4] and read more.
Which brings us back to my new acquisition, their latest album An Hour Before It’s Dark. The album is a suite of concept songs much in the tradition of Brave and FEAR.
To close, I’d like to point out something else about Marillion as well as offer a recommendation to the uninitiated.
First, Marillion was the first band in history to my knowledge to ask fans to pay for an album BEFORE it was even produced or anyone had heard any songs! Music companies have a tendance to force bands to record and then own the band’s music. Wikipedia calls it crowdfunding and “the release of their 2001 album Anoraknophobia, which was funded by their fans through advance orders instead of by the band signing to a record company.” In other words, fans buying the album in advance PAID for the studio and production upfront, letting the band keep the rights to their music immediately.[5] We bought this album in advance ourselves!
Finally, when people ask me about their albums I always recommend at least two eponymous albums to get a sense of the band:
1. The Fish last album, Clutching at Straws -and-
2. This Strange Engine with singer Hogarth.
If you bought no other Marillion albums these would do you well.
I used to also recommend Brave as a third one and still do, though as noted above, FEAR and the new An Hour Before It’s Dark are close behind.
Enjoy
[1]
[2] https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/marillion/1997/the-orbit-room-grand-rapids-mi-6bd5e29e.html
[3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuck_Everyone_and_Run_(F_E_A_R)
[4]
https://www.lyricsbox.com/marillion-the-new-kings-lyrics-xw95vzd.html
[5] https://www.westword.com/music/progressive-rock-band-marillion-pioneered-crowdfunding-8425775
