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Marillion

Biography

Marillion emerged from the short-lived progressive rock revival of the early '80s to become one of the most enduring cult acts of the era. The group formed in Aylesbury, England, in 1979, and adopted its original name, Silmarillion, from the title of a J.R.R. Tolkien novel. Initially, Marillion were comprised of guitarist Steve Rothery, bassist Doug Irvine, keyboardist Brian Jelliman, and drummer Mick Pointer, but after recording "The Web," an instrumental demo, they recruited vocalist Fish (born Derek Dick) and bassist Diz Minnitt. Prior to recording their debut single, "Market Square Heroes," keyboardist Mark Kelly and bassist Pete Trewavas replaced Jelliman and Minnitt.

Marillion issued their debut album, Script for a Jester's Tear, in 1983, and on the strength of a relentless touring schedule they won a loyal following. With new drummer Ian Mosley (formerly of Curved Air) firmly in place, they returned to the studio for 1984's Fugazi, which streamlined the intricacies of the group's prog rock leanings in favor of a more straight-ahead hard rock identity; the refinements paid off, and both "Assassin" and "Punch and Judy" became British hits. With 1985's Misplaced Childhood, an elaborate conceptual album reflecting Fish's formative experiences, Marillion earned their greatest success to date; the lush ballad "Kayleigh" reached the number two position on the U.K. charts, and became a hit in the U.S. as well. The follow-up, "Lavender," was also a smash, but the group began crumbling: Fish developed alcohol and drug problems, and egos ran rampant. After 1987's Clutching at Straws (and the 1988 live effort The Thieving Magpie), Fish left the band for a solo career.

The initial release of post-Fish Marillion did not substantially alter the sound the band had displayed on Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws. The addition of lyricist John Helmer and lyricist/vocalist Steve Hogarth came after the band had developed much of the musical material for Season's End, and few alterations in style were made. The follow-up, Holidays in Eden, was intended as a more mainstream rock album but failed to attract a wider audience. Marillion's record label, EMI, gave the band a higher budget for the next album and the result of 15 months labor was Brave, a concept album that mixed classic symphonic progressive rock with standard rock. The following release, Afraid of Sunlight, considerably altered the band's approach with great success -- it is the most consistent Marillion release to date.

Following Afraid of Sunlight, the bandmembers split up briefly to record side projects. Hogarth released Ice Cream Genius under the name H, Rothery formed the Wishing Tree (which produced Carnival of Souls), and Mosley and Trewavas joined Iris for Crossing the Desert. The Rothery and Hogarth projects were both very acoustic in nature, and when the band re-formed for This Strange Engine in 1997, Marillion's style changed again to a softer sound.

After the release of This Strange Engine, Marillion scheduled a European tour, but keyboardist Kelly posted an Internet message stating that the band would not tour the United States due to a lack of record company support. Fans of the band worldwide joined forces to raise over $60,000 to underwrite the tour, and the band undertook its largest North American tour since Holidays in Eden. In 1998, the band returned to the studio to record its tenth album, Radiation. Again changing styles, the effort showed the influences of the Beatles and Radiohead, specifically OK Computer. Marillion.com followed in 1999, and the 2000s have thus far seen the release of two additional studio albums, 2001's Anoraknophobia and 2004's Marbles, the latter displaying the influences of both U2 and Pink Floyd. ~ Jason Ankeny & Dale Jensen, All Music Guide

Continued…

Selected Discography

Marbles
2004

Seasons End
2002

Brave
2002

Afraid Of Sunlight
1999

Radiation
1998

Real To Reel / Brief Encounter
1997

Holidays In Eden
1991

The Thieving Magpie - (La Gazza Ladra)
1988

Clutching At Straws
1987

Misplaced Childhood
1985

Fugazi
1984

Script For A Jester's Tear
1983

Anoraknophobia

Similar Artists

Fish
Rush
Genesis
Peter Gabriel
Pink Floyd

Benjamin colon says:

07-22-2009

Script for A Jester's Tears and Clutching at Straws were instant favs for me! Even before I fell for Prog. Amazing band that doesn't get enough Kudos.

tink25star says:

06-23-2009

Can't even say how much I enjoy Marillion... . h o p e the tour US in the future

Dan says:

06-04-2009

Amazon kept recommending MISPLACED CHILDHOOD to me over and over again based on my purchase history. I finally gave in and brought it. It is really great! Amazing!

Rob Caruana says:

05-05-2009

cerlav
Nice get. Fish had stated (I believe it was Creem magazine back in 83-84) that the catalyst for the Marillion sound was that they were trying to emulate, to a certain extent, the feel of the Gabriel led Genesis that they missed.
Thankfully, he succeeded.

cerlav says:

05-03-2009

listening to garden party

cerlav says:

05-03-2009

sounds like peter gabriel...ea r l i e r genesis

spacewolves says:

04-12-2009

That's where I first heard of Marillion, spf159753. Someone in my barracks had that album and let me hear it. You perhaps? Erlangen, Germany. 1987-88.

And yes, I love Marillion.

kim bronstein says:

edited on 04-28-2009

new to pandora, can't beieve i found this band, mesmerized by the music. my station "the horseflies radio". selection here is so vast. i gave all my vinyl to a friend not knowing my son collects. Germany..sou n d s interesting. heard music again today. i also thought it was rush or journey till i looked at it. i work at buffalo v.a. hard to find good music stations in bflo. have to tune into toronto.

spf159753 says:

11-10-2008

I used to own the Misplaced Childhood album,when I was stationed in Germany
back in the 80's, and I thought this was a great album.

smithlc says:

11-01-2008

rocks

dericwise says:

09-30-2008

I loved their eighties work but had no idea they had put out anything recent. I'll check out the new stuff now. they remind me of Rush.

sunsgod69 says:

09-25-2008

So,James Paul Ivey,did you do extensive reaserch as to what is a "true Marillion fan"?Or is this just your professional opinion?

Crowned and Conquering77 7 - says:

06-26-2008

well I am not a true Marillion fan then, cause I only really dig the REAL Marillion, the Prog delight with Fish at vocals.

James Paul Ivey says:

06-10-2008

A true Marillion fan loves all of the albums and comes to embrace all of their work. One of my favorite albums is THIS STRANGE ENGINE. "A Man of a Thousand Faces" is truly a classic progressive rock song. I marvel at the crappy bands that are put on late night television shows like Letterman, Leno and Saturday Night Live. While Marillion maintains it dedicated cult it is a shame that the record execs don't give this band of solid rock musicians a deserved chance on these shows. Put them on

Crowned and Conquering77 7 - says:

06-05-2008

Misplaced Childhood is one of the greatest prog ablums to come out of the 80's. During that time, Marillion kept the Prog flame alive while many formed Progressive artists of the 70's started making more commercial music. The fantastic line-up which included Fish on vocals didn't last long however. But their music with him is simply amazing and brilliant.

gendel541 says:

edited on 05-04-2008

Glad too see other who like marillion with Fish and H. On so mnay of the message boards and forums all they talk about is that they like one and not the other..blah blah blah..I just love Marillion, I don't care whose singing. I also listen to Fish as he is a brilliant song writer after Vigil, created his own sound apart from the Marillion's sound, just as after Season's, Marillion did the same. In fact I am going to see Fish in June in San francisco, I can't wait.

thurmalblast says:

04-02-2008

Marillion: a bloody brilliant band. There is no comparison between Fish era and h era. They are two completely different beasts, both of them great. If you have not heard the h era Marillion, please give them a chance and hear what they have to give. Do not go looking for pre-conceive d , Fish-type music. It's different but just as good.

Marillion and Fish are my favorite bands/artist s .

jocyblackwoo d says:

03-28-2008

I met Fish in a concert in Venezuela. He is a grandpa now, but he can sing still. Marillion is a great band, but Fish is awesome!

Iris Redcrow says:

02-01-2008

I'm prone to like the Fish stuff too. In no little part because his voice is very reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's when PG was with Genesis, but has a harsher passion to it that I love from male vocalists. Also-Clutchi n g at Short Straws and Script is what record players were made for. Get the vinyl!!!

kontokanis says:

12-19-2007

Incredible band! Lucky to have seen them with Fish on vocals back in the mid 80's. Although I like some of the Hogarth era stuff, to me Marillion made their mark with Fish on vocals!

TRIG says:

11-23-2007

BRILL

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