Re: Marillion!
Marillion are truly one of the finest bands around today , and I`m saying that with Steve Hogarth as the lead singer. I`m probably one of the few who prefers Mr. Hogarth on this site over Fish. I thought those Fish albums were channeling Genesis, whereas with Hogarth, the band have developed their own signature sound. Could you call the sound `progressive?' In the literal sense of the word, Yes. Every album Hogarth has done with the band is different than the other. There is hardly any repetition or stuck in recycling the same sound over and over again on each album as some progressive bands are bound to do nowadays.
I have seen the band at their Marillion weekend concerts held in Montreal last April. Those three concerts were simply the best concerts I have ever attended.The music is positively dripping with emotion as the lyrics of Steve Hogarth are. Emotionally charged, passionate music emanates from the band, and this is strange. I introduced my better half to the band`s music some years back, and surprise of all surprises, she became a bigger fan than I. I will admit that the band `lost me' at times with certain albums and that my passion was not as high as it was when I started following the. Until This concert series. Marillion pulled out all the stops these three nights treating fans to hefty generous backlog of Hogarth Marillion material, tossing in a few Fish Marillion songs for good measure, possibly to placate fans from way back when. Irregardless, I became a believer again.
Steve Rotherey is truly an underrated guitarist and every note he plays rings with heartfelt passion. His fluid, graceful style was a highlight of those nights.
Aside, from being great musicians, they are nice guys, particularly Hogarth and Rotherey. It`s fantastic when you can chat with the musicians you admire as regular people.
Top 5 Marillion albums(Hogarth only , no Fish. I dislike Fish, the food, and the singer)
1. Brave
2. Afraid of Sunlight
3. Marbles.
4. Anoraknaphobia
5. This Strange Engine