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Clutching at Straws
 
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Clutching at Straws [Double CD] [Enhanced] [Original recording remastered] [Special Edition]

~ Marillion
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
Price: £9.88 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Price For All Three: £25.74

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Product details

  • Audio CD (22 Mar 1999)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Format: Double CD, Enhanced, Original recording remastered, Special Edition
  • Label: EMI
  • ASIN: B00000IGO5
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 6,909 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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1. Hotel Hobbies
2. Warm Wet Circles
3. That Time Of The Night (The Short Straw)
4. Going Under
5. Just For The Record
6. White Russian
7. Incommunicado
8. Torch Song
9. Slainte Mhath
10. Sugar Mice
11. Last Straw
12. Incommunicado (2)
13. Tux On
14. Going Under (2)
15. Beaujolais Day
16. Story From A Thin Wall
17. Shadows Of The Barley
18. Sunset Hill
19. Tic Tac Toe
20. Voice In A Crowd
See all 24 tracks on this disc

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

After the commercial breakthrough of Misplaced Childhood, their somewhat syrupy previous album, Marillion returned with a much more focused record. Both musically and lyrically much tighter and more hard-hitting, Clutching At Straws was Marillion's finest hour. The band's final album with Fish as vocalist and lyricist, it unfortunately did not gain the acclaim of its predecessor and those put off by the flaws evident in their earlier work may never have had a chance to re-assess the band on the basis of the strengths present here. Partly this relative lack of success must have been due to the intensity of the album's lyrics. They are a soul-baring manifesto centred around alcoholism, self-deception, self-loathing, fear, pride and lack of communication. The flashes of inspiration and reliance on ingenious word-play evident on previous releases are here transformed into a remarkably coherent and sustained set of perspectives of which much has the force of the best pop poetry. Only "White Russian" and "Torch Song" do not really live up to the promise of the rest. Musically, the rest of Marillion once more prove their humility and professionalism by providing a gloriously tuneful, adept and fluent backing to the sweep of Fish's vision. In keeping with the subject matter, the music is both grittier and more subtle than any they had produced before. Together, words and music make a seamless package that is well worth investigating. --James Swift

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The lyrics are sheer pop music genius., 18 Sep 2000
By matthewrjs@supanet.com (Hastings, England) - See all my reviews
Listen to this album from 1987 and you will realise that it is by one of the most misunderstood and hence underrated bands that have ever been. The brilliant and thoughtful mind of their then lead singer, the enigmatic Fish, produces a masterpiece of songwriting that combines poetic skill with some of the deepest lyrics to any songs you will ever hear. Fish's fine vocals are accompanied by the band's particularly good musicianship to make this an album which just has to be in the collection of any person with a heart and a soul. The band's influence on such modern acts as Radiohead and The Manic Street Preachers is often ignored or dismissed but one only need read the lyrics on this album to find it's pretty obvious.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Revisiting British rock's forgotten sons, 14 Jan 2001
By A Customer
As a virginal, buck-toothed adolescent I was introduced to rock music by Marillion and for a couple of years I listened to little else. Then I left school, left all that nonsense behind me and immersed myself in grunge, hip-hop and all manner of other abrasive noises. Recently, in my late twenties, a combination of nostalgia and the pitiful state of the current rock world (if Limp Bizkit and Coldplay represent the two extremes of it then we're in dire need of some natural disasters - both bands are equally bland and pointless) has seen me dig out those old shoe boxes full of CDs and revisit some of the gems.

In a rash moment about 5 years ago I gave 'Clutching at Straws' away so I had to buy it again in this version. Until Misplaced Childhood Marillion were nothing special. That album was a sort of self-reflective (and indulgent) opera that must have had their record company predicting their impending demise, but which was ironically their biggest commercial success. I see that album as a prologue to Clutching at Straws, a much more intelligent exercise in demon exorcism. Fish's lyrics could often be too heavy in their use of imagery which makes them seem pretentious when alalysed in detail but what they do masterfully is create a slightly drunken and sombre mood in which morose reflection cannot be avioded. Listening to Warm Wet Circles you can't help but place yourself in some God-awful 80s underground wine bar on a suburban high street (probably exactly the location it was written) drinking heavily and remembering old girlfriends. Fish was openly exposing his fears and failures on record with angst-fuelled sincerity long before Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder were praised for giving the world the same thing.

Musically, Marillion were the perfect keyboard-five-piece. They had a democracy which allowed everything to be as loud as everything else. Nobody in rock used keyboards in as clever a fashion, rather than have them simply playing chords, they had equal pegging with the guitars and on many tracks played the hook while the guitars created moods in the background. The band provided huge and brooding screenplays to compliment Fish's script.

Neither Fish's solo work nor post-Fish Marillion could match Clutching at Straws which is borne out on the 2nd CD on this record which shows that the best bits from Fish's first solo album and from Steve Hogarth's first album with the band came from the bits that weren't good enough to go on Clutching at Straws. Without Fish Marillion were still as good at making music but without his voice they just didn't say anything that anyone wanted to hear. Whilst without the band, Fish's lyrics went out uncensored and without a vehicle large enough to carry them.

Clutching at Straws is not a feel-good record (despite the inclusion of the up-beat boogie of Incommunicado) and will not appeal to everyone but it's a masterpiece of booze sodden despair and the perfect soundtrack for those nights where you want nothing more than to sit, drink and mope.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The pinnacle of the fish-era, 30 Sep 2000
By A Customer
From start to finish, this album is just the most melodic, moving and passionate music that the band ever recorded with fish at the helm. Stand out tracks are 'At that time of the night', 'Just for the record' and 'Slainthe Mhath'(the best one in my opinion). The bonus disc is also outstanding as you get to hear very early versions of what were to become 'seasons end','berlin','king of the sunset town' and 'the bell in the sea' all of course with Fish doing the vocals. This album is a gem which you'll never tire of. Just buy it right now!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A great drinking album!
Despite its strong theme of alcohol misuse running throughout, this melodic, deep and moving record actually lends itself well to a listen last thing at night with a good single... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Chrissy-E

5.0 out of 5 stars Marinated!!
Marillion have always been a grossly underrated band, always at the soft metal end of the scale, their prog rock influence is evident. Read more
Published 18 months ago by C. O'toole

4.0 out of 5 stars Empty Glass
One of the previous reviewers is quite right:

'From start to finish, this album is just the most melodic, moving and passionate music that the band ever recorded with... Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2007 by P. Jackson

5.0 out of 5 stars THE FINAL STRAW FOR FISH!!!
Clutching At Straws is Fish's letter of resignation to Marillion. Lyrically you can clearly tell that Fish is going through some inner turmoil. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2006 by Stotty

5.0 out of 5 stars best fish era marillion album
This is my favourite Fish era Marillion album. It betters even the superb Misplaced Childhood - and that's saying something -with the first 3 tracks, Hotel Hobbies, Warm Wet... Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2005 by max222

3.0 out of 5 stars Good album, extras poor
Clutching at Straws is probably Marillion's high point. That's not to say there aren't weak points on it - too much of it is Fish wallowing in his own self-pity. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2004 by A. Key

5.0 out of 5 stars An album of pathos.
Marillion's fourth studio album was written around the theme of alcohol addiction. A subject of which Fish had first-hand experience provided the band with the most focused... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Contains the greatest ever song, Sugar Mice.
Marillion's final album with Fish pulling the strings as both songwriter and vocalist was basically an album chronicling the Scotsman's real life experiences of being a man with a... Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars The one that Fish liked best....
This album was the favourite Marillion product of then-lead singer Fish. It certainly is excellent and now it has been remastered and re-released with a collection of demos which... Read more
Published on 18 April 2000

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