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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dream Is Over, 20 Nov 2008
An interesting release from a band who command perhaps the most loyal following of any current British band, Early Stages is an interesting diversion into the early, and most prosperous stages in Marillion's long Career [ although by no means their best period].
Essentially a run through of the bands stellar Eighties rise from early venues like The Marquee to becoming an arena act, Early Stages fills a release gap, and shows most of all that Marillion have always been glorious outsiders musically, and that their success was arguably driven, and eventually hampered by their first singer, the charismatic, Fish.
Disc 1; The Mayfair, Glasgow, 1982.
The fact that this early show was recorded for radio,is a real treat, as it shows Marillion in their formative stages, but developed enough to believe that their music was significant enough to reach a wide audience.The early versions of the songs that would eventually form Script For A Jesters Tear, often have a raw edge that got lost in the mist of the studio, and certainly tracks like The Web far outstrip the later recorded version. Both,He knows,You Know, and Garden Party differ quite substantially from their album counterparts [and in the latter song the limitations of Mick Pointers drumming is painfully apparent].However the real gem here is the early arrangement of Fugazi's, She Chameleon which is a far more pleasing arrangement than the overwrought and cumbersome version that was later released.
Discs; 2 and 3, The Marquee, December 1982.
These 2 discs show just how far Marillion had come on as a live act in just a few months.A tight, energetic show, that has great importance in Marillion folklore because it is perhaps the one early show that proved the band were truly on to something. In front of a partisan audience, with Fish in fine form, both vocally and between songs this recording is essentially the tipping point for the band. After this,things would never quite be the same again for Marillion.
Disc 4; Reading Festival, August 1983.
By the following year Marillion were in the ascendancy, and with the world at their feet, playing to the biggest U.K. audience of their career so far, they decide to open their show with the 17 minute epic, Grendel.The sheer audacity of this choice reaps huge dividends as the band deliver the finest live performance of this entire set.Put simply, Marillion are on fire throughout their 70 minute slot,and their reputation is sealed. Forget Kayleigh, this is where that fierce loyal fanbase fell in love with the band, [ and i should know, i was there!].Spurred on by John Martyrs fine driving drums, this is the sound of a great band reaching a live peak, they are simply stunning on this
show.With old favorites like Garden Party and Market Square Heroes mixing it with new tracks like Assassing,and the rarely played Charting The Single, Marillion were obvious musical heavyweights capable of delivering where it mattered most, to their audience.
Disc 5: Hammersmith Odeon December 1984.
Now established as a major live act in Europe, and with two respectable selling albums behind them,Marillion decide to road test their next album, Misplaced Childhood,in front of their audience a full 5 months prior to its release.Previously a bootleg called Childhood Rehearsals,this early performance of side one of the bands best known album [ and THAT song!],shows the music to be an ongoing work in progress at this stage.With lyrics and musical bridges being little more than developing ideas, this cd gives a fascinating insight into Marillion's creative processes [ an approach they still employ to this day].Whilst interesting, the unfamiliarity of much of the material means the band are not fully on their game throughout this show, but its musical value should not be understated.
Disc6; Wembley Arena,November 1987
At last bona fide rock stars Marillion play three nights at London's most famous aircraft hanger,Wembley Arena.They sound slick and in control, but there is a real sense that the band have lost their way musically as they tour their finest studio album to date,Clutching At Straws.In retrospect the tensions that are not apparent in the
performance would soon manifest themselves in a most unexpected, but ultimately liberating way [ for Marillion at least ],and the bloated excesses of many bands in the eighties are beginning to take seed in Marillion throughout this set. They are not bad, just merely treading water, and compared to the performances on the other discs in this set, this show lacks a certain spark.
A few months after this show, Fish was gone and Marillion were in a state of limbo.The smart money would have gone on Fish establishing himself as a Peter Gabriel figure, but the band had other ideas, as the inspired choice of the multi talented Steve Hogarth gave Marillion the impetus to carry on.
But thats another story altogether..................
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So here I am once more, 20 Nov 2008
Firstly, as can be seen from the photos, considering the price of this "box set" the packaging is a big let down. The CDs are in cardboard slip cases and Fish's excellent notes are printed on a black and white booklet. It's a missed opportunity to produce a reasonably sized colour brochure with concert photos, etc. Marillion and Fish have both produced independent deluxe editions of recent albums for a cheaper price than this.
Still I'd sooner have second rate packaging and great CDs than great packaging and poor CDs. So I'm happy to report that the recordings given they're age and mixed sources are rather good.
I got into Marillion around the time of the release of Clutching At Straws after hearing them on the Friday Night Rock Show on the radio. The first album I brought was their live Real To Reel and I've always had a fondness to the live versions rather than the slicker studio versions.
If you can stomach the £40+ price then it's definitely worth it, even if just for Grendel live at Reading. There can't be many bands who'd open a Reading set with an 18 minute track. The Reading performance has John Martyr on drums. After initial drummer Mick Pointer left the band they went through a few hired hands before settling on Ian Mosley, who remains with the band to this day.
Fish left the band 20 years ago and with it something died. Neither Fish nor Marillion would enjoy the same commercial success again. The success and pressures which pulled the band apart. Their lack of success in the USA despite plenty of effort must have been annoying. This collection charts their rise from clubs to arenas, in the UK at least. The fact that replacement singer Steve Hogarth is still considered the new boy after 20 years pays testiment to the strength of this initial Marillion.
These recordings chart the roots of a loyal following that remains to this day. That alone should be enough to convince you to buy. If only the packaging had been better I'd have given it top marks....
And if Fish ever reads this. Please write an autobiography, it'd be an awesome read.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Marillion at their best..., 16 Dec 2008
It is arguable that Disc 4 from this box set contains Marillions finest moment. 12 months on from announcing the deal with EMI Marillion return to a Saturday night on the Reading stage with only Black Sabbath headlining above them. This should be a daunting prospect for a young band touring their first record and in the midst of an ever revolving cast of drummers (plus a rare outing with a percussionist on hand) but with this very performance Marillion transformed themselves from cult club band to a genuine musical force. From such a lofty and demanding place on the bill to start a show with the slow burn that is Grendel is a perfect demonstration of the confidence building within the band. Many bands on festival bills do not last 18 minutes and 7 seconds in total (Steel Pulse anyone!) least of all spend that much time on the opening number. Usually the unwritten rule for outdoor festival sets is "get out there and hit them hard and fast". Despite its length the track demands the attention of the crowd, its complex twists and turns building into a climax of melody, passion and drama before Steve Rothery's achingly brilliant and moving solo brings things to a finale. To hear the massed voices sing the opening lines of Script For A Jester's Tear is to experience what the Kop at Anfield would sound like if Marillion FC were 3 up over Everton with only extra time to play. Listening to this recording close to 25 years later and being cognisant of the music business as it is in 2008 (thank you Mr. Cowell) one wonders whether we will ever see something like this again, somehow I doubt it and I am thankful that I was one of the crowd in 83. This is undeniably an expensive box set but the Reading show is almost worth the price of admission alone...
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![Fugazi [Bonus Disc]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ATMEC2DSL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
