Marbles (album)

Marbles
Studio album by Marillion
Released	April 27, 2004 (preorder) May 3, 2004
Recorded	The Racket Club, Aylesbury, "for the whole of 2002, 2003 and the beginning of 2004"
Genre	Progressive rock Neo-progressive rock Pop rock Pop Soft rock
Length	1:38:48 (2CD version) 1:08:11 (1CD version)
Label	Intact Records
Producer	Dave Meegan
Marillion chronology
The Best of Marillion (2003) Marbles (2004) Somewhere Else (2007)
Singles from Marbles
"You're Gone" Released: 18 April 2004 "Don't Hurt Yourself" Released: July 2004

Marbles is the 13th studio album from rock band Marillion, released in 2004. Unlike their previous studio album, Anoraknophobia (2001), which was financed largely by a preorder campaign, it was the publicity campaign that fans financed for the album. Those fans who pre-ordered the album received an exclusive 2-CD "Deluxe Campaign Edition" with a booklet containing the names of everyone who pre-ordered before a certain date. The public release date of the retail single-CD version of the album was May 3, 2004 while a plain 2CD version could still be obtained from the band's website. A limited (500 copy) edition was released on white multicoloured vinyl by Racket Records on 13 November 2006.

First single "You're Gone" reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart, thus becoming their first UK top ten hit since 1987's "Incommunicado". The follow-up single "Don't Hurt Yourself" peaked at #16.

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly, Pete Trewavas, Ian Mosley.

Double-CD version

Disc 1

1. "The Invisible Man" – 13:37
2. "Marbles I" – 1:42
3. "Genie" – 4:54
4. "Fantastic Place" – 6:12
5. "The Only Unforgivable Thing" – 7:13
6. "Marbles II" – 2:02
7. "Ocean Cloud" – 17:58

Disc 2

1. "Marbles III" – 1:51
2. "The Damage" – 4:35
3. "Don't Hurt Yourself" – 5:48
4. "You're Gone" – 6:25
5. "Angelina" – 7:42
6. "Drilling Holes" – 5:11
7. "Marbles IV" – 1:26
8. "Neverland" – 12:10

Single-CD version

1. "The Invisible Man" – 13:37
2. "Marbles I" – 1:42
3. "You're Gone" – 6:25
4. "Angelina" – 7:42
5. "Marbles II" – 2:02
6. "Don't Hurt Yourself" – 5:48
7. "Fantastic Place" – 6:12
8. "Marbles III" – 1:51
9. "Drilling Holes" – 5:11
10. "Marbles IV" – 1:26
11. "Neverland" – 12:10
12. Bonus track (in Europe): "You're Gone" (single mix) – 4:05
13. Bonus track (in North America): "Don't Hurt Yourself" (music video)

Limited edition vinyl reissue

Side A

1. "The Invisible Man" – 13:37
2. "Marbles I" – 1:42

Side B

1. "You're Gone" – 6:25
2. "Angelina" – 7:42
3. "Marbles II" – 2:02

Side C

1. "Don't Hurt Yourself" – 5:48
2. "Fantastic Place" – 6:12
3. "Marbles III" – 1:51

Side D

1. "Drilling Holes" – 5:11
2. "Marbles IV" – 1:26
3. "Neverland" – 12:10

Personnel

• Steve Hogarth – vocals
• Mark Kelly – keyboards
• Ian Mosley – drums
• Steve Rothery – guitar
• Pete Trewavas – bass guitar

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
www.progressiveworld.net	[2]
The Guardian	[3]
Record Collector	[4]
Classic Rock	[5]
Guitarist	[6]

The Guardian 3/5:

“Marillion have been busy keeping the prog-rock spirit alive for 25 years. Fans have stood by them. Loyal pre-ordering of albums pays the band's recording costs, with the faithful rewarded by mentions in CD sleeves. But why do these parochial patrons love Marillion? The glory days of Fish and flights of lyrical fantasy are over. So now the band are aiming for windswept, organic rock and sound like a-ha meets Rush in a rest home for acid casualties. But there's a lot to like. Angelina is a lovely hymn to a saucy breakfast show DJ. You're Gone, all seven minutes of which is currently riding high in the singles chart - has the disillusionment and sweaty fervour of a middle-aged crisis. The devotion they inspire remains a mystery, but Marillion's happiness with their lot is irresistible.”^[7]

The Daily Telegraph:

“Last Sunday saw the biggest chart upset of the year so far when a group of 40-plus rockers crashed into the singles top 10. Marillion’s previous career high had come as a mid-’80s band with a podgy singer called Fish and a tremulous torch song called Kayleigh (“Is it too late to say I’m sorry?”). But, since Fish left in 1988, the band have released nine albums of brooding adult/prog rock. Operating as a cross between Trotters Independent Trading Company and the Mormons, they produce their albums from a pair of Portakabins and raise funds in advance from their legions of devoted fans (precisely 12,772 are credited on the Marbles sleevenotes, each having paid £30 up front for a copy). But Marillion have been ignored by radio and TV, something that this admirable but resolutely unfashionable album is unlikely to change. Displaying a knack for knob-twiddly production effects, the band run the gamut of AOR, from laboured prog-rock to toe-tapping country-lite via Simple Minds stadium-rousers. Marillion are the DIY bedroom DJs of earnest dad rock, and Marbles is to be recommended for diehard fans – if there are any left who haven’t bought one.”^[8]

Powerplay:

“I've been a fan of the Marillos since I first caught them at the '82 Reading Rock festival. I was there primarily for the likes of Iron Maiden and Blackfoot, but Marillion's early afternoon set was a blinding revelation, and I've followed them from that day to this. Now, let me be succinct: there are times during the Steve Hogarth era that I've lost faith in the band, their last (2001) studio album Anoraknophobia left me stone cold, in fact thoroughly bewildered... Was this indie sounding thing really the Marillion I knew and loved? As a consequence, I had very few hopes or expectations at all of any future product but I'm now more than happy to prostrate myself at the band's feet and publicly chow down on a meal of humble pie, for in "Marbles", Marillion have created something really very special indeed. If it fits in anywhere amongst the band's past repertoire, it's as a distant cousin of "Brave": the themes, textures, and links all hint at that most extraordinary concept album. By now, if everything has gone to plan, you should have all have heard the debut single, the achingly beautiful "You're Gone", which should be scaling the upper echelons of the UK charts giving the band a top ten hit (or more) for the first time since the great albatross Kayleigh, and also the first single to get anywhere near the charts cine the wonderful "Beautiful" gently tried to nudge them many moons ago now. To us a somewhat strange analogy, you could compare Marillion's music to a form of exercise: it may not have the impetus of jogging but it has the smooth liquid grace of yoga and the effects of long-term are far more lasting and beneficial... make of that what you will. Of course few albums stand or fall on the strength of a single and Marillion are positively spoiled for choice with an almost embarrassing wealth of timeless songs. It's still an album that is totally cutting edge but the band seem also to have drawn strands of influence from all of the best parts of the "H" era, melding all the magical elements together to stunning effect. Listening closely, I can hear other subtle nuances creeping in – Pink Floyd, Barclay James Harvest, The Cure, XTC, and during "Drilling Holes" Hogarth fleetingly evokes the memory of Syd Barrett both lyrically and vocally. It's unnerving stuff and still the one song I find testing. Interestingly, "Don't Hurt Yourself' wouldn't sound out of place if played by Mostly Autumn, and the epic and emotionally powerful album coda "Neverland" can't help but draw comparisons to the Floyd at their most statuesque and emotional. Lush, perceptively elegant, powerful, coolly refreshing and emotionally charged. "Marbles" is a genuinely remarkable testament to Marillion's enduring creativity and crystal vision and Pete Trewavas, Ian Mosley, Mark Kelly, Steve Rothery, and Steve Hogarth have yet again proved that they are slaves to no-one, instead being prophets calling proudly in an uncaring musical wilderness. A study in mature brilliance, "Marbles" is indubitably a heavyweight contender for "Album Of The Year 2004" and in summation, all I can say is: gentlemen, I salute you.”^[9]

The Star:

“Some people thought they had lost them years ago... Fact is, 21 years on from their debut the archdeacons of prog-rock are very clued up. More so than many acts tied to major labels. After all, few can lay claim to a top 10 hit with no major backing other than the fiscal support of their fan base. Seven years after followers in the US had a whip round so the band could tour there, Marbles has been helped along by fans shelling out before the record was made. Not for the first time. You're Gone gave them a triumphant hit but, bar a catchy Don't Hurt Yourself, is as commercial as it gets. Donny boy Steve Hogarth's quality voice gives the likes of Invisible Man a dark, even operatic richness while the piano-led recurring Marbles song and atmospheric Angelina confirm Marillion are a very different band to the one a painted-face Fish fronted in the '80s. The theme may be nostalgic, but the lesson is one labels should note: fan power matters.”^[10]

Classic Rock 4/5:

“For the early part of their career, Marillion were arguably over-rewarded (their second album Fugazi, for example is probably their worst but it was a considerable hit), while their latter years have produced some bold and beautiful music that has been ignored by the commercial mainstream. But unfashionability brings its own comforts. Buoyed by a large cult following (13,000 people who've provided the up-front working capital will be rewarded with a name-check in the CD booklet and a special two-CD edition of the album) and with no idiot A&R man in their ear about demographics or hot producers, Marillion can simply make records. Which is what it's all about. Or should be. With 'Marbles', Marillion have played to their strengths and cut one of their very best records. It is in the style of Brave, their high-water mark, and it might yet exceed it. 'Marbles' is old-fashioned in the sense that it grows with each listen; the more you listen, the more you hear. It is mature and sincerely wrought, and a balm to the senses. The other great boon of unfashionability is that every so often, things turn back toward you. The trend at the moment is for album artists who offer some bang for your buck – a record that you're still going to want to play in a couple of months' time. 'Marbles' is certainly one of those. With their innate sense of drama and pomp tempered by a winning melancholy – there's an indefinable feeling of sadness to some of these songs – Marillion have produced a set of rich and vivid soundscapes. They've pulled off the great Pink Floyd trick, too: the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. Simple pop songs like 'You're Gone' and 'Don't Hurt Yourself' ease you through the richer dramas about them: The 'Invisible Man' and 'Neverland' – bookends for the record – are long and jagged in relief; 'Drilling Holes' offers some harshness to leaven the sweeter melodies. Taken in one go, these songs move over the whole like water on glass; there is less substance to them in isolation. The exception – and the exceptional track here – is 'Fantastic Place'. Grandiose and sad too, it's tooled out with the kind of Steve Rothery guitar solo that sounds as if it was recorded on a cliff top at sunrise, and it's sung exquisitely by Steve Hogarth. In all, it's the kind of thing that is beyond the reach of all but the best bands in the genre. That genre thing has been a bugbear of Marillion's, but it no longer seems relevant. What are Radiohead if not a progressive band? (And you can be sure that those little Oxford boys have a Marillion record or two in their collections.) And what are Pink Floyd, for that matter? Fans of either of those two bands would find much to enjoy in 'Marbles'. Ultimately, though, it's not a derivative record, and Marillion are no longer a derivative band. They are making strong, singular music with the courage of their convictions, and we should treasure them more than we do.”^[11]

Guitarist 4/5:

“No-one could accuse Marillion of losing their marbles. Their musical sense speaks for itself while their business sense kept the band together and productive during difficult times with EMI. With all that behind them they have continued to produce great music but this latest epic is one of their best albums to date. And with a couple of tracks exceeding 12 minutes, epic is the word. Strong lyrics and superb performances all round, and much of it will translate well to live performances too. The single pull will be You're Gone and the remixed version is included as a bonus track. Lots of atmosphere here and Steve Rothery is well on form throughout. Standout tracks: Don't Hurt Yourself, Fantastic Place, You're Gone.”^[12]

Guitar magazine:

“The fact that the music press has largely deserted Marillion (who are now on their 13th studio album), has not deterred their fan base. For Marbles, like the previous few albums, was funded by the fans pre-ordering and paying for it a year in advance via the band's website. And listening to it we can understand the enterprising devotion. If you haven't been familiar with Marillion since, ooh, the Fish days, shake the cobwebs of 'prog' out of your mind and try opening it instead. Marbles is a brooding collection of cinematic mood music, flavoured by eastern, ambient, country, rock and folk influences. The lack of record company funding allows the band to throw away the rule book, with the result that some tracks clock in at over 13 minutes. For a more palatable starting point, check out the bittersweet, haunting Angelina or the radio-friendly You're Gone.”^[13]

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ www.progressiveworld.net review
3. ^ Betty Clarke The Guardian, 30th April 2004.
4. ^ Tim Jones Record Collector, May 2004, Issue 297.
5. ^ Jon Hotten Classic Rock, May 2004, Issue 66.
6. ^ Roger Newell Guitarist, June 2004
7. ^ Betty Clarke The Guardian, 30th April 2004.
8. ^ Sarah Donaldson The Daily Telegraph, 3rd May 2004.
9. ^ Simon Gausden Powerplay, June 2004.
10. ^ The Star, June 2004.
11. ^ Jon Hotten Classic Rock, May 2004, Issue 66.
12. ^ Roger Newell Guitarist, June 2004
13. ^ Guitar, June 2004

External links

• Album information