Marillion - F.E.A.R.

Chris, my wonderful wife - let's face it, she puts up with MOI! - as part of my Christmas 2016 gift haul, indulged my memories of years gone by, by buying me a copy of Marillion's latest album, F.E.A.R., or, more prosaically, Fuck Everyone And Run.  And I have to say - it's awesome, and almost everything I would have expected, but for one debatable flaw.  Or not - depending on your point of view.

 

I have many fond memories of Marillion "back in the day", from their first album, the still unfathomably brilliant and wonderful Script for a Jester's Tear, and throughout their 1980's into 1990's career. Of course, and even now, I still hanker after the plaintive, angst-ridden vulnerability of Fish's vocals, but more of that later! ;)

 

 

F.E.A.R. is an admirable addition to the Marillion pantheon of progressive rock, better, in my humble opinion, than their last offering, Sounds That Can't Be Made. F.E.A.R. returns us to those early days of Marillion's musical supremacy, recreating the sounds of Script, Fugazi and Misplaced Childhood that drew the group a strong following in the 1980s. In fact, there were times, as I listened, I could almost hear, and even feel, that wistful wall of Mark Kelly's keyboard sound that fills one's heart with powerful emotion, and those soul-rending riffs from Steve Rothery's guitar. Almost, I was back in The Smoke, wandering the streets around Hampstead Heath, imbibing the odd V&T in the Hollybush. Definitely worth the investment if you're looking for something new and yet nostalgic to brighten your life.

 

And yet, for the old-fart purist like me, it just misses that mark of perfection, because I am still left waiting for that sweetly-pitched warble of Fish's lonely tone - his inspiring timbre of lamentation that provides that final, soul-destroying satisfaction. And yet, oddly, I found myself thinking, at various moments in the album, that particular tonality that Steve Hogarth delivers could not have been delivered equally as well by Fish. But there were times - many times - where Steve was stretching to reach that perceptible pitch of humble perfection that only Fish could deliver. Ah - if only...

 

However, and all-in-all, the album is very listenable, and I still find it hard to understand why Marillion aren't perceived as a much bigger rock act than they are. Always worth the listen, and the investment of time and money to hear the work of a true group of artists.