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| Marillion - Misplaced Childhood |
 Released: 1985 / 1999 Label: Capitol/EMI Cat. No.: CDP 7 46160 2 Total Time: 41:16 / 58:37 | |
Reviewed by: Eric Porter, February 2004 Reading Stephanie’s review of Marillion’s Misplaced Childhood brought back how special this record was to me. As I credit Kiss’s Ace Frehley with inspiring me to learn the guitar, Marillion was the start of my interest and ultimate conversion to a progressive fan. Of course, I had a few Yes and Pink Floyd albums in the collection by the time I heard Marillion, but it was more of a classic rock thing than actually being aware of progressive as a genre of rock music. I was introduced to the band by a friend who eventually formed a band that I was the guitarist in for the next 8 years. So, we have established the personal importance of the album, now the album itself. The way the songs were constructed and connected was new to me, everything running together, yet most tracks were strong enough to stand on their own. "Kayleigh", "Lavender", and "Heart Of Lothian" all were strong, melodic and emotional songs. But, the atmospheric "Bitter Suite" was most intriguing to this new listener. It was so different from anything I had heard. As Stephanie stated, these songs are full of emotion, and that may be the ultimate reason why it became so popular. It is not to lessen the bands other works, but something cuts through on Misplaced Childhood as a whole. Funny, in reading Fish’s excerpts in the remastered version of the CD, the inspiration (or at least part of it) came from a bad acid trip. The subject matter deals with the ending of a long relationship, and that is probably what we all connect with on some level. For me Side One is total perfection, Marillion have never done it better than that. Side Two fails to a certain extent to hold up as well. "Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)" and "Lords Of The Backstage" keep the same intensity as found on side one. Rothery’s guitar solos are another key to my enjoyment, his lyrical melodic playing are impeccable. His solos in the "Blind Curve" sections may be my favorites of the record. I also love the keyboard transition from "Childhood’s End" into "White Feather." The remaster includes a studio demo of the record along with "Lady Nina" and "Freaks." The booklet has interviews with the band members who discuss their memories of making the record, and it really adds to the enjoyment, knowing what was going through their heads during the writing and recording of what would be the most important music of their career. I remember sitting in my room learning the guitar parts for "Kayleigh", "Lavender" and "Heart Of Lothian" as our band would go on to play these songs over the next few years. I always enjoyed playing the guitar solos, and hoped I could capture the emotion that Rothery put across in them. But, it was a combination of Fish’s lyrics along with the bands performance that brings this album together. An album I will always treasure and go back to again and again. More about Misplaced Childhood: Track Listing: Disc One: Pseudo Silk Kimono (2:13) / Kayleigh (3:54) / Lavender (2:33) / Bitter Suite (7:53) i. Brief Encounter - ii. Lost Weekend - iii. Blue Angel - iv. Misplaced Rendevous - v. Windswept Thumb / Heart Of Lothian (4:08) i. Wide Boy - ii. Curtain Call / Waterhole (Expresso Bongo) / Lords Of The Backstage (1:57) / Blind Curve (9:29) i. Vocal Under A Bloodlight - ii. Passing Strangers - iii. Mylo - iv. Perimeter Walk - v. Threshold / Childhoods End? (4:32) / White Feather (2:23) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.marillion.com Discography
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