Marillion – Marbles on the Road Concert DVD Review

[Audioholics]

<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avsoftware/dvd-video/MarrillionMarblesonRoad.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 70px; HEIGHT: 100px" alt=[marrillionmarblesonroad1] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/marrillionmarblesonroad1_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>As any even casual reader of the Audioholics forums knows, Gene and Clint are HUGE fans of this band.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN>Tom Andry&nbsp;had never heard note one from this band so it was with a mix of anticipation (and dread) that&nbsp;he inserted the DVD into the player and pressed “Play” <EM>(contrary to what he says, his job was never really in danger... much - Clint).</EM> Tom found the DVD to have very good audio and he liked the way Marrillion kept the entire presentation "live" rather than creating a hybrod studio-mix/live-event that often results in an incoherent mix. Read on to find out what he thought of this concert&nbsp;DVD and to get a nice breakdown of the total viewing experience.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">[Read the Review]</SPAN></P>

 

[supervij]

Interesting review by Tom. It's probably best the review is done by someone who's not a rabid fan, so as to be more objective. I'm sure that if I were to write a review, it would be gushing and praising everything. Three stars from a non-fan translates probably to four or maybe four-and-a-half stars from a rabid fan such as moi. So it's actually a helpful review. Personally, I like the "live" feeling in concert audio; if I wanted a "studio" feel, I'd pop in a studio CD.

"The Grateful Dead meets The Cure" is a great way to describe this band! Wish I had thought of that one!

The boys really are terrific live, and I look forward to checking out this DVD. I'm going to be ordering the 2-DVD set from racket records (the single disc is available in stores while the double disc is available only on their website). And I can't wait! Thanks for whetting my appetite!

cheers,
supervij

 

[Tom Andry]

Three stars from a non-fan translates probably to four or maybe four-and-a-half stars from a rabid fan such as moi.

snip

I'm going to be ordering the 2-DVD set from racket records (the single disc is available in stores while the double disc is available only on their website).

I think you hit the nail on the head with your first statement. Also, remember that I am only reviewing the quality of the audio, video, and surround. I am definitely a fan now as well. Turn the video off, and this album probably would have rated 4 stars for me as well.

I think you'll be pleased with the 2-DVD set. I understand it has some of their older material which is quite a bit different from the new stuff (or so I'm told).

 

[toquemon]

I've been fan of Marillion since Fish, the previous vocalist, left the band. The first album without Fish, "Seasons End" represented a huge change from the previous one "Clutching at Straws" (Sugar Mice, one of my favourite songs). What about the change...I loved it!. I mean, i liked Marillion when Fish was in the band, but i liked Marillion more when Steve H came to freshen up' things.

The new style, supported completely by Mark Kelly and his keyboards, stunned me. In that time (1990 or 1991) i was in my teenage years, so the lyrics of Steve H and the solos of Steve R made my heart almost explode.

For me, the best album of Marillion is "Brave", a true masterpiece of contemporary rock. This album is in my TopTen list of all times. One of the songs of this album "The Great Scape" is so emotional and sad that almost destroyed my soul. Maybe that's why Steve H fihished this album with a beaufitul song of hope "Made Again".

The last album of Marillion that i heard with attention was "This Strange Engine", the subsequent albums (Radiation, Marillion.com, Anoraknophopia) were so weird to me that I stopped listening to Marillion.

Now, with this album Marbles, I think their sound is evolving to something grate again.

Tom, it would be great if you give yourself the opportunity to listen to the "Brave" album.

ADIOS.

 

[supervij]

I fully agree on the Brave album being my favourite. I haven't heard Marbles yet, but many Marillion fans consider it the best of the bunch. (Then again, it is the most recent album, so maybe they're just excited about relatively new music from the boys!)

Tom, if you're undecided about which Marillion albums to start off with, I'd recommend Marbles (cos everyone raves about it), Brave, and Afraid of Sunlight. If you want to hear Marillion with their original lead singer, Fish, try Clutching at Straws and Misplaced Childhood.

Strangely, my absolute favourite Marillion song, "This Strange Engine", is not on any of the albums in this Top 5 Marillion Albums list. I guess Marillion is more of an "albums band" than a "singles band". Not that "This Strange Engine" was a single -- it's almost 16 minutes long!

Happy listening!

cheers,
supervij

 

[Tom Andry]

Fear not, Marillion fans, you have a convert already! I'll soon be acquiring a number of CDs with which to whet my growing appetite for this great band in the near future. If I remember correctly, Gene indicated to me that Brave was one of his favorite albums as well. Seems like that one should be on the top of my list.

Honestly, with all the mediocre music that is out there on the airways, its easy to forget that there are great bands that don't get the recognition they deserve simply because they don't look good in belly shirts.