THEN
Band: Marillion
Venue: The Marquee, London
Date: October 20, 1981
Marillion (now there’s an original name) hail from Aylesbury and have been playing SRO (sold right out) showcase gigs at the legendary Friars boozer, which believe it or not is in Aylesbury.

Marillion recently took London by storm, and gave Aerosmith rip-off merchants Girl a bit of a scare. It’s not often a support act gets an encore at The Marquee, although to be fair to Girl, Marilllion had bought down a rather large contingent of ageing hippy ‘eadbangers. No denim and leather here mate, more like kaftans and loonpants.

A trip back to the mid-70s maybe, but at least Marillion aren’t jumping on the NWOBHM bandwagon. Instead they’re more at home borrowing licks from the old school of Genesis, Styx , Yes and Cannuck rockers Zon and, wait for it, Trillion. These are just a few names that spring to mind.

Onstage Marillion come across very bizarre, not dissimilar to Agony Bag; whatever happened to them? Lead singer Fish, a rather tall and mysterious Scot, stalks around the stage in jerky movements and at times reminded me of Gene Simmons, although Fish’s make up coulda been more outrageous.

The rest of the band look like some weird religious sect, wearing what looked like old potato sacks, each one with a bright eye coloured eye painted on the back, giving that mythical look. Perhaps the band have been reading to many Stephen King novels.

Marillion have a very tight sound. Songs like He Knows You Know, Garden Party and Charting The Single are all long workouts, well crafted, not too much guitar, and synthesizer drifting in and out. Fronting this rather complicated sound is Fish, who does have a good voice, and sings pretty off the wall lyrics. So what a surprise when they encored with an old Scottish jig classic, Loch Lomond, a real show stopper.

The sooner Marillion get signed the better. Now, if someone could tell me what the big eye on the back of those potato sacks means, I’ll join the sect.

NOW
Band: Marillion
Venue: The Prog Stage, High Voltage, London
Date: July 25, 2010
When I saw that Marillion were due to headline the Prog Stage at the first ever High Voltage Festival, I was naturally curious to see how the band had changed over the years. The last time I saw Marillion live was back in 1983, at the Civic Hall in Guildford. And the only Steve Hogarth era Marillion album I own is 2004’s Marbles, which I grew rather fond of, and even used in an episode of the TV series Silent Witness (Xavier’s day job is as a film and TV editor – Ed.).

It’ s a song from Marbles that opens their set. The Invisible Man creeps almost apologetically out of the PA, as Mark Kelly’s swirling keys fill the air, with Pete Trewavas’s thumping bass adding another layer to their complex sound. And then there’s Hogarth, dressed like he’d just come from a funeral, in black, and delivering those almost haunting lyrics in his unique style. Steve Rothery meanwhile looked like he was trying to make his guitar sound louder due to the annoying invasion of Down from the nearby Metal Hammer stage.

I decide to move to the left hand side to try and get a way from Down, although to be honest what I hear of them does actually sound quite good!  As I find a spot where the sound was a lot clearer  I bump into Fish! Well, stone the crows, etc, how weird.

Cover My Eyes is blaring out, and look up at Fish to see if he was Covering His Ears – he’s not. In fact, he has a large telephoto lens pointed at the stage  as if the giant Scotsman is on some sort of spying mission. The Fish face betrays no hint of what he’s thinking anything. I know for a fact  that Fish gets on with most members of the band, so there’s no animosity in the air.

I have to confess it’s weird watching Fish watching Marillion, But I can’t really see him wrapping his lungs around the likes of Slainte Mhath or King, which Hogarth dedicates to astronaut Neil Armstrong, ”80 today, and still going strong”.

The core of Marillion is very much the same, although the rhythm section (also featuring drummer Ian Mosley) has slowed down to an almost, dare I say it, lounge level of progginess! Hogarth, meanwhile is an aquired taste,but as the set proggressed (Double groan – Ed.) I’m sucked in by the frontman’s odd style especially so on This Strange Engine. By the time he’s sung  Afraid Of Sunlight I coulda sworn I was looking at a Vampire!

I have to confess I still prefer the old Marillion with Fish, mainly because the songs are far wackier and more energectic, but having said that I would like to sse the Hogarth’s Marillion in a venue where Down will hopefully not be interfering in the mix, otherwise it will end up sounding like the Hogarth Roundabout. And Marillion don’t deserve that. Meanwhile, if you want so see Fish live he’s playing the Peel in Kingston on August 16.

The interview, in which he’ll be talking about the Prog stage at High Voltage, will go out every hour on the hour, from 6am BST.

You can get Sky News at Sky Channel 501, or in HD at Sky Channel 517.

Get more info at http://news.sky.com/skynews/

There’s currently a massive surge in prog rock compilations. Two almost share the same title. We have Wondrous Stories – 33 Artists That Shaped The Prog Rock Era and Wondrous Stories – A Complete Introduction To Progressive Rock. Confusingly, both are on Universal. The former is a double CD featuring the usual suspects (Yes, Jethro Tull, Peter Gabriel, Marillion et al), plus a couple of surprises. Andrew Lloyd Webber?!

The latter is a four-CD box set, expertly put together by Classic Rock Presents Prog editor Jerry Ewing. It really does live up to its billing as an exhaustive guide to the myriad delights of prog.

There’s also another double CD collection on Universal. Space Hymns: An Introduction To Prog Rock has again been compiled by Master Ewing, and is a better collection than 33 Artists That Shaped The Prog Rock Era. Still, riches galore for prog fans.

Whatever he does, Peter Frampton will always live in the shadow of that mega 70s album Frampton Comes Alive. But new album Thank you Mr Churchill (Eagle) is his best studio release in a couple of decades. There’s some great virtuoso playing from the man, who’s always been undervalued as a guitarist, plus some nicely constructed songs which are both mature yet enthused. Good value

Devil Sold His Soul have come up with a fascinating album in Blessed & Cursed (Century Media). It combines some very heavy music and lyrics with ambient progression. It’s dense, dark, doomy but highly listenable. One for fans of Isis, Baroness and Kylesa. Gloomily gloriously

Hellyeah have really come on smartly since their self-titled, debut album in 2007. Second album Stampede (Spinefarm) takes them away from being just a collection of high profile musos, associated with bands like Pantera, Mudvayne, Damageplan and Nothingface. They now sound like a truly inspired band. Think Down with a little more metal bit, and you’ve got it.

Jorn Lande has caused some controversy with his album Dio (Frontiers). A collection of covers associated with Ronnie James Dio, some have seen it as a cynical cash-in. In his defence, Lande recorded this before the man’s tragic death last month. And he’s done a respectable job on songs from Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio – and he’s not totally gone for the obvious choices. There’s also one original here, Song For Ronnie James, which isn’t as cringing as it might have been.

Incidentally, Lande will be one of two guest vocalists when Heaven Hell do a Dio tribute set at the High Voltage Festival on July 24. That tells you he’s held in high esteem by those who matter. The other singer’s Glenn Hughes, by the way.

Veteran NWOBHMers Cloven Hoof stay resolutely in shape on Throne Of Damnation (EM Music). It’s a five-song EP that could easily have been released in 1981. You know what you get with the Hoof – that very British, anthemic proto power metal approach.

Stephen Dale Petit almost comes up with a good album on The Crave (333 Records). The problem is that his entertaining modern blues-rock groove all too often suffers from his insistence on guitar showboating. Why let the melody talk for itself when you can add in a surfeit of superfluous solos. The man can play, granted. Trouble is, he knows it and insists on proving the point throughout. Shame, because there are some really good songs here.

Metallic Dawning (AFM) is pure power metal glory. It’s a double CD compilation featuring 32 tracks in all, from names like U.D.O., Nightwish, Sabaton, Ross The Boss and Jon Oliva’s Pain. Fine showcase for the label. It’s gumbie mania. All we need are a free sew-on patch and studded wristband. You gotta love it.

Titled Wondrous Stories – Artists That Shaped The Prog Rock Era, it was compiled by Classic Rock Presents Prog editor Jerry Ewing.

The full track listing is:

CD1

1. Yes – Wondrous Stories

2. Jethro Tull – Living In The Past

3. Supertramp – Crime Of The Century

4. Rush – The Spirit Of Radio

5. Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells

6. Camel – Rhayader

7. Kansas – Dust In The Wind

8. Colosseum – The Kettle

9. Uriah Heep – Gypsy

10. Argent – Hold Your Head Up

11. Traffic – Paper Sun

12. Hawkwind – Silver Machine

13. Edgar Winter Group – Frankenstein

14. Gong – Perfect Mystery

15.  Barclay James Harvest – Mockingbird

16. Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)

17. Iron Butterfly – In A Gadda Da Vida

CD2

1. Focus – Hocus Pocus

2. Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill

3. Emerson Lake & Palmer – Fanfare For The Common Man

4. Marillion – Kayleigh

5. Rare Bird – Sympathy

6. Golden Earring – Radar Love

7. Jon & Vangelis – I Hear You Now

8. Moody Blues – Question

9. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – Joybringer

10. Rick Wakeman – Catherine Of Aragon

11. Caravan – The Land Of Grey & Pink

12. ELO – 10538 Overture

13. Gentle Giant – Playing The Game

14. Roxy Music – Virginia Plain

15. Wishbone Ash – Jail Bait

16. Andrew Lloyd Webber – Pagianini Caprice In A Minor No. 24

Words: Malcolm Dome

The estimable Rock Candy label is spreading its ambitions just a little further. Now they’re offering new albums from classic rock bands, via the Grind That Axe subsidiary. The first two releases prove there is life in older acts – at least sometimes.

Enuff Z’Nuff hit us with Dissonance, with the usual Cheap Trick pop-rockisms. It could do with having a few tracks trimmed off, and much of this is decent without being stunning. But Lazy Dazy and High see the band right on bouncy form.

Little Caesar’s Redemption perhaps lacks that biker fire of old. But there’s enough kick here to suggest the fellas still have the passion to saddle up.

Pendulum the new AOR masters? Actually, yes! Immersion (Warner Bros) might come from the drum’n'bass area of music. But it has a lot in common with, say, Foreigner or Survivor (seriously!), and one song (Self Vs Self) is a real metal riot, as guests In Flames join in the fun.

Grand Magus have long since combined a stoner mentality with a penchant for Dio-era Black Sabbath. The Swedes get even closer to merging the styles on Hammer Of The North (Roadrunner), which is possibly their best album yet. Lots of striking melodies here – hitting the target with a Rooney-esque consistency!

Uriah Heep continue to have their back catalogue reimagined (to use an American term). Live ‘73 (Universal) is the latest album to be reissued. It comes with a bonus CD, but the interest still lies in the original recordings. Quite why this is overlooked when people talk about great live records has long been a mystery – well, to me anyway. It features arguably the band’s best line-up in strong form.

Only Marillion fanatics will want copies of the eight-CD The Official Bootleg Box Set Vol. 2 (EMI) – and that’s the whole purpose. It deals with the Steve Hogarth years, from 1990-1994. Of course, some songs turn up again and again. But will those at whom this set is aimed give a damn? Hardly. Besides, this has been put together rather well. And Prog editor Jerry Ewing’s sleeve notes are informative, entertaining and balanced.

The Sex Pistols‘ infamous The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle (EMI) is a quite brilliant collection of random recordings, now re-released in a fully remastered format. On the surface, it’s a real hotch-potch of originals and covers. But how can you not love the way they tackle The Who’s Substitute, while the late Malcolm McLaren’s take on Max Bygraves’ You Need Hands is so out there it meets itself coming round the other side, and ends up as an affectionate tribute. And we all know what Sid Vicious did to My Way!

Obviously, one of the reasons behind Angel Air’s compilation Do You Dream? UK Pop And Psychedelia 1965-1970 is to promote their back catalogue. So what? This is actually a really enjoyable romp through a time when pods were for peas not music, when downloading was a druggie expression and when Doctor Who was a curmudgeonly old git not a hypertalking kid. Some of the names here – Atomic Rooster, Family, Andromeda – will be familiar. But others are rather more obscure. Come on, though, aren’t you intrigued to find out what The Treacle, Ancient Grease and the Stormsville Shakers all sound like?

For our heavy brethren, Ramesses kick up a nice line in downtrodden doom on Take The Curse (Relic Productions). This is what it must feel like having dust-filled lungs – very agitating and uncomfortable. But it’s rather fun as well.

Finally, to the latest demo courtesy of the hotly tipped From Great Height. Their latest three-tracker continues the band’s intriguing ability to mix early-80s Brit prog (think IQ or Pallas) with touches of Tool and Ziggy era Bowie. Check out more at www.myspace.com/fromgreatheight

Featuring, as it does, the amazing work of H.R. Giger on the front cover, we replicate the front cover of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s legendary 1973 album Brain Salad Surgery, as we celebrate the re-formation of the band and their headlining performance at this year’s High Voltage Festival.

As well as brand new interviews with Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer there are also exclusive interviews with Caravan, who discuss the making of their legendary In The Land Of Grey And Pink album, Arthur Brown, Asia, Anathema, Karnataka, The Enid, Unitopia, Tim Blake and Pain Of Salvation, plus your usual round up of prog news and reviews.

All that, and a free CD featuring some of the finest contemporary progressive music being made. Over an hour of new prog from the likes of IO Earth, Panic Room, From Great Height, Syzygy, Awake By Design, Aeon Zen, To-Mera, Chimp Spanner and more.

Join Prog Editor Jerry Ewing this morning on Total Rock (www.totalrock.com) for three hours of the finest progressive music – including much from the free CD – today between noon and 3pm.

What a week! Four days of solid Roxy Music rehearsals, solo band rehearsals and gig, a gig with Jurojin, a radio show on TotalRock, a dinner party for friends, photo shoot and interview for Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine, a house party for 50 guests and a trip to see Kiss at Wembley.

Sitting on the tube on my way to Roxy Music rehearsals. Almost done a full week of rehearsals – each day, for almost seven hours. So much fun. Was absolutely nervous before the first day – felt like the first day at school, arriving at the studio with my suitcase full of effects pedals and leads, my two violins and a folder of sheet music.

Although exhausting, it is musically the most rewarding band I’ve  played with – the ample rehearsal time is spent not only playing the music, but delving into a sonic world in a way I never experienced before.

Most bands I’ve played for it’s been a case of ‘plug in and go’ – where my role as ‘a violinist’ is limited to playing the notes and running around the stage performing them, rather than building any kind of sound effects. In previous bands I’ve played for, the time I’m  dedicating to developing sounds with the violin has only really been reserved for the guitar players.  With Roxy, there is so much to take in and so many decisions to be made about how things are played and how they sound. On Saturday, the musical director and I spent a good six-and-a-half hours programming keyboard/organ sounds for four songs!

Much of this attention to detail stems from the fact we are trying to replicate the album sounds as closely as possible.  This would be easier if the sounds didn’t stem from random genius moments, played on instruments in the 70s and 80s which don’t actually exist anymore (or still do , but are far too old and unreliable to take out on tour).

Most notable are the sounds Brian Eno created on the old synths, and  the specific organ sounds Eddie Jobson got.  On top of this, there are some tracks where the whole track has then been treated with a variety of effects, making absolute replication pretty much impossible! Anyway, it’s a steep learning curve which is challenging and using up brain cells I never knew I had!

Phil Manzanera joined the rehearsals towards the end of the week -  again, his guitar playing is so different to other guitarists I’ve played with – I guess mainly because the musical style is different. Suddenly the whole sound of the band changed. I kept looking over at his fingers, which didn’t seem like they were moving much. But there were all these intricate soundscapes coming from his amp. Incredible stuff!

From intricate sonics to complete over-the-top everything – Kiss at Wembley Arena was more of a physical and visual bombardment! Travelling with 17 trucks of lights, explosives, flying lifts, costumes and platform boots, they put on an amazing show which lasted for around two hours.

My sister, a friend and I had a great time dancing the entire time, giggling at Gene Simmons’ ever-present tongue and Paul Stanley’s incessant bum-wiggling.  We were standing behind the sound and lighting desk, and directly behind what must have been Gene Simmons’ ’wife’. She was a voluptuous, full-bodied, full-lipped pouting blonde beauty wearing enough bling to redirect and shoot the lasers directly back  onto the stage. .She kept standing up and giving a royal wave to the  adoring middle-aged male fans who fumbled excitedly to get the cameras out of their pockets every time she looked their way. Hilarious.

Right. Time to get off the tube at the next station and get to work!
‘Til next week!

AP x

Inspiration Track For The Week:

Kiss Rock And Roll All Nite

www.annaphoebe.com

The new issue of Classic Rock Presents Prog is out on Wednesday, May 19.

Elsewhere, those who have worked with The Progfather comment on each of his solo albums and Finnish superstar Tarja Turunen, a massive Gabriel fan, passes judgment on her favourite Gabriel album covers.

There’s a rare, brand new and highly revealing interview with former Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin, Camel’s Andy Latimer talks about his favourite Camel album, and there are also brand new interviews with Coheed & Cambria, No-Man, Astra, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Heather Findlay, Panic Room, Solstice, Twelfth Night, Moon Safari, IO Earth, Crimson Sky and Diagonal, plus your usual round-up of prog news and reviews.

There’s a free CD featuring over an hour of great new prog music from the likes of Karnataka, Mandalaband, Syzygy, Solstice and many more. It’s your ultimate prog package.

Join Editor Jerry Ewing and writer Philip Wilding on Total Rock (www.totalrock.com) today as well between noon-3pm where they’ll be playing a load of great prog tunes and will be joined by special guests Anna Phoebe (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and Heather Findlay.

And finally, for those interested in taking up the mflow promotional offer, the unique Prog code is PROGRK01. mflow is a unique digital music service that encourages fans to recommend and share music in return for a percentage of any resulting sales. The service launches on April 15 but 1,000 Prog readers can use this code to be the first to use the site as part of the invitation-only pre-launch. The easy-to-install mflow application allows you to follow other users and build a network of trusted sources, discover new music, recommend music to others, browse, search and purchase music online. mflow launches with over one million tracks.

Enjoy.

Williamson’s work has adorned album sleeves by Marillion, Fish, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Europe, to name but a few.

…And Marillion themselves feature on the front cover of the wallet of the new issue too.

There’s an overall arty feel to the latest issue, with Marillion, Muse, Jethro Tull and Curved Air among the bands discussing the ways in which ‘prog art’ has changed over the years.

Of course, such an issue couldn’t be discussed without input from Roger Dean and Storm Thorgerson.

And we unveil the winner of our art competition, the winner of which finds their work adorning the cover of this issue’s free CD.

We also unveil the winners of the 2009 Readers’ Poll, there’s the Critics’ Choice Albums Of the Year – and there are exclusive interviews with Todd Rundgren, Transatlantic, The Pineapple Thief, Big Big Train, Magenta, Karnivool, Ex Libras and Yak, as well as the final ever interview with the late Eric Woolfson of the Alan Parsons Project.

The new issue also carries all the details you’ll need to know about subscribing to Classic Rock Presents Prog.

Issue six of Classic Rock Presents Prog is on sale from Wednesday, January 25.

You can join Editor Jerry Ewing and writer Philip Wilding on TotalRock (www.totalrock.com) tomorrow between 12 noon and 3pm GMT, discussing the magazine and playing three hours of quality progressive rock.

Marillion feature on the front cover of the wallet of the new issue of Prog.

Inside the wallet: feast your eyes on Mark Wilkinson’s exclusive cover.