Who the hell says we need a Genesis jr.?.... | Fugazi

Fish out of water | Fugazi | Marillion

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	• Fugazi Marillion Proper Us, 2001 average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

NOT THEIR BEST, BUT SOLID

FUGAZI, ANOTHER FISH ON VOCALS ALBUM FROM MARILLION, IS ANOTHER GREAT EFFORT FROM THE BAND - IT'S NOT THEIR BEST, BUT IT STILL IS BETTER THAN ANY ALBUM RELEASED BY MARILLION AFTER FISH LEFT THE GROUP - YOU MUST HAVE THIS CD IF YOU HAVE SCRIPT, MISPLACED, AND STRAWS - ASSASSING IS AWESOME - PUNCH & JUDY AND JIGSAW ALSO MAKE THIS CD WORTH PLAYING MANY TIMES

Who the hell says we need a Genesis jr.?....

...Well, with the direction Genesis sr. took in the past decade or so, maybe I do. This band picked up almost exactly where the originals left off in the '80s when they went MTV. Their original singer Fish (in this release) even sounded a bit like Peter Gabriel--in fact, this album captures the passionate/ philosophical approach Gabriel brought to "Lamb Lies Down" and took with him into his first 4 solo efforts. Marillion isn't doing any extended material this early on the way they were to do in recent years, but long tracks don't necessarily make a band progressive--look at Gentle Giant. Marillion came in on the tail end of the original prog movement and kept on keepin' on. Maybe they were aware that certain Swedish groups were tending the flame. They couldn't have known for sure that a new generation would reinstate prog. Hell, maybe it's just that they liked doing that type of stuff. Now they can be elder statesmen. Modern outfits like Dream Theater and Spock's Beard could do a lot worse for mentors.

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Fish out of water

I have always been puzzled by the way this 1984 album has been
underestimated and disregarded in the grand scheme of Marillion's
work. To brand "Fugazi" a mere album of transition, a phase
they had to go through en route to bigger and better things, does no
justice to the brilliance of this early recording (which, i might add,
can also be said for their debut album "Script for a jester's
tear"). It is every bit as much a masterpiece as the ensuing
"Misplaced childhood", which did receive such critical
acclaim, but primarily owed its considerable commercial success to the
way "Kayleigh" seemed to capture the imagination of the
public at large. Forget about the (pre-Phil Collins) Genesis analogy;
"Fugazi" is in an entirely different league altogether from
anything Peter Gabriel & Co had previously been able to come up
with. Sure, apart from working a similar symphonic rock angle, Fish's
vocals bear a good likeness to Gabriel's, while both were known to
wear on stage warpaint. But the evolution of recording techniques
alone (coupled with a vast improvement of production values), would
make this a senseless and unfair comparison.

To focus on Marillion's
early work without stressing the role and importance of the lyrics
would be an oversight. Lead singer/songsmith Derek William Dick, also
known as Fish, is a towering, balding Scotsman with the heart of a
poet and the vocabulary of "Webster's New Dictionary". At
this point he still loved to indulge in overly complicated songtexts,
elaborate phrasing and expensive words. The music was evidently
written to suit the lyrics, not the other way around. Giant opener
"Assassing" and the sweetly ironic "Punch &
Judy", both single releases, are notable exceptions to the
rule. And even though this adversely affected the flow of the music,
somehow it worked for them like a charm, adding to the distinctive
nature of their theatrical style.

On "Fugazi" Fish's
lyrics mostly address unhappy relationships that have either lost
their magic ("Punch & Judy") or have turned downright
venomous ("Assassing", "Emerald lies", "She
chameleon"). The undercurrent of bitterness and resentment,
leading up to inevitable confrontation, is further reflected in Fish's
icy, razorlike vocal delivery and reiterated by a sharp edged
production. Only the title track deals with alternative subject
matter: Fish sheds his light on a world gone mad, a society
depersonalized by space age technology and under constant threat of
annihilation. If nothing else, the hyperintelligent, introspective
lyrics provide a crash course in English at University level.

Named
after J.R.R. Tolkien's 1977 novel "The Silmarillion",
Britain's all-time greatest symphonic rock band (gratuitous judgmental
statement !) did not exist by the grace of Fish alone. On their
respective instruments keyboarder Mark Kelly and guitarist Steve
Rothery are among the best in the bizz, while Pete Trewavas and Ian
Mosley to this day are permanent fixtures on bass and drums. Kelly's
keyboard antics in particular are spectacular throughout the
album. The pomposity of its synthesizer theme and vicious guitar riffs
help make "Assassing" (its closing line is a quote from
Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse now") one of the greatest
symphonic rock tracks ever. "Emerald lies" is both poetic
and disconcerting, "Incubus" ominous and strangely
hypnotic.

"Fugazi" (the album) was modestly represented on
Marillion's 1997 29 track 2CD anthology "The best of both
worlds" (namely by "Assassing" in a shorter version and
"Punch & Judy"), which would nonetheless be a solid
starting point for people who are relatively new to their music. The
bonus CD that is included here i do not own myself, but suffice it to
say that "Cinderella search" (off of the "Assassing"
EP, featuring on "B-sides themselves" and (live) on
"Real to reel") is a great song for incurable romantics -
Yep, i admit it: i love this one -, while "Three boats down from
the Candy" (off of the "Market square heroes" EP (famous
for its stupendous 17 minute epic "Grendel"), also on
"B-sides themselves") is an OK track, but nothing
earthshattering.

"Fugazi" ranks without a shadow of a
doubt among my Top 3 Marillion albums, the others being "Script
for a jester's tear" and (with Steve Hogarth on vocals)
"Season's end". Likewise it is one of the best symphonic
rock albums ever made. Draw your own conclusions...

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Not Bad, But They Got Better Than This

Marillion's next step was their masterpiece, "Misplaced Childhood". Along with "Script For A Jester's Tear" and the earlier "Market Square Heroes" EP, this was another stage of growth that got them to greatness. Fish's vocals sound really strained on this one, and the really killer production was not here yet, and the tendency to want to sound like Genesis was still looming, only this time more like the "Duke" and "Abacab" records than the vintage Gabriel era. Not really a bad album though, "Assassing" and "Punch And Judy" became big concert favorites along with the title track, but the best was yet to come.

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