Published on Aug 17, 2000
I have spent the better part of a year now listening to
Misplaced Childhood, the third full-length studio release
from British prog-rockers Marillion. No joke; I’ve spent more time
than I’d like to admit listening to the original release on
Capitol, and now this two-disc remastered, expanded edition, trying
to decipher exactly what is going on in the storyline.
After a year of this, I can finally step forward and say: I
still don’t have a clear picture, nor do I ever believe I will. All
I know is that
Misplaced Childhood is an incredible album, though the
expanded version does suggest a bit of overkill.
This disc was the release that made Fish and company recognized
names in America, thanks to the minor hit “Kayleigh”. Why this song
didn’t become an absolute smash hit I don’t understand; it’s got a
catchy chorus, is well-written and executed, and succeeds on many
different levels. But it rightfully did garner the lads some
attention, and still sounds as fresh today as it did back in
1985.
Let’s focus in on the album proper for a while. This release,
which runs without segues between the songs, tells the story of a
young man who is forced to face off against the demons of his
childhood after breaking up with his love. One could question how
much of this was autobiographical, as the sequencing of songs and
the subject matters seem to occasionally stray into areas that
appear to be too close to reality for the band. Check out the
references to songwriting in “Kayleigh” or the piece “Lords Of The
Backstage” if you need proof.
In the end, it appears that our hero discovers the answers he
was looking for – amazingly, they’re within himself, as we learn in
“Childhood’s End” – but also discovers that had he continued in the
relationship which ended, it would have led to disaster anyhow. And
while the album proper ends on a note of hope with “White Feather,”
it suggests that the story is far from complete.
The first time you sit down to the original content of
Misplaced Childhood, it might seem difficult to get through,
due to the heavier lyrical content as well as the fact there are no
breaks between the songs. Yet the album flows naturally, and it
subsequent listens allow the listener to discover the intrinsic
beauty of the music and words. Even after listening to these songs
as intensely as I have over the last year, I have yet to tire of
this album.
One would tend to think that
Misplaced Childhood could only be made better with the
inclusion of some singles and the original demo version of the
album. Sure, singles like “Lady Nina” and “Freaks” are fun to
listen to, and though they get a little redundant, hearing singles
for “Kayleigh,” “Lavender” and “Heart Of Lothian” are interesting.
But hearing the entire
Misplaced Childhood album in two very similar forms back to
back does get to be on the tedious side, even with a slightly
modified track order and one piece cut from the final work. The
inclusion of this piece is for the diehard fans.
Still,
Misplaced Childhood remains Marillion’s high-water mark – at
least for the Fish era of the band. How could the band try to top
such a work? The answer: they wouldn’t… at least, not
immediately, with the release of the
Brave Encounter EP, which we’ll take a look at soon.