Published on May 7, 2001
1989 marked a difficult year for the band Marillion. Well, maybe
difficult isn’t the correct word. After all, they had weathered the
storm of separating from their frontman/singer Fish… the question
was, could the band survive without him? More importantly, would
Marillion’s fans accept the new singer, whoever the band
selected?
The selection of Steve Hogarth might have been a little
startling to some people. Fish had been very theatric in his own
ways; Hogarth seemed content to let the music speak for itself, and
he was just the mouthpiece for that music. Needless to say, the
combination of Hogarth with the remaining members of Marillion was
as natural as eggs with ham, and the fans welcomed Hogarth with
open arms.
Seasons End, the first outing with Hogarth as lead vocalist,
showed that not only could Marillion survive without the specter of
Fish, but they could also thrive. If anything, Hogarth’s vocal
style helped to draw people’s attention to the music – and how
beautiful it had been all along. (This isn’t meant as a slam
against Fish; if you’ve read any of the previous reviews, you’ll
know I liked his style of singing as well.)
The 1997 re-issue of this album, like all of Marillion’s
releases to that point, includes a bonus disc of material – which
we’ll get to soon enough. For now, let’s focus on the album proper
– and what an album it was! Radio might not have been looking at
Marillion in terms of airplay anymore, but the band proved that no
less than four of these tracks could easily have been the next
“Kayleigh”. Why Marillion never reached that level of fame with
this release, I don’t know.
Look at the opening track “The King Of Sunset Town,” and try to
convince me that this song doesn’t have vocal and musical hooks
that would have won over the toughest audience. (In a sense, the
song did, since Marillion fans are some of the most passionate
towards any group – and I do mean that as a compliment.) Try and
convince me that “Hooks In You” isn’t as powerful a song as
anything any radio-friendly band was doing at that time. Try and
convince me that “Easter” isn’t both a beautiful, touching number
and a track that can evoke strong imagery. In fact,
don’t try – fact is, you won’t be able to convince me.
What is unique about
Seasons End is that the disc is immediately approachable;
unlike some of Marillion’s earlier albums, you don’t necessarily
have to listen to it four times to appreciate the inner beauty of
the material. (Again, that’s not meant as a slam – just what I’ve
noticed from my experience listening to Marillion’s works.) In
fact, albums with Hogarth as the singer have proven to be more
accessible than works with Fish, in general.
The only “complaint” I would have is a minor one – why wasn’t
“The Bell In The Sea” included on the original album? It’s another
beautiful song that shows off the power of Hogarth’s vocals paired
with the solid musical skills of the band.
Oh, sure, some people might question including three versions of
a song like “The Uninvited Guest” (the original, the 12-inch
version, and the demo) – but as long as it’s this strong of a song,
who cares? It is interesting, though, that only about half of
Seasons End is featured on “The Mushroom Farm Demos” –
compared to other Marillion re-releases which feature usually the
entire album.
While
Seasons End might not have lit the charts up for Marillion
like some of their earlier works, this disc proves to be a
high-water mark for the band creatively. Hogarth proved to be a
perfect fit with the band, making the transition from Fish to
Hogarth practically seamless. Marillion hadn’t lost their creative
and musical purity – and they are to be commended for a wonderful
release. It might not be their best-known album, but
Seasons End ranks as one of Marillion’s best.