Marbles Set

I am a lover of great prog music and have alot of great albums However I first got this album on double cd and it blew my mind !!!!! , but once I purchased the 3 lp version my it took the album to a whole other galaxy possibly the beat album ever made , just a hauntingly beautiful record a must have even if ya dont like prog !!!!

I followed this band pretty closely from 1985-1995 and it was only recently that I re-discovered their music. This 2004 release from Marillion is just wonderful. Indeed, I like this album enough that I regard it as one of their finest efforts.The overall sound of this album is, like many of the albums released with vocalist Steve Hogarth, very melancholy and atmospheric. However, the stadium rock influences are gone, and every track is solid. In addition to the adult contemporary (soft) rock style, the group seems interested in the current rock scene and the influences of Coldplay and Radiohead are pretty heavy. What sets Marillion apart from these groups however, is a greater emphasis on longer compositions. Vocals, however, are equally prominent.Although present on the first and last tracks, there really is not too much of the neo-progressive influence on Marbles; especially in contrast with albums such as Misplaced Childhood (1985) and Afraid of Sunlight (1995). Regardless, I like the direction this group is heading in. The songs are soft and very easy to listen to and I find both the lyrics and the music to be engaging. Hands down, my favorites on the album include the lengthy opening and closing tracks. The guys have grown as musicians and the playing is tasteful throughout - Steve Rothery is noteworthy in this respect (although the David Gilmour [Pink Floyd] influences poke through here and there).This album has spectacular sound quality (thanks to Dave Meegan) and the liner notes feature the lyrics and the recording credits along with some arty images. Total playing time of this single CD version of Marbles is somewhere around 64 minutes. I have not accessed the additional material included on the disc. Although there is a 2CD version of Marbles floating around out there, I was more than satisfied with this single CD version.All in all, this is one of the finest Marillion albums I have heard in a long time. My hope is that the group will continue to quietly put albums of high quality out; I certainly enjoy their music very much. Recommended along with their neo-progressive efforts with Hogarth at the helm including Seasons End (1989), Brave (1994), Afraid of Sunlight (1995), and the transitional (albeit very good) This Strange Engine (1997).

Marillion's 'Marbles' provides the serious fan of the band a double CD filled with remarkable musicality and storytelling. As per my usus, I rejected the disc believing it was lacking. My nagging conscious, directed me to replay so I listened and became more convinced this was a great Neo-Prog LP. I love that the sound is so chill. The production is clean without the nagging compression, popular these days. So, the nuanced playing, whether that comes from Steve Rothery's guitar, Hogarth's subdued vox, Kelly's keyboards, Mosle’s superb drumming, and Trewavas's accomplished acoustic guitar playing. It succeeds admirably at creating a mature Neo-Prog LP. A big attraction of mine to Marillion is in how the band members collaborate to accomplish the final LP. Talk about a test of wills. I'll leave the ego out of this sharing. Steven Wilson handles a bit of the mixing, which no doubt gave this LP a rich, full, and balanced sound. My simple suggestion is to invite you to give it a listen. New to Progressive Rock? This wouldn't be a bad start that's for sure. So, bruvs, it's your money... You decide. I vote yes! Tah!

If I was to tell you that this album, along with their previous release, Anoraknophobia, were completely financed through donations from fans, worldwide, who paid upfront for albums that had not even been recorded yet, you might think these guys were The Beatles or The Stones, but they can't even get played on the radio here in the States except for a few small markets. It's a crying shame! This album, Marbles, of which I own the 2CD set, only available from their website or through other fans selling their extra copies on ebay or amazon, is a masterpiece! I thought they'd petered out with Radiation, which was a poor record following another poor effort This Strange Engine, but they've come back with a concept album, (which is only called that because of the 4 Marbles songs, but the rest of the songs are not inter-related), that blows me away EVERY TIME I HERE IT! It's stuck in my player. The music is fascinating, and the vocals are indescribable. Steve Hogarth had a tough job ahead of him when he replaced Fish, but his influence on the band is unmistakable and completely original, not owing to anyone else. His songs are richly detailed and melodic to say the least. Steve Rothery's guitars are mind-bendingly awesome! Pete Trewevas' bass is amazing! He is turning out to be one of the premiere bassists in the world today. (Check out his other band - Transatlantic which showcases Dream Theatre's drummer, Mike Portnoy; the Flower Kings' guitarist Roine Stolt; and Spock's Beard's keyboardist Neal Morse.) If you are thinking of buying this cd, make sure to get the 2cd package, as it's worth every penny! The songs that are not included in the single edition are what make this an excellent album. You won't be sorry. Just ask all of us who paid up front for the band to record it.

Outstanding.Like everyone else i grew up loving marillion but thought the' magick 'was FishUnfortunately fish albums never moved me ,and i tried !But marillion with hogarth are superb.shakey start but then Brave album BLEW me away.After brave ,marbles just escaletes into another level ,neverland and fantastic place are beautiful ,but buy the 2 disc version for ocean cloud , it's devastating.

I love this album. I have to say I prefer the single disc version because the 2 disc edition loses some steam with the track listings being re-arranged slightly. Whichever version you chose though, it’s an excellent Marillion album which could be the best Steve Hogarth led album the band has done. It still disgusts me Jools Holland has never had the band on his show after all these years and wall to wall great albums by the mighty Marillion. Check out their new album FEAR.

This is a fantastic album. I've not been a Marillion fan but love bands in a similar vein (Genesis, IQ, Big Big Train). From a mixed sampler I was really impressed by "Gaza" from the Sounds That Can't Be Made album and thought wow this is not the same band that did Kayleigh! Then on one of my many prog compilations I heard "You're Gone" (from Marbles) and was suitably impressed. So I listened to the Amazon snippets and bought the 2 CD version and what a treat it truly is. The album is cohesive but offers great variety. The lyrics and music are great, all well arranged. That's really important with longer format material. I'd say it has a theme and eventually decided the whole "Marbles" thing is a simple but clever allegorical device.There's so many great tracks and virtually no fillers even on the 2 CD package that I can't pick any favourites. Others here have reviewed tracks in detail so I don't need to add to that. What I will say is give it a listen and perhaps forget any earlier period conceptions of this band.

This is the album when Marillion decided to wear their love of Pink Floyd on their sleeves. Particularly the keyboard sound on Invisible Man and the soaring slide guitar playing on Ocean Cloud. No-one told Steve Hogarth though, he just keeps on sounding like Steve Hogarth (no bad thing) except for for the moment around 13:50 on Ocean Cloud when he sounds like he is channeling James Hetfield.The standout track on this album is without doubt the 18 minute epic Ocean Cloud, one of the best tracks Marillion have ever recorded. Strange then, that this was only available on the 2CD version, which was originally a special edition for fans, although now this is the version being offered on Amazon. Marillion have form here though, back with Fish in the 80s their 18 minute prog-rock classic Grendel was only released as a B Side!So, you have to get the 2CD version to get the best track but then you end up with an inconsistent offering with some tracks like The Damage or Genie that you could probably do without.Overall, some of their best music is on here, but if you want an album that defines h-era Marillion and is consistently wonderful from start to finish I would prefer Brave, Afraid of Sunlight, or even their latest release Sounds that Can't be Made.

I kind of lost interest in Marillion after being decidedly unimpressed with Strange Engine and Anoraknophobia following their brilliant opus Brave, an all time classic. Drifted off through techno/trance before discovering power/prog metal but after playing Brave the other week and reading reviews of Marbles on here thought I would give it a try.Well, generally impressed. "The Invisible Man" and "Neverland" are 10 minute plus prog masterpieces, the latter has some slight Metal overtones with superb guitar work. The intermediate songs work well though meander a bit and the Marbles Interludes are reminiscent of what Kamelot have done on some of their albums.Four stars rather than five though as a couple of the intermediate tracks meander a bit and "Holes" is just, well, a bit odd. Definitely written after one too many recreational beverages. At the risk of offending die-hard fans, however, after listening to the likes of Kamelot & Stratovarius etc., Marillion could benefit from a little metal and drama in places to add some guts and oomph to the proceedings.Bit gutted to find there is a double album version in addition to this one CD edition, so might have to check it out.