In 1986 Marillion were riding high in England, but here in the United States, they were relative unknowns.  I knew about them because I was an avid reader of Kerrang! magazine, but none of my friends were even aware of them.  To help break them in the United States, the band was put on tour with Rush, and this E.P. was released to coincide with that trek.  It is an odd record in that it contains a couple of B-sides from singles in the U.K. and then a few live tracks with “Kayleigh” being the only hit that would make any waves here in the states.  Although it is an odd album, it is one that I feel that any Marillion fan should own because it showcases their amazing ability to recreate their music in a live setting.  Although it is over three decades old, the live material still sounds fresh, and, for that alone, I feel that this is a “must have” in any prog collection.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024  Volume 1 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024. 

The E.P. starts off with a very 80s sounding upbeat tune about a prostitute.  It is very keyboard-heavy, but Steve Rothery makes his presence felt with some very emotional lead guitar work.  When this song was first released, it was the B-side to "Kayleigh," but it was later released in a shorter form as an A-side.  All in all, if you want a stroll down memory lane back to the 80s, then this track is for you.

The title track from their second album is performed at the Hammersmith Odeon for this release.  Things sound a little more bass-heavy than on the studio version, but everything is still very clear and each instrument has room to shine.  The songs starts off with a somber piano intro with Fish putting in an emotional vocal performance.  As the track progresses, things start to rock out a bit.  There are a number of twists and turns within the eight-minutes that showcase the prog nature of their earlier material.