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Marillion

Recital Of The Script

Review by Greg Olma

In the early 80's, when I was a young lad, my life revolved around the music coming out of Europe. I was totally immersed into the NWOBHM and my trusty friend Kerrang magazine kept me up to date with all the new bands.  Every so often, Kerrang would feature the latest prog outfits and it became clear that Marillion were their favorite.  Based on their reviews, I purchased Script For A Jester's Tear and have been a fan ever since.

This concert DVD is a great example of a band early in their career playing their hearts out.  Not that I feel that they have ever abandoned that attitude but there is a real sense of innocence about their performance on 4/18/83 at the Hammersmith Odeon.  The set is basically the Script For A Jester's Tear album along with "Market Square Heros" and "Grendel." I love the older concert films because they really give you more of a "fan's eye view" without all the cut away shots.  The lighting is darker and there isn't much of a stage show (not that they needed it) but it is great to see a show this old by one of the best prog bands out there.  To add to the visual delights, the sound is exceptionally good.  For a U.S. fan like myself, this DVD is a must buy.  A special thanks should be given to the person who had the foresight to capture this footage in the first place so this piece of history could be viewed by us fans who did not get a chance to see this line-up live.

For bonus material, we get a little bit of footage from the Marquee in 1982.  There is a small interview with Fish, a couple of songs, and a really short piece backstage.  The filming is quite good for such a small club and you really can feel the energy from that evening.  Although there isn't much of this concert on this DVD, it's great that they included it here.  I would recommend it just for the main show but the extras are certainly the icing on the cake.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

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