Marillion – F.E.A.R (F*** Everyone And Run)

Marillion’s 18th studio album – ‘F.E.A.R. (Fuck Everyone And Run) – was released on September 23rd, and once again the band deliver impressive music with a message. Review and photos by Tim Darbyshire.

With just 6 tracks spanning the 68-minute cd, the controversially titled ‘Fuck Everyone And Run’ is an honest, if at times depressing insight into Steve Hogarth’s  current world view. Change is coming, not for the better, and we have brought it on ourselves.

It’s best to let the Marillion front man describe the album’s main themes: ”This title is adopted not in anger or with any intention to shock. It is adopted and sung (in the song “New Kings”) tenderly, in sadness and resignation inspired by an England, and a world, which increasingly functions on an “Every man for himself” philosophy. I won’t bore you with examples, they’re all over the newspapers every day. There’s a sense of foreboding that permeates much of this record. I have a feeling that we’re approaching some kind of sea-change in the world – an irreversible political, financial, humanitarian and environmental storm. I hope that I’m wrong. I hope that my FEAR of what “seems” to be approaching is just that, and not FEAR of what “is” actually about to happen.”

Three mammoth tracks account for most of the album; the five part ‘El Dorado’ kicks off proceedings and clocks in at over 16 minutes long, ‘The Leavers’ also consists of five parts and is over 19 minutes in length and ‘The New Kings’ is over 16 minutes long spread over four sections. The multi-sectioned suites can be attributed to the band’s working methodology.  The band jam for weeks and studio engineer Mike Hunter extracts the highlights after endless hours of sifting through the music. Very much in the style of a committee, the band then rank these snippets and further develop the ideas they find promising.

Like all Marillion output, the listener really needs to dedicate the time to listen to the album a few times. Only after the fourth or fifth listen did it all start to click into place.  Full of melody throughout, ‘FEAR’ finds guitarist Steve Rothery’s evocative solos and keyboard player Mark Kelly’s lead lines share the limelight with Steve Hogarth’s vocals. Underpinning everything as usual is the reliable rhythm section of Pete Trewavas (bass) and Ian Mosley (drums).

‘El Dorado’ begins in an acoustic pastoral English style and is a lament at the disillusion felt by many people in Britain today, hence the lyric “We’re not green, we’re just pleasant.”  Occasionally reminiscent of Pink Floyd, the instrumental passages are rich and complex. ‘Living in FEAR’ is the most instantly accessible song on the album with its catchy chorus a kind of antidote to the seriousness of the rest of the material. ‘The Leavers’ would have to be my personal favourite on the album, a song which deals with the transient nature of many people in and around the touring world of rock musicians. The shorter ‘White Paper’ deals with the inescapable fact that we are all getting older, before ‘The New Kings’ sees Hogarth attacking the corrupt, self-serving elites (bankers, corporations etc) who ‘Fuck Everyone And Run’ – as in the banking collapse of 2008. The coda ‘Tomorrow’s New Country’ brings things to a gentle end.

Marillion of course have been doing things their own way for a long time now,  free of any record company interference. Once again crowd-funded (this time via Pledge Music), ‘FEAR’ draws from a wide colour of sounds, textures and emotions. It’s more consistent than its predecessor (2013’s ‘Sounds That Can’t Be Made’) and could even rival some of their strongest albums, 2004’s ‘Marbles’ or 1994’s ‘Brave’.

Click here to read my review of Marillion’s recent concert at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall.

Marillion:

Steve ‘H’ Hogarth
Steve Rothery
Pete Trewavas
Ian Mosley
Mark Kelly

F.E.A.R. Track Listing:

1.El Dorado (I) Long-Shadowed Sun
El Dorado (II) The Gold
El Dorado (III) Demolished Lives
El Dorado (IV) F E A R
El Dorado (V) The Grandchildren of Apes

2.Living in F E A R

3.The Leavers (I) Wake Up In Music
The Leavers (II) The Remainers
The Leavers (III) Vapour Trails in the Sky
The Leavers (IV) The Jumble of Days
The Leavers (V) One Tonight

4.White Paper

5.The New Kings (I) F*** Everyone and Run
The New Kings (II) Russia’s Locked Doors
The New Kings (III) A Scary Sky
The New Kings (IV) Why is Nothing Ever True?

6.Tomorrow’s New Country

Riverside – Eye Of The Soundscape

Released via InsideOutMusic, Riverside’s ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ is described by the band as a complementary instrumental album including 13 experimental and highly atmospheric compositions, which showcase their ambient electronic side.  Review and photos by Tim Darbyshire.

Warsaw based Riverside’s ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ is a double cd consisting entirely of  instrumental pieces recorded over the last few years. Although this release was already in the planning stages before the untimely death of Piotr Grudzinski in February 2016,  it now represents a poignant send off to the band’s much missed guitarist.

‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ is the band’s seventh album and contains over 100 minutes of often ambient music spread over two discs. In truth, Riverside fans who already have the band’s cds are only getting four new tracks (around 35 minutes worth). The new tracks are ‘Where The River Flows’, ‘Shine’, ‘Sleepwalkers’ and ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’.

All the tracks from the limited edition bonus cds of ‘Love, Fear And The Time Machine’, and ‘Shrine Of New Generation Slaves’ are included here, and the collection is completed by two 2016 versions of songs from the ‘Rapid Eye Movement’ album. (‘Rapid Eye Movement’ and ‘Rainbow Trip’).

There’s plenty of variety contained in these instrumentals, ranging from the out and out ambient drift of ‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ to the upbeat ‘Machines’. ‘Night Session – Part Two’ has a lonesome sax accompanied by an offbeat drum pattern, and ‘Promise’ is a gentle acoustic guitar dominated piece. ‘Sleepwalkers’ is soft techno with an inquisitive synth melody and  ‘Rainbow Trip’ is delightfully mellow – the track ‘Where The River Flows’ is included below and gives a fairly good indication of what this release is all about.

‘Eye Of The Soundscape’ should be seen as a bridge between the first six Riverside albums and the next studio release. Taken at face value, this is a smooth compilation of (mostly) relaxed instrumentals with unobtrusive drum beats pinning the music. If this is your introduction to Riverside, I’d recommend you check out the last two cds, 2015’s ‘Love, Fear And The Time Machine’ and 2013’s ‘Shrine Of New Generation Slaves’

The loss of guitarist Piotr Grudzinski might have reduced Riverside to three members, but the good news is they are committed to carrying on as a three-piece, with a live guitarist to be added for gigs. Two shows have already been announced in their native Poland for 25th and 26th February 2017 – marking the anniversary of Grudzinski’s death.

More details can be found at Riverside’s website.

CD1 (50:03):
1. Where The River Flows (10:53)
2. Shine (04:09)
3. Rapid Eye Movement (2016 Mix) (12:40)
4. Night Session – Part One (10:40)
5. Night Session – Part Two (11:35)

CD2 (52:26):
1. Sleepwalkers (07:19)
2. Rainbow Trip (2016 Mix) (06:19)
3. Heavenland (04:59)
4. Return (6:50)
5. Aether (08:43)
6. Machines (03:53)
7. Promise (02:44)
8. Eye Of The Soundscape (11:30)

 

 

Big Big Train to release live album – ‘A Stone’s Throw From The Line’

Following on from the success of their 2016 album ‘Folklore’, Big Big Train’s momentum is set to continue with the December 2nd release of a double live cd entitled ‘A Stone’s Throw From The Line’.

Recorded at the band’s first live gigs in 17 years at Kings Place in London, August 2015, the shows earned the band Prog Magazine’s prestigious ‘Live Event of the Year’ award at the 2016 Progressive Music Awards.

The double cd is presented in a gloss laminated softpack with a 40-page booklet, and can be pre-ordered now from Burning Shed

Big Big Train return to the live stage in late September/early October 2017 with three eagerly anticipated gigs at Cadogan Hall in London. The first two are sold out, but tickets are still available for the last show from the Cadogan Hall website

Track List:
Act One
Make Some Noise
The First Rebreather
The Underfall Yard
Uncle Jack
Victorian Brickwork
Act Two
Kingmaker
Wassail
Summoned By Bells
Judas Unrepentant
Curator Of Butterflies
East Coast Racer
Hedgerow

King Crimson – On (And Off) The Road (19 disc Deluxe Box Set)

‘On (And Off) The Road’ is the latest in DGM/Panegyric’s super deluxe King Crimson box set series. As opposed to previous sets which concentrated on individual albums, this one breaks the mould by covering the band’s three 1980s albums – ‘Discipline’ (1981), ‘Beat’ (1982), and ‘Three Of A Perfect Pair’ (1984). Review and photos by Tim Darbyshire.

It’s November, so it must be time for another super deluxe King Crimson box set! This one weighs in at 19 discs –  11 x CD, 3 x blu-ray, 3 x DVD-A, 2 x DVD – and provides a thoroughly detailed overview of King Crimson in the 1980s.

Each of the three studio albums represented here have their own cd, blu-ray and DVD-A discs with the latest Steven Wilson 5.1 surround mixes and ‘new’ stereo mixes.  Of special interest is CD 5 entitled ‘Fragmented’, taken from the aborted 1983 studio sessions in Champaign, Illinois.  There’s plenty of live concerts and videos included too. This includes the final concert from each of King Crimson’s tours of this era: Japan 1981 (new to CD), Germany 1982 (new mixes for this edition), Canada 1984 (issued as ‘Absent Lovers‘ in ’98 but remastered for this edition). Everything is  presented in the high quality we’ve come to expect from these expansive DGM/Panegyric box sets.

The sturdy 12″ x 12″ box contains 5 six-panel triple digipaks, a 12″ x 12″ card with the other 4 discs, 2 concert posters,  a 1984 Japanese tour replica concert programme, setlist, concert tickets, press releases, promo photo and a 40-page album sized soft cover book.

The book contains previously unpublished photos by Tony Levin, and sleeve-notes incorporating Robert Fripp’s diaries and new interview material with all band members written by the excellent Sid Smith and David Singleton. The extracts from Fripp’s diaries are particularly interesting, documenting the thought processes behind reforming the band.

Seven years after the demise of King Crimson after the album ‘Red’ in 1974, Robert Fripp decided it was time to return to the ‘first division’ and put together a quartet of musicians under the guise of Discipline.  Fripp, who had spent many of the interim years in New York, was au fait with the New Wave bands on both sides of the Atlantic and accordingly recruited Americans Adrian Belew (Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, David Bowie) and Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel). Bill Bruford – a link to previous incarnations of King Crimson – completed the quartet, and although the music bore little resemblance to Fripp’s 1970s band, Discipline changed their name to King Crimson as the project gained momentum.

The three resulting albums – 1981’s ‘Discipline’, 1982’s ‘Beat’ and 1984’s ‘Three Of A Perfect Pair’ – have a more updated New Wave sound, partly due to Belew’s distinctive vocals and second guitar. Fripp was also looking to create ‘gamelan’ style of interlocking rhythms – an early influence for the math-rock bands of today? – and his complex arpeggios dovetailed with Belew’s range of angular guitar sounds.

Although ultimately short-lived – the band was dissolved after the 1984 tour by Fripp – this line up remains a popular one among aficionados. It was also the first time in Crimson history that the same band had recorded more than one album. Interestingly, until the very recent inclusion of ‘Indiscipline’ in the setlist, the 1980’s period has been ignored by Robert Fripp and the latest incarnation of King Crimson as they tour today.

Clearly, as with all box sets, this release isn’t aimed at attracting new fans. As the 1980s led us to commercialism and certain prog bands’ biggest selling (and worst) albums, King Crimson avoided falling into that trap. As a result, these three albums sound more current than most of Yes’ or Genesis’ 1980s output. The new mixes are (predictably) sonically stunning, and the plethora of material contained here makes this box a must-have for any fan of 1980s Crimson.

Luckily Robert Fripp owns all the rights to King Crimson’s recordings, a process that was not without a struggle. This of course means he has the freedom to release these large box sets. Somehow, sadly, I doubt we’ll ever see ‘Close To The Edge’ or ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ receive the same treatment……

Full details of box contents (from Burning Shed website):

Disc 1 – Discipline:

1. Elephant Talk
2. Frame by Frame
3. Matte Kudasai
4. Indiscipline
5. Thela Hun Gingeet
6. The Sheltering Sky
7. Discipline

Bonus tracks:
Selection of Adrian’s vocal loops
Alt. mixes of The Sheltering Sky & Thela Hun Ginjeet mixed by Steven Wilson.

Mixed and produced from the original multi-track tapes by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp (2011). Mastered by
Simon Heyworth and Robert Fripp (4)

Disc 2 – Live in Japan:

Taken from an audience cassette recording at Kokusai Hall, Tokyo on December 18th, the final concert in 1981. Audio restored & newly mastered at DGM by David Singleton and Alex R Mundy 2016. (1)

Disc 3 – Beat:

Neal and Jack and Me
Heartbeat
Sartori In Tangier
Waiting Man
Neurotica
Two Hands
The Howler
Requiem (extended version)

Absent Lovers (instrumental studio recording)

Mixed and produced from the original
multi-track tapes by Steven Wilson and
Robert Fripp (2016). Mastered by
Simon Heyworth and Robert Fripp (4)

Disc 4 – Live at Alabamahalle:

Recorded September 29 in Munich, the
final concert in 1982. Remastered and
recompiled 2016 by David Singleton
and Alex R Mundy with six tracks
from new audio sources. (2)

Disc 5 – Fragmented:

Mostly recorded January 17-30, 1983
at C.V. Lloyd Music, Champaign, IL
Recording Engineer: Gary Platt,
Produced by Robert Fripp and David
Singleton. Two new bonus tracks 2016. (3)

Disc 6 – Three of a Perfect Pair:

CD – 2016 Stereo Mix:

Left side:

1. Three of a Perfect Pair
2. Model Man; Sleepless
3. Man with an Open Heart
4. Nuages (That Which Passes
5. Passes Like Clouds

Right side:

1. Industry
2. Dig Me
3. No Warning
4. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic III

Additional tracks:

1. The King Crimson Barber Shop    
2. Robert’s Ballad    
3. Shidare Zakura    
4. Industrial Zone A    
5. Industrial Zone B    
6. Industrial Zone C   

Mixed and produced from the original multi-track tapes by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp (2016). Mastered by
Simon Heyworth and Robert Fripp (4)

Discs 7 & 8 – Absent Lovers:

Live at The Spectrum, Montreal, July 11th, the final concert of 1984. Mixed by David Singleton & Robert Fripp from the original multi-track tapes for the DGM release Absent Lovers (1998). As newly recompiled in high-resolution for inclusion on Disc 15

Disc 9 – Are You Recording Gary?:

An insight into the inner working of the band, and the familiar heard in an unfamiliar way. Edited & assembled by David Singleton from original album session tapes, with additional downmixes by Alex R. Mundy

Disc 10: – Discipline (dvd-a):

Audio content: 5.1 surround mix; original mix; 2011 mix & additional tracks in 24/96 and Album rough mixes in 24/48
Video content: Old Grey Whistle Test (4)

Disc 11 – Beat (dvd-a):

Audio content: 5.1 surround mix; original mix; 2016 mix & Alternate Album in 24/48
Video content: Heartbeat promo; two tracks live in Munich (4)

Disc 12 – Three of a Perfect Pair (dvd-a):

Audio content: 5.1 surround mix;
original mix; 2016 mix in 24/48
Video content: Sleepless promo (4)

Disc 13 – Discipline (blu-ray):

Contents as Disc 10 (audio 24/96) plus:
Video content:
Moles Club French TV interview
Live in Frejus 2016 audio & video transfers

Disc 14 – Beat (blu-ray):

Contents as Disc 11 (audio 24/96) plus:
Video content:
Complete Alabamahalle TV broadcast (widescreen format).

Disc 15 – Three of a Perfect Pair (blu-ray):

Contents as Disc 12 (audio 24/96) plus:
Video content: Three of a Perfect Pair – Live in Japan (Widescreen format).
Japan April 29th 1984 Part Show;
Japan April 29th 1984 (single camera);
Japan April 30th 1984 (single camera).
Audio content: Absent Lovers
High resolution and surround sound
­
Disc 16 – Live at Moles Club:

Taken from an audience cassette recording of April 30, 1981, the very first performance by Belew, Fripp, Bruford & Levin, while still called Discipline. Remastered and recompiled 2016. (2)

Disc 17 – Europe 1982:

A newly discovered unreleased live album. Mixed by Brad Davis & Robert Fripp in 1983. Taken from the concert in The Arena, Frejus, August 27th 1982. Plus four bonus tracks from the remainder of the concert

Disc 18 – More Neal and Jack and Me (dvd):

Video content: The Noise – Live in Frejus as previously released on the DGM DVD Neal and Jack and Me (2002). Plus Three of a Perfect Pair – Live in Japan – re-assembled from newly discovered master reels with previously unseen footage. Both in their original 4:3 standard definition format.

Disc 19 – The Town and the City (dvd):

Audio content: Live in Philadelphia, Asbury Park, Cap D’Agde, Frejus 24/48 high-resolution stereo, Europe1982, previously unreleased live album 24/96 high-resolution stereo
Video content:
Alabamahalle TV broadcast in its original
4:3 standard definition format.

Also includes:

40-page album-sized booklet with
previously unpublished photos by Tony Levin, and sleevenotes incorporating Robert Fripp’s diaries, new interview material with all band members written by Sid Smith and David Singleton

2 concert posters, concert programme, setlist, concert tickets, press releases, promo photo and other memorabilia

1) Previously available as a download only from http://www.dgmlive.com
2) Released in an earlier format in King Crimson Collectors’ Club.
3) Partly released in earlier format in King Crimson Collectors’ Club.
4) Available in King Crimson 40th Anniversary Series

Steven Wilson – Roseland Theater, Portland – 3rd November 2016

The final leg of Steven Wilson’s extended 2016 ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’ Tour has reached the US. I caught the band at the first date at Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon on Steven Wilson’s 49th birthday. Words and pictures by Tim Darbyshire.

In front of an expectant sell out crowd, birthday boy Steven Wilson and band delivered an expansive three hour set encompassing his whole solo career as well as delving into the Porcupine Tree back catalogue. The first set consisted of the entire ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’ album. ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’ was many people’s album of 2015, and it was a privilege to hear it performed again in full.

Instantly it’s evident just how good Steven Wilson’s band are. From the jazz tinged keyboard runs of Adam Holzman to the power and precision of 2016’s Drummer of the Year Craig Blundell, the smooth fluid guitar work of Dave Kilminster and the multi-talented stick man Nick Beggs, all are performing at the top of their game, complimenting without over shadowing main man Steven Wilson.

‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’ is a consistent album full of highlights. ‘3 Years Older’ begins proceedings like an unstoppable train, followed by the title track which is almost a catchy pop song in comparison, contrasting with the beatiful ‘Perfect Life’ and the powerful and emotionally moving ‘Routine’. ‘Home Invasion’ and ‘Regret #9’ offer Adam Holzman and Dave Kilminster the chance to shine, and before we know it, the heavy ‘Ancestral’ and uplifting ‘Happy Returns’ have brought the first set to a close.

The second set blended tracks from 2016’s ‘4 1/2’ – an interim mini album consisting of ‘orphaned’ songs from the ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’ and ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’ sessions as well as a reworking of the Porcupine Tree song ‘Dark Matter’ – and SW’s earlier solo releases, with a smattering of Porcupine Tree offerings.  The familiar curtain is dropped in front of the stage as the set closes with a barnstorming duo of ‘Vermillioncore’ and ‘Sleep Together’. The triple encore is brought to a close with ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’, which is described by Wilson as the best song he has ever written.

Visually of course Steven Wilson delivers a stunning spectacle with large screens and effective lighting. The stage at The Roseland Theater however is quite small meaning the full effect of the spectacle is occassionally lost. The video to ‘Routine’ remains as moving as ever…..

What’s next for man of the moment Steven Wilson? He’s heading back to the studio after this tour to work on material for his eagerly awaited fifth studio album, the follow up to ‘Hand.Cannot.Erase’. Let’s hope the results are with us sooner rather than later and he returns with a new tour at some point in 2017.

Steven Wilson – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Adam Holzman – keyboards
Craig Blundell – drums
Dave Kilminster – guitars
Nick Beggs – bass, stick, guitar, keyboards

 

First Set: Hand.Cannot.Erase.
First Regret
3 Years Older
Hand. Cannot. Erase.
Perfect Life
Routine
Home Invasion
Regret #9
Transience
Ancestral
Happy Returns
Ascendant Here On…

Second Set
Dark Matter
Index
My Book of Regrets
Lazarus
Harmony Korine
Don’t Hate Me
Vermillioncore
Sleep Together

Encore:
Sign “☮” the Times
The Sound of Muzak
The Raven That Refused to Sing

Marillion – Danforth Music Hall, Toronto – 31st October 2016

To support the release of their eighteenth studio album  – F.E.A.R (Fuck Everyone And Run) – Marillion are back on the road. I caught the band at their recent Toronto show at The Danforth Music Hall. Words and pictures by Tim Darbyshire………….

In front of an enthusiastic near sell out crowd, Marillion delivered an eclectic two hours of music culled from all eras of their 35 year history. As well as focussing not surprisingly on material from the new album – F.E.A.R – Marillion wowed the crowd with favourites such as ‘The Invisible Man’, ‘King’ and ‘Neverland’ with the surprise final encore of ‘Kayleigh’, ‘Lavender’ and ‘Heart Of Lothian’ topping off a great evening.

‘The New Kings’ from ‘F.E.A.R’ certainly seemed to strike a chord with the majority of those in attendance. The message is clear,  corporate greed pervades society and human empathy seems to be dwindling.

Explaining the album’s title, Hogarth elaborates: “This title is adopted not in anger or with any intention to shock. It is adopted and sung (in the song “New Kings”) tenderly, in sadness and resignation inspired by an England, and a world, which increasingly functions on an “Every man for himself” philosophy. I won’t bore you with examples, they’re all over the newspapers every day. There’s a sense of foreboding that permeates much of this record. I have a feeling that we’re approaching some kind of sea-change in the world – an irreversible political, financial, humanitarian and environmental storm. I hope that I’m wrong. I hope that my FEAR of what “seems” to be approaching is just that, and not FEAR of what “is” actually about to happen”

Marillion have always done things differently of course. They are recognised as one of the first major bands to turn their backs on traditional record company involvement and have funded new releases by advance fan orders since 2001’s ‘Anoraknophopia’, including ‘F.E.A.R’. They have recognised the power of the internet, crowd funding and keeping everything in house to minimise costs. In exchange, fans are treated to signed limited editions, and ‘Marillion Weekends’ (fan conventions), and of course a band who can produce albums with no outside pressure from record company executives.

Hogarth naturally dominates proceeding throughout the evening – singing every word as if his life depends on it. Ably backed by almost ever-presents Steve Rothery, Mark Kelly, Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosley, he remains the centre of attention, and controls the stage by acting out the lyrics. The new material is greeted as enthusiastically as the earlier songs – I don’t know of many bands who would play a 16 minute new song – ‘El Dorado’ – as an encore. Clearly the band are relaxed on stage,  enjoying effortlessly playing complicated music live to devoted audiences.

It’s been four years since their last studio outing (‘Sounds That Can’t Be Made’), let’s hope we don’t have to wait that long for the next one.

Marillion are:
Steve ‘H’ Hogarth – vocals, keyboards, guitar
Steve Rothery – guitars
Mark Kelly  – keyboards
Pete Trewavas – bass
Ian Mosley – drums

Setist:
The Invisible Man
Power
Living in F E A R
Wave
Mad
Afraid of Sunlight
The New Kings: I. Fuck Everyone and Run
The New Kings: II. Russia’s Locked Doors
The New Kings: III. A Scary Sky
The New Kings: IV. Why Is Nothing Ever True?
King
Neverland

Encore:
El Dorado: I. Long-Shadowed Sun
El Dorado: II. The Gold
El Dorado: III. Demolished Lives
El Dorado: IV. F E A R
El Dorado: V. The Grandchildren of Apes

Encore 2:
Kayleigh
Lavender
Heart Of Lothian