MUSIC: Marillion and Fish FAQ [1/2]
Ken Bibb
Last-modified: 1993/12/07
Version: 1.5
=================================================
= MARILLION AND FISH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS =
=================================================
Version 1.5
Compiled by
Jeroen Schipper
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Marillion and Fish FAQ! The purpose of this FAQ is to
provide some basic background information about the bands and their music.
This will (hopefully) prevent these questions from being asked over and
over again by new subscribers to the list, which can be irritating for
other readers who have seen the answers before.
Many of the given answers to the questions are taken from back issues of
the Freaks digests. I'm sorry, but I can't credit everyone whose
explanations I used to put this list together. It's teamwork!
Special thanks go to Brian Vogelsang for writing the first section and
proofreading this FAQ list, to Ken Bibb for proofreading and correcting
the second version and for setting up the automatic posting of the list.
And to Geoff Parks who helped a lot with Garden Party/Fifteen Stone First
Footer/Geezabun and other questions!
Other thank-you's go to Jason Giles, Jose Garcia, John Nash, Kristine Kuss,
Micheal J. Loux, Jr., Steve Chew, David Halm, Steve Smoot, Magne Bergland, Andrew
Brooks, Jeremy Lawrence, Lorna Banks, Dan Newcombe, Ben Jos Walbeehm, Kenneth Drew
and Frans P. de Vries.
Mention to Graham Orndorff for starting the original Freaks list. You are
remembered :). And mention to Ken Bibb who started fre...@bnf.com when Graham had to
give up "his" list. Currently Brian Vogelsang does a great job at maintaining the list.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me via electronic mail.
Freak on!
Jeroen Schipper (JSch...@HUT.NL)
------------------------------
CONTENTS
0. General information on this FAQ list
0.1 What has changed since last time?
0.2 Where can I find the latest version of this list?
1. E-mail server and anonymous ftp questions
1.1 What is fre...@bnf.com?
1.2 How do I subscribe to the Freaks list?
1.3 What addresses do I need to know to use the listserver?
1.4 How do I receive the Freaks list in digest mode?
1.5 How do I unsubscribe to the Freaks list?
1.6 How do I post a message to the Freaks list?
1.7 Are any files available via an archive server at bnf?
1.8 What else can I do with the listserver?
1.9 Where can I find Marillion-related files via ftp?
2. General freaks-list information
2.1 What is netiquette?
2.2 What's this "old" list someone mentioned?
2.3 When is the new album coming out?
2.4 What do these abbreviations mean?
2.5 This list has T-shirts? Where can I get one?
2.6 Where can I find lyrics to this song?
2.7 I searched for a discography, but couldn't find one. Where is it?
3. Old Marillion
3.1 Who started Marillion and when?
3.2 Where does the name Marillion come from?
3.3 Which band members were/are in Marillion?
3.4 Who's Mark Wilkinson?
3.5 What albums can be found on the cover of "Script" and "Fugazi"?
3.6 What are the spoken words in "Chelsea Monday"?
3.7 Can anyone explain the lyrics of "Garden Party"?
3.8 What does Fugazi mean?
3.9 What's Brixton Chess?
3.10 What is said in "Incubus"?
3.11 What does Slainte Mhath mean?
3.12 What's the story behind Geezabun?
3.13 Who are the people on the cover of "Clutching at Straws"?
3.14 What is the Fidra Lighthouse?
3.15 What studio albums were released?
**** The Following questions are in part 2 ****
4. New Marillion
4.1 When and why did Fish leave Marillion?
4.2 Who is Steve Hogarth and what did he do before Marillion?
4.3 What is a banquo?
4.4 What is a fifteen stone first-footer?
4.5 Will there be a reunion show with Fish?
4.6 Who is Privet Hedge?
4.7 What's Brave all about?
4.8 What studio albums and singles were released?
5. Fish Solo
5.1 Why is Fish called Fish?
5.2 What's this talk about a new book called "The Masque"?
5.3 What does Fish mumble at the end of "Vigil"?
5.4 Doesn't the guy on the Vigil cover look like Mark Kelly?
5.5 Who is "Speaking in Tongues" dedicated to and why?
5.6 Does Fish have net access?
5.7 Fish the actor?
5.8 What solo projects did Fish do?
5.9 What's the Funny Farm?
5.10 Do you have some more info on Suits?
5.11 What studio albums and singles were released?
6. Books, videos, bootlegs
6.1 What books are there on Marillion/Fish?
6.2 What videos are there?
6.3 What's a bootleg?
6.4 How many bootlegs are there?
6.5 Where can I buy bootlegs?
7. Fanclubs
7.1 Addresses of Marillion fanclubs
7.2 Addresses of Fish fanclubs
7.3 What about the official bootlegs?
8. Other bands
8.1 I like Marillion. What other bands can you recommend?
------------------------------
THE ANSWERS
------------------------------
0. GENERAL INFORMATION ON THIS FAQ LIST
------------------------------
0.1 What has changed since the last version?
The best FAQ list ever!
- Changed the ftp (IP) address for the site that carries this list (0.2)
- Explained all about the multiple parts of this posting (0.2)
- Explained how to request an overview of who is subscribed (1.8)
- This list is now also available from the Freaks listserver! (0.2, 1.7)
- The bootleg list is also available from the listserver (1.7, 6.4)
- Fugazi tracklisting corrected (3.15)
- Updated the info on Fish's solo projects (5.8)
- Added question: "What's the Funny Farm?" (5.9)
- Added question: "Do you have some more info on Suits?" (5.10)
- Even more typos removed...
If you find any more incorrect/incomplete/just-not-there information in
this list, drop me a line!
------------------------------
0.2 Where can I find the latest version of this list?
This FAQ list is posted on a regular (monthly) basis to the newsgroup
news.answers and crossposted to alt.answers and alt.music.progressive.
Posting is done by Ken Bibb, as I don't have access to UseNet. It is also
available for ftp at rtfm.mit.edu [18.70.0.209], in the directory
/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/marillion-faq. You can get the list via
e-mail by sending mail to mail-...@rtfm.mit.edu with in the body:
send /pub/usenet/news.answers/music/marillion-faq/part1
send /pub/usenet/news.answers/music/marillion-faq/part2
Because of the size of this list it is split into two pieces.
You can also get it in one part from the Freaks mailinglist server. E-mail
freaks-...@bnf.com with NO subject line, and the first line in the body
of the message left justified reading:
get freaks faq
------------------------------
1. E-MAIL SERVER AND ANONYMOUS FTP QUESTIONS
------------------------------
1.1 What is fre...@bnf.com?
fre...@bnf.com is a mailing list for the discussion of Marillion, Fish,
and related bands and topics.
------------------------------
1.2 How do I subscribe to the Freaks list?
E-mail freaks-...@bnf.com with NO subject line, and the first line in
the body of the message left justified reading:
subscribe freaks `your name here'
In place of `your name here' enter your REAL name, first and last. For
example, if your name was Sharon Stone you would say:
subscribe freaks Sharon Stone
Notice: you do NOT need to include your internet address in the message,
and please remember to keep the line left justified.
If you have problems, email freaks...@bnf.com NOT fre...@bnf.com.
------------------------------
1.3 What addresses do I need to know to use the listserver?
There are three addresses you need to know to properly use the listserver:
1. fre...@bnf.com - When you mail fre...@bnf.com your email message is
sent to every person on the list. This is the
account that you email when you want to post a
message.
2. freaks-...@bnf.com - This is the address that you should use to
subscribe, unsubscribe, get help, or get
information or statistics about the listserver.
freaks-request uses the auto reply feature of
the listserver.
3. freaks...@bnf.com - This is the address that reaches the mailing
list owner. Use this if you have any questions
that the auto-reply freaks-request address
cannot solve.
------------------------------
1.4 How do I receive the Freaks list in digest mode?
Email freaks-...@bnf.com with NO subject line, and the first line in
the body of the message left justified reading:
set freaks mail digest
If you have problems, email freaks...@bnf.com NOT fre...@bnf.com.
------------------------------
1.5 How do I unsubscribe to the Freaks list?
Email freaks-...@bnf.com with NO subject line, and the first line in
the body of the message left justified reading:
unsubscribe freaks
Notice: You do not need to include your internet address to unsubscribe.
If you have problems, email freaks...@bnf.com NOT fre...@bnf.com.
------------------------------
1.6 How do I post a message to the Freaks list?
Email fre...@bnf.com with your message included. Your message will echo
to every person on the list. You should see your message included in the
next digest issue (if you are in digest mode) within 24hrs. If you are NOT
in digest mode, you WILL NOT RECEIVE A COPY OF YOUR POST. If you must see
a copy of your post send email to freaks-...@bnf.com with NO subject
line, and the first line in the body of a message left justified reading:
set freaks mail ack
Please read section 2.1 for some general guides for posting to the
mailinglist.
------------------------------
1.7 Are any files available via an archive server at bnf?
Yes, currently two files can be requested from the Freaks listserver: this
FAQ list and the bootleg list. Getting files is easy:
E-mail freaks-...@bnf.com with NO subject line, and in the body of the
message left justified reading:
get freaks faq
get freaks bootlist
------------------------------
1.8 What else can I do with the listserver?
For more information on the listservers features, send Email to
freaks-request with NO subject line and the first line in the body of the
message left justified reading:
help
For example, this will tell you how to request an overview of who is
subscribed to the mailinglist:
recipients freaks
statistics freaks
The recipients command will list all subscribers including their full name.
Statistics will show you how many messages each subscriber has posted to
the list.
------------------------------
1.9 Where can I find Marillion related files via ftp?
Several Marillion and Fish related files can be found at the ftp site:
ftp.uwp.edu (131.210.1.4).
This is an anonymous ftp site; this means you use "anonymous" as a
login, and your own email address as the password. The directory to look
for is:
/pub/music/lists/marillion or
/pub/music/artists/m/marillion
Use dir to see the files available. All files all compressed with Unix
compress(1), which adds the .Z extension to the files. Use uncompress to
restore the files. uncompress also exists for other operating systems
including OS/2 and DOS.
An other site that carries Marillion related files is: cs.uwp.edu Look in
the directory: /pub/music/artists/m/marillion
------------------------------
2. GENERAL FREAKS-LIST INFORMATION
------------------------------
2.1 What is netiquette?
Netiquette is general guidelines on good behavior while using the
Internet. Everybody on the Freaks list is kindly asked to keep this in
mind. A short summary:
- Signatures:
4 or 5 lines will suffice. Longer signatures usually bother people,
especially those who read the digest format of Freaks.
- Posting personal messages:
Keep in mind that whatever message you post will bounce to everybody
on the list. Posting personal messages is not appreciated and should
be avoided whenever possible.
- Posting test messages:
Don't! Messages like "Is this list still running?" are very
irritating to others. If the list is still running and you don't
receive any mail, you're probably not subscribed (anymore). Try
resubscribing or contacting the listowner. You can also request an
overview of who is subscribed to the list by using the freaks-request
auto reply feature. See section 1.3 for more info. Remember, there
is always a chance the list may be temporarily down.
- Quoting:
When quoting someone else's message, quote only the part to which you
are responding. Leave out the rest (like the signature of the other
person), as it is a waste of bandwidth and annoys other people.
Please keep these basic guidelines in mind when posting to Fre...@bnf.com
(and any other mailing list or UseNet as well).
------------------------------
2.2 What's the "old" list someone mentioned?
Back in October 1990, Graham Orndorff started the Marillion mailing list
Freaks, at andrew.cmu.edu. This list ran successfully for quite a while,
but at some point Graham stopped moderating it when he got a job in the
"real world" which demanded all of his time. Nobody was able to contact
him anymore but the list went on. (Un)subscribing was no longer possible
as it was not automated but done by Graham himself. This runaway list went
on for quite a while, but died a slow death.
In September 1992, Ken Bibb started a parallel list at bnf.com, which is
still up and running. The current listowner is Brian Vogelsang.
------------------------------
2.3 When is the new album coming?
To know the answer to this question, subscribe to the Freaks mailinglist
and read it on a regular basis. "The New Album" is always a hot topic
and as soon as it is released somewhere is the world (though usually
first in Europe) you'll read about it.
Currently we're waiting for the following albums:
Marillion - "Brave"
"Brave" is supposed to be a much more progressive album than "Holidays
in Eden", and John Arnison (manager of Marillion) says:
"Musically, 'Brave' combines the finest moments from Misplaced
Childhood and Clutching at Straws while lyrically and melodically
it contains the finest moments of Steve Hogarth's work."
Release date: Januari 1994
Fish - "Suits"
"Suits" is the _long_ awaited new Fish album of which several tracks
were played at concerts during 1992. These include "Raw Meat",
"Pipeline" and "Out of My Life". See also 5.10.
Release date: May 1994
------------------------------
2.4 What do these abbreviations mean?
Often people do not type the whole title of an album they are referring
to, but use acronyms like CaS, HiY and SftM instead. This can be confusing
for people who have just subscribed, and also for people who 'lost the
thread'. I prefer writing the first word in full and abbreviating the
rest, which makes the acronyms easier to understand.
CaS = Clutching_aS = Clutching at Straws
HiY = Hooks_iY = Hooks in You
SftM = Songs_ftM = Songs from the Mirror
Further, a lot of "regular" net acronyms are used. More comprehensive
lists are available:
IMO = In My Opinion
IMHO = In My Humble/Honest Opinion
FYI = For Your Information
RSN = Real Soon Now
Smileys are also used a lot (turn you head 90 degrees to the left):
:-) Smile! [often means "this was meant humorously"]
;-) Wink [often means you're being sly or that you've
just said an inside joke]
8^) One of the endless variations |*)
------------------------------
2.5 This list has T-shirts? Where can I get one?
At times Jason Giles offers T-shirts for purchase by the members of the
Freaks list and Marillion/Fish fans in general. So far there has been
an "All the Best FREAKS Are Here" shirt, a Fish solo shirt, and also a
Hogarth Marillion shirt. He sometimes carries extras so it never hurts
to ask. When he re-orders the shirts, he will post to the net with all
the pertinent information. Jason is also open for ideas for new shirts.
He is planning on doing a new shirt in the near future, keep reading the
Freaks mailinglist for the latest news!
His address is: mjg...@ucdavis.edu
or: itl...@othello.ucdavis.edu
[Note from the editor: these shirts are great! check'em out if you can!]
[Agreed! Buy the whole set!! Wear them to progfests for easy
identification!--kbibb]
------------------------------
2.6 Where can I find lyrics to this song?
Some time ago Jose Garcia put together a lyrics book that contains every
single lyric available for both Marillion and Fish.
He says: "The idea was to have a high quality document with all the
lyrics, and being these as accurate as possible, not the official versions
that appear on the CD booklets or the LPs."
The lyrics book is available via anonymous ftp. See question 1.8 for more
info. The lyrics book can be found in the subdir:
/pub/music/lists/marillion/lyrics-book
The book is in postscript format and has several nice logos included; it
looks really nice! Jose is working on a plain ASCII version of the book,
which he'll upload to the ftp site as soon as it is finished. Before
downloading the lyrics-book, get the readme file that is in the same
directory.
Note: Most of the lyrics have long been available in ASCII form at
ftp.uwp.edu, the PostScript formatting is new, though.
------------------------------
2.7 I searched for a discography, but couldn't find one. Where is it?
At the moment there is unfortunately no good/complete discography of
Marillion and Fish. There are some files available that are incomplete or
haven't been updated in a while. In Freaks issue 47 Adrie van Hoogstraten
posted a very extensive discography, which should be available for ftp.
At the end of the sections 3, 4 and 5 there's a brief listing of which
albums and singles were released.
------------------------------
3. OLD MARILLION
------------------------------
3.1 Who started Marillion and when?
In 1979 Steve Rothery (guitars) joined Mick Pointer (drums), Doug Irvine
(bass), and local keyboardist Brian Jelliman in an instrumental band.
There was no singer, but in the winter of 79/80, Doug took up the vocals
and they recorded their first demo which included the songs "Alice" and
"Lady Fantasy". These demos, and some instrumentals can be found on
the bootleg "Haunters Having Lots of Fun" (see the section on bootlegs).
------------------------------
3.2 Were does the name Marillion come from?
When the band needed a name, the book "Silmarillion" by J.R.R. Tolkien
happened to be laying on the table so the band decided to call themselves
"Silmarillion". Later, to avoid legal problems, they dropped the "Sil"
part and "Marillion" was born.
It may be a coincidence, but Tolkien also once gave a very good speach on
Beowulf. This is the classic story on wich the song Grendel is based.
------------------------------
3.3 Which band members were/are in Marillion?
Here's a short overview of all member changes Marillion have had:
1979: Steve Rothery (guitars)
Mick Pointer (drums)
Doug Irvine (bass)
Brian Jelliman (keyboards)
1980: Diz Minnit on bass
Derek William Dick (Fish) on vocals
1981: Mark Kelly on keyboards
1982: Pete Trewavas on bass
1983: Andy Ward on drums
John Martyr was on drums (3 months later)
Jonathan Mover on drums (weeks later)
1984: Ian Mosley on drums (weeks later)
[...]
1988: Fish leaves Marillion and goes solo in the game...
1989: Steve Hogarth on vocals
This leaves the current line as:
MARILLION
Steve Hogarth (vocals) (born 14 May, 1956 in Kendal)
Pete Trewavas (bass) (born 15th January, 1959 in Middlesbrough)
Ian Mosley (drums) (born 16th June, 1953 in Paddington, London)
Mark Kelly (keyboards) (born 9th April, 1961 in Dublin)
Steve Rothery (guitars) (25th November, 1959, Brampton, S-Yorkshire)
FISH SOLO
Fish (born 25th April, 1958)
------------------------------
3.4 Who's Mark Wilkinson?
Mark Wilkinson is an artist who has done the cover art of every Marillion
album and single (up to Clutching at Straws). Recently, he has done cover
art for Fish's first 2 solo albums and singles. The concepts for the
paintings always come from Fish, and usually contain many symbols that are
somehow related to the lyrics.
The album covers are extremely detailed, and only come to their right on
LP's (the CD booklets are just too small). The covers of the singles are
usually much simpler and less detailed.
Mark Wilkinson has also done album covers for other bands. Recently he
did the cover for Judas Priest's album "Ram It Down".
Fish's cover album "Songs from the Mirror" was not done by Wilkinson. He
and Fish decided they "needed a break" from each other. Rumors say that
Wilkinson _will_ do the cover of the forthcoming album "Suits".
------------------------------
3.5 What albums can be found on the cover of "Script" and "Fugazi"?
On the back of the album "Script for a Jester's Tear" you will see the
following albums lying on the floor (from left to right):
"Can You Dream in Color?" - Bill Nelson
"Saucerful of Secrets" - Pink Floyd
"He Knows You Know" - Marillion
"Forgotten Sons" - Marillion
On "Fugazi" there are also some albums on the floor (left to right):
"Punch and Judy" - Marillion
"The Wall" - Pink Floyd
"Fool's Mate" - Peter Hammill
"Over" - Peter Hammill
The paintings that are hanging on the wall on Fugazi are real paintings
that were painted by Mark Wilkinson's wife.
------------------------------
3.6 What are the spoken words in Chelsea Monday?
In the beginning of the song you hear a man selling newspapers. What
exactly is said is not clear. According to Fish it is:
"Evening Standard: final one!"
This may not be correct. More accurate is:
"Evening Standard: late one!"
or:
"News or Standard: late one!"
The speaker of the words is a Newspaper seller who, in London, stands
outside the subway stations selling evening papers to commuters on their
way home. The Evening Standard is a well known London newspaper published
in two editions. I believe that back in the early eighties there was also
a short-lived newspaper called the Evening News.
Halfway through the song, the following text is spoken, it describes what
was in the newspaper:
VOICE: "Hello John, did you see The Standard about four hours ago?
Fished a young chick out of the Old Father
Blonde hair, Blue eyes
She said she wanted to be an actress or something
Nobody knows where she came from, where she was going
Funny thing was she had a smile on her face
She was smiling
What a waste!"
The Old Father is the river Thames, which runs through London, including
the Chelsea Area.
------------------------------
3.7 Can anyone explain the lyrics of Garden Party?
Garden Party seems to raise many questions, therefore I have included
a long -but good- explanation of this song. I have included the full
message that was posted to the (old) Freaks list on March 13, 1991, by
Geoff Parks. Later he made some modifications to the original message:
[=== Start of included message ===]
> Anyway, on with today's song : 'Garden Party' [insert kermit's "yeeee-
> aaah" here].
Having spent 8 years of my life at Cambridge University I am in a good
position to pontificate about this one!
> I won't offend your intelligence by stating what the subject of this
> song is supposed to be :-) .
> invites call the debs to play : this is an idiom I am totally unfami-
> liar with. Anybody ?
`Deb' is short for debutant. By tradition, the daughters of the `ruling
class' in Britain are presented at court (i.e., introduced to the king or
queen) when they reach the age of 18 - they make their debut in social
circles, hence the term `debutant'. Over the summer which following this
these debutants attend all the `essential' social events and each host a
`coming out' party. The object of all this is to find a husband. It is all
a very elaborate mating ritual!
By extrapolation the term deb is applied to any girl from the upper
classes whose main purpose in life seems to be to find a rich (or
potentially rich) husband. There are lots of these at Cambridge!
> edgy eggs ??? Cumbers : in Latin 'cumbere' means 'to lie down'. Is
> this too far-fetched ? It would fit in nicely with the slumber.
> Or does 'cumber' exist in English ? If so, what does it mean ?
`Cumber' is short for cucumber (the salad vegetable). Two of the most
common delicacies at garden parties are cucumber sandwiches and egg
sandwiches. In Britain the construction of a sandwich is much simpler than
here in the US - it is: slice of bread, butter, filling, butter, slice of
bread. At the `best' garden parties such sandwiches will have had the
crusts removed and be cut into little triangles. Many hundreds of these
will be consumed hence `The Great Cucumber Massacre' sub-title.
> The 'Cam' waters. I don't get this one.
The river which flows through Cambridge is the River Cam.
> The first verse clearly pictured the preparations. But you all knew
> that.
> Straafed, eaves : anyone can give the meaning (my guess at straafed is
> that it means 'tortured'. eaves, like in eavesdropping ??)
Straaf is originally a German word I believe. I've always understood it
to mean `to bomb to bits' or something similarly destructive.
During WWII, Stukas were known for their straafing runs. Think back to
the old WWII movie footage of the fighter swooping down and firing bullets
down a road, across a field, etc. That is strafing.
Eaves are the part of the roof that hangs over the wall. The area
underneath the eaves is called the eavesdrop.
> Punting on the Cam : Is Cam a game of sorts ? played in water ?
> Beagling ? Rugger is the tops ?
`Punting' is a leisure pursuit. A punt is long shallow rectangular boat.
This is propelled along the river by standing at one end with a long pole
which one pushes against the river bed. It takes quite a bit of practice
to get the thing to go in a straight line. Usually a bunch of friends go
punting. Each takes a turn doing the `driving'. The others sit in the punt
talking, drinking, trying to catch ducks etc. On a nice day and in the
right company it is actually quite a pleasant way to while away the hours.
`Beagling' is a low budget version of foxhunting. A beagle is a type of
dog similar to a fox hound. To go beagling one assembles a pack of these
dogs and a bunch of hunters (on foot) and sets off across the fields in
search of a hare, rabbit or some similarly inoffensive creature. I knew
someone who used to go beagling at Cambridge and, as far as I know, they
never actually managed to catch anything. They did however get lots of
exercise and large cleaning bills out of it!
Rugger is another name for rugby (the game). The two most important sports
played in Cambridge are rowing and rugby. University sport in Britain has
nowhere near the status it does in the US but the annual rowing and rugby
contests between Oxford and Cambridge (the Boat Race and the Varsity
Match) are televised nationally. `Rugger is the tops' simply means `rugby
is the most enjoyable sport'. Incidentally, the term `rucking' which
appears in the song is a technical term from rugby.
> I guess ye can all see I haven't experienced one of these parties yet.
> Lucky me !
> To chalk another blue ?
> Come on guys, enlighten me !
A `blue' is a sporting honour. To obtain a blue you have to represent
Cambridge University against Oxford in a major sport. You could be in the
team all year but if you miss the Oxford game due to injury you don't get
your blue. The major sports are rowing, rugby, football (aka soccer),
cricket, (field) hockey, boxing + perhaps one or two others. If you
represent the university in a minor sport (eg. tennis, squash, badminton,
ice hockey, basketball...) you get a `half-blue'. Receiving a blue
entitles you to numerous privileges, such wearing a hideous light blue
blazer (dark blue at Oxford), and gives you considerable status amongst
those who consider athletics more important than academics.
[Further comments added later:]
Thus `Angie chalks another blue' can on one level be interpreted as
meaning that Angie is a sort of sports groupie, who is perhaps trying to
sleep with all the members of the university rugby team and has just
succeeded in bedding another player - and chalked up (tallied) this
conquest on her personal score sheet.
In addition, this line can also be taken as a reference to snooker (a game
with some basic similarities to pool which is popular among the upper
classes in Britain). One of the balls used in snooker is blue. Also the
chalk rubbed on the tips of the cues used in snooker is blue - so
conceivably this line contains all sorts of phallic imagery!
Furthermore:
[actually, I've heard that it's slang for taking uppers, ie blues.
there are other references to blues in Quadraphenia.--kbibb]
So, in conclusion, this one line (four words) manages to make allusions to
three different aspects of upper class decadence - a fine example of
Fish's lyrical brilliance.
[=== End of included message ===]
------------------------------
3.8 What does Fugazi mean?
Fugazi is a word that was used by Americans in Vietnam, and is slang
for "all fucked up". This explains pretty well what Fish is trying to say
with the album: "This world is totally fugazi". Fugazi is close to a
popular net-acronym, Foobar, which is derived from Fubar and means "Fucked
up beyond all recognition" (sorry for the language...)
Fugazi is definately _not_ a vietnamese word as there is no Z in the
vietnamese alphabet.
------------------------------
3.9 What's Brixton Chess?
Brixton is a suburb of London where there were major riots in April 1981.
(These events coincided with the first Space Shuttle flight, which may
explain a lack of coverage in the US media.)
"Chess" has several levels of meaning. The chess game is used as a
metaphor for conflict in general. The riots were partly race riots (for
want of a better term), and "Chess" implicity refers to black and white in
opposition. It also suggests a larger game beyond the knowledge of the
pawns - this refers to the political power play in the background. An
inquiry into the riots partially blamed them on the economic policies of
Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, which seemed to inflict the
poor with the economic cost of restructuring while leaving the more
affluent (the Conservatives' major supporters) relatively unscathed.
Which is all consistent with the themes of Fugazi.
------------------------------
3.10 What is said in "Incubus"?
The correct line is:
"An irritating speck of dirt that came from absolutely nowhere..."
------------------------------
3.11 What does "Slainte Mhath" mean?
The word "slainte" which is pronounced "slon'te" in the Irish derivation
('o' as in all, and an upside down 'e'), has the meaning "health, to your
health!": a toast.
It is a gaelic word, too, which is where Fish picked it up. Irish, gaelic
(scottish), and welsh are all related languages.
------------------------------
3.12 What's the story behind Geezabun?
This is ancient Marillion history. It seems that once during a break
between songs (possibly while some technical problem was being fixed) Fish
entertained the audience at a gig with the following "joke":
Q: How does an elephant tell you it's hungry?
A: It says "Geezabun".
[Explanatory notes for non-Brits:
1. "Geezabun" = "Give us a bun" said very fast by a Scotsman.
2. Many years ago children used to be allowed to feed buns to elephants
at British zoos, so buns are widely held to be part of the standard
elephant diet.
3. A bun is a fairly simple form of cake. There are two standard
varieties: the currant bun (slightly sweetened dough mixed with dried
currants) and the iced bun (slightly sweetened dough covered with
icing [frosting]). There are also specialist buns, eg. the
hot-crossed bun (traditionally eaten on Good Friday), Bath buns,
Chelsea buns etc.]
Anyway, the telling of this joke became standard procedure at Marillion
gigs and members of the audience would bombard the stage with buns at the
appropriate moment.
Note that the choir on Fish' version of "Fearless" is called Geezabun!
Also the bootleg "The Mask" contains a disc that has Geezabun on it (which
is the only recording available on bootleg).
------------------------------
3.13 Who are the people on the cover of "Clutching at Straws"?
The people you see on the cover are all famous people that died of
drugs/alcohol. Fish was influenced by most of these people.
On the front from left to right:
Robert Burns, Dylan Thomas, Truman Capote and Lenny Bruce
On the back from left to right:
John Lennon, James Dean and Jack Kerouac
Here's the story behind those people:
James Dean died in a car crash, but was probably drunk when it happened.
He was an alcoholic and also used drugs. Jack Kerouac died of alcohol
poisoning, but also used drugs. Dylan Thomas also died of alcohol
poisoning. Truman Capote died of a combination of alcohol, drugs, and
whatever pills (probably suicide). Robert Burns died of alcohol poisoning,
Lenny Bruce died of an overdoses heroine... John Lennon does not exactly
fit in this (pleasant) group of people, he was not an alcoholic, nor a
heavy drugs user. But, as someone put it: he probably died of an overdose
of fame...
------------------------------
3.14 What is the Fidra Lighthouse?
>From Warm Wet Circles:
"She nervously undressed in the dancing beams of the Fidra Lighthouse"
Fidra is a small rocky island just off the coast of East Lothian (East
of Edinburgh, Scotland). There is a nature reserve on this part of the
coast and is the type of place that people go "to be together" and
alone. It's a beautiful area. There is a small automatic lighthouse on
the island.
------------------------------
3.15 What studio albums and singles were released?
Not even close to a discography, but a head start anyway. This list is not
in exact chronological order, but pretty close. All albums are in
CAPITALS, singles are not:
1982 Market Square Heroes/Three Boats Down From the Candy/Grendel
1983 SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR
Side 1: Script for a Jester's Tear/He Knows You Know/The Web
Side 2: Garden Party/Chelsea Monday/Forgotten Sons
1983 He Knows You Know/Charting the Single
1983 Garden Party/Margaret
1984 FUGAZI
Side 1: Assassing/Punch and Judy/Jigsaw/Emerald Lies
Side 2: She Chameleon/Incubus/Fugazi
1984 Punch and Judy/Market Square Heroes/Three Boats down from the Candy
1984 Assassing/Cinderella Search
1985 REAL TO REEL (live)
Side 1: Assassing/Incubus/Cinderella Search
Side 2: Forgotten Sons/Garden Party/Market Square Heroes
1985 MISPLACED CHILDHOOD
Side 1: Pseudo Silk Kimono/Kayleigh/Lavender/Bitter Suite
i) Brief Encounter ii) Lost Weekend iii) Blue Angel
iv) Misplaced Rendezvous V) Windswept Thumb/
Heart of Lothian i) Wide Boy ii) Curtain Call
Side 2: Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)/Lords of the Backstage/
Blind Curve i) Vocal Under A Bloodlight ii) Passing
Strangers iii) Mylo iv) Perimeter Walk v) Threshold
Childhood's End?/White Feather
1985 Kayleigh/Lady Nina
1985 Lavender/Freaks
1985 Heart of Lothian/Chelsea Monday (live)
1986 Lady Nina/Heart of Lothian (rerelease only in USA)
1986 BRIEF ENCOUNTER (live) (LP only)
Side 1: Lady Nina/Freaks/Kayleigh (Live)
Side 2: Fugazi (Live)/Script For A Jester's Tear (Live)
1987 CLUTCHING AT STRAWS
Side 1: Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles/That Time of the Night
(The Short Straw)/Just For The Record/White Russian
Side 2: Incommunicado/Torch Song/Slainte Mhath/Sugar Mice
The Last Straw/Happy Ending
1987 Incommunicado/Going Under
1987 Sugar Mice/Tux On
1987 Warm Wet Circles/White Russian (live)
1988 B'SIDES THEMSELVES
Side 1: Grendel/Charting the Single/Market Square Heroes
Three Boats Down From the Candy
Side 2: Cinderella Search/Lady Nina/Freaks/Tux On/Margaret(Live)
1988 THE THIEVING MAGPIE (LA GAZZA LADRA) (live)
Side 1: Intro (La Gazza Ladra)/Slainte Mhath/He Knows You Know
Chelsea Monday
Side 2: Misplaced Childhood Part 1 (Pseudo Silk Kimono/Kayleigh
Lavender/Bitter Suite/Heart Of Lothian)
Side 3: Jigsaw/Punch & Judy/Sugar Mice/Fugazi
Side 4: Script For A Jester's Tear/Incommunicado/White Russian
--
Ken Bibb "End of our summer
kb...@qualcomm.com your body weightless in condensation
jes...@crash.cts.com my heart learned to swim"
--Thomas Dolby
Ken Bibb
Last-modified: 1993/12/07
Version: 1.5
=================================================
= MARILLION AND FISH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS =
=================================================
Version 1.5
Compiled by
Jeroen Schipper
------------------------------
CONTENTS
**** Questions 0-3 are in Part 1 of this FAQ ****
------------------------------
THE ANSWERS
------------------------------
4. NEW MARILLION
------------------------------
4.1 When and why did Fish leave Marillion?
Friday September 16, 1988 was a black day for Marillion fans. Fish
announced that he had left Marillion to start a solo career. It was
explained in a letter to the fanclub:
"During the process of writing the new album it became apparent
that differences, both musically and lyrically, between Fish and
the rest of the band were irreconcilable"
Fish said:
"I've had a brilliant 7 years with Marillion; however, recently the
musical directions of the band have diversified to such an extent
I realised the time had come to embark on a solo career"
The Fish-era was ended with the release of "The Thieving Magpie" which was
a double live album with tracks from 1982-1988, a thank-you to the fans.
------------------------------
4.2 Who is Steve Hogarth and what did he do before Marillion?
After Fish left Marillion, the band started auditioning new singers to
fill the empty place. Not much luck until Steve Hogarth showed up. He got
the job, but asked for a week to think it over. He agreed and 'Hogy'
became the new singer of Marillion. He also plays some keyboards, even at
live concerts, but singing is more important. Mark Kelly still does most
of the keyboards.
Before Marillion, Hogarth sang in several bands including 'The Europeans'
and 'How we Live'. He also played all the keyboards on the Australian
avante-pop band Do Re Mi's first album.
Here's a (pretty complete) discography of his pre-Marillion material:
DO RE MI
19?? Domestic Harmony CD Catalog #CDV2367, Virgin UK
THE EUROPEANS
7" 1978 Europeans/Voices Heartbeat Pulse 2
1979 On the Continent (or Avon Calling) Heartbeat HB 1
7" 1982 The Animal Song/ Someone's Changing A&M AMS 9239
LP 1983 Vocabulary A&M AMLX 68 558
12" 1983 American People/ Going to Work(long
version)/Someone's Changing/ New
Industry A&M AMX 158
7" 1983 American People/ Going to Work A&M AMS
7" 1984 Recognition/ New Industry A&M AMS 9714
LP 1984 Live (Limited Edition) A&M SCOT 1
LP 1984 Recurring Dreams A&M AMA 5034
7" 1984 Acid Rain/ edits from Recurring
Dreams A&M FREE 1 (promo)
HOW WE LIVE
7" 1986 Working Town Portrait PRT 650088 7
MC 1986 Working Town & Interview (promo) Portrait XPC 650088
12" 1986 All the Time In the World/ All the
Time (7" vers.)/Lost At Sea Portrait PRT 650088 6
7" 1987 All the Time In the World/ Lost at Sea Portrait PRT 650088 7
LP 1987 Dry Land Portrait PRT 450618 1
12" 1987 Games In Germany/ Lost At Sea/ India Portrait PRT ?
------------------------------
4.3 What is a banquo?
In the song Uninvited Guest Hogarth sings: "I'm the Banquo at your
banquet".
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Banquo is one of Macbeth's friends. Eventually
(you'll have to read the whole thing to find out the details) Macbeth has
him killed. Later, Banquo's ghost (or many say just a 'mad vision' of a
ghost that Macbeth has) shows up at a banquet he is holding in honor of
Macbeth's ascension to the Scottish throne. Macbeth goes crazy, because he
thought he had had Banquo killed. It's a great play (plug) as is just
about anything by Shakespeare (plug plug). A must-read for anyone who just
LOVES Hogarth's lyrics. :)
------------------------------
4.4 What is a fifteen stone first-footer?
Also from Uninvited guest: "I'm your fifteen stone first-footer".
First-footer is a Scottish term relating to the New Year (Hogmanay). A
first-footer is a person (usually this has to be a tall, dark and handsome
male with a lump of coal!) who is the first person to enter your house on
January 1st. That persons would be about 15 stone (which is 15 * 14 = 210
pounds). When this person comes into your house, you must give him all the
food he/she wants! In other words, after The Bells (midnight on 31
December) you have to ensure that your "first footer" is a tall, dark,
etc, male, and he should be carrying a small lump of coal, which would
traditionally go onto your fire (remember it's cold and dark at New Year
in Scotland!). The early hours of 1 January are traditionally spent going
from house to house in your neighbourhood visiting people and welcoming in
the New Year (drinking!).
------------------------------
4.5 Will there be a reunion show with Fish?
There has been a rumor that EMI once suggested a reunion show. Rothery and
Kelly were vehemently against it, Hogarth and Trewavas were for it, and
Mosley was ambivalent, so they decided to can the idea. It's not totally
impossible there'll be a reunion show, but don't wait up...
The closest thing to a reunion was a charity single that both Fish and
Marillion took part in. The single "Sailing" (by Rock Against
Repatriation) was recorded on two days, many British bands and singers
took part. Marillion and Fish were invited to come on different days,
Marillion was not informed that Fish also took part, and Fish wasn't
informed about Marillion as well...
------------------------------
4.6 Who is Privet Hedge?
Cristopher Hedge (which is his real name) has been with the band for many
years and he takes care of the sound at concerts (at the mixing table) and
also in the studio. There is an interview in Fanzine 2 of the Dutch Marillion
Fanclub (spring '92). It is mainly about the kind of equipment he uses.
Privet is an actual word and it is a small shrub or bush that is used for
hedges around yards. Not surprisingly it's mainly a british word.
PRIVET n. any of a genus of shrubs or trees of the olive family, with
bluish-black berries and spikes of white flowers, often grown for
hedges. Also called Lingustrum vulgare (the common privet).
So the name Privet is a nickname given jokingly because of the guy's
surname.
------------------------------
4.7 What's Brave all about?
Brave is the new Marillion album that will probably be released in January
1994. Here are some fragments from an on-stage interview with Hogarth and
Pete Trewavas:
(To Pete:) "Can you describe the new album?". Pete starts talking about the
music: "Brave" is gonna be a concept album like Misplaced_CH, one long
piece of music. Quite specific, he said it was gonna be 64 minutes (yeah!).
It has 19 tracks, some of which are just bridges between the real songs.
And there are no hitsingles on it, they're pretty much doing what they
want.
(To Hogarth:) "What's the album lyrically about?". Hogy tells a long story:
He lived in Bath (I think it was) for a while and one day he heard a police
message on the radio. The police had found a young girl wandering on a
highway bridge (which is illegal). The girl was in some kind of shock
and wouldn't talk at all, so the police didn't know her name. That's why
they were asking on the radio if anybody knew that girl. This what the
album is about, Hogy said he was very touched by this. And before he gave
back the microphone he said "and may I add that this is just gonna be
he best piece of music we've ever made!".
Initially the title of the album was "Severn", as the highway bridge
mentioned above was a bridge over the river Severn.
------------------------------
4.8 What studio albums and singles were released?
Marillion with Hogarth has released the following albums and
singles so far (CAPITALS are albums):
1989 SEASONS END
Side 1: The King Of Sunset Town/Easter/The Uninvited Guest
Seasons End
Side 2: Holloway Girl/Berlin/Hooks In You/The Space
1989 Hooks in You/After Me
1989 Uninvited Guest/The Bell in the Sea
1990 Easter/The Release
1991 HOLIDAYS IN EDEN
Side 1: Splintering Heart/Cover My Eyes (Pain And Heaven)
The Party/No One Can
Side 2: Holidays In Eden/Dry Land/Waiting To Happen/This Town
The Rakes Progress/100 Nights
1991 Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven)/How Can it Hurt
1991 No One Can/A Collection
1991 Dry Land/Holloway Girl
1992 Sympathy/Kayleigh (live w/Hogarth)
1992 A SINGLES COLLECTION
Side 1: Cover my Eyes (Pain and Heaven)/Kayleigh/Easter
Warm Wet Circles/Uninvited Guest/Assassing/Hooks in You
Side 2: Garden Party/No One Can/Incommunicado/Dry Land/Lavender
I Will Walk on Water/Sympathy
1992 LIVE AT THE BORDERLINE (fanclub bootleg, see question 7.3)
Splintering Heart/Easter/King of Sunset Town/Waiting to Happen/
Sympathy/Kayleigh/Lavender/Heart of Lothian/Uninvited Guest/
Slainte Mhath/The Release/Hooks in You/Garden Party
1992 LIVE AT CARACAS (fanclub bootleg, see question 7.3)
Splintering Heart/Holidays In Eden/Script For A Jester's Tear
Easter/Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles/That Time Of The Night
Kayleigh/Lavender/Heart Of Lothian/Cover My Eyes/Slainte Mhath
The Space/Waiting To Happen/Hooks In You
1994 BRAVE (not yet released)
------------------------------
5. FISH SOLO
------------------------------
5.1 Why is Fish called Fish?
Contrary to the rock 'n' roll legend, Fish was not so called due to his
drinking exploits (though these were many), but to an old bedsit habit.
His aged landlady would only let him have one bath a week, so he would
make a night of it by taking in sweets, cigarettes, cans of beer, and a
good book. There he would sit quite happily for most of the evening.
Many a time friends coming to see him would have to wait hours until he
emerged as the landlady wouldn't tell him anyone was there.
According to the book "Market Square Heroes": "Fish, says Fish, suited
him because of the nickname the friend had bestowed after waiting nearly
two hours for him to finish having a bath, and because it was also the
off-stage nickname of Chris Squire, the bass player of Yes, who Fish says
he greatly admired, and not least because it was the name of the leader of
a gang of romantic street-smarts in a TV show from Derek's teenage years.
'It was for all those reasons. I identified with all those characters in
my head, the partying musician, the leader of the outlaws, and the lazy
slob lying in the bath for hours keeping his bottom warm.'"--p100.
This is why his friends called him "Fish"!
------------------------------
5.2 What's this talk about a new book called "The Masque"?
Mark Wilkinson and Fish at one point were planning to release an artbook
called "The Masque". The book was to include _all_ the cover art Mark
Wilkinson has done for Marillion and Fish with explanations by Fish
himself on how each piece relates to the lyrics.
The book has supposedly been ready now for many years, but due to various
problems it has not yet been published. First there were legal issues
with Marillion about the royalties, Then they couldn't find a publisher. I
don't know what the latest excuse is, but it's definitely not for sale
yet. As soon as it is, you'll read about it on the Freaks mailinglist.
------------------------------
5.3 What does Fish mumble at the end of Vigil?
This is very difficult to hear on the album, but it's easier to hear on
live versions of Vigil. He says:
"And the boy stood, and stared at the Hill,
And the Hill stared back..."
------------------------------
5.4 Doesn't the guy on the Vigil foldout look like Mark Kelly?
Only if you have the first pressing ;-) Look real close (much better
visible on the LP cover) at the picture that's on the inside of the
booklet, and you'll see three men sitting around a fire. They're sitting
in the middle of a lot of garbage at the bottom of the Hill. The one on
the left is Mark Kelly, the one on the right is John Arnison (the manager
of Marillion).
And there's more: the car on top of the Hill has a license plate that is
very similar to Mark Kelly's license plate at the time...
On the barrel on the left of the picture, the one with the toxic waste
dripping out, it says: "Welcome Skyline Drifters". This was the name
Marillion used on several gigs in the eighties. Notice the jester cap
hanging out of the barrel. Now look at the Seasons End cover.
On later pressings the faces were painted black.
------------------------------
5.5 Who is "Speaking in Tongues" dedicated to and why?
Speaking in Tongues (from the album "Internal Exile") is 'dedicated' to
EMI, on which his first album "Vigil" was released. Fish was not at all
happy with EMI and wanted to change to another record label. So he changed
to Polydor and wrote this song to express his feelings about EMI. Polydor
was not happy with this, but they let him put it on the album anyway.
------------------------------
5.6 Does Fish have net access?
No. Although there once was a rumor, Fish does not have net access. He
does know of the existence of this list and occasionally people have sent
him printouts of the digests. Fish said once that he'd love to join the
list, but don't expect it to happen. He doesn't have the time for it.
_IF_ he would join the list, some people say they expect a flame war
against Marillion and others were worried about posting any negative
comments on Fish.
------------------------------
5.7 Fish the actor?
Fish has done a little acting, mainly some TV stuff. He also auditioned
(believe it or not) for a role in Aliens III.
He had a guest star role on an episode of Zorro, where he plays a farmer
who's persecuted for being a witch. The episode is called "The Newcomers".
In a mini-series on the BBC called "Jute City", he played a hired heavy,
who tried to kill John Sessions' character in the series (if only it was
for real and he had succeeded!). They also subliminally advertised Fish's
album eg. when he went in a pub, the song "Internal Exile" was on the
jukebox.
------------------------------
5.8 What solo projects did Fish do?
Fish can be heard on a number of CD's from other artists, this list has
album title and the tracks Fish can be heard on. Also some singles he
participated in, mainly for charity.
Album: Soundtrack Quicksilver (Tony Banks)
Shortcut to Somewhere
Album: Still (Tony Banks)
Angel Face
Another Murder of a Day
Album: Spartacus (Jeff Wayne)
Fish has some spoken lines and sings two songs
Album: Fall of the House Usher (Peter Hammill)
Fish is credited, but he doesn't sing anything on the album
Album: Outpatients '93 (The Funny Farm Project)
Fish sings three songs, including one with Steve Howe on guitar
Single: Live-in World
Various artists including Fish
Single: Spirit of the Rain Forest
Various artists including Fish
Single: Say it with Pride
Various artists including Fish
Single: Sailing - Rock Against Repatriation
Various artists including Fish
Single: Better World
Sciennes Primary 6 children and Fish
------------------------------
5.9 What's the Funny Farm?
The Funny Farm is Fish's own recording studio in Scotland. He build this
studio, so he could write/produce his own music there. But also to promote
other Scottish bands, who can use the studio as well. The first result of
this is the CD "Outpatients '93", which features tracks from several
unknown Scottish bands. To make the CD bit more interesting, Fish put three
of his own songs on it as well:
"Time and a Word" (with Steve Howe),
"The Seeker"
"Out of my Life".
These are all cover songs that didn't make it to "Songs from the Mirror".
------------------------------
5.10 Do you have some more info on Suits?
The tracklisting will be something like:
Pipeline, Raw Meat, Emperor's Song, Lady let it Lie, Out of my Life,
Somebody Special, Mr. 1470, Jumpsuit City.
Fish has played all these tracks many times during tryouts at the Outpatients
tour. Unfortuantely, due to many reason (yet all unknown) the Suits album
won't be released before May 1994. Too bad, because since I was at two
of the tryout I'm convinced "Suits" will be another GREAT Fish album!
------------------------------
5.11 What studio albums and singles were released?
Short overview of what Fish has done so far. Again the album titles
are in CAPITALS:
1989 VIGIL IN A WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS
Side 1: Vigil/Big Wedge/State of Mind/The Company
Side 2: A Gentleman's Excuse Me/Family Business/View From The
Hill Cliche
1989 State of Mind/The Voyeur 1989 Big Wedge/Jack and Jill
1990 A Gentleman's Excuse Me/Whiplash
1990 The Company/Punch and Judy (live)
1991 INTERNAL EXILE
Side 1: Shadowplay/Credo/Just Good Friends (Close)
Favourite Stranger
Side 2: Lucky/Dear Friend/Tongues/Internal Exile
1991 Internal Exile/Carnival Man
1991 Credo/Poets Moon
1992 Something in the Air/Dear Friend (live)
1993 SONGS FROM THE MIRROR
Side 1: Question/Boston Tea Party/Fearless/Apeman
Side 2: Hold your head Up/Solo/I Know What I Like/Jeepster
Five years
1993 Never Mind the Bullocks (featuring Hold Your Head Up)/Question/
5 Years
1993 PIGPEN'S BIRTHDAY (Fanclub bootleg (2CD), see 7.3)
1993 DEREK DICK AND HIS AMAZING ELECTRIC BEAR (Fanclub bootleg (2CD), 7.3)
1993 UNCLE FISH AND THE CRYPT CREEPERS (Fanclub bootleg (2CD), see 7.3)
1993 FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL! (Fanclub bootleg (2CD), see 7.3)
1993 TOILING IN THE REEPERBAHN (Fanclub bootleg (2CD), see 7.3)
1994 SUITS (not yet released)
------------------------------
6. BOOKS, VIDEOS, BOOTLEGS
------------------------------
6.1 What books are there on Marillion/Fish?
This listing contains some information on the 3 books that are available
on Marillion and Fish (currently nothing on Fish solo).
Title : Marillion in Words and Pictures
Author : Carol Clerk
Published by : Bobcat Books: London, 1985
ISBN : 0.7119.0768
Order No : OP 43512
Other : Softcover, 47 pages
Approx. price: US$5.95
Exclusive distributors:
Book sales Limited
8/9 Frith St.
London W1V 5TZ, UK
This book is mostly color and black and white photos of the band,
especially Fish, in concert and just hanging out. But it also gives
a good overview of the band's history from the early days through
the release of Misplaced Childhood. Some of its highlights are
the recipe for Grendels, an explanation of the Fish/Derek conflict,
and some insights into "The Web" and Misplaced Childhood.
Title : The Script: An illustrated biography
Author : Clive Gifford
Publisher : Omnibus Press, London, 1987
ISBN : 0.7119.1113.4
Order No : OP 44304
Other : Softcover 96 pages
Price : Approx. US$10.95
Exclusive distributors:
Book Sale Limited
8/9 Frith St.
London W1V 5TZ, UK
The Script is an illustrated bio of the group by Clive Gifford.
It's only 96 pages (with a lot of pictures), so it is not as
extensive as "Market Square Heroes". This book was written after
the release of "Misplaced Childhood," but before "Clutching at
Straws." It has a complete discography of all of Marillion's
singles, albums, videos, demos, bootlegs, promos, etc. with
descriptions of distinctive features of the work (i.e. picture
disk).
Title : Market Square Heroes: The Authorized Story of Marillion
Author : Mick Wall (foreword by Fish)
Publisher : Sidgwick and Jackson Limited
ISBN : 0-283-99426-6
Other : 310 pages
Address:
1 Tavistock Chambers, Bloomsbury Way
London WC1A 2SG
Great Britain
Market Square Heroes: The Authorized Story of Marillion is probably
the most informative of the Marillion books I've seen. It has the
least amount of pictures, but those they have are of a historical
nature. I'd say it is the most honest of the various books -- it's
a real biography, not just a cheap attempt to raise money off of
the fans. After reading the book, I felt I knew Fish, Steve
Rothery, Pete, Ian, and Mark. The book is tailored for the fan
however -- Mick Wall's appreciation of the band and the songs are
quite in evidence.
It has on the back cover that "The main reason the band and I
[Fish] wanted this book to be written, was because there's never
been anything published that truly got to grips with the real story
of Marillion." I'd agree.
If you are looking for facts on Marillion through the release of
Clutching at Straws, I'd recommend Market Square Heroes -- if you
want pictures of Fish and the band, go somewhere else . . .
Title : Marillion: `The Thieving Magpie' (La Gazza Ladra)
Author : Roger Day
Publisher : Wise Pulications, London 1989
ISBN : 0.7119.1837.6
Other : Order No. AM74758.
This book contains scores for everything on The Thieving Magpie,
including Freaks and the whole of Misplaced Childhood.
------------------------------
6.2 What videos are there?
Currently 7 videos exist, all of Marillion. Here's the listing:
Title : Recital of the Script
Time : 55:00
Script for a Jester's Tear/Garden Party/Chelsea Monday/
He Know You Know/Forgotten Sons/Market Square Heroes
Very good live video from a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon. It
says on the back:
"It was the night a dream came through - when two years of motorway
madness, greasy spoon meals, and interminable club gigs suddenly
all seemed worthwhile. Hammersmith Odeon - the oft-sought but
seldom attained aim of every rock band. A capacity audience
hanging on to every note and a massive stage for Marillion to
present their stunning visual theatrics in spectacular style.
Powerful, dramatic music; provocative lyrics and superlative
musicianship. A night to remember - for Marillion to savour with
understandable relish as a major milestone in their career"
Title : Grendel/The Web (EP)
Time : 28:00
Contains: Grendel/The Web (live)
This video has two live tracks; both were encores at the Hammersmith
Odeon concert of "Recital of the Script". It says on the back:
"'Grendel' was originally released on vinyl in October 1982 - our
first ever release on EMI - and an unplanned third encore at the
Hammersmith Odeon show in April 1983. 'The Web' has not been per-
formed live since this show....."
Title : 1982-86 The Videos
Time : 35:00
Market Square Heroes/He Knows You Know/Garden Party/Assassing/
Kayleigh/Lavender/Heart of Lothian/Lady Nina
All the videoclips up to 1986. Some are very good, especially Garden
Party is very funny.
Title : Incommunicado C/W Sugar Mice
Time : 8:46
Contains: Incommunicado/Sugar Mice (videoclips)
Title : Live from Lorely
Time :
Slainte Mhath/Assassing/Script for a Jester's Tear/Incubus/Sugar Mice
Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles/That Time of the Night/Kayleigh/
Lavender/Heart of Lothian/The Last Straw/Incommunicado
Good live video, recorded in St. Goarshausen (Germany) on July 18,
1987. It starts with "La Gazza Ladra" as intro and some backstage
shots.
Title : From Stoke Row to Ipanema
Time : 90:00
Hooks in You/Uninvited Guest (videoclips)
Eric (live rehearsal)
Hollywood Rock Festival, Brazil 1990
Kayleigh/Lavender/Hooks in You (live)
Easter (video)
The Ultimate Gift (live rehearsal)
De Montfort Hall, Leicester, England, 24th April 1990
The King of Sunset Town/Easter/Holloway Girl/
Berlin/Season's End (live)
This video contains some interview with the band, especially to
introduce Steve Hogarth, who recently joined the band at this time.
Title : A Singles Collection
Time :
Sympathy/Cover My Eyes/No One Can/Dry Land/Hooks in You/
Uninvited Guest/Easter (with Hogarth)
Warm Wet Circles/Incommunicado/Kayleigh/Lavender/Assassing/
Garden Party (with Fish)
Once again a lot of videos, only the first 4 tracks were not released
on a video before. Accompanies the CD with the same name. In the
USA this video is called "Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other"
Title : Kerrang! Metal Monsters
Catalog : R0471VH
This is a Kerrang! compilation tape (or video LP actually) that has
various video's, including He Knows You Know. Full tracklisting:
Iron Maiden - "Aces High"
Whitesnake - "Slow An' Easy",
Helix "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'"
Wendy O. Williams "It's My Life"
MARILLION "He Knows You Know"
Motorhead "Killed By Death"
Scorpions "Rock You Like A Hurricane"
W.A.S.P. "Love Machine"
Queensryche "Queen Of The Reich"
Armored Saint "Can U Deliver"
Alcatrazz "God Blessed Video"
Bon Jovi "Runaway"
Kiss "Heaven's On Fire"
------------------------------
6.3 What's a bootleg?
A bootleg is a record that contains an illegal or unauthorized recording
of the band. They're also called "ROIO's": Recording Of Illegal/
Indeterminate Origin. These recordings are used to make LP's and in the
last few years CD's. Most have a catchy title and a nice photograph on the
front. How about the first Hogarth-Marillion CD bootleg, which is called
"Something Fishy Going On"....
The source of the recordings can vary from someone who taped a concert
with his walkman, to an original DAT recording directly from the equipment
of the band. Sometimes a radio broadcast is used. Quality of the bootleg
can vary from very poor to excellent.
------------------------------
6.4 How many bootlegs are there?
There are many bootlegs on vinyl (LP), but I'm not sure how many exactly,
but it is around 250 boots. Far less bootlegs are available on CD,
currently there are 56 known bootlegs for both Fish and Marillion.
A full listing of these CD-bootlegs is available from the listserver, see
question 1.7 for info how to get it.
This listing contains info on date, time, label and location. It also
contains tracklistings and a short review of the disc.
------------------------------
6.5 Where can I buy bootlegs?
They're usually hard to get because bootlegs are illegal. But if you're
lucky, you can run into some at a record store. They're generally easier
to buy in Europe than the States.
Another way is to buy bootlegs is via mail-orders. Mail order companies
that carry Marillion and Fish boots are located in Germany and Italy, but
this changes often. Check specialized magazine's for ads, otherwise ask on
the list if anyone has more info. Sometimes bootlegs are even offered for
sale on the list.
The Marillion and Fish fanclubs also offer several 'official' bootlegs for
sale, more on this in question 7.3.
------------------------------
7. FANCLUBS
Here's a list of all known fanclubs from Marillion and Fish. Both have a
network of fanclubs ("The Web" for Marillion and "The Company" for Fish).
This does not mean the other fanclubs are not official, or not don't get
any support from the bands.
------------------------------
7.1 Addresses of Marillion Fanclubs
*** The Web UK
P.O. Box 533
Richmond, Surrey TW9 2EX
United Kingdom
*** The Web Holland
Postbus 208
2740 AE Waddinxveen
The Netherlands
Phone: +(31)-1228-11446 (only Monday between 19:00 and 21:00 CET)
Membership: Fl.24,50 (Dutch guilders)
*** The Web USA
P.O. Box 7013
Streamwood
Illinois 60107-7013
Unites States of America
*** Blue Angel
25.15 Avenue Cachin
59282 Douchy-les-Mines
France
*** Real to Read
P.O. Box 8
20090 Aeroporte Milano, Linate
Italy
*** The Release
Heudorfstrasse 10
D-7440 Nuertingen
Germany
*** Jester
UL-Brzozowa 30/22
40-170 Katowice
Poland
*** Flaming Shroud
23, Dawes Close
Armitage, Rugeley, Staffs
WS15 4BE
England
*** The Marillion Fanzine
52, Wheelwright Lane
Holbrooks, Coventry CV6 4HH
England
------------------------------
7.2 Addresses of Fish fanclubs
*** The Company Scotland
P.O. Box 3
Haddington
East Lothian EH4 3TA
Scotland
*** The Company Holland
P.O. Box 23815
2502 GV Den Haag
The Netherlands
Phone: +(31)-70-399.88.90
*** The Company North America
dept. kd
PO Box 20766
Castro Valley, CA 94546
For now, one year subscription is $15 and this includes special
merchandise discounts. This will not be a detailed as the Company
Scotland thus I recommend keeping your subscription to the Company
Scotland if you desire that in depth information that Fish details
there.
*** Company Austria
Kaistrasse 24/3/19
1100 Vienna
Austria
*** The Company Germany
Post Fach 3022
5205 St. Augustin 3
Germany
*** The Company Belgium
Distelstraat 63
1030 Brussels
Belgium
*** The Company Italy
Via Latuada 20
20135 Milano
Italy
*** Company Scandinavia
Per Hansson
Lindormsgatan 55
502 37 Boras
Sweden
*** Company France
BP50, 92332
Chatillon-Cedex
France
------------------------------
7.3 What about the official bootlegs?
MARILLION:
Marillion have released two live CD's on their own label, called Racket.
The first one is called "Live at the Borderline" which was recorded at the
Borderline club in London at May 9, 1992. The second disc is called "Live
at Caracas" and was recorded in Caracas Argentine on September 30, 1992.
The Caracas recording is much cleaner and according to some better than
the Borderline disc. Others prefer the Borderline disc because it's closer
to a 'real' live concert (i.e. it's not perfect). More info is in the
bootleg list (see chapter on bootlegs).
These bootlegs are only available to fanclub members, they can order two
copies of each disc.
FISH:
Fish too has released several official bootlegs, 5 total. These are all
high quality double CD's with at least 100 minutes of material and cost
only 14 pounds (plus 1 pound postage in the UK, more elsewhere). Five
more CD's will be released in the future.
The 5 2CD bootlegs of The Company Scotland are available ALSO for
non-members. I think you can buy any quantity. The Fish bootlegs are also
for sale in many local CD shops in the USA, for prices between $20 and
$30 US dollars, keep your eyes open! If you're clueless where to look, ask
someone on the list.
------------------------------
8. OTHER BANDS
------------------------------
8.1 I like Marillion. What other bands can you recommend?
There are many bands that make the same kind of music (often referred to
as "progressive rock") as Marillion. Here are some suggestions you may
want to check out:
Anglagard Genesis (*)
Aragon Haze
Arrakeen i.Q.
Asgard Pallas
Cathedral (US) Pendragon
Chandelier Pink Floyd (*)
Dream Theater (*) Rush (*)
Peter Gabriel (*) Shadowland (*)
Galahad Twelft Night
(*) has its own mailinglist.
This is just a small selection of many good bands that make great music.
Every now and then there is a discussion on the Freaks list on different
music than just Marillion/Fish. That's were I got some of the above
mentioned bands. Further you can check out the UseNet newsgroup
alt.music.progressive.
A special mailinglist for progressive music is Gibraltar (address?). They
have a quite big survey file, available via ftp at ftp.uwp.edu in
pub/music/lists/gibraltar/1993survey. This list covers over 1000 bands.
Highly recommended.
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