Marillion
Clutching At Straws

THE REVIEW

For some, it represents the final chapter and masterpiece, for others just the death before a better rebirth: in any case, "Clutching At Straws", from 1987, marks a point of no return. Compared to the previous three albums, it’s a bit different, there’s less prog, while still staying within the confines of 70s rock. But a slight change from a musical point of view is not always a sign of something negative. "Clutching At Straws" is the Marillion album that more than any other manages to evoke emotions, with its subtle veil of melancholy and sadness in which it is wrapped.

The title already explains the main theme addressed by Fish: "Clutching At Straws" literally means grabbing at straws, like when making a draw, deciding the fate of a certain event; at the same time it’s an English idiom meaning clutching at straws. It is thus a metaphor with two meanings on life: how it can be influenced by our right or wrong choice, but also by luck, and how we desperately try to hold onto something even when all is lost.

We start with a fantastic atmosphere in "Hotel Hobbies", where Steve Rothery plays one of the most beautiful guitar solos in Marillion's history. Without interruption comes the most passionate track of the album, "Warm Wet Circles". What more poetic way can there be to describe a kiss on the cheek? A warm wet circle... (Like a mother’s kiss on your first broken heart / A warm wet circle). Listening to the perfect combination of instruments, one cannot help but feel some emotion stirred by this magnificent piece. Again directly connected we find "That Time Of The Night (The short straw)", with a nice bass by Pete Trewavas at the beginning and then that goosebump-inducing keyboard riff. In this listening too, emotions are vibrant. The theme of bad luck returns, when you draw the short straw and things seem to go wrong. Then the usual almost shouted finale by Fish and the reprise of "Warm Wet Circles", sung by the talented backup singer Tessa Niles. "Going Under" is a short arpeggiated interlude, with a very sad atmosphere. "Just For The Record" changes tone and has a chorus truly worthy of note. "White Russian" is a very energetic track and is pleasing from the first listen, opposing neo-Nazism and the lyrics were inspired by a visit of Fish to the Jewish district of Vienna. "Incommunicado", with its catchy rhythm, has a synthesizer that is simply poetry from beginning to end and it also enjoyed moderate commercial success as a single.

The song "Torch Song" has a nice atmosphere and tells the story of Torch, a mythical figure invented by Fish, a sort of guardian angel, destroyer demon, and savior deity of the world. The beautiful piano introduces an absolutely fantastic track, "Slainthe Mhath", with a nice chord change and the echo-effect guitar that seems to speak. Slainthe Mhath in ancient Scottish means “good fortune” and it is dedicated to all those workers who didn’t have a good time in the UK in the 80s (They promised us miracles / But the whistle still blows). "Sugar Mice" is a very sad song that speaks of the melancholic reality of many fathers who do not see their children after divorce, whose pain and guilt "melt them like sugar mice in the rain": Blame it on me, blame it on me / We’re just sugar mice in the rain. In the concluding "The Last Straw" that atmosphere described above persists, with a nice riff and the finale that quotes the famous English proverb “Drowning men will grasp at straws”: I’m still drowning / we’re clutching at straws.

Paradoxically, the finale is called “Happy Ending”. The 1998 CD version with an extra CD contains truly interesting material. There’s an alternative version for the single "Incommunicado" and its B-side with the song "Tux On", a real gem, which tells how lucky someone is born with a silver spoon, or in this case with a Tux, an elegant suit. The extended version of "Going Under" is beautiful, perhaps even better than the one on the album. And then there are the unreleased: "Beaujolais Day", "Story From A Thin Wall", "Shadows On The Barley", "Sunset Hill", "Tic-Tac-Toe", "Voice In The Crowd", and "Exile In Princes Street" are all wonderful songs. One wonders why they weren’t published at the time because a nice double LP was really needed. Here and there you can hear some pieces that will end up in Fish's first solo album. Finally, there is a demo of "White Russian" and the first version of "Sugar Mice", entitled "Sugar Mice In The Rain".

A few words should also be said about the cover: we are faced with a darker artwork compared to previous ones, half photograph and half drawing. There are Marillion in a bar with figures of famous people (John Lennon and Marlon Brando appear on the back, for example) linked to the complex themes of the LP conceived by Fish. In the foreground is the figure in a coat and painted face of Torch, which ensures the continuity of the concept work started in the previous three sleeves (the jester’s hat indeed peeks out of the pocket). It is a good work by the artist Mark Wilkinson, but perhaps a bit less exciting than the previous ones. During the discussion and realization of the album cover, Fish's attitude is strangely detached and he leaves the band to take care of it. In return, he overwhelms the band with words for the songs, and the first tensions arise because the rest of the band would like more space for the instrumental parts. During the mixing phase of the album, the first real disagreements start within the band. Fish is accused of having a too critical attitude in the recording studios: he even asks Steve Rothery to re-record a guitar solo, deemed not up to par. The argument in the studio is violent, Fish throws a whiskey bottle that narrowly misses the guitarist, who sends everyone to hell, slamming the door behind him. The whole band is shocked, so much so that the bassist Pete Trewavas has a bad accident with his car on the way home. Meanwhile, Fish gets engaged and decides to start a family. He decides to ask for loans for a mortgage and asks manager John Arnison if the band’s income allows him. He assures the singer that everything is in order, but it will not be so. Fish is furious and comes to despise the band manager. He manages to convince the band that it's time to get rid of him, but John Arnison manages to take the Marillion’s side. Fish, annoyed, thinks this is the straw that breaks the camel's back and finally leaves Marillion. From here on Marillion will continue with the very talented singer Steve Hogarth, turning towards a different rock style, while Fish will start a dazzling solo career. We are left only with the regret for the end of a myth and for the magic of an era that is no longer there, with this "Clutching at Straws": defining it just a flash of genius would be reductive.