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Rating: Considered in a somber march on the inexorable avenue of sunset, the Albion Marillion unleash a performance that leaves one astonished: "Marbles" is a double compact disc distributed directly by themselves (the version available in stores is the single one), yet it shines with an overall quality that is astonishing. The band's idea has bewildered industry insiders: the project was indeed funded by the fans themselves, whom the band asked for a sort of "voluntary subscription" in order to create the "masterpiece" with adequate technical means. And, needless to say, they succeeded.
The memory of the best Marillion is closely linked to the figure of vocalist Fish, as well as to an album of the caliber of "Misplaced Childhood". His successor, Steve Hogarth, has nonetheless demonstrated enviable interpretative qualities and today, despite age and a more measured range compared to his beginnings, he seals every track of "Marbles" with exemplary vocal pathos. The over thirteen minutes of "The Invisible Man" serve as a perfect, highly emotional introduction and are played almost "at the fingertips", demonstrating the undeniable technical skills of the group. Listening, echoes of Pink Floyd, U2, and even Coldplay emerge (certain bass/piano combinations are unmistakable), but the magic of Marillion remains intact, as clearly evident from the sugary enchantment of "Angelina," a sort of coy sonic cunnilingus, from the psychedelic tunnels of "Drilling Holes" or from the epic breath of the wonderful "Neverland," a true transcendent sum of the entire concept.
The Marillion of 2004 do not evidently fall into any "post" category of rock of our time, and indeed they often gaze out onto the vast sound prairies of the Seventies. Yet "Marbles" evokes genuine and stunning emotions, skillfully playing with the nostalgic perceptions of the collective unconscious, in a maze of references that first lulls and then fascinates. It is an album born from a love story, musicians and enthusiasts uniting their forces for a common project, and for once we can affirm that money was the means and not the end of the affair. If "Misplaced Childhood" can be framed in some ways as their "Dark Side Of The Moon," this "Marbles" could be the equivalent of a "Wish You Were Here".
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 You're Gone (06:28)
You're gone. As suddenly as you came to me
Like nightfall followed dawn without a day between
You're gone and suddenly I can't see
I'm in the shadow of you
I'm in the shadow of you
I can see you in my minds rose-tinted eye..
Somewhere you're drifting by
Your heels rolling sparks on the lucky street
While here am I, left behind
Stunned and blind
But I can see you from here
I can see you so clear
You are the light
You are the light
You have the day
I have the night
But we have the early hours together
You're gone, and heaven cries.
A thunderstorm breaks from the northern sky
Chasing you back to the daily grind
You're gone. And where am I?
A haunted life
The ghost of your laughter
The half-empty glass
The half-empty glass
And I wait
'til midnight tolls
Two souls almost touching in the dark
I'll be allright
You are the light
You are the light
You have the day
I have the night
But we have the early hours
We have the early hours
We have the early hours together
04 Angelina (07:41)
Every day at 5 am
If you're down or in a mess
Get off on Angelina
When you've stayed up far too late
Fallen through the door in a state
Call her at the premium rate
Tune in to on Angelina
Don't touch that dial
Don't go to bed
Don't read a book
Call up instead
Angelina takes requests
Every day at 5 am
If you're down or under stress
Get into Angelina
When you've stayed up far too late
If you're life is in a state
Call her at the premium rate
Get into Angelina
Don't touch that dial
Don't go to bed
Don't read a book
Call up instead
0800 s l e e p y h e a d
Get off on Angelina
Lonelymansbestfriend
Lonelymansbestfriend
All the classics
All the hits
Angelina, she's got it
Ultra lounge and acid kitsch
Get off on Angelina
Something wicked something bad
Something for your mom and dad
Don't get even, Don't get mad
Get off on Angelina
Lonelymansbestfriend
Lonelymansbestfriend
Ooooh
Mad Bad Kitsch Hits Shhh'
Angelina mega-jock
Angelina round the clock
Twin decked. Canned up. Ready to rock..
05 Marbles II (01:55)
When I was a child I had marbles
They brought admiration and fame
They were pretty to look at and marbles
Was always my favourite game
We played all the summer days
In the stony alleyways
In the playground after class
We would trade the coloured glass
More valuable than diamonds
More magical than diamonds
Did anyone see..
Did anyone see..
Does anyone see?
Does anyone see?
07 Fantastic Place (06:12)
It's always a struggle
To let somebody go
It's a natural desire
To own your lover, I know
And you can screw a man down
Until he takes to drinking
He'll give you all of his money
You still won't know what he's thinking
Take me to the fantastic place
Keep the rest of my life away
Take me to the fantastic place
Keep the rest of my life away
Take me to the island
I'll watch the rain over your shoulder
The streetlights in the water
The moment outside of real life
I never could dream while I was sleeping
Put your arms around my soul
And take it dancing..
Take me to the fantastic place
Keep the rest of my life away
Take me to the fantastic place
Keep the rest of my life away
Take me to the island
I'll watch the rain over your shoulder
The streetlights on the wet stone
The moment outside of real life
Say you understand me
And I will leave myself completely
Forgive me if I stare
But I can see the island behind your tired, troubled eyes
Take me to the island
I'll tell you all I never told you
The boy I never showed you
More than I gave in my life
Take me by the hand
You'll either kill me or you'll save me
Take me to the island
Show me what might be real life
11 Neverland (12:09)
When the darkness takes me over
Face down, emptier than zero
Invisible you come to me
..quietly
Stay beside me
Whisper to me "Here I am"
And the loneliness fades
Some people think I'm something
Well you gave me that, I know
I always feel like nothing
When I'm in the dark alone
You provided the soul, the spark that
drives me on
Makes me something more than
flesh and bone
At times like these
Any fool can see
Any fool can see
Your love inside me
All these years
Truth in front of my eyes
While I denied
What my heart knows was right
At times like these
Any fool can see
Any fool can see
Your love inside me
I want to be someone
I want to be someone
I want to be someone
Who someone would want to be
Someone would want to be
Wendy
Darling
In the kitchen
With your dreams
Will you fly
again
Take to the sky
again
Undo the hooks
Once and for all
Banish the tic tic tic tok tok tok
Again
Will you be
Yourself for me
Cause I can take it
I can stand
Anything
When you're with me
I can stand it
I can stand
But when you're gone
I never land
In Neverland
Want to be someone someone
would want to be
someone someone would want to be
someone someone would want to be
someone someone someone someone
Any fool
Any fool can see
Any fool can see
Your love
Inside me
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