Afraid Of Sunlight (With Bonus Disc) [Original recording remastered]

Marillion | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 19, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sbme Castle Us
• ASIN: B00005Y4ON
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #514,383 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Gazpacho

2. Cannibal Surf Babe

3. Beautiful

4. Afraid of Sunlight

5. Out of This World

6. Afraid of Sunlight

7. Beyond You

8. King

Disc: 2

1. Icon

2. Live Forever

3. Second Chance (AKA Beautiful) [#]

4. Beyond You [#][Demo Version]

5. Cannibal Surf Babe [#][Version]

6. Out of This World [Studio Outtake [#][Version]

7. Bass Frenzy [#]

8. Mirages [#][Demo Version]

9. Afraid of Sunlight [Acoustic Demo][#]

Editorial Reviews

Remastered. Bonus CD includes rarities, outtakes and unreleased tracks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this now!, June 30, 2000

By 

A. C. H. Bergh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Afraid of Sunlight (Audio CD)

I remembering seeing Marillion during their first concert in Holland. And buying their first album, Script from a Jester's Tear, during a trip to Belgium soon afterwards.

This was the early 80's, and while there had had been a few bands that had tried to emulate - unsuccessfully! - groups like ELP and Yes, no-one had dared to even come close to the enigmatic and literary Genesis. Marillion did, with a vengeance. And with a spirit, originality and a raw emotional input which reflected the punk era that was only then evolving into more mature forms. This wasn't emulation, thank God, it was inspiration.

The driving force behind Marillion was, at that time, their singer, Fish. And so, when Fish left after the fourth studio album (Clutching at Straws), it was obviously all over.

Only it wasn't. Sure enough Marillion went on to release a few albums which were, in relative terms at least, totally dispensable (Seasons End and Holidays in Eden). But after the brave Brave came the extraordinary Afraid of Sunlight, an exceptionally beautiful album which I bought on a whim and only came to like - love, if you will - reluctantly. And as the songs grew on me, I had to accept that a new Marillion had been born. A warmer and more thoughtful group, and a very mature and intelligent band to boot. And better yet, a band which managed to produce that finest of elements in music: a sense of wonder, of magic, of being drawn into textures and sounds and words which are rewarding, which mean something.

There are few bands in the so-called "progressive music" niche these days which are worthwhile. That isn't surprising: this is the most challenging and difficult sort of music there is, and in our day and age, this sort of stuff is not commercially viable (unless you simply reproduce riffs and solos already recorded thirty years back, which most "prog" groups do). Marillion, however, steer well clear of such traps. From Brave - and certainly "Afraid" onwards - they have come into their own.

I very strongly recommend this album to anyone with a serious interest in music. That is, to anyone willing to accept that music isn't just something to listen to while doing something else, but something that in and of itself can be a wondrous experience. I didn't want to like this album, but I did. And I do. This is, simply put, Very Good Stuff.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of this world, September 16, 2004

By 

Dynamo (The Hague, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afraid Of Sunlight (With Bonus Disc) (Audio CD)

Both EMI and Marillion were still reeling from the relative commercial disappointment of the "Brave" album. They thought it was a masterpiece (and right they were), but just couldn't understand how the world hadn't noticed. Racked by self-doubt and emotional turmoil, Marillion started recording "Afraid Of Sunlight". As Steve Hogarth says: 'There never has been an initial "vision", or a master plan ..Like the others, "Afraid Of Sunlight" was another product of flailing around in the darkness. I think it's the best record we've made'. This quote says it all.
On 24 bits it sounds great. Best songs are: Afraid Of Sunlight, Beyond You, King, Out Of This World and Beautiful. The bonus disc, however, is an interesing collectors item but does not add anything special.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their best work with Steve Hogarth, April 25, 2003

By 

Heitor Manuel "incommunicado" (Lisboa, Portugal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afraid Of Sunlight (With Bonus Disc) (Audio CD)

The departure of Fish from Marillion back in 1988 left me sad at the time. His lyrics, voice and presence on stage were unique. The remaining members of the band knew that better that anyone, at it took them some time to find a proper substitute. But they ended up choosing well, as the quality of Marillion's music remained untouchable after more than 2 decades of existence.

This was the 4th album released with Steve Hogarth. On the previous 3, his influence on the band's direction grew gradually. In Seasons End was still reduced (naturally...), in Holidays In Eden we saw him introducing new sounds and different writing themes, and in Brave his integration on the band (and vice versa) was completed. Although I adore The Great Escape/Falling from the Moon & Made Again (from Brave), I prefer the first 2 works.

From this point of view, I think this was the moment were all contribution from the new member were best combined with Marillion trademark sounding. After this, they started searching for new directions, and I think they are being well succeeded (Marillion.com is a good example of that).

It's one of the few albums I listen from start to finish without having to advance a single song. Gazpacho and Cannibal Surf Babe open the album in a promising way and are followed by Beautiful. Each time I listen to this last track I get the feeling that, with proper promotion, it would have been Top10 in several charts (but that doesn't make a difference, does it?). The remaining songs are all quality pieces, specially the last 3 ones (title track, Beyond You and King). The final section of King is my highlight of the album.

For starters or old aficionados who lost contact with the band after the big poet's departure, this album has lots of chances to become a really good surprise.