Customer Reviews

Clutching at Straws

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always loved Marillion's music as an escape. The storytelling of the songs and the incredible musicianship have the ability to take you away from whatever may be kicking around in your head. Yes, I am partial to the group's work with Fish over Steve Hogarth - who does a good job in his own right. Fish's lyrics and the way he sings them make you feel the emotion, whether it's anger or sorrow or anything in between. Musically this album probably isn't as diverse as some of their earlier work, but the playing is superb and does not disappoint.
Just like any Marillion album, this one is best when listened to as a whole. Some favorites include: Hotel Hobbies, Warm Wet Circles, That Time Of The Night, Just For The Record, Slainte Mhath and Sugar Mice.
If are a fan of progressive rock or just great storytelling and music, this is a must have. If you are new to Marillion I would suggest; Script For A Jester's Tear, Misplaced Childhood and Clutching At Straws as a good place to start.

For me, as good as "Misplaced Childhood" or even better.
Artistic evaluation has obviously some (or much) of subjectivity, but I really changed my opinion on this album after had heard it a couple of times. Conceptual but not boring, played technically near to perfection, and Fish singing with passion. Worth the listening, worth any comparison to other Marillion's outputs.

Almost 20 years ago since this classic appeared in 1987. The first thing I heard from it was the single "Incommunicado" which I really enjoyed. The album appeared a few weeks later and at the time I really didn't understand a lot of the background about the album, I was however struck by the emotion of the lyrics and Fish's singing was as good as I had ever heard it. There were a number of very emotionally moving songs so beautifully sung by Fish and played by the band (Steve Rothery - Guitar, Mark Kelly - Keyboards, Ian Mosley - Drums and Pete Trewavas - Bass (who would also join up with Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Neal Morse (Spock's Beard) and Roine Stolt (Flower Kings) to form a superb "sideline" band called "Transatlantic" in 2001)).

The songs were written in a number of places all around the world (one presumes whilst Fish was with the band on tour) and it feels like Fish was telling a story from place to place about life on the road (eg alcohol and attempts to deal with it and the impact on life - in real time - check out "Just for the record" for starters). I think (when I'm in the "sit down and listen" mood) this is my favourite Marillion album, because it has a feel that is brutally honest, from the heart and sung with passion and 110% emotion (eg check out the opening suite of songs that merge so beautifully together - "Hotel Hobbies" / "Warm Wet Circles" / "That time of the night"), it really moves me like few other albums have (the closest might be Genesis - "Duke" in songs like "Duchess" and "Please don't ask"). Individually the songs are superb ("Sugar Mice" is just stunning), great hooks and melody and when played from start to finish they are just something else, like a book that is so good you just can't put it down.

In summary it's hard to single out any one song, they are all so good and the flow from one to another makes this a very very special album. This was to be Fish's last album with Marillion, he returned as a solo artist in 1990 with the excellent "Virgil in a Wilderness of mirrors".

I find this album to be a truly rewarding listening experience, it has so much emotion. I really enjoy it and hope you do as well.

After recently discovering Marillion and listening to approximately 7 of their albums for 2 months solid, I would like to voice my unbiased opinion in the hopes it may help someone new to the band make good buying decisions. First I would say that you can't go wrong by getting any releases from them that are consistently rated with 5 stars...Clutching at Straws, Misplaced Childhood, Afraid of Sunlight, Brave, etc...(notice there are 2 five star albums from each "era" of the band). Be careful of many biased opinions out there...many fans who have been loyal followers of this band tend to side with the Fish
Years and are quite unforgiving concerning Hogarth and some of the musical directions the band has chosen to explore. There are however some truths to what is said in alot of the reviews...Fish was a better lyricsist...H has a greater vocal range, etc,etc,etc. However, don't allow that to stop you from "tasting" both incarnations of the band. I can personally say (after spending ample time with both eras) that I like Afraid of Sunlight as well as Clutching at Sraws and Seasons End as well as Misplaced Childhood or Script. I will also say that after somewhat recently stepping away from the "older","hardcore","Weirder" type of progressive music (King Crimson, Yes, Gentle Giant, Gabriel Genesis, etc...) I find myself grabbing for Hogarth era releases more often than the Fish era ones. Once again, that is NOT to say one is better than the other, its just where I'm personally at RIGHT NOW. Also, please don't misunderstand me...I adore the above mentioned bands...these are the "Godfathers" of this Genre of music that I love so much and they will always have a special place in my collection(besides, in another year or two I'll go through another "weird","hardcore","older" progressive phase). After digging-in to the bands "essential" albums, you are only limited by the back catalogue of releases and your creedance in the individual reviews. I, myself, put quite a bit of belief in these reviews, however, I have also purchased several albums that I like that had mixed reviews (Holidays in Eden, Anoraknophobia,etc...). I will admit that although the above mentioned albums don't "resonate" within me like the "essentials", I am glad I gave them a chance. So I hope this review will help "ease the pain" of figuring out which of all the Marillion releases to buy. I have ordered several more albums and DVDs from both eras and am looking forward to checking out ALL of them (can't wait to recieve 'Marbles' and accompyning DVD). Happy Listening!
P.S. I recently recieved and viewed 'From Stroke Row to Ipanema' which is a documentary/Concert DVD from the 'Seasons End' tour...Absolutely Killer concert---strongly recommended!

A friend who was in the army at the time (81-82 I think it was) came back from England raving about this band he'd seen at Reading over there and had the Grendel EP. It was almost a year before I saw the "Jester's Tear" album and I have been listening to Marillion and Fish ever since!!

With all due respect to "Misplaced Childhood", this is my favorite Marillion album (when pressed I'll actually admit that Childhood is my LEAST favorite Fish era album)! I don't think there's a bad song on it and consider "Slainte Mhath", "White Russian" and "The Last Straw" to be among the best songs Marillion has PERIOD. Too bad it was their last recording together; they did seem to be evolving into an even better group. (Was darn glad to see the Loreley DVD finally get released!!)

I've had the original release of this CD since it came out in 1988 but recently bought an enhanced version, can't tell if it's this one or not. It says enhanced and import but I don't see any mention of what's on the 2nd disc of the one I bought.

On mine the 2nd disc is the never before released demos of what would have been their next album...basically Fish singing the words to "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors" over the music that became "Season's End"!!! FASCINATING examination of what could have been. The best is the words that became "Family business" over the music of what eventually became (I think) "Easter"!!

If you are a fan of Fish and/or Marillion and you don't have this, your collection is incomplete...get it NOW! If you have the original release but want to hear the (I'll say again) fascinating "what could have been", then shell out the extra $$ and get this. If you are as big a fan as I am, you won't be sorry.

This album is one of the best prog rock albums ever recorded after Misplaced Childhood. In fact, I read somewhere it is Fish's favorite Marillion album. Unlike Misplaced Childhood, not all the songs are great (there may be 1 or 2 clunkers here, depending on your tastes). However, if you disregard that, this album is truly outstanding. Highlights include: The last straw, Sugar mice, That time of the night, Just for the record, Slainte mhath, Torch song, etc. I personally like all the songs and never get tired of listening to this album. Like Misplaced Childhood, it is beautifully recorded and executed to perfection. I wished Fish had recorded more albums with Marillion. You can really see his genius in full gear on this album. The climactic moments are very strong. I also love the guitar solos; I wished I could play guitar like this. The guitar playing would make David Gilmour jealous, I swear.
5 stars (I'd award more stars if this were possible)

Marillion is one of rock's great undiscovered treasures, and it would almost be a shame for that to change at this point. Though they've been in existence for nearly 30 years and released well over a dozen studio albums, they've never approached a real commercial breakthrough in the States. Yet their shows here sell out, their appearances here are events, and their American fanbase is as tightly bound as any collection of Deadheads, a devout and diverse brethren who revel in their select citizenship on one of prog rock's little-known islands.

For the uninitiated, "Clutching At Straws" is an historically relevant and musically accessible place to dive into the pool and test the water. Released in 1987, this was Marillion's 4th album, and their last with the original singer, Fish. By '89 Steve Hogarth was manning the mike. Hogarth has gone on to lead the band far longer than his predecessor, yet there is a contingent of fans who cling to the "real" Marillion; Fish's Marillion. While I don't take it this far, I find this brand of devotion easy to understand whenever I revisit this album.

Like most of Marillion's work, "Clutching At Straws" is conceptual. Expanding the theme of growing up too fast that was at the core of 1985's "Misplaced Childhood," "Straws" examines the trappings of adulthood, responsibility, and the temptation to drown one's sorrows. The sleeve-art depictions of multiple artists who died young (including John Lennon, Dylan Thomas, and Lenny Bruce) would suggest that "Straws" is about the excesses of success, but a close listen to Fish's lyrics reveals an everyman story; the guy 'in his cups' at the end of the bar could be a millionaire, or he could be an out-of-work joe; alcoholism isn't picky.

From a musical standpoint, Marillion is definitely prog; complex and interweaving. Don't let that scare you away. This isn't musical showing off or shapeless wandering. What has always set Marillion apart in the prog universe is their adherence to song form and their ability to write beautiful music; some of it sad, some of it haunting, some of it heavy, all of it easy to love. Try this album, then try 1994's "Brave" as an introduction to the Hogarth era. That way, you will have heard (in my opinion) the best of both worlds, and you can decide for yourself if you want to take sides. Myself, I like the whole island.

Marillion's last CD with FISH on vocals falls just short of the level they attained with Misplaced Childhood, but not by much. In true prog-rock fashion, the first few tracks slip seamlessly into one another. Incommunicado is the liveliest track, on par with Market Square Heroes and for a long time was met with as much exuberance in the live shows as that original Marillion anthem. The content of most of the songs deals with the introspective view of Fish (or his alter ego), drinking too much (Torch Song), dealing with fame (Incommunicado) and waxing melancholic over lost loves (Sugar Mice) and watching others lose love and get confused by it (At That Time of the Night and Warm Wet Circles). The band give a political warning shot over their view of rising anti-semitism with White Russian. As always, the CD is a powerful musical journey though perhaps too solemn or depressing for some.

CLUTCHING AT STRAWS, Marillion's last CD with Fish on lead vocals, is an album whose songs have multiple meanings. The obvious theme of the album is that alcohol, or any vice, simply numbs you but doesn't get rid of what's going on around you, and that sooner or later, you have to face the reality of what's happened to you or is happening. It is this interpretation that led to my decision to choose cranberry juice over wine for certain Jewish prayers at holiday times, and to put pictures of pretty actresses in my wallet to help me ward off the urge to overindulge in even the most harmless vices.

But this album has another meaning as well. Being that Fish left the band right after the tour to support it, it could be seen, as ALLMUSIC GUIDE said, as Fish saying that the band is, in his mind, not only over, but is, as far as he's concerned, null and void. This meaning, for me, is how I feel regarding my old school, as I have pictures of numerous actresses on my wall as a deterrent to going to food-related reunions there. In other words, this is also a CD about letting go of the past.

Thus, it can be fairly said that CLUTCHING AT STRAWS is actually saying a lot of things, and not just one thing. This CD will give you a reason to believe that looking good for your significant other and/or your favorite celebrity sometimes means letting go of the past, even if it sometimes feels safer to hold on.

SIN LUGAR A DUDAS, LAS EXPECTATIVAS DESPUES DEL GRAN EXITO DE "MISPLACED CHILDHOOD", ERAN SIN DUDA LA CONSAGRACION DE "MARILLION" COMO LA MEJOR BANDA SURGIDA EN LOS 80'S, Y LA ESPERA VALIO LA PENA, REGRESANDO CON SU MEJOR TRABAJO HASTA ESE MOMENTO, Y EL TIEMPO NOS DARIA LA RAZON DEMOSTRANDO QUE SERIA SU MEJOR OBRA DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS, UN TRABAJO CONCEPTUAL QUE COMIENZA CON "HOTEL HOBBIES", PASANDO POR "WARM WET CIRCLES" Y "THAT TIME OF THE NIGHT", NO SOLO LLEVANDO UNA CONTINUIDAD EN LA HISTORIA QUE EL GRAN MAESTRO DEREK WILLIAM DICK (MEJOR CONOCIDO COMO "FISH" )NOS RELATA A TRAVES DE SUS VIAJES E INCURSIONES EN LA OBRA DE ALGUNOS AUTORES COMO KERUAC, SINO A TRAVES DE LOS SONIDOS CASI MAGICOS DE CADA UNO DE LOS INSTRUMENTOS DE ESTOS CUATRO VIRTUOSOS, QUE NOTA A NOTA, JUNTO CON CHRIS KIMSEY EN LA PRODUCCION, PARECEN HABER PULIDO ESTA OBRA MAESTRA PARA PERMANECER INTACTA EN SUS ARREGLOS AL PASO DE LOS AÑOS, NO DEJA DE ASOMBRARNOS; HASTA LLEGAR A "SUGAR MICE" Y "HAPPY ENDING" CON UNA RIQUEZA MUSICAL QUE HASTA EL DIA DE HOY NO ME CANSO DE ESCUCHAR DESDE PRINCIPIO A FIN,DESDE ESE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1987 HASTA LA FECHA MI ALBUM FAVORITO DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS,... Y HACE 25 AÑOS QUE VIVO ENGANCHADO EN ESTE FABULOSO MUNDO DE LA MUSICA Y ESTE GENERO LLAMADO ROCK EN TODAS SUS FACETAS. ¡GRACIAS MARILLION Y GRAN DESPEDIDA A FISH!