Customer Reviews

Marillion: Live From Loreley

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This Video was recorded during the 1987 world tour. The show recorded was from an open air festival in loreley ( Germany ) on the european leg of the tour. This video will be of little interest to Hogarth era fans, as it was shot before he jioned the band< but on the other hand if you are a fan of the Fish era you really need to see this video, it captures all the great songs from that time, when some say, Marillion were at their best!

When I bought the first few Marillion L.P.'s in the early 80's, I couldn't get far past the fact that they sounded too much like Gabriel-led Genesis. Then during the last few months I bought the "Script for a Jester's Tear" C.D. (2 C.D. set). I was so blown away by it that I wound up buying all four studio and two live Marillion C.D.'s that Fish appeared on as lead singer. And now I don't find even early Genesis music nearly as enjoyable to listen to as I do these Marillion C.D.s, especially "Script" and "Misplaced Childhood." (I realize that many Genesis fans feel that I am blaspheming making this statement!)

This DVD "Live in Loreley" is an EXCELLENT DVD that captures a very electric concert where Marillion plays a powerful selection of songs from their first four C.D.'s. It features some of the best songs from "Clutching at Straws" (the album that they were touring for at the time), the first half of "Misplaced Childhood", a couple of tracks from "Fugazi", and the title track from "Script from a Jester's Tear" (my favorite track off of this incredible debut C.D.)

This DVD captures the feeling of "being there" at the concert. I've played it over and over again and it hasn't lost it's magic yet. I look forward to getting the DVD "Recital of the Script" to see their initial concert tour.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED piece of Prog Rock history! Too bad there are no Genesis DVD's available from the Gabriel era and before "there were three."

I've just watched this wonderful DVD for the first time recently and have already come away from it with a new respect for the Fish-era Marillion(notice the date of this review...Yes, I'm very much a late-comer discovering this great band). Not since RUSH have I witnessed a band stay so true to the original studio recordings---No doubt about it...these guys were "ON" that July night in 1987. I must admit, since "finding" this band, I'd been focusing my attentions mainly on newer releases from the group, so I had yet to actually see any video/concert footage of Fish with the band. I had recently viewed several concerts with Steve H. at the helm so I was familiar with the great show this band is capable of putting on. However, I wasn't expecting to see how charismatic and precise Fish was. Let's face it---this guy is not your typical everyday "Hot-Shot" lead singer(BTW, you ARE reading a Drummer's review who is very familiar with LSD...Lead Singer Disease). I was quite surprised to see the "Big Guy" getting around on stage including some "off the charts" leg kicks and antics that are bordering on amusing(most notably in "Incubus" and "Incommunicado"). But I was most impressed with his vocal delivery and ability to duplicate live the material the band had released to that point---this concert showcases most of the 'highlights' from their first 4 albums(though "Script" is represented only by the title track). As mentioned earlier, I had already seen more recent concerts of the band so I knew what to expect from the musicians...very tight and tasteful ensemble playing. For me, its very refreshing to hear(and watch) a "progressive" band that are very much 'equals' with no "over the top" egos commonly associated with technically challenging music.

As for the DVD version of this show, I found the audio and video very acceptable considering this is a VHS transfer and the date of filming. In summary, I would definitely recommend this energetic concert DVD. And as a fan of the band doesn't "take sides", I would also urge you to check out "Marbles on the Road" DVD and "From Stroke Row to Ipanema". P.S. See all my recent Marillion 'product' reviews for more recommendations, thoughts, opinions, ramblings and "The Story So Far". Enjoy, Jeff

If you are a big fan of 'old' Marillion, this is the one to get! It's a redoing of the old VHS, but the sound has been bumped up a notch with a 5-channel option. And it includes tunes from their last two LPs with Fish, as I think this must have been the last tour he did with the band before leaving for his solo career. Fish looks a bit 'chubby', but he never did play himself off as a 'rock idol', so it's actually quite endearing an aging geezer like me!

This is the sonic and visual record of a marvelous Marillion performance in Germany near the end of the Fish-era. The band and the big Scot are at the top of their game. The crowd is on the same wave length with the band and the interaction is electric. I own most of both the Fish-era and Hogarth-era output and this is one of my favorites. If you own a dvd player you can save a wad of money by ordering the newly re-released and remastered Dolby Digital Surround version of this fine concert from EMI on marillion.com. The disc, along with the shipping, will set you back less than 30 bucks. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, this dvd will be available here on Amazon. Enjoy. . .

First of all the sound is very good and the performance here is near-perfect. This is a performance in Germany with a slightly husky Fish firmly at the till and he delivers. The band's setlist is very good giving a large nod to "Clutching at Straws" and "Misplaced Childhood". If I must nit-pick, the arena's stage was a bit small and drab looking, with numerous shots of Rothery standing in front of some kind of ugly white plywood wall, and very harse spolights that made the stage look rather ugly, but that's the venue's fault and not the bands, of course> Given the fact that the sound is great, and picture quality is very good it's a worthy pickup

I've had this on VHS for years and it's great to finally convert it over to DVD. There's not much in the way of extras and it would have been nice to get some interview material from the band reflecting back on what was Fish's last tour with Marillion. The film is a time capsule of 1987, especially when you see the fashion trends on display by both the band and their fans. Still, the production qualities are excellent and for the most part the camera work and audio throughout is solid. Fans of Fish-era Marillion owe it to themselves to have this in their collection.

IF YOU LOVE MARILLION YOU MUST GET THIS LIVE RECORDING. THE REMASTER IS SUPERB. THIS IS THE FISH ERA AND IT NEVER SOUNDED BETTER. IF YOU HAVE A GOOD SOUND SYSTEM YOU WILL PICK UP EVERY DETAIL IN PRISTINE FASHION. THE SONG SELECTIONS ARE GREAT. ESPECIALLY THE MUSIC FROM FUGAZI. THEY BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO IT. I ONLY SAW THEM LIVE ONCE IN THE U.S.A. WHEN CLUCHING AT STRAWS WITH THE SMASH HIT KAYLEIGH WAS ON THE RADIO. BUT ALAS THAT WAS THER ONLY SHOT HERE. THIS COUNTRY WONT KNOW GREAT ROCK TALENT IF IT BIT THEM IN THE YOU KNOW WHERE. IF YOU DONT OWN ANY LIVE MARILLION. THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO START!!

There could not be a better venue than the Open Air Theater in Loreley, Germany for Marillion's Thieving Magpie Show. No elaborate stage or fancy laser light shows here. Just straight forward Progressive Rock music. Fish's love of theatrics are evident here as he dons the jester outfit made famous in SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR and Rossini's "La Gazza Ladra" introduces the band to the crowd. The concert starts with an explosive rendition of Slainte Mhath. The band goes on to play many of the songs from their first four records with an intensity rarely seen. There is only one thing I regret about this DVD, and that is that, unfortunately, only half of MISPLACED CHILDHOOD is featured whereas in the THIEVING MAGPIE CD, all of MC is included. I wish that the DVD had followed suite as MC is really a continuous story and is best appreciated when listened to non-stop from beginning to end. I am sure footage of the entire thing still exists somewhere and that, one day, the DVD will be redistributed with the full MC live footage as it should have been. That said, die-hard Fish-era Marillion fans like me will still love this DVD as it brings back the nostalgy of these days. Buy this DVD without reservations. You will not be disappointed!

I was fortunate to see Marillion on the Clutching At Straws tour so watching this dvd for the first time was a blast from the past. The 5.1 sound mix and picture are both excellent and the band was on top of their game during this performance. The only thing that would make this release better is if they had interviews with the members talking about their memories of the performance and the tour. Particulary some thoughts from the singer at the time, Fish. That man is quite a character and hearing a few of his anecdotes would have rounded out this dvd nicely. Also, it would have been cool if they did all of Misplaced Childhood like they did on The Thieving Magpie (La Gazza Ladra).