Reel to Real / Brief Encounter [Original recording remastered]

Marillion | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B000060PCH
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #976,297 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Assassing

2. Incubus

3. Cinderella Search

4. Emerald Lies

5. Forgotten Sons

6. Garden Party

7. Market Square Heroes

Disc: 2

1. Lady Nina

2. Freaks

3. Kayleigh [Live]

4. Fugazi [Live]

5. Script for a Jester's Tear [Live]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic live release...but what the HELL is that?, December 18, 2002

By 

Vince Font (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reel to Real / Brief Encounter (Audio CD)

Am I losing my mind, or does the above image for this remastered edition read "Reel To Real"? I even blew up the image so that it couldn't be said I simply have bad vision--and I do, but when it comes to all things Marillion, I have the memory of a stickler.

The original title of this release was "Real To Reel"--a play on words, titled appropriately by wordsmith and former Marillion vocalist Fish, to indicate a live concert ("real") that's been recorded ("reel"). As in reel to reel tape. Get it? I simply cannot believe that this was remastered and approved for re-release with such a glaring error. What's next, the mis-spelling of the very band's name? Ah, standards. Nobody seems to have them anymore.

All of that nitpicking aside, I realize that I still haven't done what I came to accomplish when I decided to take a stab at this review. My original intent was to highly recommend this cd, and I stand by my recommendation, complaints of ignorance and the laziness of professional typesetters aside.

"Real To Reel" was originally released as a gift to Marillion fans worldwide, those who perhaps never had the opportunity to witness this phenomenal band live. Released just after their second studio album "Fugazi", it acts as a snapshot of a band approaching the peak of their creativity, and as a testament to what all true Marillion fans already know about the rawness, power, and downright depth of their live performances.

As in the case of Bruce Springsteen, the one thing you'll always hear about Marillion is "you've gotta see them live". This is true for both Marillion and Springsteen. But unlike The Boss, Marillion is one band that has the capacity to deliver in both live performances and studio albums.

"Brief Encounter" was a short little promotional item that was initially released to try and give that added boost to Marillion's near nonexistent North American popularity with the radio-friendly "Lady Nina". Whether it worked or not, it soon became something of a collectible for the live recordings of "Fugazi", "Script For a Jester's Tear", and what would be Marillion's greatest hit, "Kayleigh". The only problem, it was only available on vinyl and cassette--until now.

Now, thanks to a mostly-unnecessary remaster, fans and collectors alike can revel in the aural orgy that is Marillion's confusingly titled "Reel To Real/Brief Encounter".

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RtR is THE live Marillion album, August 16, 2004

By 

Ron R "Ron R" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reel to Real / Brief Encounter (Audio CD)

'Magpie' is a fine release in its own right, but RtR is definitely rawer, more intense, and more immediate because of it. This album is a great primer for newcomers to Marillion.