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This Strange Engine by Marillion, 1997
We've discussed this great band at length in other articles, but it's worth remembering that Marillion is a British band formed in 1979 that made a fundamental contribution to neo-progressive rock. The band spanned two distinct eras, defined by their two lead singers: Fish and Steve Hogarth, an era into which this album falls. For my review of the album that closed the Fish era, Clutching at Straws, I did a profile of the band, which I invite you to consult if you're interested.
This is the beautiful 2024 reissue of a 5-LP box set, a Special Edition, with all the photos below.
This is an atypical work, far from the neo-prog of Marillion: the instrumental parts and the many time signature changes are reduced in favor of a pure song format, with excellent piano and acoustic guitars and a more catchy sound.
The title track is the song that most recalls old Marillion, and this makes the album, in my opinion, comparable to its predecessor, Afraid of Sunlight, but not superior to Brave, which preceded it and which, in my opinion, is a true masterpiece of the Hogarth era, along with the subsequent albums Marbles (2004) and An Hour Before It's Dark (2022).
This Strange Engine is a very good album, but not exceptional. It's not the best album of their discography that I've listened to, and I fully appreciate both the first and the new era.
Personally, I listened to it with great pleasure, and this edition, with the live versions of the songs, is truly complete.
A must-have for fans of this fantastic band.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.
Tracklist
1. A Man Of A Thousand Faces (7:31)
2. One Fine Day (5:31)
3. 80 Days (5:00)
4. Estonia (7:56)
5. Memory Of Water (3:01)
6. An Accidental Man (6:10)
7. Hope For The Future (5:10)
8. This Strange Engine (15:41)
Duration 56:00
LineUp
- Steve Hogarth - lead vocals and backing vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Steve Rothery - guitars
- Mark Kelly - keyboards, backing vocals
- Pete Trewavas - bass, backing vocals
- Ian Mosley - drums, percussion
Featuring:
- Charlton & New Bottle School Choir - backing vocals (1)
- Rey Lear - choir arranger
- Tim Perkins - balalaika (4)
- Paula Savage - trumpet (7)
- Phil Todd - saxophone (8)
