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May 2004
Reviewed by - Readers
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Marillion - Marbles ::  ::
 The two things about being a Marillion fan in America are 1) you'll never hear Marillion on the radio because 2) nobody over here has heard of them. Sure, you might find someone who vaguely remembers Kayleigh, but "that was years ago... are they still around?" So when a new Marillion album comes out, and it is a double album, who can a U.S. fan rave to, other than internet people? And now that you are listening, let me direct you to www.marillion.com where you can pick up a pre-order copy of this disturbingly brilliant album, Marbles. Before you go, though, bear in mind that Marbles shines darkly, with thick music and harrowing vocals by a band that has everything to lose at this phase of their career and yet dives boldly into any musical territory their muse takes them.
This 2CD set takes on a variety of styles, pulls them all off, and sounds like nothing you've heard before, in a sort of déja vu way. Marillion is one of the finest, truest bands at large, and they cannot get on the radio because they play Marillion music, not radio fashion. Marbles is a double-cd, non-concept album (think Physical Graffiti, where the band did what they wanted to and made it all so good) that will sound considerably death-defying when they tour the States. Steve Hogarth's vocals are in finest form, and will make your heart ache during the final choruses of leading track, The Invisible Man. Steve Rothery's guitar smashes like a hurricane should during the 18-minute "Ocean Cloud", and Ian Mosley's drumming is plain perfect all over Marbles. Mark Kelly continuing experiments with new sounds on his keyboards keeps the band enveloped in beauteous atmospheric sheeting, and Pete Trewavas, the working man's thinking bassist, is a steady heartbeat anchoring the listener in this world while visiting the fantastic, dangerous places of Marbles... places where love and death and loss and hope dance and drift and dream. This is one of those albums that sounds great on the stereo, but becomes downright remarkable on headphones. This is a piece of art, nothing disposable about it. Hardcore fans might try to compare it to previous Marillion albums, but that is such a terrible way to go about hearing anything by a band who truly feels "it." Marbles will steal your breath away...just listen.
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Prince - Musicology :: ::
 Prince is back. Not that he's gone anywhere, other than some serious-minded jazz twaddling that sounds good to any musician but doesn't rock the house, North East or South. Well, he's back from jazz, and he brought da funk. Good funk. Sure, he still adds an occasional twaddle to the end of phrases, probably because a musician of his caliber needs to keep it fun to play, but gawd, the funk.
Prince knows what he's doing, and apparently just had to get The Rainbow Children out of his system. Before you ask, no, it's not a sequel to Purple Rain or 1999. Let the man move on, at least. Prince plays most of the instruments himself (why not, since he can pull it off and still sound like a band) with a few guests every once in a while, like Sheila E., Renato Neto, John Blackwell, and Candy Dulfer (none of whom will come as any surprise to listeners of his last few discs). The title track and "Life 'O' the Party" are two thumpers-on-the-One that should make James Brown flush with pride, and the old school joy of "Call My Name" and "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life" just feel good all the way through. "The Marrying Kind" is a glimpse at what could happen if Prince, one of the most amazing rock guitarists never to release an actual rock album, might sound like if he ever did release one. "Dear Mr. Man" is a protest song with common sense, and "Reflection", one of the most sincere songs Prince has ever released, ends the album with a wistful love note. If you've been waiting for a really good Prince album to buy because you've worn out your copy of Sign "O" the Times, this is it.
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