(2020) Marillion – Script for a Jester’s Tear [Deluxe Edition]


Review:
Issued in March 1983, Marillion‘s debut album Script for a Jester’s Tear was a top ten album in the UK and featured two top 40 singles: ‘He Knows You Know’ (#35) and ‘Garden Party’ (#16). The studio album had been preceded by the ‘Market Square Heroes’ single in late 1982. None of the three tracks on the 12-inch of that made release it onto the album and producer David Hitchcock ended up being replaced by Nick Tauber, after being badly injured in a car accident. The album also boasts the unique line-up of Fish (vocals), Steve Rothery (guitar), Pete Trewavas (bass), Mark Kelly (keyboards) and Mick Pointer (drums). In terms of this new reissue, the four CD edition offers newly remixed stereo versions (by Andy Bradfield and Avril Mackintosh) of both the album and the ‘Market Square Heroes’ EP across the first two discs. ‘He Knows You Know’ B-side ‘Charting the Single’ is also included on CD 2 in remixed form. An unreleased live performance of Marillion at London’s Marquee Club (from 29 December 1982) is split across discs three and four. At the time, Marillion’s remarkable, full-fledged 1983 debut Script for a Jester’s Tear was considered an odd bird: replete with Peter Gabriel face paint and lengthy, technical compositions, Marillion ushered in a new generation of prog rock that bound them forever to the heroics of early day Genesis. Intricate, complex, and theatrical almost to a fault, Script for a Jester’s Tear remains the band’s best and sets the bar for their later work. Filled with extraordinary songs that remained staples in the band’s live gigs, the album begins with the poignant title track, on which Fish leads his band of merry men on a brokenhearted tour de force that culminates with the singer decrying that “…the game is over.” “He Knows You Know,,” a song sprinkled with drug paranoia and guilt; as the song veers to its chorus, Fish announces, “Fast feed, crystal fever, swarming through a fractured mind.” If “The Web” hints at a grain of commercialism, “Garden Party” is a joyous anthem that showcases Marillion at the peak of its powers. Bogged down by some hilariously over-the-top British poetry, “Chelsea Monday” may be one of the album’s lesser moments (if there are any), but the magical “Forgotten Sons” concludes the opus magnificently. A vital piece for any Marillion head and an essential work for any self-respecting first- or second-generation prog rock fan.





Tracklist:

CD1 - Script for a Jester's Tear (2020 remix)


CD2 - Market Square Heroes EP (2020 remix)


CD3 - Live at the Marquee Club, 29-12-82 (Part 1)


CD4 - Live at the Marquee Club, 29-12-82 (Part 2)



Media Report:
Genre: prog-rock
Source: CD
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits