Friday 12 December 2014

Bitter Suite (Marillion, 1985)

One of my favourite (neo-)prog songs ever, this "Heart of Lothian" is the symbol of Marillion's sensitive, romantic and somehow aggressive style. A thrilling pathos rules the entire track, supporting the autobiographical lyrics by Fish, whose vocals are both deep and biting... even his narrating intro, probably the only prog spoken section I adore. And the J'entends ton coeur passage is one of the most touching and sincere anthems of the '80s prog rock, IMHO, a bleeding heart's cry. Then, what about Steve Rothery's solo? Or of the intro of the last section?


An early Marillion press photo: the way they were...

Being a short suite inside an album that's kind of a suite itself, this song is actually divided into three parts: I. Brief Encounter, II. Lost Weekend, III. Blue Angel. It is difficult for me to select one of these as the best one, as they're all so enthralling and melodically rich that I'll never be tired to listen to them. And to say it all, I'll never be tired to listen to the whole "Misplaced Chilhood" album. Will you?

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