dodgyCam Reacts - Marillion - Grendel (by UnPopular Demand!)

[@MrSinnerBOFH]

OMG! Grendel! The grand Epic! How I love Marillion, my only regret is being too poor and too young at the time to attend Fish’s Marillion! I was at the edge of my seat, listening to the boys with the obscure Scottish poet, while you were building the (apocryphal?) legend of Marillion’s victory over the priesthood of the music labels! In Grendel’s name we conquered and Prog is still roaming the Earth, letting the music flow! From h, you must do “Ocean Cloud” if you please. And from Fish, “Forgotten Sons”, the battle priest version.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Having made concert films with the boys from 1999 - 2006 I know the h catalogue very well and love so much of it. Funny enough, Ocean Cloud is maybe not a lyric I feel able to dig into, but invisible man is HIGH on my list. I have been asked to do forgotten sons with my daughter and it is on that list for when we can find the time. I am also likely to do severl Clutching at straws songs and at least one of misplaced childhood - if only to talk about bible black skies and rings of violet bruises. Thanks for watching. Hope to see you again down the road. dC

[@jrobertlysaght]

This review is everything. Thank you for putting it and yourself out there.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I mean, I can't help but think I barely scraped the surface, I realise now that this style of lyric video is almost no help at all, but thank you for your very generous words. Hopefully I'll see you again. :) dC

[@flamelessdragon]

This is basically a musical version of John Gardners' 1971 book "Grendel", Earth Rim Walker comes from that, just an amazing adaption from Fish, together with great musicians, make this such an awesome track!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Yeah, I knew about the book Grendel, but not the name of the author, had to look that up after. Nice to know earth Rim Walker comes from that not the Norse. Another reason to add the book to my google play list. I assume Shaper is from the Norse? It is a very, very cool poetic rendering, that Double D fella could scribe. Thanks for watching.

[@coffeemanandy1966]

saw this live a good number of times back in the day, their following was fanatical even back then. Will never forget when they opened their set at Reading Festival in '83 with this, probably the best version ever, the crowd loved them that day.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Yeah, I found a video late today where the crowd looked ready to storm the Bastille. I know that the band still talk very passionately about how that early base allowed everything that was to follow. As the view count on this video - that I nearly did not post because I thought I was gonna get pasted - proves, you can do worse than to build a passionate 'cult' base. Thanks for watching. :)

[@ivogil4]

Great review. Marillion great band. Thanks for bringing back great memory's.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Yeah, it did that, right! This is the OG marillion. Peak proggy widdles! )In case you are interested, I did This is the 21st century last night - could not be more different, and yet an incredible lyric and still the band I love! thanks for watching dC

[@ivogil4]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 I saw your reaction. Marillion was my favorite band. The songs and music are fantastic. Last time i listen tot Nightwish and threre i Saw the reaction from you on the greatest show on earth. Also a masterpiece.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@ivogil4 It is an absolute banger. Brilliant. Thanks for watching, sir. Hope you will keep doing so dC

[@ivogil4]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 listen to the album Human Nature 1-2. The nummer Music written from the point of Music. Other nummers about human view. Album 2 is about out planet and nature. Tuomas is a great songwriter

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@ivogil4 I have been listening to that album. he is wicked smart and mad talented. There are some limits to what I am gonna react to because his 'idiom' is not always easy for me to dig into and I don't want to talk about a lyric unless I feel like i can add some kind of value to it. But i have been listening to quite a bit of NightWish and am making a small list of songs that i feel like I can penetrate! :)

[@ginge7945]

Just came across your channel. Great video, i like your vibe and you talk good sense. May i ask if you would consider doing a reaction video of either, Cinderella search, bitter suite or wam wet circles. Thanks

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Thank you for you kind words. Bitter suite is for sure on my personal list - if only for "The sky was bible black in Leon ... " that sequence is pure magic. I'm also pretty sure I am gonna get into That time of the night, for that astonishing story-telling. There is an above average chance Warm Wet Circles also gets a look - "She nervously undressed" - magical. But my next mission is to try and do some stuff I DON'T know, including some Nightwish - so, wish me luck. Doing bands and songs I don't know is WAY harder, but is part of the brief of the channel - so, hopefully I will see you there... Fear not, we will circle back to familiar waters - and Marillion is among the MOST familiar for me. Thanks for the comment and for watching. dC

[@ginge7945]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 another fantastic bit of songwriting i like in bitter suite is "The mist crawls from the canal like some primordial phantom of romance to curl under a cascade of neon pollen". Also i don't know if your familiar with jamiroquai? Excellent band great lyrics especially the first 3 albums

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@ginge7945 Pretty sure I will get there! Of course i know of Jamiroquai, I recognize the silhouette, but they were never really my jam, and I didn't have any sense at all of their lyrics, but if you wanna recommend one with meaty lyrics I will for sure try take a look. (Don't post a KZbin link, the algo is really very very broken at the moment and keeps deleting comments with links, which is just the dumbest thing in the world ever!)

[@youfools]

Thank you for your passion, I could feel it way over here in Ohio! Your introspection was wonderful! I've loved the version of Marillion that carried Fish since first hearing them back in the early 1980's. Of course I am an old Genesis fan. Grendel came to me via an Englishman I used to work with. He grew up in a town where Marillion often played and had quite a collection of their music. My conversations nearly always turn to music and so it was with SImon. One day he brought in a disc with Grendel and a number of other live performances. I started listening later that day and suddenly became awestruck when I head that massive part that sounded like the section in Supper's Ready that's in 9/8 time. After that i was able to find the 12" single of Grendel and after that a picture disc..which Marillion was terribly proficient at, that being 12-inch singles and picture discs. So back to your reaction....thanks again for something that was deeply felt!!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I honestly thought the OG marillion fans would roast me for this one. It was a hard one to do. I really do like the track, but i also knew i would struggle to add value to it. It's such a singular thing. I'm also an old genesis fan, and do like the Uber Prog marillion era. but will confess the album that turned me from fan to hard-core, spend my own money to make them a concert film fan, was Season's End and everything that followed. That being said, I can say with hand on heart - Clutching at Straws remains one of my favourite and most listened to albums. Thanks for watching, and for the kind words. Hopefully I'll see you again down the road a'ways... (I've been thinking of looking at some of Fish's lyrics in detail, but they are slippery - brillinat, but slippery!) dC

[@danceswithchimps]

In case anyone is interested Shaper = Medieval Poets, known as Scops (pronounced shops). Scops travelled to Mead Halls around the Anglo-Saxon country-side to recite their poems to the warriors who've returned from battle. As the warriors celebrate around mead and beer, the scops sing lines of praise for the heroes of battle, accompanying their melodies with a harp. Scops were important in Anglo-Saxon society because they orally recorded historical events, forming reputations, both good and poor, for anyone to hear. It was an honor, though, to have a scop sing in one's praise or lament one's death. In the medieval period, it was believed that there was no greater honor than to be remembered. It was the way to immortality. Righteous kings were acclaimed throughout the kingdom. Heroes were venerated. The word "scop" literally translates to "shaper" in modern English. They were the shapers of men's reputations in Anglo-Saxon culture.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

See, this is GOLD. Absolute gold. Someone is interested. And that someone has two thumbs, right here! That's brilliant, I leaned something today - and wish i knew it before - because it fits so absolutely perfectly into a developing thesis about how we are the sum of our stories. thank you for sharing this. this is brilliant. Awesome dC

[@angharaddenby3389]

This was the B-side of the band's first single (12" version) and is STILL the best song they have done.

[@stephenhillier3522]

Thanks. Grendel. All the criticisms are correct. Are Marillion right not to play it? Probably. Would I love to go back in time and watch it live? Absolutely. I had a friend at school who was an early Marillion adopter and probably saw it live at Southend Cliffs Pavillion, but I bet my parents wouldn't have let me go even if I'd wanted to. Anyway, I was probably listening to Japan. Not so bad, Richard Barbieri after all. I read Beowulf at the time, but can't say I got much out of it. Later, I stumbled across the Grendel book in the library by chance, without knowing it was Fish's inspiration. But reading it gave me the strong impression it was the basis for the song, Fish had certainly lifted the sentiment and tone from the book. I don't remember much of the language being the same, but could be wrong. The only word I remember he took from the book/poem is "Shaper". Isn't that a great word?

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I think - to steal from Yes Minister (and whoever they stole from) it is "better observed in the breech than the observance." It was very much of its time, and even then a little out of time. It's already amazing the mr h has occasionally done Jester, this seems best - like the monster - living in myth and legend! Pretty sure it would have been an amazing thing to see live at the time, this is true - but I looked it up, it was 1983 and I was already in South Africa and listening to Signals - which really does show you how very out of step they were writing this. Bless. (I wasn't to encounter Barbieri until Mr Wilson introduced me, via Mr Bond. In my teen years i did not look kindly on 'hair cut' music - even if now, with wiser ears, i think of most of it very fondly indeed!) Beowulf is way above my pay grade as a reader - and I have never thought to dig out the Gardner book, although now I wonder if I should. I think I heard a podcast recounting the Beowulf story, and so i have it's shape in my mind, but Epic Poems intimidate me and I end up reading Zombie stories! I love Shaper, and Earth rim walker - I assume they are from the source. And i almost laughed when I realised the name of the kind was Heorot, so close to Hogarth it felt like premonition! :) Anyway, i was not sure about doing this, and don't know if i did it justice, but it really did dust off some deep old chords... Thanks for watching, hope to see you around here again. dC

[@veritas1414]

I am listening with you, I think this is one of the first songs from Marillion I heard. It was one a mixtape my uncle made for me, he is responsible for many of my music tastes. From my early age of 15 I fell in love with this song and later this band. And this love has been with me for the rest of my life. They are the musical canvas of everything major thing that has happened in my life. I mean my daughter's name is Kayleigh. I will love this band until the day I die, and I love it when people react to them because they deserve the attention. Great reaction keep it up and for a suggestion: this strange engine. In my humble opinion, this song lets every band member shine.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I can only agree with you about how Marillion forms a key part of the soundtrack of my life. And yes, your daughter is not alone in being named Kayleigh, they made that kind of impact. My son is named after Conner McCloud, the Highlander. Oh, the things we hand to our kids, eh? I am very, very thrilled by your reaction to this video and really do hope that you stick around and look at more, there will be lots of Marillion, but also lots of other things that form part of the complex tapestry. And yes, This Strange Engine is very much ON THE LIST. I think it is a master piece and an amazing illustration of one type of creative process. I will probably have to work up to it, but I will get there. It's a journey. I hope you take it with us. Thanks again, your comment is utterly charming and very, very encouraging. i will blame you for whatever i do next! Thank you, sir. dC

[@CarlosMastenbroek]

Tears in my eyes again after listening to this...After all these years, Still!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I will confess, it was never DEEP love for me. I came to Marillion after this and my real love is later in the timeline, but as an old school Genesis fan and a lover of lots of prog it certainly holds a fond place in my heart - and it would seem wrong if someone didn't yell Grendel at the top of their voices at least once every gig! Glad you liked it dC

[@davidhills3100]

I've always loved this song. What's striking, given what you say about the state the band were in at the time and their relation to the music industry, is how straight down the line they play it. There's no pretension or cynicism in the delivery, none of the up-themselves posing of much of prog, no knowing musical side-glances, they just commit to it entirely. It could have failed, it should have failed, that it didn't is I think in large part due to how they commit to it entirely. Wide-eyed, full-blown prog, hitting the target perfectly, and what a beautiful thing it is as a result. The only other example that immediately comes to mind of a band really digging in this deep is Pink Floyd's Echoes, and I can think of no higher praise than to regard Grendel as being its equal. What dry ice and green spots were invented for. Fabulous.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

There is no question it was willfully out of step with the musical world that surrounded it. No question it was an act of musical suicide, only made possible because the band had a great ground game and had built a fan base the old fashioned way, by gigging, playing constantly and being available to that base. It was insane to make music this apologetically out of step with trend and fashion, but it also pretty much set the tone for what would follow for decades. Still unfashionable as F*** now, and still making connections with a relentless ground game. However, I will say this... You can add Rush 2112 to this list. Told they were half way out the door, told the label wanted more singles and hits - doobie brothers - they made what they honestly believed was a musical resignation letter, resolved to go back to plumbing and selling tractor parts. I'd say that is on this exact same level, and maybe with even bigger stakes, cause they were willing to burn a record deal to make what they wanted to make. :) I was reluctant to make this video, so thanks for watching. I am still quite surprised the marillion hordes have not arrived with pitchforks... :)

[@Emperor_Ihsahn]

Awesome!!! I enjoyed this so much. Although I have never saw the band perform it live I did see Fish perform it. Such an underrated lyricist.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I dunno, is he under-rated or under appreciated. Pretty sure the fan base for that era all loved his lyrics - the truly good and the early twenties sophomoric! If anything, I think his lyrics are understood to be very HIM and very dense packed - suiting his singing style. I'm pretty sure people who know the band know his lyrics and love them. The real issue is unknown, right? Always has been for Los Marillos! (happily this channel has added as many as TWO new fans to the base! :) :) :) )

[@Emperor_Ihsahn]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 I agree. Within the fanbase he's loved. And such a great band.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@Emperor_Ihsahn Sound track of my life. Just a shame more people don't get to hear them!

[@paulf2557]

I spy over 100 views already - so maybe no apology needed either way:} All positive comments too - so far. I, like you, have no real literary interest - highbrow books bore me to tears - I much prefer Stephen King or Donald E Westlake, so I haven't even sketched a view of Beowulf. But in the interests of research, I did delve into Mr Dick's lyrics, and found most of them extremely accurate. The only difference comes when in the book Beowulf defeats Grendel, after the "mead hall" at King Hrothgar's had been ransacked for twelve years by Grendel in a very bloody fashion. Grendel, who was apparently descended from Cain, couldn't bear the sound of frivolity and happiness in the Hall and made it his business to stop it - the sound actually offended his ears, which some say were deformed, but had perfect hearing. Fish turned this story on its head, and made Grendel the hero/antihero of the piece, and as you say so eloquently, you totally bought into this feeling when listening to the music. Anyway enough analysis for now. Hope it has changed your opinion of the song, even if only a little bit. Now what next to do from the early Marillion repertoire? I agree with you - probably not from Fugazi - but Clutching At Straws was a great album, and may need a complete reaction as a whole? A concept album tour de force, about the character Torch, and all his failings and addictions, mostly involving drinking to excess - sounds a bit less than epic - but is told in a most captivating manner, with all the band on great form. If not as a whole then in four or five manageable chunks possibly? If not then just - "That Time Of The Night" - fabulous - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5TSqIuagbiDkK8

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Yeah, seems like the cult stuff brings all the best freaks! I honestly expected a real pasting! I do remember some of the story, I for sure heard a podcast once! I honestly did need convincing about the song, as I said, I do like a bit of old school prog, I just worried I could add nothing at too it. Watching back, I figured if nothing else, the comparisons to the band and the monster were fun - they really were blood thirsty beast in among the chickens in the early 80's. I was asked to look at forgotten sons, I am considering. Bitter suite is also on my list "the sky was bible black in Leon..." But, almost That time of the Night WILL feature soon. That story telling is right up my street. I love that set of lyric. "Destined to be found in a cheap motel... or thrown in a wishing well" heart breaking! So, watch the skies... And, I will STILL blame you when the freaks finally come for me! :)

[@jadehand1]

Great reaction. Always loved this track, but then again I was one of the weird kids that loved reading Beowulf in school. Can't wait to see what the lads have in store for us on the new album.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

It's literature and way, way above my pay grade. I'm a writer only for a given value, and my reading tastes are very, very low brow - the literary equivalent of cock-rock! But, I cannot deny, if someone is gonna go peak prog, they can do WAY worse than this! And yes, a new Marillion album is always an adventure that I very much look forward to taking! Thank you for watching. Hope to see you again.

[@fen3184]

Great reaction, thank you! Please consider reacting to Forgotten Sons; it's such an interesting song. I wish more people would go back to Fish's lyrics and put as much thought into it as you just did.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Funny enough, while I was writing yesterday I ended up playing the remix of Jester, which has a live version of Forgotten Sons with Fish talking about it's origins. His anti-war sentiment is a golden thread through lots of songs, right? All the way up to White Feather - and then, oddly, carried forward my Helmer and Hogarth into Berlin, which always seemed like a very Fish lyric to me. "Bottle Boy freaks". I'll certainly look at Forgotten Sons, and I agree, Fish really can right. For me, the one I might dive into first is Warm Wet circles - still to this day one of his most evocative lyrics - and great story telling in a similar vein to Peart with Middletown and losing it, etc. Thank you for watching. Hope to see you again.

[@fen3184]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 Yeah, I completely agree. It would be interesting to see Jemma's reaction to them too, if she's up for it. I'm just old enough to remember the state of the UK during those times, but it'd be interesting to hear how the next generation feels about it as their 'new normal' is quite different from ours... ;) Warm Wet Circles is a masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned. The whole thing is a lyrical pleasure, but the scene starting, "I saw teenage girls like gaudy moths," is one of my all-time favourites.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@fen3184 We have at least on Marillion Track in train with the smart-gurl. It's h era, and has sentimental value for us both. But, I will see if we have time to add something on her next visit. I'll add it to the list. The list is life. Thank you very much for the kind words and the encouragement. :)

[@jans724]

Great reaction!! To an incredible song!! I grew up with Marillion (Fish-edition) and really love this one! All the first four albums and the singles were great but perhaps this is particularly powerful! It spoke directly to my dreaming escapist romantic teenage heart! So good to return to this one, it still gives me gooese bumps! :)

[@jans724]

And thank you for posting your reaction video! Great reflections.., Grendl is Marillion and Fish.., the new prog rockers on the block.. , and your reaction is a Grendel-reaction 😀 Damn this is good stuff!

[@paulhooton6261]

I'm with you. Good music is good music and you never tire of it. That's why my playlists can go from Marilion to Abba to Nightwish to The Beatles to IQ etc. If I like it, I like it. No one is gonna tell me what to like. And Grendel is just brilliant

[@arthurmol6875]

Masterpiece and a top reaction.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Thank you, I swear, I was terrified I was gonna get ripped a new one for this... I think I got away with it... despite those darn kids! Thanks for watching dC

[@paullavan3097]

Don't forget the residency at the Marquee

[@janinestadtmannbutler5268]

I'm really not into Fish and I'm a Mr H fan and Marillion of course... After watching 2 of your videos, I wanted to see if you could make me like Grendel? No doubt it's poetic, and I love poetry, but the black side of Fish just doesn't touch my heart and soul. Thanks anyway Paul and great that you recorded it and made a video for us.

[@zolisasigwanda2109]

@dodgycam I fucked with this video a ton. The reaction was great as usual, but I really liked the POV of this song. Keep em coming🙌

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Surprised you connected with this one, but you are right, the POV makes it really interesting. Like making a movie from the POV of the serial killer but NOT making him Dexter, making him relentless, ruthless and irredeemable - but then STILL understanding why! :) FYI: There might be a fish era song coming that Imma gonna need your help on, I have a 'rap' related thesis that is stewing!

[@zolisasigwanda2109]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 I think my recent bout with Vinland Saga might have something to do with why it resonated with me. Definitely helping you out with that rap thesis 👍

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@zolisasigwanda2109 Another reason to do it then. Next time Jemma is here we will look at a jam and then I'll toss to you for the 'colour commentary'. (And yes, I know. So many jokes I can't do here when I am 'on duty'.) Thanks, brother.

[@zolisasigwanda2109]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 🤣🤣🤣 Dope

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

:) :) :)

[@paulf2557]

As a final comparison for you - just in case you haven't seen it - this is a masterful rendition of Suppers Ready - nearly 50 years after the original. Orchestral backing and stunning musicianship - takes the song to another level - lyrics included. Different to Grendel - but has a certain mirror quality to it I feel. Lovely anyway - no Gabriel, but a great frontman. Steve Hackett and Band - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rX6qk5d_gNdjrdU

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Awesome. I have not seen it, I am not sure I ever saw Hackett. My Venn diagram diverged. (As much as i like lots of the early genisis, Duke is my absolute Jam - teenage formative stuff for me.) I will watch this with great interest. Thank you.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

So, I very much enjoyed that. very much. amazed by how similar the vocal texture was like PG. I'm not even remotely savvy enough to track how this tracks with Grendel, apart from being the most proggy of prog. I also don't know where I would even start with those lyrics. Less above my pay grade, more like a whole other language. But, I certainly did enjoy that very much. thank you :)

[@paulf2557]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 Glad you enjoyed. Not sure how much you are familiar with early Genesis, but one of my personal favourites is The Musical Box. This is the rendition from the same show kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWW2o2t7fburiqc

[@paulrowlston4239]

@@paulf2557 I do and I shall. For sure. Thank you, sir. :)

[@pataleno]

I’m a massive Genesis fan. I’ve never thought Grendel sounds anything like Suppers ready. I seen interviews from fish saying they did copy however it’s sounds nothing like it imo.

[@merlinscat]

I was there at hammy odeon when they played this.

[@schelin1447]

This is where I found out about Marillion back in 1982...yeah, I'm old :) I think it's pretty obvious to take Grendels side. We always bleed for the weak. As we know, Grendel didn't last. Still there's so much depth to Fish's lyrics. What does he really mean? Fish is angry!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I hear ya, I found Marillion later, but i found Rush in '78. Also, old! :) Thanks for watching! dC

[@schelin1447]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 Marillion opened for RUSH twice, once on their Fugazi tour and then on their Misplaced Childhood tour...or rather on RUSH's Grace under Pressure and Power Windows tours, I'm not sure on whats what :), but my first Marillion show was the Real to Reel tour in 1984 in Stockholm, Sweden. After that I've seen every Marillion tour in one way or another.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@schelin1447 I am aware. I made Concert films for Marillion from 1999 - 2005, so I heard all the stories and broke my heart imagining I could have seen that if I was not in Johannesburg! I did germany twice with Marillion, once in 1999 and once on the marbles tour. It was, for real, a time of my life. :) :) :) later, I found Porcupine Tree, only to realises i could have seen them too, during the marillion years. My timing sucks!

[@nicka3697]

I had a Dungeons and Dragons group and a new player came along one week. He told us about this new band that he'd heard at the Wardour Club that was just about to release their first single and they played this song called Grendel and it was amazing. Boy was he right!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I mean, given that Marillion have spent most of their lives running away from the 'prog label' this is perhaps the single most awesome story I ever heard. It literally could not be MORE old school prog unless you told it wearing an actual cape! Thanks for that, that has amused me no end. And, for the record, he was TOTALLY right - and he didn't even have to roll (I'm gonna go with) 20? (I played various war games, but never D&D! :)

[@spiffymick7073]

Never heard of the books and definitely never heard this song. That said, I quite enjoyed it!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Google is my friend! :) "Beowulf (/ˈbeɪəwʊlf/; Old English: Bēowulf [ˈbeːowuɫf]) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature." "Inspired by the John Gardner novel Grendel (1971), the lyric looks at the Beowulf myth from the perspective of the monster." Beowulf was made into an animated film with Ray Winston playing the lead. I saw a bit, it was pretty ordinary. The song is a bit of a 'legend' - a very very early Marillion track that they quickly out-grew but remains the 'songbird' that is yelled out at concerts even now - a running joke, but also, for some Marillion fans, the one song they really want to hear! It's peak prog, and an amazingly poetic piece of high fantasy - think of it as marillion's Xanadu, but with way more widdly bits! Thanks, as ever, for watching, Mick!

[@spiffymick7073]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 haha why Google when I have you!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@spiffymick7073 Quite literally my only valid purpose... Purveyor of trivia to the stars! :)

[@spiffymick7073]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 It's a noble quest :)

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@spiffymick7073 :) :) :)

[@arthur1078]

Best Band in the World.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

A case can certainly be made... (That being said... go look at the comments under pretty much any song on You Tube and someone thinks it is the best song/band ever!) But, I could certainly make the case for Marillion :)

[@Thomas.deNorth]

I love this song so much! So many switch ups and changes. My favorite long-song along with Tool´s Rosetta Stoned, which also is all over the place, in a good way.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I'm not super up on tool. I'd have to say, Hemispheres, 2112, Fountains of Lamneth, PT Anesthetize, they are all up there for me... And of course, Supper's ready! I think the 'long song' discussion is an endless one. I mean, I just did 50 minutes plus on This Strange Engine and that also has to play! Wow, the more you think the longer the list gets! But, for sure, this is a hella thing for what amounts to young, almost kids to do - while punk and new wave were all telling NOT to do it!

[@Thomas.deNorth]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 Ahh, I am just getting started with Porcupine Tree. Always known the name, but just recently trying them out. I like it a lot so far!

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@Thomas.deNorth Today's top tips. Marillions Front of House sound guy, Ian Bond, hooked me onto PT. All the albums have amazing work on them, but Anesthetize is one of the only albums in my life that hit as hard and was so instantly engaging - literally on the first listen I knew it was a long time favorite. And i think Steven Wilson's hand. Cannot. Erase might be in the all time top ten. It would be hard to argue against it. Wilson is legit brilliant, it's a very thrilling ride... If you catch me by surprise and put me on the spot I sometimes will tell you Arriving Somewhere but not here is my favourite song... At least in that moment! :) Enjoy dC

[@markhoward2811]

You should react to Isis and Osiris by Ayreon on the Electric Castle live and other tales tour. Fish is one of the main singers on that song.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Couple of people have suggested this. I am not familiar with it at all. I will take a look. :)

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Just taken a look. It's basically Prog on steroids, isn't it!? :) Super ambitious, super proggy, something that I will listen to and probably very much enjoy. However (there's always a butt, right?), in terms of the mission statement of this channel, I very much struggle to add value or insight to this type of lyric. For the same reason that I won't do Bytor & the Snowdog, or Xanadu or even Hemispheres and 2112 (all songs I love). The moment the lyrics are trading in fiction and fantasy, I struggle to find anything that I can add that is worth adding. That was one of the reasons I was super reluctant to do Grendel (that and the probability of being either flamed or caught up in the Fish v Hogarth wars!) It's one of the reasons a large part of the Nightwish catalog will also be unavailable to me on here. I just don't think there is much I can unpack in lyrics like this, any more than I am qualified to try and opine about the story structure of Lord of the Rings, or the character arcs of Thomas Covenant! So, like the tune, gonna check out the album, but don't think I am qualified to talk lyrics here! :) BTW: the bald dude in the gimp suit, he has one hella set of pipes! :) dC

[@markhoward2811]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 Yes, agree it is prog based on Science fiction which is most of Ayreon's and other prog bands catalogue. Only one of Ayreon that isn't is The Human Equation based on a man in a coma and his emotions coming to life. Yes, the baldman is Edwin Balogh, a Dutch session singer and a very powerful singer. The only prog record I can think of that isn't sci-fi is Epica's Kingdom of Heaven which goes into various scriptures and science to explain the meaning of life. Good opera/growl prog metal song but you need the lyric sheet to follow it.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

@@markhoward2811 I think it's more accurate to say a certain type of prog trades mainly in these themes. certainly, as much as they have fought the label, Marillion is clearly progressive music. And Steven Wilson is GOAT of his style of progressive music, and Rush, of course, were another style of progressive - all of which trade in other lyrical areas and themes. Even OG Genesis traded in social issues as much as Dionysian flowers. And so called 'super-grope' Transatlantic whoe are the essence of widdle write about a range of subjects. But, for sure, this particular style of prog is often heavily science fiction and fantasy inspired - and so super hard for me to get traction on in terms of lyrics. I will take a look at Kingdom of Heaven - see if it is at all in my wheel house :) Thanks for the comments dC

[@robertlidmarck9043]

Thanks for sharing, excellent track choice from one of my all time favourite bands. And very interesting to really look at the actual lyrics in detail as you say, Fish is a master poet with words. Keep up the good work, and if you need a similar prog track to react to, check out Pendragons "The Black Knight" (kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnbGeZ2EaZyZqsU ), another masterpiece...

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Thank you for your kind words. As you say, this is as much poetry as lyrics. ALMOST above my pay grade. Mr h writes stuff that is more in my sweet spot, but I can never deny Mr Fish's lyrical chops. I will almost certainly dig into Clutching at Straws at some stage - some of those lyrics break my heart A wedding ring destined to be found in a cheap motel... I'll check out the Pendragon, I read a story series with that title, but don't think i ever heard the band. thanks again dC

[@paulf2557]

Time for another recommendation to react to - I know you haven't yet decided to do "Estonia", but if you do, consider this version - it comes from a remix of the "This Strange Engine" album by a couple of guys from "The Positive Light". Marillion were so impressed they gave the go ahead for the album to be released. The Estonia track is a longer version at nearly 12 minutes long, but the clincher for me here is the so atmospheric video that goes with it. Sends shivers up my spine watching it - plus it has the lyrics, always a bonus. Give it a whirl anyway and see what you think :} kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWipcqGip7yUiMk

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Weird. I replied to this but KZbin seems to be doing very strange things with my comments today. I know this album and love it. I listen to it a lot when I write. The only track that really does not grab me at all is the original, I forget the name, but that did not do it for me. I think this is a splendid idea - it is a great track and an unexpected way to do it. There's a fair bit of space in that re-mix, if memory serves, but I really did love this project and so this is officially on the list. Good shout. :)

[@paulf2557]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 The original was Face 1004. Very underwhelming. And so not Marillion at all. Strange because I do like electronic music - two of my favourite bands, probably not known to you are Au4 and Propaganda, who are both heavily electronic, but with interesting/great vocals and mesmerising music. Anyway, glad this is on your list. How long is it now :}

[@paulrowlston4239]

@@paulf2557 Yeah, they are not on my radar. Face 1004, that's the fella. So very meh. And so not in keeping with the album at all. And the list... it is growing, it certainly is. And then there are all the things I wanna do for me. 50 odd years of words that matter to me... I gonna need to get busy! :)

[@angharaddenby3389]

You can tell the lyric video was done by an American as it is spelt wrong!!!

[@paulf2557]

Links zapped

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

Which ones this time? Sigh?

[@paulf2557]

@@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170 did you not get them? Some pre Fish Marillion links plus a few other bits of interest.

[@paulf2557]

Thanks for this. At least no distractions from Fish and his theatrics on stage. Does remind me a lot of Supper's Ready though. Probably intentionally. Still love it though.

[@dodgycamreacts-lyricsinabo5170]

I mean, if you are gonna go full prog, does that not also demand full theatrics!? I felt very much above my pay grade, but it was fun to look at the song this way. I do realise that I should keep a lyric sheet in front of me, when the lyric videos are done this way I miss stuff. I also seem to remember someone pointing out that this very much borrows from Supper's Ready. No idea if that was intentional, but the influence is clear. But if you are gonna borrow, borrow from the best! Thanks for watching, hope I did not disappoint too much.