Listening to Marillion: Holidays In Eden, Part 1

[@ickelpete]

Hi Jim, I'm so glad you enjoyed this as it holds a special place in my heart. Both my wife and I are big Marillion fans and the first dance at our wedding was No One Can. Definitely a more pop/rock sound but that was the EMI influence.

[@gabiesiren]

Finally more Marillion! Thank you very much! Wow wow

[@palantir135]

Hi Jim, I’ve been a Marillion fan since Misplaced Childhood was published. I own Hollidays in Eden so I know it very well. It’s a great album, musically and lyrically. I really love it and it brings some tears in my eyes every time I hear it. My favorite album with Steve as singer is Afraid of sunlight and this brings some more tears.. With Fish it is Clutching at straws.

[@TheMisterHache]

YES! Finally more Marillion. Awesome stuff Jim!

[@j0hnsturm]

Yes Jim!!! So excited to watch along as you listen along. Received wisdom is that this album is the band attempting a more commercial sound (Cover…. No One Can… Dry Land etc) and that somehow makes it a lesser album cos, y’know, not “prog” enough. But, for me, this album is an absolute BELTER. Prog with the intro track, This Town Trilogy, etc an incredibly accessible. This remix brings a great clarity and punch to the mix. Love this album. Thanks for sharing.

[@IllumeEltanin]

This side was lovely! I think all I've heard from Marillion so far is the recent An Hour Before It's Dark, and maybe a song or two with Fish. The stuff with Fish that I've heard hasn't grabbed me, but this and AHBID are definitely encouraging me to explore Marillion further.

[@andrewraphael3800]

The Fish and Hogarth eras are almost the work of two separate bands - I love both, but I do appreciate that they are very different (which is what the band intended).

[@aimeeto01]

Very underated album,and i really need to get hold of that new remix,sounds fantastic

[@marklockey4434]

Great review of an underrated album as, considered by many to be too commercial (EMI pressure). It has some wonderful moments and the remix sounds awesome. Happy Birthday Steve Rothery - 63 years young today ! Cheers Jim.

[@gabiesiren]

I'm very happy that you enjoy my suggestion! I hope your parcels will come soon, so you can enjoy them as much as I did packing them!

[@cybergoths]

I had a wobble about the change in Marillion when Fish left, but when I heard this when a friend got it on release it brought me back in hard.

[@katierootham]

If you ever get chance to see these guys live Jim, Splintering Heart is a fantastic opener. 😎😊

[@JimNewstead]

I saw them in September in Aylesbury. They were brilliant.

[@jenphillips3212]

I love Splintering heart. I always get the memory of h singing the first verse from a pile of packing crates by the bar, then it was big breath, shoulders back and dash to the stage during Rother's first solo. PZ19

[@arthurmol6875]

He already did

[@katierootham]

@@JimNewstead Nice one, Marillion are a real hidden gem, seen them countless times over years and they're a real joy to hear live, glad you've had chance to see them, they're great. 😎🍺👍

[@RenzeKoper]

TBH Marillion had some fantastic openers, first ever concert opened with Invisible Man, and another one with Gaza, inmediatly setting the standard at an incredibly high level. Of course nothing matches an encore of This Strange Engine and/or Ocean Cloud (the friends from the orchestra tour was insane for having those both as encores)/Neverland/Happiness is the Road

[@davidlane2737]

Sounds a bit like Mark Hollis from Talk Talk. I have overlooked Marillion for many years,must listen to more.

[@thijs941]

More marillion!! Great Jim! This is a bit of a weird album for me. Although there are some real great songs on it, it's one of my least favourite marillion albums. But still great, you know. Probably says more about the other albums than about this one :) Afraid of sunlight, marbles, brave and fear (and ahbid) are right up there for me . Enjoy Jim!! I'll follow you with every step through your Marillion journey.

[@66tomlee66]

Love you're Marillion's album reaction!!!

[@josephboyle895]

Yes Jim! I love your Marillion videos. Fantastic reviews on an AMAZING band!!

[@andrewwallace4481]

Story telling within music wonderful Reaction Jim🤟

[@glennthompson1173]

Afraid of sunlight is my favorite album with H. I like them all though.

[@martinspiess7497]

Hot Stuff👌❤️🎸🎼🎹

[@Spacefred54]

party song .... hint s to Garden party old new Marillion love it all .....💚

[@simongrundy2208]

One reviewer noted that if Phil Collins had recorded Cover My Eyes it would have been a number one hit in 20 countries. The protagonist in the Party is female but Steve Hogarth says its an account of his first party.

[@clansome]

Quick fyi on Side 2 the song "Dry Land" had previously been the title track of How We Live (Steve Hogarth's earlier band) first album. I believe it is the only cover they have recorded. Again this is talked about (as is every track) on the BluRay.

[@ChrisEchoes]

Not the only cover, the song Sympathy was also a cover.

[@clansome]

@@ChrisEchoes I knew someone else would correct me. Thank you and mea culpa.

[@kevingunning7569]

Thanks for doing this Jim. Many of the fans didn't like this album at the time, criticizing it for being far too commercial. I am still undecided as to how I feel about the overall feel of the piece. However, I still feel that the trilogy This Town/The Rakes Progress/100 Nights is among the best work the band has ever written. Looking forward to you listening to it. Cheers, Kevin

[@jpelorat]

This album has aged very very well...

[@grantwallace1882]

This video could cost me money. This mix sounds incredible!!!

[@theturtleproject]

it is amazing remix

[@arthurmol6875]

Great reaction Jim!

[@craigdawson7564]

Jim, you have to go see Rotherys side project, The Steve Rothery Band, sometime....the first half is normally his solo stuff (the excellent Ghosts Of Prypriat album)...with a 2nd half full of early marillion classics, mainly from the Fish area with the excellent Martin Jakubski (of tribute band STILLMARILLION) doing fish's vocals more than justice. Have seen them twice abd they were both excellent gigs!

[@TheProgCorner]

Way better than I had remembered!!!

[@theturtleproject]

saw them on this album tour in 1990, so many memories with this album , love it , the remix is amazing too

[@daneng3641]

As I was first going through Marillion's catalogue, Holidays in Eden quickly got overshadowed by Brave. But on subsequent listens, this has really grown on me.

[@StraightJester]

Marillion under full pressure from EMI to deliver a hit, in need even took a track from Hogarth's previous band. Just think, it's over 30 years old! As a fan since 84, still in love with the last album, I can say that if I could take 10 tracks of Marillion on an island, would actually be on board the trilogy from the end of Holidays in Eden!!!! This is pure 90's Marillion! And Jim, imagine "Splintering Heart" as the opener of the tour at that time! I'm curious what you will think of BRAVE, the follow-up to HiE (already available as a remaster...).

[@arthurmol6875]

Brave the best Marillion Album!!

[@drumvc8060]

Just listening in here, assuming this is the recent reissue boxset? Great sound, looks like an early Xmas present from me, to me!

[@digibirder]

Marillion knows how to do beauty right. They always add a touch of elegance.

[@carstenhorn5075]

If U2 had released Cover my eyes, it would have been a worldwide hit…

[@coheed1000]

Greetings from Old Eire!! 🇮🇪 I used to just cherry pick Marillion songs but now I'm on this journey with you Jim and its fantastic.. Rothery's solo stuff is worth a listen too, as you might guess! Keep them coming! ''It Bites'' last few albums before they called it a day would possibly suit your channel too!

[@nathanaelcole8466]

I haven't really got drawn in by Marillion. Not listened much though, so let's go!

[@jcarlosfig]

wait until 100 nights

[@JesperHellvik]

I love this album! It aged well.

[@yes_head]

That looks like a nice deluxe vinyl reissue you got there, Jim. I still have my original US edition CD from 1992. BTW, I consider Seasons End the better of the first two Hogarth albums, but this one is still nice as long as you're OK with a shift toward a more radio-friendly vibe. Seasons End can be considered a bit dark so it makes sense that they might have wanted HIE to be fairly bright and positive by comparison (producer Chris Neil was more of a pop guy than Chris Kimsey.) A couple songs like "No One Can" are disposable, but overall its a solid effort. It did get to number 7 in the UK album charts and many of us were hoping this would get the band the success they deserved, but it was ultimately not to be. Note that several songs on this album are re-workings of material from Steve Hogarth's previous band How We Live. Interestingly "The Party" is very much a precursor to the Brave album.

[@Codarmy72]

I bought the blu ray remix and I truly think it's given the album a new lease of life, Cover my Eyes has such more impact :-)

[@jeffschielka7845]

Hey Jim! Long time no see. Welcome back!😎

[@JimNewstead]

Not that long, surely? Thursday last week I think? 🤔. Anyway, hi Jeff! Hope you’re well and had a good weekend 👍🏼

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@JimNewstead I guess it just seemed longer. Lol. Scot is starting a great series. Hope you got your votes in?😎

[@tonyfurminger8308]

This was the EMI album, the one that the studio pushed for the next Kayleigh to come from, and so it came across as a bit too 'poppy' for a lot of the fans. That being said, the longer tracks are all brilliant and the singles are great fun live (there are so many bald heads bouncing up and down that they look like eggs on a conveyor belt, and that's just the women)

[@Juststartingout768]

Good music is good music and I dont think there is a duffer on here

[@tanis7050]

A very good album and my favorite with M. Hogarth

[@didididi71]

between Seasons end and BRAVE often underrated..it was the time EMI want a single hit and a special style of producing....But there is a couple of classics and awesome songs on it

[@booshting3520]

This one is saved mostly by its 2 great bookends

[@FormulaProg]

I only recently got inro marillion but to me this sounds pretty good. Maybe not quite as good as seasons end.

[@Juststartingout768]

I love this album and have bought it three times on various formats. I was a little "empty?" after hearing this mix in a way I wasnt when listening to the original. I left it a week and went back to the original and true enough. I just cant put my finger on it, but I am not getting the same gushy feeling I was from the original

[@90125trevor]

The original album I got the week it was released appears to have a harder edge to it than the remixed version. I think I prefer the original version.

[@Barbu_Deluxe]

More Marillion ? It is our Christmas Gift in advance ! 🫶🫶🫶

[@paulmcmillan5941]

Hi Jim, although this album wasn't as commercially successful (as seasons end) and forced by record company executives trying to make the band a commercial success it does have some major gemstones buried in there.

[@JimNewstead]

There’s some beautiful little pieces in this collection.

[@paulmcmillan5941]

@@JimNewstead indeed!

[@richardm6985]

I'm not trying to be mean but that opening music sounds like such a U2 copy lol,.... Got the edge and soulful howling and everything... Amazing :P good to have you back Jim! Giving this a listen since you seem to like these guys!

[@richardm6985]

Oh! Haha you picked up on it too!

[@richardm6985]

We're of two minds, Jim, it's nice, it's accessible, it sounds like they just wanted to give the mainstream a shot for an album or two

[@JimNewstead]

It’s so obviously a complete copy of U2!!

[@nickavenoso7851]

@@richardm6985 It wasn’t really them. They wanted to work with the original producer that worked on the stuff with Fish, but they couldn’t, so they had to work with Chris Neil even though they originally didn’t want to. Chris Neil was known as pop producer and heavily influenced the sound and EMI heavily pressured them to try to have a big hit again like Kayleigh which also influenced this album to have a more pop rock sound. I personally do really like this album. It’s not my favorite Marillion album (that’s Clutching at Straws), but there’s a lot of great music on this one, imho.

[@clansome]

Recently got the Remixed CD/BluRay set. Bloody brilliant and got the signed poster for pre-ordering too. The Remix sounds quite different to the original actually, for the most part it's better too. Personally I still think Season's End is better, and btw Fish didn't have any input into Seasons End but the group did write some music with him in mind which is included. Their legal disputes got very heavy during Seasons End recording. Seasons End is the only EMI record still to be given the Deluxe treatment. Looking forward to that very, very much. This was regarded as too poppy by a lot of purists, but I was always of the opinion that Fish's Marillion were quite poppy too. Ultimately EMI expected them to produce at least 3 singles per album. EDIT The Party is based around h's own experience. He talks about it on the BluRay in the pack.

[@JimNewstead]

I have yet to listen to Season’s End… but will do at some point I’m sure! Interesting about The Party! Thanks 👍🏼

[@nathanaelpeace9550]

@@JimNewstead Season's End is the next box set they're putting out so wait for that!

[@eugeneshadwell6596]

Ah, this is the Marillion album I most flipflop over. When it's good it's excellent (Splintering Heart, the This Town trilogy and Cover My Eyes is one of my very favourite Marillion singles) but then there's the 'shit, we haven't had a big hit single in a while, better try and do something that might get played on the radio' tracks... 😉 I don't hate HIE (even though it's not one of my personal top ten of their albums) and respect to anyone who likes it... but compare it to the following 'Brave' and it's just no competition. IMHO anyway... 😁

[@kevingreen3429]

sounds commercial jim because EMI where after a chart record. probably the best thing that happened was them to ditch the label. and as they say the rest is history. Still a cracking album though, and the last few tracks on side 2 gives you a little hint of what will happen in future albums .Especially when you think Brave is the next studio album.

[@stephenhaunch3468]

I always liked this album even though there are certain views in the fanbase regarding a pop sound. They were still under the control of record companies at this stage even though Brave appeared next which is maybe their proggiest ever.

[@lesimprosdulezardvert1342]

To my ears, it sounds like a remix version. For exemple, "the party" had the voice more present when he screams at the end, in the original version. Sometimes, when they remix, they loose something in the way, an emotion.

[@mrkitewine7700]

This was the album where they lost me, i loved the first 5, but this was too generic radio rock for me at the time. The remix is much better than the original I have to say. I have since got back into the more recent stuff which I love.

[@ChrisEchoes]

Sorry, what is there generic radio rock about this album? Please point me to similar songs from established radio acts that sound anything like even the more concise songs (let alone the more extended pieces like Splintering Heart of the closing trilogy of songs) on this album cause I would love to know it.

[@torch8760]

C’mon. Splintering and the finishing trio are stone cold classics, but Cover My Eyes and Dry Land are radio-friendly pop normalcy that any band could have done.

[@torch8760]

And No One Can, of course.

[@ChrisEchoes]

@@torch8760 Again, point me to songs like Cover My Eyes that are similar AND so melodic. Yes, that opening of it has a whiff of The Edge to it but remember, Rothery did that rhythmic melodic playing before in the past.

[@torch8760]

@@ChrisEchoes that’s just a silly ask. If you can’t think of songs that sound similar, your mental catalog is thin indeed. I’m as big a Marillion fan as there is, but be honest.

[@jesusborrajo2154]

einfach🤪👍👏

[@gavinferguson]

Mixed feelings about this 1 I was still in the fish camp when it came out think I resented h for not sounding right !!! It’s not bad the remix is far better overall like fugazi the original suffers from weird production of it’s time. 😂 not sure if it just me but I hear fish singing this album in my head not h

[@Phibbus]

By '91, the music being released had become pretty dead to me, but I kind of wish I'd listened to this.

[@MaraxisArcanist]

I don't know when this was originally recorded, but it has a very 80's pop sound to me. It's not bad though.

[@nathanaelcole8466]

Too Poppy and boring for me. May be beautiful, but does not keep my attention.

[@pauldavis645]

Sent you a friend request on Facebook mate please accept when possible

[@billnole2188]

Great 1st album co-written with H. Especially since he was a pop singer previously.

[@theturtleproject]

2nd with H seasons end was 1st

[@billnole2188]

@@theturtleproject My understanding is that H didn't write anything on Seasons End. I didn't say it was the 1st he performed on.

[@theturtleproject]

@@billnole2188 he wrote all the lyrics for seasons end

[@theturtleproject]

@@billnole2188 I do understand where you are coming from though the band had a lot of the music already fo seasons end so as a full on album from scratch it is their first yeah

[@billnole2188]

@@theturtleproject if that's true, I stand/sit corrected.