Despite the greatness
Marillion showed on 'Brave', the release of the follow-up, 'Afraid Of
Sunlight', failed to register with me. Ever since I rediscovered the band,
thanks to the excellent 'Marbles', I've been racking my brain for
memories and clues as to why I dropped them so quickly, easily and
unexpectedly. Unfortunately, I can't remember which is sad since 'Afraid Of
Sunlight' is quite the gem. Therefore, this installment is the first of
Marillion's albums where I truly had to back track because it took nine long
years from it's release until I actually listened to it.
After the long combined
recording process and subsequent touring of ‘Brave’,
a very tired Marillion were not allowed much time to recuperate. EMI were on
their heels to claim the previously promised more radio-friendly album. Giving
in to that pressure, the band embarked on the mission to create what was to
become ‘Afraid Of Sunlight’…only to
hit immediate writers block. Thanks to the collective efforts of the band, John
Helmer and producer Dave Meegan this hurdle was overcome and the proceedings
could continue.
Once they were underway ‘Afraid Of Sunlight’ was completed
fairly quickly, 8 months or so in all. Experiences on the road during the last
tour, as well as on the home front, brought forth a somewhat different style to
the songs. Which in themselves became more of individual compositions, rather
than the usual conceptual structure. Marillion being Marillion there is a
recurring theme flowing through the songs, after all it wouldn’t be them if
not. Call it their “trappings of fame” album.
‘Gazpacho’ initializes the proceedings and is musically ethereal, soaring and
dreamy with a quite noticeable Chris Squire/ Geddy Lee bass tone. Steve Hogarth
sings about family abuse while keeping up appearances. The odd ball on the
album, but yet quite good, is ‘Cannibal
Surf Babe’. A story about a quirky femme fatale surfer girl. It starts off
as a straight-up Beach Boys song which quickly turns into a rocker of sorts.
Again, Trewavas plays a bass line akin to Chris Squire. The music on ‘Beautiful’ gives a feel of summertime
being soft and transcendent which goes hand in hand with the anti-cynicism
stance of the lyrics. It goes out to all those who are derided for believing in
the beautiful things in life. ‘Afraid Of Sunrise’ invokes
images of wide open spaces and clear blue skies with the narrator looking at
the introspective side of fame.
‘Out Of This World’ tells the story about the British speed king,
Donald Campbell, who forsake everything he had for fame and subsequently
perished during a record attempt. The band is holding back, being reflective
but after a while the flood gates open and emotions fly high. Abstemious at
first, ‘Afraid Of Sunlight’ allows
the music to give night way to day without asking questions. But in this
setting it haunts our protagonist who dreads what the morning brings…infamy and
shame! ‘Beyond You’ conjures the
feeling of being awake at night watching the darkness thinking of lost ones,
lost due to your own stupid actions. The music is sparse and wavers in and out
between upbeat and tormented and readily enhances the wretched soul of the
song’s main character. The honours of ending this magnificent album falls on ‘King’. And I guess it ties this release
together perfectly since it deals with instant fame and the consequences of
that. Everybody wants you. Pressure, pressure, pressure. It builds up and
eventually explodes. Fin! Beautiful guitar work in the beginning by Rothery,
before the songs kicks into rocking mode on and off. The dejection side of the
lyrics appears in the shape of Mark Kelly’s keyboards.
‘Afraid Of Sunlight’ truly marks the end of an area as EMI dropped
Marillion after it’s release. That’s a sad state of affairs since this album is
a gem. I shouldn’t be talking though being part of why the band lost their
deal. Poor record sales and the lack of a single/ radio hit was the final straw
but looking back on things, Marillion bowed out from the mainstream with their
heads held high. And they should be proud of this work and of themselves. After
all, they relaunched their career as a truly self-sufficient, successful band
in their own right.
-Swedebeast
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