After buying the Clutching At Straws boxset it rekindled my interest in Marillion so I scurried away to see if any of the other boxsets were available at a reasonable price and managed to bag Fugazi.
This is another 5LP Deluxe Box Set which comes with the original album remixed and a previously unreleased live concert: Live at the Spectrum, Montreal, Canada, 20th June 1984 as well as a 24 page booklet. Again, it is a really nice package, pressing is excellent.
This is the bands difficult second album, written under the pressure of expectation after the success of their debut and amidst a blizzard of class A’s if reports at the time are to be believed. It was recorded after a gruelling tour and was mixed in a rush much to the annoyance of the band who were never happy with the sound of the end product. This remix sounds much, much better I’m happy to report.
Listening to this again for the first time in years I’m reminded that this is an album with a soggy middle. I love the first two tracks (‘Assassin’ and ‘Punch and Judy’) and the last two (‘Incubus’ and ‘Fugazi’) but can take or leave the middle three if I’m being honest. They aren’t terrible - although ‘She Chameleon’ with its John Carpenter soundtrack keyboards, is a bit whiffy - they are just not up there with the band’s best.
The live album is cracking, including most of the Fugazi album plus the excellent b-side ‘Cinderella Search’. It also includes some bangers from their debut album including ‘Forgotten Sons’ and ‘Garden Party’. Also here is ‘Market Square Heroes’ which was Marillion’s debut single from 1982. Some of the songs from this live recording were released in 1984 as the live album ‘Real To Reel’.
Tracks To Try: ‘Assassin’, ‘Punch and Judy’, ‘Incubus’, ‘Fugazi’.