However, "Anoraknophobia" was created in a groundbreaking fashion. It was funded mostly by fan preorders through the internet, which theoretically released Marillion from any sort of record company meddling. The idea was that Marillion was to make the album that Marillion wanted to make based on the faith of thier fans. I find it ironic that upon its' completion, the band's press releases regarding this album bordered on insulting to the average Marillion fan. Dressed in too-geeky black-rimmed glasses and hooded sweats, the band begged the world to distance them from the progressive rock label that they obviously feel has plagued them, even though thier fans love them for the work that they have done in that genre. Who do they think that they were talking to? I was the one with a pair of headphones in High School desprately trying to get my friends to see what I saw in ther music.

But, insulted and cynical, I bought the album. The band begged me to "forget what I know about them and just listen", so I did, and I thought that my review here would be my ulimate revenge.

But they were right.

I hate to admit it, but "Anoraknophobia" ranks among one of the best albums I have bought this year. It won me over. Without a doubt, it is my favorite Marillion-H album to date, and for the first time ever I am not thinking about "Clutching at Straws" or "Misplaced Childhood" as a reference. Its sound is so far removed from those albums that it is not fair to really compare them.

And yet comparisons are fair. If Marillion really wanted to distance themselves from thier past so badly, why continue under the same name? Those albums were made over fifteen years ago, and they had an impact on me then. It is possible that "Anoraknophobia" has had (or is having) the same impact on me now. I won't be able to say for sure for another fifteen years. Are they trying to make a point about labels - in particular the label "progressive"? Probably. Regardless, I like "Anoraknophobia" a lot. Overall, the album is as passionate, aggressive, and beautiful as anything that ever happened under Fish, and in all honesty is probably better than anything that he has put out in a LONG time. Personal favorites include "When I Meet God" (probably the centerpiece of the album), "Map of the World" (which sounds like what Rush has been attemping to do in recent years), "Quartz" (GREAT bass work), "This is the 21st Century" (GREAT guitar work - both characteristic and unique), "Fruit of the Wild Rose", and "If My Heart Were a Ball It Would Roll Uphill".

On almost every one of Marillion-H's albums, there is at least one (if not more) embarassingly adolescent "rocker"-tune that sticks out like a sore thumb and mars the album's potential excellence. A few examples are "Season's End's" "Hooks in You", the title track from "Holidays in Eden", and from "Brave", "Paper Lies" and "Hard as Love", etc, etc. A similar example does really exist on "Anoraknophobia". The only song I could poke holes in would be "Separated Out", but only because the guitar riff from it reminds me of the "Mony mo-mo-Mony" part of Billy Idol's cover of "Mony, Mony", and somewhere in there I think I hear the intro from the Door's "Light My Fire". However, it wins bonus points in the conceptual continuity department by sarcastically referencing "Freaks", an old-school Marillion password.

The lowdown: after lots of effort and heartache, Marillion has finally carved a niche for themselves with Hogarth at the helm. If you have been dilligently waiting for them to do something worthwhile since Fish left, its time to jump on board, because in trying to distance themselves from the progressive label, they have made what could arguably be the most significant symphonic rock album this year. If you don't know them at all, consider what would happen if Radiohead and U2 collided with a stylized Genesis. Check it out!

One other thing...what the heck is an Anorak, anyway......


A brilliant reinvention, but not abandoning their past   May 15, 2001
M. Richichi (Chatham, NJ United States)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

The question is how to market this album? A reviewer who only listens once may not get the whole picture, but you can't just say, "Don't write your review until you've listened to this album continuously for a week." The thing is, a Marillion album is a lifelong commitment, not a fad of the month, and these things grow into who you are and affect you profoundly. How do you market that in today's pop music world?

This is definitely one of Marillion's 3 best albums. In fact, every 4th album has been, and it shares quite a bit with "Clutching at Straws" and "Afraid of Sunlight." Both those albums really did sound quite different from what had come before, not just from Marillion but anyone. Not that they were earth-shattering, they were clearly progressive-tinged rock, but there's something about song structures and arrangements that set them apart.

Anoraknophobia continues in this tradition. The songs aren't like what you've heard before (except possibly for "Map of the World" but the aforementioned Marillion albums had their pop song too.) I mean, listen to "Quartz"--it's basically the perfect Marillion song while being something that they've never pulled off--the 9 minutes fly by, you're brought through a host of emotions, and at the end you've been communicated to. I've also gotten into "When I Meet God"--the first 5 minutes are a perfect pop single, but the song is made by the ending, and all of it is necessary. Songs like "Separated Out" and "If My Heart Were A Ball it Would Roll Uphill" are rockers the best the band has ever written, with some extended passages that if, say, the Dave Matthews Band had done, critics would be praising for the free-form jamming they got down. Even the full-on rocker "Between You And Me" has enough twists and turns to keep many die-hard proggers happy, with enough pop to please a U2 fan.

A side note on song length. The best long songs aren't long. Examples are Yes' "Close To The Edge", and any epic from Marillion (yes, even "Grendel", but especially "This Strange Engine" and "Interior Lulu") They take time to explore musical ideas. Instead of hitting you over the head and finishing with you quickly, they weave together themes, revisit sounds, and create a whole sonic experience. Yeah, on first listen you're not going to pick up on that, but on every long song on this album, there is that effect. Perhaps that's why it takes some time to get in to the album--your brain has to identify those patterns and be able to understand them. Marillion has created an album of 6 to 9 minute pop songs. Now, that's going to bother those of you who think pop songs are 3 to 4 minutes, but you're missing out if you don't give this longer format a chance. The "epic" of the album, "This is the 21st Century," is 11 minutes of trancelike sounds that tell us where we are right now, and where we might be going; reconciling the mystical with the technological.

So, yes, this is a masterpiece, truly a new way of thinking for the band, that doesn't abandon where they've come from. I mean, I'm sure some fans didn't like "Clutching" when it came out, but most of us now seem to think it's one of the most perfect albums ever, by any band. I think time will show out Anoraknophobia the same way. Yeah, I liked com and Radiation, and I just relistened to "TSE" in a whole new light, but A12a stands as the best of the post-EMI albums (although I guess it's not really a post-EMI album.)

And I really want to see it live. I know the band will do what they can to get to the US, but I also know they won't go broke trying. Mark's comment that the band isn't rich really rang true--I mean, just run the numbers. The band raised 100,000 pounds on the pre-orders--but they not only have to pay themselves, but the staff (4 or 5 people now?), they had to pay a producer, and they may own the Racket Club but they still need to buy gear and minidiscs and power. They're not dealing with millions here, certainly not after expenses. We should all be thankful they seem to be making enough to be able to afford to keep doing it, and doing it well, but you don't need to see the ledger books to figure out they're not getting filthy rich from it. Here's hoping the buzz on this album is good enough to support a US tour. Here's hoping you buy it.


Not what I was expecting....but who cares?   May 29, 2005
Robert M Briggs III (Lake City, PA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Rather late at jumping on the Marillion bandwagon, I'd been filling out my collection of their CD's in mish-mash order: first I bought "Clutching at Straws", "Season's End" and "Brave" in one fell swoop. They seemed ok, and "Brave" caught my attention the most. Then I bought "This Strange Engine" and was even more enmaored. Here was a band that changed with each release. Each successive CD I purchased surprised me and delighted me on different levels and for different reasons. "Holidays in Eden", "Marbles" (their best yet, in my humble opinion) and (...) (vastly underrated in my estimation) came next, and I became rabid to buy the rest.
I've since bought the Marbles on the Road DVD, and am totally mezmerized by the music on it. Have watched it several times in just over a week. Now I have "Anoraknophobia", and it too shattered my expectations. I have to say I was hoping for more like (...), but I've since learned that that kind of hoping and wishing is foolish and doomed to disappointment.
This CD starts powerfully then meanders some. I'm very impressed with "Between You and Me", kind of turned off by "Separated Out" (for some reason", but totally blown away by "This is the 21st Century". This song is so compelling and subtle in ways that seem rather Pink Floyd-ish, but still are clearly Marillion's creativity fully stretched. Although I like other CD's by them more than this one, I still feel it's solid and would recommend it quickly.


Fresh and new   May 15, 2001
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is a fresh new album, with some great songs. At the same time Marillion took a great step from the previous albums. This shows that the band is making progress, instead of repeating itself. Progfans may hate this progress, but others may fall in love with this album.


My favorite Marillion CD   June 8, 2002
Michael D. Brennan (Cleveland, OH, USA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

By way of background, my favorite band is Rush and has been ever since the late 80s. I came late to listening to Marillion, not buying my first Marillion CD till 1996 - and with that fateful trip to the music store, I purchased "Afraid of Sunlight" and "Brave." As is typical even among hardcore Marillion fans, it was years before I really got into "Brave."

Nevertheless, I have made my way through the entire Marillion catalog, both the Fish and H eras. Singles too. Even Grendel. And I would be lying if I said I loved all of it, but like Rush, even a substandard Marillion song is better than pretty much anything to be heard on the radio these days.

There are no substandard songs on Anoraknophobia. This album starts strong with "Between You and Me" which is catchy and remains fresh with every listen. "Quartz" not only sounds great but has phenominal lyrics - comparing clockwork vs. quartz wristwatches as a metaphor for a broken relationship. "Map of the World" is radio ready, though it will never be played here in the states. The chorus of "If My Heart Were a Ball" reminds me just a little of of 90125-era YES (just a little.) "When I Meet God" is a song I wish I had written.

So I broke down and flew to the UK with my girlfriend (who has been a Marillion fan much longer than me) to finally hear these guys play. It was worth the trip. And to hear H live is to hear all these songs anew. H was asked, if they could be remembered for only one song, what would he want it to be, and he replied "This is the 21st Century." A surprising choice, perhaps, but again, a remarkable, ambient, beautiful and deep song.

I picked up Rush's Vapor Trails the day it came out. Even with Rush's tour kicking off in less than a month in Hartford, what disc is in my car stereo? Anoraknophobia. It just sounds so good, and I don't grow tired off it. I like Genesis too, but to say that Marillion still sounds like Genesis would be comparable to saying Rush still sounds like Led Zeppelin. Marillion sounds like Marillion. And with Anoraknophobia, the state of the band is strong.