Courtesy: Eagle Records/E.A.R. Music
Veteran British progressive rock band Marillion released its seventeenth full length studio release in 2012. The album, Sounds That Can’t Be Made, was met largely with positive reviews from fans and critics alike. A little over a year later, Eagle Records and E.A.R. Music re-issued Sounds That Can’t Be Made with an extra bonus. That bonus is an extra disc that boasts variants of songs from the original album. Those variants include a handful of live and in-studio performances, a demo of another song, and a previously unreleased song that kicks off the whole thing. That song is an incredibly emotional piece titled ‘Wrapped Up In This.’
‘Wrapped Up In Time’ was a fitting way to open the bonus companion disc to Sounds That Can’t Be Made. This deeply emotional piece is a perfect opener for the album’s bonus disc. The song’s introspective, almost mournful lyrics will leave anyone with a heartbeat in tears. Front man Steve Hogarth sings in this previously unreleased song, “Things got wrapped up in time/Like the past and the present/Or the perfect line/In a song/They take their time/And when they’re gone/They take their time/You can’t have them back/For the time for them has gone/Their time has gone.” Hogarth perfectly catches the emotion of someone remembering lost loved ones here. This is especially true when he hits the high notes in the song’s chorus. The control he exhibits over his voice is incredible. His use of vibrato even better illustrates the pain in the song. The addition keyboardist Mark Kelly’s performance only serves to add to the song’s emotional depth. Anyone left dry-eyed by the song’s end simply isn’t human.
‘Wrapped Up In Time’ is a fitting opener to the bonus disc included in the new re-issue of Sounds That Can’t Be Made. That’s because it is so beautiful yet heart wrenching at the same time. On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, the band’s original take on its song ‘Lucky Man’ is just as interesting to hear as the final product. The final product that is on the originally released album is a joyous piece celebrating happiness with what one has in life. Hogarth sings in this song, “Some of us want diamonds and trinkets and gold/The perfect body and the perfect skin/Witnesses to their good deeds/Willing accomplices to their sin/Some of us pray for absolution/Some want sex and call it love/But freedom to cheat’s not something I need tonight.” He goes on to sing in the chorus, “I truly am/A lucky man/I have everything that I want.” His words ring loud and clear. We as people are never truly happy. We should be happy with what we have, where we are, and who we are. The final take on the song is a full on rock song. One can close one’s eyes, take in the music and lyrics and see all of the images of which Hogarth sings being book ended by a camera spinning, pointed up at a shining blue sky. The original demo take on the song is noticeably different from the final product. It starts off much softer and doesn’t have the full on rock feel of what’s on the album. It’s more piano driven. When the choir comes in, its effect against Hogarth’s piano playing is just as powerful as what is presented in the album take of the song. It definitely is one of the highest of points on the re-issue’s bonus disc.
Both ‘Wrapped Up In Time’ and the original demo take of ‘Lucky Man’ are wonderful additions to Marillion’s newly re-issued album. There is at least one more addition to the re-issue’s bonus disc that merits noting. That song is the band’s live performance of the title track from its recent release. This nearly eight-minute performance taken from the band’s 2013 performance in Holland is a prime example of what makes Marillion such an extraordinary band in a live setting. Hogarth’s vocals soar as he sings, “Aurora Borealis/Shimmering green and blue/Indigo and violent/Like phantoms half-imagined/Something unreal/But realer than everything/Seeing all the planet’s love floating in the air/Caressing you every day.” The semi-psychedelic sounding lyrics gain even more power in the song’s live performance. That’s thanks not just to Hogarth, but to the talents of his band mates, too. Guitarist Steve Rothery is right up there with the likes of Dream Theater’s John Petrucci as he makes his way through the song. And drummer Ian Mosley keeps the whole band together with this less-is-more style playing. There are no major flashes or fills from Mosley. He keeps a solid beat and adds a little musical spice where need be for lack of better wording. Put simply, the band’s performance of the album’s title track is something that audiences must hear for themselves in order to fully appreciate it. The same applies to each of the songs included on the bonus disc of Sounds That Can’t Be Made (Special Edition). Audiences that give these variants a chance will agree at just how impressive each one is. They will agree that the songs collectively make this record a solid re-issue and a re-issue worth hearing. It is available now in stores and online. More information on this and other releases from Marillion, as well as all of the latest news from Marillion is available online at http://www.marillion.com, http://www.facebook.com/MarillionOfficial and http://twitter.com/marilliononline. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
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