Marillion - Clutching raws [24-bit Remaster] (1999) [FLAC]

Marillion - Clutching at Straws [24-bit Remaster]


John Franck from Allmusic says:

Written and conceived during a period of inner-band turmoil, Clutching at Straws would prove to be Fish's swan song and perhaps Marillion's most unheralded masterpiece. Teaming up once again with producer Chris Kimsey, Clutching at Straws showcases some of the band's most satisfying compositions, including the magnificent "Warm Wet Circles" and "That Time of the Night (The Short Straw)". Bookended by Fish's disgust with not only himself, "Torch Song", but also with the burgeoning neo-nazi uprising in Europe, "White Russian", the great Scot delivers an inspired condemnation. The commercial pomp and circumstance of "Incommunicado" also gives way to a self-parodying confessional inspired by Fish's inability to see himself as a bona fide rock star and celebrity (“I want to do adverts for American Express cards, talk shows on prime time T.V.”). Tour opener "Slainte Mhath" is simple and elegant, building to its dramatic crescendo only to be upstaged by "Sugar Mice" -- quite simply, one of Marillion's best commercial singles ever. The album's stunning closer, "The Last Straw", is Fish's self-realization that yes, the band is not only over, but that in his mind, its null and void (“and if you ever come across us, don't give us your sympathy”). Steven Rothery's blinding guitar solo brings the whole thing down to a crashing finish (prophetically, announcing his arrival as the band's true musical instigator on subsequent Fish-less records).

The 1999 re-release of Clutching at Straws features a bonus disc chock full of unreleased material (seven tracks in all) that the band half-heartedly demoed following the Straws tour. The songs were to serve as the album's follow-up; unfortunately, it was never released -- until now. Upon closer inspection, Marillion fanatics will recognize "Beaujolais Day" (later renamed "Seasons End") and "Story From a Thin Wall" (the lyrics would become Fish's "Family Business." The music from that same song would later be revisited and used as the bed for “Berlin”), which would show up on Season's End. Other interesting anomalies include "Sunset Hill", as well as demo versions of "White Russians" and the original two-track demo for "Sugar Mice in the Rain".

Tracklist:
Disc 1:
01. Hotel Hobbies
02. Warm Wet Circles
03. That Time of the Night (The Short Straw)
04. Going Under
05. Just for the Record
06. White Russian
07. Incommunicado
08. Torch Song
09. Slainte Mhath
10. Sugar Mice
11. The Last Straw
i. Happy Ending

Disc 2:
01. Incommunicado [Alternative Version]
02. Tux On
03. Going Under [Extended Version]
04. Beaujolais Day [Previously unreleased]
05. Story from a Thin Wall [Previously unreleased]
06. Shadows on the Barley [Previously unreleased]
07. Sunset Hill [Previously unreleased]
08. Tic-Tac-Toe [Previously unreleased]
09. Voice in the Crowd [Previously unreleased]
10. Exile on Princes Street [Previously unreleased]
11. White Russians [Demo]
12. Sugar Mice in the Rain[/color]

The musicians:
Fish (Derek W. Dick) - vocals
Steve Rothery - guitars
Mark Kelly - keyboards
Pete Trewavas - bass
Ian Mosley - drums
Tessa Niles - backing vocals on "That Time of the Night" and "The Last Straw"
Chris Kimsey (credited as Christopher 'Robbin' Kimsey) - backing vocals on "Incommunicado"
John Cavanaugh - "Dr. Finlay" voice on "Torch Song"

Recorded at Westside Studios, London, 1987.
Original (single-disc) album released 22 June 1987. This remastered (two-disc) edition released 22 March 1999.
Producer: Chris Kimsey.
Label: EMI Records.
Genre: Progressive Rock, Neo-Prog.

Ripped with EAC in Secure mode, Test & Copy.
Encoded with FLAC Frontend at level 8, with full tagging.
Includes basic artwork (front and tray), EAC CUE and LOG files, AudioChecker log, and NFO file.

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