**** Marillion -- Essential Collection
Apparently someone's idea of a joke at EMI -- the "Essentials" include "Grendel", "Cinderella Search" and "Torch Song", three of the most unlikely tracks to be considered representative of the band, and certainly songs that no one but a fan of the band who has several singles and albums already would have heard. That doesn't make it a bad collection, just an unlikely one. Several songs (like "Garden Party", "Heart of Lothian" and "Incommunicado") are noticeable by their absence, with only "He Knows, You Know", "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" representing the hits of the band. The CD, which only reflects Fish era Marillion, would fit well into a "great UK bands of the eighties" series (and the liner notes pretty much work into that), but isn't a particularly good representation of the band, either era. I got this for $12 (import) at the Virgin Megastore in downtown San Francisco because it's one of the few Marillion releases I don't have.
Reviews by A. D. Jensen
