From Amazon.co.uk
Contemporary critics of Marillion labelled them as clones of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, based largely upon their extended songs, a prominent and Mellotron-influenced keyboard sound, distinctive other-worldly album artwork and the deeply fantastic and/or romantic lyrics of their Scottish frontman
Fish. Initially a cult band appealing mainly to lovers of progressive rock, with the somewhat softer sound of
Misplaced Childhood they came to the attention a much wider audience after the success of the single
Kayleigh. With two continuous "suites" of music, one covering either side of the original LP, this album actually bears a much closer relation to
The Wall-era
Pink Floyd; like it, the music, although tuneful and expertly played, serves mainly as an emotional framework for a vehemently personal set of lyrics. Sometimes, as on the opening "Pseudo Silk Kimono", the lyrics are pretentious and empty; elsewhere, as on "Blind Curve", they are searching and punchy. Fish refined his vision to a peak on Marillion's next album
Clutching At Straws, an often masterful examination of self-deception and self-loathing, before leaving the band for a solo career. --
James Swift
Album Details
Misplaced Childhood is seen by many as the definitive Marillion album, and it is hard to argue. The music is stylistically typical of their first three albums and has far fewer flat spots than Fugazi. It also contains that most unproglike of beasts, a hit single. The infectious "Kayleigh" reached number 2 on the British charts. EMI. 2005.