SE 3, EP 7: Marillion - Clutching at Straws

This is Vinyl Tap

On this week's podcast, we take a look at the 1987 album Clutching at Straws by the kings of 80's Neoprog Marillion. By the early 1980's in the wake of Punk and New Wave, Progressive Rock (or Prog Rock) was considered decidedly "uncool" by the the music press. In the midst of all of this, a bunch of young bands who loved the Prog Rock of the 70's decided to ignore what was considered "hip" and make the music they wanted to make. Rather than forgo those things essential to Prog Rock for the sound ofthe times, these bands filtered those elements through the lens of Punk and New Wave and created complicated music that was more melodic than its predecessors, often times harder-edged, with lyrics based more in real world themes, instead of the fantasy and sci-fi centered lyrics of the bands form the 70's. The music was called Neoprog by the press.
Marillion was easily the biggest commercial success on the Neoprog bands. Fronted by a 6 foot 5 singer called Fish, Marillion's first 4 LPs were all top 10 in the UK. Clutching at Straws was the fourth and final album with Fish as singer. It was by all accounts a difficult album to make. Fish ultimately left as a result of the friction. However, what resulted in terms of the LP is a lyrical tour de force, with the band firing on all cylinders, to create what is considered by many to be the band's finest, and most realized, artistic statement.

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