5 out of 5 Stars!

This is the EP that not only introduced Marillion to the world and added a major boost to the “New Wave of British Progressive Rock” movement, but got me instantly hooked on the band.

I vividly recall the first time I heard this EP, of having chills of excitement race along my spine, and of battling the urge to leap for joy because a new group had actually adopted a style so eerily reminiscent of Gabriel-era Genesis.

Both A-Side songs “Market Square Heroes” and “Three Boats Down From the Candy” featured Fish’s quirky lead vocals and creative lyrics, along with plenty of Tony Banks-inspired keyboard runs with fantasy-tinged atmospheres, more than enough to make me sit up and take notice.

But it was hearing the creepy, highly dramatic, seventeen-plus minute “Grendel” that encompassed the whole B Side when I cautiously wondered if I might have been catapulted to Prog-Rock heaven. Here was a band that created an epic tune reminiscent of the Genesis classic “Supper’s Ready,” with various sections, eerie atmospheres, and odd tempos. Brilliant!

Thankfully, the band’s Script for a Jester’s Tear album appeared about six months later, finally verifying that Prog-Rock heaven truly DID exist, and I loved every single minute of that “New Wave of British Progressive Rock” period in musical history.

Get The Album Now!