Marillion – Fugazi
You might remember Marillion for its 80s hymn „Kayleigh“ and the bestselling album „Misplaced Childhood“, but instead of that, their third album, I picked this one. Fugazi is their sophomore effort. Why? Well… in the early 1980s Punk and New Wave seemed to have killed rock music, especially progressive. But bored by simple electronics and three chord protest songs, a couple of bands emerged from the ruins. Marillion was the most popular (and they still make music, btw), though their debut was a little disoriented and paid a little too much tribute to the great old ones (I speak of bands, not eldritch deities). Before becoming more accessible with their concept magnum opus, the third album, Fugazi is fully fledged progressive but in their own style. Poetic, aggressive, hypnotic, Fugazi combines awesome music free from many conventions though still paying tribute to the early 70s. Playful but powerful drums, intricate guitars, melodic but dull pounding bass lines and speeding keyboard carpets. And all that in combination with vocalist Fish’s unbelievable singing style and lyrics that would not look bad in a book of poetry. Please note the sleeve design by Mark Wilkinson that foreshadows Fish’s upcoming burn out and alcohol problems that made him quit in 1988. Anyways, while most prefer their other works, this is my favourite.