10 Essential 1980s Progressive Rock Albums

Marillion were initially seen as emulating the early years of Genesis when – as discussed previously – Genesis themselves largely abandoned their past glory.

True, lead singer Fish possessed a very similar timbre to Peter Gabriel, just as the other four members (all of whom are still in Marillion, alongside Fish’s replacement, Steve Hogarth) propagated comparably regal and otherworldly arrangements. However, they did plenty to distinguish their work, as 1985’s pivotal Misplaced Childhood proved.

Their third studio collection, it’s a concept album inspired by Fish’s LSD-infused reflections on days gone by (“watching childhood fade with each passing year; the thrill and attendant pressure of being in a rock band; and, crucially, the recent demise of his relationship with girlfriend Kay,” as PROG writer Mark Blake described in 2015).

Primarily, it spawned fan-favorite Kayleigh, a deeply personal and moving ode to lost romantic relationships. It – as well as Lavender, Lords of the Backstage, Childhood’s End, and Heart of Lothian – are simultaneously affective, catchy, and vibrantly sophisticated touchstones.

Elsewhere, the multipart Bitter Suite and Blind Curve find the quintet fully embracing their genre roots via epic instrumental and narrative excursions. Packed with scrumptious transformations in mood and design, they solidify Marillion’s elegant compositional chops.