Search - Marillion :: Essential Collection

Useless and incomplete collection

11/19/1999

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Who decided to put out this collection really has no clue. "Essential" includes good songs, but the selection baffles me. Lady Nina, Cinderella Search and Grendel are B sides and can be found on "B-sides themselves", the other songs can be found on several compilations and the excellent Fish-era studio albums. Torch song is a good song, but it shouldn't be part of a 9 song "essential" collection. A waste."

Not as representative as it should be

David J. Wimer | Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania | 01/21/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I got this CD because I wanted to familiarize myself with Marillion; before buying it I hadn't heard much of their material. I probably should have chosen another CD because this one has some weak tracks on it. The liner notes focus on the chart positions achieved by the songs, and that gave me a bad impression of the CD because how well a song does on the charts is not an indication of how good the song is. The only songs I really like on this collection are "Grendel" (a 17 minute masterpiece that is reminiscent of classic progressive rock) and "Torch Song". I recommend starting with another CD, probably Jester's Tear."

Beyond the hits

02/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, the title of this collection is misleading, but I think you should give this odd record a chance. This is a very good addition to Marillion's several "Best of.." albums. "Grendel", "Cinderella search", and "Lady Nina" were previously only available on single-b-sides and on "B Sides themselves". "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" both were top-ten hits in the UK, taken from their best-known album "Misplaced childhood". The other songs are taken from Marillion's "Fish-era" albums, and "Torch song" is pretty good. Although it's not a comprehensive overview, I think this CD is a good start for people who want to have a little appetizer. "Best of both worlds", certainly, is a more recommendable but also expensive venture."