If you agree with me that Marbles was Marillion's finest album in years, you owe it yourself to check out Marbles on the Road. Captured live over two nights in front of a packed London Astoria, Marillion perform a good portion of the Marbles album in addition to old favorites such as "The Uninvited Guest" and "Cover My Eyes". The soft focus camerawork is generally very good. At times, the video suffers from over saturation, particularly during show opener "The Invisible Man". Indeed, the first shot of Mark Kelly's bald head swathed in deep blue lights may mislead one into thinking he/she is watching a performance of The Blue Man Group! Bonus material includes a 15 minute featurette on the making of Marbles and promo videos for "You're Gone" and "Don't Hurt Yourself".
Marbles on the Road has finally been issued domestically, but if you really want to do it up right, order the two DVD version from the band's website. For a few extra dollars, you get two more hours of material, including another hour of performances from the Astoria gigs. Fans of earlier albums like Anoraknophobia, Afraid of Sunlight and Brave are going to find this section essential. Heartfelt renditions of "The Great Escape", "Estonia" and "King" are all here with a gorgeous take of "Easter" being the icing on the cake. There's also a nice slice of the Marillion Weekend 2003 concert, including embryonic versions of "Angelina", "Neverland" and "Ocean Cloud" with different lyrics.
Marbles is a major opus that brought back a lot of fans who were divided over the direction taken on albums like Marillion.com and Radiation. Marbles on the Road is a wonderful document of that triumphant "comeback" and positive proof of the special rapport Marillion share with their fans. It's also comforting to know that the band still has so much great music left in them. Thumbs up for Marbles on the Road and two big thumbs up for the extended edition.
Marbles on the Road Contents
- The Invisible Man
- Marbles I
- You're Gone
- Angelina
- Marbles II
- Don't Hurt Yourself
- Fantastic Place
- Marbles III
- The Damage
- Marbles IV
- Neverland
- Bridge
- Living with the Big Lie
- The Party
- Between You and Me
- The Uninvited Guest
- Cover My Eyes
Bonus Features
- Marbles Album EPK
- You're Gone Video
- Don't Hurt Yourself Video
Lost Marbles DVD2 (extended version)
The Rest of the Show
- This is the 21st Century
- Quartz
- Estonia
- Afraid of Sunlight
- The Great Escape
- King
- Easter
Marillion Weekend 2003
- Angelina
- Neverland
- Don't Hurt Yourself
- Ocean Cloud
Bonus Features
- You're Gone Alternative Video
- Don't Hurt Yourself Extended Video