Clutching at Straws

Clutching at Straws
Studio album by
Publication (s)	June 22, 1987
Label (s)	EMI Records
Format (s)	CD, LP, MC
Genre (s)	Progressive Rock , Neo-Prog
Title (number)	11
running time	52:18
occupation	Fish - singing Steve Rothery - guitar Mark Kelly - keyboards Pete Trewavas - bass Ian Mosley - drums
production	Chris Kimsey
Studio (s)	Westside Studios, London (England)
chronology Misplaced Childhood (1985) Clutching at Straws Seasons End (1989)
Single releases May 11, 1987 Incommunicado July 13, 1987 Sugar Mice October 26, 1987 Warm wet circles

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Clutching at Straws   DE 3 07/06/1987 (24 weeks)   AT 16 08/15/1987 (4 weeks)   CH 3 07/05/1987 (12 weeks)   UK 2 07/04/1987 (16 weeks)   US 103 1987 (11 weeks)

Singles

Incommunicado   UK 6th 05/23/1987 (5 weeks) Sugar Mice   UK 22nd 07/25/1987 (5 weeks) Warm wet circles   UK 22nd 07/11/1987 (4 weeks)

Clutching at Straws ( English for "An straws clinging") is the fourth studio album of British progressive rock - band Marillion . It was released in June 1987 as the last studio album of the Fish era . The album is a concept album (the second of the band), in which problems and self-doubts with and without alcohol are discussed based on the fictional character “Torch”.

background

The creation of the album was shaped by the success of Misplaced Childhood and the tours that went with it. Mark Kelly called this type of songwriting "composus interruptus" because the work was interrupted again and again by concerts or interviews. From May 1986 to January 1987 the new songs were worked on, then the material was presented to producer Chris Kimsey and EMI manager Hugh Stanley Clarke. They were pretty unimpressed until the band played Incommunicado , a song rated as a potential hit single.

Between 1997 and 1999 EMI released the Marillion albums created under their label as a 24-bit Digital Remaster 2-disc version , the bonus CD from Clutching at Straws contains, among other things. a. also the last recordings the band made with singer Fish.

Track list

All songs were written by Fish, Mark Kelly, Ian Mosley, Steve Rothery, and Pete Trewavas.

1. Hotel Hobbies (03:35)
2. Warm Wet Circles (04:25)
3. That Time of the Night (The Short Straw) (06:00)
4. Going Under (02:47) (not included on the LP)
5. Just for the Record (03:09)
6. White Russian (06:27)
7. Incommunicado (05:16)
8. Torch Song (04:05)
9. Slàinte Mhath (04:44)
10. Sugar Mice (05:46)
11. The Last Straw / Happy Ending (05:58)

Track list of the bonus CD

1. Incommunicado (Alternative Version) (05:57)
2. Tux On (05:13)
3. Going Under (Extended Version) (02:48)
4. Beaujolais Day (04:51)
5. Story From a Thin Wall (06:47)
6. Shadows on the Barley (02:07)
7. Sunset Hill (04:21)
8. Tic-Tac-Toe (02:59)
9. Voice in the Crowd (03:29)
10. Exile on Princes Street (05:29 AM)
11. White Russians (demo) (06:15)
12. Sugar Mice in the Rain (Demo) (05:54)

Single releases

The first single was released in May 1987 Incommunicado with the B-side Going Under , which reached 6th place on the UK singles chart. The second single Sugar Mice , released in July 1987 with the B-side Tux On , reached number 22 on the UK charts. The third single Warm Wet Circles with the B-side White Russian (Live) was released in October 1987 and also reached number 22 on the UK charts.

reception

The reviewers vary in the rating between "best" and "weakest" album of the Fish era. However, there is agreement that Steve Rothery performed his best guitar playing so far on this album. In June 2015, the renowned trade journal Rolling Stone selected the album at number 37 of the 50 best progressive rock albums of all time .

Web links

• Clutching at Straws at Allmusic (English)
• Reviews of Clutching at Straws on the Babyblauen Seiten
• Explanations of the album ( Memento from April 18, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) on marillion.baldyslaphead.co.uk

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Charts UK
2. ↑ CAS album information, marillion.com, accessed on August 14, 2012
3. ^ Clutching at Straws sleeve notes , fish-thecompany.com, accessed August 14, 2012
4. ↑ Clutching At Straws ( Memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ), emimusic.de, accessed on August 14, 2012
5. ^ Single B-sides , whitgunn.freeservers.com, accessed August 14, 2012
6. ^ Weakest of the Fish-era albums ( Memento June 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), tranglos.com, accessed August 15, 2012
7. ↑ no big surprises, but great pieces , babyblaue-seiten.de, accessed on August 15, 2012
8. ↑ This is probably the best album for Steve Rothery's guitars as well. ( Memento of November 10, 2012 on the Internet Archive ), progreviews.com, accessed August 15, 2012
9. ↑ EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED! , progarchives.com, accessed August 15, 2012
10. ↑ Jon Weiderhorn: 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time - Marillion, 'Clutching at Straws' (1987). In: Rolling Stone . Wenner Media, June 17, 2015, accessed on September 30, 2015 .