Less Is More (Album)
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Studio album by 
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Publication |
October 2, 2009 |
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| Label (s) | Intact Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
57:24 |
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Michael Hunter |
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Studio (s) |
Racket Club in Aylesbury , Buckinghamshire (England) |
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Less Is More (English for: " Less is more ") is the 16th studio album by the British progressive rock band Marillion . It was released on October 2, 2009 and is a collection of leanly arranged songs, primarily performed with acoustic instruments.
background
Steve Rothery: We've been talking about making an acoustic album for years. We were in the vicious circle of "writing - recording - rehearsing for the tour - touring" for too long. We needed and wanted a break from it. Pete Trewavas: The decision to make an acoustic album was a great way to get off the treadmill and take a break from writing songs. Rocksquare.com: Following the releases of Somewhere Else (2007) and Happiness Is the Road (2008), singer Steve Hogarth felt lyrically burned out. In an effort to give themselves time to find new musical and lyrical inspirations, the band realized Less Is More .
It is often referred to as an unplugged album, but strictly speaking this is not correct. Steve Rothery: The solo at the end of Quartz is one of the few moments where I picked up the electric guitar.
Who played what
- Steve Hogarth - vocals , piano , dulcitone , dulcimer , percussion
- Steve Rothery - acoustic guitars , electric guitars , Portuguese guitar
- Mark Kelly - Harmonium , Organ , Hammond Organ , Autoharp , Glockenspiel , Piano, Backing Vocals
- Pete Trewavas - acoustic bass guitar, xylophone , backing vocals, acoustic guitars
- Ian Mosley - drums, Moroccan bongos
- B. Hartshorn - Bass Harmonica
- HS Ensemble - string instruments
- The Preston Bisset Singers - Choir
- S. Audley - Bowed Chimes
- R. Hazelhurst - Clockwork Effects
Track list
- Go! - 05:02 ( Marillion.com )
- Interior Lulu - 07:32 (Marillion.com)
- Out of This World - 05:05 ( Afraid of Sunlight )
- Wrapped Up in Time - 03:40 ( Happiness Is the Road )
- The Space ... - 04:52 ( Seasons End )
- Hard as Love - 04:58 ( Brave )
- Quartz - 05:48 ( Anoraknophobia )
- If My Heart Were a Ball It Would Roll Uphill - 05:12 (Anoraknophobia)
- It's Not Your Fault - 03:33 (previously unreleased)
- Memory of Water - 02:37 ( This Strange Engine )
- This Is the 21st Century - 05:40 (Anoraknophobia)
- Cannibal Surf Babe - 03:27 (Afraid of Sunlight)
Reviews
“Songs that are transferred into an acoustic coat often appear sparse, expressionless and even boring. Marillion did the opposite. Songs that sound as if they should never have covered the ear otherwise. They shine with their emotionally charged vocals and grandiose, newly arranged instrumentation, which repeatedly provides accents. The entry into the music is easier than on the regular albums and enchants from beginning to end. "
"Less is more? Difficult question. First things first - the selection of pieces may seem strange under certain circumstances, and the fact that only one rare piece ('It's Not Your Fault') made it onto this powerless exhibition looks more like money-making than an inner conviction. "
“Deprived of the dynamic factor, as a music consumer who is spoiled for volume you first have to open up other interesting aspects. And so after several iterations you learn to appreciate the character of Marillion's art of composition again: unconventional, exciting songs with surprising harmony and metric finesse. There is also a skilful game with epic song design and partial pop elements. "
“The singing of Steve Hogarth is just as varied as the music is made, and the very delicate sounds almost make you cry. He touches feelings that you actually don't want to allow. And whenever he has one at the bottom, he unfortunately raises his voice, which almost always ends in a loud croak. Unfortunately or fortunately, these moments bring you back to the real world. What a masterpiece this album would be without these weird notes. [...] 'Less Is More' is cozy rock at its finest, profound, intense and mostly wonderfully melancholy. It is almost a shame to waste this music on cuddling attacks, you should rather sink into the beautiful sounds alone. "
“Here on LESS IS MORE, the guys around the exceptional singer Steve Hogarth offer us quiet, rather Spartan (not purely acoustic!) Versions of songs like GO !, OUT OF THIS WORLD, HARD AS LOVE, THE SPACE, MEMORY OF WATER and a few more . So the songs have long been known to every Marillion fan and ACTUALLY offer nothing really new. Has LESS IS MORE therefore become an unnecessary, dispensable publication? I clearly say no here, because the songs were already great in the original version, but here they add a new dimension, which justifies the purchase, especially for the fan. "
“All in all, for me this is the best album by the band in 10 years. If you like acoustic performances or like the originals, Less Is More is an absolute must. "
“Marillion fans will strike and not really regret it. […] Only true Hogarth disciples will certainly speak of the ultimate wisdom. His Huuhuus have not always made it easy for me lately. Less, hihi, is sometimes more, Steve! "
“As usual, 'Less Is More' offers no music for in between. You have to get involved in the demanding, emotional sound of Marillion. What then reveals itself can be described as unkitschy as wonderful, even on the deliberately simple long player. The new recordings are no better than the originals, they are just different. For Marillion connoisseurs, 'Less Is More' is the ideal, melancholy accompaniment for the beginning of autumn. "
Web links
- Less Is More at Allmusic (English)
- Reviews of Less Is More on the baby blue pages
- Less Is More on marillion.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ We have been in the never ending cycle of writing - recording - rehearsing for the tour and touring for a very long time , rockunited.com, accessed on August 23, 2012.
- ↑ Well, it was a good way of having a break from the treadmill and getting some time off from writing. , progsheet1.hypermart.net, accessed August 23, 2012.
- ↑ singer Steve Hogarth felt burnt out lyrically ( memento of the original from June 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , rocksquare.com, accessed August 30, 2012.
- ↑ The end solo is one of the only moments on the album that I get to play something on electric. , progsheet1.hypermart.net, accessed August 23, 2012.
- ↑ grandiose newly arranged instrumentation , cdstarts.de, accessed on August 23, 2012.
- ↑ the selection of pieces may seem strange , stormbringer.at, accessed on 23 August 2012.
- ↑ one learns to appreciate the character of Marillion's art of composition again after several runs , laut.de, accessed on August 23, 2012.
- ↑ What a masterpiece this album would be without these weird notes. , vampster.com, accessed August 23, 2012.
- ↑ quiet, rather spartan (not purely acoustic!) Versions ( page no longer accessible , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , medazzarock.ch, accessed on August 23, 2012.
- ↑ This is the best album that the band has done in ten years. , dprp.net, accessed August 23, 2012.
- ↑ Only true Hogarth disciples will certainly speak of the ultimate wisdom. , babyblaue-seiten.de, accessed on August 23, 2012.
- ↑ The new additions are no better than the originals, they are just different. ( Memento of the original from October 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , whiskey-soda.de, accessed on August 23, 2012.
