The Best of Both Worlds in Bloomington, MN

One can view
The Best of Both Worlds
as either an exercise in futility or a chance to become better acquainted with two very different incarnations of
Marillion
. Split up into the band's two eras,
features 14
Fish
-led compositions and 15 tracks from the Mach II lineup featuring former
How We Live
frontman
Steve Hogarth
on vocals. Truth be told, disc one features a plethora of spectacular essentials including
"Script for Jesters Tear,"
"Assassing,"
and the single edits of
"Kayleigh"
and
"Lavender."
Revisiting songs like
"Warm Wet Circle"
"Forgotten Son,"
it's easy to understand why this lot was so esteemed by their Euro audience. Oddly enough, and somewhat incomprehensibly, the epic
"Fugazy"
fails to make an appearance. Of the
Hogarth
era, the best material is culled from his debut with the band,
Season's End
and from
Afraid of Sunlight
. Everything in between is pretty iffy. This collection is obviously a quote-unquote, hit-driven compilation, so consequently, some of the better
moments like the title track from
or
Berlin
are omitted. If you've ever been curious about the band,
is a good place to start. For a deeper understanding, spend some time with
Script for Jesters Tear
,
Misplaced Childhood
Clutching at Straws
, and
. For beginners only. ~ John Franck