Editing Marillion (section)

===The Fish era===
====Formation and early years (1978–1982)====
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| quote = "I thought they were a lot like [[Camel (band)|Camel]]. It was also very clear to me that Steve Rothery was a brilliant guitarist."
| source = —Fish on his first impression of the band<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.loudersound.com/features/i-was-an-arsehole-fish-opens-up-about-the-past-and-where-he-s-headed-next | title= "I was an arsehole": Fish looks back on his career and reveals what's next | work=Louder | first=Paul | last=Elliott | date=17 July 2016 | access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref>
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In 1977, drummer [[Mick Pointer]] joined Electric Gypsy, which also included Doug Irvine on bass, Alan King on vocals and Andy Glass (later of [[Solstice (British rock band)|Solstice]]) on guitar. Pointer and Irvine left to form their own band, Silmarillion, named after [[J. R. R. Tolkien|J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s book ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', in late 1978. They played one London show as an instrumental band with Neil Cockle (keys) and Martin Jenner (guitar). 1979 saw a new line-up of Mick Pointer, [[Steve Rothery]] (guitar), Doug Irvine (bass/vocals) and Brian Jelliman (keys). They played their first concert at [[Berkhamsted Civic Centre]], [[Hertfordshire]], on 1 March 1980.<ref>{{cite book|title=Market Square Heroes – The Authorised Story of Marillion|author=Mick Wall|publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd|year=1987|isbn=978-0-283-99426-5|page=28|author-link=Mick Wall}}</ref> According to Pointer, it was at this stage that the name was shortened to Marillion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.morain.de/Marillion/02Setlists-1980.html|title=Marillion Setlists - 1980|last=Kreutzmann Andre|date=1 June 2002|website=Morain.de|access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aylesburyfriars.co.uk/interviewsmickpointer.html|title=Welcome to the Friars Aylesbury website|website=Aylesburyfriars.co.uk|access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref><ref>Carol Clarke, "Marillion In Words & Pictures" (1985)</ref>

Other sources have that the band name was shortened to Marillion in 1981 to avoid potential copyright conflicts,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.progfreaks.com/Marillion/Biography/Chapter1.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080604002321/http://www.progfreaks.com/Marillion/Biography/Chapter1.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-06-04 |title=Chapter 1 – Writing Down The Script| author=Marcelo Silveyra| website=Progfreaks.com| year=2002}}</ref> at the same time as singer [[Fish (singer)|Fish]] and bassist William 'Diz' Minnitt<ref>{{cite web |url=http://siba.co.uk/2013/02/a-trip-down-memory-lane/ |title=A trip down memory lane « |website=Siba.co.uk |date=2013-02-26 |access-date=2014-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718042442/http://siba.co.uk/2013/02/a-trip-down-memory-lane/ |archive-date=18 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> replaced original bassist/vocalist Doug Irvine following an audition at Leyland Farm Studios in Buckinghamshire on 2 January 1981. The line-up of Rothery, Pointer, Jelliman, Fish, and Minnitt performed their first gig at the Red Lion Pub<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.setlist.fm/venue/the-red-lion-bicester-england-5bd643d0.html|title=The Red Lion, Bicester, England Concert Setlists|website=Setlist.fm|access-date=28 September 2021}}</ref> at 35 Market Square in [[Bicester]] on 14 March 1981. Many years after his departure from Marillion, Irvine eventually joined the band Steam Shed.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dyer |first=Jamie |date=26 June 2018 |title=Interview: Heather from Steam Shed |url=https://www.oldtimereview.co.uk/interview-heather-from-steam-shed/ |access-date=22 April 2019 |website=OldTimeReview.co,uk}}</ref>

By the end of 1981, [[Mark Kelly (keyboardist)|Mark Kelly]] had replaced Jelliman on keyboards, with [[Pete Trewavas]] replacing Minnitt on bass in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themarqueeclub.net/interview-diz-minnitt-of-marillion |title=Interview - Diz Minnitt of Marillion |publisher=The Marquee Club |access-date=2014-04-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061224175221/http://www.themarqueeclub.net/interview-diz-minnitt-of-marillion |archive-date=24 December 2006 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Minnitt later formed Pride of Passion<ref>"Record News", ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'', 14 December 1985, p. 6</ref> and went on to perform with Zealey and Moore.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zealeyandmoore.co.uk/|title=Zealey And Moore|website=Zealeyandmoore.co.uk|access-date=22 April 2019}}</ref>

Marillion's first recordings were two demos recorded in March and the summer of 1980, before Fish and Minnitt joined the band. Two versions of the Spring demo circulate amongst collectors; the first has four tracks; "The Haunting of Gill House", "Herne the Hunter", an untitled track known as "Scott's Porridge", and "Alice". The second version has an instrumental version of "Alice" in place of "Scott's Porridge". All tracks are instrumental apart from "Alice", with vocals by Doug Irvine. The summer demo has three tracks; "Close" (parts of which were later rewritten into "The Web", "He Knows You Know" and "Chelsea Monday"), "Lady Fantasy" (an original based on an earlier Electric Gypsy song), and another version of "Alice". Both were recorded at [[The Enid]]'s studio in Hertfordshire. Following Irvine's departure and replacement by Fish and Minnitt, the band recorded another demo tape, produced by Les Payne, in July 1981 that included early versions of "He Knows You Know", "Garden Party", and "Charting the Single".{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

The group attracted attention with a radio session for the ''[[Friday Rock Show]]''. They were subsequently signed by [[EMI Records]]. They released their first single, "[[Market Square Heroes]]", in 1982, with the 17-minute epic "Grendel" on the B-side of the 12" version. Following the single, the band released their first full-length album in 1983.

====''Script for a Jester's Tear'' and ''Fugazi'' (1983–1984)====
[[Image:Marillion%2C_St.Albans_City_Hall%2C_1981_%285585375654%29.jpg|thumb|right|Fish performing live in 1983]]
The music on their debut album, ''[[Script for a Jester's Tear]]'', was born out of the intensive performances of the previous years. Featuring a dark progressive rock sound, the album was a commercial success, peaking at No. 7 on the UK album chart and producing the singles "[[He Knows You Know]]" (No. 35) and "[[Garden Party (Marillion song)|Garden Party]]" (No. 16).<ref name="british hit singles and albums">{{cite book |editor=David Roberts |title=British Hit Singles and Albums|year=2006|page=349|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|isbn=978-1904994107}}</ref> Although they were accused of being [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] soundalikes,<ref name="time and a word">{{cite book |first=Martin|last=Popoff |title=Time And a Word: The Yes Story|year=2016|page=98|publisher=Soundcheck Books|isbn=978-0993212024}}</ref> the album reached the [[Music recording sales certification|Platinum certification]] and has been credited with giving a second life to progressive rock bands from the previous era.<ref name="time and a word"/>

In April 1983, following the UK tour to promote ''Script for a Jester's Tear'', Mick Pointer was dismissed due to Fish's dissatisfaction with what he later described as the drummer's "awful" timing and failure to develop as a musician with the rest of the band.<ref>{{cite magazine | url= http://www.daveling.co.uk/doc-fish.htm | title= Fish interview | magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]] | first=Dave | last=Ling | date=October 2001 | access-date=3 August 2015}}</ref> Over the next six months, three drummers passed through the band - original [[Camel (band)|Camel]] drummer [[Andy Ward (musician)|Andy Ward]], followed by John 'Martyr' Marter, followed by [[Jonathan Mover]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2007 |publisher=Bish Bash Books |isbn=978-1846098567 |edition=5th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&q=andy+ward+jonathan+mover+marillion&pg=RA17-PA2000 |access-date=1 June 2019}}</ref> - before [[Ian Mosley]], who had played for acts including [[Darryl Way | Darryl Way's Wolf]], [[Trace (band)|Trace]], [[Gordon Giltrap]], and [[Steve Hackett]], was secured in October 1983. The second album ''[[Fugazi (album)|Fugazi]]'', released in early 1984, was written during this period of upheaval in the band's lineup, with the recording beset by production problems. Despite this, the album built upon the success of ''Script for a Jester's Tear'', with a more streamlined [[hard rock]] sound.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marillion-mn0000825924/biography | title= Marillion | website=[[AllMusic]] | first=Dale | last=Jensen | access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref> It improved on the chart placing of its predecessor by reaching the Top 5 and produced the singles "[[Punch and Judy (song)|Punch and Judy]]" (No. 29) and "[[Assassing]]" (No. 22).<ref name="british hit singles and albums"/>

In November 1984, Marillion released their first live album, ''[[Real to Reel (Marillion album)|Real to Reel]]'', featuring songs from ''Fugazi'' and ''Script for a Jester's Tear'', as well as "Cinderella Search" (B-side to "Assassing") and the debut single "Market Square Heroes", which had not been available on album until that point. ''Real to Reel'' entered the UK album charts at No.&nbsp;8.

====''Misplaced Childhood'' and international success (1985–1986)====
[[Image:Marillion Fish OpenAir Mannheim Maimarktgelaende 1986 06 21.jpg|thumb|right|Marillion performing live in 1986]]
Their third and commercially most successful studio album was ''[[Misplaced Childhood]]'', which had a more mainstream sound. The lead single from the album, "[[Kayleigh]]", received major promotion by EMI and gained heavy rotation on [[BBC Radio 1]] and [[Independent Local Radio]] stations as well as television appearances, bringing the band to the attention of a much wider audience. "Kayleigh" reached No. 2 in the UK and "[[Lavender (Marillion song)|Lavender]]" reached No. 5; these remain the only singles by the band to enter the Top 5.<ref name="british hit singles and albums"/>

Following the exposure given to "Kayleigh" and its subsequent chart success, the album became their only [[List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1980s|No. 1]] in the UK, knocking [[Bryan Ferry]]'s ''[[Boys and Girls (album)|Boys and Girls]]'' off the top spot and holding off a challenge from [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], whose first solo album, ''[[The Dream of the Blue Turtles]]'', entered the chart in the same week.<ref>{{cite book |editor=David Roberts |title=British Hit Singles and Albums|year=2006|page=450|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|isbn=978-1904994107}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor=David Roberts |title=British Hit Singles and Albums|year=2006|page=533|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|isbn=978-1904994107}}</ref> The third single from the album, "[[Heart of Lothian]]", became another Top 30 hit for the band, reaching No.&nbsp;29. The album came sixth in ''[[Kerrang!]]'' magazine's "Albums of the Year" in 1985.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=19691 | title= Kerrang!'s Albums Of 1985 by Kerrang! (1985) | website=Best Ever Albums | access-date=1 June 2019}}</ref> "Kayleigh" also gave Marillion its sole entry on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], reaching No.&nbsp;74.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1985-10-26|title=Billboard Hot 100: October 26, 1985|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=February 13, 2021}}</ref> In the summer of 1986, the band played to their biggest ever audience as special guests to [[Queen (band)|Queen]] at a festival in Germany attended by a crowd of over 150,000 people.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/low/tv_and_radio/newsid_8236000/8236047.stm | title= Phil Cunliffe meets Marillion hero | work=BBC News | date=3 September 2009 | access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref> They were also offered the ''[[Highlander (film)|Highlander]]'' soundtrack but turned it down because of their world tour, a missed opportunity which Rothery later said he regretted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uberrock.co.uk/interviews/60-september-interviews/12333-steve-rothery-marillion-uber-rock-interview-exclusive.html | title= Steve Rothery - Marillion - Uber Rock Interview Exclusive |date=6 September 2014 | publisher=Uber Rock | first=Eamon | last=O'Neill | access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref>

====''Clutching at Straws'' and the departure of Fish (1987–1988)====
The fourth studio album, ''[[Clutching at Straws]]'', shed some of its predecessor's pop stylings and retreated into a darker exploration of excess, alcoholism, and life on the road, representing the strains of constant touring that would result in the departure of Fish to pursue a solo career. It did continue the group's commercial success, however; lead single "[[Incommunicado (song)|Incommunicado]]" charted at No.&nbsp;6 in the UK, gaining the band an appearance on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', and the album entered the UK album chart at No.&nbsp;2. "[[Sugar Mice]]" and "[[Warm Wet Circles]]" also became hit singles, both reaching No.&nbsp;22. Fish has also stated in interviews since that he believes this was the best album he made with the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-company.com/int/int41.htm|title=Interview June 2002|author=Rob Hendriks|publisher=The Web magazine|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128091706/http://the-company.com/int/int41.htm|archive-date=28 November 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The album came sixth in ''[[Kerrang!]]'' magazine's "Albums of the Year" in 1987, equalling the ranking given to ''Misplaced Childhood''. It was also included in ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine's "50 Best Recordings of the Year".<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlists.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060104040314/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlists.html | url-status= usurped | archive-date= 4 January 2006 | title= 1987 Q Magazine Recordings of the Year | work=Rocklist.net | access-date=24 June 2013}}</ref> Fish made the decision to leave the group after this tour, explaining his reasons for departing in a 2003 interview:

<blockquote>"By 1987 we were over-playing live because the manager was on 20 per cent of the gross. He was making a fantastic amount of money while we were working our asses off. Then I found a bit of paper proposing an American tour. At the end of the day the band would have needed a £14,000 loan from EMI as tour support to do it. That was when I knew that, if I stayed with the band, I'd probably end up a raging alcoholic and be found overdosed and dying in a big house in Oxford with Irish wolfhounds at the bottom of my bed."<ref>''[[Edinburgh Evening News]]'', 29 May 2003.</ref></blockquote> <!-- article title? author? -->

Fish gave the band a choice to continue with either him or the manager, [[John Arnison]].<ref name=taksto>{{cite web | url= http://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/back-singing-for-his-supper-after-taking-stock-2462796 | title= Back singing for his supper after taking stock| date=29 May 2003|work=[[The Scotsman]] |location=UK}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.markosmarillionmuseum.com/john-arnison |title=John Arnison became Marillion's manager in 1982 |work=Markos Marillion Museum |date=January 2021}}</ref>  They sided with the manager and Fish left for a solo career.<ref name=taksto/> His last live performance with Marillion was at [[Craigtoun Country Park]] on 23 July 1988.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.the-company.com/tourhist/1988.htm | title= Tour history 1988 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100101161931/http://the-company.com/tourhist/1988.htm | archive-date= 1 January 2010 | df= dmy-all }}</ref> The band's second live album, ''[[The Thieving Magpie (album)|The Thieving Magpie]]'', was released in late 1988, marking the end of an era.

====Aftermath====
Owing to lengthy legal battles, informal contact between Fish and the other four band members apparently did not resume until 1999. Fish would disclose in the liner notes to the remastered edition of ''Clutching at Straws'' that he and his former bandmates had met up, discussed the demise of the band and renewed their friendship. They had come to the consensus that an excessive touring schedule and too much pressure from the band's management led to the rift.

Although reportedly now on good personal terms, both camps had always made it very clear that the oft-speculated-upon reunion would never happen. When Fish headlined the 'Hobble on the Cobbles' free concert in Aylesbury's Market Square on 26 August 2007, the attraction of playing their debut single in its spiritual home proved strong enough to overcome any lingering bad feeling between the former bandmates, and Kelly, Mosley, Rothery, and Trewavas replaced Fish's backing band for an emotional encore of "Market Square Heroes".

In a press interview following the event, Fish denied this would lead to a full reunion, saying that: "[[Steve Hogarth|Hogarth]] does a great job with the band. We forged different paths over the 19 years."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6966603.stm|title= Singer Fish and Marillion reunite| date=28 August 2007|work=BBC News }}</ref>