gene v marillion

spy in the clubs

drawn to the deep end by Gene is loaded with awesome hooks and some really bad lyrics

I loved Gene at the time and even have a bunch of singles. I also loved the Smiths, so to me, it made sense. I think ILM ruined them for me.

Still getting my vote.

Yeah they’re sort off like if The Smiths had Ron Wood playing guitar and Jude Law doing a Morrissey impression for vocals

I've Got My Own Hatful to Hollow

drawn to the deep end by Gene is loaded with awesome hooks and some really bad lyrics

oh tee fuckin emm!!

I have still never heard a note of Marillion. it's wild. like I have heard so much stuff, and it's the digital age, I could find out so easily. when I was 12 years old I would look at the Marillion records in the racks and say...you like those Genesis albums you have (Foxtrot & Nursery Cryme), you like the Pink Floyd records you heard at your babysitter's house even if they kinda creeped you out, you like Jethro Tull, would you like this? but by the time I had any money to spend on "what does this sound like" listens I was over all that I just never did. The album covers felt like a forced bit, it just didn't feel like I wanted to actually investigate. So now mid-post I'm over on YouTube checking them out, and, umm, Gene.

you have to have heard Kayleigh and just never registered what it was

Gene have a song called You'll Never Walk Again, please bear this in mind when casting your vote.

I saw Marillion play at Glastonbury when I was 4, but don't remember it. my nan thought this meant my dad liked them, so she bought him all four of their LPs, this is why I had four Marillion LPs. I am still not sure if I like them at all after 40 years of occasional listening.

If I remember correctly, that was in reference to himself...

Xpost

i will be the sole marillion vote

Clutching At Straws and Afraid of Sunlight are both better albums than Gene managed (I'd have to think carefully about relative rankings beyond that) so this goes to Marillion

lol i just now realized the other option isn’t Marion

always been rather frightened of checking out Marillion.. kinda interested in hearing the first Fates Warning album tho

I was hugely into Marillion around 1982 / 1983. My sister introduced me to them as she was going out with their drummer and I got to see them a load of times in small Edinburgh venues before they got signed. Once they got signed to EMI they seemed to instantly gravitate from playing 300 cap venues to 2000 capacity ones. Their debut album was easily my most listened to album of '83 (aged 15) but as a voracious consumer of UK music papers (Sounds in particular) my interest in other things was beginning to grow. I went to see them at Edinburgh Playhouse in 1984 when the 2nd album came out. As I always did back then I went along hours early with a couple of friends to meet other fans and hope for a glimpse of the band. While standing in the queue this group of the weirdest looking people I had ever seen started taking all this even weirder looking equipment (sheets of metal, gas cylinders etc) into The Nite Club, the small venue above Edinburgh Playhouse. I was entranced. I'd never heard them but recognised them from obsessively reading Sounds as being 23 Skidoo. By this time I had probably seen Marillion 10 times, wasn't so into the new album and my excitement at seeing them was waning. I convinced one of my friends to skip seeing Marillion and go see 23 Skidoo. Even though it was an over 18s gig, we both looked older than our years so got in but we must have seriously stood out in our Marillion t-shirts and combat jackets. 23 Skidoo were a revelation. Life Changing! Our minds were blown to smithereens.

I became a life long 23 Skidoo fan and went in a drastically different music taste direction after that. I don't think I ever listened to Marillion again. But, I've never knowingly heard Gene so for old time's sake Marillion get my vote.

I prefer Hogarth to Fish Marillion but still only play Afraid of Sunlight and Marbles, and rarely at that. Never heard Gene. Are the two bands even similar?

Hogarth played the piano solo on the The's Heartland before he joined Marillion. Guess the latter has proven to be a steadier gig.

they are not similar at all, no

other than both being somewhat reviled or smirked at

I assumed the poll’s premise is that Marillion were blatantly flying the flag for 70s Genesis during the 80s while Gene were blatantly flying the flag for The Smiths during the 90s

love Clutching at Straws, big melodramatic tantrum of an album

Hogarth played the piano solo on the The's Heartland before he joined Marillion. Guess the latter has proven to be a steadier gig.

ah Marillion, my first ever gig. Clutching at Straws still holds up well i think but nowadays i must admit i'd say Fish's voice is something you have to accept rather than love

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I saw Gene live at a festival in the mid 90’s - some maniac scheduled them to play directly before The Prodigy, who were near the end of the Jilted tour.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Astonishing result, so much for landfill Britpop. Take that, Gene! I can still sing most of Script for a Jester's Tear's title track by heart, sadly. Market Square Heroes too.

Love stirmonster's 23 Skidoo story btw.