By the time Marillion released ‘This Strange Engine’ I had stepped away from them completely. Sure, I saw ads here and there for the album but sadly my interest in these amazing guys was gone. It probably took 8 long years before I listened to it and duly kicked myself – again – for my stupidity, because it is really good. It might not hit the heights of other Marillion albums, but it is very good nonetheless. And the song ‘Estonia’ alone is worth it’s weight in gold, but more on that later. We all change through the years, whether we like it or not, so who knows what my reaction to ‘This Strange Engine’ would have been back then if I had given it a shot. Of course, we will never know, however I really like this wax a lot nowadays. And that’s what matters, right?
There’s a big acoustic guitar influence on opener ‘Man Of A Thousand Faces’ helping the song to keep a dreamy vibe to it. You know, it feels lofty and soaring and kind of relaxing. Backed smoothly by Messieurs Kelly, Trewavas and Mosley, Rothery’s acoustical prowess is beautiful, while Hogarth guides us through the time of Man, basically. He shows there’s a common thread that runs through centuries and cultures which really doesn’t differ, and subsequently hasn’t changed much through the years. ‘One Fine Day’ is slightly more electric in approach but it is sad and mournful dealing with regret and missed opportunities due to wishing your life away. Instead of jumping on a chance, you let everything slip by and suddenly it’s too late to do anything. ‘Eighty Days’ is a more upbeat composition. It is still heavy on the acoustic guitar but being a homage to the band’s supporters who travels far and wide under all kinds of circumstances to attend their shows. Not only that though, it speaks of the dullness of being on the road, how mind-numbing it can be. But come stage time seeing all those happy, excited faces in the crowd blows away every ounce of tediousness. ‘Estonia’ is one of the most powerful and emotional songs I’ve heard from any band ever. It’s a haunting, yet beautiful song composed in memory of the 852 passengers who tragically perished when the ferry, MS Estonia, sank in the Baltic Sea on route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm Sweden, September 28th 1994. The interaction between especially Rothery and Kelly brings out the nautical aspects amazingly well. This adds to the heart-break you feel throughout as Hogarth churns out the horrors the passengers must have felt. At the same time it feels like the band offers some kind of solace because these people will never be forgotten.
‘This Strange Engine’ was a first for the band. The ties with EMI had been cut and in came Castle, which probably wasn’t the wisest move at first. At least not in a mainstream point of view. Creatively it was a deft move because it is so easy to hear the freedom in the music. A big part of the followers were positive and it sold decently. In hindsight it also sowed the seeds to the extremely tight knit relationship Marillion formed with their supporters which has been so helpful on future adventures. To tie back to an earlier statement, I don’t know how I would have reacted to this release had I listened to it back then. All I know is I really like it, probably a lot more than I would have back in 1997.
-Swedebeast