Overview
Marillion were Rush's support act on the Power Windows tour and also played headline gigs at smaller theatres. The "mini album" contained five tracks: the band's European breakthrough single "Kayleigh" (which had also entered the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100); its b-side "Lady Nina"; "Freaks", released in Europe as the b-side of the follow-up single "Lavender"; and live recordings of the first two albums' title tracks, Fugazi (1984) and Script for a Jester's Tear (1984).
"Lady Nina" was also released as a single with a promo video on the U.S. market, with "Heart of Lothian", the third European single from Misplaced Childhood (1985), on the flip side, but failed to chart.
The title of the album is identical with that of a subsection of the track "Bitter Suite" on Misplaced Childhood, which alludes to the 1945 British film of the same title. Neither "Bitter Suite" nor its subsection "Brief Encounter" are found on this record. Brief Encounter was Marillion's only commercial release not to feature cover art by Mark Wilkinson prior to his and Fish's departure from the band in late 1988.
Although aimed strictly at the American market and not officially released elsewhere, this EP was very much in demand in Europe because Marillion's major breakthrough had just happened the previous year and the band not releasing any new material in 1986, which was their first "gap year" in terms of studio albums. Brief Encounter also included two non-album tracks. As a result, the EP was widely available as an import in record shops in the UK and mainland Europe in late 1980s. Brief Encounter was released on vinyl and cassette only, and was not available on CD until 1997, when EMI re-released it worldwide in a two-disc set together with the 1984 live album Real to Reel . At the same time, EMI also released a series of remastered 2-disc editions of Marillion's EMI years studio albums; although not being officially part of that series, the Real to Reel/Brief Encounter set was digitally remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Brian Fifield.
According to the EP itself, all live tracks were recorded at "Hammersmith Odeon, January 9 and 10, 1986". This information may be inaccurate, as Fish can be heard saying "Leicester, goodnight" at the end of "Fugazi". Instead, "Script" and "Fugazi" were probably recorded during the concert at Leicester De Montfort Hall on 5 March 1984, parts of which also feature on Real to Reel. The live version of "Kayleigh" is identical to the one on The Thieving Magpie .
Marillion are a British neo prog band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the most commercially successful neo-prog band of the 1980s.
Derek William Dick, better known by his stage name Fish, is a Scottish singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the neo-prog band Marillion from 1981 until 1988. He released 11 UK Top 40 singles with the band, including the Top Ten singles "Kayleigh", "Lavender" and "Incommunicado", and five Top Ten albums, including a number one with Misplaced Childhood. In his solo career, Fish explored contemporary pop and traditional folk, and released a further five Top 40 singles and a Top 10 album.
Fugazi is the second studio album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in 1984. Produced by Nick Tauber, it was recorded between November 1983 and February 1984 at various studios and was the first to feature drummer Ian Mosley, following the dismissal of the band's original drummer Mick Pointer.
Clutching at Straws is the fourth studio album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released on June 22, 1987. It was the last album with lead singer Fish, who left the band in 1988, and is a concept album.
Misplaced Childhood is the third studio album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in 1985. It is a concept album loosely based on the childhood of Marillion's lead singer, Fish, who was inspired by a brief incident that occurred while he was under the influence of LSD.
Script for a Jester's Tear is the debut studio album by British neo-prog band Marillion, released in the United Kingdom on 14 March 1983 by EMI Records. The album reached number seven and spent 31 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, eventually achieving a platinum certificate, and produced the top 40 single "He Knows You Know" and the top 20 single "Garden Party".
"Market Square Heroes" is the debut single by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in October 1982 with "Three Boats Down from the Candy" as the B-side. The 12-inch single included an additional track, the 17:15-minute-long "Grendel".
"Kayleigh" is a song by British neo-prog band Marillion. It was released as the first single from the concept album Misplaced Childhood. It is the band's most successful single in the UK, where it peaked at number two and stayed on the UK Singles Chart for a total of 14 weeks. It also became the band's most successful single worldwide, reaching the top 10 in Ireland, Norway, and West Germany. In the United States, it gave the band their sole appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 74 in October 1985.
Mark Wilkinson is an English illustrator. He is best known for the detailed surrealistic cover art he created for a number of British bands.
Seasons End is the fifth studio album by British neo-prog band Marillion, released in 1989. The album was the first to feature current lead vocalist Steve Hogarth, following the departure of former vocalist Fish in late 1988. It reached number 7 on the UK Albums Chart.
Holidays in Eden is the sixth studio album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in 1991. Recorded at Hook End Manor in Oxfordshire and Westside Studios in London, it was the band's second album with vocalist Steve Hogarth and the first completely written without previous lead singer Fish.
Best of Both Worlds is a two-disc compilation album by British neo-prog band Marillion released in 1997 by EMI Records, who the band had been signed to from their debut in 1982 until being dropped in 1995. The title refers to Marillion's two distinct "eras" with lead singers Fish (1980—1988) and Steve Hogarth. By the time this compilation was released, both line-ups had recorded four studio albums each. The second best-of since the 14-track one-disc compilation A Singles Collection from 1992, this one additionally contains material from Brave (1994) and Afraid of Sunlight (1996). Two different covers were created for the compilation, one by Mark Wilkinson, who had worked for the band during the Fish years, and one by Bill Smith Studio, who took over after Fish's and Wilkinson's departure. The booklet was printed so that either of the covers could be displayed in the jewel case according to personal preference. The track list, comprising 29 songs, was put together by Lucy Jordache, then the manager responsible for the band in EMI, in close collaboration with the band's fans' mailing list, "Freaks". Jordache also motivated singers Fish and Hogarth to contribute liner notes—at a time when both camps were not yet on friendly terms again—by telling each of them the other had already agreed to do so.
The Thieving Magpie (La Gazza Ladra) is a double live album by the British neo-prog band Marillion. It was named after the introductory piece of classical music the band used before coming on stage during the Clutching at Straws tour 1987–1988, the overture to Rossini's opera La gazza ladra, which translates as "The Thieving Magpie". The album was released shortly after singer Fish's departure from the band (and before Steve Hogarth's arrival) and was intended to document the "Fish years". It complements the band's first live album Real to Reel insofar as there are no overlaps. The Thieving Magpie is not a continuous live recording, but a compilation of tracks recorded at different times and places, with audible gaps between them and different moods on the individual tracks. However, the double vinyl version does include the first side of the UK number one concept album Misplaced Childhood (1985). The CD and cassette version includes the full album, as well as the track "Freaks" – originally the b-side to "Lavender", it was used as the lead single for The Thieving Magpie peaking at no. 18 in the UK.
Real to Reel is the first live album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in November 1984. It was co-produced by Simon Hanhart who had mixed the first two studio albums and co-produced the studio version of "Cinderella Search".
Live from Loreley is a live album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, recorded at a concert at the Freilichtbühne Loreley Loreley, St. Goarshausen, Germany on 18 July 1987. The recording, made during the first leg of the 1987 Clutching at Straws tour, documents the band at the peak of their commercial success in the 1980s when they had original frontman Fish on vocals. The show was attended by an audience of 20,000; support acts were Magnum, The Cult (cancelled), and It Bites. It comprises songs from the four studio albums they released up to that point, i.e. Script for a Jester's Tear (1983), Fugazi (1984), Misplaced Childhood (1985), and Clutching at Straws (1987). The non-album debut single "Market Square Heroes" is also included.
Recital of the Script is a live album by Marillion, recorded at a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London on 18 April 1983. The recording was made on the final date of the tour promoting their 1983 debut album Script for a Jester's Tear. Featuring former members Fish on vocals and Mick Pointer on drums, it comprises songs from that album as well as all tracks of the 1982 debut EP "Market Square Heroes" and the b-side of "He Knows You Know" (1983).
Early Stages is a box set containing live recordings of Marillion with their former singer Fish. The recordings were made by the BBC for radio broadcast, and are from five concerts performed by the band in the UK between 1982 and 1987. The packaging was designed by Mark Wilkinson, who had designed all Marillion covers of the 1980s and went on to work with Fish after his departure. The set was released to retail by EMI on 17 November 2008.
"Lady Nina" is a song by the British neo-prog band Marillion. First released in 1985 on the B-side to the #2 UK hit single "Kayleigh", it was the only single from the EP Brief Encounter released in the United States by Capitol Records in April 1986. A music video was also shot to promote it. While the EP climbed to #67 on the Billboard 200 album charts, "Lady Nina" did not make the Billboard Hot 100, but did reach #30 on the Mainstream Rock charts.
"Heart of Lothian" is a song by British neo-prog band Marillion. It is the fifth track on the 1985 concept album Misplaced Childhood. The song was released as the third single from Misplaced Childhood on 18 November 1985 in the UK, the Netherlands, West Germany, Canada, South Africa and Australia. "Heart of Lothian" became the third Top 30 UK single from Misplaced Childhood, peaking at number 29. The song also peaked at number 51 on the German singles chart.
"Welcome to the ‚Garden Party‘" is a 1986 single by British neo-prog band Marillion released exclusively in West Germany to accompany a series of concerts the band played at festivals in that country as second bill to Queen, following their commercial breakthrough with the album Misplaced Childhood and the hit singles "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" the year before. The single was released on 7" and 12" vinyl; neither version contained any new or previously unreleased material. The 7" and 12" versions contained completely different recordings from each other. The A-side, "Garden Party", originally the second single from the band's debut album, Script for a Jester's Tear, had reached #16 on the UK Singles Chart in 1983, but—like all Marillion singles before "Kayleigh"—had failed to chart in Germany. However, the single received little airplay and failed to enter the German top 100.
