At last! One of the most beautiful of the songs of Marillion (Hogarth era). All members are on fire on this one. A jewel! I recommend you Neverland, Fantastic place, Angelina from the same album, This strange engine, Estonia, Out of this world, King, The great escape, Hollow man (all of Brave is to listen to, as a whole, loud with lights off)

JP, I think you'll really enjoy Marillion's "This Strange Engine" the title track of that album - lots of prog in there and an autobiography by Steve Hogarth. Please consider adding it to your list. Love your reactions :)

I've been waiting for this for a while! My prediction was spot on, the minute I saw your face light up. Hogarth (no slight to Fish) can write a hell of a tale, fictional or not, and the band has matured together like a good wine. Bass player Pete Trewavas does not need Morse's code to take you Transatlantic on an Ocean Cloud. Once on this Marillion ride, you will Neverland! Peace.

@johnnicholson8345

2 жыл бұрын

I see what you did there. lol

This is a treat. Justin, i urge you to listen to more Hogarth era Marillion. They are as worthy as Floyd and Genesis. On an emotional level, they are truly musically devastating.

You should listen to "Neverland" sooner or later

@iantrott9152

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely :)

Very comprehensive analysis. You definitely “get” this song. One of their very best 👍

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Simon :)

Sometimes I listen to this track and think it's the greatest thing I've ever heard. I find Marillion at their best to be utterly immersive: this track, Out of This World, This Strange Engine, Neverland, the entire Brave album. I don't think there is a more compassionate performer than Steve Hogarth, and if he isn't the most elaborate of lyricists, he has a way of absolutely hitting the emotional heart of the subject. Out of This World is another song with an intriguing story behind it.

@EBFido1973

2 жыл бұрын

I agree 100% about what you said on Hogarth lyrics, it always seems like nothing but, no, he writes from the heart and it resonates with me more than Fish way of writing lyrics, as good as he is at it

This sounds so atmospheric that singer and that guitar player and that trippy keyboard music more of this band please

I like this a lot, Pete's work with Transatlantic is great too. Very comprehensive reaction!

Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see more Marillion on the channel soon. I’d love to see you cover “Splintering Heart” , “Out Of This World”, “The Space”

Yes, one of my favourite songs of Marillion, a prog masterpiece of the early 2000. It’s a level 2.9 for me, maybe not life changing, but close to it 😉 Your review is spot on, like always, thanks for choosing this song, it made my Saturday morning 🙏🏻 Neverland should be the next track you should listen from this magnificent album.

Love the analysis, JP. This song is brimming with musical ideas. It has so many change-ups and yet it's tied together in a way that it absolutely works. It is brilliant songwriting that sends you on an emotional journey, for sure. Interesting point of comparison with the drop from Fly on a Windshield! That made me think. Marbles is such as great album, I hope you listen to the whole thing.

I just can't even start to talk about what Marillion has meant in my life. They've been in my entire 34 years, & have a new album coming out...I don't know a world without this band & frankly, I don't know how I'll understand a world without them one day. Luckily, music is such a special medium for emotion & connection with others. This great music will always be with us, no matter how "late" we are to the party. I love watching you react to a band that has shaped me as a person. God bless, man. 🙏🏻 "Between two planets In between the points of light Between two distant shorelines Here am I..."

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing that Sean, love to hear your passion and connection with the music :)

@drink_with_the_dead

2 жыл бұрын

Right there with ya

@johnnicholson8345

2 жыл бұрын

I trust you just returned from the Montreal Weekend then. Brilliant shows.

Oh my! I opened KZread and saw JP with Ocean Cloud. I just went to get my pro headphones and a better computer with analog audio out.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

😁

Afraid of Sunlight is my favorite of the Hogarth albums. Clutching at Straws is my favorite with Fish at the helm. The most underrated band in history. IMO of course.

@1mbpdf33

2 жыл бұрын

Seconded.

@nicolasarbogast2739

2 жыл бұрын

For me, It would be "Season's End" and "Holydays in Eden"

@thomasvincennie3910

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely the most under-rated band in history.....I consider them in my top 15 all time.

I just got this in my feed now. Your comments about the roles of the members of the band are spot on. They are all great as individual musicians, but there is something that happens with the five of them together. They are the quintessential definition of a band.

More Marillion!

Haven’t heard this one. I quite enjoyed it and appreciate you introducing it to me.

You can’t do stuff off of Marbles and ignore NEVERLAND.

Wonderful breakdown of this song. To me this is one of the most complete tales told in modern popular music. This band is amazing.

Nice reaction 👍🏻👍🏻 There is a nice interview on yt with Hogarth😎. The school part is autobiografic (interview) Definitely one of the best song of the band.

Welcome Justin to Marillion’s family and fans. Great reaction and description of your feeling of the song. Next Neverland and the Brave, the album. Big hugs from Dallas, TX.

Next,, interior lulu by marillion is fantastic

This is my favorite Marillion song, though they have plenty of gems in their catalogue. I always feel like Big Big Train's "The Wide Open Sea" (about Belgian singer Jacques Brel) makes a nice companion piece to this song.

Such a good song. Written about Donald Edward Allum was the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo, in both directions.

Omgosh. Great assessment of this song and this band Justin. It's a great song definitely one of their best but you'll find 2 or 3 epic songs that'll blow your socks off in a similar manner on all of their albums. Even their shorter less progressive songs have such depth and character. They're all perfect members who play from the heart and your right Ian Mosely acts like a conductor and make it all seem so effortless. You've got a great of discovery with Marillion Justin. I've always felt they've been underappreciated. Overshadowed by their progressive forebears and then disowned by a lot of Fish fans as it took a couple of albums for them to find their feet. If they continue to impress they'll be touring next year. Might not be too late for the Marillion Weekend in Montreal.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Ty Gerald!

That synth pads solo part with the radio communications, seagulls and boat sounds is nothing short of miraculous... You can almost smell the sea 🌊 👃....

Can't wait till November to see them live in London and hear some of the new album. Thanks for doing marillion hope to hear you do more 👍

This reminds me of 2004, when I heard and feel this fantastic song for the first time and the two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London 2 years ago, where they played it on the second night. Thank you for this great reaction video! All the best from Germany.

Like most of Marillion's output, it's live when they really sparkle. This track is a stunner in a show

Such a haunting powerful epic song

I heard this song a hundred times, but the middle section (just before the storm section) always wettens my eyes....

@jattotling3475

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely!!!

@JustJP you are a great intelligent reviewer. And you have a gift with words.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Thats very kind of you Henrik, thank you

Hi JP, I know this was a while ago, but I've just been steered to you by the algorithms. I really love "Ocean Cloud", very definitely a great example of Marillion's skill with dynamic (superbly played) music, and great lyrics by Steve "H" Hogarth. I was a fan if the first incarnations of the band way back in 1982 and followed them faithfully up to when Fish- the original singer- left. Then I allowed them to pass me by for years and years...until about ten years ago I reconnected via hearing "Afraid of Sunlight". Of course their 2021 album "An Hour Before Its Dark" is a stunning record for our times...the pandemic and Climate Emergency are covered so well there. I have been acquiring their back catalogue for the past three years and now have a long list of favourite songs of theirs. I hope youve had a similarly fruitful journey with the band.

Excellent review JP. You really have to see them play live one day.

Few KZread channels can hit the third level. "Just JP" is undoubtedly one of them. Thanks a lot, Justin.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Well thank you for that Al :)

Thanks JP. Excellent and deeply thoughtful reaction as always. I would say Ocean Cloud ranks up there with their best - but the trouble with this band is that they have a dozen others that also rank up there with their best, such is their depth of quality. With (almost) all of their soon-to-be 20 studio albums serving up similar gems it's hard to single out even a top 5.

The way the music just evokes the ocean is amazing! And then the ups and downs of the story... Just great. Definitely one of their very best songs! Epic song writing done right.

The lyrics are based on the story of Don Allum who rowed across the Atlantic ,there and back, then passed with kidney failure due to the stress of the journey.

I went to Ackill Island and played this song. It was so atmospheric! You should listen to Hallsands by Kaprekars Constant! I went there too and played that song. Cried like a baby lol. I think the producer deserves a mention on tracks like this! I think Don won his battle with the bullies with the planets part. The power of Marillion is a wonder to behold but as previously said its live when they matter more.

Its about a rower who took his small boat and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean alone and back again

An excellent analysis of this superb track by one of the best bands in the world :) More Marillion please :)

Great song, will listen to it more.

Marillion is amazing!

Great Track ! One of the best songs ever \../ Imho. Originally on the fan financed Cd. It gets a 9.5 on Production and another 9.5 on the song writing and on the overall epic journey. Love to see other reaction videos on Ocean Cloud and Marillion in general. Maybe OC. is to long for the masses @ 18 minutes but for me It has enough color to keep me tuned in for the hole 18 and even then dreading the final cord. Music is subjective anyway like most topics today. Keep music alive & it will always tip it’s hat to the giants of yesterday. Great Reaction 👍 👍 Thanks for the memories :)

Very astute observations. As someone who has seen this band many times and witness these highs live I can tell you very, very few bands operate at this emotional level live. H (Steve Hogarth) delivers his soul and spirit on a plate whether in studio or live. You got the essence of the songs meaning where it is a total upheaval and then dead calm only to be upended all over again and Mark (Keys), Steve (guitar) and Pete (Bass) use musical motifs and slides to give you a feeling of being on the boat with this poor soul. H took a story about a solo Atlantic crossing and imposed a fictitious story line about desperate man who has no meaning in life who dies at sea. Yes, the slide guitar and ambient backdrop do have a Floydian feel but H adds a power Floyd never could. Steve Rothery certainly can evoke an inner Gilmour with his feel so the comparisons are fair. The more you delve into their catalog the more gems like this you will find. Do yourself a favor and travel however far you have to to see them live.

Okey, while-fan-turning: I really love this song. There is a live version that's even slightly better than this one. Rothery's solo's are spot on, and they set such an awesome atmosphere. It's almost like you're there with this guy that crossed the Atlantic. Such great musicianship. Hope this will encourage you to explore some more of their masterpieces! If you're interested, I surely have some recommendations! Actually the sentence 'there's no one to tell, and no one who doesn't listen' really hit me when I first heard this. There's no one he can share his story with, but the second part makes it even worse. It seems this person is so misunderstood or disconnected to his environment. 'At least there is no one that does not listen', that acts like they listen, but don't really. Now, at sea, he can just be with himself. That last part really hit me, and like you said, really makes you feel for him. Really glad you liked it JP! And again, your analysis is just great, spot on. Thanks for doing this!

I saw this performed live in 2019. Amazing performance, the lighting and effects had the band floating on layers of water with the moon behind. The whole album relates to marbles, as a child playing, to the loss of marbles in age and everything in between. Neverland is another great track from this album or even Fantastic place.

@jenphillips3212

2 жыл бұрын

I saw them at PZ 2019, from the seating area it looked like h was in the sea all alone, his keyboard a boat, during Ocean Cloud, an absolutely magical lighting show

@stephenhaunch3468

2 жыл бұрын

@@jenphillips3212 Leicester weekend for me. I travelled from New Zealand and it was worth it. Maybe, I can get there again one day.

Just an amazing track!

Justin, please, please react to Marillion again; They still together more than 30 yrs. Please react to “The New Kings” FEAR album, 2016. Big hugs from Dallas, TX. 🇵🇪🇺🇸

One word, NEVERLAND. You need to do it, it will blow you away.

If you thought this was great, listen to Neverland also off of Marbles!!!! I recommend the live version from Out Of Season show!!!!

JP Thanks for playing this Be sure and watch the live vid of this Incredible This is in my top 5 fav songs ever with Echoes Suppers Ready Awaken and Plague of Lighthouse Keepers Yes that good Haunting song and lyric and based on true story Hogarth is one of the great lyricists and performers of our day As was Fish in his own way love this band

I think Ian plays with Grace and style, effortless and with taste. Playing for the song!

Beautiful song, Great album. Afraid of sunlight, Hollidays in Eden, Seasons end, also great albums with Steve Hogarth. The title song Afraid of sunlight, two times on the album, is my personal favorite.

This has to be my favourite Marillion song so far. It may be good enough to cost me the price of the download to my library. I had never heard of this band before hearing them on this channel. Is the rest of the album at least close to as good as this? Great song and great in depth review.

@withneilandiplus2783

2 жыл бұрын

Yes the rest of the album is superb but don't assume all the tracks to sound like ocean cloud. Neverland is the best track.

@iantrott9152

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, better :) The whole album is peppered with short “Marbles” pieces which are amazing for me :)

@handy905

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome to Marillion Maruad! Marbles is one of their best - especially when heard in one sitting with the volume up and the lights down!

@Yesquire0

2 жыл бұрын

@@iantrott9152 By way of explanation, these tiny "marbles" bits are based upon the slang term "losing my marbles" as a metaphor for a gradual mental decline. I agree, they are a nice touch in the context of the entire CD and as brief interludes between amazing, stunning songs.

@iantrott9152

2 жыл бұрын

@@Yesquire0 - yes, it is slang for mental decline. That’s why it works so well on different levels linking the album together :)

Loved your reaction and analysis. This song had the working title of 'Pacific Rower' (until Steve Hogarth settled on his lyrical interpretation). Take care JP. Kevin from England.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Kevin!

Very Gilmouresque solos from the wonderful, yet underrated Steve Rothery 🎸

A "long" song you might want to look into is "Supper's Ready". No, not the original Genesis masterpiece, but the performance of the song done by Todmobile. Oh yeah, Steve Hackett is on guitar. Like you I was wowed by "Awaken" done by Todmobile and Jon Anderson. This one really blew me away. Not too often do I think a cover is better than the original, but this was an epic performance. Talk about the next best thing to be there is this performance footage.

@markmaxwell1013

2 жыл бұрын

Never heard of this before. Sounds interesting.

As a big marillion Fan, I love this song - and this one you could only get, if you ordered the record on their hompage 😂 That alone was a reason to get the import

"Neverland" from the same LP is even better, go ahead, Justin 👍

Hogarth has a fascination for people whose lives are ruled by what others might term a compulsion. Their compulsion yanks them into greatness they otherwise would never have achieved if distracted and weighed down by the banalities of life most of us choose as our fate. Some, like Don Allum, succeed at their goal, doing something amazing. Others, like Sir Donald Campbell, kill themselves trying. Come to think of it, Sir Donald had a list of amazing achievements before his untimely death, and Mr. Allum also died before his time due to the damage to his body endured while crossing the Atlantic back and forth a couple of tims. And Hogarth sings about it to us while we sit comfortably in chairs that really fit us and watch TV, or KZread. Nobody is going to write an epic song about us.

Listen to The Space live

@PaulGertz

2 жыл бұрын

Oh hell yeah, at the Royal Albert Hall please

For me Brave and Afraid of sunlight are the two best albums ever made. Marillion is such a brilliant band. Words can't describe what their music means to me

Great song and great album. However, you should definitely check out the song "The Sky Above The Rain". It's a highly emotional song and one of their best as well in my opinion.

Haven't finished the video yet, but MARILLION!!!! (Marbles is one of their best albums for sure. But also check out 'New New Kings', from their latest album F.E.A.R! Was lucky enough to see them play this song live, twice. Really awesome. Some other really great ones (to me) are The Great Escape, This Strange Engine (!), El Dorado, Out of this world, Runaway, Seasons End. Boy, so much more to explore! :D

Ocean Cloud is a Marillion classic, as is the whole Marbles album. One of those bands that can take you on a journey, like Pink Floyd. They all play what suits the song best, not their egos.

Another “must listen” but totally the opposite end of the length spectrum is the Marillion track “A Collection”; beautiful but dark :)

Let's cut to the chase: Rush is my favorite band. There are many contenders for the second (Genesis, Pink Floyd...) but Marillion might be the one. And OK... Yes is not far behind... and King Crimson 😉

Live version so much better. 😊

Is there any better piece of music to recreate the calm before the storm before the calm before the storm etc. at sea ?

I really appreciate the way you react to songs without pausing them (some of those who do are great too, don't get me wrong), any fool can see what stands up for you or not by your face expressions and our lip-reading 😉 and then you come up with a 25 minute analysis which lets us get the song with a new perspective and feel it even better, awesome reaction as usual, Justin 👏👏

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Ty Seb :)

It should be noted that this song isn’t on the us single cd. You need to purchase the deluxe edition to obtain it.

I've always struggled to get into Hogarth Marillion, mainly because I grew up obsessed with the Fish-era material and Hogarth has a very different style. Ocean Cloud is a song I may have heard in passing before but it never registered before. However, having heard it again today on your channel, that is entirely my fault - like much of the Hogarth material, it is almost designed for intense, focussed listening; not something that you can just put on in the background. Understanding the story behind the music makes me appreciate the genius of the song even more.

marillion is a great band with creative songs. You could react to "this strange engine" live, another 17 mn time running track. very beautiful.

Not about a fictional character but a true story about Don Allum (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Allum)

This song is just fantastic. Your next Marillion reaction should definitely Neverland...

You should do misplaced childhood up. Its a masterpiece. And please get back to UK. Dangermoney album. Spirits lifted every time you drop a vid thanks

I love their music, especially the post-Fish albums... but I always find them a bit melancholy for some reason. They make me feel a bit anxious, like I'm left yearning for something I'm missing but don't know what it is. I have to say the drums stood out for me on this one and that's not something I normally notice. Loved the synth lines too, kept to a minimum, used with discretion, perfect.

Marillion's sound was to my ear very similar to Genesis on certain tracks, and their singer at times sounded a bit like Peter Gabriel. I have a couple of their records. Good stuff.

@Yesquire0

2 жыл бұрын

Somebody seeking a Ph.D. in psychology should do his doctoral thesis on the heretofore inexplicable phenomenon of the "fans" of this band not realizing that Fish left the band in 1988. Your post would have been a nice one if posted in 1990, but 1990 is now 31 years, and about 16 studio releases, in the past.

Marillion excels at the soulful slow burn but I prefer their more energetic up-tempo bits. They’ve got a huge catalogue, keep digging in.

10.30 nice

Nevarland, neverland, neverland.

Although I'm an undeniable Fish fanboi, Marbles is a great album. Ocean Cloud wouldn't have been my personal choice, but it's a popular choice for others; so who am I to grumble at Marillion getting attention...? Thank you for taking another dip.

Never quite got on with Marillion. Whilst I appreciated the unique flavour that Fish gave them, it didn't quite float my boat. This however is brilliant!

The musicianship of Marillion is excellent! Even though I have a hard time with Hogarth, this song is a great listen. H is indeed great, emotional, on pitch, impassioned. I may need to give him another try. My era is the Fish era, and it’s difficult to change. All the right ingredients are here and mixed perfectly for a great song, (forgive me) but I feel distracted by the somewhat nasal qualities in his voice. No disrespect, just my taste in singers is different. Great song though. 👍🏻

@GeeVanderplas

2 жыл бұрын

He's definitely an acquired taste, but if you connect with him, man does it work! As much as I love Fish, h does bring something to the music that elevates it for me. Especially when you see him live, he really lives the words. But I understand it's not for everyone.

Time for Neverland?

Marillion - the place where all the Genesis fans went to get more of the same

@ChrisEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Yawn ... you could say that around the release of the Market Square Heroes EP and their debut but tell me what is so Genesis-like about pretty much anything that came after?

Hogarth sure has a thing for water-related stories. I sometimes get impatient for Marillion to get to the point in the Hogarth-era long songs, but they're usually worth the wait. There's an emotional punch few other bands can match. As for Hogarth epics, this is good but others are better IMO. Hopefully you'll get a chance to see these guys live some day.

This is a remake of This Strange Engine

I've always found Hogarth-era Marillion a little hit and miss. But when they hit... oh boy, do they hit!

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

🎯

Apart from Script, Fugazy and the live Real to Reel I never got hooked on Marillion, especially during the Steve Hogarth period whose voice puts me to sleep. I prefer the latter in a more ambient and electronic context as with his joint project with Richard Barbieri which suits his voice better.

Again its seems to happen often, a great sounding musical journey with a so so vocalist, pity. Love the Gilmourish slide parts and the ocean sounds, I’m pretty easy to please but, nothing beats an attractive voice. It isn’t here. I mean, it’s not bad, quite good. Peace and almost great Music

@MissAstorDancer

2 жыл бұрын

Interesting, David! I was definitely feeling the Gilmour influence on the guitar! But I feel the opposite of the way you feel, about the vocalist. I loved his voice! I did find myself thinking he sounded like a cross between Peter Gabriel and Greg Lake. Happy Saturday!

@-davidolivares

2 жыл бұрын

@@MissAstorDancer I mean, he can carry a tune and he’s passionate but, I don’t feel he’s up to those people’s caliber. Maybe it’s me. People like what they like, there’s so much to pick from. I mean, some may not like Airto’s vocals… so it is me.

@delorangeade

2 жыл бұрын

I think Steve Hogarth is a great singer, and a passionate performance counts for a lot with me, but you are certainly not alone in finding his voice unattractive. Some accents and some tones just grate with some people, and his voice does sometimes have a bit of northern nasality to it. Steve Rothery is more directly influenced in his playing by Steve Hackett than by David Gilmour, although there is plenty of Gilmour in there too. Those two seem to be the common roots of much of the guitar playing heard in later UK progressive music.

@97darton

2 жыл бұрын

lol

@Yesquire0

2 жыл бұрын

Just to balance the opinions being expressed in these replies, IMHO Steve Hogarth is the greatest male vocalist in current popular music. My opinion is based primarily on the quality of his voice, not so much on any of the studio versions of all these fabulous songs, but on his live performances when he is using more of his chest voice and less of a weaker, and a bit too nasally, head voice. More often than not, those who downgrade Hogarth's vocal talents are huge Fish fans who refuse to accept any other vocalist in Marillion. This always astounds me, because Fish cannot sing, and his performances on the early albums were always, by far, the weak link in this fijne band, a problem Fish fixed when he went solo.

Just me or did this go on a bit... A super elongated ballad about a long distance rower, apparently. They can play, but nothing i've not heard the likes of before, and i found i'd lost interest about a quarter of the way through. Sometimes brevity is our friend.

@robertbarnett9939

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, felt the same way actually.

@jfergs.3302

2 жыл бұрын

@@robertbarnett9939 Not just me then, good to know :)

Marillion is only good with Fish . And Fish solo career is beter than Marillion today This is boring

@jattotling3475

2 жыл бұрын

Pffffffff...

@GeeVanderplas

2 жыл бұрын

I respect your opinion, but for me Fish's solo work just lacks something. He is great, but it's all backed by an awfully generic band. Nothing special, any gifted session musician can play that. Marillion bring something musically that no other musicians can.

@reinaldofavoreto7160

2 жыл бұрын

@@GeeVanderplas I consider a gift musician one that can compose something, not one that can play something. I just can´t enjoy something based on the technical hability only, like an circus acrobat. I don´t like dream theater for example, because they can play things, but can´t compose anything good, its pure technique and no compositional talent. FIsh albuns have great songs, Marillion without fish doesn´t

@jattotling3475

2 жыл бұрын

@@reinaldofavoreto7160 Pfffffff...again

@reinaldofavoreto7160

2 жыл бұрын

@@Katehowe3010 I try, but nowadays´Marillion ....zzzzzz