Marillion - Fugazi (1984) {Japan 1st Press}

At the conclusion of the Script for a Jester's Tear tour, Marillion decided to give drummer Mick Pointer his marching orders, replacing him momentarily with Camel's Andy Ward and later by American studio whiz Jonathan Mover. Mover's recruitment proved to be short-lived, as Fish ushered in Steve Hackett's drummer/percussionist, Ian Mosley, whose spot-on drumming was the perfect foil for Marillion's meticulous musicianship. With Mosley, the band set out to record its sophomore effort. The first track to emerge from the Fugazi sessions would be "Punch and Judy" (which EMI released as the album's first single). In hindsight, this wasn't a smart move -- the single quickly vanished into chart oblivion. As the sessions turned into a grueling and at times exasperating multi-studio juggling act (ten different studios were used for the tracking/mixing of the record), Fugazi proved to be a somewhat disjointed follow-up to the classic Script for a Jester's Tear. Despite its superlative arrangements, the album lacked its predecessor's cohesion and focus, but all was not lost: Buried in the album's murky mix are three Marillion classics. "Assassing," "Incubus," and especially the album's title track showcase the band at its melodramatic best. The cryptic "Fugazi" was a highlight of the band's live set for many years to follow.