Track Listing

1. He Knows You Know
2. Web
3. Garden Party
4. Chelsea Monday
5. Forgotten Sons
6. Script for a jester's tear

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4796 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-04
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
The early 1980s was perhaps the worst time in musical history to be a prog-rock band, much less to start a new one, butthat's just what the hardy souls in Marillion did. Little could anyone have imagined that they'd set off a whole wave of "neo-prog" in the UK. At a time when synth-pop was all therage, and unassuming ditties ruled the charts, Marillion's debut album, SCRIPT FOR A JESTER'S TEAR nodded proudly to such ambitious forebears as Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. Lead vocalist Fish, in fact, bore an uncanny sonic similarity to Gabriel, a fact that his penchant for onstage theatrics did little to discourage. In turn, the rest of the band offered a '70s-flavoured blend of Floyd/Camel-like melodic guitar lines, Rick Wakeman-with-an-attitude multi-keyboard cascades, and odd-metered rhythms.
If that was the whole story, Marillion would have been written off as mere revivalists. The real spark of SCRIPT lies in the fact that it filtered these influenced through a sense of urgency and concision that could only have come from living through the post-punk era. In fact, many of Fish's lyrical themes were concerned with skewering the upper classes in a manner not dissimilar to the likes of Ian Dury or any Thatcher-hating New Waver of the era. Prog was born anew with SCRIPT, and it had a chip on its shoulder.

Customer Reviews

The greatest album of all time!
So here I am once more.........The almost whispered opening lyric is the start of an intense, demanding, emotional but ultimately incredibly rewarding musical journey. Soon the lyric is repeated but by this time it is surrounded by whirling keyboards and soaring guitar. This is Marillion. This is "Script for a Jester`s Tear". This is in my humble opinion the greatest album of all time.
This is a very difficult claim to substantiate. Marillion are not only derided by mainstream pop/rock fans and critics but also sadly by many progressive rock fans. All I can say is listen to the music.
The title track begins the album and lead singer Fish, in the guise of the tragic jester, opens his heart. "He knows you know" follows portraying the angst of a drug addict, before we reach "The Web", another anguished love song of the jester. "Garden Party" I feel is the one musical weak point on the album, but Fish`s lyrics compensate as he humourously and scathingly derides pretentiousness and snobbery. So far so great. But the best is still to come. "Chelsea Monday" is the story of an aspiring actress who comits suicide to gain that elusive headline. Twenty years on it still moves me with its pure raw emotion. Before your senses can recover we are into "Forgotten Sons", written about soldiers killed in N. Ireland but relevant to any young lives wasted in war.Fish`s lyrics are caustic and emotive all at once, with the closing section providing a suitable finale to an incredible album.
Marillion made three more albums with Fish which fulfilled the promise of this debut before sadly parting company. Since then both parties have continued to make excellent music without quite reproducing the magic they had together.
Do yourself a favour, buy this album and listen to it with an open mind. You will not regret it.

Top Class
I'm only typing this because someone who liked it in the 80s decided it was tripe now they have jumped middle age to some dull zone caused by (a) too much work or (b) something worse. I liked this in the 80s. I put it in the car a couple of weeks ago and haven't been able to take it out because its just fantastic. If what you want is rock music that is clever and multi-dimensional buy/listen to this. Probably the best thing they did, but that's subjective. Its never one star, and I would put it at the top 5 star group.

Another of the top five rock albums of all time.
Forget Kayleigh. Forget Hooks in You. Forget Beautiful.This is where it began. This is what really matters. Yes there are only six songs but what matters is quality and this album is oozing with it. This is Derek Dick at his near best (apart from The Company). This album is so good I've told them to play it when I die!!! The title track contains (along with THE WEB) the ultimate juxtapostion - remember the jester who showed you tears - think about it... Think little pinkie in the air - think GARDEN PARTY. Hate the situation in N.Ireland then listen to FORGOTTEN SONS and think I wish that I had written that. Like warm guitar solos - listen to CHELSEA MONDAY. A friend once walked in during the intro to HE KNOWS YOU KNOW and said "Samaritans?" Listen to it and appreciate the humour. I cannot praise this album highly enough so buy it - live it - love it!!!!!!!