Seasons End (album)
Encyclopedia
Seasons End was the first album recorded by Marillion
after the split with Fish
in late 1988. The band started to audition singers while writing the new album, and they eventually chose Steve Hogarth
. The music for Seasons End was mostly finished by the time Hogarth joined Marillion, and only a couple of songs on it actually have some pieces written by him, most notably "Easter" and "The Space". A number of the lyrics were written by John Helmer
, who the band had commissioned before Hogarth joining. He would continue to contribute lyrics throughout the 1990s.
Much of the music on Seasons End had been composed while Fish was still in the band. The bonus disc of the 1999 re-issue of Clutching at Straws
contains a number of nascent versions of songs that would end up on Seasons End with vocals and lyrics by Fish, these demos having been produced during the writing sessions for the ill-fated fifth studio album with Fish. (A number of the lyrical concepts from these demos, such as The Voice In the Crowd, would later resurface on Fish's debut studio album, Vigil In a Wilderness of Mirrors
.)
The album was produced jointly by Marillion and Nick Davis (who would go on to work with Genesis
and associated acts).
, who had designed all previous Marillion covers, had left together with Fish, the album also marked a turning point in the band's visual style, towards a more "modern", photographic look created by Bill Smith Studio. The four square fields dominating the cover symbolize the four classical element
s, earth, air, water and fire (clockwise from top left). At the same time, the cover contained some references to the past: It used the band's original logo, which had been replaced with a "modernized" version on the previous album Clutching at Straws
and related releases as well as on B'Sides Themselves
(although the 1988 live retrospective The Thieving Magpie
also used it). The feather in the "desert" square is a reference to the image of the "magpie" found on Misplaced Childhood
(1985), the "sky" square contains a fragment of the "Jester's" dress introduced on Script for a Jester's Tear
(1983), the chameleon
in the "fire" square appears on Script for a Jester's Tear, Fugazi
(1984) and Misplaced Childhood; the painting with the clown's face falling into the water upside-down is taken from the Fugazi cover. Also, the vinyl version returned to the gatefold
format that had been abandoned on the previous studio album.
by the Chinese government; the line "And everyone assembled here / Remembers how it used to be / Before the 27th came" refers to the 27th Army involved in the massacre. "Easter" addresses The Troubles
of Northern Ireland (a topic Fish had previously dealt with in "Forgotten Sons" in 1983); more indirectly, this also goes for "Holloway Girl", which refers to the imprisonment of Judith Ward
in Holloway Prison
for IRA bombings. "Seasons End" addresses climate change
(a topic Marillion lyrics would return to in 1998 and 2007) - the spelling of the title is intentional, referring not to the end of a season (which would be "Season's End"), but the end of all seasons as a result of global warming eliminating winter altogether. "Berlin" describes the situation in the divided city of Berlin
, where Marillion had recorded Misplaced Childhood
; the Berlin Wall would eventually come down just weeks after the release of Seasons End.
on the original CD and cassette versions.
In 1997, as part of a series of Marillion's first eight studio albums, EMI re-released Seasons End with remastered sound and a second disc containing bonus material. The bonus disc contained the extended 12" version of the album's second single, "The Uninvited Guest", that single's b-side "The Bell in the Sea", the third single "Easter"'s b-side, "The Release", and six demo versions. The remastered edition was later also made available without the bonus disc.
The 1997 remaster has the following additional tracks on the second CD:
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
after the split with Fish
Fish (singer)
Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
in late 1988. The band started to audition singers while writing the new album, and they eventually chose Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
. The music for Seasons End was mostly finished by the time Hogarth joined Marillion, and only a couple of songs on it actually have some pieces written by him, most notably "Easter" and "The Space". A number of the lyrics were written by John Helmer
John Helmer
John Helmer is a former musician and part-time writer best known for contributing lyrics for Marillion.-With The Piranhas:From 1977 to 1981, "Johnny" Helmer was a guitarist and vocalist in the Brighton-based ska punk band The Piranhas, best known for their 1980 top ten hit "Tom Hark"...
, who the band had commissioned before Hogarth joining. He would continue to contribute lyrics throughout the 1990s.
Much of the music on Seasons End had been composed while Fish was still in the band. The bonus disc of the 1999 re-issue of Clutching at Straws
Clutching at Straws
Clutching at Straws is the fourth studio album by neo-progressive rock band Marillion, and is a concept album. Released in 1987, it was the last album with lead singer Fish who left the band in 1988...
contains a number of nascent versions of songs that would end up on Seasons End with vocals and lyrics by Fish, these demos having been produced during the writing sessions for the ill-fated fifth studio album with Fish. (A number of the lyrical concepts from these demos, such as The Voice In the Crowd, would later resurface on Fish's debut studio album, Vigil In a Wilderness of Mirrors
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors was the first solo album that rock singer Fish released after he departed Marillion in 1988. Although the recordings for this album finished as early as June 1989, EMI Records decided to delay the release until early 1990, to avoid collision with Marillion's album...
.)
The album was produced jointly by Marillion and Nick Davis (who would go on to work with Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
and associated acts).
Singles
As with Marillion's previous two studio albums, three singles were released from Seasons End. The first single was "Hooks in You" in August 1989, followed by "The Uninvited Guest" in November and "Easter" in March 1990.Cover art
As Mark WilkinsonMark Wilkinson
Mark Wilkinson is best known for his detailed cover art that he created for a number of British bands, most prominently the progressive rock band, Marillion...
, who had designed all previous Marillion covers, had left together with Fish, the album also marked a turning point in the band's visual style, towards a more "modern", photographic look created by Bill Smith Studio. The four square fields dominating the cover symbolize the four classical element
Classical element
Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
s, earth, air, water and fire (clockwise from top left). At the same time, the cover contained some references to the past: It used the band's original logo, which had been replaced with a "modernized" version on the previous album Clutching at Straws
Clutching at Straws
Clutching at Straws is the fourth studio album by neo-progressive rock band Marillion, and is a concept album. Released in 1987, it was the last album with lead singer Fish who left the band in 1988...
and related releases as well as on B'Sides Themselves
B'Sides Themselves
B'Sides Themselves is a compilation of single B-sides by the rock band Marillion released on CD only in January 1988. This was the first time that those B-sides were made available in the then still relatively new Compact Disc format...
(although the 1988 live retrospective The Thieving Magpie
The Thieving Magpie (Album)
The Thieving Magpie is a double live album by Marillion, 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...
also used it). The feather in the "desert" square is a reference to the image of the "magpie" found on Misplaced Childhood
Misplaced Childhood
Misplaced Childhood is the third studio album of the neo-progressive rock band Marillion. It was released in 1985 and has been their most commercially successful album, reaching number one in the and spending a total of 41 weeks on the chart, the longest chart residency of a Marillion album...
(1985), the "sky" square contains a fragment of the "Jester's" dress introduced on Script for a Jester's Tear
Script for a Jester's Tear
Script for a Jester's Tear is the first album by the neo-progressive rock band Marillion, released in 1983. It reached number seven on the UK album chart and stayed on the chart for 31 weeks, the second longest chart residency of a Marillion album....
(1983), the chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
in the "fire" square appears on Script for a Jester's Tear, Fugazi
Fugazi (album)
Fugazi is the second studio album of the neo-progressive rock band Marillion. It was released in 1984 and was the first album with Ian Mosley on drums. It reached no. 5 on the UK album charts, stayed on the chart for a total of 20 weeks and contained the UK top 40 singles Punch And Judy and...
(1984) and Misplaced Childhood; the painting with the clown's face falling into the water upside-down is taken from the Fugazi cover. Also, the vinyl version returned to the gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
format that had been abandoned on the previous studio album.
Lyrics
The lyrics on Seasons End, unlike on the two previous albums, are not tied together by a common storyline. The opener, "The King of Sunset Town", in John Helmer's original version, was about poverty; however, Hogarth modified it under the impression of the brutal oppression of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
by the Chinese government; the line "And everyone assembled here / Remembers how it used to be / Before the 27th came" refers to the 27th Army involved in the massacre. "Easter" addresses The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
of Northern Ireland (a topic Fish had previously dealt with in "Forgotten Sons" in 1983); more indirectly, this also goes for "Holloway Girl", which refers to the imprisonment of Judith Ward
Judith Ward
Judith Theresa Ward is a British woman known for being a victim of unsafe convictions in 1974 for the bombing of Euston Station in 1973, and of the National Defence College and M62 coach bombings in 1974. Her conviction was quashed and she was released from prison on 11 May 1992...
in Holloway Prison
Holloway (HM Prison)
HM Prison Holloway is a closed category prison for adult women and Young Offenders, located in the Holloway area of the London Borough of Islington, in north and Inner London, England...
for IRA bombings. "Seasons End" addresses climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
(a topic Marillion lyrics would return to in 1998 and 2007) - the spelling of the title is intentional, referring not to the end of a season (which would be "Season's End"), but the end of all seasons as a result of global warming eliminating winter altogether. "Berlin" describes the situation in the divided city of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where Marillion had recorded Misplaced Childhood
Misplaced Childhood
Misplaced Childhood is the third studio album of the neo-progressive rock band Marillion. It was released in 1985 and has been their most commercially successful album, reaching number one in the and spending a total of 41 weeks on the chart, the longest chart residency of a Marillion album...
; the Berlin Wall would eventually come down just weeks after the release of Seasons End.
Formats and re-issues
The album was originally released on CD, Cassette, vinyl LP and 12" Picture Disc. "After Me", the b-side of "Hooks in You", was included as a bonus trackBonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
on the original CD and cassette versions.
In 1997, as part of a series of Marillion's first eight studio albums, EMI re-released Seasons End with remastered sound and a second disc containing bonus material. The bonus disc contained the extended 12" version of the album's second single, "The Uninvited Guest", that single's b-side "The Bell in the Sea", the third single "Easter"'s b-side, "The Release", and six demo versions. The remastered edition was later also made available without the bonus disc.
Side one
- "The King of Sunset Town" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley/HelmerJohn HelmerJohn Helmer is a former musician and part-time writer best known for contributing lyrics for Marillion.-With The Piranhas:From 1977 to 1981, "Johnny" Helmer was a guitarist and vocalist in the Brighton-based ska punk band The Piranhas, best known for their 1980 top ten hit "Tom Hark"...
)– 8:04 - "Easter" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley) – 5:58
- "The Uninvited Guest" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley/Helmer)– 3:52
- "Seasons End' (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley/Helmer) – 8:10
Side two
- "Holloway Girl" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley) – 4:30
- "Berlin" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley/Helmer)– 7:48
- "After Me" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley)– 3:20 (Only included on CD and MC)
- "Hooks in You" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley/Helmer)– 2:57
- "The Space..." (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley/Woore/Dugmore/Harper) – 6:14
The 1997 remaster has the following additional tracks on the second CD:
- "The Uninvited Guest" (12" Version) – 5:05
- "The Bell In The Sea" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley/Helmer) – 4:21
- "The Release" (Hogarth/Rothery/Kelly/Trewavas/Mosley) – 3:45
- "The King Of Sunset Town" (Demo) – 5:34
- "Holloway Girl" (Demo) – 4:48
- "Seasons End" (Demo) – 8:02
- "The Uninvited Guest" (Demo) – 3:56
- "Berlin" (Demo) – 8:03
- "The Bell In The Sea" (Demo) – 4:52
Personnel
- Steve HogarthSteve HogarthSteve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
: vocals - Steve RotherySteve RotherySteve Rothery is the guitarist of the English rock band Marillion. He was born in Brampton, South Yorkshire, England. From the age of six he lived in Whitby, North Yorkshire.-Biography:...
: guitars - Mark Kelly: keyboards
- Pete TrewavasPete TrewavasPete Trewavas is an English musician. He joined Marillion in 1982, taking over the role of bassist, from Diz Minnett, while acting occasionally as a backing vocalist and acoustic guitarist.Although he was born in Middlesbrough, Trewavas spent much of his childhood in the Buckinghamshire town of...
: bass - Ian MosleyIan MosleyIan F. Mosley is a drummer in the progressive rock band, Marillion.Mosley joined the band in 1984 after a long search for a replacement of Mick Pointer, who had been left the band in 1983. Mosley had previously, among others, played with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, both on two of his...
: drums - Phil Todd: saxophone on "Berlin"
- Jean-Pierre Rasle: pipes on "Easter"
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | UK Album Chart | 7 |