Live from Cadogan Hall

Although they've often been lumped in with the neo-progressive genre, Marillion always put the importance of songwriting over instrumental prowess. A case in point is the 2011 double-disc concert release Live from Cadogan Hall. Recorded in 2009 while touring in support of their Less Is More release, the album follows the direction of the aforementioned album -- in other words, deconstructed, bare-bones renditions of songs. And this time, it's of compositions from throughout their career. On the first disc, songs such as the album-opening "Go!" as well as "The Space" and "This Is the 21st Century" all manage to be restrained and spacious -- something that is not all that easy to accomplish while performing on a concert stage in front of a live audience. And the second disc of Live from Cadogan Hall follows the same path, as heard by such selections as "No One Can" and "This Train Is My Life," while two back-to-back tracks, "Gazpacho" and "The Answering Machine," turn out to be the most uptempo performances of the entire album. Marillion continue to be one of the leaders of the "prog pop" class, as evidenced throughout Live from Cadogan Hall. And if the audio just isn't enough for you, an accompanying DVD was issued at the same time for your viewing pleasure. ~ Greg Prato