| Afraid of Sunlight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Marillion | ||||
| Released | 24 June 1995 22 March 1999 (two-disc edition) |
|||
| Recorded | The Racket Club, Aylesbury, January–June 1995 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock Neo-progressive rock Pop rock Pop Soft rock |
|||
| Length | 51:25 (single-disc edition) 1:40:12 (two-disc edition) |
|||
| Label | EMI (Europe) I.R.S. Records (U.S.) |
|||
| Producer | Marillion, Dave Meegan | |||
| Marillion chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from Afraid of Sunlight | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Q | |
Afraid of Sunlight is Marillion's eighth studio album, released in 1995. It was their last for EMI (who would, however, continue to release back-catalogue material on compilations and re-issues, as well as distribute some later recordings).
While not a concept album as such, Afraid of Sunlight examines the destructive side of celebrity. In particular, "Afraid of Sunlight" relates to the likes of James Dean, while "Out of This World" is about world land and water speed record holder Donald Campbell, killed in 1967. "King" refers to Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, and Michael Jackson. The song "Beyond You" is reminiscent of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound productions, and is recorded monaurally, rather than in stereo.
The first half of the album has a more satirical tone. "Gazpacho" lampoons the Hollywood lifestyle; "Cannibal Surf Babe" is a Beach Boys pastiche; and "Beautiful"'s utopian lyrics may be written from the perspective of an unmoored celebrity.
Steve Hogarth named the 1980 Martin Scorsese film Raging Bull, about a boxer's inability to deal with fame, as a strong influence on the album. Hogarth also cited O.J. Simpson, on trial for murder at the time the album was recorded, as another influence on its theme.
The wreckage of Donald Campbell's Bluebird K7 and Campbell's remains were not recovered until 28 May 2001 when diver Bill Smith was inspired to look for the wreck after hearing "Out of This World". Both Steve Hogarth and Steve Rothery were present at the raising.[2]
Despite some critical acclaim, the album was the first Marillion studio album to fail to reach the top ten in the UK album charts (peaking at No. 16), stayed on the chart for just two weeks and only produced one hit single, Beautiful, which reached No. 29.[3]
Contents |
The 1999 remaster has the following additional tracks on the second CD:
Note: The last track on CD 2 can only be accessed via a computer and a passcode. The passcode can be found on the Marillion.com – Afraid of Sunlight page.
Q (magazine) 4/5 "...a 40-minute journey that touches on the legacy of Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren and The Beatles, while hinting at the experimental trivialities of Jellyfish (band) or Split Enz. There is a preposterous tone at times, but Steve Hogarth's voice is lovable, tear-jerking and even beautiful..." [4]
Included in Q (magazine)'s 50 Best Albums of 1995.[5]
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | UK Album Chart | 16[6] |
Liner notes for the remaster by some of the band members (on the marillion.com band page):
|
||||||||||||||||||||