Retro Review: Marillion - Misplaced Childhood

When I first discovered modern progressive rock, the first band I found was Spock's Beard. This led me to Transatlantic, then to all the members' bands, starting with The Flower Kings, then Dream Theater, and then finally Marillion. Although maybe not quite as progressive as the other bands (you'll find much fewer odd time signatures and fiddly self-indulgent instrumental solos), Marillion still have many elements of prog, including poetic lyrics, strong musicianship and songwriting, and concept albums like Misplaced Childhood.

Not only is Misplaced Childhood the best of Marillion's concept albums, but it is, to me, the template from which all concept albums should be based. Many concept albums are buried under their own weight. They're just too long, too grand in scope. Many of the early ones span multiple LPs, and newer ones span multiple CDs, each one packed to their hour-and-twenty-minute max. It's just too much for one sitting, and the concept sometimes gets lost among the sheer magnitude of music. Not Misplaced Childhood. It was written as a concept album in two acts, each act fitting on one side of a traditional LP. The whole album clocks in at under 42 minutes, which can easily be digested in one sitting.