Real to Reel (Marillion album)

1984 live album by Marillion

Real to Reel

Cover art by Mark Wilkinson

Live album by

Marillion

Released| 5 November 1984[1]
Recorded| 5 March 1984 at De Montfort Hall (Leicester, England) and 19–20 June 1984 at the Spectrum (Montreal, Canada)
Genre| Neo-prog
Length| 46:48 (LP)
52:05 (CD)
Label| EMI
Producer|

* Simon Hanhart
* Marillion

Marillion chronology
| Fugazi
(1984)  | Real to Reel
(1984)  | Misplaced Childhood
(1985)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]

Real to Reel is the first live album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released in November 1984. It was co-produced by Simon Hanhart who had mixed the first two studio albums and co-produced the studio version of "Cinderella Search".

## Recording and content

[edit]

Real to Reel was recorded on 5 March 1984 at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, England and 19–20 June 1984 at the Spectrum in Montreal, Canada.[3]

In addition to two songs each from the first two albums, Script for a Jester's Tear (1983) and Fugazi (1984), the original LP version[nb 1] contained two tracks previously not available on any albums, the A-side of the band's 1982 debut single "Market Square Heroes" and "Cinderella Search", the B-side of "Assassing". The CD[nb 2] and cassette versions contained an extra track, "Emerald Lies" from Fugazi, recorded at the Spectrum.

## Release

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

Writing for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia praised Real to Reel in a three-out-of-five star retrospective review. He called the album "an excellent live document of Marillion" and "a strong case for the many fans who actually prefer the band's more refined live versions over their rather flat studio counterparts". Rivadavia also claimed 10-minute antiwar "Forgotten Sons" to be the pinnacle of the album.[2]

### Commercial performance

[edit]

No singles from the album were released, but nevertheless Real to Reel managed to reach number 8 in the UK Albums Chart and linger there for 22 weeks.[4] It was certified Gold by the BPI on 9 July 1985 for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.[5]

### Formats and reissues

[edit]

Real to Reel was initially released on LP[nb 1], 12" picture disc, cassette,[3] and CD[nb 2].[6]

In 1997, the album was re-released as a two-disc set bundled with Brief Encounter, an extended-play originally made by EMI's American label Capitol Records to promote the band's 1986 US tour. This edition was not part of the remastered series of Marillion's first eight studio albums that EMI released in 1997–1998. It was digitally remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Brian Fifield.

In 2005, a Japanese mini-LP replica CD edition[nb 3] came out. This version included two additional bonus tracks, "Margaret" and "Charting the Single", both originally from the 1983 "Garden Party" single.[3]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Marillion.

Original 1984 CD editionNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Assassing"| 7:29
2.| "Incubus"| 8:43
3.| "Cinderella Search"| 5:45
4.| "Emerald Lies"| 5:28
5.| "Forgotten Sons"| 10:36
6.| "Garden Party"| 6:32
7.| "Market Square Heroes"| 7:32
Total length:| 52:05

* Tracks 1–4 recorded at the Spectrum in Montreal, Canada on 19–20 June 1984
* Tracks 5–7 recorded at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, England on 5 March 1984

2005 Japanese mini-LP replica edition bonus tracksNo.| Title| Length

|
|

8.| "Charting the Single"| 6:37
9.| "Margaret"| 12:22
Total length:| 71:03

* "Charting the Single" recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England on 18 April 1983
* "Margaret" recorded at Edinburgh Playhouse on 7 April 1983

Original 1984 LP edition

Side oneNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Assassing"| 7:18
2.| "Incubus"| 8:31
3.| "Cinderella Search"| 5:24

Side twoNo.| Title| Length

|
|

4.| "Forgotten Sons"| 10:11
5.| "Garden Party"| 6:30
6.| "Market Square Heroes"| 6:49
Total length:| 46:48

## Personnel

[edit]

Marillion

* Fish – vocals; sleeve concept
* Steve Rothery – guitars
* Mark Kelly – keyboards
* Pete Trewavas – bass, backing vocals
* Ian Mosley – drums
* Mick Pointer – drums on Japanese bonus tracks

Technical personnel

* Simon Hanhart – production and mixing (The Marquee Studios, London)
* Julian Cull – photography
* Mark Wilkinson – sleeve
* Julie Hazelwood – collage

|

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1984)  | Peak
position

|

German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] | 38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] | 49
UK Albums (OCC)[9] | 8

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Gold  | 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

Notes

1. ^ a b EMI: EG 2603031, JEST 1
2. ^ a b EMI, Fame: CDM 7 52021 2, CD-FA 3142
3. ^ Toshiba-EMI: TOCP-67792

Citations

1. ^ "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 3 November 1984. p. 29. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
2. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. Marillion: "Real to Reel" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
3. ^ a b c "Real to Reel". The Official Marillion Website. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
4. ^ "Marillion – Real to Reel". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
5. ^ "British album certifications – Marillion – Real to Reel". British Phonographic Industry.
6. ^ "Real to Reel". Fish-TheCompany.Com: Official Site. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
7. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Marillion – Real to Reel" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
8. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Marillion – Real to Reel". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
9. ^ "Marillion | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
10. ^ "British album certifications – Marillion – Real to Reel". British Phonographic Industry.

## External links

[edit]

* The Official Marillion Website

* v
* t
* e

Marillion

* Steve Rothery
* Mark Kelly
* Pete Trewavas
* Ian Mosley
* Steve 'h' Hogarth

* Mick Pointer
* Brian Jelliman
* Doug 'Rastus' Irvine
* Fish
* Diz Minnett
* Andy Ward
* John 'Martyr' Marter
* Jonathan Mover

Studio albums|

* Script for a Jester's Tear
* Fugazi
* Misplaced Childhood
* Clutching at Straws
* Seasons End
* Holidays in Eden
* Brave
* Afraid of Sunlight
* This Strange Engine
* Radiation
* marillion.com
* Anoraknophobia
* Marbles
* Somewhere Else
* Happiness Is the Road
* Less Is More
* Sounds That Can't Be Made
* Fuck Everyone and Run (F E A R)
* An Hour Before It's Dark

Compilations|

* Brief Encounter
* B'Sides Themselves
* A Singles Collection
* The Best of Both Worlds
* The Best of Marillion
* The Singles '82–88'
* With Friends from the Orchestra

Live albums|

* Real to Reel
* The Thieving Magpie
* Made Again
* Unplugged at the Walls
* Front Row Club Issue 1
* Anorak in the UK
* Early Stages
* Live from Loreley
* Recital of the Script

Remix albums|

* Tales from the Engine Room

Singles|

* "Market Square Heroes"
* "He Knows You Know"
* "Garden Party"
* "Punch and Judy"
* "Assassing"
* "Kayleigh"
* "Lavender"
* "Heart of Lothian"
* "Lady Nina"
* "Welcome to the Garden Party"
* "Incommunicado"
* "Sugar Mice"
* "Warm Wet Circles"
* "Freaks (Live)"
* "Hooks in You"
* "The Uninvited Guest"
* "Easter"
* "Cover My Eyes (Pain and Heaven)"
* "Man of a Thousand Faces"
* "You're Gone"
* "Don't Hurt Yourself"
* "The Damage" (live)
* "Thankyou Whoever You Are"/"Most Toys"
* "Carol of the Bells"

Related articles|

* Marillion discography
* Brave (film)
* John Helmer
* Mark Wilkinson
* Crowdfunding
* Fan-funded music

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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