Marillion-B´Sides Themselves (1988)

After four excellent albums with the Scottish giant Fish at the helm, Marillion had a wealth of unreleased material: B-sides, alternate versions, and previously unreleased live tracks. In 1988, they compiled all these "rarities" into one album, which, despite a title that somewhat undervalues ​​its content, offers an enviable collection of valuable songs. "B'Sides Themselves" opens with the band's holy grail, the progressive epic "Grendel", a grandiose 18-minute monumental piece that, while perhaps a bit rough around the edges and not as sophisticated as their later work, is nonetheless a masterpiece. The album also features two re-recordings: "Market Square Heroes", another of their classic progressive anthems, and the haunting "Three Boats Down From The Candy". Among the rest are some of their early songs such as the attractive "Cinderella Search", "Lady Nina", "Freaks" or "Tux On", to end with the rocker "Margaret", which, when performed live, shows the progressive hard rock facet of the British band's early years.