1983 in rock: Marillion head progressive rock revival

1983 was the year progressive rock returned to prominence. The punk years of the late 1970s had seen off progressive rock, or so many commentators of the time thought, but in actual fact while the established prog bands regrouped, in many cases with revamped line-ups, a newer breed was coming through spearheaded by Marillion. Fronted by charismatic vocalist Fish (aka Derek W. Dick), they proudly wore their prog influences on their sleeves and, in Fish's case, on his face as he painted himself up in a manner not dissimilar to that of Peter Gabriel.

Marillion's debut album, 'Script For A Jester's Tear' was released in March 1983 and spawned the hit single 'Garden Party'; the single reached number 16 in the UK singles charts and got the band on 'Top Of The Pops', however the album was a huge success, charting as high as seven and staying in the album charts for 31 weeks.

Although Marillion were the highest-profile of the new progressive bands, they were by no means the only ones around at the time. Scottish band Pallas were also enjoying a high profile, thanks largely to their single 'Eyes In The Night (Arrive Alive)', while other bands such as IQ, Twelfth Night and Pendragon also gained followings. Another act popular at this time were The Enid, fronted by Robert John Godfrey they had actually been around since the mid-70s, but their 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' album of 1983 and live performances raised their profile.

The success of Marillion and others led to renewed chart success for older prog bands such as Genesis and Yes, who both returned with new material in 1983.

Here is Marillion's appearance on 'Top Of The Pops', during which Fish makes it very clear the performance is lip-synced ;-)