They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock , [ 4 ] becoming the most commercially successful neo-prog band of the s. Marillion released their debut single " Market Square Heroes " in , followed by their first album Script for a Jester's Tear in They have released 20 studio albums in total.
The band achieved eight Top 10 UK albums between and , including a No. Clutching at Straws was the band's last studio album with original lead singer Fish , who left for a solo career in late In early , Marillion announced Steve Hogarth as their new lead singer. The first album with him, Seasons End , was another Top 10 hit, and albums continued to chart well until their departure from EMI Records , following the release of their live album Made Again , and the dissipation of the band's mainstream popularity in the late s; save for a resurgence in the mid- to lates, [ 6 ] they have essentially been a cult act since then.
Despite unpopularity in the mainstream media and a consistently unfashionable status within the British music industry, Marillion have maintained a very loyal international fanbase, becoming widely acknowledged as playing a pioneering role in the development of crowdfunding and fan-funded music. They have sold over 15 million albums worldwide. It was also very clear to me that Steve Rothery was a brilliant guitarist. Pointer and Irvine left to form their own band, Silmarillion, named after J.
Tolkien 's book The Silmarillion , in late Many years after his departure from Marillion, Irvine eventually joined the band Steam Shed. By the end of , Mark Kelly had replaced Jelliman on keyboards, with Pete Trewavas replacing Minnitt on bass in Marillion's first recordings were two demos recorded in March and the summer of , before Fish and Minnitt joined the band.
Two versions of the Spring demo circulate amongst collectors; the first has four tracks; "The Haunting of Gill House", "Herne the Hunter", an untitled track known as "Scott's Porridge", and "Alice". The second version has an instrumental version of "Alice" in place of "Scott's Porridge".
