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".
| Real to Reel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Mark Wilkinson | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| 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 |
| |||
| Marillion chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Recording and content
editReal 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". Recorded at the Spectrum, "Emerald Lies" from Fugazi was originally a bonus track on the CD[nb 2] and cassette versions.
Release
editCritical reception
editWriting 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
editNo 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
editReal 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In 1997, the album was re-released as a two-disc set bundled with Brief Encounter, an extended-play originally made by EMI's American label Capitol Records to promote the band's 1986 US tour.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
editAll tracks are written by Marillion
| No. | 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
| No. | 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
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Assassing" | 7:18 |
| 2. | "Incubus" | 8:31 |
| 3. | "Cinderella Search" | 5:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Forgotten Sons" | 10:11 |
| 5. | "Garden Party" | 6:30 |
| 6. | "Market Square Heroes" | 6:49 |
| Total length: | 46:48 | |
Personnel
edit
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|
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
- Citations
- ^ "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 3 November 1984. p. 29. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. Marillion: "Real to Reel" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ a b c "Real to Reel". The Official Marillion Website. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ "Marillion – Real to Reel". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ "British album certifications – Marillion – Real to Reel". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "Real to Reel". Fish-TheCompany.Com: Official Site. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Marillion – Real to Reel" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Marillion – Real to Reel". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Marillion | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "British album certifications – Marillion – Real to Reel". British Phonographic Industry.