MARILLION – Radiation 2013 (Madfish)
Radiation (stylized as Radiat10n, Marillion’s 10th studio album) was another controversial Marillion album. Much like This Strange Engine and marillion.com, Radiation did not have that universal fan appeal that magical albums like Brave seemed to have. It confused some of the staunchest of Steve Hogarth followers. It is unlike any previous album, but still rooted in the progressive experimentation that Marillion are known for. Just had that modern twist to it…just enough weird stuff with samples going on to turn off the fans who felt like they were just hanging along for the ride after This Strange Engine.
I remember Tom saying to me, “This Strange Engine…was that the one that sounds like Hootie and the Blowfish?”
Perhaps in reaction to that, Radiation had a heavier, noise-saturated mix. The band always said it didn’t come out the way they initially heard it, and always had hopes to remix it one day. Now 15 years after its release, Radiation 2013 is a revisit to the original album with that fresh remix the band had always talked about. It is packed in a handsome Madfish box, all the original artwork contained within, housed within a brand new cover by the same guy who did the original.
The original album itself has always appealed to me. I tend to like the underdogs. Born Again, after all, is my favourite Black Sabbath record. My favourite Motorhead is Another Perfect Day….
Let’s start by talking about the original album.
Opening with a cacophony of orchestra noise, a campy distorted melody follows. Hogarth is warning us of global warming, a topic he visited 9 years earlier on “Seasons End”. “Under The Sun” follows this intro, with lyrics such as “It used to rain, dreary and grey, most every day but not anymore!” Looking at the bright side of global warming from the British point of view! A haunting ghostlike keyboard melody underscores this aggressive yet sparse tune.
This is followed by the pounding of “The Answering Machine”, a classic that is often performed unplugged these days. The original album version is completely different, and I hear so much joy in Ian Mosely’s drums to just be sheerly having at it.
“Three Minute Boy” is supposed to be about Liam Gallagher. It is another great song, and this one in a slower tempo. It also has a haunting quality, and Steve Hogarth sings his ass off.
The very quiet “Now She’ll Never Know” is next. It’s a little simpler than the earlier tracks, partly because bassist Pete Trewavas is on guitar this time. Hogarth sings like a spectre of himself, fragile and weak, hiding. It’s an awesome performance. Then, sampled strings introduce the single “These Chains”, a late-Beatles-y ballad with a dramatic chorus.
The next track is the very Floydian “Born To Run”, regarding the “people of the north”. Never has Steve Rothery sounded so David Gilmour. Yet another classic guitar solo to add to his list of many, a showcase piece. “Born To Run” is a slow track, mournful yet also hopeful. Ian Mosely used the subtlety he is known for and classes the song up several knotches.
Suddenly, the gothic keyboard crashes of “Cathedral Walls” assail the unguarded listener. Hogarth, his voice reduced to an echo, whimpers the lyrics. It sounds as if pain and anguish are wracking his body. The choruses are dense and powerful. This is by far the heaviest moment on the album, yet unexpectedly punctuated by quieter breaks.
The final song on the album is the 10 minute epic “A Few Words For The Dead”. It is very minimalist to start, but builds up to a barrage of vocal melodies by the time your trip is done. It is not an easy track to swallow but is worth the effort.
(The original Canadian CD had two bonus tracks: the incredible “Big Beat Mix” of “Memory of Water”, from the last album, and an unplugged rendition of “Estonia”. These two bonus tracks are not on this version of Radiation. I only mention it in case you were wondering. The “Big Beat Mix” was also available on the single for “These Chains”, along with an incredible cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”.
As for the Radiation 2013 remixes? There is no way, absolutely no way, that they can compete with my feelings for the original album that I know and love. I spent 15 years with this album. There is no way any remix could ever compete with that, in terms of love, familiarity, and meaning. Having said that I also think the original, noisy mix is perfectly suited to these songs, and plenty awesome at that. I love it. It’s different. Here’s some thoughts and memorable moments regarding the remixed versions.
“Under the Sun” – Cool guitar solos, more guitars. More keyboards too, and a full, complex mix. Lusher, more audible harmonies. The song drags on a bit too long though.
“The Answering Machine” – Just as heavy and massive, but clearer. Still features that distorted lead vocal. Also goes on longer, with previously unheard lyrics.
“Three Minute Boy” – Additional keyboards, not drastically different.
“Now She’ll Never Known” – Possibly the best of the remixes so far. Sounds as if, “Ahh, this is what it was meant to be like!” Makes the original sound muffled under a blanket.
“These Chains” – Very natural sounding, possibly the least messed with. You can hear a guitar part at the end that mirrors the main melodies in a very Beatles-esque way.
“Born to Run” is completely different, a whole new vibe. Now, instead of being a mysterious, a sunset-stained blues, it is a slow dance. I definitely prefer the original version of “Born to Run”. This is nice as an alternate take on a truly great song, but the original just has so much vibe. The guitar solo is still chilling, though. Spine-tingling.
“Cathedral Walls” is also inferior to the original. It has lost its other-worldliness in favour of sonic clarity, an uneven trade. There is also no “These Chains” reprise before going into “A Few Words for the Dead”.
“A Few Words for the Dead” remains hypnotic, has some more depth to it. But the original mix was already really interesting and good. I don’t think much was gained from the remix.
There are a few other associated albums related to this one, if you like it, that you can get from marillion.com:
Unplugged At The Walls. A double live unplugged CD, recorded in a restaurant during the mixing of Radiation. It features live versions of tracks like “Now She’ll Never Know”. It’s also where the “Fake Plastic Trees” B-side was lifted from.
Fallout: The Making of Radiation. A 2 CD compilation of song sketches, unfollowed directions, unfinished and finished ideas. One disc is a complete album demo, the other, snippets of sketches. Its cover art is featured inside Radiation 2013 as well.
Radiation will always be a favourite of mine. It’s nice to finally have the remix of the album, instead of just wondering what it would be like. Now I know. And honestly? Curiosity has been quenched. Now that I’m not curious anymore, I know it will only be played a fraction of the times I will still play the original.
Radiation: 5/5 stars
Radiation 2013: 3.5/5 stars for the remix, 5/5 stars for packaging and album quality
mikeladano.com 
I don’t really know much about Marillion, but a write-up like this could make a guy think that he did. Very well done, sir.
LikeLike
Thanks man. This is just what happens when you love an album so much! I do sincerely love it .
LikeLike
Yeah, that kinda/sorta came across.
LikeLike
Hopefully! :)
LikeLike
My friend has been into Marillion for years, I think she owns possibly every album they’ve ever put out. She has gotten me into a few bands (Dream Theater, Neal Morse, Transatlantic and even Marillion). I recently bought their 2012 release ‘Sounds That Can’t Be Made’ and really liked it, and I could why she was bang into them.
I told her about this and she was like “already pre-ordered it!” so perhaps I’ll venture into this, swayed more by your great review good Sir! :)
LikeLike
If she pre ordered it, it should be there soon! I pre ordered too, and I got it on Friday.
Love these guys. You should get your friend to read this blog! I have about 100 or so discs from these guys and I will be talking about a lot of them.
LikeLike
Ah cool. I’ll ask her how it is, which then she’ll proceed to rave about it and tell me how I ‘should be much into Marillion’.
I did share the post on my page, so hopefully she’ll see it.
LikeLike
Lol! All Marillion fans want to spread the word! they have plenty of great albums to choose between.
LikeLike
I was always a fan of this one and I really liked This Strange Engine too. That’s a shame the remix doesn’t seem to be improving the album much. Still, I’ll be interested to hear it and they included the original mix too don’t they? Looks like a good reissue and the thorough write-up is awesome. It’s a really overlooked album so kudos for showing it some love!
LikeLike
Yes the original is here; two discs and all the original artwork as well. So really, it’s impossible to go wrong. All you’re missing is those two bonus tracks from the These Chains single.
LikeLike
Nice writeup. I ended up more or less where you did — this is a fascinating alternative, but not a replacement for the original. Quick question — “A Few Words For The Dead” cuts off rather abruptly on my copy. Is yours like this as well?
LikeLike
Hey Ryan, I just double checked my copy. Are you talking about the remixed version? On my copy, it fades out a little but does end somewhat abruptly at 10:25. Definitely different from the total fade on the original.
LikeLike
Yes, sorry, the remix. Mine does what you describe — thanks!
I find myself missing the little bits of chatter and noise between songs, largely because I’m so used to them. But it did give the original album a lot of character.
The remix does sound much better, in any case. And the revised artwork is lovely.
One last note — for the original US release we got the “Memory of Water” Big Beat mix and an acoustic “Estonia” ( a nice studio version) as bonuses. According to Wikipedia, Japan got “Fake Plastic Trees” and “The Space,” both from the Unplugged At The Walls show.
LikeLike
And by “sound much better” I mean strictly technically. I agree with you that the original remains the genuine article, weird as it is.
LikeLike
Sometimes weird is good. The thing is, when you get attached to an album like this, you get attached to all the quirks and nuances of it too.
I have no problem when a band does something like this out of sheer curiosity, and keeps the original album in print. But don’t Ozzy-Osbourne me and re-mix or re-record something and delete the original! (cough cough George Lucas too cough)
LikeLike
Ahh! You’re right! Time to make that correction!
LikeLike
Interesting…while I still like the original album, I LOVE this! I think the vocals come through so much clearer (always a sore spot for me in the original mix).
LikeLike
Hey glad you liked it! I agree, the vocals are much clearer. In a way I’m the wrong guy to review this because I always find myself distracted by changes when it’s not the original version that I know of.
LikeLike
Great review. I remember first listening to this on release day and thinking it was so good. The tour was good too. They opened with A Few Words for the Dead, as I recall.
LikeLike
This just arrived here today. I already spent some time listening to both the original and remixed versions online and frankly, I’m not sure either of them really do the songs justice, most of them improved a lot live. But my impression was that the remix definitely sounded much better, even if the little reprises were a good idea that’s now sadly missing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to be honest. I never listen to the 2013 version anymore. It’s just too unfamiliar for me to really dig in and enjoy like I can with the original mix. But I’ll always own them both and I’ll pull out the 2013 every once in a while. Just when I need the full emotional blunt edge of Radiation, I prefer the original.
LikeLike
So here’s what happened after listening to both versions a few times… I find the original mix sort of constrained, like the songs were trying to get out, but not really realizing their full potential. Although I maintain the live versions are almost always superior, the remix gets closer to “it”. The Answering Machine now sounds full-bodied and intense instead of cluttered and annoying (deleting the phone voice effect from Hogarth’s voice was a good decision – funnily enough it is employed on the one line that wasn’t distorted on the original!), Three Minute Boy grows more majestic, and the finale of A Few Words for the Dead impacted me deeply on an emotional level. Cathedral Wall also doesn’t make me feel quite as uncomfortable anymore, although I guess that’s kind of the song’s point (it’s still plenty eerie though).
I do concede that Born to Run loses some of its flair, and I’m not quite sure why… that song maybe benefited from a “darker” mix? Oh well, it’s not my favourite song anyway (and I say that as a big blues lover). And contrary to your write-up, I didn’t detect any differences on Now She’ll Never Know at all. I’ll probably play both versions simultaneously at some point, in order to see whether some songs actually go on longer – the only thing I noticed is that the fade-out on The Answering Machine now ruins the “synth fart”, lol!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice, thanks for the in depth analysis! Keep in mind I wrote this 8 years ago so I don’t really remember what I was thinking at that time. I probably only have played the 2013 remix a couple times since then.
LikeLike
just got this one. Got that Marillion magazine too. Got punch of Marillion releases actually. Haven’t pre-ordered the new one like u have….yet
Sometimes I feel like Marillion with h is one the music’s best kept secrets.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely true KK. I feel that. I also hear a lot of similarities between him and Lawrence Gowan.
I just got the new Marillion Christmas CD, a little late though I’m afraid! Look for a review in 11 months.
LikeLike