Clutching at Straws

The character of Torch (supposedly a descendant of the Jester from earlier album sleeves) is a 29-year-old out-of-work man whose life is a mess. He seeks comfort mostly in alcohol to numb himself. He is trying, but failing, to forget what lies at his feet—a failed marriage, being a deadbeat father, and his lack of commercial success as a singer in a band. As he gets drunk, he also writes about his surroundings and his laments. Since Torch has no other real outlet at his disposal, he ends up in bars, hotel rooms, and on the road, screaming and drunk, thus, he is described as beyond redemption or hope. Marillion took a break after their tour in support of the album (with Fish eventually quitting) after it was released. The song "Incommunicado" describes the pitfalls of the business, and how pressures in real life exerted by the band's US label Capitol Records were crushing in from outside for them to either succeed or get dropped by the company, which would happen to Marillion anyway a few years later. ==Cover artwork==

The front and back covers of the album describe Fish's inspiration for the album's lyrics as well as some of his heroes. There are allusions to them throughout the album. The setting is in a British pub (the Bakers Arms in Colchester), and the people represented are the following: • On the front from left to right: Robert Burns, Dylan Thomas, Truman Capote and Lenny Bruce • On the back from left to right: John Lennon, James Dean and Jack Kerouac Sleeve artist Mark Wilkinson has expressed his disappointment with the sleeve, which he intended to be more detailed and feature more characters but was rushed due to the release date of the album being brought forward: "It was torture to do. Especially as I got a call almost by the day from EMI or John (manager John Arnison) that if I missed this deadline, the time slot would go, and the tour / album symbiosis put in jeopardy. Somehow I did it, clutching at sleep! EMI were relieved. Fish seemed OK. The rest of the band were a bit unmoved, it was so different to the previous sleeves. I was bloody disappointed! I loved this album, still do. It was some kind of pinnacle as far as I am concerned. Probably my favourite of theirs. And I felt cheated! It was not the sleeve I had imagined. You don't win them all, believe me!" ==Critical reception==

In 1987, David Hepworth wrote in Q, "Musically, Clutching at Straws doesn't depart far from the educated arrangements of previous albums. However somebody has been applying a stop watch to the individual songs and to the solos within them; thus we have eleven distinct songs, each with its own melodic virtues and most with quite acceptable hook lines barked out by Fish... There are tracks here that could have snuck into Sting's live act quite easily." John Franck of AllMusic described the album as "perhaps Marillion's most unheralded masterpiece" which "showcases some of the band's most satisfying compositions, including the magnificent 'Warm Wet Circles' and 'That Time of the Night (The Short Straw)' ... Tour opener 'Slainte Mhath' is simple and elegant, building to its dramatic crescendo only to be upstaged by 'Sugar Mice' – quite simply, one of Marillion's best commercial singles ever". "The Last Straw" was also praised as a "stunning closer" to the album. In 2015, while including Clutching at Straws in the "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time", Rolling Stone stated that "Marillion's fourth album balanced melody and melodrama" and commented on the "atmospheric production and guitarist Steve Rothery's spacious, relatively restrained guitar (which split the difference between Genesis' Steve Hackett and U2's the Edge)". ==Formats and re-issues==

The album was originally released on cassette, vinyl LP, 12" picture disc and was the first Marillion album to be released on compact disc. It was identical to the original vinyl release from 1987, namely 'Going Under' was not included. ==Track listing==

The CD version of the album includes the bonus track "Going Under" (2:47) between "That Time of the Night" and "Just for the Record". This was not included on the vinyl or cassette versions. ;1999 remastered CD edition Disc 2 (bonus tracks) • "Incommunicado" (alternative version) – 5:57 • "Tux On" – 5:13 • "Going Under" (extended version) – 2:48 • "Beaujolais Day" – 4:51 • "Story from a Thin Wall" – 6:47 • "Shadows on the Barley" – 2:07 • "Sunset Hill" – 4:21 • "Tic-Tac-Toe" – 2:59 • "Voice in the Crowd" – 3:29 • "Exile on Princes Street" – 5:29 • "White Russians" (demo) – 6:15 • "Sugar Mice in the Rain" (demo) – 5:54 4-CD + Blu-ray Disc, 2018, Remastered, Digi-Book CD 1 Clutching at Straws (2018 Andy Bradfield & Avril Mackintosh Re-Mix) Note: Includes the extended version (with a guitar solo) of "Going Under" as track 4. CD 2 Live at the Edinburgh Playhouse 19th December 1987 (2018 Michael Hunter Mix) • La Gazza Ladra 2:46 • Slainthe Mhath 5:03 • Assassing 6:47 • White Russian 6:25 • Incubus 10:36 • Sugar Mice 6:14 • Fugazi 9:57 • Hotel Hobbies 4:04 • Warm Wet Circles 4:17 • That Time Of The Night 6:00 CD 3 Live at the Edinburgh Playhouse (continued) (2018 Michael Hunter Mix) • Pseudo Silk Kimono (intro) 1:06 • Kayleigh 3:48 • Lavender 2:34 • Bitter Suite 8:32 • Heart Of Lothian 7:23 • The Last Straw 7:16 • Incommunicado 5:00 • Garden Party 6:26 • Market Square Heroes [incomplete, featuring "My Generation", "Margaret" & "Let's Twist Again"] 10:09 CD 4 Clutching at Straws Demos 1999 Remaster • Beaujolais Day • Story from a Thin Wall • Shadows on the Barley • Exile on Princes Street • Sunset Hill • Tic-Tac-Toe • Voice in the Crowd • White Russians • Sugar Mice in the Rain Previously Unreleased Demos • Hotel Hobbies / Warm Wet Circles (The Mosaic Demos) • Just for the Record • Torch Song • Slàinte Mhath Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Disc • Clutching at Straws [Stereo / LPCM Audio 5.1 / DTS Master 5.1] 52:13 • The Final Straw [Documentary] 60:00 • Incommunicado [Promo Video] 4:02 • Sugar Mice [Promo Video] 5:05 • Warm Wet Circles [Demo] 4:25 • Clutching at Straws [Original 1987 Album Mix] 52:13 • Incommunicado [Alternate Version [1999 Remaster Bonus Track] 5:57 • Tux On [1999 Remaster Bonus Track] 5:13 • Going Under [1999 Remaster Bonus Track] 2:48 ==Personnel==

;Band members • Fish – vocals • Steve Rothery – guitars • Mark Kelly – keyboards • Pete Trewavas – bass, backing vocals • Ian Mosley – drums ;Additional musicians • Tessa Niles – backing vocals on "That Time of the Night" and "The Last Straw" • Chris Kimsey (credited as "Christopher 'Robbin' Kimsey") – backing vocals on "Incommunicado", production • John Cavanagh – "Dr. Finlay" voice on "Torch Song" ==Charts==