Christopher Marshall - Strange Waters, Small Mercies

Here we go, first post of actual music!

I present for your listening pleasure: Strange Waters, Small Mercies by Christopher Marshall.

Originally released in 1998, it must have been no small feat to get this album out there and to get the once front-man of legendary Australian Rock Band Harem Scarem to partake. I suppose having an essential supergroup of musicians behind you does does make the experience a lot less harrowing. 

Featuring musicians from bands like Hunters & Collectors, The Sports, The Models and Australian Crawl, this would be Christopher Marshall's only solo outing. But for me personally, it was and still is, enough. Having originally heard it last year at the Victorian State Library, it takes you off into it's own world.

Featuring over 50 minutes of music across the ten songs present, you can still here some of the ideas that were present in Pilgrim's Progress, the 1986 album featuring Christopher Marshall on lead vocal duties. The earlier Harem Scarem material was longer that what ended up on the 1986 album, eventuating from the differing tastes of Chris and his brother Charlie. While Chris preferred more brooding and drawn out songs, Charlie was more of a short and sharp type of musician. That can be heard here as well, with the single song that features Charlie on backing vocals being that only one that is under 4 minutes in length.

Certainly a tamer album compared to Pilgrim's Progress, that in no way diminishes it. It highlights the strengths of Marshall, both in terms of song-writing and album direction. His vocals remain strong and passionate throughout the album, never pushing too far or going over the top. It is a testament to an Marshall, and it is a shame that it remains out of print.

If you can find it for a reasonable price, don't hesitate. While this lingers out of print, Pilgrim's Progress was remastered and reissued by Aztec Music in 2008, which can be found physically here and digitally here, but that's a post for another day.

EDIT: With this album now being available for purchase due to the efforts of Laneway Music, I have removed the link to this.

Perhaps, I'll have a Round 3 of this, once life decides to settle down a bit.