Undervalued songs — Marillion — Ocean Cloud
For years I have had a special ritual with my best friend. It must be a guy’s thing, but also silly men’s stupid ‘things’ sometimes yield good results. The ritual is as follows. We plan a Friday evening and first we watch a few silly movies. Then we play a few more rounds on the Playstation. So far nothing is wrong…
But somewhere in the middle of the night our competition starts. For years I have been engaged in a fierce battle with my best friend. The basis of our competition is simple: blow me away with your choice of music.
The idea sounds simple. But we are not talking about some simple nice tunes here. We are talking about life-changing experiences. Weeks of searching often precede it. You have your strategy clear for such an evening. First I will play this song. And then that song. Then I’m ready for The Killer Track! The song with which I will get him to eat the cushions of the couch.
For many years we have been trying to outsmart each other in this way. With hidden gems. With unknown editions. With only one goal: how do I utterly destroy him with my music? Or how do I make him thank me with tears in his eyes for this brilliant piece of musical history?
Sometimes it works. Sometimes you miss. How do you dare to come here with this piece of crap? It is Russian Roulette with music. Here you have my ears. Here you have my brain. Be kind with them.
This Friday evening — already many years ago — was no exception. The stupid movies. The Playstation. And then the competition. We worked our way through the warm-up songs and when the amplifier was warm enough…. he threw an atomic bomb on my head. The song that made me not only eat the cushions of the couch — seriously — but also made me a fan of Marillion for life.
Please understand I am talking about the new Marillion. Not the old one with Fish. Not the Marillion with Kayleigh. There are people who like that era — please do — I am not one of them. I love the new Marillion. Steve Hogarth — vocals. Steve Rothery — guitar. Pete Trewavas — Bass guitar. Mark Kelly — keyboard. And Ian Mosley — drums.
For me this is the ultimate version of Marillion. And it all started with Ocean Cloud. Later I would discover even more, but Ocean Cloud remains special. Goosebumps. Tears. A happy smile. Every live concert the crowd asks if they want to play it. And they only seldom do.
Good music takes you on a journey. For a good quarter of an hour you are gone from the earth. And then the music spits you out on the other side and in the best cases you are a different person. In the worst cases you have been bored or have fallen asleep.
Ocean Cloud is such a musical journey. And it also describes a journey. The journey of one man. Across the ocean. Dedicated to Don Allum, and the Ocean Rowers. You can read in the booklet of Marbles, the album on which this song appears.
Who is Don Allum? And why is there a song about him? Donald Edward Allum was the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean in both directions. The British rock band Marillion released an eighteen minute song called “Ocean Cloud” on its 2004 album Marbles based on Donald Allum’s almost fatal third crossing of the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland in 1987. According to Wikipedia.
Let me repeat it for a moment…. So the good man has passed the Atlantic Ocean not once, but twice. In a rowing boat. And about the third time, the one that is almost fatal, you make a song. And on a casual Friday evening you throw that song at your best friend.
The song begins, very appropriately, with the sound of waves and gulls. You are immediately at the ocean side. The rumbling of thunderstorms in the distance. It is not a sunny day. The boat is creaking.
He’s seen too much of life
And there’s no going back
It opens threateningly. Over quiet guitar tones we get acquainted with this man. We’re still gently moving on the water. Actually it is a pleasant boat trip.
But the text goes deeper. It’s about the feeling that you lose control. That you are not as sharp as you used to be. That you are getting older.
The loneliness calls him
And the edge which must be sharpened
He’s losing it. And he knows.
But there’s a fighter in his mind and his body’s tough
The years have been unkind but kind enough
Despite his age and the fact that he loses his edge, something forces him to the water.
The smell of the earth
It’s his favourite smell
But he’s somehow compelled to the stinging salt hell
To the place where he hurts and he’s scared
And there’s no one to tell
And no one who doesn’t listen
And we’re going to the chorus.
You can take all the boys and the girls in the world
And I’ll trade them this morning for my sweet Ocean Cloud
I’ve seen too much of life
So the sea is my wife and a sweet Ocean Cloud is a mistress I’m allowed
for now.
For now…. How long will the sea still be nice? After this, the tone of the song changes. It is not all quiet on the water. Steve Rothery throws in a rending guitar solo. The first one during this 18-minute journey.
Only me and the sea
We will do as we please.
Hogarth shouts out, as only Hogarth can. A man alone. In a boat. On the ocean. Self-elected loneliness.
This is followed by a first resting point. We hear the sounds of thunderstorms. Of seagulls. Mark Kelly lays down a nice arrangement of keyboard and synthesizer sounds. We hear fragments from the news that tell about Don’s real journey. We hear him talk personally. About the hardships.
The first person to row the Atlantic… The last three weeks I had no water. I was living on pints of seawater and fish blood… I turned over three times…. Pitch Black…. Boat upside down… Everything, everywhere… On the fiftieth day there was a storm. It was windy and rainy… I sort of half turned and saw this… black wall of water.
After this, the song explodes. That black wall of water washes over us. And brings up memories of the past. Of school. A personal anecdote of Hogarth by the way.
He remembers the day he was marched to the front
By the physical knuckle head teacher of games
Look lads he declared, “This boy’s a cream puff
No guts and no muscles
No spine and no stuffing”
The whole schoolroom sniggered
And silently thanked God it wasn’t them..
After this, the resignation follows. He’s in his little boat. And what an adventure he experiences.
But time is revenge. All the bullies grow weak
And must live with faithless women who despise them
I’ll be in Barbados in a couple of weeks
With a rum on the table and yarns by the yard
A story to tell and a story to save
..unless she changes her mind
I’ll trade them this morning for my sweet Ocean Cloud
I’ve seen too much of life so the sea is my wife
And the sweet ocean clouds will look down on my boat tonight
After that it becomes more dreamy. I have a picture of the calm weather. He is floating in his boat. Alone. And dreams about his wife.
The wind changed
I felt it run beneath my ear
Like silk drawn across my neck
A dream of your legs
Defying gravity in love
But that dream does not last a long time. The next disaster is on its way.
The medium wave
Brought signals here from far away
Your tender voice riding on the sea spray
Something in the air
For those who know the signs
Something in the air
A storm.
The drums swell. We are now in the middle of the storm. A man alone. Again fighting against the elements. Fighting against the sea. Fighting against death.
When I was alive
When I was alive
Don’t wanna remember
When I was alive
But our traveller is dogged. He will survive it. Cursing. Screaming.
Watch me watch me
Paint this picture
Stretchin Hurtin Cursin
Watch me
Takin it Takin it Takin it Takin it….
Watch me. Watch me. God above.
He may have survived the storm. But is all well?
Between two planets
In between the points of light
Between two distant shorelines
Here am I
We see the boat floating in the big void. It is night. Above him heaven. In the sea, the reflection of all those stars.
Between two planets
In the black daylight of space
Between two heavenly bodies
The invisible man.
Ripping out the radio
I want to be alone…
Hogarth whispers. Followd by another wonderful solo by Rothery.
“You can take all the boys and the girls in the world
I wouldn’t trade them this morning for my sweet Ocean Cloud
I’ve seen too much of life
So the sea is my wife and a sweet Ocean Cloud is a mistress I’m allowed
I’ve seen too much of life
So the sea is my wife
And the sweet ocean clouds will look down on my bones tonight.
18 minutes later. And goose bumps to the sky. A blissful smile. I have never experienced this before. I am slowly waking up from this dream. Completely blown away. I have been away from this earth for 18 minutes. I have experienced the whole journey. I was with Don Allum in his little boat on that gigantic ocean.
And became a fan of Marillion for life.
