Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Intro: La Gazza Ladra
2. Slainte Mhath
3. He Knows You Know
4. Chelsea Monday
5. Freaks
6. Jigsaw
7. Punch and Judy
8. Sugar Mice
9. Fugazi
10. Script for a Jester's Tear
11. Incommunicado
12. White Russian
13. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 1: Pseudo Silk Kimono
14. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 1: Kayleigh
15. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 1: Lavender
16. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 1: Bitter Suite
17. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 1: Heart of Lothian
18. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 2: Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)
19. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 2: Lords of the Backstage
20. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 2: Blind Curve
21. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 2: Childhood's End?
22. Misplaced Childhood, Pt. 2: White Feather

Disc 2:

1. Pseudo Silk Kimono
2. Kayleigh
3. Lavender
4. Bitter Suite
5. Heart of Lothian
6. Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)
7. Lords of the Backstage
8. Blind Curve
9. Childhoods End?
10. White Feather

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71347 in Music
• Released on: 1994-09-09
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Live, Special Edition
• Dimensions: .36 pounds

Album Description
Out of print in the U.S.! Originally released in 1988, The Thieving Magpie is a live set from the British Prog Rock band released roughly the same time as original vocalist Fish left the band. Taking in tracks from their excellent albums starting with 1983's Script For A Jester's Tear and ending with 1987's Clutching At Straws, The Thieving Magpie is the perfect end to this phase of Marillion's career with Fish as their frontman. Disc One contains live versions of hits and fan favorites while Disc Two features their masterpiece, Misplaced Childhood, performed live in it's entirety. 32 tracks. EMI.

Customer Reviews

Truly, a great album and a great concert experience...
As a farewell present for fans, the double CD live collection of The Thieving Magpie is perhaps the closest to a Fish-era Marillion concert you'll ever be. This is the band during their heyday (at least in their peak album selling years) just as Fish was about to leave (or be dismissed, depending on who you ask). Here's a band known for its proximity to fans back when they performed to packed arenas. It is, without a doubt, a testament to a great band who, after releasing this album, went in two different directions with two very different results.

The two CDs are divided into a full live version of Misplaced Childhood (the band's greates achievement) and a collection of tracks from their three other albums. The results can also be divided into two groups: awesome and lacking.

Being able to enjoy Misplaced Childhood in its enterity is a true gift that the lads gave to us fans. This is one of those classic albums that transcends time and taste, and that should be around forever. It is also proof of the band's musical talents, both as composers and as performers. This is a 42+ minute track if you think about it!

The first disc starts off with an intro of Rossini's 'La Gazza Ladra' that segues into one of the bands best loved tracks, Slainte Mhath and then visits a varied collection of hits that are taken from different concerts. This disc could have been somewhat better, not because of the quality of the tracks presented, but because of the tracks missing from it. Granted, the band had already released Real to Reel and Brief Encounter, so a few of the better known pieces of Marillion's music was already out in live versions, but still, a better way to say goodbye and thanks to the fans would have been to include Forgotten sons, Assassing, Garden Party and/or Market Square Heroes.

Still, this is an album that should be owned not only by Marillion fans, but also by every and anyone who loves great music.

Energizing live performance!
I have always admired Marillion's live albums because of their intensity, and among them The Thieving Magpie is probably the best. It shows how a band can transform studio music into a true expression of the human soul. It shows that it is possible to enhance perfection.
All of the bands member perform at their best, seamlessly adding strength and warmth to the music. Their level of energy and coordination is untypical of live performances. I particularly enjoy Ian Mosley's faster and unrestrained drumming, as well as Fish's voice which adds tremendous sensuality to the music. I have to admit that because the album is a compilation of several performances there are some discrepancies in the sound quality. However I don't think this is reason enough not to give this masterpiece a five star rating.
The selection of songs in the first disc contains some of Marillion's best. My personal favorites are Slainte Mhath, Fugazi and Script for a Jester's Tear. If you are already familiar with the studio songs you will undoubtedly be blown away by their emotional live versions. The second disc contains an equally intense and complete live performance of Misplaced Childhood that sounds even more natural than the original album.
The Thieving Magpie was Fish's last performance with the band. They were never the same after that and probably never will. It's a farewell to one of music's finest bands and as such is hard to listen to it and not feel that they have left and empty space that may never be filled again.

A truly wonderful live album.
It is often very hard for bands as complex and textured as Marillion to come across well live. This is not the case here. All the tracks carry the power, emotion, and complexity that the studio versions do and in some cases(He Knows You Know for one) exceed the studio versions. Fish's voice sounds grand and the overall mix is teriffic. It certainly ranks as one of the great live recordings, but not, as Bizzbuzz suggests, the greatest. For one, Genesis's "Seconds Out" is recorded even better, and easily matches the power of this collection. Still this is a great collection and should be part of any Marillion fans collection.