Marillion - Misplaced Childhood [Remastered] (CD 1998)

Sounded great over 20 years ago. Sounds even better today. A further bonus disc thrown in for good measure. Brilliant

If you're a fan, you'll already have this. If not, why not? The remastering of the original album is absolutely perfect, really bringing the sound to life. Crisp, clear and as fresh as the day it was recorded. The sleeve notes by the band (and by Mark Wilkinson, the artist who created the cover and his model for the little drummer boy, Robert Mead) give an informative insight into the creation of the album, but are maybe a little too brief.
It's the extras on cd2 that make this an essential purchase, though. The versions of Lady Nina and Freaks are different to the final versions released on the b-sides to the singles and I've never heard them before but the demo versions of the entire album, recorded very early in the sessions, (including one song that appears nowhere else-Blue Angel)are a real gem. With some lyrics unfinished, you can actually hear the band discussing changes as they play, and it's great to hear the beginning of the evolutionary process of creation and compare it to the final result.
Misplaced Childhood has always been my favourite Marillion album-not the most technically accomplished but, as a package, I've always felt it has held up better than any of the others and this is the definative version.