The first CD is 'Live At The Mayfair, Glasgow 13/9/82' when Marillion had just signed to EMI. The sleeve notes – written by Fish – are worth the price of admission alone. They detail some of the drug taking – accidental, on the night of this recording – and other excesses. Unlike some pop stars Fish never whines, he relates the highs and lows of the band with warmth and humour. When listening to songs like "He Knows You Know" – a song about drugs – you can tell that Fish knows what he's talking about. Of particular interest to Marillion fans – and who else is going to be listening to this? – is the early version of "She Chameleon", featuring different vocals and arrangement, which would later be included on the band’s Fugazi album. 'I saw the lizard with the crimson nails!' probably sounded better in the early 80s, in a world before the advent of David Icke's conspiracy theories. The set ends with "Forgotten Sons". It's interesting to hear a band like Marillion address real life issues, such as Northern Ireland, in a genre which might more often be associated with fantasy worlds. This song gets remarkably funky before it comes to an end.

CDs two and three are 'Live – At The Marquee, 30/12/83'. Between songs Fish promises us this gig is 'more fun than Tiswas!' so who am I to argue? One of the delights of live recordings is hearing a singer talk about the songs the band are about to play. Fish gives us an in-depth insight into "Chelsea Monday". The intimate surroundings of The Marquee finds Fish in a garrulous mood. It's interesting to hear "Script For A Jester's Tear" introduced as a new song, but even funnier is Fish asking 'Are there any manic depressives in the audience?' and still getting a cheer. "Margaret" is a medley, which starts with a rendition of "Loch Lomond" (the folk song that goes: 'Oh, you'll take the high road, and I'll take the low road/ And I'll be in Scotland afore ye'). It was no doubt fun for those there on the night, but the party atmosphere doesn't translate to CD. If you're the sort of person who has listened this far you are obviously more than a casual fan, so its inclusion is warranted, even if I'm not rushing to listen to it again.

The fourth CD is 'Live At The Reading Festival 27/08/83'. This was one of the last times that fan favourite "Grendel" was played. It's a curious choice of song to open the set. It starts slow and moody, only gathering pace later. I guess it shows how confident Marillion were by this point; this song is 17 minutes long! "Garden Party" is as dependable as ever. "Script For A Jester's Tear" remains as ridiculous as always. I've always enjoyed the theatrical in music and it doesn't get more theatrical than this. "Assassing" is a more direct pop song, but that's relatively speaking of course. There is still twiddly, prog-rock synth and echo-laden Pink Floyd-style guitar. The version of "Market Square Heroes" is more celebratory than most, featuring a fragment of Bowie's "The Jean Genie". "Loch Lomond" also makes an appearance. As previously noted, this sort of thing is more fun if you're there, but it would be churlish to deny the band their moment of triumph.

The fifth CD is 'Live At The Hammersmith Odeon 14/12/84'. As I listen to the chiming guitars of opening song "Assassing" I'm reminded of fellow Scots Simple Minds, which admittedly isn't a comparison I've made often. For those too young or foolish not to have attended the gigs recorded on this box set, which includes me, one surprise is how sing-a-long friendly these songs are. As demonstrated by this rendition of "Garden Party" a Marillion fan is never discouraged by the complexity of a song. A word to the wise, never challenge one to a game of SingStar. "Jigsaw" is dedicated to 'the Romantics who never give up'. Sonically it reminds me of "Lavender", which can only be a good thing. I've never been to Chelsea during the early part of the week, so I can't vouch for whether "Chelsea Monday" is an accurate portrayal of what goes on there are at that time, but it's a great song nevertheless.

It's interesting hearing an early version of the first side of Misplaced Childhood, with "Kayleigh" leading not into "Lavender" but into "Bitter Suite". This take on "Kayleigh" also differs from the album version. Fish's spoken word interlude is intriguing, recalling to my mind Bowie's similar performance during "Glass Spider". "Incubus" is 'dedicated to eroticism'. It's filled with good parts but fails to coalesce into a coherent whole. The same cannot be said for "Fugazi" which is one of the band's most powerful songs, which in this case Fish dedicates to 'Mrs Gandhi'. Given the meaning of the word 'fugazi' there's some humour to be gleaned in hearing the audience echo Fish's cry of this word.

The sixth and final CD is 'Live – At The Wembley Arena 5/11/87'. Much as I would like to be able to say I liked the earliest era of the band – it's the indie fan in me – I have to say that this most popular phase is my favourite. Part of this is because it's the time I discovered the band. For a long time I thought that the Marillion song "Slainte Mhath" referred to a 2000AD character called Slaine, rather than the traditional 'good health' meaning. Well, I was 14 at the time and I spent more time reading comics than I did drinking alcohol. "White Russian" looms even larger live than it does in its studio incarnation, with the guitars sounding particular elegiac as Fish sings of 'chasing the clouds home'. "Hotel Hobbies" also shines live, the shift from this song to "Warm Wet Circles" is as spellbinding as the change from "Kayleigh" to "Lavender".

The "Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles/That Time Of Night/The Last Straw" sequence of songs plays with my unconscious in a similar way to Fields of the Nephilim's "Dead But Dreaming/For Her Light/At The Gates Of Silent Memory/(Paradise Regained)" on the Elizium album - though the stories they tell and the atmospheres they create are very different. "The Last Straw" has a guitar wig-out of which All About Eve's Tim Bricheno would be proud. Fish has the ability to take a subject that has the potential to sound as self indulgent as Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and turn it into a metaphor which makes the song relevant to everyone, regardless of whether we have ever been in a successful band. An unbilled fragment of "Pseudo Silk Kimono" ushers in "Kayleigh", which is presented in a fashion more similar to the album version. While this song works well in isolation, it's better when paired with "Lavender" (and best when listened to as part of the Misplaced Childhood album as a whole, but that's another story!)

This box set won't convert those who aren't already believers, but to the fans it's a reward for those who have kept the faith. I was always sad that Fish left Marillion before I got the chance to see them live. On the other hand he left the band at the height of their powers. Sometimes it makes sense to quit while you're ahead. At least we have Early Stages to remember what was, rather than dwell on what might have been.