
This Strange Engine was an end and a beginning for Marillion. Dumped by longtime label EMI after “disappointing” sales of previous album Afraid Of Sunlight – just the 400,000 copies – they were forced to downscale drastically, signing to independent Raw Power and watching as the needle hovered close to the financial danger zone.
But it was also the album that led to a pioneering fan-funded US tour, which itself mutated into the crowdfunding model that allowed Marillion to thrive and prosper.