Anoraknophobia
| Anoraknophobia | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Marillion | ||||||||||
| Released | 7 May 2001 | |||||||||
| Recorded | The Racket Club, Buckinghamshire | |||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||||||||
| Length | 63:31 | |||||||||
| Label | Liberty | |||||||||
| Producer | Dave Meegan | |||||||||
| Marillion chronology | ||||||||||
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Classic Rock | |
| Kerrang! | |
| Q | |
Anoraknophobia is the twelfth studio album by the British rock band Marillion, released in 2001. It is regarded as the first instance of a music recording completely financed by fans in a then-unique fundraising campaign, as more than 12,500 copies were pre-ordered before the album was even recorded.
In an attempt to depart from their neo-progressive rock past and create a contemporary sound, Marillion introduced elements of such genres as rap, groove, funk, trip hop, blues, jazz and dub. Although the album received several favourable reviews, it was not a significant return to commercial success, and its sole single, "Between You and Me", did not chart at all. The group supported Anoraknophobia with a six-month European tour.
In February 1997, when Marillion prepared for a European tour in support of their ninth studio album, This Strange Engine, Mark Kelly announced on the Internet that the group would not visit North America on account of insufficient support from their American record label, Red Ant. Then, devoted fans launched a fundraising drive and raised $50,000 to help their favourite band to cross Atlantic. Alliance Entertainment, parent company which owned Red Ant, filed for bankruptcy on 14 July 1997 and tried to sell off the label. As a result, additional $15.000 (money that would have come from Red Ant) was garnered to finally enable Marillion to undertake their 21-date North American tour, largest since 1991. The whole idea, known as crowdfunding, was conceived and realised by fans without any involvement from the band, and although music lovers had always backed their favorite performers in various ways, such a successful Internet campaign was unprecedented.
Having released marillion.com in October 1999, Marillion completed a three-album contract with Castle Communications. Although the band had a number of independent labels interested in signing a record deal, the group members wanted to have total control of their music and still be able to use distribution facilities of a major record company. This could only be achieved if the money to create an album was obtained from a different source, and Marillion came up with a radical decision.
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