I originally wrote this piece as an intro for the song Twenty Fifty One on the Marathon album. I sent it over to my nephew Conal, who added guitar, bass, and a modern drum track—thanks, Conal!

As the song took shape, I realised this intro didn’t really fit, so it ended up gathering digital dust on a hard drive for a few years. Early this year, while hunting for a theme for this podcast, I stumbled across it again and decided to give it a new life. What you’ll hear now is an updated recording with some fresh parts added replacing most of the original recording but keeping Conal's picking guitar.

I know it’s not the proggiest theme for a podcast called Prog and Progeny, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

In this episode Mark has a rambling conversation with Ian remembering his early days in Marillion and their time in Berlin recording Misplaced Childhood.

This week, Mark and Tallulah are joined by Simon Hanhart, recording engineer on the Script for a Jester’s Tear, Fugazi and Real to Reel albums.

Simon shares his memories of working with Marillion during a pivotal time in both his and their careers - covering the highs, the lows, and everything in between. From relentless studio exhaustion to gold discs and unexpected sound design tricks, this episode is a candid, nostalgic, and often hilarious look behind the scenes of Marillion's early recording adventures.