Script For A Jester's Tear
by Marillion
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Marillion bestography
Script For A Jester's Tear is ranked 2nd best out of 41 albums by Marillion on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Marillion is Misplaced Childhood which is ranked number 622 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 2,715.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to Script For A Jester's Tear on YouTube
Script For A Jester's Tear track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Script For A Jester's Tear rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 3 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rm12398 | Top 17 Music Albums of 1983 | 7/17 | 3 |
| 2026 |  Fischman | Top 100 Music Albums of 1983 | 3/100 | 5 |
| 2026 | Foxforce5 | 301 - | 21/64 | - |
| 2026 | leniad | Top 101-200 Greatest Music Albums | 93/100 | - |
| 2026 | Rich150 | Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | 94/100 | 7 |
| 2026 | fabm0 | List 1983 | 61/100 | - |
| 2026 |  zags7000 | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | 94/100 | 1 |
| 2026 |  MW19704U | Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | 64/100 | 34 |
| 2026 |  Patman360 | Top 92 Music Albums of 1983 | 92/92 | 0 |
| 2026 | Rich150 | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | 35/100 | 13 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 227 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 1,445 | |||
Script For A Jester's Tear collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 123 members
Script For A Jester's Tear ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 263 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 10/06/2026 08:52 | newt | 817 | 66/100 |
| ! | 10/02/2026 02:15 | bonnequestion | 1,706 | 70/100 |
| ! | 05/14/2026 14:39 | Pavloss | 488 | 50/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 4% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.2/100, a mean average of 74.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.4/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.9.
Script For A Jester's Tear favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 41 members
Script For A Jester's Tear forum mentions
BestEverAlbums 10/02/2026 08:18 in Monthly overall chart movements - September 2026 BestEverAlbums 09/24/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5445): By MW19704U BestEverAlbums 09/06/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5427): By StreakyNunoScript For A Jester's Tear comments
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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If the 1970-1975 Genesis lineup would have remained intact and evolved, this is what they would have sounded like in 1983. Vocalist Fish is an original, however one cannot help but recall Peter Gabriel. Too bad 70s prog-rock did not sustain full momentum into the 1980s. This might have been one of many quality 80s prog-rock albums instead of one of a few.
In my opinion there are two Marillion's and they are both quite different yet I like them both in equal measure for different reasons. The early Fish led era was as progressive as early Genesis and this album in particular is a prog masterpiece that seems to slip under the radar of most prog album reviews. The title track and 'Forgotten Sons' are up there with 'Watcher Of The Skies' and 'Suppers Ready'. The album artwork is equally up there with some of the top prog album covers of all time so on this basis, coupled with the musicianship, lyrics and vocals, my score can be nothing other than high! (Edited)
Great album, amazingly deep and meaningful songs, ambiance created and fish voice is scary good. Genesis would be proud of his little brother :)
Nice neo-progressive rock, it sounds like Genesis mixed with Rush and I like both of these bands. (Edited)
The first band I ever saw live (Real to Reel tour) so I have a real soft spot for Fish led Marillion. Excellent and accomplished debut with six strong tracks. Obviously influenced by early Genesis but bettered by Fugazi, IMO, but only just.
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