Photo: Gary Williams

I've been making records since 1986, when I released a self-financed double A side single (Hungry for You/Closer to You). It was picked up and promoted by EMI Music Publishing.

Since that time, I've released a number of records, which are detailed below.

In October 2002, I released Before I was Famous, a compilation of remastered tracks from the Troubletown EP and In Our Lifetime. It's the first time that some of these songs have been available in digital format.

Even the Strongest Hearts

An eight track cassette-only album released in 1988, it features Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention and Mary Chapin Carpenter) on drums, Graeme Taylor and Jon Davie (Home Service) on electric guitar and bass. The line-up was completed by
Annie Henry on backing vocals, the brothers Tidbury (Allan and Nick) on trumpet and trombone, Simon Callow on keys, Bill Pamplin (NYJO and Everything But The Girl) on percussion and Andy Ebsworth (ex-Any Trouble and Eurovision) on drums. This became the basis of my gigging band for eight years.

Troubletown (4-track vinyl EP)

Containing the songs "Troubletown", "White Man's Africa", "Turning into Dust" and a live-in-Geneva recording of "Last Laugh Laughs Loudest", Troubletown (1991) prompted presenter Steve Wright on BBC Radio 1 to describe me as "the best unsigned singer-songwriter in Britain".

In Our Lifetime

Released in 1996, his debut CD album In Our Lifetime (Temp 456 via BMG) elicited many enthusiastic reviews from the press and media. After hearing it, Jim Driver in Time Out magazine commented "it beggars belief that Marshall is not an adult rock icon". It contained standout songs from the live set, including "The Man that I Am", I'm not Waiting", "Good News from the World Outside" and "Stir my Soul".

HereAfter

The follow-up to In Our Lifetime, HereAfter (MPJM01) was released in April 2000, and is now available on worldwide release via the Internet. Mixed by legendary producer / engineer John Wood (Nick Drake, John Martyn and others), it features eleven original songs. Guests on the album include Micky Moody (the finest player ever to emerge from the Tees Delta) on Dobro and slide guitars, and former band member Karlos Edwards (Robert Palmer, Danny Wilson, and Prefab Sprout) on percussion.

When reviewing HereAfter in Get Rhythm magazine, Charles Holley commented "No ifs, no buts, this is very good". In Musician magazine, Keith Ames describes the record as "a mature rock album of genuine quality".

Before I Was Famous

October 2002's Before I Was Famous brings together previously-released tracks that were until now out of print. There are all four songs from the Troubletown EP, plus six songs from In Our Lifetime. As a bonus, there's also the original straight-to-Minidisc demo of Trust Me. You can hear MP3 versions of some of these songs on the Audio page.