Released on 1 June 1987, Clutching at Straws is the fourth Marillion studio album and the last to feature Fish as vocalist and lyricist. Produced by Chris Kimsey and released through EMI, it reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart — the band's joint-highest chart position — and is widely regarded as a brave, uncompromising artistic statement made under considerable personal and commercial pressure.

The album centres on the fictional character Torch, a rock musician and alcoholic retreating from a world he no longer recognises, though the parallels with Fish's own deteriorating relationship with fame, alcohol, and the band were unmistakable. Tracks like "Incommunicado", the album's lead single, offered a degree of commercial accessibility, while deeper cuts including "White Russian", "Torch Song", and the devastating closer "Last of You / Fallin' From the Moon" demonstrated a songwriter in full, unflinching command of his craft even as his personal situation unravelled.

The album was supported by a major world tour, documented on the live release The Thieving Magpie. Shortly after its completion, Fish announced his departure from the band — ending one of the most creatively productive partnerships in progressive rock history.

Clutching at Straws stands today as a powerful, emotionally honest record that gains extra weight in retrospect, knowing the circumstances of its creation. A comprehensive reissue appeared in 2018.