Fish released Suits

Suits Fish

Released: April 16, 1994 Peak: -- US, 18 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: neo-progressive rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Mr. 1470 (Dick, Paterson, Boult) [6:04] Lady Let It Lie (Dick, Paton, Cassidy) [6:53] (4/5/94, 46 UK) Emperor’s Song (Dick, Cassidy, Boult) [6:18] Fortunes of War (Dick, Cassidy, Boult) [7:50] (9/19/94, 67 UK) Somebody Special (Dick, Boult, Paton) [5:22] No Dummy (Dick, Cassidy, Boult) [6:16] Pipeline (Dick, Paton, Boult) [6:43] Jumpsuit City (Dick, Cassidy, Boult) [6:49] Bandwagon (Dick, Paton, Boult, Paterson, Wilkinson) [5:07] Raw Meat (Dick, Paterson) [7:17] The Players: Derek W. Dick, aka “Fish” (vocals) Robin Boult, Frank Usher (guitar) Foster Paterson (keyboards, backing vocals) David Paton (bass, backing vocals) James Cassidy (keyboards) Kevin Wilkinson (percussion, drums) Marc Duff (flute, human whistle) Charlie McKerron (fiddle) David Murray (bagpipes) Fraser Spiers (harmonica) Lorna Bannon (backing vocals)

Rating: 2.910 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: After being dropped by Polydor, Suits was “the first album to be released on Fish’s new own label, the Dick Bros Record Company.” WK The name emerged “during a spiritual session with the guy who had come in to examine the 'possessed studio equipment' and which was named after the garage which had been run by his father and grandfather.” ES “The album continues the cooperation with produced James Cassidy who had already produced [previous album] Songs from the Mirror. Cassidy also contributed keyboards recordings and co-wrote five out of ten songs on the original version of this album. Together with keyboardist Foster Paterson, who had been part of the tour line-up since 1992 and co-wrote three tracks, Cassidy takes the role previously held by Mickey Simmonds. Further songwriting credits go to guitarist Robin Boult and bassist David Paton. The album took Fish the longest time yet to make, several songs on it had already premiered live in summer of 1992.” WK By at least one reviewer’s account, “the album contains some splendid tracks but judging from their earlier live versions they could have been much better.” ES “Despite the lack of major label support, it went to no. 18 on the UK Album Charts, doing better than both the 1991 album Internal Exile (#21) and Songs from the Mirror, which didn’t chart. However, this would turn out to be Fish’s last UK top 40 album (as of February 2008).” WK “Mr. 1470 is a rock track with a ‘groove’ as Fish would say. It’s rock music but it’s got a certain ‘danceability’ to it. Fish had been wanting to try this direction for a while and Suits is probably an album on which it became very obvious.” ES “Lady Let It Lie is a beautiful semi-ballad which was also released on single. It’s a fantastic track with wonderful lyrics. One of the highlights of the album.” ES Emperor’s Song is an example of a song that reviewer Ed Sander says was stronger in its initial live carnation. “This version is more like its shy twin brother. Still a nice track though. They should have made this one a single; it's very radio-friendly.” ES The “lyrics and basic melody of Fortunes of War” ES make for “a good track,” ES but “the laid-back and jazzy arrangements did not do the emotional load of the subject justice.” ES Somebody Special is “one of those tracks you quite like but drags on too much to be really enjoyable. The re-recorded version for the Yin/Yang albums was better in my opinion.” ES “No Dummy is a track which…is more like B-side material. It’s got a silly text, a very un-Fish melody,” ES a “definite groove and lots of keyboard samples as well as slightly annoying backing vocals.” ES “Pipeline is another great tune of which the early live versions had much more power. It’s still one of the best tracks on the album though.” ES “Jumpsuit City is a another ‘groovy’ tune with great lyrics about hookers of the Reeperbahn in Hamburg.” ES However, while the “poppy arrangements” might make for “a very happy and positive song,” ES one would “hardly call the song essential in your Fish collection.” ES “Raw Meat is a beautiful emotional ballad about the ‘hard life on the road.’ Although there are some great live versions, this one is very charming as well. Another highlight.” ES “The CD features two bonus tracks which appeared on the ‘Lady Let It Lie’ CD singles. The first one is the amazing Black Canal which can best be described as Fish doing his own ‘Somewhere Down the Crazy River.’ And a very smelly river it is.” ES “The other one is another track which goes back a couple of years; Out of My Life. Whereas the Outpatient album featured the acoustic version this one is the studio version with lots of weird percussion and folky instruments.” ES “ The booklet of the remastered version contains new pictures, all lyrics (including those of the bonus tracks) and extensive liner notes about the origins of the album and the various tracks. The logo which has been designed for the Yin & Yang compilation albums is used several times.” ES “Most of the material on Suits is quite good and tracks like ‘Mr. 1470,’ ‘Lady Let It Lie,’ ‘Pipeline’ and ‘Raw Meat’ certainly deserve the title of ‘Fish classic’. It’s just that it could have been even better with different arrangements and production.” ES Notes: “Black Canal” and “Out of My Life,” originally B-sides of “Lady Let It Lie,” were added to the 1998 reissue.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Marillion DMDB encyclopedia entry for Fish ES Ed Sander, DPRP.net WK Wikipedia Last updated 6/13/2021.