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.

Fish released covers album, Songs from the Mirror

Songs from the Mirror Fish

Released: January 20, 1993 Peak: -- US, 46 UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: neo-progressive rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers: original performer) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Question (Justin Hayward: the Moody Blues) [6:41] Boston Tea Party (Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna, Zal Cleminson: Sensational Harvey Band) [4:22] Fearless (David Gilmour, Roger Waters: Pink Floyd) [6:15] Apeman (Ray Davies: The Kinks) [5:57] Hold Your Head Up (Rod Argent, Chris White: Argent) [3:47] (12/12/92, --) Solo (Sandy Denny) [4:46] I Know What I Like (Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hacket, Mike Rutherford: Genesis) [4:17] Jeepster (Marc Bolan: T-Rex) [4:10] Five Years (David Bowie) [5:19] (radio promo) Total Running Time: 44:53 The Players: Derek W. Dick, aka “Fish” (vocals) Robin Boult (guitar, backing vocals) Frank Usher (guitar) Foster Paterson (keyboards, backing vocals) David Paton (bass, background vocals) Kevin Wilkinson (percussion, drums) Mick Wall (voices) Lorna Bannon, Jackie Bird (background vocals)

Rating: 3.096 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Fish’s second solo album, Internal Exile, “hadn’t done very well from a sales point of view. Polydor was getting restless and Fish needed more time to write a good follow-up record,” ES deciding to offer up an album of cover versions. His “idea to make a cover album dates back to the late Marillion [the neo-prog group he fronted in the ‘80s] period, but had been rejected by the band.” WK Polydor initially rejected the project, wanting a new studio effort instead. The company eventually relented and “accepted it as the second album Fish was obliged to deliver under their contract.” WK “As was to be expected, the partnership ended then and there.” ES “As of February 2008, Songs from the Mirror is Fish’s last ever output on a major record company.” WK It “wasn’t a success [and] loads of Fish fans consider it to be their least favourite Fish album.” The album serves as a tribute to the “artists who inspired him before his career started. The choice of songs by Pink Floyd, Genesis, David Bowie, The Moody Blues and others, all originally from a period between 1970 and 1976, reflects Fish’s taste in music when he was 12 to 18 years old. The title is a reference to the time when he would impersonate his teenage idols in front of a mirror.” WK “Some of the tracks are very good, like Question…, Fearless [and] Five Years.” ES “Solo is probably the least well-known track on the album. Nevertheless it became one of Fish’s best ballads ever.” ES “The rest of the songs are either just nice or don’t really fit Fish’s normal style (Apeman) but are still interesting.” ES Fish understandably covers Genesis here (his voice is often compared to Peter Gabriel and when Fish was with Marillion the band was often compared to Gabriel-era Genesis. As one reviewer says, however, the Genesis song of choice here, I Know What I Like, was already “just on the edge of being ‘too sweet’…[and then] Fish took it and made it even sweeter than the original.” ES “The core line-up on this album is the same as on the 1992 tour. Since the recording of Internal Exile, keyboardist Mickey Simmonds had been replaced with Foster Paterson, while drummer Kevin Wilkinson had taken over from session player Ethan Johns. The spots for guitars (Robin Boult, Frank Usher) and bass (David Paton) had remained unchanged. Other than that and backing vocals, only two tracks (‘Solo’ and Jeepster) feature an additional guest musician, Ben Molleson on violin and tin whistle. The album was mixed and produced by James Cassidy, who Fish had met while recording guest vocals for Jeff Wayne’s musical Spartacus. Cassidy would also produce and co-write Fish's next album Suits (1994).” WK “Songs from the Mirror is the only regular Fish album not to be designed by Mark Wilkinson. Fish had deliberately decided to not use Wilkinson, as he didn’t want to give the impression it was an album with original material. Instead, he chose the ‘The Guddler’ by Scottish painter Keith McIntyre as the cover. ‘The Guddler’ had also been the working title of the project.” WK “The 12-page booklet does not feature any lyrics (probably because of copyright reasons) but is full of pictures and liner notes about this period in Fish’s career, the role music played in his childhood and the selection of tracks on the album.” ES Notes: A remastered edition bumped “Jeepster” in favor of a pair of covers of Yes song – “Time and a Word” and “The Seeker.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Fish DMDB encyclopedia entry for Marillion ES Ed Sander, DPRP.net WK Wikipedia Last updated 6/12/2021.