Fish released Raingods with Zippos

Raingods with Zippos Fish

Released: April 19, 1999 Peak: -- US, 57 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. Tumbledown (Dick, Simmonds) [5:52] Mission Statement (Dick, Rick Astley, Paul Thorn) [4:00] Incomplete (Dick, Antwi, Doug Millet) [3:44] (3/22/99, --) Faith Healer (Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna) [5:01] Rites of Passage (Dick, Simmonds) [7:42] Plague of Ghosts: i. Old Haunts (Dick, Turrell, Daghorn) [3:13] Plague of Ghosts: ii. Digging Deep (Dick, Turrell, Daghorn) [6:49] Plague of Ghosts: iii. Chocolate Frogs (Dick, Turrell, Daghorn) [4:04] Plague of Ghosts: iv. Waving at Stars (Dick, Turrell, Daghorn) [3:12] Plague of Ghosts: v. Raingods Dancing (Dick, Turrell, Daghorn) [4:16] Plague of Ghosts: vi. Wake-Up Call (Make It Happen) (Dick, Turrell, Daghorn) [3:32] Total Running Time: 54:24 The Players: Derek W. Dick, aka “Fish” (vocals) Steven Wilson, Robin Boult, Till Paulmann, Phil Grieve (guitars) Bruce Watson (guitar, mandolin) Steve Vantsis (bass) Mickey Simmonds, Tony Turrell (keyboards, piano, programming) Dave Stewart (drums) Davey Crichton (violin, fiddle) Elisabeth Antwi (backing vocals, vocals on “Incomplete”) Nicola King, Tony King (backing vocals) Mo Warden (spoken outro vocal on “Wake-Up Call”( Mark Daghorn (programming) Elliot Ness (string arrangements, sampling)

Rating: 3.166 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Fish’s sixth solo effort “was released on the Roadrunner record label, more well known for its heavy metal releases. Raingods with Zippos is often hailed one of Fish's greatest achievements along with his 1990 debut Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors. It is the first of three Fish albums to be produced by Elliot Ness.” WK It functions almost as two albums, opening “with half an hour of commercial sounding songs” BJ that are “a cross between [previous albums] Suits and Sunsets on Empire.” BJ The second half, a six-part epic titled “Plague of Ghosts,” is “much more experimental and [has] more atmospheric songs on it.” BJ It “is more like Vigil, [Fish’s debut] and Misplaced Childhood, [his peak with former group Marillion] with a Porcupine Tree sauce.” BJ The dichotomy makes the album “too unbalanced” ES and makes it feel “like ‘Plague of Ghosts’ plus 6 bonus tracks, of which some are good and some are just mediocre.” ES On another note, the “production [is] very good, [and the] recording sublime.” DK “Lyrically it’s a very strong album, probably his most personal ever. Many lyrics seem to deal with marriage and mainly the rut of many years of marriage.” BJ Things kick off with Tumbledown, “the first of the two Mickey Simmonds collaborations on the album.” BJ “It takes a while to get used to the strange structure and arrangements but the song definitely rocks” ES with “very agressive guitars and as always very good drums by Dave Stewart.” DK It “starts with a nice piano intro played by Master Mickey,” BJ the “type that an experienced piano player plays if you ask him to improvise a bit.” RS “After about a minute and a half the song kicks in with a lot of heavy guitars and an eighties-sounding synthesizer.” BJ “The contrast between the rough middle part and the emotional keyboard bits at the beginning and end are brilliant,” ES “similar to “Genesis’ ‘Firth of Fifth.’” BJ “The piano outtro only strengthens that feeling.” BJ “since the same piano closes the song, more or less closing the circle.” RS “The song itself is a powerful song” BJ “with a very catchy chorus that stays in your mind for a long time,” RS but it is “not the strongest poetry Fish has ever written.” BJ Mission Statement is both “very simple [and]…very joyful. It’s straight and it’s tough.” JJ “It’s a sort of groovy cross between ‘Radar Love’ and [Fish’s own] ‘Somebody Special.’” BJ with its “nice driving feeling to it.” RS On one hand, the song has been called “one of the most uplifting things Fish has ever done” ES although there is no doubt that while “it definitely swings [it]…has too much of a seventies sound.” BJ It also has been criticized that “the lyrics are weak, maybe the result of co-writing with Rick Astley,” RS [“Never Gonna Give You Up”] at one of “Fish’s writing sessions at the Castle Marouatte.” BJ Incomplete was “another offspring of the Marouatte sessions, this time a duet with singer Elizabeth Antwi,” BJ a duet partner whose voice, at least in one critic’s opinion “is a bit too low and dark.” ES while another says that her voice and Fish’s “mix beautifully.” RS “The comparision with ‘Just Good Friends’ [another Fish duet with a female singer] is obvious. Nevertheless, this is a completely different track. It's even more subtle, ‘cause the aforementioned song almost was a rock-ballad.” JJ “The lyrics are probably the most touching Fish has ever written, in the vein of ‘Say it with Flowers’; thoughts and feelings from many years of marriage.” BJ “It is an emotional song, honest and sincere,” RS and “it touches something inside.” RS “Intense, that is the best description of the song.” RS Tilted Cross “wouldn’t be out of place on any Peter Gabriel album…Nice acoustic guitar” BJ which is reminiscent of Dream Theater’s ‘Take Away My Pain.’ BJ “The music is very atmospheric and the melody is beautiful. Pure and fragile.” JJ While one reviewer said the song was “too much like an old-fashioned folky ballad” ES and another called it “simple” RS and a “ballad-like mourning song” RS a third critic said the “Celtic influences create a perfect atmosphere for the lyrics;” BJ “‘I left my love in a grave and I marked it with a cross that stands so straight and so true’ isn’t exactly what you call bedtime reading stories.” BJ It is “the second Bosnia song of Fish, this time about landmines and losing your loved ones.” RS Faith Healer “starts with an intro very reminiscent to Genesis’ ‘Turn It on Again’ but then turns into a very heavy rock song with roaring guitars.” BJ The “straightforward rock” JJ is a point of contention for critics; a live version of the song appeared a decade before on the “Big Wedge” single, but “the new version is much heavier,” BJ Vocally, one critic thinks Fish gets to “use his more theatrical voice on it (the way he uses his voice best)” RS while another weighs in saying that “Fish’s vocals sound too thin for the song.” BJ There also seems to be some agreement that the song is not helped by a “screachy violin solo” ES where a synthesizer solo was originally. BJ The resulting opinions range from a sense that the song “is completely out of place on the album,” BJ to a feeling that it “seems to fit in very well.” DK There does seem to be some sense that even if the song isn’t a good fit musically, the lyrical connection may justify its presence. JJ “After all the ‘broken’ things in the previous songs, it is good to hear a possible solution to all the problems.” RS Rites of Passage garners significant praise from various reviewers, being called “Excellent!” BJ and “Brilliant!,” ES “an intense song” RS that is “very touching” BJ and “the most beautiful ballad Fish has produced in years,” ES and “simply one of the best things Fish has ever done.” JJ Musically, it is “a slow, moody piece with piano, synthesized flutes and a fretless bass.” BJ In addition, the “very weird and experimental instrumental” BJ “final two and a half minutes of ambiance sets the perfect mood for the transition into the second half of the album.” ES “It slowly evolves from a regular song to the point where you are ready to dive into a musical journey.” RS Plague of Ghosts is a “25 minute epic” BJ that fills the second half of the album. It “is the ultimate nightmare in the style of Waters’ Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking.” BJ It is really “the overlapping title of six ‘sub-songs’, since none of the musical themes…returns in one of the other.” RS Regardless, it “is definitely the highlight of the album” BJ and “another highlight in Fish’s long career.” JJ One critic even says it “is certainly the best thing our Scottish friend has ever done” ES while another opinion is that “it’s the most experimental and brave thing Fish has ever done since leaving Marillion.” BJ “It’s ambient…but it’s miles away from the ‘ambient’ you’ll hear in a nightclub. It’s more like Misplaced Childhood meets Yes meets Peter Gabriel meets Porcupine Tree experimenting with a drum computer.” BJ The first part, Old Haunts, is “very much like a mid-seventies Yes song, like ‘Awaken’ or ‘Soon’. In fact, you can easily imagine Jon Anderson singing the lyrics.” BJ It offers “wonderful atmospheric singing against a soundscape of synth and slide guitar effects.” ES Digging Deep, the second piece of the “Ghosts” epic, is “a heavy rock song” JJ featuring “heavy electronic drumbeats,” JJ “a catchy chorus and spoken lyrics in the style of ‘Black Canal’ and ‘Jungle Ride” BJ that recalls Peter Gabriel. JJ “There’s also a very distinct Steve Wilson guitar here.” BJ In fact, the song could be described as “‘Fool’s Gold’ (Stone Roses) meets Porcupine Tree [Wilson’s band]. It rocks but at the same time it’s very danceable” ES thanks to “a strong rhythmic section.” RS Apparently, ““Fish once had the plan to record a whole album of ‘beat poetry’ called Chocolate Frogs,” ES which becomes the title for part 3 of “Ghosts.” It “starts with a spoken part, which is very reminiscent to the beginning of ‘Bitter Suite’, and as if self-plagiarism isn’t bad enough the sung part of the song almost precisely follows the melody line of Floyd’s ‘Sorrow’. The music of this part is very weird and ambient creating a very spooky atmosphere” BJ “including an bit of singing in old English style.” ES “This is pure prog!” RS Part 4, Waving at Stars is “more melodic, starting to go back to the Marillion era;” RS perhaps reminding one of “Heart of Lothian.” BJ “A drum computer starts and heavy basses and acoustic guitar follow…Later on a piano starts playing, leading into the next part of the song.” BJ “A slight ‘Welcome to the Machine’-feel is radiated by this song. It’s a quiet lead part combined with a hectic Prodigy like drum computer rhythm in the background. Brilliant combination creating a very special sound.” ES Part 5, Raingods Dancing, is “a calm piece which includes a lyrical reprise of ‘Tumbledown’…Later on there’s another guitar solo… it’s a perfect mid-epic song.” BJ “Drum computer makes place for piano and cello. Beautiful emotional track.” ES “The musical journey has taken us back to Misplaced Childhood.” RS The epic concludes with Wake-up Call (Make it Happen), “the obligatory happy ending.” BJ “After a piano/vocal intro the song turns into a semi-acoustic track with lots of Porcupine Tree-ish slide guitar and building towards a feeling of hope.” ES “Lyrically this could very well be the answer to the negative aspects of marriage which are so present in the earlier songs.” BJ Oddly, “after 25 minutes you would expect that you are relieved if the song ends, but this song ends too soon! The chorus that fades should have been repeated 2 or 3 times more, then the ending would have been complete.” RS Still, the piece as a whole is hailed as “a fabulous masterpiece” RS featuring “Fish at his best! Great song, great lyrics, great musicianship!” DK In the end, “Raingods “is a very emotional and atmospheric album” JJ that while uneven, still has “two beautiful ballads, a gem of song and the best epic Fish has written.” JJ As JJ concludes, “I don’t want any other album in my player until the candles that I lit are burnt out.” JJ

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Fish DMDB encyclopedia entry for Marillion BJ (identified by initials only) DPRP.net DK (identified only as Dirk) DPRP.net JJ (identified by initials only) DPRP.net ES Ed Sander, DPRP.net RS Remco Schoenmakers, DPRP.net WK Wikipedia Last updated 6/13/2021.

Fish released Sunsets on Empire

Sunsets on Empire Fish

Released: May 19, 1997 Peak: -- US, 42 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. The Perception of Johnny Punter (Dick, Wilson) [8:36] Goldfish & Clowns (Dick, Wilson) [6:36] (8/11/97, --) Change of Heart (Dick, Boult) [3:41] (8/11/97, --) What Colour is God? (Dick, Wilson) [5:50] Tara (Dick, Paterson) [5:11] Jungle Ride (Dick, Boult) [7:33] Worm in a Bottle (Dick, Boult) [6:23] Brother 52 (Dick, Wilson) [Dick, Wilson] (4/28/97, --) Sunsets on Empire (Dick, Wilson) [6:54] Say It with Flowers (Dick, Wilson, Tim Bowness) [4:15] Total Running Time: 61:04 The Players: Derek W. Dick, aka “Fish” (vocals) Steven Wilson (guitars, keyboards) Robin Boult, Frank Usher (guitar) Foss Paterson (keyboards, piano) Ewen Vernal (bass) Dave Stewart (drums) Dave Haswell (percussion) Chris Gaugh (cello) Brian Hale, Martyn Bennett (violin) Terence Jones (French horn) Frasier Speirs (harmonica) Doc (voice on “Brother 52”) Loran Bannon, Katherine Garrett, Don Jack, Chris Thomson, Annie McCraig (backing vocals)

Rating: 3.085 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “The album is quite a change from the Suits” ES album Fish released three years prior to this. “After toying with wild plans like a complete album of dance songs (thank God that never happened) [Fish] decided to go for a combination of rock music with dance influences and the ‘grooves’ he had experimented with on earlier albums. Fish was an admirer of Steve Wilson’s bands Porcupine Tree and No Man. Steve in his turn had been a Marillion fan in the eighties so it didn’t take much to get these two together. Sunsets on Empire was arranged, produced and co-written (6 out of 11 songs) by Steve. You can definitely tell on certain tracks.” ES “Steve Wilson brought in lots of new (daring) arrangements and the album features new instruments like violin, percussion and Hammong Organ.” ES “Steve also played a lot of the music on the album: lead guitar on two songs, rhythm guitar on four, slide guitar on one and keyboard on all songs except ‘Worm in a Bottle.’ He also took care of the samples and loops for some songs.” ES “Tim Bowness, Wilson’s partner in No-Man, has additional writing credits on one track. Two permanent members of Fish’s line-up, keyboardist Foster Paterson and guitarist Robin Boult co-wrote one and two tracks, respectively.” WK “The rest of the band consisted of…Ewan Vernal on bass, [and] Dave ‘Sqeaky’ Stewart (drums)…Frank Usher is also present on most songs, but far less prominent than in the past; he only plays lead guitar on 4 songs” ES so “his typical howling guitar which has dominated Fish’s work since the beginning of his solo carreer is never obviously present on this album.” ES “Besides these familiar names, there are another bunch of other musicians playing percussion, cello, violins, french horn, harmonica and doing backing vocals on the album, turning it into a very versatile recording.” ES Best of all, “Fish is angry at the world around him again! And that’s the mood which has always created the best material.” ES The Perception of Johnny Pointer is “one of the best songs Fish has made since the Vigil album” ES that kicked off his solo career. It “starts with a guitar riff which forms the basis for the whole track. After a lyrically daring opening the rest of the band kicks in to perform one of those venemous tracks Fish is (in)famous for. In the middle there’s an intermezzo where the music quiets down and Fish tells a story about his experiences in Bosnia. The track also features good female backing vocals and a roaring guitar solo by Steve Wilson. A great change from the normal howling Usher solo’s! At the end the electrical violence dies down and the song ends with cello and violin.” ES “Goldfish and Clowns is another wonderful track which starts very quietly with a single repeated piano note and guitars. When the rhythm section joins, another powerful song with emotional vocals follows.” ES “Change of Heart is a simple (semi-)acoustic track. Not one of the highlights but a very nice tune nevertheless.” ES “What Colour is God? is a track in which Fish builds further on the ‘groove’ he experimented with on Suits. It features percussion with an Eastern feel, samples of religious speakers, drum loops and a pumping bass line. There’s even a bit where Fish goes into a rap! It’s still got a lot of anger and power though.” ES Tara is “a sentimental song about Fish’s daughter. Nothing wrong with that if they would have turned it into a ballad like ‘Gentleman’s Excuse Me.’ Instead they made this song so sweet and soft with a jazzy feel (Foss co-wrote it), female backing vocals and violins that it is completely out of place on the album. It also has Fish trying to go for vocal altitudes he no longer is able to reach.” ES “Jungle Ride is a track which lots of acoustic guitars, percussion and mainly spoken lyrics. It’s a fantastic song” ES except for “the duet with the female backing vocalist in the refrain.” ES The live version from Tales from the Bus “has more anger in the vocals, the album version sounds more mysterious. The track also features violin and harmonica.” ES “Worm in a Bottle is another ‘groove’ song with a simple but effective bass and drum line and a slightly minimalistic feel. The guitar effects and Hammond Organ add to the atmosphere of the song which gives you the feeling of being in a seedy bar. Great stuff!” ES “Brother 52 is a song in which Fish finally succeeds in combining dance rhythms with rock music. It features a fine bass line, Hammond, ripping guitar and energetic violin solos and the voice of a friend over the telephone, telling the tragical story of ‘Brother 52’. It might sound a bit strange for a Fish song, but isn’t that far from tunes like ‘Big Wedge.’” ES “The title track of the album, Sunsets on Empire, is track which would not have been out of place on a Roger Waters (ballad with piano) or older Pink Floyd album. The track slowly builds to a climax with a female vocalist trying to create a new ‘Great Gig in the Sky.’ There’s no real guitar solo but lots of rhythm and slide guitar. The song ends rather strangely with a menacing piano melody.” ES “Say it with Flowers is a simple track with just vocals, (acoustic) guitar and keyboards. Lots of people don't like this song…Certainly it’s not a highlight, but it’s not as bad as some people think either…After all, the strength of this song is in the lyrics, not in the music.” ES “Unfortunately, the album and tour were flops and lost Fish hundreds of pounds, which meant he had to fold his Dick Brothers label. Roadrunner and Chocolate Frog/Snapper would reissue the album in future.” WK “In contrast with the other remasters, this one does not feature liner notes, which is a shame because there’s probably a lot of interesting stories to tell…The album does of course contain all the pictures and lyrics of the original version.” ES Notes: “Do Not Walk Outside This Area,” a B-side for “Brother 52,” was added to a reissue.

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

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.

Fish released Internal Exile

Internal Exile Fish

Released: October 28, 1991 Peak: -- US, 21 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. Shadowplay (Dick, Mickey Simmonds) [6:23] Credo (Dick, Simmonds, Robin Boult, Frank Usher) [6:40] (12/2/91, 38 UK) Just Good Friends (Close) (Dick, Usher, Boult, Simmonds) [6:00] (8/15/95, 63) Favourite Stranger (Dick, Usher) [6:58] Lucky (Dick, Boult, Simmonds) [4:50] Dear Friend (Dick, Boult, Simmonds) [4:08] Tongues (Dick, Simmonds, Usher, Boult) [6:22] Internal Exile (Dick, Boult, Simmonds) [4:45] (9/9/91, 37 UK) Something in the Air (Speedy Keen) [5:08] (6/22/92, 51) The Players: Derek W. Dick, aka “Fish” (vocals) Mickey Simmonds (keyboards) Robin Boult, Frank Usher (guitars) David Paton (bass) Ethan Johns, Ted McKenna (drums, percussion) David Paton, Mr. Crimson, Robin Boult, Maryen Cairns (backing vocals) Charlie McKerron (fiddle on “Internal Exile”) Marc Duff (whistles) Donald Shaw (box accordion)

Rating: 3.511 out of 5.00 (average of 20 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “It’s a comparison that has dogged Fish throughout his professional career, but it’s hard to listen to his music – either his work with Marillion or his solo albums – and not be reminded of prime-period Genesis, when Peter Gabriel was fronting the band. It’s not only because his voice uncannily recalls Gabriel’s and that the musical approach is heavily influenced by Selling England by the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but it's also because Gabriel has stopped recording the kind of fruity, pompous prog-rock that dominates Fish’s second full-fledged solo album, Internal Exile. That might sound like a harsh criticism, but it’s meant as a compliment, simply because in 1991 – or for that matter, the ‘90s – nobody does classic British prog as well as Fish. True, Internal Exile relies a bit too much on contemporary studio techniques, resulting in a clean, almost sterile sound, but it’s appropriate for such precise, mannered music. At times, it’s a little too mannered, but much of the album delivers exactly what Fish and Marillion fans need – and what old-school Genesis fans have been waiting to hear.” STE Internal Exile “was inspired by the singer's past, his own personal problems and his troubled experiences with his previous record label EMI.” WK “The album’s music reflects Fish’s indulgence in the vast regions of music that he wanted to explore as a solo artist; most notably Celtic music and folk styles. This ultimately led to the music not having a strong direction that was so apparent on his previous album, Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors. Despite this, the album remains strong with the cracking opener Shadow Play followed by the rocking track Credo,” WK which deals with “with social problems and globalisation, echoing ‘State of Mind,’ his first solo single.” WK “The song Internal Exile speaks of his strong national pride and his desire for independence for Scotland.” WK “The album was produced by Chris Kimsey, and dedicated to Fish's daughter Tara.” WK Notes: A 1998 remastered edition added bonus tracks “Poet’s Moon” and “Carnival Man” plus another version of “Something in the Air.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Marillion DMDB encyclopedia entry for Fish STE Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia Last updated 6/12/2021.