FISH |
| The tracks are : 1. Tumbledown (5:52) 2. Mission Statement (4:00) 3. Incomplete (3:44) 4. Titled Cross (4:19) 5. Faith Healer (5:01) 6. Rites Of Passage (7:42) 7. Plague Of Ghosts (i) Old Haunts (3:13) (ii) Digging Deep (6:49) (iii) Chocolate Frogs (4:04) (iv) Waving At Stars (3:12) (v) Raingods Dancing (4:16) (vi) Wake-Up Call (Make It Happen) (3:32) Do you want to know something! Us humans have very short memories, it doesn't seem that long ago, that we were all singing the praises of Fish and his band Marillion, not only for keeping the progressive flame alite, during a time when it was about as popular as rabies in a guide dog centre. But because they were responsible fir some truly classic songs, who could forget numbers such as 'Chelsea Monday', 'Garden Party', and 'Lavender' and albums such as 'Script For A Jester's Tear' and 'Misplaced Childhood'. But since Fish parted company with Marillion many years ago, many people seem more than happy to dismiss Fish and his music, which is a shame, because Fish in my mind is one of the true great songwriters of our time and his music has always been able to touch our souls in someway, don't just take my word for it, check out the excellent compilation 'Kettle Of Fish' or the truly outstanding 'Vigil In The Wilderness Of Mirrors' as those two contain all the proof needed to back up what I have just said. In 1999 Fish releases a new album entitled 'Raingods with Zippos' and on a new record label (Roadrunner) too. 'Raingods with Zippos' sees a grand departure from former releases with a folkier, rockier and altogether a more experimental approach. Now there's no doubt, upon playing 'Raingods' for the first time that the six songs that make up the 'Plague Of Ghosts' suite will appeal to those with progressive tendencies and with the quality of songs such as 'Chocolate Frogs' and 'Waving At Stars', it's not hard to see why to see why. But to be frank in my opinion it's the six songs that go before, that show just how far Fish has come as a songwriter. The infectious rhythms of 'Tumbledown' kicks the whole thing off, a song that swerves and changes around a hook laden chorus, this track is also the first of two tracks co-written with Mickey Simmonds, the first time Mickey and Fish have written together since Fish' first solo album 'Vigil In The Wilderness Of Mirrors'. 'Mission Statement' is a full head on rocker, while 'Incomplete', a song concentrating on love that has fallen on stony ground and features the superb vocals of Elisabeth Antwi, simply stops you dead in your tracks and is without doubt my favourite song on the album. 'Tilted Cross' finds Fish concentrating on the problems of land mines in Bosnia, and those of you with long memories will instantly recourse the next number 'Faith Healer', a song made famous by the late great Alex Harvey, its well known that Fish has always been a great fan of Alex Harvey's music and wastes no time in giving it the full 90's treatment and the song fits in perfectly with the album. Some of you might even say it could have even been written with 'Raingods' in mind. The second track that is co-written with Mickey is 'Rites of Passage', this track is laden with melancholy and is the entry point for the journey which is 'Plague Of Ghosts'. In my opinion 'Raingods with Zippos' is without doubt Fish' best solo album to date and in some ways even surpasses the glory days of his Marillion era, it's a wonderful piece of work that defies logic, trends and fashion and marks Fish' return to the mainstream, and of course come highly recommended and to be honest if you can only afford to buy one album this month, just make sure its 'Raingods with Zippos'!!! Released by Roadrunner Records Website : http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/ Fish Website : The Perception Of Fish - Official Site |