FISH OUT OF WATER

Well, it´s hard to judge Chris Squre´s one and only solo album. As a BIG yes fan (even more so during the 70´s) I had to have a good look on each member´s side project as well as their band releases. And to me Squire´s solo album is very good, but not that outstading. I guess I´m in the minority here. And after all these years my opinion hasn´t changed much. I expected more from such a talented guy like Squire, one of the most revolutionary and best bass players in the world. But at the same time I can´t deny the album qualities. After all, it includes such guests as drummer extraordinaire Bill Brufford plus such prog legends as Patrick Moraz, Jimmy Hastings and Mel Collins. How could he go wrong?

I feel the shorter tracks are the best. And my favorite is surely Lucky Seven, with its fantastic bass/drums/electric piano/sax interplay. In this track Brufford proves you don´t have to be flashy to be the best. Of the two long songs, Silent Falling is surely the highlight with some great organ runs by the often underrated Moraz. Squire also proves a good singer most of the time. The biggest let down in the whole LP is Safe. It starts well enough, but after some time it just drags on and on. A bad way to round up an otherwise quite good solo efford. Maybe he should have dismissed the orchestra and invited a good guitarrist (Howe?) to play a decent solo on this one.

All in all I still feel Squire´s to be one of the best solo output by any member of Yes. And yet this is nowhere near their best work up to that time. So, if you´re a real Yes fanatic, Fish Out Of Water may be essential, but if you´re not, you should listen before buying it. 3,5 stars.