YIN

I had lost contact with Fish´s solo career soon after his first album, and I can´t really recall how that happened. Anyway, when in 2002 I decided it was time to find out what he was doing, I stumble upon this (imported) CD in a friend´s store for a very reasonable price. I thought it would be a good idea to get a ´best of´ collection instead of looking for every single solo output he had done so far. However I was quite disappointed with Yin and, judging by its tracklist alone, I´d never had reconnected with Fish´s post Marillion discography.

Not that the record per se is bad: but for a collection, I found it very poor, lacking so may great stuff that should have been here (maybe some of them are on this CD companion Yang). Besides, the very idea of re-recording some of the classic songs he did with Marillion seemed to me as a wrong move. His band does a good job playing them, ok, but the terrific chemistry he had with his former group is simply missing here and those tunes can be better appreciated on their original form. Even the Marillion´s unissued track, Institution Waltz, should have remained that way. Just one listen and you´ll know why the band never recorded it!

Of his solo choices, I liked the duet he does with Sam Brown on Just Good Friends. This song screams for a duet and the version here is quite superior than that found on Internal Exile. Boston Tea Party is another great cover. And of course everything from his first solo album Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors is just fine. However, the remaining tracks are hardly his best from the other of his solo output. How could he left out songs like Lady Let It Die, Shadowplay, Fortunes Of War, The Emperor´s Song, The Seeker and Internal Exile just to mention a few? It´s a mystery to me and I´m glad I didn´t believe then that his recent work was so weak.

I don´t recommend this compilation to anyone but hardcore fans, collectors and completionists. If you´re looking for a good collection of Fish´s best solo work in a single CD try A Kettle Of Fish, a much more thoughtful and well done compilation of one of prog´s most talented and influential figures.