FISH OUT OF WATER

Of all the solo albums produced by former, current or ex-members of Yes, 'Fish Out Of Water' by the group's only ever-present member and bassist Chris Squire proves to be the most original and surprising. A consumate bass-player who's best work underpins the classic Yes epics with rock-steady assurance, Squire was never viewed in the same light as the group's apparent creative nucleus, that of singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe, and therefore was always cast as the quiet man of the group. However, he was one of the first to issue his own solo effort along with keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and his debut proved to be both a critical and commercial success that would overshadow later efforts by other members of the band. Indeed, 'Fish Out Of Water' is a vastly superior album to both Jon Anderson's light-as-a-feather 'Olias Of Sunhillow' and Steve Howe's hollow 1975 effort 'Beginnings', as well as being far more accesible and a hell of a lot funkier than any of Wakeman's bombastic solo efforts, proving just what a versatile and talented player Squire was. 'Fish Out Of Water' does retain elements of the Yes sound, but also features a darker, more muscular tone, a development apparent on two of the album's stand-out tracks, the darkly-hued jazz-rock of 'Lucky Seven', which features former Circus and King Crimson saxophonist Mel Collins, and the epic, ever-shifting symphonic rock of the fourteen-minute-plus 'Safe(Canon Song)', which gives a grandiose finish to a highly satisfactory first stab at solo recording by one of the prog world's most iconic bassists. Elsewhere on the album the Yes sound is, again, sometimes very noticeable, especially on the neo-classicl ballad 'Hold Out Your Hand', but overall Squire has managed to nurture his own impressive and unique signature style. The album also features some impressive cameo's from the likes of fellow Yes-members Bill Bruford(drums) and Patrick Moraz(keyboards), as well as former Soft Machine, National Health and Caravan man Jimmy Hastings(flute), ex-The Syn, Rush and Barclay James Harvest session musician Andrew Pryce Jackman(piano) and Barry Rose(organ) who would go on to play at the St. Paul's Cathedral for Charles and Diana's royal wedding a few years later(!). Squire would not record another solo effort again until the late-1990's, but considering that he is the only member of Yes to have been there since their 1960's inception and also taking into account the group's chequered and argument-filled history, it's understandable that he didn't find the time to produce a follow-up to this excellent album. However, in creating 'Fish Out Water' Squre showed not only what great musician he was(he played all the bass and guitar parts on the entire album), but also what a valuable member of Yes he is, with many of the group's fans re-evaluating Squire's part in creating some of the group's best-loved albums. 'Fish Out Of Water' is, without a doubt, the apex of the Yes solo sub-genre. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010