Fish Out Of Water vs. Lizard

For me, I've only just listened to Fish Out Of Water for the first time a couple days ago, so I may need to let the hype settle down from this one. Lizard is a great album, and was one of my favorites from KC for a long while. Right now, while I do love the beautiful tapestry of sounds that makes Lizard work (really it's like scales), the tunes themselves aren't among KC's most accomplished. And Gordon, while not a bad singer, does begin to pale in comparison to Greg or John after sitting with them all for a while. That's not to say Squire's a much better singer himself. You can tell he's used to being a backup vocalist on FooW, but the compositions and melodies are all incredible. I could just hear Jon Anderson singing Hold Out Your Hand on, say, Going For The One (it would probably be a better inclusion on that album that the title track, well in my opinion anyway). The term symphonic prog isn't usually taken so literally unless you're Renaissance, and that's much to this album's benefit. The orchestral segues between each song make for an epic listening experience. The shorter tunes work, the longer tunes work, each one is unique, Bruford gets a few good moments to shine while returning to a drum sound reminiscent of his time in Yes more than in KC. It's just great stuff all around. So it's Fish for me.

Fish ooW!  and album I absolutely love!

but admit I haven't heard Lizard much

Lizard 2*

No contest!