LIVE IN GLASGOW

This is a CD release in 1993 from Racket Records of a gig in Glasgow Barrowlands December 1989, the first tour with Steve Hogarth as lead singer, and, literally, walking into the lions den of Scotland as Fishs' replacement. This is a very good record of the concert, and whilst the production is not up to the standards of later Racket releases, it is, for me, a very important disc in the context of the band's history.

The gig opens with an excellent rendition of King of Sunset Town, the opener from Season's End, which was for me and many others proof positive that the band could not just survive the loss of Fish, but actually prosper. It is a great track delivered with huge gusto, clearly and patently winning over the crowd.

As was common with the early Hogarth tours, there is a smattering of Fish tracks. Slante Mhath is the first, and Hogarth does a great job. The other two are Warm Wet Circles and That Time of the Night, and, again, H does a credible job of these.

However, to these ears, it is the material from Seasons End which makes this album, and much of this is very rarely played these days, with the possible exception of Easter. This particular track is blinding on this concert. Even at such an early stage, you can feel the palpable gelling of the band into a force to be reckoned with, and it has to be said this is a huge achievement given what they had to follow with the loss of such a talismanic figure.

Uninvited Guest is barnstorming, and Holloway Girl, Season's End, Berlin, and The Space all provide musically perfect and interesting live interpretations of tracks which gave so much promise on the studio LP.

I believe that this disc can still be ordered from Racket Records, and if I am correct I really would recommend it to all fans of the band, especially those who perhaps missed out on this particular tour, where I saw them in Wolverhampton Civic Hall. It is a true record of a historic concert and tour.

Not perfect, but certainly an excellent addition to any collection.