YIN

(Again, no reviews before... Must be some kind of compilation syndrome.) I am not a big Fish fan - and I'm rather glad Marillion kicked him out - but this CD has survived in my collection. I don't listen to it often but each time I do I enjoy it in a nostalgic way. What I most hate about Fish is the habit of releasing so many live records and compilations: 32 titles but only 8 of them main albums!

Yin and Yang compilations are covering albums up to Suits '94 and contain also re-recordings of Marillion songs (here 'Incommunicado' and 'Incubus' plus 'Institution Waltz' which was written already in '81 but not officially released before. It's the worst track I think). Yes tune 'Time and a Word' featuring Steve Howe is neither among my favourites. But the songs from Fish albums are very well chosen. I remember being quite disappointed with Internal Exile and Suits, so it surprises me that I actually like all Fish songs here. His style of singing mostly all the time and emphasising his words a lot was a bad thing with Marillion, but he has teamed up with musicians who together make pure Fish music, powerful in its own fishy way.

Guest vocals of Sam Brown in two tracks add a nice female touch. What would make this compilation better for me would be some other choices from his covers album Songs From The Mirror. 'Boston Tea Party' (Sensational Alex Harvey Band -rocker) is not up to my taste, instead I'd like to hear Fish singing Moody Blues or Bowie! P.S. Fish was much better lyricist in Marillion days; his later lyrics don't much speak to me at all - with some exceptions like 'Family Business', a song about violence in a family.