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Chris Squire - Fish Out Of Water CD (album) cover

FISH OUT OF WATER

Chris Squire

 

Symphonic Prog

4.00 | 518 ratings

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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
2 stars The one that got away

Genesis, Yes, and Floyd solo projects can be painful experiences for most fans, generally reserved for the most die-hard among them. "Fish Out of Water" is no exception. While it is one of the more tolerable of this solo project subset it is hardly reason for celebration. Just as Waters albums with high profile people like Clapton involved could not match prime Floyd, Squire's album packs a host of great guests with the finest chops and yet is nowhere close to the level of the previous Yes studio albums. Chris' talents are formidable from any angle but of course cannot match the benefit of having the others to bounce ideas off of, make decisions, and contribute their own parts to the tracks. The upside is that this album does have a very -interesting- sound and it does have some very fine moments scattered about. The irony is, it is the same things that make it interesting that ultimately undermine the overall value of the complete album for me. First, Chris' voice is unique and interesting but not enough to carry an entire album. Second, the placement of the bass as lead interesting rather than guitar is interesting the first time and then woefully inadequate down the road in creating variable textures for long term enjoyment.the absence of Howe (or someone else) is so apparent. And this comes from a huge bass fan. In the longer tracks the music really drags despite a nice flute or organ bit here and there. Third, an orchestra can be marvelous on an album but on "Safe" it flails and grates to the point of irritation. By this point Squire seems like many stars on solo spring-break throwing everything including the kitchen sink for effect but apparently saving the best stuff for the next band project (which really is what they should do when you think about it-their legacies lie in the band, not the little side trips.) Fourth and last would be songwriting as alluded to. The five tracks all have a quirky feel that definitely arouses attention when you first hear them, but to me they simply lack the engaging emotional qualities and joyous complexity of the prime unit at their best. And of course, no one is saying Squire had to recreate Yes.that isn't my point. But it's only natural to compare the quality of the finished product against the work that most people are familiar with, and on "Fish" this material most compares with the quality of certain "Going for the One" or "Tormato" tracks, things like "Parallels." You will not have to worry about "Hold Out Your Hand" bumping CTTE or Gates from the top of your favourite Yessong list. The lyrics for "You By My Side" will cure you of any future impulse to join the frequent criticisms about Anderson's lyrics. Again, that's not saying he had to copy Yes-he could surely make it different, I'm just comparing quality as I see it. My favourite track is the "Lucky Seven" where I really enjoyed Collins sax and Squire's bass doing some good light-hearted jousting. To be fair, most reviewers disagree quite profoundly with me on this album so take it with a grain of salt. But my advice for the curious or the hard core fans is to indulge thyself and make up your own mind. For casual fans, just walk away and spend elsewhere. 5/10

Finnforest | 2/5 |

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