FISH OUT OF WATER

Chris Squire was the main driving force in the Symphonic Prog flagship band YES and in his own right one of the most influential rock bass players of his generation.
This one is his first, and one could say the only propper solo album, and what an album it is, my friends !
(I write this only two months after his sad depart, so there will be no more from him apart this gem here)

Global Appraisal

It's 1975 (what a year!) and CS, between touring dates with Yes to promote their album Relayer released the year before, finds the time to finish his home-studio in rural England.
There in the Spring he will start to record with fellow Yes members Patrick Moraz and Bill Brufford, some guest musicians, and specially with the guidance of Andrew Jackman, what to my eyes and ears will become the epitome of proggyness.
CS composed, arranged and produced 5 songs (others will be discarded, for example Parallels will resurface on YES' Going for the One), with orchestrations by his childhood friend and former fellow choir-boy, classical trained conductor Andrew Pryce Jackman, who besides plays the piano, acoustic and electric.

What you get here is 44 plus minutes of music in the Progressive most pompous style, full orchestra and all, but first and foremost the immediately recognizable (for the initiated, at least) trademark bass playing of the highest grade.
Right from the first notes you get to sense the powerful style of master Squire sounding his Rickenbacker like no one else ever matched, and so many have tried believe you me, mixed much in front and wonderfully supported by his former rhythm partner in Yes Bill Brufford, himself a truly original musician; in fact BB developed a jazzy style of drumming, much beyond the usual rock canon, and his performance in this record is nothing short of phenomenal - if you already know the man you'll love his work here.

In the first song you also get a wonderful church organ solo, recorded on site in a late-night session at St. Pauls Cathedral.
Moraz, on his side, plays wonderful Hammond and introduces a novelty: Moog synthesized bass, that you can hear more expressively in "Silently falling".
But you'll get more: tubular bells, gongs, lovely flute and sax solos (these by Mel Collins of KC fame), and our man CS always there playing the Rickenbacker & Gibson & Fender basses, and even the odd 12-string guitar, and his beautiful voice leading as well as harmonizing.
Most notably in the long "Canon Song", almost 15 minutes composed in fugue form where you can recognize (?) sections in 11/4, 16/4 and more, along the whole album you are amazed by the succeeding tempo changes; but this never happens gratuitously and throughout all the songs most of all you get the feeling of ever present melody and beauty.

That's it, Beauty! - this music is BEAUTIFUL and Ladies & Gentlemen, the place to start a wondrous journey...welcome to Progland!

Goodies

"Hold out your hand" has the legendary Rickenbacker bass, here with a Jack Bruce (one major influence, the other being John Entwistle) fuzzy kind of sound, coupled with excellent drumming from Bruford and you'll never forget the church organ solo too, for sure.

"You by my side" features sublime vocal harmonies "a la" CS&N, whose vocal style CS explicitly admired, and a wonderful flute solo.

"Silently falling" gets a Hammond solo by Moraz, a sax solo, formidable drumming by Bruford and the odd guitar playing by CS with a 12-string (he happens to play again in the last track).

"Lucky seven" is a 7/4 tempo song and you have to hear Bruford on this one! Add a Fender Rhodes, CS here with a Fender Telecaster bass, a sax solo, and the ever present orchestra and you begin to have an idea.

"Canon song" has a classical tone, much due to the elaborated orchestration specially in the final section, a long climaxing culmination of a musical journey without a single second of dullness. On this one CS excels in the vocal harmonies, plays a Rickenbacker 8-string bass, a Gibson Thunderbird bass and again a 12-string guitar.

On the cover is an excellent picture of CS taken by Brian Lane in front of the Detroit Hilton escalator during the US 1974 tour.

If you choose the 2007 Expanded Edition, besides the remastered album you'll also get a DVD with an interview and full length step-by-step audio commentary by CS which, believe me, you don't want to miss: the great musician was one-of-a-kind character and is already sorely missed.

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