FISH OUT OF WATER

As with all Yes members solo efforts during this time, Chris Squire's only solo album to date sounds nothing like Yes- but why should it? There's absolutely no point in doing a solo album only to emulate the band with whom the artist is associated. I have always thought a great deal of Chris Squire's vocals, an ability that often gets overlooked, especially in light of his phenomenal bass work. His bass tone on this album is different: Instead of the heavy punch associated with songs like "Roundabout" or "Close to the Edge," the tone is usually more like a gritty one- slightly distorted and used almost more as a lead instrument.

"Hold Out Your Hand" Upbeat and in an odd time signature (15/8 followed by 3/4), Squire gets things rolling with organ and chunky bass work. The way the vocal melody and the lyrics intertwine with the oddly structured music, not to mention the powerful chorus that follows, the listener knows he is in progressive rock country.

"You By My Side" The first song goes directly into this ballad. It leans more toward pop, and could have even been a solid single. The vocal melody in the second half drags a little bit, but the backup singing is stupendous. Admittedly, the instrumentation is a tad ostentatious for such an otherwise simple song.

"Silently Falling" Various wind instruments work together somewhat discordantly to introduce Squire's slightly cleaned up bass guitar (which gets dirty again later). The chord progression and the vocal melodies are some of the best on this album, and Squire proves what a capable vocalist he is. The music for the most part stays interesting and fresh, and even though this is a solo album, Squire doesn't hog the spotlight. He gives the many other musicians, particularly keyboardist Patrick Moraz and drummer Bill Bruford ample time to do their thing. Things get quiet thereafter, as Squire begins singing. A basic chord progression on piano enters as Squire sings the title over and over. My only criticism would be that this section lingers too long, even though the steady build up is exciting.

"Lucky Seven" With electric piano and a funk rhythm section, this was not something I expected to hear from Chris Squire, but it's neat to hear him branch out into other genres. Mel Collins delivers the main theme on saxophone. Squire does some fine singing, but it's his growling bass playing that really stands out- this is Squire's hands' show- that is, until it becomes Collins's, whose saxophone runs all over the place, but never once enters the realm of nonsense.

"Safe (Canon Song)" Beginning with a trembling bass and lovely piano, harp, and wind instruments, the introduction sounds appropriate for the Christmas season. With strings and an array of instruments filling out the sound, Squire goes not only for the epic length, but an epic sound, so vibrant and full of variety. As it should be, the main artist's bass guitar stands out, though with a trebly sound and some light effects. Some lovely strings and all manner of instrumentation maneuver over his strange work, which is sometimes inharmonious. Eventually, the song enters its most stirring section, and it no longer sounds like a rock band playing, but a full orchestra playing in a coliseum, with on hell of a bass player.