FISH OUT OF WATER

Halfway the Seventies all members of YES decided to make solo-albums. It's an understatement to conclude that all solo efforts from Alan White, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe and Chris SQUIRE were not every YES fan his cup of tea but Chris SQUIRE's album "Fish Out of Water" turned out to be the most acclaimed one. It was released in '75 and Chris got help from Bill Brudford (drums and percussion), Mel Collins (saxophones), Jimmy Hastings (flute), Patrick Moraz (organ and bass synthesizer), Barry Rose (pipe organ), Andrew Pryce Jackman (acoustic - and electric pianos) and an orchestra section. Chris SQUIRE played basses, 12-string electric guitars and he did all the vocals, on the song "Hold Out Your Hand" supported by his wife Nikki. "Fish Out of Water" contains five strong and original tracks, far from mainstream prog rock or a sound similar to YES. Every song has its own climate, ranging from catchy rock or jazzy prog to bombastic symphonic or warm classical. The keyboards sound varied and colourful (from sparkling Hammond organ tot majestic pipe organ and tasteful Fender Rhodes piano) and the guest-musicians delivers inspired contributions (an excellent Mel Collins in "Lucky Seven"). Of course the focus is on SQUIRE's powerful and distinctive Rickenbacker bass guitar sound but he avoids self-indulgence. The highlights are the two 'epic' compositions: "Silently Falling" with splendid interplay between SQUIRE, Bruford and Moraz (including a great organ solo) and "Safe" featuring spectacular shifting moods (from mellow to bombastic), a catchy bass riff and wonderful classical orchestrations. A very good and original solo album from a pivotal and often awarded bass player.