CHRIS SQUIRE

Apart from Wakeman's 70's output, this is my favourite album by Yes' members. Squire exceeds expectations, less by playing and more by how the music is constructed, tied and executed. He is also a skilled and memorable vocalist but as you guessed, the bass guitar has the priority throughout entire album. Though music isn't complex and is more down to earth than most of '72-74's Yes output, it is very interesting to be heard and analysed. As for the guests, the most apparent one is Mr. Bruford with his typical snare sound and slightly more relaxed feeling than during the Yes times. The keyboard player stickst to Yes' style and Moraz does a commendable effort here. Ok, so it's actually Andrew Jackman who provides most of keyboards (in the symphonic vein). Surprisingly, we've got orchestra which isn't overblown and fits well, especially on the last symphonic track. The relative absence of guitar is far from a disaster as it's possible to appreciate the aggressive bass lines and different keyboard instruments. The first track "Hold out your hand" is like a taste candy to the rest of the album. Relatively short, but melodic and with the typical Squire's playing. "You by my side" is a step down from progressive complexity but brings more emotions, harmony and strives to be melodic (can't beat the first track however). "Silently falling" brings us into the Yes world again with its splendid almost 12 minutes. We hear first highly awaited soloing by keyboards (Hammond), muscular bass and ornate drumming a la fusion. The track graduates instrumentally when reaching its half before calming down to the main motive territory. The last part may be a bit overdrawn however it doesn't mean any boredom when it comes to playing. "Lucky seven" leave the Yes territory (minus drums) and adds the Canterbury rooted saxophone playing. Beside that, we hear strong focus on the rhythm section in the mix. The last epic is the most ambitious song, it's very impressive considering it came from a bass player. Lots of good harmonies. There are even moments led by orchestra but bass guitar doesn't let them go too far. The last 4 minutes are excellent symphonic moments in the vein of other ambitious prog rock albums. It was fortunate to let instruments speak without any vocals.

Squire decided to stop at his best and not create any future solo albums in that vein (well, he was also constantly busy with Yes). You could consider it a lost Yes album - if you can't sacrifice the lack of guitar - or take is one of the best solo albums by any Yes' members.

Chris Squire's first and last solo album "Fish Out of Water," is a symphonic masterpiece. This record is often called the lost Yes album and for good reason. In 1975, just coming off of Yes' Relayer, Squire decided to put together a great lineup of musicians to record a very Yes-esque solo effort including Bill Bruford (King Crimson, Yes, UK), Mel Collins (King Crimson, Camel, Alan Parsons, Roger Waters), Jimmy Hastings (Caravan, Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North), and Patrick Moraz (The Moody Blues, Yes). This album has no bad song and is one of the highlights of Chris Squire's very deep career.

The album opens up with my personal favorite track, "Hold Out Your Hand." The church organ played by cathedral organist, Barry Rose, is some of the best church organ work in progressive rock. Squires vocals and bass work is marvelous with the thump of the bass line dominating the song. "You By My Side," is probably the weakest song on the album. It's ok but not on par with the greatness of the rest of the album. Its a piano driven love song which is very unlike squire. The ending is alright when the strings and horns come in, but overall the song is a little bit of bubblegum pop.

"Siltently Falling" takes up a massive portion of the album, sitting at about 11:00. After a symphonic opening, some pastoral Squire vocals enter. Around the 1:50 the main theme comes in dominated by a choir and piano chords. Chris never really got the attention he deserved as a vocalist in Yes, but on this album he shines. Especially on this tune his harmonies are spectacular. Patrick Moraz plays a magnificent organ solo on here as well. Around the 7:00 mark the song takes a shift into a piano driven variation of the main theme in a different key. The last 2 minutes of the song fade out in the key switch variation to end the epic. After the impressive prior track, Squire delivers his trademark/biggest hit, "Lucky Seven." The song is opened by very nice wurlitzer action. The bass lines on this track are acompanied by a very nice sax riff from Mel Collins, one of the greatest prog sax players of all time. The end of the song is dominated by a saxophone solo from Mel, over the rhythmic thump of Bill Bruford's drums.

"Safe (Cannon Song)," dominated side 2 of the record, sitting at a whopping 15 minutes! This epic is another very impressive track on this record. For the first few minutes the song plays around the same theme that develops with different variations. Flute and Saxophone interludes from Mel Collins and Jimmy Hastings are very common on this song. The track is very long, so my only take away would be that it does wander and repeat a little bit.

Overall, this album is very special from front to back. It brings in influences from Canterbury, Eclectic, Symphonic, and Classic prog. I recomend it to all lovers of Yes and U.K.

In 1986, the now late, great self-deprecatory comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, released Back to School, something of his "autobiography" and "magnum opus." In "true" confessional form, we learn of Thornton Melon, the thinly veiled cinematic version of Rodney. Melon accompanies his son on his return to "Great Lakes University," deciding to enroll as a freshman in the university to inspire his less than eager son. Although a wealthy owner of "large and fat" apparel stores, Melon is basically "self-made" with no formal education . . . . Suffice it to say, he secures admittance through a large donation to the university, and, then, the fun begins.

At the end of 1975, the now late, great bassist and co-founder of Yes, Chris Squire, released, for all intents and purposes, his only solo album, Fish out of Water. Like Rodney's later Back to School, Fish out of Water is "autobiographical" and a "masterstroke." The entire album is evocative of not only Squire's, but also pianist, orchestrator. and conductor, Andrew Pryce Jackman's Church of England choir days. So, when Squire set out to produce a solo album, he did. Besides two junctures in which Squire plays electric, 12 String guitars, there are no other electric or acoustic guitars. Obviously, Squire's bass becomes the lead instrument. Of course, even on Yes' eponymous first album, Squire declares this new predominant bass role during the beginning of "Beyond and Before." And with his Rickenbacker 4100 bass, Squire took this instrument into "unchartered territory." Because nothing occurs in a "vacuum," I do need to mention John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, and Paul McCartney.

I recall, in early 1976, reacting to Bill Bruford's exemplary role on this album. It is almost as if Squire said, "You got away from us in 1972 upon completion of Close to the Edge in the studio; you "owe" me this!" Especially in "Silently Falling" and "Lucky Seven," Bruford displays some of the fruits of his tenure in King Crimson.

Saxophonist Mel Collins, also soon after work with Robert Fripp, makes large contributions to Squire's album. Jimmy Hastings from the Canterbury Scene excels as flutist in "You By My Side." Also in homage to Squire and Jackman's Anglican, musical days, Barry Rose, at St. Paul's Cathedral, contributes pipe organ to "Hold out Your Hand." Lastly, Patrick Moraz delivers an intense organ solo and synthesizer performance on "Silently Falling."

Going back to those days in 1976 and following, "Safe (Canon Song), was something of an enigma to me. But, no matter. A survey of Squire's career (almost entirely within Yes) reveals a wealth of legendary performances on the bass guitar. In retrospect, I find "Safe" Squire's most "symphonic" setting for the bass guitar. We all know Squire's signature piece, "The Fish" on Fragile and his live version on Yessongs with Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, and Jon Anderson. "Safe" reveals even more of Squire's dedication to and transformation of the bass guitar.

Later on, during the 90125 tour, Squire, in jest, wore some of the trappings of a medical doctor, and Anderson referred to his colleague as "the Doctor--Doctor Chris Squire." To this day, Rodney Dangerfield remains my favorite comedian; Chris Squire, my favorite bassist. I've been known to do a passable imitation of Rodney. However, I must leave emulation of Chris to Geddy Lee, John Myung, and Les Claypool.

if I had to say if someone will like this album I would tell them that "If you are a Yes fan, you will find it incredible, if you dislike the band then there not much to listen to here". As the other reviewers have said the style that Chris Squire adopts to his solo work is pretty much what he has done with yes before in his life, awesome music.

The album is made of three short songs and two long ones, it opens with the impressive radio-friendly "Hold Out Your Hand", this is the type of song that you can put in the car with someone who does not know prog-rock and there is still a good chance that he will appreciate it. As soon as the song starts we can already perceive that Chris does not disappoint in the bass lines who are strong and cool, he does the vocals for the album too and I must say that I'm very impressed by the way that he sings soo good without "trying too much".

Another thing that must be said about the songs here is that despite being a "solo record" Squire gives much space to the other musicians play and they are all very good, proving that he is not only a bass virtuoso but a great songwriter too.

The other two short songs are very pleasurable too, You By My Side are kinda like the sequel of Hold Out but are more slow-paced and relaxing and Lucky Seven is the "jazzier" song of the album, pretty good too.

The two long songs of the album are like a "two-edged knife" for me, by one side Silently Falling is the best song in the album starts very slow like "You by my side" but keeps going more faster and emotional until reaches its climax with Chris delivering awesome lyrics together with a beautiful piano and guitar. Safe (Canon Song) on the other side is the worst song of the album, in my opinion, it too long and repetitive, the instrumental keeps going but doesn't feel that is coming anywhere, I think is the only "bad" song on the LP.

"Fish out of water" is not a masterpiece, especially because Chris is not really "out of the water", showing us a type of songwriting already introduced in Yes, but this is as good as his contributions in Yes and will be appreciated by any fan of his works in the band. 4 Stars.

Having the story of this album as a distinguished product of the "year out of band" taken by Yes' members been told enough, we should direct our attention straight to its proper musical content.

I think the critical point at issue here is: Does the whole orchestration thing, arranged & conducted by Squire's friend Andrew Pryce Jackman, really worth our while and their effort?

I think it does, indeed, but not for the obvious reason that it suits perfectly to the songs and Chris' vocal & instrumental style. That may be true too, but it's not the main reason that makes this record so appealing to me. Since so many songs exist that have a "orchestral track" attached to them, just because some producer can order it to the proper studio, and the label can afford it, it's a sweet relief to find these ones, where orchestra, band and soloist just form a solid unit, constructed as a result of genuine musical interplay. It's possible that each move made by the various conductors isn't perfect, but is however possessed with the same sheer energy that flows through the whole thing. That is priceless (pun unintended), and that is what makes this a masterpiece.

P.S: BrufordFreak said about the track 4, Lucky Seven: "Could almost be a King Crimson song". I say, should it be on a playlist following next to, let's say, "Ladies of the Road", one surely would perceive them both as belonging together in the same (beautiful & imaginary) album.

CHRIS SQUIRE (1948-2015) is of course best-known as the legendary bassist with YES, appearing on all twenty-one YES studio albums, from their first self-titled album in 1969 right through to the final YES album "Heaven & Earth" in 2014, just a year before his tragic death from leukemia at the age of 67. His unique and aggressive style of bass playing was a major part of what gave YES such a distinctive sound. This album "Fish Out of Water" (1975) was the first of two Chris Squire solo projects, with his second solo album "Chris Squire's Swiss Choir" (2007), a Christmas album, following 32 years later. He also collaborated with Steve Hackett of Genesis to record the album "A Life Within a Day" (2012) under the cunningly-titled name "Squackett". The "Fish Out of Water" album was recorded at a time when all of the YES musicians were taking a long hiatus from the band to record a solo album after the trials and tribulations of recording the YES "Relayer" album. Chris Squire's first solo album featured an impressive line-up of musicians from the world of prog, including:- Bill Bruford on drums; Mel Collins on saxophones; and Patrick Moraz on synthesisers. The album also featured an orchestra, conducted by Chris Squire's old bandmate from The Syn, Andrew Price Jackman. Let's dive in now and have a listen to the album.

Chris Squire makes a big splash with "Hold Out Your Hand", which is very much in the mould of classic Yessongs, with Squire's vocals sounding remarkably like Jon Anderson. The sound of Chris Squire's bass is very much at the forefront, giving the music the distinctive YES sound that we've come to know and love over the years. This music has all of the dynamic power and glory that we've come to expect from YES, with the sound of Barry Rose's pompous pipe organ adding a rich fullness to the sound. Chris Squire might feel like a "Fish Out of Water with his first solo album, but we're in very familiar YES territory with this opening song. There's a lovely message about the wonders of nature and the universe around us contained within the lyrics:- "All you've got to do is, Hold out your hand, For the treasures of the universe, Are lying at your feet." ..... I think we can all hold out our hands and give Chris a big round of applause for "Hold Out Your Hand" because this is a superb opening number. The next song "You By My Side" is a BIG romantic piano number with full orchestration and featuring a tremendous hook-line, so be prepared to be swept away on a passionate wave of emotion. The powerful music really tugs at the heart- strings with these heart-warming lyrics:- "You know I love you, we can't be without you, When I'm alone, I still feel this way about you." ..... This sumptuous grand piano and orchestra piece is positively overflowing with emotion and it's enough to make you feel all dewy-eyed and sentimental, so keep a hanky at the ready. We're "Silently Falling" now for Song No. 3, which opens to the sound of a flamboyant flute. This is one of two big epic numbers on the album, and with a running time of over 11 minutes, there's plenty of time for some keyboard wizardry from Patrick Moraz with the marvellous sound of Chris Squire's sonorous bass and Bill Bruford's pounding drums carrying the song along in true YES tradition. It's majestic and magnificent. This is uplifting and unrestrained grand Symphonic Prog which is sure to delight fans of the sonorous full-toned sound of YES.

Do you feel lucky, because "Lucky Seven" is the opening song on Side Two. It's a Jazzy saxophone number in complex 7/8 time that sounds like it could have been a missing King Crimson song, which is probably not too surprising considering Mel Collins and Bill Bruford have both been members of Robert Fripp's King Crimson ensemble at various times. This is a funky fusion of sassy and sophisticated Jazz-Rock given the heavy bass treatment by Mr Chis Squire, esquire. And now we come to the grand symphonic epic "Safe (Canon Song), to close out the album. It's a 15-minute masterpiece featuring the full works, including a floating flute, sensational saxophone, booming bass, dynamic drumming, and with a full orchestra bringing this outstanding piece of music to a dramatic conclusion in glorious pomp and symphonic splendour.

Chris Squire's first solo album features the oh-so-familiar heavy bass sound of YES, combined with sumptuous vocals, keyboard wizardry, and sophisticated saxophones in abundance. "Fish Out of Water" is sure to delight fans of the classic YES sound, as this album sounds very much like an undiscovered YES album treasure. There's enough dramatic chord progressions and tricky time signature changes contained within this album to keep any Progressive Rock fan happy. It's an album full of romantic refrains, jaunty Jazz, mellifluous melodies and scintillating symphonies, but it's ALWAYS consistently great music.

You can skip this paragraph if you don't want to hear about my personal history with the excellent 1981 single 'Run with the Fox' / 'Return of the Fox' by then ex-Yes members Chris Squire and Alan White. I'm not sure if I'd ever heard of this single before seeing it for sale at a used record shop in 1990 or so.* But I snatched it right up, and rushed home to the record player. The song was completely fantastic, and quickly became one of my favorite Yes-related songs. The record itself was a very special item until the summer of 1991, when "Run with the Fox" (the a-side) was included as track thirteen on Disc 3 of Yesyears, Yes's first retrospective box set. Five or six years later, I was driving outside of Cleveland a few days prior to Christmas, and for the first and only time, I heard "Run with the Fox" on the radio.** Then, in the early 2000s, fabled Yes fan Steve Sullivan posted a clean .mp3 of 'Return of the Fox,' the b-side; and most recently, in 2018, remastered versions of both sides were included as bonus tracks on a "deluxe" reissue of Squire's 1975 solo album Fish Out of Water. For the past fifteen (or so) years - - since my first iPod - - 'Run with the Fox' has been my most-played song of the Christmas season.

The music which forms the basis of both sides is an old English carol known as "On Christmas Night All Christians Sing" or "Sussex Carol," while the lyrics were written primarily or entirely by preëminent prog-rock lyricist Peter Sinfield. And Squire pal Andrew Pryce Jackman created the orchestral parts - - all of which in essence means that neither Squire nor White necessarily composed any part of the single. For his part, Squire included versions of both 'Run with the Fox' and "Sussex Carol" on his 2007 Christmas album, which makes clear how much the former owes the latter.

The a-side, 'Run with the Fox,' is the vocal version, with Squire singing both leads and harmonies. This side also includes an orchestra and choir - - for the full symphonic-prog effect. The flipside, 'Return of the Fox,' is an instrumental except for a few scattered chorus leads sung by Nikki Squire (Squire's then-wife, later of Esquire). The vocal line, opening flute part, and choir chords are played on a synthesizer by David Greenslade (of Greenslade, naturally). There's no choir or orchestra on this side. The rhythm tracks on the two sides - - White's drumkit, Squire's bass, and the piano, tuned percussion, and sleigh bells - - vary only slightly.

And man, those rhythm tracks! White joined Yes in 1972, but when Squire recorded Fish Out of Water three years later, ex- Yes drummer Bill Bruford (White's predecessor) was the sole drummer. Similarly, Squire didn't appear on White's 1976 solo album. But by 1981 White and Squire had become inseparable, both in the recording studio and in terms of their interlocking grooves, as made plain on Yes's Drama. White's drumming has never been especially idiosyncratic, but on this single he sounds exactly like Alan White, especially his use of the tom-toms and the kick during his fill-ins. Meanwhile, Squire pulls out a fair number of his usual bass-guitar tricks, although 'Run with the Fox' doesn't have a signature bass line à la 'Tempus Fugit' or 'Heart of the Sunrise.' Instead, the rhythmic hook is the piano part (possibly played by Squire, but just as possibly White).

And as good as the rhythm, orchestra, and choir are, 'Run with the Fox' may represent Squire's best vocal performance ever. Its closest competitor, in my book, is 'You By My Side' from Fish Out of Water.

In sum, the a-side is one of my all-time favorites, and it's an essential part of any serious Yes or Chris Squire collection. I'd recommend 'Run with the Fox' to fans of crossover-prog and symphonic pop as well, even including those who aren't fans of Christmas music. If you dig it, you might want to check out Fish Out of Water or Esquire's self-titled first album. [4 stars on the 4-star scale for singles - - see my review page for scale]

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*This was Atlantic K11695, the UK release with the small center hole and the picture sleeve with the photo of the fox head on the front. In the intervening years I saw a few other copies for cheap, and picked up the German release (with the painting of a fox running in a nighttime winter scene in the cover) and the US promo. As far as I know the music was identical on each record.

**I recall this as a WMMS broadcast, but that may be incorrect, as MMS had (temporarily) switched formats from AOR to Alternative during the years the event was most likely to have occurred.

I'm not sure that Fish Out of Water is exactly the "lost Yes album" that some have claimed, but the fact that this epithet has been used with some regularity for years by Yes fans is meaningful. While the album doesn't suffer much from the absence of a dedicated lead vocalist and the practically total absence of guitar - - never mind lead guitar - - its claim as a Yes album is hard to sustain without the presence of Jon Anderson or Steve Howe. In terms of Yes members who are present, Fish Out of Water represents the last substantial studio collaboration between Squire and drummer Bill Bruford, who had left Yes two years earlier. Then-current Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz also appears on one track. Interestingly, the title of the album seems to imply that this is not a Yes album - - that Squire, "the fish," has established a new ecosystem for his music.

So it's not a Yes album, but as some have pointed out, it's less of a Squire solo album as it is a collaboration with Andrew Pryce Jackman, whose orchestral arrangements seem to have warranted co-writing credit for each song. (Apparently, Squire discussed this at one point with Jackman.) Jackman also serves as the main keyboardist, as well as the conductor of the orchestra.

While Squire's bass guitar is the central instrument here, the orchestra is an essential component throughout, and is perhaps the biggest reason that neither lead guitar nor synthesizer parts are missed here. In addition to the orchestra and Jackman's piano, each of the first four songs includes some additional sweetening: pipe organ on "Hold Out Your Hand," flute on "You By My Side," saxophones (by Mel Collins) on "Silently Falling" and "Lucky Seven," as well Moraz's contributions (including synthesizer) to "Silently Falling." The fifth and final song, "Safe (Canon Song)" is performed by Squire, Bruford, Jackman, and the orchestra.

Anyway, even if Fish Out of Water isn't a Chris Squire solo album, it's definitely a Chris Squire showcase. Squire's vocal and instrumental performances are strong and inspired throughout. His bass guitar has been called the "anchor" of the album, and that describes it perfectly: the songs seem to have been written around the bass, and the bass dominates the instrumentation in the mix. His vocals, both solo and in multilayered harmonies, are also an important part of each song (his wife Nikki Squire backs him on the choruses of the opening track). The vocals are also the most probable cause of Fish Out of Water sounding like a Yes album; it turns out that much of the character in Yes-sounding vocals is Squire's singing, which is why some listeners have thought they heard Jon Anderson on parts of Drama.

Extending the Yes comparisons, the compositions on Fish Out of Water (1975) are stronger than those which would appear on the next two Yes albums, Going for the One (1977) and Tormato (1978), although they don't reach the heights of Yes's best works with Anderson and Howe. But in this aspect, also, Fish Out of Water compares favorably to the Yes catalogue.

The sound qualities of Fish Out of Water are excellent. The original vinyl album sounded very good, and the 1990 Japanese CD issue (AMCY 19) was fine, although it didn't seem to be as much of an improvement over the vinyl as you might expect today. The 2006 (Wounded Bird) remaster is very good, as is the 2018 Esoteric / Cherry Hill remaster - - I'm unsure as to which of the two is better, but I imagine that the 2006 version has been superseded. The 2018 two-disc set also includes a remix of the album by Jakko Jakszyk. The remix strays a little here and there from the original, which makes it pretty interesting.

The only real area of weakness on Fish Out of Water is that some of the sections are a bit drawn out; I get the sense that this might have been done to make up for the lack of a sixth song. Then again, Fish Out of Water is two minutes longer than Going for the One and six minutes longer than Drama, so maybe these were artistic choices. At a minimum, it's clear that varied repetition is an intentional part of Fish Out of Water.

So this isn't a lost Yes album, but it is a true masterpiece of symphonic-progressive rock. Highly recommended to lovers of prog music, whether Yes fans or not.

The fish bites back. Like it or not, pretty much every prog fan will agree that this album is legendary, made it to a real classic during recent decades. Now that Chris Squire isn't with us anymore may have provided the impetus to re-master the original tapes once again. Anyway, it was his long held wish that a 5.1 surround mix of the work would be undertaken someday. Hence the new limited edition released on CherryRed/Esoteric in 2018 made me curious, sure. Available as a double compact disc edition or an enhanced version including other formats like vinyl, DVD, singles and a 36 page book. And indeed, the sound is fantastic without question.

Covering the music you will immediately recognize where his homebase was. The band went on a hiatus in 1975, other members were concentrated on their solo works too. The album was essentially a collaboration with his friend Andrew Pryce Jackman, also member of The Syn, Squire's pre-Yes group. And the sessions also saw contributions from Bill Bruford, Patrick Moraz and noted musicians like Mel Collins and Jimmy Hastings. Regarding the vocals he is close to Jon Anderson here and there. And so some may place the question for what reason Squire will record a somewhat new YES album, instead of something essentially different.

First of all, who cares more than 40 years later in light of a successful result? And then, this album is differing actually. As noted beforehand, one can hear where he's coming from. But also, the album is more symphonic, more pathetic, you will learn to like some saxophone within, and the great variety when it comes to the bass playing, the electric guitar takes a backseat aso. Additionally two tracks are offered from a session with Alan White, sounds like Asia, not a benefit necessarily. Still today the core songs are striking, with Silently Falling the album reaches for working temperature. Excellent compositions are following, worth a listen. If not already, another candidate for your well sorted prog collection.

Avoiding the traps of idolatry and nostalgia and even more quietly prevalent in those factors that govern our human perception, namely false equivalency we turn to what is often regarded as the best solo Yes album.

So I updated my old long gone LP with the CD / DVD version. The DD is a nice bonus but not essential. Has videos and interviews. I wondered why I was not that keen on this album. Given the enthusiasm it generates among the Yes fans (me too) then I thought what was I not hearing. Perhaps I don't like it for whatever reason but is it that bad?

Not a disaster this album but there are caveats.

1. The songs are not that memorable. Strong melodies are more the field of Jon Anderson. Squire made a much better musical adjutant than leader.

2. Oft criticized is the orchestra. I think the orchestra is well used but that there is a problem somewhere may be the instrumental variety and requirement for counterpoint. There is little of either. How (sic) I wanted to hear Steve Howe's guitar turn up. Still, Squire's orchestrations are more crisp than the soggy arrangements that ruin Howe's Beginnings at times.

3. Instrumental balance. Dare I say it but when he does play those lovely fleet footed / fleet fingered riffs then Bruford kicks into gear and everything sounds fine. Then things slow down or changes happen and the results are half baked. Happens a lot in the longer songs. They are well arranged but somehow the idea of being a lead bassist has allowed the prominence of his the bass to be too much so. One note staccato is all very well on a chord change not for verse accompaniment. Or again. Just when you thought it'd been done it turns up. Especially when its so way up in the mix.

I thought that Squire may not be as good or interesting a bassist as his contemporary bass whizz John Entwistle until I recalled the album he did with Joe Walsh Too Late The Hero. Two witty minds with tons of talent I thought ... that produced a snore-fest of an album. No idea why, probably creativity and a hired producer / engineer whose job does not include telling his employers their out put sucks.

Well Fish Out Of Water is better than that but, well... not that much. His singing is useful at a 2nd or third banana level in Yes but he becomes grating either instantly or after a while. Your tolerance may be higher. Saying he's better than Howe at lead vocal is a bit like saying you're better off losing a toe than a leg.

The sophistication of the symphonic rock is there but flatters to deceive due unmemorable songs and lyrical content that is largely uninteresting. Everyone does what they're supposed to but I guess once the albums were out they were forgotten as the next tour turned up. And if you get a good 1976 live bootleg (download off a reputable torrent site for cost of some band width) then you will be well better off. Roosevelt Stadium 1976 for instance. Yes (with Moraz) as you and I need to hear them.

Olias from Anderson needed the instrumental input from his band to give it the necessary power, dynamics and identity it, and many of his demos deserve. Fish Out Of Water needed the melody and stronger vocal from Anderson as well as his sense of occasion. This is what makes his more, um, arcane lyrics tolerable. It also really needed Howe's dazzling styles and techniques to make it sparkle and give it much needed excitement. It may be that White may have been the more appropriate drummer here. Bruford is fine of course but White can kick songs into some semblance of energy rather than just finding the most intricate way of making lack luster material listenable. Which reminds me, this sounds like CTTE than White's dreadful Ramshackled which would have benefited from being left next to magnets than foisted upon the public. Or me.

It's often remarked upon that Fish Out OF Water is the lost Yes album. Well frankly all the solo albums were. They would have been better taking these albums and getting a double volume studio album, or a series of them after considerable work than having a bunch of reasonably sophisticated demo albums. A spare volume of material might have come in handy around the time of the aborted Paris '79 sessions. I heard the bootleg versions of those before much of those got released with the CD remaster or Tormato and it sounds like their solo albums, only even more devoid of ideas and inspiration. The official releases support that notion. Curses. No undiscovered gems.

The solo albums only sold on merit of association. Had these albums been by unknowns they would not even be given the grace of a review. If they had been new releases by hopefuls then maybe with help from friends these worthy efforts could have been made compelling; they're ok but veer from awful to interesting to rather good in parts. Few but Ramshackled are without merit entirely. Fish Out Of Water underlines the importance and value of a great singer, great material and the critical appraisal of a producer who should have the authority to tell his client / employer that his music is tanking as it plays. I'd recommend to anyone trying this sort of album in symphonic (aka prog) rock to check out the third movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony first.

So the virtuosity of Yes can work against them if the material is not great. The sum of the parts exposed when the components cannot measure up to the sum. And this one is okay but flawed. The fanatics will have it but if you're curious then see if a copy is going for a song; you may be one of those who give this a 4 - 5 star review and wonder how I can be so ungenerous.

2 maybe 2.5.