From: Rob <>
>I need some help. Can you give me some recommendations on Chris Squire's
first solo album "Fish Out Of Water"? I completed my collection of YES albums
and now it's time to check some of solo releases.
One of the better Yes solo releases, I think - basically a bass
guitar/keyboard album with some orchestral parts that aren't too bad. Has that
slightly 'impersonal' Squire compositional style but overall it's pretty
satisfying.
From: Don Tillman <>
"Fish Out of Water" is really, really, really, good. It sounds something like a
cross between Yes and early Crimson.
From: Salmacis <>
Re; Fish out of Water : GET IT. The missing Yes album, much in the same way that
Hackett's Voyage of the Acolyte is the missing Genesis, and much in the same way
that The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp, is NOT the missing KC
album.
From: Anderson <>
...my opinion about "Fish out of water" album is that this work is one of my
favourite, specially the first cut. In this album features Patrick Moraz, Bill
Bruford or Mel Collins. Squires sings all the cuts (not like the great Jon but
quite fine). He made a great job with Rickembecker bass and found a new sounds
to prog music of these times.
From: Jim Anderson <>
>Chris Squire's first solo album "Fish Out Of Water"?
I have a Japanese import of this album and I love it. If you want a
"complete" collection (depending on how far you want to go with it), you might
also check out the self-titled "Esquire" album, which was Chris Squire's ex-wife
Nikki's band... and although he's not credited in the liner notes, supposedly
Chris Squire is all over that album. It's a bit poppier than your typical Yes
album but it has its moments.
From: Christopher Robbin <>
Well, it's funny that the topic of Fish Out Of Water came up, since I just got
that on CD yesterday! FANTASTIC album! I've had it on vinyl for a number of
years, and have wanted the CD for sometime, but ya know how those idiot American
record company people are! ;-) Anyway, this is a fantastic album. It's basically
everything you would hope a solo album from Chris Squire would sound like. You
have his bass guitars (at times multitracked) up front in the mix. There's
hardly any guitar work (Squire is credited with playing electric 12 string
guitar, but that's it). There's vocals on every song, but unlike Steve Howe,
Squire actually has the voice for singing lead vocals! There's cameos from Bill
Bruford, Patrick Moraz, Jimmy Hastings and Mel Collins! I wouldn't necessarily
call it "The Lost Yes Album", but it totally is worth spending the money on!
From: "Casey Van Tieghem" <>
Chris Squire Fish out of Solo is the meat and potatoes album. If you want some
good jamming, that's the one to get. And if you like really well put together
solo albums, this one is comparable to some of Wakeman's better solo albums.
Someone said there was a lot of synth, but there really is very little synth
soloing if any on this one. Moraz chiefly plays Hammond Organ. Squire plays Moog
Taurus Bass pedals a little on 'Silently Falling'. Actually there's a great deal
of acoustic instruments, piano's sax (Mel Collins of King Crimson - Red '75),
acoustic 12-string (I think - or Squire's just posing on the inner gatefold
photo), and of course an orchestra conducted by Andrew Price Jackman IIRc, who
orchestrated for some Rush album, and was a member of Squire's famous boy's
choir (great photo of Squire and Andrew right next to each other when they were
boys in the Dan Hedges biography), and Squire's pre Yes psychedelic group The
Syn with Peter Banks.
From: "Casey Van Tieghem" <>
My opinion on Fish out of Water. Chris Squire's 'Fish out of Water' and Pat
Moraz' i are the only two of the Yes albums to feature the epic long form
songwriting style of Yes. Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow is also a concept
album of shorter but sweeter tunes. Parts of the album seem a little bogged down
by the orchestra and all that. This album does have some good moments though,
including one heck of an extended jam that ends suddenly on one of the grandiose
songs. They go into a Squire bass line that kind of transcends chords much like
some Relayer material does. Bruford's drumming is excellent throughout, and
ironically gives the album a King Crimson feel rather than the expected Yes feel
from these two original Yes members. In fact Chris has some ex King Crimson
member (Mel Collins IIRC) playing a nice sax. The one thing I feel that stands
out about this album above the rest is how complete, and seamless this one is.
The other ones had production problems (Howe's singing didn't turn out right -
badly in need of double tracking or reverb or something), Anderson's sounds
really weird. Moraz' was weird too, and didn't have much bass response. But
Squires has a list of excellent musicians, some very advanced composing.
Squire's bass is strong, but not too strong or overbearing (in other words, sure
there's too much bass, but it's not like 'The Fish' with layers of bass, just
one bass guitar). Squire's vocals surprisingly good, and if I didn't know this
was an ex Yes (with that guy Jon on vocals) member's album, I would think this
guy could sing lead vocals for Yes. It's a very good album. There's only one
Squire solo album so far. All the Yes solo albums from this period are classics
in a way because they are Yes projects (not like Wakeman's A&M contract
fulfilling projects), and were recorded in a time when Yes were very hot, if not
at their plateau of musical ability. I recommend them all to a Yes fan, and as a
prog rock collection I would say the jams on there are something to check out.