Neo-Prog Review: Fish - Weltschmerz

Date: September 25, 2020

Label: Chocolate Frog Records (Self Released)

Website

The new, and final studio album from Fish (David Dick), is the superb Weltschmerz, which is album No 11 from the ex-lead singer of Marillion (1981-1988). The debut release of Vigil In A Wilderness of Mirrors was issued 30 years ago (1990) and we have now reached the end of the line.

The album is available as a 2CD, 2CD and Blu-Ray deluxe edition, a digital version and a 2-album vinyl version.

The band on Weltschmerz is Fish (Vocals), Steve Vantis (bass/keyboards and guitar), Robin Boult (guitar), John Mitchell (guitar), Craig Blundell (drums), Dave Stewart (drums), David Jackson (saxophones), Liam Holmes (keyboards), Foss Paterson (keyboards), Doris Brendel (vocals), Mikey Owers (brass) and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (strings). Many of these musicians have been long term members of the Fish band and hence the band members are comfortable with what is required of them.

I have at this point to state that I preferred the Fish led Marillion rather than the post-Fish band, but I was never “blown away” by his solo material. There were some great tracks, but I tended to feel that the consistency of the music could be variable. That state of affairs however changed with the release of Feast Of Consequences, album No 10, which was a superb piece of work, especially the 5 part "High Woods Suite." I have looked forward to this final studio release from Fish for several months before the release.

The title, Weltschmerz, translates as world pain or world-weariness and may well sum up the feelings of the artist at the time, but the contents of this superb double album certainly are a long way from that downbeat title.
 
The Fish voice has been described as both distinct and also as a fusing of Roger Daltrey (The Who) and Peter Gabriel (Genesis), but it is his lyrics, classed as “poetic prose” that add an additional facet to the mans’ music. Fish can and does, interject spoken word lyrics into his music which seem to accentuate the storytelling aspect of his work.

Weltschmerz is a 10 track release with a total playing time of 84:30 minutes, track 5 “Rose Of Damascus” being the longest track at 15:45 minutes and track 4, “This Party’s Over” being the shortest at under 5 minutes (4:22).

The opening track, “Grace of God” (8:19), is exactly what I want to hear when listening to a new album, and that is something that immediately grabs the interest of the listener. There is a sparseness about the music behind the voice of Fish as he ventures into his storytelling, which is somehow very compelling. The lyrics paint such detailed scenarios that the listener becomes immersed in that storytelling.

The longest track, “Rose Of Damascus" (15:45) brings together the aspects that make the area in question such a volatile area to exist in, as seen through a young woman (Rose) who is trying to flee the war-torn area. In under 16 minutes, the listener is taken on a long journey through different sections with those superb lyrics tying everything together and trying to make sense of the problems that exist. The music twists and turns and holds the listener almost spellbound as the storyline unfolds.

Starting the second album is track 6, "Garden of Remembrance" (6:07) and is, for me, the most powerful, emotive track on Weltschmerz. Based on the changes in a relationship due to Alzheimer's, the lyrics are simple but literally oozing emotion as Fish relates the interaction, or rather, the lack of interaction between husband and wife. Musically there is a beautiful melody on piano behind his voice which underpins those lyrics, and latterly, a superb orchestral theme.

As a final studio album, Weltschmerz is an excellent way to bow out of further studio recording. Early in the review, I suggested that with the title translating as world-weariness, that could sum up how Fish must have felt with the personal situations that he had to confront during the recording process. Over the 5 years that Weltschmerz took to get to completion, he has touched on these moments throughout the ten superb, if very different, tracks and has produced a stunning swan song.

If you haven’t already purchased the album, I would humbly suggest that you give Weltschmerz a listen from start to finish and then part with some of your money to add the album to your collection.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson Prog Rock Music Staff 

February 9, 2021

Tracks:

CD 1:   1. Grace Of God (8:19)
            2. Man With A Stick (6:27)
            3. Walking On Eggshells (7:18)
            4. This Party’s Over (4:22)
            5. Rose Of Damascus (15:45)

CD 2:     1. Garden Of Remembrance (6:07)
             2. C Song (The Trondheim Waltz) (4:41)
             3. Little Man What Now? (10:54)
             4. Waverley Steps (End Of The Line) (13:45)
             5. Weltschmerz (6:51)

Crossover Prog Review: Gazpacho-Fireworker

Release Date: September 18, 2020

Label: K Scope

Website

Gazpacho hail from Norway and was formed back in 1996. The release under review is the 11th studio album from the band, Fireworker, and the debut was released in 2003, Bravo. I have liked this band for several years after hearing a track on a sampler CD and have enjoyed their music immensely.

Briefly, they are one of the few bands that seem to be able to generate majestic atmospheric soundscapes, where the quiet (and even silent) moments are as important to the overall effect of the music as the superb skills of the musicians.

The band has been relatively settled, with Jan Henrik Ohme (vocals), Thomas Alexander Anderson (keyboards), and Jon Arne Vilbo (guitars) all original members of the band, who were then joined by Mikael Kromer (violin/mandolin) and Kristian Torp (bass) as guest musicians on the album No 3, Firebird, in 2005 and band members on the next release, album No 4, Night, in 2007. Finally, Lars Erik Asp (drums) appears in the band on the album No 6, Missa Atropos, in 2010 and that band has remained constant in the intervening years.

Fireworker is a 5-track album with a total playing time of just over 50 minutes (50:23), with track 1, “Space Cowboy,” the longest on offer at 19:41 minutes and track 2, “Hourglass,” the shortest at 4:15 minutes.

Gazpacho has a tradition of producing albums that fuse various situations, from deep philosophical questions to the intricacies and complexities of the human mind. Isolation was the key on earlier albums, Night and Missa Atropos, dramatic scenarios on Tick Tock and Soyuz, and theological /scientific questions on Demon and Molok.

Fireworker deals with an entity that inhabits everyone and ensures that it survives from generation to generation and can, at times, control our actions. The entity is known by several names, Fireworker, Lizard, or Space Cowboy. The entity exerts control by rewarding or punishing the individual. So, you will have gathered this is not a light-hearted musical album, but it is a wonderfully atmospheric piece of work.

The opening track, “Space Cowboy” (19:41) is a stunning piece of music by the band. Starting very simply with the superb voice of Jan Henrik Ohme, backed with subdued bass, piano, and violin, setting the scene before the band moves up a notch around the 2-minute mark. The track moves on with changing tempo from time to time. Around the 5-minute mark, a choir appears which is a warning to the individual not to get closer to the entity within. The lyrics are in a pre-language, so no easy to follow lyrics. The track then swings from Jan Henrik led atmospheric vocals and music, back and forth to the choir. Around the 13-minute point, the band moves into a more hard-hitting passage.

I will admit that this opening track did take me several listens, as well as checking the band’s explanation of the track on Facebook, before the sheer magnitude and power of the opening 19+ minutes hit home. Not the easiest track to open the album with, but when you “get it,” it is superb. A track that makes you work hard to understand it.

The next three tracks, “Hourglass” (4:15), “Fireworker” (4:41), and “Antique” (6:24) are shorter and easier to get into while continuing the atmosphere generated by the opening track.

“Hourglass” is more up-tempo with superb piano in the opening portion and a church-style organ passage before the choir re-entering. The stunning, haunting violin played by Mikael, the superb piano passages, and those crystal-clear Jan Henrik vocals make “Hourglass” and excellent 4+ minutes.

The title track, “Fireworker,” is a quite different style of a track which simply rips along, from the violin enhanced early passages, through the vocals and allows the band to flex those musical muscles. Tempo changes drive the track towards its finale which sees the song simply fade away.
“Antique” continues the gentle atmospheric soundscape with the band in superb form, little bass lines, exquisite drumming, superb piano, and guitar, all contributing behind that powerful vocal. The violin has another great passage just after 3 minutes and then moves behind the vocals, bass, drums, and keyboards as the song finishes.

The final track, “Sapien” (15:22) has a keyboard and drum intro before the rest of the band pitch in and the vocals enter just after a minute. The melodic vocal weaves its way along before becoming more forceful around the 2:30 minute point. The haunting melody drifts along, almost as a touchstone as the track progresses. Around the 5:15 minute, the band leaves a keyboard and Jan Henrik’s voice to continue the story, then return under a minute later. A gentle piano and synth passage follows and the vocals re-enter. This passage is an excellent example of how to produce an atmospheric soundscape. The musicians make it seem so simple, but they are experts at this style. The tempo rises slightly before leaving just the drums, bass, and piano to continue to build the atmosphere. At 11:00 minutes, those beautiful vocals reappear and start to carry the track towards the finale. Returning to a previous theme, the band set about completing this superb soundscape. Sparse instrumentation behind the vocals slowly builds and the track starts to fade just before the 15-minute mark.

Fireworker is simply a majestic album that requires several listens and a fair bit of work on the side of the listener, but I would suggest that the listener spends the time and makes the effort. The reward will be the full appreciation of a superb piece of work by a group of dedicated, and very skilled, musicians.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson – Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
November 12, 2020

Tracks:
1. Space Cowboy (19:41)
2. Hourglass (04:15)
3. Fireworker (04:41)
4. Antique (06:24)
5. Sapien (15:22)

Prog Review: Jon Anderson-1000 Hands Chapter One

Release Date:  July 31, 2020

Label: Blue Elan Records

Website

The name, Jon Anderson, is inextricably linked with the band Yes, as the unique vocalist has appeared on at least 15 of the albums released by the band, but as a solo artist, Jon has released 16 albums. The debut, Olias Of Sunhillow was released in 1976 and the newest release, 1000 Hands Chapter One, is scheduled for release in July 2020.

Jon has a very characteristic voice which he describes as an alto tenor, although some reviewers wrongly class his voice as falsetto. The album being reviewed, 1000 Hands Chapter One, has its origins back in 1990, when much of the material was produced. It was then put on the back burner due to the commitments of Yes. Fast forward to 2016 and the idea of using this previously taped material to produce a finished album resurfaced. The list of musicians involved reads like a “Who’s Who” of major name musicians, including Steve Howe, Larry Coryell, Chick Corea, Rick Wakeman, Ian Anderson, Jean Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, and Carmine Appice.

1000 Hands Chapter One is an 11 track album with a total running time of just over 50 minutes (50:32), with track 6, “Now Variation,” the shortest at 1:02 minutes and track 4, “Activate,” the longest, with a playing time of 8:51 minutes.

The opening track, “Now” (1:13) is a short acoustic track that highlights the stunning Jon Anderson voice. Acoustic guitar and a vocal, so simple, but so atmospheric, and a wonderful opener to the album, which leads straight into track 2, “Ramalama” (3.49). The tempo has notched up a little, and the opening minute is acapella, with Jon’s voice being multitracked, before the instruments joining in. The track fills out with banjo (?), drums and violin, and has a sing-along feel to it, almost tempting the listener to join in, before gently fading out.

Track 3, “First Born Leaders” (5:22) takes off in another direction, starting with a gospel “call and answer” style vocal, again in acapella style. A steel band enters and changes the feel of the track, with the vocals settling into a gentle meander. Instruments appear and disappear over the main part of the piece, such as guitar and trumpet, as that superb vocal carries everything along. It is that amazing voice that holds the track together, together with the brass sound at times. At the last minute, the song reverts to the opening passage before Jon escorts the track to the sudden ending.

The finale to the album is track 11, “Now and Again” (3:39) and is a revisiting of the opening track but fleshed out a bit more, and forms the perfect ending to the album, having come full circle through a variety of different styles.

1000 Hands Chapter One touches many styles as it moves through the 11 tracks, acapella, steel band, gospel, strings, world music, and I even detected a little nod in the direction of Olias of Sunhillow, Jon’s debut album. On first hearing, I will admit that my thoughts were that this was a very different Jon Anderson album to previous releases, but repeated hearings suggest that this is an album that Jon has set out to produce and has done so excellently. His use of the different styles and the recurring themes reminded me of a similar album released by David Gilmour, Rattle That Lock, back in 2015, which was a very different style of the album from David.

1000 Hands Chapter One is certainly worth a few listens and it will then be up to the individual listeners to make up their minds. In my opinion, it is an excellent album, which seems to have different hooks each time it is played.

Jim Lawson-Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
June 28, 2020

Tracks:
01. Now (1:13)
02. Ramalama (3.49)
03. First Born Leaders (5:22)
04. Activate (8:51)
05. Makes Me Happy (3:50)
06. Now Variation (1:02)
07. I Found Myself (5:05)
08. Twice In A Lifetime (5:06)
09. WDMCF (4:11)
10. 1000 Hands (Come Up) (8:24)
11. Now And Again (3.39)