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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 17, July 19, 1976.

Beginnings — Fish Out of Water — Ramshackled

Beginnings

Fish Out of Water

Ramshackled

Atlantic. Running Time: 36:52

Atlantic SD18159.

Running Time: 42:48

Atlantic SD18167

Running Time: 38:21

1976 will go down in Rock history as The Year of the Solo Album. So far we've had these three, plus Steve Hackett's, and yet to come are solos from Anderson and Moraz of Yes, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherfored

Rutherford of Genesis (not to mention a possible album from Phil Collins' band Brand X), solos from each of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and two or three from various members of Roxy Music. And Then there's possible solo albums out of other supergroups. On top of all this there are to be group albums from these bands - a double album in ELP's case. For connoiseurs of (ahem) technoflash, 1976 is going to be an expensive year.

But to the albums in hand. Beginnings is passable, but disappointing. Most of the songs are weak, and Steve Howe has to be one of the worst singers I've heard. Any unknown presenting singing like this to a record company would be told to sod off. But Steve Howe is with a supergroup...... 'nuff said. Right down to the Roger Dean cover, this seems to have been marketed as a third-rate Yes album. Howe would have been better employed making a guitar album, for he is unquestionably one of the world's finest.

The guitar work on this album is for the most part unremarkable, but there are some nice moments, e.g. in "Australia" and "Pleasure Stole the Night". The instrumental tracks are very good, however, and the chamber-music-like title track, orchestrated by Moraz, is one of the finest mixtures of classical and rock idioms I have ever heard. Far and away the best track.

Chris Squire's Fish Out Of Water, on the other hand, is by and large very good indeed. Squire is undoubtedly the backbone of Yes, and were he to leave the group (heaven forbid!) would be well-nigh irreplaceable. Fish Out Of Water, is well-structured, the only weak point being "You By My Side", which is truly awful:

"You know I love you
I can't be without you".

Get the idea? Right. Also, "Silently Falling" drags on a bit towards the end.

The rest of the album, especially the whole of side two, is first class, however. The bass playing (which after all, is what a Squire solo album should be all about) is never less than forceful and dynamic, and at times is absolutely brilliant, confirming Squire's status as Rock's No. 1 bass player, along with Jack Bruce.

The orchestration is excellent - in fact, I think it's probably the best rock/ orchestra combination I've ever heard. Bill Bruford is on drums throughout, and it really is great to hear the original Yes rhythm section together again. Bruford's best moment is on "Lucky Seven" - sounds like Crimso all over again. This track also features the best playing from Squire on the album, and the best orchestration, a beautiful, expansive section that blends into the last track. I would rate this album 9 out of 10.

Alan White's Ramshackled took me by surprise. I really wasn't expecting such from him, just a lot of boring funk/reggae songs, the sort of things most drummers like to do in their soare time. Brother, was I wrong. White takes such a back seat here that to call it an Alan White solo is something of a misnomer. None of the tracks are written, or even co-written, by him, and he plays as part of a group, which is really great because as a group drummer. White is one of the best.

He doesn't sing either, which is a relief (I should also mention here that Squire's singing on his album is a helluva lot better than Howe's). A guy called Alan Marshall handles most of the vocals, and he has a fine voice, sounding at times not unlike Chris Farlowe. The recording quality is immaculate too (thanks WEA for importing the masters as well as the covers - how about doing that all the time, eh?)

Some of it is pretty standard rock, such as "Ooooh Baby" (not Lou's little ditty?) and is not bad at all. There's some jazz, such as on the instrumental "Avakak", a really excellent track with good guitar and sax breaks "Darkness' is bluesy for the most part then changes into a quiet piano/strings/ flute thing. Henry Lowther then comes in on trumpet, underscored by the strings and flutes, and the whole thing gradually builds up towards the end.

The only real lapse of taste is "Silly Woman", a totally forgetabble reggae number. I loathe reggae. It is the worst form of music ever invented. I think I'd sooner have the Bay City Rollers than Bob Marley.

My favourite, track, probably because it is the most Yes-like, is "Spring: A Song of Innocence '(which, for those of you that haven't taken Engl 304, is a poem by William Blake, set here to music.) Jon Anderson handles the vocals here, and Steve Howe contributes subtle, restrained lead guitar. The tune is very pretty, perfectly matching the mood of Blake's poem, but it is never twee. The instrumentation is beautiful, with rippling piano, subdued guitar and bass, and nice flute work. It is a relaxing, happy piece.

All in all, not a bad album at all. I feel, however, that the best of the Yes solo albums is yet to come: either Jon Anderson's concept LP Olias of Sunhillow (which will be either very good or very terrible), or more likely, Patrick Moraz's I, which has received very good reviews overseas (do hurry up with this one, Phonogram, and please, do it properly!).

David MacLennan

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