What does it sound like?:
Chris Squire, the voice and, er, “bottom” of Yes, released a solo album in 1976 with his fellow ex-Synner Andrew Pryce Jackson, plus heavy friends like Bill Bruford, Patrick Moraz , and the LSO. Tuneful progressive pop slightly less frenetic than the home band ensued, including OGWT favourite, “Hold Out Your Hand”, which did for the shortie kimono what only Keith Barron had done for the similarly lengthened bathrobe previously. The album is all present and correct, and as perfectly produced as it once was, along with a remix by latter-day King Crimson multi-instrumentalist, Jakko Jakszyk that makes it sparkle but in a slightly different way. Also included are singles and demos of “Silently Falling”, “Lucky Seven”, and the great Christmas single that never was, “Run with the Fox”.
What does it all *mean*?
Chris Squire’s musicality in Yes was often underappreciated in all the sturm-und-drang and whimsy around him, so when able to control things a bit more to his liking, you can hear what he brings to the show, which is a real sense of choral potential and clever arrangements. This is very tasteful progressive pop which still pushes the limits of the song without getting too lost in good taste. “Ramshackled”, it isn’t, and “Olias of Sunhillow” deserved a slap. Yes died with Chris.
Goes well with…
Red wine, sunshine, mulled wine for “Run with the Fox”.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Yes, progressive rock, 60s orchestral arrangements; choral music.
Baron Harkonnen says
This is a good album, that SE box set looks good, the price dosen’t.
Bargepole says
Good album but doesn’t seem to be much in the way of extra material available, so you get the feeling they had to rather spin out what they had .
Vulpes Vulpes says
I love this album enormously. I mean seriously. An awful lot. Given that I bought the original vinyl LP the day it came out, and still have it in its gatefold glory with cardboard inner sleeve (now redundant, natch) plus the glorious poster – both intact – along with a cutting from the NME’s review from that week’s edition neatly slipped inside the cover (“Blimey, Squire, what an album!”), and that I also have the first CD issue, which is by no means a poor mastering, and that I also have the remastered 2 disc edition from 2007 with the DVD included (Promo films, Interview and Audio Commentary), the chances of my buying this version just to get the “Run With The Fox” track are slim, and depend entirely upon how much it costs.
*checks the dodgers*
Pfffft. Fat chance.
fitterstoke says
I’m with V. Vulpes – original vinyl is still sounding very nice, so why spend the fortune on diminishing returns?
Great album – sat and played along with it for hours when I was learning bass (cue parents – “turn that bleedin’ racket down”, etc).
Vulpes Vulpes says
God, yeah, as a bass player I imagine it’s a motherlode of inspiration – the guy was a genius.
Twang says
He was Yes’s secret weapon, under the widdle a funky drummer (once Alan White arrived) and that punky boisterous lead bass going on. I bet “Hooky” learned a lot before he was too cool to admit it.
nickduvet says
AW’s a fine drummer Twang, but he could not have done what BB did on those classic albums. The boy had swing.
Twang says
Interesting view Nick. I never thought he had swing, though to be fair the music doesn’t exactly swing either. But he doesn’t groove like say Phil Collins or Alan White do. My view of BB is somewhat besmirched by two very long podcasts I listened to with him doing a career retrospective, and reading most of his book – he comes across as a purse lipped industrial strength whinger, without a good word to say for anyone (though implicitly he himself is quite brilliant, in a troubled kind of way). One should trust the art rather than the artist of course but I’ve never been able to shake off this negative vibe…
Neil Jung says
I too have the original LP from day of release, Run With The Fox is on Yesyears, so they won’t be getting any money from me.
Mike_H says
I was never enough of a Yes fan to bother with any of the members’ solo albums, although I recall being played “Olias Of Sunhillow” when it came out and thinking it was crap.
I acquired a copy of “Fish Out Of Water” out of curiosity a few years back and was unimpressed. Have not played it again since. Maybe I will.
I must have heard “Run With The Fox”, as it was included on Beany’s 2015 “Green Christmas” mashup. Cannot recall it at all. It has left no impression.
duco01 says
I remember buying the “Olias of Sunhillow” LP not long after it came out.
There were 2 things I liked about it:
1. that album sleeve design: progtastic! David Fairbrother’s artwork certainly gave Roger Dean a run for his money
2. “Sound out the Galleon”. That was a decent song.
As for the rest of the album …. I dunno. I was disappoint. Maybe I didn’t persevere enough. Didn’t give it enough time. Or maybe it just wasn’t very good. Who knows?
Abergavenny Thursday says
Superb album, but I’m not sure I’ll buy this edition. For a start, the extra music is nothing new, and I’m not a 5.1 aficionado. The current Prog magazine is a FOOW/Yes special with some photos I haven’t seen before and text from Sid Smith. I believe he wrote the notes for the new re-issue, and there might be a little crossover there.
The extra on the previous edition (mentioned by V Vulpes earlier) of Chris commentating in vision while he listens to the album is quite possibly my favourite CD/DVD extra ever. Just watching the nuances of expression on his face would be enough, let alone the ‘live’ insight he gives to making the album.
And you people being unnecessarily dismissive of Olias: it’s a beautiful, fascinating work, so there!
Junior Wells says
You can have my original copy. Near pristine.
Vincent says
That’s us told. I am duly bruised and will regard “Olias of Sunhillow” with more respect from now on. And “wondrous stories” is a great song, like Genesis’s “Follow You, Follow me”. Almost up there with “Circus of Heaven”. How I love fey new agey music about elves.
More importantly, what happened after 1977 that meant ‘Yes’ could only produce the occasional decent track, and their friendship bonds were regularly stretched? Devil’s dandruff? In-band infidelity? You could compile a passable double CD from the past 40 years of their output, compared to a stonking run up to that point.
duco01 says
“You could compile a passable double CD from the past 40 years of their output, compared to a stonking run up to that point”
Yes, this is sometimes referred to by musicologists as “the Stevie Wonder Syndrome” (after say, “Songs in the Key of Life”, or possibly “Hotter Than July”).
Abergavenny Thursday says
I was being light-hearted about Olias seeing as no one had yet defended it, hence the silly “so there!”. If you don’t like airy-fairy cosmic stuff, you’re obviously not going to like Olias, but I think it’s completely successful on its own terms. Overlook the vocals if you like, I think the instrumental passages – with Vangelis’s help – are superb.
As for Yes falling out, the break for solo albums in 1975 was critical and could have been the end – eg Howe and Squire had been getting more annoyed with Anderson’s dictatorial approach, Anderson was fed up with Squire’s drinking and unprofessionalism – but Wakeman’s return to the fold halfway through the Going For The One sessions temporarily revived the band. The follow-up Tormato was an unhappy experience in the studio, only Alan White got on with everyone, and he and Squire had other ideas for the band. This all came to a head during the next studio sessions during which the band split for good.
Which really should have been it, but two men called Trevor kept the train rolling…
Vincent says
I’m arsing about, too. ‘Olias…’ was a favoured album of mine in less responsible times. Without those times and the ‘enhancements’, it slipped down, whereas i think “Fish Out of Water” still works musically, even when my preferred substance of abuse is an early night.
Abergavenny Thursday says
Ah, sorry for the crossed wires. I certainly rate it ahead of Olias, but that’s still my second favourite of the Yes hiatus solo albums. Beginnings, Ramshackled and The Story of i all have nice moments, but how I much I like them fluctuates according to mood.
I guess Squire was at his peak as a songwriter then. His two songs on the next two Yes albums (Parallels and Onward) were written around the time of the FOOW sessions, I believe.
fitterstoke says
Olias may be a bit of a curate’s egg: but the good bits are streets ahead of Wondrous Stories (poor) and Circus of Heaven (buttock-clenchingly piss-poor).
Vulpes Vulpes says
There is one major flaw with Fish Out Of Water. It is far too short. I always play it twice.