Fish Out of Water
Studio album by
Chris Squire
Released21 November 1975
RecordedSpring and summer 1975
StudioNew Pipers
(Virginia Water, Surrey, England)[1][2] Morgan Studios
(London, England)
Genre
Length42:30
LabelAtlantic
ProducerChris Squire
Chris Squire chronology
Fish Out of Water
(1975)		 Chris Squire's Swiss Choir
(2007)

Fish Out of Water is the debut studio album by English bassist and songwriter Chris Squire, released in November 1975 by Atlantic Records. The album was recorded during a period in which each band member of Yes had taken down time to produce a solo album. Some of the musicians Squire hired for the project were former Yes drummer Bill Bruford, then-Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz, King Crimson saxophonist Mel Collins and Canterbury scene flautist Jimmy Hastings. Squire's former bandmate in The Syn, Andrew Pryce Jackman, played piano and orchestrated the material.

Fish Out of Water reached No. 25 in the UK and No. 69 in the U.S. Despite it being well received by critics, Squire would not record another solo album until 2007, releasing an album of Christmas music entitled Chris Squire's Swiss Choir.

Production

Background and recording

In early 1975, between the US and UK legs of Yes's tour in support of Relayer (1974), the band agreed to take time off for each member to record a solo album. When Squire started work on his, he contacted Andrew Pryce Jackman, a childhood friend and keyboardist/composer, who assisted with the album's conception and orchestration.[1] Over the course of their collaboration, Jackman also contributed significantly to the writing. Squire offered to give him co-writing credits, but Jackman declined.[1]

Fish Out of Water was recorded in the spring and summer of 1975 in two studios: New Pipers, Chris Squire's home studio in Surrey, and Morgan Studios in London.[3] The title refers to his nickname "Fish", and being "...Out of Water" due to making music without Yes for the first time.

Songs

The introduction to "Hold Out Your Hand" features a passage played on the pipe organ at St Paul's Cathedral by cathedral organist Barry Rose, who had known Squire and Jackman during their boyhoods. The organ continues throughout the song, creating a rather original sound and reflecting Squire and Jackman's experiences together as church choristers. The title of "Lucky Seven" refers to the song being in a 7/8 time signature.[1] A melodic passage from Yes's song "Close to the Edge" appears in the finale of "Safe (Canon Song)". The closing passage on "Safe" was played on the 4-string bass section of a double-neck guitar, using only the pickups of the 6-string guitar section.[1]

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]

Fish Out of Water was released in November 1975. "Lucky Seven" was edited into a single by producer Tom Dowd which only saw a US release.[5] "Hold Out Your Hand" was later performed by Yes during their 1976 North American tour with Squire singing the lead vocal. One critic at the concert wrote for Circus magazine: "Some ten thousand people responded to the Squire tune with a standing ovation".[6] To further promote the album, a promotional film of "Hold Out Your Hand" and "You by My Side" was made in a studio; it featured mimed performances, with Bill Bruford, Patrick Moraz and Andrew Pryce Jackman appearing on their respective instruments in front of a small orchestra and against a white background. The orchestra was composed of players from the London Symphony Orchestra, who were on their way to record for another project. Squire could only afford a short amount of their time (roughly half an hour, which cost £3,000).[7]

"Silently Falling" is sampled on "Falling Down" by New Zealand DJ and producer P-Money on his album Everything (2010).

Reissues and sequel

In a 2004 interview, Squire said that he wished to produce a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album using the master tapes, but declared the recordings had disappeared from Atlantic's archives.[8] On 28 February 2006, it was reissued in the US by Wounded Bird Records.[9] This was followed in August 2007 by a two-disc "Deluxe Expanded Edition" released on Squire's own label, Stone Ghost Records, (distributed by Castle/Sanctuary Records). The set included bonus material: a single edit of "Lucky Seven", the promotional film for "Hold Out Your Hand" and "You by My Side", track-by-track commentary, and a 40-minute interview with Squire conducted in November 2006.[10][5][11]

Squire never recorded a follow-up, although he said he was frequently asked about such a project.[12] He had hoped to reunite with Jackman and work on one together, but such plans ended following Jackman's death in 2003.[13] In 2012, he reasoned much of the album's appeal and the strength of its music was down to his collaboration with Jackman. Though Squire had started to prepare pieces for more solo albums, he consistently found himself utilizing this material for band projects, including those with Billy Sherwood and Steve Hackett.[12][2]

In 2018, a 7-disc deluxe edition was released, containing all of the previously available material plus new 5.1 and stereo mixes.[14] In 2020, a one-disc blu-ray edition was released.[15]

Track listing

All tracks written, arranged and produced by Chris Squire.[3]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Hold Out Your Hand"4:13
2."You by My Side"5:00
3."Silently Falling"11:27
Side two
No.TitleLength
4."Lucky Seven"6:54
5."Safe (Canon Song)"14:56
2018 Deluxe box set edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
6."Lucky Seven (Single version)"3:29
7."Silently Falling (Single version)"2:59
8."Run with the Fox"4:11
9."Return of the Fox"4:02

"Return of the Fox" is the B-side for Chris Squire & Alan White's single "Run with the Fox" (1981). Both tracks are written by Chris Squire, Alan White & former King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's UK and US release liner notes.[3][10]

Charts

Chart (1975-1976) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 25
US Billboard 200[17] 69
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 86
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[19] 17
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[20] 8

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kirkman, Jon (2007). "Interview With Chris Squire". In Fish Out of Water Deluxe Expanded Edition (disc 2, track 3). Sanctuary Records Group Ltd.
  2. 1 2 Shasho, Ray (16 May 2012). "Chris Squire Exclusive Interview: Squackett, Jon Anderson And 'YES' On Broadway?". Classic Rock Here and Now. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Fish Out of Water. Squire, Chris. Atlantic Records. 1975. K 50203.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ↑ AllMusic review
  5. 1 2 "CHRIS SQUIRE - YES Bassist To Reissue Deluxe Edition of Fish Out of Water in August". Bravewords. 29 June 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Crescenti, Peter (13 September 1976). "Yestour '76 – Laser Show Intrigues Audiences". Circus. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Tiano, Mike (1 October 1996). "NFTE: Interview with Chris Squire". Notes from the Edge. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  8. ↑ Sparks, Ryan (April 2004). "Interview: Chris Squire of Yes". Archived from the original on 6 June 2004. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Fish Out of Water. Squire, Chris. Wounded Bird Records. 2006. WOU 8159.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. 1 2 Fish Out of Water [Deluxe Expanded Edition]. Squire, Chris. Sanctuary Records. 2007. 02182-36292-2.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ DeGagne, Mike. "Chris Squire – Fish out of Water [Bonus DVD]". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  12. 1 2 Ragogna, Mike (29 June 2012). "Making a Squackett: Conversations With Chris Squire & Steve Hackett, Plus Documentarian John Edginton on Wish You Were Here". HuffPost. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  13. ↑ Kirkman, Jon (1 December 2003). "Interviews – Chris Squire (Yes)". The Music Index. Archived from the original on 20 December 2003. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  14. ↑ "Chris Squire / Fish Out Of Water box set".
  15. ↑ "Chris Squire: Fish Out Of Water, Blu Ray High Resolution Edition".
  16. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Chris Squire Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  21. ↑ "British album certifications – Chris Squire – Fish Out of Water". British Phonographic Industry.
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