For those not in the know, recorded in the late Spring and Summer of 1975 while Yes was on hiatus as members recorded their respective solo albums, Fish Out Of Water was a breathtaking work, and equal in standard to any Yes album in terms of sheer invention and creativity.

The album was essentially a collaboration between Chris Squire and his friend Andrew Pryce Jackman, a gifted arranger who had been a member of The Syn, Squire’s band prior to the formation of Yes.

The sessions saw contributions from former Yes drummer Bill Bruford, Yes keyboard player Patrick Moraz and noted musicians Mel Collins and Jimmy Hastings. The album was a Top 30 chart hit in the UK and made the US Billboard Top 75 album chart, going on to sell nearly 500,000 copies worldwide.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fish Out Of Water, acclaimed engineer Stephen W Tayler has prepared wonderful new Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo mixes of this record all featured in this two-disc CD and Blu-ray set. The finished results are both stunning and revealing and are a fitting tribute to the creative vision of Chris Squire.

For me, and simply put, Fish Out Of Water is just a spectacular masterpiece. Furthermore, “Silently Falling” is in my top ten favorite songs by anyone ever. Although Squire and White were already proving themselves to be a formidable rhythm section, Squire and Bruford had a rare musical chemistry that I wish could have been explored further.

For me, as a HUGE Yes fan, I think it’s a really good album overall. “You By My Side” is arguable, but I think the song sounds better commercially than anything Yes ever did. I know there will be a lot of people who angrily disagree with me, but it is also crazy that the track didn’t do better on the radio and in the actual charts.

Moving on, and in my humble opinion anything Bruford touches is gold, and adding Squire in the mix creates such a lightening in a bottle rhythm section. There isn’t a weak song. Actually, there isn’t a song that I don’t listen to regularly even today.

On a side note, I sort of wish John Wetton had more of the whole flying brick wall content in his years following KC and UK. That shit was fire, and though his later content was commercial, it never slapped as hard. Too bad.

In closing, Fish Out Of Water is simply brilliant and masterful from start to finish. I honestly think it’s a damn near flawless album, and I’m sad Squire really never re-visited it or made anything like it ever again.

DISC ONE - CD
The 50th anniversary Stereo mix by Stephen W. Tayler
1. Hold Out Your Hand
2. You By My Side
3. Silently Falling
4. Lucky Seven
5. Safe (Canon Song)
6. Silently Falling (single version) [Bonus track]

DISC TWO - BLU-RAY
The 50th anniversary mixes by Stephen W Tayler. (Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & Stereo)
1. Hold Out Your Hand
2. You By My Side
3. Silently Falling
4. Lucky Seven
5. Safe (Canon Song)
6. Silently Falling (single version) [Bonus track]
7. Fish Out Of Water [Visual content]
8. The promotional film featuring Hold Out Your Hand and You By My Side [Visual content]
9. 2006 Fish Out Of Water - Audio commentary with Chris Squire [Visual content]

Chris Squire @ Facebook

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