2024 marks the coming together and closure of some powerful circles in the career of FISH, enigmatic solo artist for the last 36 years and former frontman of the band Marillion.
In October he begins his farewell ‘Road to the Isles’ tour in Europe before bringing it to a close in the UK in March 2025 with a string of highly anticipated shows in iconic venues across the country (see dates here). Ahead of that, he will be re-releasing his first two solo albums, ‘Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors‘ and ‘Internal Exile‘ as the final projects on his own Chocolate Frog Record Company label.
“There’s a sense of completion in re-releasing the first two albums from my solo career as I approach the Farewell Tour and my retirement from the music industry,” explains FISH. “They were seminal albums in their day and the recent remixes by Calum Malcom have given them a new life and energy and a completely different dynamic. Closing down the record company with these releases feels like a respectful and fitting exit and a dramatic closing of a door in my life.”
To celebrate the announcement, FISH’s much-loved cover version of the Thunderclap Newman classic hit ‘Something In The Air’ is being released as a single, in its brand new, remixed version. His original take on it featured on the ‘Internal Exile‘ album and was released as a single by Polydor in the summer of 1991. It was FISH’s last-ever release on a major label before he became a fully independent artist.
“I thought that with the General Election coming at us it is rather appropriate. The song was a number 1 hit for Thunderclap Newman back in July 1969 and part of the post flower power rebellion movement. A bit tongue in cheek perhaps but it’s a very resonant lyric and this version is pretty groovy indeed and a perfect anthem for a summer of change!”
‘Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors‘ and ‘Internal Exile‘ will be released simultaneously on July 22nd in three formats of each title. The deluxe 4 CD + Blu-ray version comes with a hardback book in a slipcase featuring 100 pages that contain over 13,000 words of brand new sleeve notes written by FISH, with artwork by Mark Wilkinson and photographs and images from throughout the eras.
The first CD of each deluxe release is the original album and B-sides remixed by Calum Malcolm, producer of FISH’s final studio album Weltschmerz, which was released to huge international acclaim in 2020. The second CD in both releases is a collection of never-before released demos, with CD’s 3 and 4 containing live versions of all the songs from different eras and band line-ups providing alternative insights, renditions and performances across the years.
The Blu-rays have Dolby Atmos and 5.1 versions of the 2024 albums mixed by Avril Mackintosh and Andy Bradfield who mixed the recent ‘13th Star‘ album as well as the Marillion remaster series released by Warners in the last few years. It also contains two documentary movies filmed by David Barras and Scott Mackay; a complete in-depth introspective discussion with FISH of well over an hour and a half and another filmed interview with Mark Wilkinson on the artwork and his memories from the periods.
The promotional videos of the respective singles from the albums are also included, with the 2024 audio replacing the original recording. Finally each Blu-ray will have remastered audio of two full concerts from the 1989 -1991 period that were previously released as ‘official bootlegs’ in 1993. The four shows were since deleted but are now remastered and brought together on these retrospective odysseys across FISH’s career.
The deluxe versions are as completist as they come with nearly 100 songs on each and as such are limited edition releases. A complete track listing of all the CD’s and the Blu rays on both titles is available on FISH’s official website www.fishmusic.scot
Both ‘Internal Exile‘ and ‘Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors‘ are also released on ‘standard’ versions which are in hardback CD Digipaks with 48 pages of artwork and photographs. The standard versions have 3 CD’s each; CD1 the 2024 remix, CD2 the demos and CD3 a compilation of live material from across the years.
Finally there will be a double vinyl album of each title available in a gatefold sleeve with insert. The 180 gm discs have been mastered by Barry Grint at Alchemy mastering studios in London and are pressed by Sea Bass vinyl in Scotland to ensure the best quality possible. The three formats of both titles are exclusively available for pre order now from www.fishmusic.scot
Remixing the albums was a labour of love for Calum Malcolm who has also previously mixed the 2012 album ‘Feast Of Consequences‘ and most recently the stunning 2023 remix of ‘13th Star‘ which he originally produced in 2007.
FISH reveals: “‘Internal Exile‘ was my ‘difficult second solo album’ and the first recorded here at my studio after it was built in 1990. Chris Kimsey did a great job back then under the circumstances but we were under a lot of pressure from many sources and while the recordings were superb we were never truly happy with the mixes.
“Calum has become an integral part of my creative team and after I heard his work on Internal Exile we both looked at each other and went ‘Why not ‘Vigil‘. Again Jon Kelly had made a fabulous recording and although I was nervous at remixing such a touchstone album in my career the results are absolutely fantastic and like ‘Internal Exile‘, ‘Vigil’ has been given a complete makeover and a new lease of life.
“Bringing Calum’s remixes together with Steve Vantsis, my principal co-writer who has done a fantastic job as a designer, we have worked tirelessly to create these substantial deluxe editions. I really wanted to make a statement on these issues, and they became all-encompassing on every level.
“Putting together the sleeve notes for these releases was probably the most difficult piece of writing I’ve ever had to manage. From 1988 to 1991 was a hugely important and eventful period in my life which involved my resignation from Marillion and the ensuing legal fracas, my move back to Scotland, the building of my recording studio and a High Court litigation with a major record company, the birth of my daughter Tara as well as the writing of two incredibly important albums.
“It was quite difficult at times retracing the dramas while at the same time listening to the demo recordings from those early days when I first moved in here with a fledgling solo career. There were quite a few poignant moments as I recounted when I was building the studio which would ultimately become my home, and which is now up for sale as I commit to the next part of my life outside of the music business as a crofter on an island in the Outer Hebrides. The irony was never lost, and I was so aware of those huge circles closing. To be honest it gave me a massive inner smile”
“Capturing all of that in what became nearly 30,000 words required a lot of careful editing and compressing but I think I’ve managed a quite revealing read across the two albums. The deluxe versions are legacy products and in all honesty there were times when I thought we were putting in too much content as the numbers were starting to not make sense. My attitude however was that these were special and deserved the care and attention and I’m glad we did it. These are something I can be really proud of.”
To accompany these two landmark – and final – releases FISH is making available to download the 2024 remixes of the radio edits of all the singles from the two albums as WAV files from the www.fishmusic.scot website.
These include ‘State of Mind’, the first ever solo single released in October 1989, which went Top 40 in the UK; ‘Big Wedge’ a Top 20 UK hit and ‘A Gentleman’s Excuse Me’ the third Top 40 UK hit from the ‘Vigil In A Wilderness of Mirrors‘ album. And from ‘Internal Exile‘, the Top 20 hit ‘Credo’ and the Top 40 title track will also be available as well as the afore-mentioned ‘Something in the Air’ and the 1995 re-recording of ‘Just Good Friends’, a wonderful duet with Sam Brown originally released on a ‘Best Of‘ album and now part of the new ‘Internal Exile‘ remix set.
All of these 2024 remixed single edits have been added to the original promotional videos which will be themselves put up on FISH’s YouTube channel in the coming weeks.
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