After departing Gong in 1975, Steve Hillage followed the same route as everyone else, by making a solo album. He enlisted some Gong colleagues -- bassist Mike Howlett, saxophonist Didier Malherbe, and drummer Pierre Moerlen -- and augmented them with others from his Canterbury past, keyboard player Dave Stewart (the two had played together at the beginning of the decade) and Henry Cow's Lindsay Cooper. The result, apart from revealing a slightly unhealthy obsession with fish (at least a change from Gong's pothead pixies) is a Canterbury musical delight, even if the lyrics are chock-full of hippie-dippy sentiment. There are plenty of complex time changes, easily and smoothly handled by the musicians, and while Hillage doesn't contribute as many solos as admirers of his style might wish, he does use layers of guitar to create some wonderful textures and harmonies. This is, in fact, a very sophisticated record, with interesting arrangements and some innovative production -- a harbinger of Hillage's future career behind the boards. On the few occasions he does unleash the fretwork, it's quite glorious, with his trademark echo letting the notes trail like a comet's tail. He doesn't need to prove he's the fast gun in town, simply one with plenty of invention. The real emphasis is on band arrangements and those multi-part compositions that were an indelible part of the prog '70s (as in the pretentiously titled "Solar Musick Suite"). However, pomposity is carefully avoided, and the musicians bring enough of their own personalities to the party, especially Malherbe. As a solo debut it's a success, taking the qualities of Hillage's previous gigs on board, but making the final product his own. It might be fishy, but it certainly doesn't stink. ~ Chris Nickson
Arrangers: Dave Stewart ; Steve Hillage.
Personnel: Steve Hillage (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); Bambaloni Yoni (vocals, percussion); Gilli Smyth (vocals); Christian Boule (guitar); Lindsay Cooper (bassoon, wind); Dave Stewart (piano, organ, synthesizer); Miquette Giraudy (keyboards); Tim Blake (synthesizer); Pierre Moerlen (marimba, drums, percussion); Didier Malherbe (wind).
Recording information: Manor (09/1974-01/1975); Manor Mobile (09/1974-01/1975).
Uncut (p.89) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The guitarist's flashy pyrotechnique is frequently a thing of sheer splendour." Q (Magazine) (p.121) - "Steve Hillage was one of the genre's rare axe heroes, merrily noodling his way through the '70s."
Good trippy fun Hillage never made a better record than this one, which strikes the right balance between his penchant for shimmering spacey textures and burning modal guitar leads. It's hard to be goofy and cool at the same time but somehow this manages to do it, mixing silly voices, abrupt rhythm changes and raga-influenced melodies into an accidental stoner-rock masterpiece. Submitted by MarkMyWord (New Canaan CT USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Gong redux Fish Rising was the first solo effort by Steve Hillage (guitar player with the space-jazz-rock group GONG). Perhaps naturally, he relied on several GONG band-mates and others with similar sensibilities (e.g., Dave Stewart of Hatfield and the North, with whom he played in a earlier line up known as Arzachel). The result is an album that could comfortably fit within the soundscape of Gong's "Radio Gnome" trilogy (although thematically, Hillage switched from space-related motifs to those assoicated with fish and water for lyrical inspiration).
The album features outstanding playing by Hillage on both electric and acoustic guitar. Didier Malherbe also supplies some heat on saxophones.
Given the radical shift that Gong made following the release of "You" (on "Shamal," which emphasized jazz-fusion styles) it is possible to see Fish Rising as the last Gong album in the Daevid Allen mode as well as Hillage's first foray on his own.
It's a great beginning for him. Submitted by jstephan (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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The Apex of Hippie Music The definitive, excellent version of Solar Musick Suite, which mutates in later albums into Lunar Musick Suite, and The Glorious Om Riff...Rhythmically complex, and Hillage is one of my top-rated rock guitarists. Here's how I rate 'em: Hendrix/Clapton/Beck/Page/Steve Hillage/Joe Walsh/Peter Green/Mick Taylor/Ollie Halsell/, so he's up there...Hendrix spirituality taken further into the New Age. No wonder Rundgren wanted to produce "L". Takes off where Gong left off. Positive message. A real, true spiritual hippie. The best of what we could have been if speed & junk hadn't creeped in. Wow! I just adore Steve Hillage! Submitted by millionrainbows (Austin, Tx, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
Gong redux
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