CD 1:
[1] Faith Healer (Harvey/McKenna) - 6:30
[2] The Voyeur (I Like to Watch) (Dick/Simmonds) - 5:33
[3] Punch and Judy (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 5:52
[4] The Company (Dick/Simmonds) - 4:16
[5] Script for a Jester's Tear (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 9:49
[6] Family Business (Dick/Lindes/Simmonds) - 6:18
[7] Warm Wet Circles (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 4:18
[8] Skainthe Mhath (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 7:03
[9] Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors (Dick/Simmonds) - 9:05
[10] Big Wedge (Dick/Simmonds) - 5:55
[11] Fugazi (Dick/Kelly/Mosley/Rothery/Trewavas) - 8:42
CD 2:
[12] Kayleigh (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 4:35
[13] Lavender (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 2:30
[14] Heart of Lothian (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 3:39
[15] Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors (Dick/Simmonds) - 9:41
[16] Credo (Boult/Dick/Simmonds/Usher) - 7:31
[17] Tongues (Boult/Dick/Simmonds/Usher) - 7:09
[18] Incubus (Dick/Kelly/Mosley/Rothery/Trewavas) - 9:23
[19] The Company (Dick/Simmonds) - 4:02
[20] Big Wedge (Dick/Simmonds) - 6:29
[21] Internal Exile (Boult/Dick/Simmonds) - 4:34
[22] Market Square Heroes (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 5:24
[23] Heart of Lothian (Dick/Kelly/Mosely/Rothery/Trewavas) - 4:57
FRANK USHER - Guitar
ROBIN BOULT - Guitar
BRUCE WATSON - Guitar
MICKEY SIMMONDS - Keyboards
STEVE BRZEZICKI - Bass
DAVID PATON - Bass
MARK BRZEZICKI - Drums
KEVIN WILKINSON - Drums
Recorded live at London Town and Country Club (11 Nov '89) and Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (15 Nov '91)
By 1988 Fish had quit Marillion,due to the usual musical differences
and personality clashes. With his new solo album for EMI (finished
in1989) delayed until 1990, Fish decided it was time to get back on the
road. He decided to set up a UK tour around the release of the first
single from "Vigil","State Of Mind". The band was almost the same as
the recording sessions; Mickey Simmonds on keyboards, Frank Usher on
guitar, Mark Brzezicki on drums, Steve Brzezicki on bass, Robin Boult
on guitar. The twin guitars worked well together, (with Bruce Watson on
third guitar for this date) especially on the Marillion material which
was still very prominent in the set. Mickey Simmonds was the backbone
to the sound, he had been with Fish for over a year, had co-written
most of the first solo album as well as directing the music and
rehearsing the band. The set was recorded at The Town And Country Club,
London on November 11th 1989 and was a triumphant return, starting with
the opening number "Faithhealer" (originally by Sensational Alex Harvey
Band). This version was used on a B-side for the second single "Big
Wedge" and the song has recently been recorded for the new 1999 album
"Raingods with Zippos". The Marillion material was accepted as
performed by the new band, with only Fish's stage clothes drawing a
negative reaction! After legal problems with EMI, Fish switched labels
to Polydor and new members David Paton on bass and Kevin Wilkinson on
drums joined the band. The second session was recorded at The Royal
Concert Hall, Nottingham on November 15th 1991, with producer Mark
Radcliffe. Once again there was a big production with classic Marillion
songs and tracks from the second solo album "Internal Exile" featured.
This release collects together the live sessions that Fish has recorded
for The BBC, featuring tracks from the first two solo albums "Vigil"
and "Internal Exile" plus live versions of classic Marillion songs.
I was rather surprised to find this two-disk set lurking in my local
Best Buy as I had heard nothing about it. Being a big fan of Fish, I,
of course, had to pick it up and hear what it was all about - well,
other than what the title The Complete BBC Sessions said. The set
covers two shows by the Scotsman dating from 1989 and 1991,
respectively. The production and performances are better during the
1991 date, a November 15 show at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall. The
first show actually bleeds over to disk two with the persistently
requested "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" (and "Heart of Lothian") ending the
London Town and Country Club show. The all too familiar guitar phrases
take on a different character here - not bad, but decided different,
making the track seem much sunnier than it was intended. In fact, it
almost seems to be out of another song. The performances for the 1989
show are a little too loose, where the band seems a little out of sync.
This isn't helped by the often-muddy sound. The band seem a little
sluggish, especially in comparison to the more energy Fish seems to
exhibit. Disc two fares better; the production certainly does as this
has a much clearer, crisper sound. The band sounds and feels more
energetic and more in sync. All the expected tracks are here, both from
his Marillion days and his solo career to that point. As Fish alludes
to in the liner notes, the circumstances surrounding his career at the
time (the whole EMI then Polydor "things") provide a subtext to his
performance here on the 1991 show. This well above the subtext inherent
in the lyrics anyway. "Vigil" has an extra punch, "Tongues," "The
Company" too. Because there is so much live Fish material out there
both legit and bootleg, it doesn't make this disk essential. I haven't
judged this in comparison to those other (legit) live disks, but it is
work buying if for disc two alone.
Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow www.progressiveworld.net - Your Ultimate Guide To Progressive Music
A quite comprehensive live album consisting of material recorded for
BBC Radio on three separate dates, this is a fine live testament to one
of the greatest singers and lyricists in the progressive rock field.
The material here spans Fish's career, featuring good chunks of music
from the catalog of his old band, Marillion, along with his later solo
songs. The recordings are very good, and the performances are nearly
flawless. The only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that a number
of songs are represented (in different performances) more than once in
the collection. The liner notes are very well done, written by Fish
himself.