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Thread: Fish - Fellini Days

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    Progstreaming-webmaster Sunhillow's Avatar
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    Fish - Fellini Days

    One of the underestimated and neglected albums in the carreer of Fish, I think.

    Great album, full of slow songs that might be running a bit too long, but on a whole a grand trip. Never cared much for 'Obligitary Ballad', but that's the only weak track on the album afaict.

    Here's a couple of examples:




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    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sunhillow View Post
    Great album, full of slow songs that might be running a bit too long, but on a whole a grand trip. Never cared much for 'Obligitary Ballad', but that's the only weak track on the album afaict.
    It's the slow songs and ballads that turn me off to solo fish. I've avoided this album, as I do have most of his, but this description alone says I made the right move, for my taste anyway. I get the idea Fish sometimes fashions himself as a modern day crooner. That's not what I look to him for.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Yanks2014 View Post
    It's the slow songs and ballads that turn me off to solo fish. I've avoided this album, as I do have most of his, but this description alone says I made the right move, for my taste anyway. I get the idea Fish sometimes fashions himself as a modern day crooner. That's not what I look to him for.
    I actually like Fish as a "crooner". This album probably could have used more of that side of him and was one of his more disappointing efforts in my opinion. To me, the songs on this weren't slow in a ballad sort of way, they just sort of dragged on and never really clicked. Perhaps it warrants a revisit at this point, but IMO his last few albums have been much better. Upon release though, "Fellini Days" fell pretty quickly down to bottom of my Fish solo album list.

  4. #4
    Excellent album. So Fellini & Clock Moves Sideways are the strongest, but lots to love here.
    Sleeping at home is killing the hotel business!

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    "Our Smile" is the only real ballad-type song (and I could live without it). My fave is Tiki 4, which just has some brilliantly odd lyrics that fit Fish's delivery perfectly. As much as Fish would love to have hits, this is the kind of great song he comes up with in spite of himself. Catchy, but ultimately too weird for prime time. Like Lady Let It Lie or Tilted Cross.

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    Member sergio's Avatar
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    interesting... on each of his solo albums only the first song would work for me. Vigil, Shadowplay, Mr 1470 (with Somebody Special too), Johnny Punter... Can't remember anything striking from Fellini, Zippos, Crows, Star. Revisited Clutching At Straws the other day. That was seriously epic even by modern standards. The end of Marillion too.

  7. #7
    The end of Marillion? Surely you jest! A mere 13 albums later....

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    Here is a review I wrote back on 2007. I pretty much still feel the same about the album:

    "More record company problems plague Fish as he ends up releasing this one independently on his own Chocolate Frog record label. On this one Fish teams up with John Wesley as his main writing partner and guitarist. Wesley should be no stranger to Marillion fans. He was the band's guitar tech for years and has also put out several solo albums of mostly singer / songwriter type of material. He has opened for Marillion on numerous tours and is also currently a touring member of Porcupine Tree. Wesley's songwriting and guitar style contributes significantly to this album, and although this is not Fish's best I think it is a solid album. The album starts and ends with the sound of film running through a projector and seems to loosely focus around the film style of acclaimed director Fredrico Fellini. Fellini's voice can also be heard in the background of several of the tracks. Another big influence on this album was the fact that Fish's marriage of many years had fallen apart between this and the last album. "Long Cold Day", "Fog Dancing" and "Obligatory Ballad" all deal with the breakup in various ways finding Fish in both a reflective and vindictive mood. The song "Our Smile" appears to describe an affair, that the lyrics indicate, may have taken place before the ending off the marriage. This is pure speculation on my part, but that is the way the song comes across to me. The song "Tiki 4" takes the now single Fish back to his hedonistic ways hanging out all night with some truly unique characters while "the good citizens are lying asleep in their beds". The 3 longer tracks on the album are all solid. The opener "3D" clocks in a close to 10 minutes and sets the tone for the rest of the album. The politically tinged "Pilgrim's Address" sees Fish an all his caustic glory writing an open letter to the president. The finale "Clock Moves Sideways" is a strong way to end the album. I have not listened to this disc in a while and it has held up surprisingly well. In fact I think it really works on several different levels. The lyrics are some of the most personal Fish has ever written and the music, again with help from Wesley is fairly straight forward, but seems to work within the context of the concept. This is a very good album from Fish."

  9. #9
    What he said!
    Sleeping at home is killing the hotel business!

  10. #10
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sergio View Post
    interesting... on each of his solo albums only the first song would work for me. Vigil, Shadowplay, Mr 1470 (with Somebody Special too), Johnny Punter... Can't remember anything striking from Fellini, Zippos, Crows, Star. Revisited Clutching At Straws the other day. That was seriously epic even by modern standards. The end of Marillion too.
    Agreed, he had a string of great opening songs there, and they're pretty much my favorites on those first 4 or 5 albums. But IMO there are very nearly equally worthy songs deeper in. Brother 42, Internal Exile, Raw Meat, Cliche, State of Mind, more.

    And re Marillion, surprised you don't find King of Sunset Town a worthy song to follow Clutching. Such a strong return, IMO.

  11. #11
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Here is a review I wrote back on 2007. I pretty much still feel the same about the album:

    "More record company problems plague Fish as he ends up releasing this one independently on his own Chocolate Frog record label. On this one Fish teams up with John Wesley as his main writing partner and guitarist. Wesley should be no stranger to Marillion fans. He was the band's guitar tech for years and has also put out several solo albums of mostly singer / songwriter type of material. He has opened for Marillion on numerous tours and is also currently a touring member of Porcupine Tree. Wesley's songwriting and guitar style contributes significantly to this album, and although this is not Fish's best I think it is a solid album. The album starts and ends with the sound of film running through a projector and seems to loosely focus around the film style of acclaimed director Fredrico Fellini. Fellini's voice can also be heard in the background of several of the tracks. Another big influence on this album was the fact that Fish's marriage of many years had fallen apart between this and the last album. "Long Cold Day", "Fog Dancing" and "Obligatory Ballad" all deal with the breakup in various ways finding Fish in both a reflective and vindictive mood. The song "Our Smile" appears to describe an affair, that the lyrics indicate, may have taken place before the ending off the marriage. This is pure speculation on my part, but that is the way the song comes across to me. The song "Tiki 4" takes the now single Fish back to his hedonistic ways hanging out all night with some truly unique characters while "the good citizens are lying asleep in their beds". The 3 longer tracks on the album are all solid. The opener "3D" clocks in a close to 10 minutes and sets the tone for the rest of the album. The politically tinged "Pilgrim's Address" sees Fish an all his caustic glory writing an open letter to the president. The finale "Clock Moves Sideways" is a strong way to end the album. I have not listened to this disc in a while and it has held up surprisingly well. In fact I think it really works on several different levels. The lyrics are some of the most personal Fish has ever written and the music, again with help from Wesley is fairly straight forward, but seems to work within the context of the concept. This is a very good album from Fish."
    Very good review.

  12. #12
    Member Staun's Avatar
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    "Love, love and love", this album.
    The older I get, the better I was.

  13. #13
    Member sergio's Avatar
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    Hogarth never really hit that sweet spot of mine. Brave was the only exception, trying to head into the right direction. I even caught them live in Hannover in 94 or 95 (+/-) for Brave tour. But that was it for me, first 1/2 of album was good, second half was let down. King of Sunset town is a good one, and it was written before SH came in with DWD still blowing the pipes. What Colour is God is another one of those great midway numbers. 'Tux On' from bsides is killer, eh? and 'The Last Straw' And then there was Iris-Crossing The Desert, which I can listen over and over again, tho it was produced way too flat soundwise.

  14. #14
    I grew to really like this album, but I have to admit being at least somewhat influenced for quite a while by the negative reviews this got on the Dutch progressive rock page. http://www.dprp.net/reviews/fellinidays.htm. One of the guys there especially complained about Wes's guitar playing on this album, and I have to agree with some of his points, although I think "continuous string rape" is a pretty harsh.

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