Fish - Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors (Deluxe Edition) (2024)

‘Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors,’ Fish’s first solo album post-Marillion, originally released in 1990, has been remixed by Calum Malcolm for 2024. This new remix breathes fresh energy and dynamics into the album, giving it a new lease on life. The remix highlights fan-favorite tracks like ‘Cliché’ and ‘The Company,’ and celebrates the album’s enduring legacy as Fish embarks on a new chapter.

‘Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors’ was Fish’s first solo album after leaving ‘Marillion’ in 1988. After moving to a farmhouse near Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland, he began writing with his main collaborator at the time, keyboard player Mickey Simmonds, who had formerly been with Mike Oldfield. They were joined in the rehearsal room at the farm by guitarists Hal Lindes, who had recently left ‘Dire Straits’, and Janick Gers, who was about to join ‘Iron Maiden’. By early spring of 1989, they had finished writing the album, and in March 1989, Fish performed his first solo gig at a benefit night at the Rex Cinema in Lockerbie. The band on stage included drummer John Keeble from ‘Spandau Ballet’, Frank Usher on guitar, Bruce Watson from ‘Big Country’ on mandolin, Neil Hay on bass guitar, and Alison Jones on fiddle. Apart from Alison and Neil, all the musicians on stage that night, including Mickey, Hal, and Janick, would join Fish on the recording of the album at Townhouse Studios in London that summer.

Jon Kelly (Deacon Blue, Kate Bush, Chris Rea) came in as producer, and although John Keeble would play on a couple of the studio tracks, the rhythm section was comprised of Scottish bass player John Giblin (Kate Bush, John Martyn, Simple Minds) and drummer Mark Brzezicki from ‘Big Country’.

Other musicians who would appear on the album were Scottish folk musicians Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain on accordion and fiddle respectively, who, with Davie Spillane on Uilleann pipes, contributed to ‘The Company’ and an early version of ‘Internal Exile’ as well as the title track. Luis Jardin added percussion, The Kick Horns were the brass components of ‘Big Wedge’, and the backing vocals were provided by Tessa Niles and Carol Kenyon.

All the tracks on the album were put down at the Townhouse Studios apart from ‘A Gentleman’s Excuse Me’, which was recorded in the Abbey Road main studio with a 23-piece orchestra. Mixing took place at Olympic Studios, and the album was completed in the late summer of 1989.

‘State of Mind’ was the first single from the album and was a Top 40 hit in October when Fish embarked on his first solo tour that took him up to the Scottish Highlands and islands. Hal Lindes declined the opportunity to join the touring band, and old friend Frank Usher stepped in with another friend from Aylesbury, Robin Boult, on guitars. Mark Brzezicki would come out on drums and be joined by his brother Steve on bass. Mickey Simmonds became the lynchpin of that band lineup, which would carry on touring until mid-1990.

The second single, ‘Big Wedge’, was a UK Top 20 and preceded the album release in late January 1990. ‘Vigil’ was a Top 5 album in the UK and Top 20 across Europe. The third single, ‘A Gentleman’s Excuse Me’, although a Top 30 in March 90, added to the depth of the album, and as a first solo release, ‘Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors’ was acclaimed by critics internationally.

Seen as a touchstone album in Fish’s career, it quickly became a fan favorite with songs like the epic title track and ‘Cliché’, which featured a defining Frank Usher guitar solo, ranking high in estimations. The broody, dark, and powerful ‘Family Business’ sat comfortably beside the rock of ‘Big Wedge’ and its blasting brass section, and the groove and acoustic slide of ‘State of Mind’. Janick Gers’s contribution to the writing, ‘View from Hill’, has finally found its place in the 2024 Calum Malcolm remix, and ‘The Company’, an anthem amongst the fans, is still a crowning moment.

The songs from this album are ever present in set lists, and this remix and reissue have been long overdue, with the album having last been released nearly 25 years ago. The 2024 Calum Malcolm remix gives the original album an entirely new energy and dynamic, and a completely new lease on life. A perfect legacy and a wonderful closing of a circle as Fish moves into another new chapter in his life.