13th Star
Encyclopedia
13th Star is an album by Fish
. Released as a limited edition via mail-order in September 2007 and to retail in February 2008, it is his ninth solo studio album since he left Marillion
in 1988 and the first since Field of Crows
(2004). Released on Fish's own imprint Chocolate Frog Record Company, retail distribution is handled by Snapper Music
.
, who was Fish's permanent bassist from the Sunsets on Empire
tour (1997) until 2008, was the main writing partner on this album (a role previously held by, among others, Mickey Simmonds
, Steven Wilson
, John Wesley
and Bruce Watson
). It features a rougher, more guitar-based and slightly industrial sound on a number of tracks and is therefore perceived as a departure by many fans. However, Fish had explored similar ideas as early as on Sunsets on Empire
and Raingods with Zippos
(1999). Also, a number of tracks have classic Fish hallmarks, significantly enhanced by the presence of his longtime companion Frank Usher
on guitars.
Most lyrics deal with, or are at least implicitly in reference to, Fish's failed relationship with Mostly Autumn
singer Heather Findlay who left him in 2007, cancelling their scheduled wedding. The title 13th Star originally referred to her as being the 13th female significant other in Fish's life, but ended up as a metaphor for an (unknown) future relationship. The original title of the song "Zoë 25" was "Micklegate
", after the place where Fish had proposed to Heather. The title also refers to the album as the 13th studio album of his career (four with Marillion and nine solo).
, previously strictly the bassist, emerges as the dominant musician on the album. Apart from most of the songwriting, he is also responsible for electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards. The main guitarist is once again Frank Usher
, who also co-wrote one song ("Openwater"). Keyboards are handled by Foss Paterson, returning into the line-up for the first time since 1997 (except for a brief one-off stint on the 2000 tour of Bosnia). He also co-wrote the only other non-Vantsis song on the album, the piano ballad "Miles de Besos". Further guitar credits go to Chris Johnson (of The Evernauts and Mostly Autumn
), who is also the second guitarist on the tour. Another Mostly Autumn connection is former Karnataka
drummer Gavin Griffiths, who played with them for most of 2007. Dave Haswell, who had already contributed to Fish's previous three studio albums, plays additional percussion. Female backing vocals are by Lorna Bannon, who had appeared on Songs from the Mirror
, Suits
and Sunsets on Empire
.
The album was produced by Calum Malcolm
, who had mixed and/or (re)mastered several Fish albums before.
. Although Wilkinson had designed all official album releases by Fish (with the exception of Songs from The Mirror), the more recent ones had largely been computer-aided ones, while the cover of the previous album Field of Crows emulated Vincent Van Gogh
's style. By contrast, the artwork for 13th Star, spreading across three sides a fold-out digipak
and the booklet, marked a return to Wilkinson's hallmark airbrush
style that had been a characteristic feature of the Fish-era Marillion gatefold covers as well as Fish's first solo album Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors
(1989). A vinyl version of the album was released in a gatefold
cover whose large format is better suited to the scope of Wilkinson's painting. The image of the "Dark Angel" navigating his boat from the booklet's front cover illustrates the style and atmosphere of the artwork for this album.
. On 6 October 2008, "Zoe 25" was released as the second single along with two live tracks (download and CD version).
(Fish's last album with Marillion), and so most of the set list was drawn from these two releases. This tour covered the spring and summer of 2008, with Fish giving a meet-and-greet for some fans before each show.
Total time: 55:30
Fish (singer)
Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
. Released as a limited edition via mail-order in September 2007 and to retail in February 2008, it is his ninth solo studio album since he left Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
in 1988 and the first since Field of Crows
Field of Crows
Field of Crows is Fish's eighth solo studio album since he left Marillion in 1988 and the first since Fellini Days . Released on Fish's own label Chocolate Frog Records Company, retail distribution is now handled by Snapper Music....
(2004). Released on Fish's own imprint Chocolate Frog Record Company, retail distribution is handled by Snapper Music
Snapper Music
Snapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by the late Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999 Snapper broke away from its parent company in an MBO in association with ACT and CAI venture...
.
Music and lyrics
Steve VantsisSteve Vantsis
Steve Vantsis is a Scottish bass guitarist. He has played live and recorded with River City People, Horse, Billy Mackenzie, Jill Jones, John Young, Candy Dulfer, Bonnie Tyler, KT Tunstall and Heather Findlay amongst others.He currently lives in Worcestershire with his partner and son...
, who was Fish's permanent bassist from the Sunsets on Empire
Sunsets on Empire
Sunsets on Empire is a studio album by Fish, the fourth with original material since he left Marillion in 1988. It was mostly written together with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who co-composed six of ten tracks on the original version and also produced the album...
tour (1997) until 2008, was the main writing partner on this album (a role previously held by, among others, Mickey Simmonds
Mickey Simmonds
Mickey Simmonds is an English session keyboardist, arranger and composer. He is best known for his work with progressive rock acts, Mike Oldfield, Renaissance, Camel and Fish...
, Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
, John Wesley
John Wesley (guitarist)
John Wesley is an American singer, songwriter and guitar player. John Wesley's professional music career began in the early 1980s in the Tampa, Florida area where he founded 1991 Southwestern Music Conference's showcase act Autodrive along with drummer/producer Mark Prator...
and Bruce Watson
Bruce Watson (guitarist)
Bruce Watson is a Canadian-born Scottish guitarist, best known for being a founding member of the Scottish-based rock band Big Country....
). It features a rougher, more guitar-based and slightly industrial sound on a number of tracks and is therefore perceived as a departure by many fans. However, Fish had explored similar ideas as early as on Sunsets on Empire
Sunsets on Empire
Sunsets on Empire is a studio album by Fish, the fourth with original material since he left Marillion in 1988. It was mostly written together with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who co-composed six of ten tracks on the original version and also produced the album...
and Raingods with Zippos
Raingods with Zippos
Raingods with Zippos is a 1999 Progressive rock album by ex-Marillion vocalist Fish. It was released on the Roadrunner record label, more well known for its heavy metal releases. Raingods with Zippos is often hailed one of Fish's greatest achievements along with his 1990 debut Vigil in a Wilderness...
(1999). Also, a number of tracks have classic Fish hallmarks, significantly enhanced by the presence of his longtime companion Frank Usher
Frank Usher
Frank Usher is an English guitarist best known for his work in Fish's band. Usher lives and operates a guitar-manufacturing business in Innerleithen, Scotland...
on guitars.
Most lyrics deal with, or are at least implicitly in reference to, Fish's failed relationship with Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn is a British band, producing music heavily influenced by classic 1970s rock. The group formed in 1996, and have built their reputation through constant touring, never signing to a major label. The group's early influences were Genesis, Renaissance and Pink Floyd, and folk music...
singer Heather Findlay who left him in 2007, cancelling their scheduled wedding. The title 13th Star originally referred to her as being the 13th female significant other in Fish's life, but ended up as a metaphor for an (unknown) future relationship. The original title of the song "Zoë 25" was "Micklegate
Micklegate
Micklegate is a street in the City of York, England. The name means "Great Street", "Gate" coming from the Old Norse gata, or street. Micklegate lies on the Western side of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, and holds the southern entrance into the city, Micklegate Bar, through which many monarchs have...
", after the place where Fish had proposed to Heather. The title also refers to the album as the 13th studio album of his career (four with Marillion and nine solo).
Musicians
Steve VantsisSteve Vantsis
Steve Vantsis is a Scottish bass guitarist. He has played live and recorded with River City People, Horse, Billy Mackenzie, Jill Jones, John Young, Candy Dulfer, Bonnie Tyler, KT Tunstall and Heather Findlay amongst others.He currently lives in Worcestershire with his partner and son...
, previously strictly the bassist, emerges as the dominant musician on the album. Apart from most of the songwriting, he is also responsible for electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards. The main guitarist is once again Frank Usher
Frank Usher
Frank Usher is an English guitarist best known for his work in Fish's band. Usher lives and operates a guitar-manufacturing business in Innerleithen, Scotland...
, who also co-wrote one song ("Openwater"). Keyboards are handled by Foss Paterson, returning into the line-up for the first time since 1997 (except for a brief one-off stint on the 2000 tour of Bosnia). He also co-wrote the only other non-Vantsis song on the album, the piano ballad "Miles de Besos". Further guitar credits go to Chris Johnson (of The Evernauts and Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn is a British band, producing music heavily influenced by classic 1970s rock. The group formed in 1996, and have built their reputation through constant touring, never signing to a major label. The group's early influences were Genesis, Renaissance and Pink Floyd, and folk music...
), who is also the second guitarist on the tour. Another Mostly Autumn connection is former Karnataka
Karnataka (band)
The Welsh progressive rock band Karnataka were formed in 1997 by founding members Ian Jones , Rachel Jones and Jonathan Edwards...
drummer Gavin Griffiths, who played with them for most of 2007. Dave Haswell, who had already contributed to Fish's previous three studio albums, plays additional percussion. Female backing vocals are by Lorna Bannon, who had appeared on Songs from the Mirror
Songs from the Mirror
Songs from the Mirror is the third solo album by singer Fish. It does not contain any original Fish material; instead it is a cover album featuring Fish's versions of songs by artists who inspired him before his career started...
, Suits
Suits (album)
Suits is the fourth solo album by former Marillion singer Fish, and his third studio album with original material...
and Sunsets on Empire
Sunsets on Empire
Sunsets on Empire is a studio album by Fish, the fourth with original material since he left Marillion in 1988. It was mostly written together with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who co-composed six of ten tracks on the original version and also produced the album...
.
The album was produced by Calum Malcolm
Calum Malcolm
Calum Malcolm is a Scottish record producer, sound engineer and keyboardist based in Edinburgh.He started his rock music career with the band The Headboys in 1977....
, who had mixed and/or (re)mastered several Fish albums before.
Cover art
The cover was designed by Fish's long-time collaborator, artist Mark WilkinsonMark Wilkinson
Mark Wilkinson is best known for his detailed cover art that he created for a number of British bands, most prominently the progressive rock band, Marillion...
. Although Wilkinson had designed all official album releases by Fish (with the exception of Songs from The Mirror), the more recent ones had largely been computer-aided ones, while the cover of the previous album Field of Crows emulated Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
's style. By contrast, the artwork for 13th Star, spreading across three sides a fold-out digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
and the booklet, marked a return to Wilkinson's hallmark airbrush
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
style that had been a characteristic feature of the Fish-era Marillion gatefold covers as well as Fish's first solo album Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors was the first solo album that rock singer Fish released after he departed Marillion in 1988. Although the recordings for this album finished as early as June 1989, EMI Records decided to delay the release until early 1990, to avoid collision with Marillion's album...
(1989). A vinyl version of the album was released in a gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
cover whose large format is better suited to the scope of Wilkinson's painting. The image of the "Dark Angel" navigating his boat from the booklet's front cover illustrates the style and atmosphere of the artwork for this album.
Formats
- The limited version (10,000 copies) that was made available by mail order only on 6 September 2007 was a digipakDigipakDigipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
with three panels which contained a bonus "making-of" DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and a 20-page colour booklet. The digipak is in a "spot-varnished" closed slipcase with the Fish logo over the Egyptian "star" design. The slipcase is usually shown as the cover in reviews and catalogues. - The retail version available from 12 February 2008 was a standard jewel case CD provided in an slipcase open on two sides.
- In May 2008, a limited edition (2,500 copies) double vinyl gatefold album was released as a mail order only release. It has the regular CD tracks spread across the first three of four sides, while the fourth side contains live versions of "Circle Line", "Dark Star" and "13th Star".
- Download versions of the album are available from Fish's website and iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Singles
The track "Arc of the Curve" is released as a single on 3 March 2008. The CD version contains only two tracks (the album version and an edited version of the title track), however, a download version including three live tracks is available from iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. On 6 October 2008, "Zoe 25" was released as the second single along with two live tracks (download and CD version).
Tour
Fish first presented the album on the European Clutching at Stars tour which began in the summer of 2007. In addition to focusing on the 13th Star material, the tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of Clutching at StrawsClutching at Straws
Clutching at Straws is the fourth studio album by neo-progressive rock band Marillion, and is a concept album. Released in 1987, it was the last album with lead singer Fish who left the band in 1988...
(Fish's last album with Marillion), and so most of the set list was drawn from these two releases. This tour covered the spring and summer of 2008, with Fish giving a meet-and-greet for some fans before each show.
Track listing
- "Circle Line" (Dick/Vantsis) – 6:04
- "Square Go" (Dick/Vantsis) – 5:31
- "Miles de Besos" (Dick/Paterson) – 4:22
- "Zoë 25" (Dick/Vantsis) – 5.19
- "Arc of the Curve" (Dick/Vantsis) – 4:29
- "Manchmal" (Dick/Vantsis) – 5:42
- "Openwater" (Dick/Usher) – 5:07
- "Dark Star" (Dick/Vantsis) – 6:48
- "Where in the World" (Dick/Vantsis) – 6:05
- "13th Star" (Dick/Vantsis) – 5:41
Total time: 55:30
Personnel
- FishFish (singer)Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
(Derek W. Dick) – All Vocals - Frank UsherFrank UsherFrank Usher is an English guitarist best known for his work in Fish's band. Usher lives and operates a guitar-manufacturing business in Innerleithen, Scotland...
– Electric Guitars; Acoustic Guitars (Tracks 3,4,5,9 and 10); Loop Guitar (1); Lap Steel (5) - Steve VantsisSteve VantsisSteve Vantsis is a Scottish bass guitarist. He has played live and recorded with River City People, Horse, Billy Mackenzie, Jill Jones, John Young, Candy Dulfer, Bonnie Tyler, KT Tunstall and Heather Findlay amongst others.He currently lives in Worcestershire with his partner and son...
– Bass Guitars; Electric Guitars (2,4,6,7 and 8); Acoustic Guitars (1,4 and 10); Keyboards (1,2,4,6,8,9 and 10); Upright Bass (3); Clavinet (2); Drum Loop and Programming; Samples - Chris Johnson – Electric Guitars; Acoustic Guitars (4,5 and 9)
- Foss Patterson – Piano (1,3,4 and 5); Keyboards (1,2,3,4,6,7,8 and 9); Organ (1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9 and 10); Strings (1,2,3,4,5,8,9 and 10); Music Box (4); Dulcimer; Accordion; Samples (10)
- Gavin Griffiths – Drums
- Dave Haswell – Percussion (1,3,4,5 and 10)
- Lorna Bannon – Backing Vocals (3,4,5,6,9 and 10)