Search - Fish :: Fellini Days

The magic is gone

Gordon Kelley | Eugene, OR United States | 11/29/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a Fish fan since 1981 and the early Marillion days. I have nearly everything he's ever put out, both before and after he left Marillion. Singles, rare stuff, live stuff, I'm a big, BIG Fish fan. And I have to say, Fellini Days is probably the worst record he's ever put out, right up (er, down) there with Suits. The disc is completely bereft of the creative spark that drives me to be a huge fan of his. Fish sounds tired, worn out, lost. The melodies are forgettable, the lyrics are bitter and depressed and easily the most boring he's ever written. I loved Sunsets on Empire, I really liked Raingods with Zippos, Vigil is one of my favorites he's ever done, Yin and Yang were interesting re-recordings, and I have most of the live CDs. This is a musician I've driven six hours to see.
I am completely disappointed with Fellini Days. Very unimpressive work from one of my all time favorite artists. It's not that he's changed his style; I like it when artists do that. It's that he just seems to have lost that creative spark, putting out an album that *sounds* like Fish but is empty where it counts. The man is capable of mesmerizing, brilliant, inspiring musical work.....but Fellini Days is a pale shadow, practically an embarassment, compared to what he's capable of. In "The Pilgrim's Address" he sings, "I'm no-one special, just an average guy"....he seems to be inadvertently proving it with Fellini Days. Come on, Fish, I know you can do better than this."