Search - Matthew Fisher :: Journey's End/I'll Be There

Good records...

10/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Matthew Fisher was the organist for Procol Harum during its very finest days. After "A Salty Dog" -- surely one of the most underrated records of all time -- he went his own way and was not heard from until 1973. "Journey's End," the first of the two recordings here, is the better one, filled with lush melodies and Fisher's patended baroque keyboard stylings. "I'll Be There" is less successful, although there are some beautiful songs -- "Do You Still Think About Me?" "Song Without Words" and a few others. Be warned -- Mr. Fisher seems to have been a bitter man when these records were made (one cut is an urgent plea to never have to play or sing or, for that matter, hear "A Whiter Shade of Pale" ever again. But the air of English melancholy on "Journey's End" is quite winning and I'm glad these discs are finally available again."

Undeserved Obscurity

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 08/19/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For fans of the old Procol Harum, the trinity of Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher and Keith Reid was the foundation of one of the greatest bands to come out of the 1960s. Fisher, with his captivating organ, was the heart of the band while Brooker with his incomparable vocals and piano was its soul. Reid, with his brooding, often inscrutable lyrics was its guiding spirit. When Fisher left, the heart was torn from Procol Harum and it went on to fame and fortune as a quite different kind of band.
What then happened to Matthew Fisher? I like almost all of Procol Harum's line-ups, but with Fisher gone so was the ineffable aura of baroque melancholy which surrounded the band.
When Fisher left, I watched the record stores for any solo releases and was delighted when Journey's End was issued shortly followed by I'll Be There.
I was instantly enthralled by some of the songs on each of them but was sorely disappointed in the [weak]top-40 style commerciality of some of the others. So his albums eventually languished in my record room unheard and unappreciated.
Fisher recently rejoined Procol Harum, I saw them on tour, and that re-awakened my interest in his solo material. So I purchased all of his remastered CDs as featured on this site.
Journey's End features two songs instantly evocative of his work with Procol Harum. "Separation" is a wonderful instrumental that could have come from Procol Harum's first album, while "Hard To Be Sure" is a fine bit of introspection worthy of Fisher's A Salty Dog period.
Hearing the album again today with new ears, I also really like "Suzanne", his declaration of independence and self-worth on "Play The Game", "Marie", "Not This Time", and his bitter rant directed at Gary Brooker on the glorious title track.
The whiny, self-pitying "Going For A Song" knocks a star off of an otherwise fine album. Matthew, please don't ever play that song again, I can't stand to hear it.
I'll Be There is a much edgier album though at times it too wallows in Fisher's morass of self-despair.
There are a couple of excellent rockers with "It's Not Too Late" and "It's So Easy", the obligatory instrumental on "Song Without Words", and a bitter anthem in "I'll Be There". I also like "Taking The Easy Way Out" and "Cold Harbour Lane".
The maudlin "She Knows Me" and "Do You Still Think About Me" knock a star off of this album.
Fisher is a fine musician and a talented, thoughtful writer of intelligent songs when not feeling sorry for himself. His work has suffered undeserved obscurity which may yet be remedied now that he is back where he belongs with Procol Harum and their star is once again ascendant. Perhaps the band will record some of the best of both Fisher's and Brooker's solo work.
You wouldn't be reading a review of this CD if Matthew Fisher's music did not interest you on some level, so if you don't yet own this, buy it. You won't be disappointed."

Strong Prog-Pop

Kurt Harding | 06/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As virtually everybody that might be reading this review knows, Matthew Fisher was the organist for prog pioneers Procol Harum from 1967-1969, playing on the band's first three albums, and leaving (or getting fired) right after the masterful "A Salty Dog". "Journey's End", his first solo album, was released in 1973; "I'll Be There" was released the following year.
"Journey's End" is probably the inferior of the pair, although it has its highlights, namely the beautiful instrumental "Separation", the stirring, anthemic two-part title track. The album, though, is hurt by the leaden rhythm section, especially the drummer, and Fisher's rather bland, repetitious lyrics, although it's important to remember that in 1973 he was still quite bitter about being fired from Procol, and it definitely shows. (There are some impressive invectives directed at Procol leader Gary Brooker in the title track and "Going for a Song", among others.)
"I'll Be There" is, in my opinion, better, although it's nice both albums are available on one disc. Fisher's songwriting is much stronger, in particular the rocking "It's So Easy", which has an amazingly catchy Beatlesque guitar hook. The production is somewhat rawer and more bracing than the previous album (which, to me, is an improvement, but may irritate some listeners), but there are some nice touches, such as the dreamy, delicate electric piano and chorused guitar drifting through the diaphanous ballads "Taking the Easy Way Out" and "Do You Still Think About Me?". The rhythm section is also much more limber and fluid; in particular, bassist Jim Ryan displays a Jack Bruce-like rhythmic and melodic imagination on the punchy "Cold Harbour Lane", as well as elsewhere on the album. Fisher's lyrics are also an improvement; while there are still good-sized doses of self-pitying and/or "girl don't go" songs, there's a much wider range, from the incredibly hateful title track (sample: I'll be there to watch you wriggling as you burn/I'll be there to give the knife an extra turn), supposedly written about Richard Nixon, and the melancholy introspection of "Taking the Easy Way Out", to the wry, cynical "It's So Easy". Still, there are quibbles; Fisher's reedy, choirboy tenor isn't particularly suited to the raucous "It's Not Too Late", and the lush strings on "Not Her Fault" skirt muzak territory, although Fisher's outstanding organ solo saves the song from maudlin sentimentality. Nothing on either of these two albums is up to the standards of, say, "Pilgrim's Progress" or "Wreck of the Hesperus", but it's still some damn good prog-pop from an undeservedly unknown talent, and it proves once and for all that Fisher's more than "that guy that played organ on A Whiter Shade of Pale"."