Bish

Stephen Bishop | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 1, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 1978
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hip-O Select
• ASIN: B000BQ4NJM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,944 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. If I Only Had a Brain

2. Losing Myself in You

3. Looking for the Right One

4. Everybody Needs Love

5. A Fool at Heart

6. What Love Can Do

7. Prelude: Vagabond from Heaven

8. Bish's Hideaway

9. Only the Heart Within You

10. Recognized

11. I've Never Known a Nite Like This

12. When I Was in Love

Editorial Reviews

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) pressing of this rock album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Universal. 2008. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars solid, intriguing sophomore album from Stephen Bishop, October 14, 2005

By 

Dave "missing person" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bish (Audio CD)

Stephen Bishop's 1978 second album, "Bish" (titled after his nickname, of course), is an ambitious effort with very much of a cinematic feel to it--it figures that this guy has done lots of soundtrack work over the years. It's telling that Bish starts the album off with an instrumental cover version of "The Wizard Of Oz" tune "If I Only Had A Brain". There's also the brief "Recognized" which seems like something that was written for a 1920s musical, and the same thing pretty much goes for "What Love Can Do", the latter of which adds caveman-style background vocals to the mix. Admittedly, these 3 aforementioned tracks are ultimately all minor works. However, there are a bunch of gems here showcasing Bishop's classy songwriting, as well as his highly expressive and smooth vocals. The piano lead orchestrated ballad "Looking For The Right One" is tender and affecting. "Everybody Needs Love" is an incredibly catchy uptempo song with an infectious extended high note from Bishop that arrives toward the end. The dramatic, epic ballad "A Fool At Heart" is sumptuous. The brilliant "Vagabond From Heaven" is an exciting uptempo song with witty lyrics seemingly about his troubles with his stepfather as a kid. The fittingly tropical-flavored "Bish's Hideaway" is a soothing, sighing ballad with defeatist lyrics and excellent melodicism. "I've Never Known A Nite Like This" is an evocative song with a 'rainy day' feel on the verses and a great catchy chorus. Also very pleasant is the mid-tempo pop-rocker "Losing Myself In You" which has Michael McDonald on background vocals. "Only The Heart Within You" is a quality piece of songwriting, but unfortunately it's very much marred by the overproduction/ excessive synthesizer layers. The album closer "When I Was In Love" is okay, but weepy. So, "Bish" is certainly a flawed album, but the great stuff makes it a mighty fine album anyway. If all you have from Bish is the "On And On--The Hits Of Stephen Bishop" and/ or his "20th Century Masters" disc, and you want to dig deeper, you won't regret getting a copy of "Bish".

"Bish" was lovingly reissued on CD in 2005 by Hip-O-Select Records, with excellent remastering, as well as a recreation of the layout of the original gatefold vinyl LP--if you're looking to get the album, this is the version I recommend you go for.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plush, quirky, intelligent music, October 22, 1999

By 

A. Butterfield (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bish (Audio CD)

This is one of my very favourite albums. I bought it back in 1978 and have been playing it regularly ever since. I've never tired of it. It's a very "complete" album, with no dud songs you'll want to skip past. Stephen Bishop's lyrics are memorable and unusual as always; songs like Vagabond from Heaven take quite a while to lodge in your brain but once they do... you just wish Stephen had been a little more prolific. This album is very nearly as good as his Careless album.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richly layered, August 29, 1999

By 

Harry A. Torres "T-Bone" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bish (Audio CD)

Not the kind of music you would expect out this songwriter. Varying music types and rhythms lead to richly layered songs highlighted by lyrics of characters and lost loves. I'm pleased to see that is finally available. I origionally bought this on cassette for 1 track. Although I was not a great fan of MR. Bishop I found myself being taken in by this recording on it's first listening. My often repaired cassette can now be retired and now I can enjoy this recording without fear of hearing it for the last time.