Customer Reviews

Field of Crows

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I don't understand some of the reviews given for this album. This is clearly one of Fish's best ever albums, it's full of a great songs!! In fact there isn't one song on the album I could say is naff!! I don't know maybe it's the big sound that's putting people off, but certainly not me. The songwriting is superb as is the playing. There's some cracking guitar solos on the album.

jvp601 clearly can't be a Fish fan stating the album as "just plain awful..." and "unlistenable..". Also I certainly wouldn't say that Raingods was average, that's another superb Fish album. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but to Unconstructively slate it like that is just pointless and unhelpful to people looking at buying the album.

There's a great mixture of styles on the album. 'The Field' is a superb rock anthem. 'The Rookie', 'Zoo Class' and 'Numbers' just completely rock. 'Old Crow', well how funky can you get! And 'Exit Wound' is a beautiful ballad

If you are a fan of Fish I'm sure you will love this album, even if you aren't give it ago, this is great stuff from the Scot!!

This album, the follow-up to Fellini Days, is IMHO, Fish's second best album (only because of Sunsets on Empire) The songs are excellent and the band is in great shape, it was great to hear Mark Brzezicki on drums again in a Fish album. Bruce Watson's melodies are a perfect complement to Tony Turrell's keyboards, and Steve Vantsis' bass playing, as always, excellent. If you are new to Fish, this is as good a place as any to start.

I'm kind of suprised at some of the bad reviews this album is getting. This is classic Fish! It has a good rock 'n roll feel to it, Numbers, Zoo Class, Moving Targets are some really good rockers. There's also some of the more slow songs, Exit Wound is really good, it has a kind of jazzy feel to it. The best song on this album has to be Innocent Party, this is one of the best Fish songs I've ever heard. How could you not like that song? If you like Fish or Marillion you will certainly like this album. Just don't expect "Clutching at Straws" part two.

Fish seems to have rekindled old passions and brought to life another winner. This is among his best solo stuff.

It seems like some people are unwilling to forgive him for leaving Marillion. It's not 1989 anymore ! This isn't as good as say "Childhoods End" but it does emote passion and soul. Fish still writes the best lyrics anywhere. This album is a lot more rockin' the the disapointing "Felini Days". It is certainly better than 99% of the PAP they play on US radio these days.

It's been in my cd player for 6 months and I still keep discovering new twists.

A definate winner!

Firstly, I want to state that I am a huge fan of Fish, not only during his time with Marillion but also his solo work. Brother 52 and the rest of Sunsets On Empire remains one of my all time favourite albums and even though I am a direhard SAHB fan, I have to admit that Fish's version of Faith Healer from Raingods with Zippo's is perhaps even better than the original but times have changed and Fish is starting to lag behind.

Perhaps it's my own musical tastes that have changed over the years but Fields Of Crows just doesn't excite me the way I had hoped. The lyrics seem old and predictable, some of the songs sound an awful lot like earlier works and I am left with this empty hollow feeling which is not what I expected or wanted.

Muscicians need to change with the times and re-invent themselves. If you look at the various transformations that Paul Weller, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel and others have gone through, you will hopefully start to appreciate where I am coming from. Fish is hugely talented, as a fellow songwriter/musician, I envy his voice and vocal range but after a while the songs start to sound the same and that's either a sign that he has reached his musical limitations (which I can't believe he has) or he is just content to produce the same sound over and over again.

I'm afraid I can't even pick out a favourite track because after listening to the cd half a dozen times, nothing jumps out at me. Does that mean Fish fans will hate the cd, probably not, but if you admire a musician, the way I do Fish, you end up being disappointed that he did not push himself more.

As for the artwork, it also leaves me empty.

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade but a new Fish cd to me, is an event and like a fine meal, when it doesn't match the high expectations you have set, it leaves you hungry for more.

This is a 5 star CD. I am very critical of Fish, I thought his voice on the last CD was awful!!!! But his voice sounds better
lyrics good and catchy. All those who do not like this have just gotten past there stage. This is Classic Fish, well as close as you can get these days. And for all who mock him, he lived a wild life and gave it to you in song, and paid the price and his voice paid the price. You would not have all the great past songs if not for his crazy days and nights. This is a great CD. If you were disappointed in the past this one will make you believe. Even if just for a moment.

Actually 4.5 stars. I love this album and could give 5 stars if it wasn't for the incompetent "Innocent Party" with it's anti-American lyrics
often typical of European artists who don't really understand how far and wide the war on terror is (David Coverdale big example) and how even if America has made mistakes in it's prosecution of it, America nonetheless is the only country with the nerve to prosecute the war on terror ... I mean the song borders on saying America 'had 9/11 coming' ..... (What a bunch of garbage). That's a truly awful song but good tracks include Take the Field, Lost Plot (great song), Moving Target and the last track, Scattering Crows - a song with tremendous emotion and desperation of a man
hoping against hope a woman who he wronged will give him another chance
and let him apologize ... the emotion of the track is enough
to bowl you over! Anyway Fish continues to be one talented SOB.

For this one Fish brings in guitarist Bruce Watson as his songwriting partner, although I know nothing about him. This album is quite different musically from Fish's past endeavors. It is more straight ahead rock n roll oriented with a bluesy edge on several of the tracks. I think it is a step down from his previous 3 studio albums, but it is a good effort with above average songs. Fish has definitely moved on to a more modern sound on this album which may turn off those just looking for his progressive rock past. You can't blame the guy for trying to move forward and for the most part it works on this disc. "The Field", "Innocent Party", "Moving Targets" are all solid rockers. "Old Crow" is downright funky. Is Fish singing about himself as the "Old Crow", or someone else? "Exit Wound" is another strong one and "Shot The Craw" is a great little ballad looking back on relationships lost. The album closer "Scattering Crows" brings the whole album to a climax and with the sound of a shotgun blast and crows flying up from "The Field". As mentioned earlier Fish has done better albums, but I enjoy this one a lot as well.

I'm a huge Fish fan but was hesitant to pick this up after reading some of the reviews. I finally found it in a music store during a recent trip to New York and am really glad I did. It's worth buying for "Numbers" alone. That is one of my all-time favorite Fish songs. I also dig "Moving Targets," "Exit Wound," "Scattering Crows" and have really warmed up to "Old Crow." Not the man's best album, but no artist consistently cranks out masterpieces. Still, some great works of art here.

And why all the hating on Felini Days? That's a brilliant album.

...but not more than 3 for the music.

Some might think He was in a good shape while recording this album, but in this case he(she) should try Raingods, Sunsets or the first album in Fish solo career.

There is nothing new since. The energy is missing and the voice has dramatically declined.

Even the singer himself doesn't seem to be convinced. Indeed he had been hesitating for a while before recording any new album and was planning to do something else ( a cinema career... ).
So if the only reason is money, finally the result is quite good.