Customer Reviews

Raingods with Zippos

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I found out that there was a new Fish album out, I was very pleased, but was just hoping that we would see a return to the Vigil-style Fish, rather than the rather commercial sounding Fish we've witnessed with offerings like 'Suits' and 'Sunsets'. Well, here's my rundown of the tracks:

Tumbledown: A nice catchy number to start the album, with a delightful piano introduction, which also ends the track. Strong guitar sounds, and toe-tapping rhythm. 7/10

Mission Statement: Hmmm. I don't particularly like this track, although it's bearable. The lyrics are simplistic, by Fish standards, and this is definately the most commercial offering on the CD. 3/10

Incomplete: A gorgeous ballad, consisitng of acoustic guitar, moving lyrics, and great harmonies. Don't like the sudden ending though. 8/10

Tilted Cross: Another ballad, although not as good as Incomplete. Lyrics sung with a kind of a vibrato effect. 7/10

Faithhealer: This is the rocking tune on the CD - the studio version of the pre-released live version. True hardcore Fish this one. 7/10

Rites of Passage: This track is definately more focussed on the lyrics than the music, telling us of how, in real life, not everything has a happy ending. It has a nice melodic ending though. 7/10

Plague of Ghosts: Now, this is good stuff, and IMHO, is what makes this album so great. Listen to this on headphones, loud:

Old Haunts: "I found a home in the darkness" sung a million times. Wonderful background music - haunting sounds. Really sets the stage for what's to come... 7/10

Digging Deep: Great futuristic sounding music, wonderful guitar riffs, great beat, and typical Fish singing/vocal mix. Great stuff this. 10/10

Chocolate Frogs: After Digging Deep has reached its crescendo, we get launched into this haunting sounding track which starts with a Fish vocal, but goes into singing. The background sounds mimic the sound of waves lapping at the shore. 9/10

Waving at Stars: Gotta love the intro into this track, which builds up throughout the song. 7/10

RainGods Dancing: I love this piece. It has a wonderfully flowing piano in the background, and powerful lyrics, which reference back to Tumbledown. 10/10

The Wake-Up Call (Make it Happen): A rather simplistic song, but works well to end the epic. It's a shame that it fades out, rather than comes to a definitive end. 7/10

So, overall I give the CD 7.5/10 = 4 stars. Get rid of Mission Statement, and I'd give it a 5! Well worth getting, if only for Plague of Ghosts. And yes, the Vigil-style Fish is back!

I have all of Fish's albums and this is his most impressive. While all of his recordings have been quite good, I feel this is his most balanced in terms of tone-- tunes on this recording run the gamut from rather hard-driving to quite mellow. As usual, however, his original and innovative style shines and is never boring.

After dealing with record company woes from his previous release, Fish signs on to Roadrunner records for this album with the strange title. I've listened to this album many times and I still don't know the meaning of the title. Maybe it's a Scottish thing. "Raingods" gets incredibly mixed reviews from Fish fans. A lot of people thought it was pure crap while other thought is was one of his best. For me it is not his best release, but there is a lot to enjoy here. The first half of the album is shorter songs, none of them spectacular, but a few stand out. "Tumbledown" is a nice leadoff track and probably was written as a single. "Incomplete", "Tilted Cross", Rites Of Passage" are all decent enough songs and work fairly well with Fish at the helm. The songs that don't work as well are "Mission Statement" which is just kind of an overall weak track. Fish also does a cover of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band's "Faith Healer". It is ok, but really does not add much from the original. By far the highlight of the album though is the final section of the album, the 25 minute plus epic "Plague Of Ghosts". "Plague" is the most prog oriented work that Fish has tackled since the "Vigil" album, and for the most part it works very well. "Plague" is divided up into 6 sections that run in the 3 to 6 minute range. My only complaint is that the whole thing kind of peters out towards the end as the last section "Wake Up Call" is kind of a soft ending to the whole thing. That being said, this album is worth owning for "Plague Of Ghosts" alone and for me this was a good solid album from Fish.

Since he left Marillion he made some good and less good/bad albums.

But NOW he is completely back at the TOP.

I was turned on to Fish's music from a good friend in Germany. Needless to say, I have since aquired almost all of his solo career work. When I first listened to Raingods the only cut I liked was Incomplete...beautiful, however after several plays I can honestly say I Love It... Except for Mission Statement... No Comment. I Think (in my opinion) that it's time for fish to collaborate with another poet. I look forward to his next work. Buy this CD... you won't regret it!

No, the lyrics don't spin on a dime like at the best of the Marillion days, but they're improving. Best is the music which is solid throughout. Yes, I still wish he'd rescue Steve Rothery from drudging on with that stuff they call Marillion these days, as though the keyboards do well here, the guitar could use some more muscle and flair. Even so, it's a good album, hopefully showing things to come.

Very, very good work. Some songs like old Genesis and Marillion. Some like new music. May be best Fish's work in future???

I'd divide this album into two sections, "Plague of Ghosts", which covers the whole second half of the album, and "The Rest". From the earlier comments, it's fairly obvious that the "Plague of Ghosts" suite is brilliant, so I won't dwell on that. I just wanted to make a couple of comments on "The Rest". It's mostly good, but I'd avoid "Rites of Passage," and to a lesser extent, "Tilted Cross". In the former, Fish's vocals and lyrics, which are good, are overshadowed by a sop. sax. solo which sounds like something Kenny G. would do. Yuk. "Tilted Cross" is Ok, but kind of leaves me flat. It feels a little too thin. On the other hand, "Incomplete," and "Faith Healer" are both excellent. "Incomplete" is a beutiful duet/ballad, and "Faith Healer" absolutely rocks. More than anything, I'd say these two tracks carry the whole first side.

This is definately one of Fish's best albums. But in certain areas it just doesnt reach the same heights that Sunsets on Empire reached. The lyrics do fall flat in some songs but are saved by Tumbledown (very singable) and the Plague of Ghosts epic. If you are looking for classic hard, dark lyrics then buy Sunsets on Empire instead

The one thing that first got me with Fish was back when I first got "Fugazi" when it was released. I was 13 or 14 and the lyrics just grabbed me. The words of Fish were golden. But solo Fish is really starting to disappoint me. The music is o.k. on this but the lyrics are laughable at times ("like being parked on double yellow lines..."). He just isn't able to piant the same pictures in words. I love Fish. I want him to become the poet of old, but I'm losing faith. Musically it is his best. But then again it's not hard to rise above "Suits" All in all, it's good, but I know the guy has it in him to do much better. I just hope he gets a little bigger in the states so that his stuff continues to be this easy and cheap to get. It's also about time he released a version of "Faithhealer", my live version is getting old.