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 Following Fish's
acrimonious split with Marillion in early 1988, wheels were set in motion
for a full-on U.K.
press inquisition. Pitting band vs. singer in a classic tabloid war of words,
mud was flung, lawyers were hired, lawsuits were filed, and Marillion
quickly moved to hire new vocalist Steve
Hogarth. Soon thereafter, the band released the
excellent Season's End to much
critical and commercial acclaim. Also important to note, from a fan's point
of view, it's important to keep in mind that any time a band of Marillion's stature splinters into two factions, anticipation for
new product from both sides is always enormous. And much like the Van Halen/David Lee Roth divorce, each
respective singer sought out counterparts/collaborators that would at least
equal or better their band mates (not an easy feat by 212m1215c any stretch of the
imagination). But, unlike Roth's
"let's pick the best session cats money can
buy" campaign, Fish had other ideas. Taking baby steps, Derek Dick (aka
Fish) took a more organic approach in enlisting the services of keyboard man Mickey Simmonds
to help with the creative process. But unlike David Lee Roth, Fish already had a
few ideas kicking around. One of these included the genesis for "Family
Business" (originally intended as the music bed for a track that would
later be called "Berlin"
on Season's End). Also under
wraps was as cut titled "The Company" written at the request of
producer Bob Ezrin
after a meeting at David Gilmour's house just prior
to the post-Clutching at
Straws writing sessions (which would put the final nail in the Fish-led Marillion
coffin). As tracking for Vigil got underway, Fish handpicked Big Country drummer Mark Brzezicki
and Dire Straits guitarist Hal Lindes
to join his team. Vigil would also feature an array of special guests
including future Iron Maiden
guitarist Janick
Gers, responsible for the main riffage on "View from a Hill," and backing
vocalist Tessa Niles (who also
appeared on Clutching at
Straws). Impeccably produced by John
Kelly, Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors is not only a worthy debut, it's also Fish's best solo effort. One of Vigil's
greatest strengths is that it not only features epics like the album's title
track and the magnificent "A Gentleman's Excuse Me," it also
showcases some super-commercial (not cheesy) material like "Big
Wedge" and "The Voyeur (I like to Watch)." It's also no
surprise that the more Marillion-sounding songs turn out to be the album's
cornerstones. First, there's the moving "View From a Hill," and
then later, album closer "Cliché." "Cliché" is not only
one of Fish's greatest love songs, it's also one of
his most emotional. Although never reaching the depths of despair of Marillion
classics like "Fugazy" or "Script
for Jesters Tear," it's equally compelling. As Fish veers in and out of Pink Floyd territory on the
aforementioned tune, one thing becomes clear as day. Artistically, it would
be quasi impossible to top Vigil. But more drastic, still, from this
point forward, Fish would be fighting for his life to retain his commercial
statues. As his financial problems spiraled out of control, so did his
popularity. As Marillion
took the more commercial path of the two acts, Fish's voice and passion would
be sorely missed. And if there was ever any doubt as to how integral Derek Dick was to Marillion's sound (the lyrical content goes without saying), Vigil
provides all the proof listeners will ever need. Side note, the remastered Roadrunner version of the album features five
additional bonus tracks. - John Franck
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