Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors

About

"Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors" is the debut solo album by Scottish singer Fish, released in 1990. Fish had left Marillion in 1988. Although recording sessions for the album were completed by June 1989, EMI Records delayed its release until early 1990 to avoid overlapping with Marillion's album "Seasons End", which was released in September 1989. The track "State of Mind", featuring guitarist Hal Lindes and drummer John Keeble, was released as a single on 16 October 1989, more than three months before the album. Additional singles from the album included "Big Wedge" (27 December 1989), "A Gentleman's Excuse Me" (5 March 1990) and "The Company" (18 July 1990, released only in Germany). The album was primarily recorded at Townhouse Studios in London, with orchestral parts for "A Gentleman's Excuse Me" recorded at Abbey Road Studios during the first half of 1989. It was produced by Jon Kelly. The cover artwork was created by Mark Wilkinson, who had previously illustrated Marillion releases during Fish's tenure with the band and continued to design many of his solo cover. The artwork is based on a larger painting included in the gatefold LP and CD booklet. It contains visual references to the lyric, political themes and various hidden detail, including depictions of individuals associated with Marillion such as keyboardist Mark Kelly and manager John Arnison. The central image depicts a mound of consumer goods in a post-apocalyptic landscape, with a couple standing on top holding an hourgla. The composition includes symbolic references to Scotland, Fish's home region, and incorporates visual elements such as television sets and a computer displaying images associated with the artist. In the extended version of the artwork, these images are replaced with references to Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' painting "The Golden Age". The album is not a concept album, although several songs reference "the hill" as a metaphor for greed and consumerism. Its lyrics address personal and political theme. "State of Mind" reflects social and political disillusionment in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom, while "Big Wedge" critiques materialism, capitalist greed and aspects of American society. Some of the song's lyrical content had reportedly been considered unsuitable by Marillion during Fish's tenure due to concerns about its commercial impact in the United State. Other tracks address broader themes of materialism and personal relationship, including "Vigil", "View From the Hill" and "The Company", the latter also reflecting Fish's departure from Marillion. "Family Business" addresses domestic violence, while the bonus track "The Voyeur (I Like to Watch)" deals with media voyeurism. "A Gentleman's Excuse Me" and "Cliché" are love song. The phrase "wilderness of mirrors" originates from T. S. Eliot's poem "Gerontion" and has since been used as a metaphor in espionage fiction to describe disinformation and confusion. Several lyrical ideas from the album, including the "voice in the crowd" motif, can be traced back to Marillion demo sessions later released on the 1999 remaster of "Clutching at Straws". Some of these ideas were part of early material for a proposed fifth Marillion studio album with Fish that was never completed. Elements of these sessions were later developed further in Marillion's subsequent album "Seasons End", recorded with singer Steve Hogarth. Musically, the album incorporates a range of style, including progressive rock, pop rock, hard rock and folk influence. Fish, who primarily works as a lyricist, collaborated extensively with keyboardist Mickey Simmond, who co-wrote most of the material. "View From the Hill" was co-written with guitarist Janick Ger. Hal Lindes contributed to the writing of "State of Mind", "Family Business" and "Cliché" and also performed guitar on several tracks alongside Frank Usher. Other contributors included Mark Brzezicki on drum, John Giblin on ba, Luís Jardim on percussion, and backing vocalists Tessa Niles and Carol Kenyon. Additional musicians appeared on selected track, including The Kick Horns on "Big Wedge", Davy Spillane on "Vigil", Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain on "The Company" and Gavyn Wright, who also contributed orchestral arrangements for "A Gentleman's Excuse Me", recorded with a 23-piece orchestra at Abbey Road Studio. Fish toured the album in 1989 and 1990 with a band including Mickey Simmond, Frank Usher, Robin Boult, Mark Brzezicki and Steve Brzezicki. The album was remastered by Calum Malcolm in 1997 and reissued in several editions in 1997, 1998 and 2006. These reissues included bonus track, primarily B-sides from the original single, as well as the original 1989 version of "Internal Exile". Certain alternate single versions and a live recording of Marillion's "Punch and Judy" were not included. In 2024, a deluxe edition of "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors" was released in multiple format, including CD and vinyl box sets and a Blu-ray edition. It features a new remix and remaster, an altered track order reflecting an intended original sequencing, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mixe, as well as documentary and promotional material. Additional discs include demo recordings and live performances drawn from previously released material. .

via Last.fm

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