Fish has announced that he will reissue his first two solo albums, 1990's Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors and 1991's Internal Exile, through his Chocolate Frog Record Company label on July 22. They will be the last releases from him as he approaches retirement.
"There’s a sense of completion in re-releasing the first two albums from my solo career as I approach the Farewell Tour and my retirement from the music industry," he explains. "They were seminal albums in their day and the recent remixes by Calum Malcom have given them a new life and energy and a completely different dynamic. Closing down the record company with these releases feels like a respectful and fitting exit and a dramatic closing of a door in my life.
Fish has also released a 2024 remix of his cover of Thunderclap Newman's 1969 Number one hit Something In The Air which featured on Internal Exile and which you can listen to below.
"I thought that with the General Election coming at us it is rather appropriate. The song was a number 1 hit for Thunderclap Newman back in July 1969 and part of the post-flower power rebellion movement. A bit tongue in cheek perhaps but it’s a very resonant lyric and this version is pretty groovy indeed and a perfect anthem for a summer of change!"
The limited edition deluxe versions come with nearly 100 songs on each, the original album and B-sides. The second CD in both releases is a collection of never-before released demos, with CD’s 3 and 4 containing live versions of all the songs from different eras and band line-ups providing alternative insights, renditions and performances across the years.
The Blu-rays have Dolby Atmos and 5.1 versions of the 2024 albums mixed by Avril Mackintosh and Andy Bradfield as well as two documentary movies filmed by David Barras and Scott Mackay; a complete in-depth introspective discussion with Fish of well over an hour and a half and another filmed interview with Mark Wilkinson on the artwork and his memories from the periods, plus the promotional videos of the respective singles from the albums are also included, with the 2024 audio replacing the original recording and remastered audio of two full concerts from the 1989 -1991 period that were previously released as ‘official bootlegs’ in 1993. The four shows were since deleted but are now remastered and brought together on these retrospective odysseys across Fish’s career.
Both Internal Exile and Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors will also be released on ‘standard’ versions as hardback CD Digipaks with 48 pages of artwork and photographs. The standard versions have 3 CD’s each; CD1 the 2024 remix, CD2 the demos and CD3 a compilation of live material from across the years.
There will also be a double vinyl album of each title available in a gatefold sleeve with insert.
Fish begins his farewell Road To The Isles tour in Europe in October before bringing it to a close in the UK in March 2025.
