The stock of melodic Northumberland-based proggers Stuckfish has been rising since they formed six years ago. Their fourth studio album, Stuckfish IV, represents an important watershed in the band's musical evolution. Co-founders Adrian Fisher and Phil Stuckey tell Prog about the diverse influences that have helped to shape it.
Musical inspiration springs from many obscure places, but Stuckfish co-founder Adrian Fisher hit on an unlikely source while in the queue for the Tyne Tunnel’s telephone hotline.
“The on-hold music had quite a nice keyboard sound, so after the phone call, I got out my Logic Pro and played around with a couple of chords which came pretty close to what I’d heard,” recounts Fisher, the band’s guitarist, producer and composer.
With lyrics later supplied by fellow co-founder Phil Stuckey, this was the genesis of Fragile, the band’s first-ever three-minute pop song, which appears on Stuckfish IV.
The north-east quintet’s fourth studio album is full of ‘firsts.’ “The whole Stuckfish ethos is try to do something we haven’t done before,” Fisher explains. “We also aim to please ourselves; so with every song, we ask ourselves, ‘Do we like it?’”
New features include intricate vocal harmony arrangements, previously untried guitar effects and a keyboards solo courtesy of recently arrived Paul McNally, who completes the line-up along with regular members drummer Adam Sayers and bassist Phil Morey. It’s also the first album that they’ve released on White Knight Records, and the first with the bandname in its title.
With Bill Nelson, Muse, Kansas and David Bowie cited among Stuckfish IV’s influences, nine new songs showcase the latest enhancements to their traditionally melodic, thoughtful sound. Illustrating this perfectly is the opener, Shadows & Moonbeams, on which Stuckey’s vocal harmonies bring a particularly iconic song immediately to mind.
“I mentioned to Ade that despite Kansas’s Carry On Wayward Son having an amazing and famous opening, it hadn’t been reproduced very often, if at all,” he says. “We resolved to give it a try at some point. Then I read an article about actor Sarah Bernhardt. What was most apparent was the power she had over men.
“Sarah held all the cards – they never stood a chance! Influential men would fall in love with her, and of course, would think they were the ‘one’ – but they all ended up chasing shadows and moonbeams.”
Stuckey and Fisher’s chats also extended to exploring new instrumental techniques; for example, on the acoustically led Silently Waiting. “That song was inspired by Phil talking about the acoustic guitar gigs he goes to,” Fisher says. “He mentioned that someone had put a capo on just four of the strings, leaving two strings free. I said, ‘I’m going to try that’ – and my first attempt is what you hear at the start of the song.”
JFKX (Just For Kicks) is the album’s hardest rocker. McNally’s keyboard solo was his first contribution, as it turned out to be his audition piece after Jordan Rudess ruled himself out of appearing on it. However, Fisher wrote the song with another rocker in mind.
“I’ve worked with Krokus singer Marc Storace; I co-wrote three songs on his debut album, Live And Let Live,” he explains. “When he came to do his second solo album, he asked if I had any new songs. He wanted a fast-paced rocker in the style of Deep Purple’s Highway Star. So I wrote it, sent it to him – and he didn’t go for it, which I was quite shocked about!”
The lyrics come from various articles I’ve read about near-death experiences. Interestingly, they all follow a similar thread
Phil Stuckey
Skies Fall explores near-death experiences and, like Fragile, came about purely by accident. “I think I first heard the chord sequence on a film I was watching, which didn’t go the way I was expecting,” says Fisher. “The song starts with that simple two-chord keyboard part, which Phil heard. The opening chorus is the first take he did – he made up the words on the spot. He came back a week later with an idea for the second verse, but it took a long time to put it together as it needed another verse.
“When the song was finished I decided to put a big guitar solo on it; and again, I thought, ‘What can I do that I haven’t done before?’ I had bought a Whammy pedal to get an effect like Rage Against The Machine. What you hear on the song is basically the first take; I’d never used it before.”
Stuckey says: “The lyrics come from various articles I’ve read about near- death experiences. Interestingly, they all follow a similar thread – I find that fascinating. They all read like a metaphor for discovering true meaning and purpose.”
Now it’s all done, both are immensely satisfied with the new album. “I love the Stuckfish sound,” says Fisher. “I haven’t worked as hard before as I have on this one. It took months and months to mix this album.” He observes with a laugh: “We’re a bit like Elton John and Bernie Taupin – not that we’re anywhere close to being in their league! Bernie would produce a set of lyrics, hand them over to Elton and say, ‘There you go, that’s my best effort. Put some music and melodies to them.’ But with us, it’s the other way around.”
The pair first met when Fisher, then aged around 18, formed a short-lived band which Stuckey joined as bassist. They lost contact for decades until Fisher spotted Stuckey on LinkedIn. “He was living in Warkworth, about 20 minutes from me. He said he was in a band and they needed a lead guitarist. I said I would be interested in joining. He then revealed he was the vocalist – and I thought, ‘Oh, this could end badly!’ I’d never heard him sing.
Some say they hear Argent or ELO. On the earlier stuff people said we were like Queensrÿche
Adrian Fisher
“He sent three tracks; I opened one and I was absolutely gobsmacked. My God, what a voice! I did join the band, but it folded. We drifted apart again for a few months until I met him again and told him I had some ideas for new songs. And that’s what we’ve been doing ever since.
“We’ve hit on this magical songwriting formula between us. What are the chances of me finding somebody who could sing as well as him on my doorstep, having been trying to contact people all around the world? It was brilliant! With Phil I say, ‘Let’s use your voice as a musical instrument. Let’s try some falsetto or Rob Halford-like metal.’”
Stuckey adds: “I’m lucky to have a voice that can express the nature of the song we’ve written, whether it be rock or melodically undulating. But take a listen to the lyrical nature of Ade’s guitar work, every note carefully crafted, and you’ll understand it’s far from being just about vocals.
“Also, Phil [Morey] treats his bass like a classical instrument, and Adam likewise his drums. Paul McNally has brought something different to what Gary Holland, our previous keyboardist, did for us. Both are wonderful players, but each has their own personality; and Paul has brought his to the project in spades.”
Above all, the duo are very proud of the fact their music is difficult to pigeonhole. “Some say they hear Argent or ELO,” Fisher says. “On the earlier stuff people said we were like Queensrÿche, because Phil sounded like Geoff Tate.”
“Stuckfish have brought a fresh sound to the prog scene that’s difficult to define,” says Stuckey. “Our songs cross over into other genres. We’re prepared to write what we love – and not necessarily what people expect of a prog band.”
