The rare occasion of a single from former Marillion frontman Fish, his first in some six years, provides an opportunity to revisit the recent solo triumph Feast of Consequences. Conveyed with an unvarnished honesty, “Blind to the Beautiful” speaks to one of the most devastating failures of all: The failure of faith. Not in some higher being, mind you, but in man — for not seeing the damnable results of our every-day transgressions, against one another and against the world around us.
Joining Fish for this, his first recording since 2008’s 13th Star and 10th since splitting with Marillion in 1988, is guitarist Robin Boult, bassist Steve Vantsis, keyboardist Foss Paterson and drummer Gavin Griffiths. Together on his latest Chocolate Frog release, they continue building on a solo career that’s been as varied and satisfying as you’d expect from a poet and singer who led Marillion through a multifaceted period of prog and pop successes between 1981-88.
That era included a UK No. 1 album Misplaced Childhood, and the hit song “Kayleigh,” which went to No. 2 at home while becoming Marillion’s only Billboard charting song. Other than a one-off 2007 appearance on stage, however, Fish (real name: Derek W. Dick) has spent the interim building his own persona away from Marillion — one that’s closely linked to the eco-concerns voiced in this deeply personal song. In between albums, you could find Fish living apart from fame on an idyllic farm outside Haddington.
“Blind to the Beautiful,” which features violin work from Aiden O’Rourke and a second vocal from Elisabeth Troy, will be released on April 28, 2014, ahead of a UK tour. That flurry of activity marks a notable uptick for Fish, who saw his marriage fall apart amidst a throat cancer scare in the run up to sessions for A Feast of Consequences, which was produced by Calum Malcolm (Prefab Sprout, The Blue Nile).
Luckily, his problem was fixed with the removal of a cyst. You hear some of that fear and loss in “Blind to the Beautiful,” and it gives a greater context to Fish’s simple, yet powerfully impactful plea for community.
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