Fish - Internal Exile (Deluxe Edition) (2024)

‘Internal Exile’, Fish’s second solo album post-Marillion, originally released in 1991, has been remixed by Calum Malcolm for 2024. Working from the excellent original ’91 recordings, Calum Malcolm has reinvented ‘Internal Exile’ and it now stands a very strong and proud follow up to ‘Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors’. The songs were always independently powerful but now they have been brought together into a cohesive and energised collection that is balanced and flows as it was always intended to.

The ‘Difficult second album’ once again featured Mickey Simmonds as lead on the writing team at the now christened ‘Funny Farm Recording Studios.’ They were joined by Robin Boult and Frank Usher, who’d taken up the position of twin guitarists in the touring band. The outbuilding that had been the old writing/rehearsal rooms was now evolving into a fully-fledged recording studio, and in the summer of ’91, work began on the ‘Internal Exile’ album with Chris Kimsey as producer.

A lot had happened since the ‘Vigil’ album, including a high court litigation over contractual issues with EMI, which resulted in a move to Polydor Records in early 1991. The songwriting had been plagued by outside interference and financial strains, and the stressful environment resulted in an album that, in some ways, lacked direction. The songs were powerful but not cohesive as an album, and the title ‘A Collection of a Boy’s Own Stories – Internal Exile’ summed it up.

There were the Progressive Rock epics of ‘Shadowplay’ and ‘Tongues,’ a direct comment on the litigation proceedings, the more straightforward rock approaches of ‘Credo,’ ‘Poets Moon,’ and ‘Lucky,’ while at the same time, there were seemingly slightly country influences over ‘Just Good Friends,’ ‘Dear Friend,’ and ‘Favourite Stranger.’ It was a mishmash of styles, but individually, every song was strong.

‘Internal Exile,’ which had been written back in 1989 sessions and originally recorded during the ‘Vigil’ sessions, was rerecorded. It had traditional roots that were echoed in ’Shadowplay’ and in other songs. As far as influences and styles went, it was a mosaic of an album, which was perhaps an indication of the freedom Fish now had, but also the slight confusion in direction after the trauma of the previous months.

There are no weak tracks on the album, and every song has been a favorite on stage, but at the time, it was perhaps a disappointment to some fans after the debut of ‘Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors.’

Chris Kimsey produced the sessions with Berlin tech Thomas Stiehler engineering at the brand-new Funny Farm Recording Studios. It was the first album to be recorded there, and trial-testing the studio created a lot of issues. The writing had all come together by the time recording began in June, and the principal members of the band were in place.

Ted McKenna (Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Michael Schenker) had been brought in on drums, and David Paton (Pilot, Kate Bush, Alan Parsons Project) was on bass. Ted played on a couple of tracks but was soon replaced by Ethan Johns on Chris Kimsey’s suggestion. It was an awkward moment, but Ethan quickly proved Chris’s faith in him, and the sessions surged forward.

The new studio was challenging, and the mixing was a laborious affair that, in the end, provided satisfactory but didn’t really provide the results everyone had hoped for.

The first single, ‘Internal Exile,’ was released in September 1991 and reached just inside the UK Top 40 singles chart. The lyrical subject matter of Scottish nationalism alienated quite a few of Fish’s fan base, and the UK media and national radio play was limited.

The album cover, designed once again by Mark Wilkinson, reflected Fish’s return to his Scottish roots with a portrait by Kenneth Martin surrounded by a framework of images that were a collection similar to what you might expect on a book of ‘A Boy’s Own Stories,’ the subtitle of the album.

The album, released in October, only reached number 21 in the UK album charts and was lacklustre across Europe. The corresponding tour was a huge success, and the second single ‘Credo’ in December was again Top 40 and a stalwart at rock radio. The album, however, didn’t do the numbers expected, and not even a third single, ‘Something in the Air,’ in June ’92 could revitalise its fortunes.

The new remix by Calum Malcolm has completely changed the energy and the dynamics, and a subtle change in the running order, bringing the B-sides ‘Poets Moon’ and ‘Carnival Man’ into the track listing, has virtually created a brand-new album. Working from the excellent original ’91 recordings, Calum Malcolm has reinvented ‘Internal Exile,’ and it now stands as a very strong and proud follow-up to ‘Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors.’

The songs were always independently powerful, but now they have been brought together into a cohesive and energised collection that is balanced and flows as it was always intended to.