13th Star
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''13th Star'' is the ninth solo studio album (eighth of original material) by
Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
since he left
Marillion Marillion are a British neo-prog band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the mo ...
in 1988. Released as a limited edition via mail-order in September 2007 and to retail in February 2008, it is his first since ''
Field of Crows ''Field of Crows'' is Fish's eighth solo studio album (seventh of original material) since he left Marillion in 1988 and the first since '' Fellini Days'' (2001). Released on Fish's own label Chocolate Frog Records, retail distribution is now h ...
'' (2004). Released on Fish's own imprint Chocolate Frog Records, retail distribution is handled by
Snapper Music Snapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999, Snapper broke away from its Palan parent company ...
.


Music and lyrics

Steve Vantsis, who was Fish's permanent bassist from the ''
Sunsets on Empire ''Sunsets on Empire'' is the fifth studio album by Fish (fourth of original material) since he left Marillion in 1988. It was released in 1997 and was mostly written together with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who co-composed six out of ten t ...
'' tour (1997) until 2008, was the main writing partner on this album (a role previously held by, among others,
Mickey Simmonds Mickey Simmonds (born 31 January 1959) is an English session keyboardist, arranger and composer. He is best known for his work with progressive rock acts, Mike Oldfield, Renaissance, Camel and Fish. He has also worked with Joan Armatrading, ...
,
Steven Wilson Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosi ...
,
John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...
and Bruce Watson). It features a rougher, more guitar-based and slightly industrial sound on a number of tracks and is therefore perceived as a departure by many fans. However, Fish had explored similar ideas as early as on ''
Sunsets on Empire ''Sunsets on Empire'' is the fifth studio album by Fish (fourth of original material) since he left Marillion in 1988. It was released in 1997 and was mostly written together with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who co-composed six out of ten t ...
'' and ''
Raingods with Zippos ''Raingods with Zippos'' is a 1999 progressive rock album by ex-Marillion vocalist Fish (singer), Fish. It was released on the Roadrunner record label, more well-known for its heavy metal music, heavy metal releases. ''Raingods with Zippos'' is of ...
'' (1999). Also, a number of tracks have classic Fish hallmarks, significantly enhanced by the presence of his longtime companion
Frank Usher Frank Usher (born 4 August 1949, in Gateshead, County Durham, England) is an English guitarist best known for his work in Fish's band. Usher lives and operates a guitar-manufacturing business in Innerleithen, Scotland. Throughout the 1970s and ...
on guitars. Most lyrics deal with, or are at least implicitly in reference to, Fish's failed relationship with
Mostly Autumn Mostly Autumn are an English rock band. The group formed in 1995 and have built their reputation through constant touring, never signing to a major label. They produce music heavily influenced by 1970s progressive rock. According to the BBC, M ...
singer Heather Findlay who left him in 2007, cancelling their scheduled wedding. The title ''13th Star'' originally referred to her as being the 13th female significant other in Fish's life, but ended up as a metaphor for an (unknown) future relationship. The original title of the song "Zoë 25" was "
Micklegate Micklegate is a street in the City of York, England. The name means "Great Street", "gate" coming from the Old Norse ''gata'', or street. Micklegate is described by York City Council as "one of the most handsome streets in Yorkshire", and was d ...
", after the place where Fish had proposed to Heather. The title also refers to the album as the 13th studio album of his career (four with Marillion and nine solo).


Musicians

Steve Vantsis, previously strictly the bassist, emerges as the dominant musician on the album. Apart from most of the songwriting, he is also responsible for electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards. The main guitarist is once again
Frank Usher Frank Usher (born 4 August 1949, in Gateshead, County Durham, England) is an English guitarist best known for his work in Fish's band. Usher lives and operates a guitar-manufacturing business in Innerleithen, Scotland. Throughout the 1970s and ...
, who also co-wrote one song ("Openwater"). Keyboards are handled by Foss Paterson, returning into the line-up for the first time since 1997 (except for a brief one-off stint on the 2000 tour of
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
). He also co-wrote the only other non-Vantsis song on the album, the piano ballad "Miles de Besos". Further guitar credits go to Chris Johnson (of The Evernauts and
Mostly Autumn Mostly Autumn are an English rock band. The group formed in 1995 and have built their reputation through constant touring, never signing to a major label. They produce music heavily influenced by 1970s progressive rock. According to the BBC, M ...
), who is also the second guitarist on the tour. Another Mostly Autumn connection is former
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
drummer Gavin Griffiths, who played with them for most of 2007. Dave Haswell, who had already contributed to Fish's previous three studio albums, plays additional percussion. Female backing vocals are by Lorna Bannon, who had appeared on ''
Songs from the Mirror ''Songs from the Mirror'' is the third solo album by Scottish singer-songwriter Fish, released in 1993 as his final album for Polydor. It does not contain any original material; instead it is a cover album featuring Fish's versions of songs by ar ...
'', '' Suits'' and ''
Sunsets on Empire ''Sunsets on Empire'' is the fifth studio album by Fish (fourth of original material) since he left Marillion in 1988. It was released in 1997 and was mostly written together with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, who co-composed six out of ten t ...
''. The album was produced by
Calum Malcolm Calum Malcolm is a Scottish record producer, sound engineer and keyboardist, who is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Career From 1974, he has worked with bands and musicians such as The Blue Nile, Capercaillie, Clannad, Emily Barker, Fish, The ...
, who had mixed and/or (re)mastered several Fish albums before.


Cover art

The cover was designed by Fish's long-time collaborator, artist
Mark Wilkinson Mark Wilkinson (born 3 October 1952) is an English illustrator. He is best known for the detailed surrealistic cover art he created for a number of British bands. Wilkinson's breakthrough came through his association with the neo-prog band Mar ...
. Although Wilkinson had designed all official album releases by Fish (with the exception of ''Songs from The Mirror''), the more recent ones had largely been computer-aided ones, while the cover of the previous album ''Field of Crows'' emulated
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...
's style. By contrast, the artwork for ''13th Star'', spreading across three sides a fold-out
digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...
and the booklet, marked a return to Wilkinson's hallmark
airbrush An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that atomizes and sprays various media, most often paint, but also ink, dye, and make-up. Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is considered to employ a type of airbrush. History Up unt ...
style that had been a characteristic feature of the Fish-era Marillion gatefold covers as well as Fish's first solo album ''
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors ''Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors'' is the debut solo album by Scottish neo-prog singer Fish, released in 1990. Fish had departed Marillion in 1988. Although the recordings for this album finished as early as June 1989, EMI Records decided to ...
'' (1990). A vinyl version of the album was released in a
gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for gramophone record, LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½-inch 2.7-centimetresquare). ...
cover whose large format is better suited to the scope of Wilkinson's painting. The image of the "Dark Angel" navigating his boat from the booklet's front cover illustrates the style and atmosphere of the artwork for this album.


Formats

*The limited version (10,000 copies) that was made available by mail order only on 6 September 2007 was a
digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...
with three panels which contained a bonus "making-of"
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
and a 20-page colour booklet. The digipak is in a "spot-varnished" closed slipcase with the Fish logo over the Egyptian "star" design. The slipcase is usually shown as the cover in reviews and catalogues. *The retail version available from 12 February 2008 was a standard
jewel case Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...
CD provided in a slipcase open on two sides. *In May 2008, a limited edition (2,500 copies) double vinyl gatefold album was released as a mail order only release. It has the regular CD tracks spread across the first three of four sides, while the fourth side contains live versions of "Circle Line", "Dark Star" and "13th Star". *Download versions of the album are available from Fish's website and
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. *In 2023, a deluxe edition of ''13th Star'' was released on Chocolate Frog Records as a 3CD/Blu-ray set along with a 3LP boxed version. The deluxe edition includes a new remix and remaster by
Calum Malcolm Calum Malcolm is a Scottish record producer, sound engineer and keyboardist, who is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Career From 1974, he has worked with bands and musicians such as The Blue Nile, Capercaillie, Clannad, Emily Barker, Fish, The ...
, as well as, on the Blu-ray disc, new Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 surround by mixed by Avril Mackintosh and Andy Bradfield, documentaries and a full concert video. The compact discs include album demos and live material recorded at various venues.


Singles

The track "Arc of the Curve" is released as a single on 3 March 2008. The CD version contains only two tracks (the album version and an edited version of the title track), however, a download version including three live tracks is available from
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. On 6 October 2008, "Zoe 25" was released as the second single along with two live tracks (download and CD version).


Tour

Fish first presented the album on the European ''Clutching at Stars'' tour which began in the summer of 2007. In addition to focusing on the ''13th Star'' material, the tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of ''
Clutching at Straws ''Clutching at Straws'' is the fourth studio album by the British neo-prog band Marillion, released on June 22, 1987. It was the last album with lead singer Fish, who left the band in 1988, and is a concept album. Although ''Clutching at Straw ...
'' (Fish's last album with Marillion), and so most of the set list was drawn from these two releases. This tour covered the spring and summer of 2008, with Fish giving a meet-and-greet for some fans before each show.


Track listing

#"Circle Line" (Dick, Vantsis) – 6:04 #"Square Go" (Dick, Vantsis) – 5:31 #"Miles de Besos" (Dick, Paterson) – 4:22 #"Zoë 25" (Dick, Vantsis) – 5.19 #"Arc of the Curve" (Dick, Vantsis) – 4:29 #"Manchmal" (Dick, Vantsis) – 5:42 #"Openwater" (Dick, Usher) – 5:07 #"Dark Star" (Dick, Vantsis) – 6:48 #"Where in the World" (Dick, Vantsis) – 6:05 #"13th Star" (Dick, Vantsis) – 5:41 Total time: 55:30


3-CD + Blu-ray Disc, 2023, Remastered/Remixed, Digi-Book

CD 1 13th Star
2023 Remixed by
Calum Malcolm Calum Malcolm is a Scottish record producer, sound engineer and keyboardist, who is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Career From 1974, he has worked with bands and musicians such as The Blue Nile, Capercaillie, Clannad, Emily Barker, Fish, The ...


#"Circle Line" – 5:54 #"Square Go" – 4:57 #"Miles De Besos" – 4:47 #"Zoe 25" – 5:10 #"Arc Of The Curve" – 5:23 #"Manchmal" – 5:29 #"Open Water" – 5:09 #"Dark Star" – 6:47 #"Where In The World" – 6:00 #"13th Star" – 5:57 CD 2 Demos & Acoustic
# "Arc Of The Curve" (Bob Harris BBC Radio2 Session) 4:52 # "Zoe 25" (Bob Harris BBC Radio2 Session) 5:12 # "13th Star" (Bob Harris BBC Radio2 Session) 5:10 # "Miles De Besos" (Demo with Guide Vocal May 2007) 4:31 # "Zoe 25" (St Marys Church, Acoustic 2010) 5:46 # "13th Star" (Demo with Guide Vocal May 2007) 6:07 # "Arc Of The Curve" (Demo Instrumental March 2007) 5:15 # "Circle Line" (Demo with Rough Vocal April 2007) 6:11 # "Dark Star" (Demo Instrumental April 2007) 6:11 # "It Ain't Easy" (Early Demo Instrumental March 2007) 5:58 # "Manchmal" (Demo with Guide Vocal April 2007) 5:28 # "Zoe 25" (Micklegate Demo with Vocal) 4:39 # "Square Go" (Demo with Vocal April 2007) 5:26 CD 3 Live Recordings
# "Manchmal" (NearFest 20/06/08) 5:46 # "Zoe 25" (NearFest 20/06/08) 5:15 # "Arc Of The Curve" (NearFest 20/06/08) 4:58 # "Dark Star" (NearFest 20/06/08) 7:00 # "Circle Line" (NearFest 20/06/08) 6:36 # "Square Go" (NearFest 20/06/08) 5:11 # "Open Water" (NearFest 20/06/08) 5:24 # "13th Star" (Amsterdam Paradiso 22/03/08) 6:08 # "Dark Star" (Amsterdam Paradiso 22/03/08) 6:52 # "Circle Line" (Rome Staziona Birra 30/11/07) 6:27 # "Square Go" (Rome Staziona Birra 30/11/07) 5:09 # "Manchmal" (Rome Staziona Birra 30/11/07) 5:42 Blu-ray Disc
Audio # 13th Star Dolby Atmos mix # 13th Star Dolby 5.1 mix # 13th Star original 2008 stereo mix Video #
  • Fish At NearFest, USA 2008 Full Concert Video # 13th Star Documentary 'The Search For The 13th Star' featuring new interviews with
    Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
    , Steve Vantsis, and
    Mark Wilkinson Mark Wilkinson (born 3 October 1952) is an English illustrator. He is best known for the detailed surrealistic cover art he created for a number of British bands. Wilkinson's breakthrough came through his association with the neo-prog band Mar ...
    # Original 2007 'Making Of' Documentary


    Personnel

    *
    Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
    (Derek W. Dick) – All Vocals / Lyrics *
    Frank Usher Frank Usher (born 4 August 1949, in Gateshead, County Durham, England) is an English guitarist best known for his work in Fish's band. Usher lives and operates a guitar-manufacturing business in Innerleithen, Scotland. Throughout the 1970s and ...
     – Electric Guitars; Acoustic Guitars (Tracks 3-5,9,10); Loop Guitar (1); Lap Steel (5) *Steve Vantsis – Bass Guitars; Electric Guitars (2,4,6,7 and 8); Acoustic Guitars (1,4,10); Keyboards (1,2,4,6,8-10); Upright Bass (3); Clavinet (2); Drum Loop and Programming; Samples *Chris Johnson – Electric Guitars; Acoustic Guitars (4,5 and 9) *Foss Patterson – Piano (1,3-5); Keyboards (1-4,6-9); Organ (1-4,6-10); Strings (1-5,8-10); Music Box (4); Dulcimer; Accordion; Samples (10) *Gavin Griffiths – Drums *Dave Haswell – Percussion (1,3-5 and 10) *Lorna Bannon – Backing Vocals (3-6,9,10)


    References

    {{Authority control 2007 albums Fish (singer) albums