An Emotional Fish (album)

An Emotional Fish
Studio album by
An Emotional Fish
Released1990
GenreRock
LabelEast West/Atlantic
ProducerTim Palmer
An Emotional Fish chronology
An Emotional Fish
(1990)		 Celebration Live
(1991)
Singles from An Emotional Fish
  1. "Celebrate"
    Released: 1989
  2. "Grey Matter"
    Released: 1989

An Emotional Fish is the debut album by the Irish band An Emotional Fish, released in 1990.[1][2] It peaked at No. 40 on the UK Albums Chart.[3] The first single was "Celebrate", which was followed by "Grey Matter".[4] The band supported the album with UK and North American tours that included playing the CMJ Music Marathon.[5][6][7]

Production

Produced by Tim Palmer, the album was recorded in Dublin.[8][9] The band chose Palmer because they admired his ability to capture a "live" sound.[8] Many of the tracks feature a reverbed guitar effect.[10] Most of the songs were written by frontman Gerard Whelan, who steered away from traditional Irish music influences.[11] "Brick It Up" is about the problems that arise in social conversations.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[13]
Calgary HeraldB+[14]
The Daily IlliniStarStarHalf star[10]
Dayton Daily NewsStarStarStar[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[16]
The Ottawa CitizenStarStarStar[17]

The Ottawa Citizen noted that "when it succeeds, An Emotional Fish is a band of superb collage artists... They paste everyone else's best ideas together to make a pretty picture."[17] The Calgary Herald opined that "Whelan has a moody touch, like Jim Morrison or the early Lou Reed".[14] The Boston Globe praised "Celebrate", calling it "one of the best singles of the season."[18] The Toronto Star labeled the music "tough, guitar-based rock".[19]

The Washington Post considered the album "mainstream rock with an occasional country aroma".[9] The Gazette praised the "earthiness grounding all the guitar atmospherics."[20] The Los Angeles Times said that "Whelan is an intriguing front man blessed with an elastic voice".[21] Trouser Press concluded that "a lot of An Emotional Fish is the sketchbook of untalented amateurs attempting to jot down the work of a master".[22]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Celebrate" 
2."Grey Matter" 
3."Blue" 
4."Lace Virginia" 
5."Julian" 
6."All I Am" 
7."Change" 
8."Colours" 
9."That Demon Jive" 
10."Brick It Up" 
11."Move On" 

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Mat (18 August 1990). "Albums: Prawn to Be Wild". Melody Maker. Vol. 66, no. 33. p. 38.
  2. ↑ McDonnell, Evelyn (15 November 1990). "New Faces". Rolling Stone. No. 591. p. 48.
  3. ↑ "An Emotional Fish". Official Charts. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Young, Kristen (8 April 1991). "An Emotional Fish makes big splash in S.L.". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. B3.
  5. ↑ Dessau, Bruce (13 August 1990). "The Fish make a big splash". The Guardian. p. 31.
  6. ↑ "And Irish pop group...". Toronto Star. 11 October 1990. p. E1.
  7. ↑ "Where the College Music Concerts Are Being Held". The New York Times. 26 October 1990. p. C24.
  8. 1 2 Gates, Nick (17 May 1990). "Fresh approach and clean sound". Evening Chronicle. p. 16.
  9. 1 2 Jenkins, Mark (2 November 1990). "College Radio Stars Take British Route". The Washington Post. p. N18.
  10. 1 2 Hanssen, Todd (9 November 1990). "An Emotional Fish An Emotional Fish". Directory. The Daily Illini. p. 7.
  11. ↑ DeVault, Russ (29 March 1991). "Fish are lured from Britain as tradition is cast to the seas". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. D4.
  12. ↑ Randall, Neil (27 December 1990). "Sounds". Waterloo Region Record. p. C9.
  13. ↑ "An Emotional Fish Review by JT Griffith". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  14. 1 2 Obee, Dave (11 October 1990). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. E3.
  15. ↑ Larsen, Dave (23 November 1990). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 19.
  16. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  17. 1 2 Erskine, Evelyn (5 October 1990). "An Emotional Fish An Emotional Fish". The Ottawa Citizen. p. C6.
  18. ↑ Sullivan, Jim (1 November 1990). "Emotional Fish Makes Waves with 'Celebrate'". Living. The Boston Globe. p. 90.
  19. ↑ Dafoe, Chris (2 November 1990). "Emotional Fish hit Horseshoe". Toronto Star. p. D14.
  20. ↑ Lepage, Mark (3 November 1990). "An Emotional Fish An Emotional Fish". The Gazette. p. D12.
  21. ↑ Rosenbluth, Jean (10 November 1990). "An Emotional Fish Flounders in L.A. Debut at Club Lingerie". Los Angeles Times. p. F6.
  22. ↑ Robbins, Ira. "An Emotional Fish". Trouser Press. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
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