HiRez Poll Fish - VIGIL IN A WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[splinter7]

Ahhh, what a pleasure to read a super detailed review from a real connoisseur. Thanks @splinter7!

I don’t know about that but Thanks

 

[Healthcare29]

Voted a 10 - based on the Atmos fold down, if just the 5..1 it would be a 8.
Packaging is on a par with the Marillion/Tull sets.

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

A very solid 9 from me after several spins of the Atmos mixes, played as a Dolby TrueHD stream on a 5.1 system. Consideably more dynamic than the original CD mixes, which results in the vocals losing a bit of their acerbic edge on some songs. Some may consider this a negative change, but it works for me: Fish's vocals "as recorded" are just beautiful, and they sit perfectly in the extra space provided by the surround field.

A mate of mine described these new mixes of the songs as now sounding much more like the follow on from "Clutching at Straws" that they could have been part of, and I certainly get where he's coming from: It sounds much more like a bridge between the old and new, if that makes sense?

They've not been afraid to change the mixes quite significantly, and they're cleaned up to be crystal clear, sounding like they were recorded yesterday, they're discrete in all the right places and "breath" with the songs that the CDs never did. Top class remixes.

 

[SomethingAnything]

I'm one of those who followed the Marillion pathway. I recall at the time of the split the sentiment was that Fish was where things were at, creatively speaking, and Marillion's Season's End album was canned by the press when it came out (at least in the reviews I assiduously read). People really weren't giving Marillion much of a chance. I remained loyal to them in a way one might follow the underdog. And so, until these purchases, all I owned was one of the Fish bootlegs (not one of those included in this bookset).

Well, I tell you what, this is a wonderful bookset! One of the things I love about surround reissues is when it's an album that I don't know and -- woohoo! -- it also turns about to be a very good album. So thank goodness I bought this (and, hopefully, Exile, which I've yet to hear). Fab Atmos mix, and so much content on the blu-ray and CDs! Almost overwhelming, with most of it new to me.

Minuses (which do not take away from my rating, but I thought you might still be interested in): the blu-ray menu authoring can be twitchy, sending me into 'No signal detected' land especially if I navigate around; there are no titles announcing the songs (most of which I don't know, so I rather would have liked this); and no pop up menu to fall back on for the titles. (Sigh, I do like a good, well-conceived pop up menu, the PF Animals being my all time fave so far.) Finally for the minuses, I've also managed to listen to the Pigpen live album so far. It's well recorded and mixed (stereo), but goodness me, he really can shout and swear between the tracks, can't he? Yes he has a right to shout and swear if he wants, I guess, but, truly, it's a bit harsh on the ears, especially when all you want to do is sit back and enjoy his great songs. But he does seem like quite the personality, Fish, doesn't he?

Back to good stuff ... I feel the bookset is a step up from the Tull & Marillion sets (as wonderful as they are, espesh the Tull ones which also contain brilliant mixes, each and every one). But this Vigil bookset is just so gorgeous to the touch ... you just want to keep caressing the cover and peering at the beautifully laid out pages of photos and what have you. And did anyone luck out and get a Derek Dick autograph on their customs slip? I got his wife, but that still seems pretty cool. I did my best to extract it from the postal packaging and it's now a bookmark in the book.

I'm very much looking forward to checking out the demos and the rest of the live stuff on the CDs and the blu-ray. Hopefully they will be less shouty between songs though.

So all up? Yeah, a ten for sure, even though I've still yet to hear everything. I'm so happy to own this gorgeous release. All the best to you, Mr Fish, on your retirement.

 

[Progfiend]

I had read that the Atmos mix was better than the 5.1, so I listened to that one on my 7.1 system. The mix is fantastic! Great packaging, as usual with the Fish/Marillion releases, lots of bonus content, another well-written essay from Fish. I can’t think of a reason not to give it a 10.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Enjoying the bonus material
View attachment IMG_7184.jpeg

 

[jimfisheye]

Saw the glowing reviews here and had opportunity to check this out. Only listened to the 7.1.4 mix. The mix work sounds fully accomplished and just great! All the channels are used and this is just really well done. Kind of polite background music for vocals/lyrics and really not in my wheelhouse but I'll probably check out the mix for a reference here and there if nothing else. The 10/10 comments are on point.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Overall vote of 9.
10 for the Atmos mix, one point deducted for overall value.

Life in Surround review:

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Great Atmos mix and a great album. A 9 from me.

Content wise, I like Internal Exile better than Vigil, but there are some great tracks here.

All of these Fish sets have been excellent, but they are pricy, especially in the US. I've heard these are the last ones he's doing. I hope that changes and ithe releases continue. Raingods with Zippos could be great and A Feast of Consequences would be absolutely epic.

 

[JoshBasswood]

Thanks @splinter7 and @SomethingAnything for your great reviews.

I got "into" Marillion around 1990, when Fish had already left, but rated his albums with the band as their best. My first version of the Vigil Album was a dodgy cassette and I loved it instantly and it is still my favourite Fish album. Unfortunately I liked each album he released a bit less and with Marillion it was the other way around. Brave and Afraid of Sunlight were such revelations to me (20 years old student) at the time - I have been avidly following Marillion up until today.

I was not even familiar with the bonus tracks for Vigil, as I never bothered to find them and/or buy any of the re-releases of the Vigil album. I had pretty much lost interest in Fish, especially after a rather disappoining visit to one of his "Return to Childhood" gigs somewhere round 2005. His voice totally shot and the songs turned down in tune beyond recognition. There was one of my heroes topping from his pedestal. I duly bought his new albums just to support him, without playing them more than a couple of times. The once so commanding, indeed acerbic, vocals had disappeared and what remained, IMO, was mediocre 'proggy' MOR rock with equally mediocre vocals.

Still I was happy enough with what he had given us in the past (both with Marillion and solo) and songs from Vigil (and some of his other early solo albums) have always been in my playlists.

So I bought this ultimate release of the Vigil album without hesitance, even when the price was quite steep. Both the stereo remix and the Atmos mix of Vigil really give the album a new vibe and I very much concur with most of the findings of both expansive reviews above. Sometimes the 'space' the music is given takes away some of the rougher edges. Mark Brzezicki's excellent drums, that IMO very much define this album, have sometimes been buried a little bit too deep in the mix. The same is true for some of the guitarsolos. However, I have a far from perfect Atmos setup (5.1.2 - the Atmos speakers being of the 'upfiring' kind), and I still have to really sit down with good headphones to really appreciate the stereo remix.

My mate convinced me to go to his farewell tour, here in Utrecht, and a couple of weeks ago we saw Fish for the first time in a very long time in the Utrecht Vredenburg. Knowing that it would also be the very last time. Some legendary Marillion shows have been held in that venue (e.g. the gig that is featured on the 2017 Miscplaced Childhood Deluxe release). So it was a special show for both Fish (who has always had a large loyal fanbase here in the Netherlands) and the audience. I was a bit weary that perhaps the last I would see of him would be a disappointment (with his vocal range being so limited compared to the early years), but in the end it was a great gig before a rapturous audience.

So, all in all, 2024 turned out to be a good year for Fish and me! I still think that he contributed to some of Marillion's best work, even when the band released more than a couple of brilliant albums with Steve Hogarth, who obviously is lucky to have a voice that has been holding up much better over the decades.