Skip to main content

Album Review: Neither Fish Nor Flesh

It's been a while since I did an album review (or any review, to be honest) so the time has come. The album will be Terence Trent D'Arby's 1989 sophomore effort, Neither Fish Nor Flesh, a Soundtrack of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction.

I know what you're thinking: why is Mark reviewing a thirty year old album that was considered a failure, even by D'Arby himself? The answer is simple: I enjoy listening to it. I'll go so far as to say I love the album in all its sprawling glory.

In 1987, D'Arby made his infamous debut with "Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby," with the claim that "my album is better than Sgt. Pepper." This, in the twentieth anniversary of said Beatles album, caused a huge controversy, as one might imagine. And he was right; I enjoy Introducing The Hardline... more than Sgt. Pepper while remaining a fan of both bands.

All this attention caused great expectations for a follow up, but Neither Fish Nor Flesh was met with a lukewarm reception upon release. An album of solid songs but no stand out singles, it spent a short time on the charts before fading from the public eye.

I recall seeing D'Arby on television in what seemed to be a sidewalk interview in which he apologized for the album's performance. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, as NFNF (as I'll call it) was, to my taste, far superior to its predecessor.

Clearly, I was in the minority. Perhaps it was a personal thing, the right album at the right time for a struggling young artist wannabe. Perhaps I heard something others didn't.

If you haven't heard it, give it a listen on your preferred streaming service. Neither Fish Nor Flesh will impress 30 years on.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Regarding Keeslyn

In January 2020, a young lady named Keeslyn Roberts disappeared from a fuel station near my home. The case remains unsolved. This post will examine the actions, and lack thereof, of those in authority, and how this contributes to the case remaining unsolved. But first, a little backstory. As a teen, I lived in the same neighborhood as the Roberts family. Keeslyn's father, Eric, is older than I, and I don't recall the two of us having much interaction. His sister, on the other hand, is the same age and we've been friends for over 40 years. It was she who told me about Keeslyn's disappearance and the family's frustrations with the lack of police action. To learn more of the specifics of the case, numerous podcasts and news stories are available online. To my understanding, the police reaction to the disappearance has thus far been little to no reaction. After no word from his daughter for several days, Eric went to the fuel station where her car was parked. He th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Visiting Alice

Savannah, Georgia is one of my favorite cities. Younger than London, older than San Francisco, with a degree of quirk rivaled only by New Orleans, Savannah is a six hour (if Atlanta traffic is agreeable) drive from my home in the northwestern corner of the state.  Comparing my region with that of Savannah is an exercise in futility; they are worlds apart. One is lower Appalachia, with rolling green hills and valleys, creeks and waterfalls. The other is coastal Georgia, low country, wetlands. Even the cultures and accents are sufficiently different as to make a new acquaintance appear surprised when they ask where you're from and you reply "Georgia." Something neither place lacks is ghosts, but you probably knew that, didn't you? View this YouTube video by Dixie After Dark for a bit of info on Georgia's first ghost, Alice Riley. I love writing about Savannah. I can almost see the Spanish moss and smell the pot of low country boil!
Post a Comment
Read more

How To Beat A Billionaire - Updated

If you've spent any time at all on this site, you will have noticed I have an interest in investing. I had no interest in finance until my mid-40s, when I took a job at a printing company in which one of the partners is a CPA. I learned personal finance the hard way, struggling with credit card debt in my early 20s (it was the 90s; I blame the guitar and camera stores). After digging myself out of the hole I was in by age 27, I was cautious to avoid debt anytime I could. Investing, aside from employer retirement plans, was not on my radar. Fatherhood really spurred me into action when it came to investing. There's simply no way a savings account can outpace inflation; if you want to thrive financially, investing is the best way to get ahead. So, with encouragement from my boss, I began to study and learn. Investopedia and The Balance proved to be immensely helpful. In time, I opened an account and started buying exchange traded funds (ETFs) and was on my way. I read a few...
Post a Comment
Read more