Fischer-z
Fronted by the enigmatic John Watts (vocals/guitar), Fischer-Z leaped onto the music scene in 1979 with their quirky debut album, Word Salad. This quartet (also featuring Steve Skolnick on keyboards, Steve Liddle on drums, and David Graham on bass) played a rough-and-tumble form of new wave that was equal parts Roxy Music and Talking Heads with art pop and prog rock leanings. Watts' vocals were extremely distinctive, veering from a low baritone to a higher register that was not unlike Pete Townsend on helium. Although this schizophrenic debut didn't set the charts on fire, they did score a few minor hits with "The Worker" and "First Impressions (Pretty Paracetamol)" (a tamer re-recording of the album's opening track). Their second album, 1980's Going Deaf for a Living, was a far more cohesive effort, less prog rock and more melodic than their debut. It even contained a bona fide hit in "So Long" which even drifted over to the U.S. and garnered impressive radio play. By the time Red Skies Over Paradise was released in 1981, Skolnick was gone and Watts' musical vision was more direct and less arty than before. Although European sales for this album were FZ's strongest yet, it was passed up for release in the U.S. (as has been the case with all of the subsequent FZ albums). Realizing that his musical vision belonged to him and only him, Watts chose to end FZ on a high note and continue as a solo artist. Watts released One More Twist in 1982, then the slickly produced The Iceberg Model the following year, neither living up to the huge sales of the last FZ album. After EMI let him slip away, Watts formed the Cry (with Graham back on board) and released an album on Arista before quietly slipping out of sight. Re-forming Fischer-Z in 1987 (with Watts being the only original member, although Skolnick makes a cameo), FZ hit big in Europe and Australia with the single "The Perfect Day" and the album Reveal. Though the album sounded nothing like the Fischer-Z of old, Watts took his finely tuned talents and presented them to a much wider audience. Fish's Head (1989) was more of the same, albeit a bit heavier. With yet another lineup change, Watts and FZ released the absolutely stunning Destination Paradise in 1992, their best effort yet. This touching and beautiful album featured more acoustic guitars than ever before and focused on Watts' songwriting skills and passionate, earthy vocals (which had dropped an octave or so since their debut). Trying to capitalize on the success of Destination Paradise, FZ quickly issued the rougher Kamikaze Shirt in 1993, mixing their softer side with an edge (and, in some cases, a dance beat). Two years later, FZ issued Stream, a close second to Destination Paradise as their finest work. Realizing he was at another crossroads, Watts laid FZ to rest again and began pursuing his solo career in earnest. His first solo album under his "new" moniker, JM Watts, 1997's Thirteen Stories High, continued where Stream left off. Two further albums followed under the Watts moniker before the he would revive the Fischer-Z name for a second time on 2002’s Ether. Watts continued to release music under his own name as the decade progressed, but would periodically return to Fischer-Z, issuing This Is My Universe in 2016 and Building Bridges in 2017.
© Steve Schnee /TiVo
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Fish's Head
Pop - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 22 de mai. de 1989
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Red Skies Over Paradise
Pop - Lançado por Parlophone UK em 1 de jan. de 1981
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Going Deaf For A Living
Pop - Lançado por Parlophone UK em 1 de jan. de 1980
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Going Red For A Salad (UA Years 79 - 82)
Pop - Lançado por Parlophone UK em 14 de mai. de 1990
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Til The Oceans Overflow
Alternative & Indie - Lançado por So-Real em 8 de out. de 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kamikaze Shirt
Rock - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 16 de set. de 1993
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Word Salad
Pop - Lançado por Parlophone UK em 1 de jan. de 1979
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Collection
Pop - Lançado por Parlophone UK em 1 de jan. de 2000
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Destination Paradise
Rock - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 5 de out. de 1992
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reveal
Pop - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 19 de out. de 1987
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swimming In Thunderstorms
Rock - Lançado por So-Real em 13 de set. de 2019
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Ether
Pop - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 29 de abr. de 2002
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Building Bridges
Rock - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 31 de mar. de 2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stream
Rock - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 1 de jan. de 1995
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
So Close (Underwater Version)
Pop - Lançado por BMG Rights Management GmbH em 29 de set. de 2017
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
S.I.T. Annexe
Alternative & Indie - Lançado por So-Real em 29 de mai. de 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Cardboard Street
Alternative & Indie - Lançado por So-Real em 29 de nov. de 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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