Neither Fish nor Flesh

Neither Fish nor Flesh
Studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby
Released	October 1989
Genre	Psychedelic pop, rock, R&B, funk
Length	51:24
Label	Columbia
Producer	Terence Trent D'Arby
Terence Trent D'Arby chronology
Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby (1987) Neither Fish nor Flesh (1989) Symphony or Damn (1993)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[2]
The Village Voice	A−[3]

Neither Fish nor Flesh (A Soundtrack of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction) is the second album by the U.S. singer Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 1989 on Columbia Records.

Reception

In a review of Neither Fish nor Flesh for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said despite D'Arby's pretentions and awful lyrics on some songs, the psychedelic pop record's music "proves D'Arby a master of the black spectrum from the trad r&b of 'I'll Be Alright' to the reconstructed Prince-funk of 'This Side of Love'".^[3] Rolling Stone critic Mark Coleman said D'Arby's effort "fails to establish him as a visionary pop godhead. It does, however, demonstrate convincingly that he’s far more than a mere legend in his own mind."^[2] AllMusic's Tom Demalon called it "a sprawling, overly ambitious work that incorporates Middle Eastern flavorings and even more of a gospel influence into his gritty mix of rock, R&B, and funk", although he felt D'Arby's "pretensions run a bit wild".^[1]

On the album commentary on his website, D'Arby (now known as Sananda Maitreya) claimed that the album's lack of commercial impact was due to his record company's "wholesale rejection of it" as well being hindered by German record producer Frank Farian who decided to release an album of his performances with funk band The Touch (from 1984) in Germany just weeks before Neither Fish Nor Flesh was due for release. Maitreya states that Neither Fish Nor Flesh was "the project that literally killed ‘TTD’, and from whose molten ashes, began the life of Sananda". ^[4]

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Terence Trent D'Arby.

1. "Declaration: Neither Fish Nor Flesh" – 1:44
2. "I Have Faith in These Desolate Times" – 4:14
3. "It Feels So Good to Love Someone Like You" – 3:38
4. "To Know Someone Deeply Is to Know Someone Softly" – 4:27
5. "I'll Be Alright" – 5:57
6. "Billy Don't Fall" – 4:21
7. "This Side of Love" – 4:59
8. "Attracted to You" – 4:01
9. "Roly Poly" – 3:54
10. "You Will Pay Tomorrow" – 4:54
11. "I Don't Want to Bring Your Gods Down" – 6:19
12. "...And I Need to Be With Someone Tonight" – 3:04

Personnel

• Terence Trent D'Arby – vocals, kazoo, saxophone, Fender Rhodes, sitar, scratching, timpani, guitar, drums, percussion, piano, organ, arrangements
• Jack Bayle – trombone
• Pete Glenister, Conor Brady, Anthony Drennan, Bob Brimson, Percy Robinson – guitar
• Eoghan O'Neill, Cass Lewis, Tony Molloy – bass
• Simon Clarke – alto saxophone
• Incredible E.G. O'Reilly (Terence Trent D'Arby) – handclapping
• Pete Wingfield – piano
• Michael Timothy – bass, piano, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, recorder, conductor
• Richard Addison, David White – clarinet
• Bob Andrews – Hammond organ
• Ben Cruft, Wilfred Gibson, Alan Smale, Gavyn Wright – violin
• Stephen McDonnell, Roddy Lorimer, Dick Pearce, Paul Spong – trumpet
• Kick Horns – horns
• Roger Chase, Chris Wellington, David Emanuel, Neil Martin – viola
• Michael Jeans – oboe
• Christian Marsac – guitar, saxophone
• Geoff Dunn – drums
• Carl Geraghty, John Curran – saxophone
• Martin Loveday, John Heley – cello
• Tim Sanders, Richie Buckley – tenor saxophone
• Helen Davies – harp
• The Degani Ensemble - strings

External links

• Sananda Maitreya's official site

Notes