01	Solar Musick Suite: A. Sun Song 'I Love Its Holy Mystery' - B. Canterbury Sunrise - C. Hirman Afterglid Meets The Dervish						16:55
	02	Fish						01:21
	03	Meditation Of The Same						03:16
	04	The Salmon Song: A. Salmon Pool - B. Solomon'Satlantis Salmon - C. Swimming With The Salmon - D. King Of The Fishes						08:32
	05	Aftaglid: A. Sun Moon Surfing - B. The Great Wave And The Boat Of Hermes - C. The Silver Ladder - D. Astral Meadows - E. The Lafta Yoga Song - F. Glidding - G. The Golden Vibe-Outglid						14:41

Steve Hillage - gitfish, fishy hymns
Pierre Moerlen - batterfish, drum, marimba, darbuka
Dave Stewart - orgone, pianofish
Mike Howlett - bassafish
Lindsay Cooper - bassoonafish
Moonweed (Tim Blake) - synfish, Moog, bubblefish, tambura
Bloomdido Glid De Breeze (Didier Malherbe) - saxofish, Indian floot
Bambaloni Yoni (Miquette Giraudy) - fish tales, fish scales, fish bells


Solar Musick Suite (16.55)
A. Sun Song (I Love Its Holy Mystery) (6.15)
B. Canterbury Sunrise (3.25)
C. Hiram Afterglid Meets The Dervish (4.05)
D. Sun Song (Reprise) (3.10)
Fish (1.23)
Meditation Of The Snake (3.10)
The Salmon Song (8.45)
A. Salmon Pool (1.17)
B. Solomon's Atlantis Salmon (2.08)
C. Swimming With The Salmon (1.37)
D. King Of The Fishes (3.43)
Aftaglid (14.46)
A. Sun Moon Surfing (1/36)
B. The Great Wave And The Boat Of Hermes (1.51)
C. The Silver Ladder (0.40)
D. Astral Meadows (2.01)
E. The Lafta Yoga Song (2.42)
F. Glidding (2.23)
G. The Golden Vibe/Outglid (3.33)

All songs written & arranged by Hillage, except track 2: additional arrangements by Dave Stewart


Fish Rising
Date of Release 1975

After departing Gong in 1975, Hillage followed the same route as everyone else, by making a solo album. He enlisted some Gong colleagues - bassist Mike Howlett, saxophonist Didier Malherbe, and drummer Pierre Moerlen - and augmented them with others from his Canterbury past, keyboard player Dave Stewart (the two had played together at the beginning of the decade) and Henry Cow's Lindsay Cooper. The result, apart from revealing a slightly unhealthy obsession with fish (at least a change from Gong's pot head pixies) is a Canterbury musical delight, even if the lyrics are chock-full of hippie-dippy sentiment. There are plenty of complex time changes, easily and smoothly handled by the musicians, and while Hillage doesn't contribute as many solos as admirers of his style might wish, he does use layers of guitar to create some wonderful textures and harmonies. This is, in fact, a very sophisticated record, with interesting arrangements and some innovative production - a harbinger of Hillage's future career behind the boards. On the few occasions he does unleash the fretwork, it's quite glorious, with his trademark echo letting the notes trail like a comet's tail. He doesn't need to prove he's the fast gun in town, simply one with plenty of invention. The real emphasis is on band arrangements and those multi-part compositions that were an indelible part of the prog '70s (as in the pretentiously titled "Solar Musick Suite"). However, pomposity is carefully avoided, and the musicians bring enough of their own personalities to the party, especially Malherbe. As a solo debut it's a success, taking the qualities of Hillage's previous gigs on board, but making the final product his own. It might be fishy, but it certainly doesn't stink. - Chris Nickson

Steve Hillage - Synthesizer, Guitar, Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Concept, Cover Art Concept
Tim Blake - Synthesizer
Christian Boule - Guitar
Lindsay Cooper - Bassoon, Wind
Didier Malherbe - Wind
Gilli Smyth - Vocals
Miquette Giraudy - Keyboards, Concept
Mike Howlett - Bass
Pierre Moerlen - Percussion, Drums, Marimba, Darbouka
Dave Stewart - Organ, Synthesizer, Piano, Arranger
Simon Heyworth - Producer, Engineer
Alan Perkins - Engineer
Bambaloni Yoni - Percussion, Vocals

1991 CD Blue Plate CAROL-1800-2
1975 LP Atlantic 13118
1975 LP Virgin VR-3-118
CD Plan 9/Caroline 1800



Steve Hillage

Born London 2nd August 1951
Whilst still a pupil at the City of London School, Hillage formed his first band URIEL with schoolmates Hugo Martin MONTGOMERY-CAMPBELL and Dave STEWART. Steve was already a good electric blues player in the style of early Eric Clapton, his solos reported as 'paint blistering' according to STEWART who quickly switched to keyboards in the face of this overwhelming competition. They began by playing blues standards but as time went by 'MONT' started writing songs and they included a rather ambitious version of saturn from HOLST's The Planets Suite. Uriel landed a residency on the Isle of Wight, but their 'big break' quickly soured when the hotel management took an instant dislike to them and their contract was swiftly renegotiated in a steeply downward direction and they were told to cut out the 'acidy' stuff.

Hillage quit to study history and philosophy at Kent University where he met and jammed with Canterbury-ites CARAVANand SPYROGYRA.


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Mont, Clive and Dave auditioned a few guitarists but none could cut the mustard like Steve could, so they decided to carry on as a trio, dropping the blues numbers and developing a more complex neo-classical style based around Mont's polytonal and metrically irregular compositions. They fell in with a guy called Jesus JELLETT who introduced them to venues, audiences and management that did want the 'acidy' stuff. The only catch was that they had to change their name to EGG on the grounds that URIEL sounded too much like urinal. EGG recorded a couple of albums - egg (Deram SDN14 - '70), the polite force (Decca SML1074 - '71), reconvened to cut the civil surface with Hillage guesting (Caroline C1510 - Oct '74)

Steve returned to London and formed KHAN in April 1971. The group included Dave STEWART in the latter stages. Recorded Space Shanties and split in October 1972. HILLAGE and STEWART together with various members of HENRY COW, EGG and others also performed in a series of concerts as the 16 piece big band THE OTTAWA COMPANY. Following the dissolution of KHAN, Hillage contributed to Kevin AYERS' Bananamour and enlisted in AYERS' short lived band DECADENCE.


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Joined GONG in January 1973 and played an important part in their rise to prominence. It was while in GONG that he also met his long-time partner and collaborator Miquette GIRAUDY. He appeared on the Trilogy albums, and contributed briefly to Shamal released two months after his departure in December 1975. Whilst in GONG, he also made the solo LP Fish Rising with assistance from group colleagues and others; played on one side of Clear Light Symphony and performed with the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA and the SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA in concerts featuring Mike OLDFIELD's Tubular Bells.


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In May 1976, went to U.S. to record his second solo album L, produced by Todd RUNDGREN and accompanied by RUNDGREN's band UTOPIA. On return to England formed a group - Clive BUNKER (drums), Colin BASS (bass), Christian BOULE (guitar), Phil HODGES (keyboards), Basil BROOKS (synthesiser) and Miquette GIRAUDY (synthesiser, vocals) - which made its live debut at the Hyde Park Free Concert in September 1976. Toured U.K. continuously between then and late December. L became an enormous chart success, with a residence of over two months. six-week tour of U.S. with ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA in January/February 1977. L entered the American charts. Return to U.K. with concert at London's Rainbow in March 1977.

After GONG reunion concert travelled to Los Angles in July 1977 to record third solo album Motivation Radio under supervision of Malcolm CECIL, co-producer of Stevie WONDER and THE ISLAY BROTHERS. Returned to England to tour U.K. with a new band of american session players - Joe BLOCKER (drums), Curtis ROBERTSON Jr (bass) plus Miquette GIRAUDY (synthesiser, vocals). The same group performed on the LP Green which Hillage produced with Nick MASON, released in April 1978. Three months earlier Hillage completed the production of Nik TURNER's first solo album on which he also played guitar and synthesiser.

Toured U.K. and Europe in the Spring and summer of 1978 with a band consisting of Andy ANDERSON (drums), John McKENZIE (bass), Christian BOULE (guitar), and Miquette GIRAUDY (synthesiser, vocals). Hillage himself made a guest appearance with SHAM 69 at the Reading Festival in August 1978. The remainder of the year was spent assembling live recordings of the three Hillage bands for release on the double album Live Herald, together with new studio material in February 1979.


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At the Glastonbury Festival in 1979 a sequence of events prompted him to reassess the role of 'guitar hero' and playing live in general, something he had been questioning for some time and he decided to concentrate on studio work and production. Throughout the eighties he produced such acts as SIMPLE MINDS, MURRAY HEAD, ROBIN HITCHCOCK, COCK ROBIN and many others.

In 1989, after meeting the ORB's Alex PATTERSON playing among other things Rainbow Dome Music while DJ-ing at the Land of Oz club, Steve and Miquette teamed up with a group of DJs, producers and musicians to form SYSTEM 7, named after Apple computer's latest operating system. Informal jams led to an album, and guesting with the ORB led to playing live for the first time in many years in SYSTEM 7. At present Steve is in great demand as a producer and re-mixer as well as playing with SYSTEM 7.

STEVE HILLAGE_ Having had the plug pulled on him at the Glastonbury festival in 79, Steve put down his Guitar and all ideas of being a cosmic rock star _ In the meantime he produced many other acts such as Simple Minds, Nash the Slash, Robin Hitchcock cock Robin Murray head and others, including recently, indie bands the Charlatans and Airstream.

Releases _"Radio One Live" (Windsong WINCD 014 _ '92) _ "Rainbow Dome Music" (Virgin VR1 _ '79) _ "For To Next / And Not Or" (Virgin V2244 _ '83)

At the end of the Eighties, Steve teamed up with a group of producers to form System 7

_ Having met Alex Patterson in summer '89 at Oakenfold's' Land of Oz' club _ Initial demos were formed around jams at Steve's Notting Hill flat, Steve and Miquette improvising over Alex mixing records -

Hillage also appears on "Adventures in the Otherworld" and "The Blue Room" by the Orb and also on the Shamen's "Boss Drum"




Steve Hillage
Guitar, Vocals, Synths
-Born : August 2nd, 1951 - London (England)
Past Bands : Uriel (1967-68), Khan (1971-72), Kevin Ayers and Decadence (1972), Gong (1973-75), Steve Hillage Band (1976-79), The Orb
Current Band : System 7

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A Short Bio:
Steve Hillage is certainly, of all the musicians who began their career on the 'Canterbury' scene, the most commercially successful. Now well established both as a producer and the leader of his techno/ambient band System 7 (with longtime partner Miquette Giraudy), Hillage has definitely turned his back on his early days as guitarist and singer in such bands as Uriel/Arzachel, Khan and Gong, not to mention his successful solo career and many live tours during the second half of the seventies.

Stephen Simpson Hillage was born in London in 1951, and raised in Epping Forest. Influenced by blues guitar players, he bought his first guitar at age nine, learning the instrument attempting to imitate his favourite players' licks. Sax hero John Coltrane was an early influence, but it was mostly Jimi Hendrix who, from 1966 on, helped him find his way around the six strings (Hillage saw one of his earliest London gigs when aged 15). At the time, Hillage went to the City of London School and discovered common musical aspirations in his neighbour during maths lessons, one Dave Stewart, also an aspiring guitarist. With the help of fellow schoolboy Mont Campbell and the recruitment of East-Ender Clive Brooks thanks to a Melody Maker ad, Uriel was formed.

Uriel's greatest achievement was a residency at the Ryde Castle Hotel on the Isle of Wight (documented on Egg's later song, "A Visit To Newport Hospital") but with a repertoire consisting almost exclusively of cover version and few perpectives of commercial success, Hillage thought it wiser to leave at the end of the Summer of 1968 to go to university in Canterbury and study philosophy and history. There he became with members of local bands such as Spirogyra (with lead singer Barbara Gaskin, later one of Hatfield and the North's Northettes) and Caravan (in particular cousins David and Richard Sinclair), who through their manager Terry King eventually got him a solo deal with Deram. In the meantime, Hillage had played (under a pseudonym) on the legendary Arzachel album with his ex-Uriel colleagues, now known as Egg.

In April 1971, Hillage quit university to go back to London and form his own band, christened Khan, with Dick Henningham (organ), Nick Greenwood (bass) and Eric Peachey (drums, replacing original drummer Pip Pyle). The band's repertoire was made up of songs Hillage had written while at university. In early 1972, the Space Shanty album was recorded, but due to an instability in the keyboard department, Hillage asked Dave Stewart (both were now playing together again as part of the Ottawa Music Company) to play the keyboard parts on the album. The result was a classic of the progressive rock style, full of complex time signatures and constantly changing themes.

Unfortunately, Khan didn't get the commercial success it deserved. After the break-up of Egg, Stewart joined as permanent member while a new bass player, Nigel Smith, was recruited. But things kept getting worse. "I felt very pressured, didn't enjoy it very much", he now remembers. "I was only twenty at the time, I wanted to play with other people". So when the opportunity came to join Kevin Ayers' band (Decadence) for a European tour in late 1972, he dissolved the band. During the Ayers tour in France, Gong saxophone player Didier Malherbe jammed with the band, and as a result Hillage was immediately asked to join Gong as their lead guitarist, which he did.

Hillage was undeniably instrumental in the classic incarnation of Gong's success. His impressive and innovative skills as guitarist made him one of that era's most notable guitar heros. He contributed to the writing and played on the albums Flying Teapot, Angels Egg and You, and went on countless tours around Europe. He finally left in December 1975 to go solo, having contributed briefly to Shamal which was released two months after his departure. Whilst in Gong, Hillage had recorded a solo album, Fish Rising, with assistance from group colleagues and others (including Dave Stewart and Henry Cow bassoonist Lindsay Cooper), and had performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish National Orchestra in concerts featuring Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge. Brilliantly arranged and performed, Fish Rising was an excellent debut, including material that dated back to the last days of Khan.

In early 1976, Hillage briefly joined National Health for rehearsals and a brief tour of England. In May he flew to America to record his second solo album, L, produced by Todd Rundgren and accompanied by Rundgren's band Utopia. The album became a major chart success in England and Hillage toured the UK with his newly formed group featuring Clive Bunker (drums, ex-Jethro Tull), Colin Bass (bass), Christian Boule (guitar), Phil Hodge (keyboards), Basil Brooks (synthesizer) and Miquette Giraudy (synthesizer, vocals). Early in 1977, he toured with Electric Light Orchestra on a six-week blitz of America, earned impressive reviews and saw L enjoy a run on the US charts.

After a brief hiatus in England, Hillage returned to Los Angeles to record his third solo album, Motivation Radio, under the supervision of Malcolm Cecil, of synthesizer pioneer group Tonto's Expanding Headband, and co-producer of Stevie Wonder and the Isley Brothers. Then in the latter of part of 1977 and early 1978, he continued touring with a new band of American session players - Joe Blocker (drums) and Curtis Robertson Jr (bass), plus Miquette Giraudy. The same group performed on the album Green which Hillage produced with Pink Floyd's Nick Mason (whom he'd worked with on Gong's Shamal) for UK release in April 1978. The remainder of the year was spent touring (including a Spring tour with National Health opening) and assembling live recordings of the various Hillage bands for release on a double album, Live Herald, together with new studio material.

Live Herald featured one side of new studio material which developed a funkier feel, an avenue that was explored further on Open in 1979. Rainbow Dome Musick was an instrumental experiment in ambient atmospherics. In the 80s, Hillage moved into production work, including albums by Robin Hitchcock and Simple Minds. In 1991 Hillage returned to recording and live performance as the leader of System 7, a loose aggregation of luminaries including disc jockey Paul Oakenfield, Alex Paterson of the Orb and Mick MacNeil of Simple Minds. As the line-up would suggest, System 7 produce ambient dance music, combining house beats with progressive guitar riffs and healthy bursts of soul and disco.




Hillage, Steve - Fish Rising

Member: DrAlan
Date: 9/6/2003

Steve Hillage's Fish Rising is an album that deserves more credit than it has received. Recorded after Steve's stint with Gong and featuring members of that band, this shows the guitarist truly coming into his own. The whole album flows effortlessly in its song cycle of fish based themes.

In this reviewers opinion, Hillage ranks right up there with Steve Howe and Steve Hackett as one of the genres top guitarists. The swirling, echo-laden Strat soundscapes are truly mind-blowing. Highly recommended!!!!


5 out of 5 Stars


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Member: Constable Napweed
Date: 12/9/2003

Fish Rising was to prove to be Steve's first and best solo album. Swirling trippy sounds sometimes breaking out into a harder section made this album an overlooked classic. "Solar musick suite" which makes up the main body of side 1 (ahhhh, those nostalgic days of vinyl) twists and turns with guitar, synth and even a French horn in there somewhere. The goony side of Gong at times irritated me, and to all intents and purposes this was a Gong album but without the goofy bits. Steve's guitar playing is of the highest standard and the musicians around him (mostly from Gong) augmented Steve on what was probably the last real hippy album before punk kicked in....The follow up "L" was a good solid album, but nowhere as good as this gem.



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