"Gone Fishin'" Out Now On CD! (A review of sorts)

“Gone Fishin’” (Subterranean, August of ’84) boasted another clever cover concept by Ted. This one featured cut-outs of the tour van – “Flipper Suffered For Their Music, Now It’s Your Turn” – spray-painted on the side, members of Flipper (my friend Bridget said, ‘Bruce looks kind of hot in that picture’), Steve’s drum kit, a guitar case, amp and amp head (w/cat). Though not a live album, some of the songs have a live feel, others sound slicker (i.e., “First The Heart”).
Both derided and praised as Flipper’s arty second album, there are many gems. One of my favorites, “Survivors Of The Plague” (Lyrics: Will, Music: Bruce) is a bombast of sound, triumphant and moving:

“Oh we are a mirror/ a distant mirror/when you look at us you will see/
all your hopes/ all your dreams/crushed upon the sea.”

The album opens with what could be Flipper’s Theme Song, “The Lights, The Sound, The Rhythm, The Noise” (Lyrics: Bruce, Music: Will):

“Hit my body like a thousand dances, everyone knows/ Where nothing is something”.

Next is a somewhat of a departure with “First The Heart” (Lyrics:Jeri Wilkinson, Music: Bruce and Steve). Featuring Will on vocals and great sax work by Kirk “Charles” Height, “First The Heart” is as poetic as it is emotive. It is similar to “In Your Arms” and “Shine” in that way.

“Hits outnumber, ten to nine/Missing/
A ravaged target”.

“In Life My Friends” (Lyrics: adapted by Bruce from a W.S. Harris poem , Music: Ted) gives rise to what some believe is Flipper’s credo:

“…so don’t look for future paradise/ take heaven now is my advice”

“Survivors…” is the outro of side one.

Side two finds “Sacrifice” (Lyrics and Music: Will):

“So the nation will live/ So the people will remain as cattle
They demand a sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice” is not just an anti-war song, but is an incisive look at how nationalism and hegemony defines and controls people. It is just as prescient today as it was twenty-odd years ago, perhaps even moreso.

“Talk’s Cheap” (Lyrics:Will, Music: Bruce) is next, followed by “You Nought Me”(Lyrics:Bruce, Music: Will) is as nihilistic as Flipper gets:

“I have nothing, sweet nothing how about you…
So you can go fuck or suck your thumb/ Or take more drugs and
Play ‘On The Run’”

“Gone Fishin’” ends with “One By One” (Lyrics: Will, Music: Ted):

“All prisons/Every bank/ Shall cease to exist”

The “Gone Fishin’” album must have been difficult for some hardcore punks to understand let alone enjoy. I love it as an example of how mind-and-heart-expanding a record can be. There are moments of brilliance in the songwriting and execution, moments of pure joy – the very essence of life. Pain and beauty combined in an intoxicating mixture that transcends the ordinary-joe-hardcore. Creatively mesmerizing, “Gone Fishin’” stands out, a blood red ruby in the rough.