STEVE HILLAGE Fish Rising (1975 US 5-track LP, picture sleeve with lyric inner. A cornerstone of the Canterbury scene and a shimmering beacon of mid-’70s progressive rock, Fish Rising is the extraordinary 1975 solo debut from guitar visionarySteve Hillage. Having already carved his name into the underground through his work with Gong and Khan, Hillage emerged here with a deeply personal statement — fluid, cosmic and gloriously melodic. Recorded with a cast of Canterbury luminaries including Dave Stewart and Pierre Moerlen, the album unfolds across extended suites that balance intricate musicianship with lysergic atmosphere. The side-long epic “Solar Musick Suite” drifts from pastoral 12-string passages into soaring, sustained lead lines — Hillage’s trademark glissando guitar tone already fully formed — while “The Salmon Song” injects a playful, almost whimsical counterpoint. Produced by Hillage himself and originally issued on Virgin Records, Fish Rising captures that fertile moment when progressive rock stretched toward the stars without losing its sense of warmth or humanity. There’s a spiritual undercurrent running throughout — cosmic yet grounded — that would inform Hillage’s later explorations into ambient and electronic soundscapes. A richly textured and adventurous debut, Fish Rising remains an essential artefact of the golden age of British prog — expansive, uplifting and endlessly immersive. Both sleeve and vinyl carry minimal signs of wear/play VR13-118).