Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Fish Co had formed in the mid '70s around the songwriting and performance skills of Steve Rowles and Steve Fairnie. Popular on the Greenbelt and student scene, by the time this album was released they were in the process of evolving into the arthouse band Writz who released their debut album the following year. 'Beneath The Laughter' captures them at the crossroads, developing a band sound and enjoying a few more creative moments than the average Christian album of the era. There's plenty to love here from the melancholy of the title cut which features some fabulous guitar work from Jules Hardwick. "Two On the Street" is almost an apologetic for the band's desire to move out into the mainstream which was beginning to happen. "Across The Table" is a six minute slow build of an epic which culminates with the band revisiting a track from their debut album, "Precious Lord". "Miss Esther Lauden" is another track that shows the band moving from their acoustic style to what would become the art rock of Writz. The bridge to that transition presents itself at the close of the album with the fun fully electric sound of "Super Heroes", a song they revisited on their next album. Great songwriting, imaginative ideas, fab musicianship and plenty of talent worthy of a CD re-issue.

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