In olden times these tracks would have gone by the name of 'B - Side' - the songs that either wouldn't fit on the 20 minutes per side format of vinyl LP's or were specifically written as throw-away content for the otherwise redundant second side of a 7 inch single. Now that vinyl has largely gone the way of the dodo these 'extra' tracks are either lumped onto the end of a CD to make it a 'Bonus Edition' or, as in this case, packaged together as a mini-albumWritten during the sessions for the Grammy nominated Fear Of A Blank Planet but not actually recorded until the summer of 2007, the mini-album was originally sold at gigs and on the band’s website. The decision to go for a commercial release is probably more to do with providing the band’s new record company a product to promote than any burning need for a wider audience but whilst it can’t be said that that ‘Blank Planet’ suffers much fro the omission of these tracks, Nil Recurring remains an entertaining companion and coda to Fear Of A Blank Planet that does nothing to tarnish the band’s growing reputation.
Rating: Good
Fish - 13th Star
In an ideal world this album would be essential listening for all record producers and mixing engineers; especially those responsible for the some of the muddy morasses of sound that so often masquerade as albums these days. The clarity of sound produced here is well-nigh perfect – every note from every instrument is reproduced with perfect precision making this a pure pleasure to listen to. Add to that some superbly constructed songs allied to top-notch musicianship and Mr. Dick’s most controlled and mature lyrical and vocal performance to date, and you have an album that eclipses everything Fish has ever produced as a solo artist and possibly even his Marillion output.Rating: Superior
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