Chris Squire's recent endeavors

[Kenzy]

I'm a big fan of Squire's work with Yes, though I'm only familiar with the albums spanning their debut until Drama, and I also really like Fish Out of Water. A couple of months ago I went to see a show in the Fly From Here promotional tour and I picked up the album while I was at it. Is it just that I'm not all that familiar with it, or has Squire begun to deviate from the style he developed in the aforementioned albums? I kind of recall the latter being the case, although, again, I've not really paid the album much listening time recently, so maybe I just need to give it another listen? What do you think about Fly From Here? And what else has Squire been up to besides his was work this newest incarnation of Yes?

[hrodbert696]

There was a thread a ways back to debate the merits of Squire vs. Geddy Lee, and I raised the "what have you done for me lately?" issue with Squire. No, for the most part he doesn't sound like he did in the 70s. I thought Fly from Here was a decent album but not really compelling. But it was pointed out to me that he did a reunion with the Syn and created some original material, and does still have all of his old chops and creativity.

That part of that discussion started here...

Chris Squire vs Geddy Lee

[Kenzy]

Ahh, yeah. I like his work on The Syn's Syndestruction, actually. What became of his reunion with the band?

[hrodbert696]

He's been touring with Yes, I don't think the Syn reunion was much more than a one-off thing.

[klaus486]

I think you should give a listen to The Ladder and Magnification. While Chris has become more refined over time there are still some moments of raw pick on Rotosound action. I think he is HIGHLY overlooked for his extended range bass playing. His use of the B string is outstanding. I know this is blasphemy....those 2 yes albums are my favorites of all their work.

[hairyhaw]

Originally Posted by Kenzy

...has Squire begun to deviate from the style he developed in the aforementioned albums?

He's simplified his style, for the most part anyway, since Drama. His sound however has changed a lot though, even during the 70's. The clank became more fuzzy on "Tales.." and Relayer and though he backed off on Going for the One it never sounded quite the way it did on CTTE and Fragile. By Tormato he was using Mutron III's (and we got a glimpse of this on Tales) and combining this with harmonisers revolutionised his playing - people can say what they like about Tormato, but his playing on Future Times and Silent Wings was going off in a direction that was entirely new. I think, with a couple of exceptions, he never reached that height of creativity in his playing again.

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

There was a thread a ways back to debate the merits of Squire vs. Geddy Lee, and I raised the "what have you done for me lately?" issue with Squire.

Me too, although his line for "New World" on the second Conspiracy album that came out in 2003-ish is a genuine head-turner.

Originally Posted by Kenzy

Ahh, yeah. I like his work on The Syn's Syndestruction, actually. What became of his reunion with the band?

An album followed by an aborted tour which collapsed after a few dates, with Squire leaving the project shortly thereafter. Band politics with the singer, Steven Nardelli were rumoured to be the cause. The album was ok but the lyrics were pretty poor.Tone-wise it was probably the best attempt in thirty years to re-capture the Main Sequence of Yes albums.

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

He's been touring with Yes, I don't think the Syn reunion was much more than a one-off thing.

See above, he did two albums as "Conspiracy" with sometime Yes man and World Trade member Billy Sherwood.

Originally Posted by klaus486

I think he is HIGHLY overlooked for his extended range bass playing. His use of the B string is outstanding.

Agree - some really well thought out stuff on Big Generator too.

[Kenzy]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

But it was pointed out to me that he did a reunion with the Syn and created some original material, and does still have all of his old chops and creativity.

So what happened to the original material he created with them? Did they just perform it on some reunion tour and forget about it?

[Kenzy]

Originally Posted by hairyhaw

I think, with a couple of exceptions, he never reached that height of creativity in his playing again.

This is a shame to hear... the exceptions being his work with Conspiracy, I'm guessing?

Originally Posted by hairyhaw

An album followed by an aborted tour which collapsed after a few dates, with Squire leaving the project shortly thereafter. Band politics with the singer, Steven Nardelli were rumoured to be the cause. The album was ok but the lyrics were pretty poor.Tone-wise it was probably the best attempt in thirty years to re-capture the Main Sequence of Yes albums.

This album you're talking about, that would be Syndestruction or is there another that Squire's featured on that I'm unaware of? I haven't had the chance to even bother with the lyrics on Syndestruction, I was mostly interested in checking it out to see what Squire's been doing with himself lately. I did notice the similarity in tone to the Main Sequence of Yes albums, which was nice. I was happy with his work on that album, overall.

I've actually heard The Ladder before, but only once through, if that even, so I'll go back and give that one another chance. I've actually heard a song from Magnification on the radio once, I think, and I said I wanted to check out the rest of the album but never got around to it, thanks for reminding me. And I'll give Big Generator a listen as well.

[Roscoe East]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

There was a thread a ways back to debate the merits of Squire vs. Geddy Lee, and I raised the "what have you done for me lately?" issue with Squire.

The problem with that position is that it unfairly handicaps living legends. You would (presumably) never raise the "what have you done for me lately?" issue if you were comparing tenor saxophonists John Coltrane versus Kenny G, right?

Some -- arguably most -- artists who have a well-deserved legacy earned that during some subset of their entire career; very few consistently hit it out of the ballpark from start to finish. That doesn't make them any less deserving of their legacy status imho. History will judge them on the quality of their work and how it impacted those around (and after) them, not their consistency.

Cliff Notes: Squire's already earned his palmarès, he could put out pure crap for the next 20 years and he'd still rightfully be considered a bass guitar innovator.

[hrodbert696]

Originally Posted by Kenzy

So what happened to the original material he created with them? Did they just perform it on some reunion tour and forget about it?

http://www.amazon.com/Syndestructibl...I3UCJ2TK57710P

and live...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJVj8fIXyY

Originally Posted by Roscoe East

The problem with that position is that it unfairly handicaps living legends. You would (presumably) never raise the "what have you done for me lately?" issue if you were comparing tenor saxophonists John Coltrane versus Kenny G, right?

Some -- arguably most -- artists who have a well-deserved legacy earned that during some subset of their entire career; very few consistently hit it out of the ballpark from start to finish. That doesn't make them any less deserving of their legacy status imho. History will judge them on the quality of their work and how it impacted those around (and after) them, not their consistency.

Cliff Notes: Squire's already earned his palmarès, he could put out pure crap for the next 20 years and he'd still rightfully be considered a bass guitar innovator.

I didn't say that I thought one should discount Squire's most creative period, or that he was disqualified from his status as a bass icon. In that other thread, the question was whether you preferred Squire or Geddy Lee; in spite of being a dyed-in-the-wool Yes fan, I leaned toward Lee because I felt he had been more consistently creative over a comparable (give or take 5 years) period of time. But (if you follow that thread, and as I already said in post #2 of this one) another poster pointed out the new Syn material, and that persuaded me that he's still "got it," even if I haven't been too blown away by Yes since the 80s.

[zon6c-f]

I pretty much followed YES from their first release to Tales. I believe Yes went from Close to the Edge to over the edge...kind of lost me after that.

The Summer of 1971 was pretty much an epiphany for me, when I first heard Yes, E L P, Trapeze, The Move, Renaissance, Fairport, Wishbone Ash, Tull. OH..and Musdslide Slim by James Taylor although far removed from prog, introduced me to Leland Sklar, who along with Squire ; those 2 bassists have been my gretest influences, not Clarke and Pastorius, although I love them both as well.

I have never been so delighted as when I removed the stock flats from my brand new 1972 Rick 4001 and put on Rotos, while playing with a pick. I felt very accomplished when I could playh Close To The Edge by Yes and Tarkus by E L P in their entirity..and playing KANSAS tunes more accessible later on.

Squire and Sklar have made me a better bassist, but I never made a cent playing prog, however, when I became a country bassist; performing for $$ weekly..I took Nashville lines where they would have never gone. No way could I play 1's & 5's all night long, without a scale or run to tie them together.

[Kenzy]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

http://www.amazon.com/Syndestructibl...I3UCJ2TK57710P

I see, I was confused. Yeah, I've heard and thoroughly enjoyed The Syn's Syndestructible. I thought you meant that Squire came back a second time after his departure in 2003 (or 2004, maybe?).

[woodyng]

I've been a fan since i first heard "every little thing" in 1968. While he has changed his sound somewhat over the years,his approach to building basslines for songs is still unique and always adds to the music he is playing on. I personally don't see any decline in creativity,just a more refined,less frenetic approach to his craft. In the case of FFH,mostly written by Trevor Horn,if you listen to the original demos of those songs on the 2nd Buggles cd,and then hear how Chris changed them to his style,it is just anothEr example of his creativity. "New World" is a good example of him playing a modern song with a quite busy bassline,but i even prefer more "violet purple rose" from the first Conspiracy album. And i thought his bass and vocal work on the Syn project was great,altho Nardelli's voice and lyrics are pretty mediocre.. If you see Yes in concert now,Chris still sounds great,i got to see him a few years ago with oliver and Benoit,and i thought it was one of the best Yes shows i had seen over the decades.

[Kenzy]

Originally Posted by woodyng

If you see Yes in concert now,Chris still sounds great,i got to see him a few years ago with oliver and Benoit,and i thought it was one of the best Yes shows i had seen over the decades.

I agree that he's definitely still got it, the creativity, the technique, all of it. But wouldn't you say that his bass work on FFH is a bit simplified, compared to his lines from the main Yes sequence of albums? Regardless, I still liked his work on it and I really enjoyed seeing him perform the FFH Suite live at one of the Promo-tour shows.

And I'm going to be on the look-out for those Conspiracy cds that people were mentioning...hopefully I'll be able to catch a copy at one of the local record stores.

[woodyng]

I just look at FFH as a really well-realised Buggles album,which is where the source material came from,for the most part. I love his bass parts on "into the storm",which to me was the most Yes-like track on that album. I just enjoy what he does,you can definitely hear more"prog" (if that's what you want) on glass hammer,or marillion,flower kings,etc,but one of Yes' best features is the ability to put together songs and melodies/harmonies that are memorable,sort of like Mozart.....

[thorski]

I would recommend his recent work with Steve Hackett. He seems to have mellowed out a bit even though his recent live stuff and appearance for the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award prove he still has 'IT'. I would be happy to email a track to see if you would be interested in purchasing the whole album. I have been huge Squire fan for 30 years and even after soaking in the Clarke Jaco Sheehan Berlin and Wooten phases, I always go back to his longevity and originality over 40 years + of his playing

[zfunkman]

Originally Posted by thorski

I would recommend his recent work with Steve Hackett. He seems to have mellowed out a bit even though his recent live stuff and appearance for the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award prove he still has 'IT'. I would be happy to email a track to see if you would be interested in purchasing the whole album. I have been huge Squire fan for 30 years and even after soaking in the Clarke Jaco Sheehan Berlin and Wooten phases, I always go back to his longevity and originality over 40 years + of his playing

Sheehan does not deserve to mentioined in the same sentance as Clarke, Jaco, Berlin, and Wooten

[portpc]

I'd totally recommend Steve Hackett live if he performs anywhere near you. He last toured the U.S. a couple of years ago, Nick Beggs played bass on that tour

"Jaw dropping" is an understatement..

[magr80]

I too was a BIG Squire fan from the early 70's. Traded my grade school lunch for a school mates cassette copy of fragile. Never missed a tour, cut my hair like his, got the earring, etc. Bought one of the first CS Rickenbackers when they came out, etc. Now having said all that, I don't think his playing or anything he's done within YES has amounted to much since maybe the Ladder album. Conspiracy was good and some of his side work may be interesting but I don't care for what YES has become of after Jon's health sidelined him and Rick bowed out. Just my opinion ...

[portpc]

Originally Posted by zfunkman

Sheehan does not deserve to mentioined in the same sentance as Clarke, Jaco, Berlin, and Wooten

totally agree, Never a fan of his tone ......