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Chris Squire
- Thread starter 57pbass
- Start date
That's awesome! I might have to see where their tour goes next year (I already went to Dream Theater's concert at the Warner in DC).
THIS COMMENT IS GENIUS.
On a separate note, I saw Yes for the first time last summer with Benoit. I was disappointed by his vocal on "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (all the other songs were fine) but everything else (especially Heart of the Sunrise) was so freaking epic. I loved it. It was absolutely amazing. One's first Yes show is always memorable. I wish I could see them in Atl. on the 31st, with Jon Davidson (the remarkably good singer from the Prog band Glass Hammer), but unfortunately I'll be in South Carolina.
I saw Yes once. Back in 1977 in Milwaukee. I want to see them once more as Chris is my all time fave bass player. Please come to Milwaukee again - Yes!
Facebook ? We don't need no stinking Facebook here.
Facebook ? We don't need no stinking Facebook here.
The whole Jon Anderson drama went down a few years ago, like 2008 or something. He got a throat infection and canceled on a tour. Instead of canceling the tour itself, the rest of the band decided to go on without him and brought in Benoit David, a French-Canadian guy who had been singing for a Yes tribute band. Jon Anderson made an angry post on his website claiming that the other members hadn't even called him or expressed any sympathy for his being sick.
A lot of fans had the same reaction you did and said that Yes had been reduced to being a tribute band to itself, but David did pretty well on tour and - maybe just to show people - they went and recorded a new album, Fly From Here, with him. Anderson (health mostly recovered) put together an album with Rick Wakeman and they've been touring together.
After Fly From Here came out, for reasons I won't pretend to understand, Benoit David also left the band and I guess now they have a singer named Jon Davison.
There have been so many different people in Yes, Chris Squire's the only person to have appeared in every incarnation. It's hard to really think of it as Yes without Jon since he was a founding member, but he had left before back at the end of the 70s and they did Drama without him.
Total members list:
Lead Vocals: Jon Anderson, Trevor Horn, Benoit David, Jon Davison
Guitar: Peter Banks, Steve Howe, Trevor Rabin, Billy Sherwood
Bass: Chris Squire
Keys: Tony Kaye, Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz, Geoff Downes, Igor Koroshev, Oliver Wakeman
Drums: Bill Bruford, Alan White
Which by my count makes something like 17 different members of the band at one time or another.
Wasn't there another keyboard player in there, in between Igor Koroshev & Oliver Wakeman? I think he played on the orchestral album & tour they did in the early/mid-2000's...I seem to recall he was also a contributing writer for Keyboard Magazine. Am I crazy? If not, who am I thinking of? Must go to da Google...
Oops you're right - on the almighty authority of Wikipedia, Tom Brislin played keys on tour only in 2001. Then Rick Wakeman came back for a while. Brislin's playing is apparently on the Symphonic Live album they put out in 2002 (which I haven't heard), but he never did a studio album with them.
I would love to see the new tour just for the "A's" (awaken,and america). They are supposed to be doing the whole "fly from here" suite as well. I saw them at the grand ole opry in Nashville several years ago,with Oliver and Benoit,and thought the old Ric sounded best,but i think that is his signature sound,too. When he played the new custom fish out of water Ric,the bass didn't sound as clear,Probably because the newer pickups are a LOT hotter. (not always a good thing)
Has anyone else read Bill Brufords book? It does give some insight into why he left Yes and , as much as I love the guys playing, something tells me CS may be kind of a jerk.
But I overlook that for the sheer wonderfulness of his 70's era playing.
But I overlook that for the sheer wonderfulness of his 70's era playing.
edmidlifecrisis
Registered mediocre bass player
I've seen them in multiple incarnations over the years, including one show in the round in the 1990's that included multiple incarnations in one show!! The first time I saw them, before I started playing, I was struck by how CS was absolutely the anchor and the driving force in the band. I hadn't really noticed it on record but it was obvious in a live situation. Just a power of nature.
57pbass said:
Is a Wal, or more correct a Japanese copy of his original which is at the hard rock cafe.
Squire is THE man.
Anderson's condition was a lot more serious than an infection, he nearly died! He had a massive asthma attack and stopped breathing. I don't think his voice has fully recovered, he isn't a young man anymore. Sad really. But this is the first I've heard that Benoit left the band.
Squire is one of my bass idols, but I've read enough to gather that he isn't Mother Teresa. Still, most of his downside seems to be fairly petty stuff - he apparently got the "Fish" nickname because he hogged the bathtub back when the band all lived in one house together. I've heard Bruford quoted that he thought Squire was the laziest guy he ever played with. Obviously not musically, just in terms of oversleeping and taking all day in the bathtub and not being punctual and all that.
More broadly, it seems that everybody in the band was very ambitious and jockeying for control. It was never a bunch of high school buddies hanging out for kicks. Squire was no exception. He and Anderson would be pretty cold about kicking people out if they didn't think they were contributing enough or thought they could get someone better (Tony Kaye, Peter Banks). That's just the kind of band it always was.
I saw Yes on July 4th 1976...yes, on this nation's bicenntesticle. Chicago Stadium, the Relayer tour. There was a big beating heart above Alan White going boom BOOM boom BOOM boom BOOM...being the 70's we all consumed lots of purple microdot and were on the main floor and they were throwing cherry bombs from the balconies...4th of July. It was cool.
