From Garry Beers / INXS / AshenMoon.. Re Chris Squire..

[garrybeers]

Great, thanks for that info..

I've only built one 2 pickup bass so far- and it sold earlier this year- my "quad" pickup plus a regular humbucker. The Quad has 5 different sounds plus a blend control and combined with the 2nd pickup gave a crazy amount of tones- probably too many..
She is pretty sweet tho.

 

[garrybeers]

It is kind of funny that I'm even thinking about a 2 pickup / separate sends setup when pretty much everything I've recorded was with these guys.. The INXS "chain"... kinda simple... Lately it's been 100% with my new basses.

 

[garrybeers]

I think you’re exaggerating a little. You didn’t even get to Bernie Worrell or Jan Hammer.

It was late and I didn't stretch the brain too much but yes you are correct- especially about Tony Banks- how could I not mention him ! The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is prob my all time fav record- it will not leave the car- ever..

 

[garrybeers]

Thank you!
Yes and Chris have been my favorites since I first heard their cover of the Beatle’s
Every Little Thing back in 1968/9. I’m unabashedly geeky and a major fan.
Chris’s sound and melodic playing was what made me want to play bass, and also led me to investigate the instrument he was making his unique sound with. I got a used modded Rick 4000 bass (pictured along with my budding Squire haircut), pretty early on (around 1975), and have been playing them ever since.
The first 2 albums are still ones I’m blown away by, and Yes always seem to up their game
with every new release. I’ve attended any Memphis tour stops since 1972, including ABWH. I last saw Yes,Official, in 2008 with Benoit David and Adam Wakeman. A fantastic show, Chris and all in great form.
That was the last show I got to see of Chris/Yes.O, as I like to call them, but I did see ARW and lastly Jon’s 1000 Hands shows. (Which were both superb).

Nowadays I’m a huge fan of Rickenbacker 4004 models, especially the walnut Cheyenne.
I have one of those and a Fireglo Cheyenne ii.
View attachment 4788339 View attachment 4788342

Where's that 4000 now BTW. ??

 

[Indiedog]

I am the ultimate gear and music history geek- I wear it well !
I never actually met Chris sadly- I saw the Classic Yes in Sydney around 96 or so. Chris may have had a few too many but still played his arse off. I sat right over Wakeman's keys setup and had the best view in the house of the hair and the cape. I drive my kids crazy when I'm playing old Bowie or Cat Stevens in the car and constantly telling everyone (again) that that's Rick Wakeman from Yes on the synth / piano..
Zep, AC/DC and the Beatles will always be the bands that changed my life forever but Yes has always been a guilty Pleasure.. It was never on the cards I would go for Chris's sound in a rock band with 2 and sometimes 3 guitars to sit under but boy did he impress this Aussie..
And you're correct- a great singer and very important in Yes's overall sound with his vocal arrangements- you can really hear them with headphones on tracks like Wonderous Stories etc.
I still crank Fish out of Water - love the simplicity of the groove- not a shabby bass sound either.

Thank you for this lovely reply, as well as your other great posts.

Truly, you do “wear it well.” Your love for Squire, Wakeman, and really, every artist that you like is so nice to see. I really feel that whether we are amateurs or professionals, it is always good to be galvanized and encouraged by our heroes.

Perhaps best of all it’s your mention of “Fish Out of Water.” It is one of my favorite records of all time, quite possibly my number one. There is so much goodness in that album. And not just by Chris; everyone on the album is at their zenith. Bill Bruford is soooo good on it.

Oh, and speaking of great Moog players, don’t forget Kit Watkins of Happy the Man and Camel. Few players achieved such a high level of accomplishment on a Moog.

 

[woodyng2]

Where's that 4000 now BTW. ??

I only had that bass for a very short time…the guy I bought it from was hired to play bass for Black Oak Arkansas, and asked me to sell it back when he got the gig. (Wish I’d been an ahole and said no.)
I’ve owned about a baker’s dozen other Rickenbackers scattered over the last 45+ years,
including 2 other 4000s, a ‘71 4001, ‘83 4002, ‘77 4005, ’92 V63, and 7 4004 models.
My Cheyenne is my all-time favorite bass.

 

[woodyng2]

Oh, and speaking of great Moog players, don’t forget Kit Watkins of Happy the Man and Camel. Few players achieved such a high level of accomplishment on a Moog.

LOVE HTM!!
I used to have 100’s of lps, sold most all of them except for just a few that I have now as wall art.

 

[garrybeers]

Thank you for this lovely reply, as well as your other great posts.

Truly, you do “wear it well.” Your love for Squire, Wakeman, and really, every artist that you like is so nice to see. I really feel that whether we are amateurs or professionals, it is always good to be galvanized and encouraged by our heroes.

Perhaps best of all it’s your mention of “Fish Out of Water.” It is one of my favorite records of all time, quite possibly my number one. There is so much goodness in that album. And not just by Chris; everyone on the album is at their zenith. Bill Bruford is soooo good on it.

Oh, and speaking of great Moog players, don’t forget Kit Watkins of Happy the Man and Camel. Few players achieved such a high level of accomplishment on a Moog.

I am almost loathe to mention another fav band with a killer keyboardist- Focus.. I saw them twice in Aussie in 74 /75 ish- the second time was for the record Hamburger Concerto- another of my fav records and a go to for times when I need to soak up some amazing playing. Everything (besides Thijs van Leer's yodelling ) is near perfect. He only touches on the synth here and there but his Hammond playing in perfect- up there with the great Jon Lord.

 

[woodyng2]

I am almost loathe to mention another fav band with a killer keyboardist- Focus.. I saw them twice in Aussie in 74 /75 ish- the second time was for the record Hamburger Concerto- another of my fav records and a go to for times when I need to soak up some amazing playing. Everything (besides Thijs van Leer's yodelling ) is near perfect. He only touches on the synth here and there but his Hammond playing in perfect- up there with the great Jon Lord.

Don’t be loathe-Focus was an incredible band….and Hamburger concerto is a great album.
Since you obviously listened to a fair amount of 70s prog, did you ever check out Peter Banks post Yes band, Flash? I loved them, all 3 studio albums are fantastic.

 

[garrybeers]

Don’t be loathe-Focus was an incredible band….and Hamburger concerto is a great album.
Since you obviously listened to a fair amount of 70s prog, did you ever check out Peter Banks post Yes band, Flash? I loved them, all 3 studio albums are fantastic.

I did not but will.
The Genesis story is amazing- Break up over differences while making (to me) their best - Lamb Lies Down- Then make the next with Collins singing which is my second fav record of theirs- Trick of the Tail, what a record- I blew up / resoldered the speakers in my Hi-ace van 20 times blasting Dance on a Volcano- Damn Taurus pedals!!
- then lose the guitarist and keep going pretty much always maintaining an incredible standard. Needless to say- to me Bonham and Collins- the best.



Always had a thing for Ian Paice also - Deep Purple were it for me 74-75, Machine Head and Burn 2 of the greatest.. Again changing singers and evolving a great new beast. I always wanted to be Blackmore but I sucked on 6 string and lost a bet with my schoolmates and had to take up bass. That kinda worked in my favour.

The song Burn is insane- such amazing playing all round.


Plus I was already a huge fan of Glen Hughes when he was in Trapeze.

How's this for a groove, we used to (try to) play it as the Farriss Brothers.



Glen Hughes was also a great Ricky player !!! P bass on Trapeze- Ricky with DP- (as was the GREAT Roger Glover before him).. as evidenced here especially in the guit solo.. - what a groove !!!

 

[Jeff Scott]

...he always said he used his Marshall Super Bass in the studio.

Here is a great example of Chris using only the Marshall in this demo song.

 

[wagdog]

Lovely to see so many great bands and albums mentioned.

26738901[/URL], member: 284384"]Since you obviously listened to a fair amount of 70s prog, did you ever check out Peter Banks post Yes band, Flash? I loved them, all 3 studio albums are fantastic.

I’m a big fan of Flash too and I place Ray Bennett’s Ric playing right up there. Sadly, he seems to only play guitar these days. Our loss.

 

[Indiedog]

Man, this thread gets better and better!

I too think Focus was a fantastic band (and I love the yodeling)!

Your thoughts on Genesis were spot on, in my opinion. I just saw “The Musical Box” do their famous “Lamb” show and it was superb. It showed just how much of a high point “Lamb” was, especially Phil’s drumming and vocals (his vocals are all over the record), and he did all that live while hammering away at that kit (with the bombastic timbales). I could never say enough about Phil’s drumming. And Hackett? A player like no other. Since we are singling them out, don’t forget Rutherford’s excellent work. An underrated bassist, I too loved his work on the Taurus pedals and guitars. My favorite moments of them live is when Mike would have his head tilted back, eyes closed as he played those driving bass lines.

But as a reminder, when Tony Banks was mentioned as a great player in the context of Moogs, in actuality he was an ARP man in the early days. The Pro Soloist is all over “Selling England” and “Lamb.”

 

[woodyng2]

Lovely to see so many great bands and albums mentioned.



I’m a big fan of Flash too and I place Ray Bennett’s Ric playing right up there. Sadly, he seems to only play guitar these days. Our loss.

His bass playing on the ‘70s Flash albums is fantastic- busy,melodic, and supportive with a great tone.
I think the first album may have been partly done with P bass, but he also had a mapleglo 4001.
He plays both guitar and bass on the new Flash album released just a few years back,
(and it’s really a great album, too).
I’d have to go dig out his His solo album Whatever Falls, if i remember correctly he plays most all of the instruments…

 

[garrybeers]

Man, this thread gets better and better!

I too think Focus was a fantastic band (and I love the yodeling)!

Your thoughts on Genesis were spot on, in my opinion. I just saw “The Musical Box” do their famous “Lamb” show and it was superb. It showed just how much of a high point “Lamb” was, especially Phil’s drumming and vocals (his vocals are all over the record), and he did all that live while hammering away at that kit (with the bombastic timbales). I could never say enough about Phil’s drumming. And Hackett? A player like no other. Since we are singling them out, don’t forget Rutherford’s excellent work. An underrated bassist, I too loved his work on the Taurus pedals and guitars. My favorite moments of them live is when Mike would have his head tilted back, eyes closed as he played those driving bass lines.

But as a reminder, when Tony Banks was mentioned as a great player in the context of Moogs, in actuality he was an ARP man in the early days. The Pro Soloist is all over “Selling England” and “Lamb.”

Rutherford is a great player- I know the Ricky was in his hands mostly but for me some of his best playing was groove on the P bass- No Reply at all is a pretty stellar line.. What a lucky bugger to play with Phil for your career..
As I mentioned "Lamb" is my fav record and this to me is THE song from it..

 

[garrybeers]

Man, this thread gets better and better!

I too think Focus was a fantastic band (and I love the yodeling)!

Your thoughts on Genesis were spot on, in my opinion. I just saw “The Musical Box” do their famous “Lamb” show and it was superb. It showed just how much of a high point “Lamb” was, especially Phil’s drumming and vocals (his vocals are all over the record), and he did all that live while hammering away at that kit (with the bombastic timbales). I could never say enough about Phil’s drumming. And Hackett? A player like no other. Since we are singling them out, don’t forget Rutherford’s excellent work. An underrated bassist, I too loved his work on the Taurus pedals and guitars. My favorite moments of them live is when Mike would have his head tilted back, eyes closed as he played those driving bass lines.

But as a reminder, when Tony Banks was mentioned as a great player in the context of Moogs, in actuality he was an ARP man in the early days. The Pro Soloist is all over “Selling England” and “Lamb.”

He is an incredible player.. The backbone of the band.. Perfectly layers his keys to create atmospheres as only he can..

 

[garrybeers]

Here is a great example of Chris using only the Marshall in this demo song.

Wow, have never heard that- tho it's not exactly a word most Prog players use - Chris sounds like he is having FUN in most recordings. Confident and amazing- a great combo..

 

[Jeff Scott]

Man, this thread gets better and better!

I too think Focus was a fantastic band (and I love the yodeling)!

Your thoughts on Genesis were spot on, in my opinion. I just saw “The Musical Box” do their famous “Lamb” show and it was superb. It showed just how much of a high point “Lamb” was, especially Phil’s drumming and vocals (his vocals are all over the record), and he did all that live while hammering away at that kit (with the bombastic timbales). I could never say enough about Phil’s drumming. And Hackett? A player like no other. Since we are singling them out, don’t forget Rutherford’s excellent work. An underrated bassist, I too loved his work on the Taurus pedals and guitars. My favorite moments of them live is when Mike would have his head tilted back, eyes closed as he played those driving bass lines.

But as a reminder, when Tony Banks was mentioned as a great player in the context of Moogs, in actuality he was an ARP man in the early days. The Pro Soloist is all over “Selling England” and “Lamb.”

I can close my eyes and recall seeing "Lamb" back in the last century.

As to Phil, even when I saw Genesis on their first US tour in early 1973 Phil got out front and sang at least one song.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Wow, have never heard that- tho it's not exactly a word most Prog players use - Chris sounds like he is having FUN in most recordings. Confident and amazing- a great combo..

All the times I'd seen Yes, Chris was always the most animated on stage, and definitely looked like he was having fun up there.

 

[garrybeers]

In all this thread I haven't mentioned the band that DID influence INXS - we used to cover / butcher some of their songs back in 77 or so as we were discovering funk grooves with a rock backbone. To me prob the best American band, at the very least right there besides The Allman's
Little Feat !! I mean, what players...
And my fav record- The Lat Record album..