115-507: Peter William Brockbanks (15 July 1947 – 7 March 2013), known professionally as Peter Banks , was a British guitarist. He was the original guitarist in the rock bands Yes , Flash , and Empire; he was also a guitarist for The Syn . Banks has been described as "the architect of progressive music ". Peter William Brockbanks was born in Chipping Barnet in north London, on 15 July 1947, and raised in 37 Alston Road. His father William
230-603: A speech bubble . Banks performed on the first two Yes albums, Yes (1969) and Time and a Word (1970). The latter features orchestral arrangements which Banks disagreed with, and he often clashed with producer Tony Colton. On 18 April 1970, Banks was fired from Yes after their gig at the Luton College of Technology, and was replaced by former Syndicats guitarist Steve Howe . In his autobiography, Howe wrote that Banks "was an interesting guitarist to have to follow. He, too, adopted different guitar styles and had already set
345-403: A Duo or Group with Vocal award with 90125 . The band's 1984–1985 tour was the most lucrative in their history and spawned the home video release 9012Live , a concert film directed by Steven Soderbergh with added special effects from Charlex that cost $ 1 million. Issued in 1985, an accompanying live album also appeared that year, 9012Live: The Solos , which earned Yes a nomination for
460-456: A Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1992. Howe described the nomination for a track he had recorded solo at home as "pure justice", following the difficulties in making the album. Union sold approximately 1.5 million copies worldwide, and peaked at number 7 in the UK and number 15 in the U.S. charts. Two singles from the album were released. " Lift Me Up " topped
575-606: A Lonely Heart" topped the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for four weeks and went on to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the only single from Yes to do so, for two weeks in January 1984. Kaye's short-term replacement on keyboards, Eddie Jobson , appeared briefly in the original video but was edited out as much as possible once Kaye had been persuaded to return to
690-628: A Word (1970). A change of direction later in 1970 led to a series of successful progressive rock albums, with four consecutive U.S. platinum or multi-platinum sellers in The Yes Album (1971), Fragile (1971), Close to the Edge (1972) and the live album Yessongs (1973). Further albums, Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973), Relayer (1974), Going for the One (1977) and Tormato (1978), were also commercially successful. Yes toured as
805-424: A Word , accompanied by a 20-piece youth orchestra. Banks left the group on 18 April 1970, just three months before the album's release. Having expressed dissatisfaction with the idea of recording with an orchestra as well as the sacking of Flynn earlier in the year, Banks later indicated that he was fired by Anderson and Squire, and that Kaye and Bruford had no prior knowledge that it would be happening. Similar to
920-419: A book with co-author Billy James, entitled Beyond and Before: The Formative Years of Yes . In 2006, he expressed a desire to write a second book. He was initially involved in a reunion of The Syn in 2003 and 2004, and recorded material with Steve Nardelli, Martyn Adleman, and Gerard Johnson. After several clashes over the recording, production and mixing, Banks was let go from the project, although he claimed he
1035-400: A cancerous tumour. Banks died on 7 March 2013 in his rented flat where he grew up in Chipping Barnet , London, aged 65. He failed to turn up for a scheduled recording session, and a concerned friend had medical staff break into his home, where his body was discovered. The coroner declared that he died from heart failure . His former business partner and manager George Mizer, who he first met in
1150-533: A career in music production, with White and Squire next to depart. Left as the sole remaining members, Downes and Howe opted not to continue with the group and went their own separate ways in December 1980. Yesshows , a live album recorded during 1976 to 1978, mixed in mid-1979 and originally intended for release in late 1979, was released in November 1980, peaking at number 22 in the UK charts and number 43 in
1265-470: A departing Bayley and keyboardist Tony Kaye was brought in to round out the group. While rehearsing with the new line-up, the band exchanged ideas for a name. Anderson suggested Life and Squire proposed World, but all agreed on Banks' suggestion of Yes, which he had thought of some time before. Following their debut in August 1968 Banks devised the band's first logo, a design featuring the group's name inside
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#17328023081361380-445: A divorce by the early 2000s due to the effects of his medication to treat his depression, which his friends said made him difficult to live with. A longtime friend said he also went through seasonal "dark" periods around February and March. In 2011, Banks was hospitalised with a case of septicaemia , likely caused from an infected tooth due to dental neglect. He also caught Legionnaires' disease . During this time his doctors discovered
1495-433: A follow-up to Big Generator and had been shopping around for a new singer, auditioning Roger Hodgson of Supertramp , Steve Walsh of Kansas , Robbie Nevil of " C'est la Vie " fame, and Billy Sherwood of World Trade . Walsh only spent one day with them, but Sherwood and the band worked well enough together and continued with writing sessions. Arista suggested that the "Yes-West" group, with Anderson on vocals, record
1610-557: A footnote within Paramahansa Yogananda 's book Autobiography of a Yogi . The album became the first LP in the UK to ship gold before the record arrived at retailers. It went on to top the UK charts for two weeks while reaching number 6 in the U.S., and became the band's fourth consecutive gold album. Wakeman was not pleased with the record and is critical of much of its material. He felt sections were "bled to death" and contained too much musical padding. Wakeman left
1725-460: A heavier, harder sound than the material Yes recorded with Anderson and Wakeman in 1979, opening with the lengthy hard rocker " Machine Messiah ". The album received substantial radio airplay in the late summer–fall of 1980, and peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 18 in the U.S., though it was the first Yes album to not be certified Gold by the RIAA since 1971. Their 1980 tour of North America and
1840-429: A lot of material together and became close friends. Yes performed "Walls" on Late Show with David Letterman on 20 June 1994. The 1994 tour (for which the band included side man Billy Sherwood on additional guitar and keyboards) used a sound system developed by Rabin named Concertsonics which allowed the audience located in certain seating areas to tune portable FM radios to a specific frequency, so they could hear
1955-458: A major rock act that earned the band a reputation for their elaborate stage sets, light displays, and album covers designed by Roger Dean . The success of " Roundabout ", the single from Fragile , cemented their popularity across the decade and beyond. The early 1970s saw lasting lineup changes, with Banks, Kaye, and Bruford being replaced by Howe, Rick Wakeman , and Alan White . In 1979, growing musical differences led Anderson and Wakeman to leave
2070-985: A memorial drink in Denmark Street . Mizer kept the ashes, and sprinkled some in areas that meant something to Banks. With the Syn With Neat Change With Yes With Flash With Empire With Harmony in Diversity With David Cross Sources Yes (band) Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by lead singer Jon Anderson , bassist Chris Squire , guitarist Peter Banks , keyboardist Tony Kaye , and drummer Bill Bruford . The band has undergone numerous lineup changes throughout their history, during which 20 musicians have been full-time members. Since February 2023,
2185-591: A more structurally ambitious approach taken from the band's progressive blueprint, with the fifteen-minute track " Endless Dream ". The album reached number 20 in the UK and number 33 in the U.S. The track " The Calling " reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and " Walls ", which Rabin had written with former Supertramp songwriter and co-founder Roger Hodgson , peaked at number 24. It also became Yes's second-last-charting single. Rabin and Hodgson wrote
2300-593: A new band fell through, partly due to his disinterest in being a leader. Banks' fortunes changed when music reporter Chris Welch wrote an article about him in Melody Maker in June 1971. The article was spotted by vocalist Colin Carter, who contacted Banks and invited him to form a band. Following the addition of bassist Ray Bennett and drummer Mike Hough, the four named themselves Flash and began touring in 1972. In
2415-492: A nomination for a second Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1988, and was also certified platinum (with 1 million-plus in sales) by the RIAA. The single " Love Will Find a Way " topped the Mainstream Rock chart, while " Rhythm of Love " reached number 2 and " Shoot High Aim Low " number 11. The 1987–1988 tour ended with an appearance at Madison Square Garden on 14 May 1988 as part of
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#17328023081362530-435: A particularly happy one and enjoyed working with his bandmates. After the band ran its course, Banks was unsure of his next move and later admitted that he was still "shell-shocked" by his departure from Yes, and turned to alcohol and drugs. He earned some money as a session musician, but found the work restrictive in a creative sense. At one point he was close to bankruptcy, and had to sell some of his equipment. Attempts to form
2645-433: A record producer and even briefly considered being a member of Asia . The three teamed up in a new band called Cinema , for which Squire also recruited the original Yes keyboard player Tony Kaye. Later in 1982, Cinema entered the studio to record their debut album. Although Rabin and Squire initially shared lead vocals for the project, Trevor Horn was briefly brought into Cinema as a potential singer, but soon opted to become
2760-501: A rented farmhouse in Devon to write and rehearse new songs for their following album. Howe established himself as an integral part of the group's sound with his Gibson ES-175 and variety of acoustic guitars. With producer and engineer Eddy Offord , recording sessions lasted as long as 12 hours with each track being assembled from small sections at a time, which were pieced together to form a complete track. The band would then learn to play
2875-489: A reunited band with a history and expectations, rather than help launch a new group. However, with four of the five members having been members of Yes (with three of them being original members, including the distinctive lead singer) it suggested that the name change was sound commercial strategy. The new album marked a significant change in style as the revived Yes had adopted more of a pop rock sound with few moments that recalled their progressive rock past. This incarnation of
2990-518: A scene I could relate to. He was a sweet guy and came to many of our early gigs. I can't think of many other ex-band members doing that – I mean, right after they've left the band." Banks joined Blodwyn Pig for around six months in 1970, following the departure of original guitarist Mick Abrahams . He tried to incorporate more arrangements into their simple blues-oriented music, which he later realised did not fit and found his style incompatible. In later years, however, Banks looked back on this period as
3105-475: A second Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for Squire's solo track, a rendition of " Amazing Grace ". Yes began recording for their twelfth album, Big Generator , in 1985, initially with Trevor Horn returning as producer. The sessions underwent many starts and stops due to the use of multiple recording locations in Italy, London and Los Angeles, with interpersonal problems leading to Horn leaving
3220-458: A second hiatus, Yes once again reformed in 2009, adding Trevor Horn and Downes (both having appeared on Drama ) and later, Davison as lead singer. Squire died in 2015, and White in 2022, leaving Howe as the only remaining member from the 1970s era. Former members Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman collaborated from 2016 to 2018, but did not release a studio album. Yes's latest album, Mirror to the Sky ,
3335-496: A serious band dispute over finance saw Anderson leave Yes, with a dispirited Wakeman departing at around the same time. In 1980, pop duo The Buggles (singer Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes ) secured the services of Brian Lane , who had managed Yes since 1970, as their manager. The Buggles were best known for their 1979 hit single " Video Killed the Radio Star " from their album The Age of Plastic . At this point,
3450-503: A while." For his part, Rabin felt that he had achieved his highest ambitions with Talk and lamented its disappointing reception, feeling that this was due to the fact that it "just wasn't what people wanted to hear at the time." Having remarked at the conclusion of the tour "I think I'm done", Rabin quit the band and returned to Los Angeles, where he shifted his focus to composing for films. Kaye also left Yes to pursue other projects. In November 1995, Anderson, Squire and White resurrected
3565-440: Is a fragmented masterpiece, assembled with loving care and long hours in the studio. Brilliant in patches, but often taking far too long to make its various points, and curiously lacking in warmth or personal expression ..."Ritual" is a dance of celebration and brings the first enjoyable moments, where Alan's driving drums have something to grip on to and the lyrics of la la la speak volumes. But even this cannot last long and cohesion
Peter Banks - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-454: Is lost once more to the gods of drab self indulgence. — Melody Maker review of Tales from Topographic Oceans , 1973 Tales from Topographic Oceans was the band's sixth studio album, released on 7 December 1973. It marked a change in their fortunes and polarised fans and critics alike. The double vinyl set was based on Anderson's interpretation of the Shastric scriptures from
3795-412: The 1997/1998 Open Your Eyes tour , Yes hired Russian keyboard player Igor Khoroshev , who had played on some of the album tracks. Significantly, the tour setlist featured only a few pieces from the new album, and mostly concentrated on earlier material. Anderson and Howe, who had been less involved with the writing and production on Open Your Eyes than they'd wished, would express dissatisfaction about
3910-598: The Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In February 1972, Yes recorded a cover version of " America " by Paul Simon and released it in July. The single reached number 46 on the U.S. singles chart. The track subsequently appeared on The New Age of Atlantic , a 1972 compilation album of several bands signed to Atlantic Records, and again in the 1975 compilation Yesterdays . Released in September 1972, Close to
4025-736: The Jon and Vangelis project) at a Los Angeles party and, encouraged by Atlantic Records vice president Phil Carson , played Anderson the Cinema demo tracks. Anderson was then invited into the project as lead singer and joined in April 1983 during the last few weeks of the sessions, having comparatively little creative input beyond adding his lead vocals and re-writing some lyrics. At the suggestion of Carson and other Atlantic executives, Cinema then changed their name to Yes in June 1983. Rabin initially objected to this, as he now found that he had inadvertently joined
4140-607: The Mellotron and the Minimoog synthesizer, preferring to stick exclusively to piano and Hammond organ , led to the keyboardist being fired from the band in the summer of 1971. Anderson recalled in a 2019 interview: "Steve and Chris came over and said, 'Look, Tony Kaye... great guy.' But, you know, we'd just seen Rick Wakeman about a month earlier. And I said, 'There's that Rick Wakeman guy,' and we've got to get on with life and move on, you know, rather than keep going on, set in
4255-660: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . In late 1967, bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Peter Banks , both formerly of the Syn , joined the psychedelic rock band Mabel Greer's Toyshop , which had formed in 1966 by Clive Bayley and Robert Hagger. They played at the Marquee Club in Soho , London where Jack Barrie, owner of the nearby La Chasse club, saw them perform. "There was nothing outstanding about them", he recalled, "the musicianship
4370-611: The "classic" 1970s lineup of Yes by inviting Wakeman and Howe back to the band, recording two new lengthy tracks called "Be the One" and "That, That Is". In March 1996 Yes performed three live shows at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo , California which were recorded and released, along with the new studio tracks, that October on CMC International Records as the Keys to Ascension album, which peaked at number 48 in
4485-593: The "classic" Yes, although from the start the project had included bass player Tony Levin , whom Bruford had worked with in King Crimson. The project, rather than taking over or otherwise using the Yes name, was called Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (ABWH). Their eponymous album , released in June 1989, featured "Brother of Mine", which became an MTV hit and went gold in the United States. It later emerged that
4600-504: The 1970s, organised Banks' posthumous business affairs, and discovered that Banks' body was unclaimed in the local mortuary. As Banks had no children or a will, Mizer reached out to Quino, who gave the required approval for the body to be released. There was no money to pay for a funeral or wake, so Mizer setup an online fund for fans to contribute. Banks was cremated, after which several friends and associates, including David Cross of King Crimson and original Yes manager Roy Flynn , met for
4715-593: The Beatles , The 5th Dimension and Traffic . On 16 September, Yes performed at Blaise's club in London as a substitute for Sly and the Family Stone , who had failed to turn up. They were well received by the audience, including the host Roy Flynn , who became the band's manager that night. That month, Bruford decided to quit performing to study at the University of Leeds . His replacement, Tony O'Reilly of
Peter Banks - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-424: The Edge , the band's fifth album, was their most ambitious work so far. At 19 minutes, the title track took up an entire side on the vinyl record and combined elements of classical music, psychedelic rock, pop and jazz. The album reached number 3 in the U.S. and number 4 on the UK charts. " And You and I " was released as a single that peaked at number 42 in the U.S. The growing critical and commercial success of
4945-653: The Fox ", a Christmas single with Squire on vocals which received radio airplay through the 1980s and early 1990s during the Christmas periods. A second Yes compilation album, Classic Yes , was released in November 1981. At the beginning of 1982, Phil Carson of Atlantic Records introduced Squire and White to guitarist and singer Trevor Rabin , who had initially made his name with the South African supergroup Rabbitt , subsequently releasing three solo albums, working as
5060-580: The Koobas , struggled to perform with the rest of the group on stage and former Warriors and future King Crimson drummer Ian Wallace subbed for one gig on 5 November 1968. After Bruford was refused a year's sabbatical leave from Leeds, Anderson and Squire convinced him to return for Yes's supporting slot for Cream's farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 November. After seeing an early King Crimson gig in 1969, Yes realised that there
5175-595: The Mainstream Rock charts in May 1991 for six weeks, while " Saving My Heart " peaked at number 9. Almost the entire band have openly stated their dislike of Union . Bruford has disowned the album entirely, and Wakeman was reportedly unable to recognise any of his keyboard work in the final edit and threw his copy of the album out of his limousine. He has since referred to the album as "Onion" because it makes him cry when he thinks about it. Union co-producer Jonathan Elias later stated publicly in an interview that Anderson, as
5290-423: The One topped the UK album charts for two weeks and reached number 8 in the U.S. " Wonderous Stories " and "Going for the One" were released as singles in the UK and reached numbers 7 and 25, respectively. Although the album's cover was designed by Hipgnosis , it still features their Roger Dean "bubble" logotype . The band's 1977 tour spanned across six months. Tormato was released in September 1978 at
5405-556: The UK and number 99 in the U.S. A same-titled live video of the shows was also released that year. Yes continued to record new tracks in the studio, drawing some material written around the time of the XYZ project. At one point the new songs were to be released as a studio album, but commercial considerations meant that the new tracks were eventually packaged with the remainder of the 1996 San Luis Obispo shows in November 1997 on Keys to Ascension 2 . The record managed to reach number 62 in
5520-531: The UK received a mixed reaction from audiences. They were well received in the United States and were awarded with a commemorative certificate after they performed a record 16 consecutive sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden since 1974. After the Drama tour, Yes reconvened in England to decide the band's next step, beginning by dismissing Lane as their manager. Horn was also dismissed, and went on to pursue
5635-545: The UK, but failed to chart in the U.S. Disgruntled at the way a potential studio album had been sacrificed in favour of the Keys to Ascension releases (as well as the way in which a Yes tour was being arranged without his input or agreement), Wakeman left the group again. (The studio material from both albums would eventually be compiled and re-released without the live tracks onto a single CD, 2001's Keystudio .) With Yes in disarray again, Squire turned to Billy Sherwood (by now
5750-543: The US. An announcement came from the group's management in March 1981 confirming that Yes no longer existed. Downes and Howe soon reunited to form Asia with former King Crimson bassist and vocalist John Wetton , and drummer Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer . Squire and White continued to work together, initially recording sessions with Jimmy Page for a proposed band called XYZ (short for "ex-Yes-and-Zeppelin") in
5865-534: The album failed to break into the UK album charts, Rolling Stone critic Lester Bangs complimented the album's "sense of style, taste and subtlety". Melody Maker columnist Tony Wilson chose Yes and Led Zeppelin as the two bands "most likely to succeed". Following a tour of Scandinavia with Faces , Yes performed a solo concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 21 March 1970. The second half consisted of excerpts from their second album Time and
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#17328023081365980-485: The album later. Blodwyn Pig Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock band , founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams . Abrahams left Jethro Tull after their debut album , This Was , was released, due to a falling-out with Tull vocalist Ian Anderson over the direction of the band. He formed Blodwyn Pig with Jack Lancaster ( saxophone and flute ), Andy Pyle ( bass guitar ), and Ron Berg ( drums ). With Abrahams and Lancaster in
6095-576: The all-instrumental Instinct (1993), Self Contained (1995), which features Gerald Goff on keyboards, and Reduction (1997). Another archival release was Psychosync , a live Flash recording made in 1973 for the King Biscuit Flower Hour and finally released in 1998. In 2000, Banks put out a collection of his oldest recordings, many previously unreleased, called Can I Play You Something? . It features early recordings by The Syn, Mabel Greer's Toyshop and Yes. In 2001, Banks published
6210-503: The article, "Before there was Steve Howe, there was Peter Banks. Artistic differences between Banks and singer Jon Anderson prompted Banks's departure from Yes in 1970, but in his little-known '70s band, Flash, Banks used an ES-335 to create several should-have-been prog rock classics. "Lifetime", from Flash's In the Can album, is his tour-de-force." In 2018, a documentary film on Banks' life and career written and directed by Heidi Hornbacher
6325-504: The associate producer, knew of the session musicians' involvement. He added that he and Anderson had even initiated their contributions, because hostility between some of the band members at the time was preventing work from being accomplished. The 1991–1992 Union tour united all eight members on a revolving circular stage. Following the tour's conclusion in 1992, Bruford chose not to remain involved with Yes and returned to his jazz project Earthworks . Howe also ceased his involvement with
6440-521: The backgrounds. In late 1976, the band travelled to Switzerland and started recording for their album Going for the One at Mountain Studios , Montreux . It was then that Anderson sent early versions of "Going for the One" and " Wonderous Stories " to Wakeman, who felt he could contribute to such material better than the band's past releases. Moraz was let go, after Wakeman was booked on a session musician basis. Upon its release in July 1977, Going for
6555-798: The band after the 1973–1974 tour ; his solo album Journey to the Centre of the Earth topped the UK charts in May 1974. The tour included five consecutive sold-out shows at the Rainbow Theatre, the first time a rock band achieved this. Several musicians were approached to replace Wakeman, including Vangelis Papathanassiou , Eddie Jobson of Roxy Music and former Atlantis/Cat Stevens keyboardist Jean Roussel . Howe says he also asked Keith Emerson , who did not want to leave Emerson, Lake & Palmer . Yes ultimately chose Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz of Refugee , who arrived in August 1974 during
6670-451: The band at this time. In August 1991, while the Union tour was underway, Atlantic released Yesyears , a four-CD box set anthology. Two accompanying home videos, Yesyears and Greatest Video Hits , were also released during 1991. In 1993, the album Symphonic Music of Yes was released, featuring orchestrated Yes tracks arranged by Dee Palmer . Howe, Bruford and Anderson perform on
6785-451: The band has consisted of guitarist Steve Howe , keyboardist Geoff Downes , bassist Billy Sherwood , singer Jon Davison , and drummer Jay Schellen . Yes have explored several musical styles over the years and are most notably regarded as progressive rock pioneers. Yes began performing original songs and rearranged covers of rock, pop, blues and jazz songs, as showcased on their self-titled debut album (1969), and its follow-up, Time and
6900-539: The band has sometimes been informally referred to as "Yes-West", reflecting the band's new base in Los Angeles rather than London. Yes released their comeback album 90125 (named after its catalogue serial number on Atco Records ) in November 1983. It became their biggest-selling album, certified by the RIAA at triple-platinum (3 million copies) in sales in the U.S., and introduced the band to younger fans. "Owner of
7015-455: The band in the liner notes. Around this time, Banks and Geoff Downes played some sessions and the possibility of Banks joining Asia was mooted, but came to nothing. Banks was featured in the 2006 Yes documentary Classic Artists: Yes and the 2009 DVDs The Lost Broadcasts and Rock of the '70s . After returning to London in the mid-1990s, Banks continued as a session musician and released archive material. He released three solo albums:
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#17328023081367130-544: The band itself. Victory Music approached Rabin with a proposal to produce an album solely with the 90125 lineup. Rabin initially countered by requesting that Wakeman also be included. Rabin began assembling the album at his home, using the then-pioneering concept of a digital home studio, and used material written by himself and Anderson. The new album was well into production in 1993, but Wakeman's involvement had finally been cancelled, as his refusal to leave his long-serving management created insuperable legal problems. Talk
7245-516: The band released a solo album. Their subsequent 1976 tour of North America with Peter Frampton featured some of the band's most-attended shows. The show of 12 June, also supported by Gary Wright and Pousette-Dart Band at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, attracted over 100,000 people. Roger Dean's brother Martyn was the main designer behind the tour's "Crab Nebula" stage set, while Roger and fabric designer Felicity Youette provided
7360-552: The band was not enough to retain Bruford, who left Yes in the summer of 1972, before the album's release, to join King Crimson . The band considered several possible replacements, including Aynsley Dunbar (who was playing with Frank Zappa at the time), and decided on former Plastic Ono Band drummer Alan White , a friend of Anderson and Offord who had once sat in with the band weeks before Bruford's departure. White learned
7475-417: The band's engineer) for help. Both men had been working on a side project called Conspiracy and reworked existing demos and recordings from there to turn them into Yes songs, and also worked on new material with Anderson and White. (Howe's involvement at this stage was minimal, mainly taking place towards the end of the sessions.) Sherwood's integral involvement with the writing, production, and performance of
7590-468: The band's producer instead. Horn worked well with the band. However, his clashes with Tony Kaye (complicated by the fact that Rabin was playing most of the keyboards during the recording sessions) led to Kaye's departure during the recording, though some of his playing was kept on the final album and he had returned by the time it was released. Meanwhile, Squire encountered Jon Anderson (who, since leaving Yes, had released two solo albums and had success with
7705-552: The band's repertoire in three days before embarking on their 1972–1973 tour . By this point, Yes were beginning to enjoy worldwide commercial and critical success. Their early touring with White was featured on Yessongs , a triple live album released in May 1973 that documented shows from 1972. The album reached number 7 in the UK and number 12 in the U.S. A concert film of the same name premiered in 1975 that documented their shows at London's Rainbow Theatre in December 1972, with added psychedelic visual images and effects. It
7820-420: The band. In 1984, two further singles from the album " Leave It " and " It Can Happen " reached number 24 and 57, respectively. Yes also earned their only Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1985 for the two-minute track " Cinema ". They were also nominated for an award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals with "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and a Best Rock Performance by
7935-599: The classically trained organist and pianist Tony Kaye , of Johnny Taylor's Star Combo and the Federals, became the keyboardist. This lineup rehearsed in the basement of The Lucky Horseshoe cafe on Shaftesbury Avenue between 10 June and 9 July 1968. Meanwhile, Banks had left Mabel Greer's Toyshop to join Neat Change, but he was dismissed by this group on 14 July 1968 and was finally recalled by Squire, replacing Bayley as guitarist. The last gig by Mabel Greer's Toyshop
8050-487: The concert with headphones. In early 1995, following the tour, disagreements and dissatisfactions forced another change in the band. 1990s Yes manager Jon Brewer has stated that Squire had not appreciated the Talk production process: "(he) didn't like that. He didn't think it was what Yes was all about; he was very much against a computerised, digital sound at that time. So Trevor and Chris moved away from one another for quite
8165-487: The departure of Anderson and Wakeman had been kept secret from everyone outside the Yes inner circle. Seeing an option of continuing the band with new creative input and expertise, Squire revealed the situation to Horn and Downes and suggested that they join Yes as full-time members. Horn and Downes accepted the invitation and the reconfigured band recorded the Drama album, which was released in August 1980. The record displayed
8280-479: The differing Yes styles of the 1970s and 1980s. (Sherwood: "My goal was to try to break down those partisan walls… For that, I am proud—to have aligned planets for a moment in time." ) However, Open Your Eyes was not a chart success; the record peaked at number 151 on the Billboard 200 but failed to enter the charts in the UK. The title single managed to reach number 33 on the mainstream rock chart. For
8395-540: The encore at their show at the Great Western Forum , California. Banks accepted and went to the show, but Kaye informed him that Howe did not want Banks to play. An angered Banks proceeded to drink at the arena bar with comedian Billy Connolly . In 1994 and 1998, Banks was a featured guest at the Yes fan convention Yestival. He co-ordinated the release of the 1997 live compilation Something's Coming: The BBC Recordings 1969–1970 , and wrote about his days with
8510-483: The first album, Time and a Word features original songs and two new covers–"Everydays" by Buffalo Springfield and "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" by Richie Havens . The album broke into the UK charts, peaking at number 45. Banks' replacement was Tomorrow guitarist Steve Howe , who appears in the photograph of the group on the American issue despite not having played on it. The band retreated to
8625-795: The first time. He found the experience "totally terrifying", and was so traumatised that he started having doubts if he could carry on playing the guitar and work in another studio again. In 1965 Banks joined the Syndicats , replacing guitarist Ray Fenwick . After leaving the Syndicats, Banks joined the Syn which at the time included Chris Squire on bass, Andrew Pryce Jackman on keyboards, Steve Nardelli on vocals, and Gunnar Hákonarson on drums. They recorded two singles, "Created by Clive"/"Grounded" and "Flowerman"/"14 Hour Technicolour Dream", both in 1967, before they split. Later that year, Banks and Squire joined Mabel Greer's Toyshop with Clive Bayley on rhythm guitar and vocals and Bob Hagger on drums. In
8740-548: The following year he left to join the Devil's Disciples with John Tite on vocals, Ray Alford on bass, and Malcolm "Pinnie" Raye on drums. They recorded two covers on an acetate, Arthur Alexander's " You Better Move On " and Graham Gouldman 's " For Your Love ", which became a hit record for the Yardbirds one year later. It was Banks' first visit in a recording studio, during which he wore headphones and experienced stereo sound for
8855-739: The four band members had not all recorded together; Anderson and producer Chris Kimsey slotted their parts into place. Howe has stated publicly that he was unhappy with the mix of his guitars on the album, though a version of "Fist of Fire" with more of Howe's guitars left intact appeared on the In a Word: Yes box set in 2002. ABWH toured in 1989 and 1990 as "An Evening of Yes Music" which featured Levin, keyboardist Julian Colbeck , and guitarist Milton McDonald as support musicians. A live album and home video were recorded and released in 1993, both titled An Evening of Yes Music Plus that featured Jeff Berlin on bass due to Levin suffering from illness. The tour
8970-502: The four songs to add to the new album which would then be released under the Yes name. Union was released in April 1991 and is the thirteenth studio album from Yes. Each group played their own songs, with Anderson singing on all tracks. Squire sang background vocals on a few of the ABWH tracks, with Tony Levin playing all the bass on those songs. The album does not feature all eight members playing at once. The track "Masquerade" earned Yes
9085-412: The group to seek outside songwriters, preferably ones who could help them deliver hit singles. Anderson approached Rabin about the situation, and Rabin sent Anderson a demo tape with three songs, indicating that ABWH could have one but had to send the others back. Arista listened to them and wanted all of them, proposing to create a combined album with both Yes factions. The "Yes-West" group were working on
9200-433: The group; after Drama (1980) and its tour, Yes disbanded in 1981. In 1983, Squire and White reformed Yes with Anderson, Kaye, and guitarist Trevor Rabin . Rabin's songwriting helped move the band toward a more pop-oriented sound, the result of which was 90125 (1983), their highest-selling album, which featured the band's only U.S. number-one single, " Owner of a Lonely Heart ". Its follow-up, Big Generator (1987),
9315-485: The height of punk rock in England, during which the music press criticised Yes as representing the bloated excesses of early-1970s progressive rock. The album saw the band continuing their movement towards shorter songs; no track runs longer than eight minutes. Wakeman replaced his Mellotrons with the Birotron , a tape replay keyboard , and Squire experimented with harmonisers and Mu-tron pedals with his bass. Production
9430-702: The lead, Blodwyn Pig recorded two albums, Ahead Rings Out in 1969 and Getting to This in 1970. Both reached the Top Ten of the UK Albums Chart and charted in the United States; Ahead Rings Out displayed a jazzier turn on the heavy blues–rock that formed the band's core rooted in the British 1960s rhythm and blues scene from which sprang groups like The Yardbirds , Free and eventually Led Zeppelin . Saxophonist–singer Lancaster (who often played two horns at once, like his idol Rahsaan Roland Kirk )
9545-506: The music duo Pulse Engine. They released one album, Trying . Booker left and was replaced by David Speight. Banks formed a second version of the group named Harmony in Diversity II, featuring himself and keyboardist Gonzalo Carrera . The pair worked together in a jazz fusion project named Self-Contained. In Gibson Guitar's Lifestyle e-magazine o February 2009, Banks is listed as one of the "10 Great Prog Rock Guitarists". According to
9660-470: The music led to his finally joining Yes as a full member (taking on the role of harmony singer, keyboardist and second guitarist). The results of the sessions were released in November 1997 as the seventeenth Yes studio album, Open Your Eyes (on the Beyond Music label, who ensured that the group had greater control in packaging and naming). The music (mainly at Sherwood's urging) attempted to bridge
9775-885: The musicians involved were Collins, Preston Heyman , bassist John Giblin , and keyboardist Jakob Magnusson . Ray Bennett of Flash was in the group for a period, but he and Banks did not get along and Banks caught Jordan having an affair with him. Empire disbanded in 1980, having only performed showcase gigs for record executives. Banks made a steady living in the 1980s and 1990s as a session musician in Los Angeles, which he enjoyed over time. He played on various albums including those by Lonnie Donegan and Jakob Frímann Magnússon , and appeared on Romeo Unchained (1986) by Tonio K . He also worked with Ian Wallace in The Teabags with Jackie Lomax , Kim Gardner , David Mansfield , and Mel Collins . No recordings came out of that. In May 1991, Kaye invited Banks to play with Yes on stage during
9890-409: The orchestral and choral textures that befitted their new material. Released on 12 November 1971, the band's fourth album Fragile showcased their growing interest in the structures of classical music, with an excerpt of The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky being played at the start of their concerts since the album's 1971–1972 tour . Each member performed a solo track on the album, and it marked
10005-414: The project, their growing musical differences, combined with internal dissension, obstructed progress. Journalist Chris Welch, after attending a rehearsal, noted that Anderson "was singing without his usual conviction and seemed disinclined to talk". By late March, Howe, Squire and White had begun demoing material as an instrumental trio, increasingly uncertain about Anderson's future involvement. Eventually,
10120-656: The record, joined by the London Philharmonic Orchestra , the English Chamber Orchestra and the London Community Gospel Choir . Howe and Bruford performed together on television (presented as "Yes") to promote the album, marking Bruford's final performance under the Yes name before retiring from performing. The next Yes studio album, as with Union , was masterminded by a record company, rather than by
10235-464: The recording sessions for Relayer , which took place at Squire's home in Virginia Water , Surrey. Released in November that year, Relayer showcased a jazz fusion -influenced direction the band were pursuing. The album features the 22-minute track titled " The Gates of Delirium ", which highlights a battle initially inspired by War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy . Its closing section, "Soon",
10350-574: The rest preferred a heavier rock sound. Howe, Squire and White liked none of the music Anderson was offering at the time as it was too lightweight and lacking in the heaviness that they were generating in their own writing sessions. The Paris sessions abruptly ended in December after White broke his foot while rollerskating in a roller disco. When the band, minus Wakeman (who had only committed to recording keyboard overdubs once new material would be ready to record), reconvened in February to resume work on
10465-484: The round with a £50,000 revolving stage and a 360-degree sound system fitted above it. Their dates at Madison Square Gardens earned Yes a Golden Ticket Award for grossing over $ 1 million in box office receipts. In October 1979, the band convened in Paris with producer Roy Thomas Baker . Their diverse approach was now succumbing to division, as Anderson and Wakeman favoured the more fantastical and delicate approach while
10580-431: The same circle. And that's what happens with a band." Wakeman, a classically trained player who had left the folk rock group Strawbs earlier in the year, was already a noted studio musician, with credits including T. Rex , David Bowie , Cat Stevens and Elton John . Squire commented that he could play "a grand piano for three bars, a Mellotron for two bars and a Moog for the next one absolutely spot on", which gave Yes
10695-437: The same year they released two albums, Flash and In the Can , to a warm reception. The group disbanded in 1973 towards the end of a US tour to promote their third album, Out of Our Hands . Banks felt the group lacked the right management, and got angry at Carter and Bennett for often playing with their backs to the audience. By this time Banks was a heavy drinker, addicted to valium , and unbeknownst to him until years later,
10810-414: The sessions partway through, all of which kept the album from timely completion (the album was intended for a 1986 release, but by the end of that year it was still incomplete). Eventually Rabin took over final production. The album was released in September 1987, and immediately began receiving heavy radio airplay, with sales reaching number 17 in the UK and number 15 in the U.S. Big Generator earned Yes
10925-713: The song through after the final mix was complete. Released in February 1971, The Yes Album peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 40 on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts. Yes embarked on a 28-day tour of Europe with Iron Butterfly in January 1971. The band purchased Iron Butterfly's entire public address system , which improved their on-stage performance and sound. Their first date in North America followed on 24 June in Edmonton , Alberta, Canada, supporting Jethro Tull . Friction arose between Howe and Kaye on tour; this, along with Kaye's reported reluctance to play
11040-440: The spring of 1968 Banks left the band to join Neat Change, with whom he recorded one single, "I Lied to Aunty May". He was fired from the band after his bandmates wanted to adopt a skinhead look, and Banks refused to cut his hair. Meanwhile, Jon Anderson had joined Mabel Greer's Toyshop as lead vocalist, and Hagger was replaced by drummer Bill Bruford . The four entered a period of rehearsals in London, during which Banks replaced
11155-527: The spring of 1981. Page's former bandmate Robert Plant was also to be involved as the vocalist but he lost enthusiasm, citing his ongoing grieving for recently deceased Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham . The short-lived group produced a few demo tracks, elements of which would appear in Page's band the Firm and on future Yes tracks "Mind Drive" and "Can You Imagine?". In late 1981, Squire and White released " Run with
11270-547: The star-studded Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert . By the end of 1988, Anderson felt creatively sidelined by Rabin and Squire and had grown tired of the musical direction of the "Yes-West" lineup. He took leave of the band, asserting that he would never stay in Yes purely for the money, and started work in Montserrat on a solo project that eventually involved Wakeman, Howe and Bruford. This collaboration led to suggestions that there would be some kind of reformation of
11385-408: The start of their long collaboration with artist Roger Dean , who designed the group's logo , album art and stage sets. Fragile peaked at number 7 in the UK and number 4 in the U.S. after it was released there in January 1972, and was their first record to reach the top ten in North America. A shorter version of the opening track, " Roundabout ", was released as a single that peaked at number 13 on
11500-470: The summer of 1973, Banks played in a short-lived band with Collins, guitarist Ronnie Caryl , violinist Mike Poggott, and bassist John Howitt named Zox and the Radar Boys. While touring the US with Flash, Banks met his first wife Sidonie Jordan (known as Sidney Foxx). In 1974, they formed Empire and recorded three albums with various musicians until 1979, which remained unreleased until the 1990s. Amongst
11615-557: Was a Gretsch Tennessean. Banks studied art and once had an ambition of becoming a zookeeper, but decided against it when he learned the job had unfavourable hours, and pursued music. Banks also cited guitarist David O'List and Pete Townshend as an influence in his early period. Banks started as rhythm guitarist in the Nighthawks, a local group, in 1963. His first gig took place at the New Barnet Pop Festival. In
11730-399: Was also dogged by legal battles sparked by Atlantic Records due to the band's references to Yes in promotional materials and the tour title. Following the tour, the group returned to the recording studio to produce their second album, tentatively called Dialogue . After hearing the tracks, Arista Records refused to release the album as they felt the initial mixes were weak. They encouraged
11845-410: Was also successful. In 1989, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe formed a separate group and released a self-titled album . At the suggestion of the record company, both groups merged into an eight-piece lineup for Union (1991) and its tour. The combined group was short-lived, and from 1994 to 2001, Yes regularly released studio albums with some lineup changes and varying levels of success. After
11960-437: Was an optical mechanic and his mother Ellen a cleaner. He attended Barnet Secondary School, followed by Barnet College of Further Education . Lonnie Donegan was Banks' first major musical influence and inspired him to take up the guitar at around 8 years of age. His parents bought him his records to listen to as well as his first guitar, an acoustic model which he later said "was practically unplayable". His first electric guitar
12075-538: Was at least as prominent in the mix as Abrahams; some critics thought this contrast bumped the band toward a freer, more experimental sound on the second album. The single "Summer Day" failed to chart , but the quartet became something of a favourite on the underground concert circuit. Abrahams left the band and later developed another band or worked solo. Ex- Yes and future Flash guitarist Peter Banks became one of several guitarists to succeed Abrahams after he left. Largely due to Abrahams's disillusionment with
12190-420: Was handled collectively by the band and saw disagreements at the mixing stage among the members. With heavy commercial rock-radio airplay, the album reached number 8 in the UK and number 10 in the U.S. charts, and was also certified platinum (1 million copies sold) by the RIAA . Despite internal and external criticisms of the album, the band's 1978–1979 tour was a commercial success. Concerts were performed in
12305-568: Was in production, entitled Claiming Peter Banks . Banks' first marriage was to American singer and musician Sidonie Jordan (known as Sidney Foxx). They first met in 1974 and co-formed Empire, and divorced in 1985. Banks moved to Los Angeles, California in 1976. In 1996, Banks left the US for his childhood home in Barnet, north London, to care for his ailing father. In 1999, he married Peruvian-born Cecilia Quino Rutte. Although Banks found married life "fantastic" at one point, his second marriage ended in
12420-479: Was never officially told. In a statement posted online, Banks called the behaviour of the three members "mystifying" and refuse to discuss the matter with him. Later in 2004 Banks entered talks with former Flash bandmates Colin Carter and Ray Bennett about a reunion, but he fell out with them and was excluded. In 2004, Banks formed Harmony in Diversity, an improvisational trio with Andrew Booker and Nick Cottam of
12535-532: Was on 27 July, at Newmarket. Having considered the experience of Mabel Greer's Toyshop concluded, the group exchanged ideas for a new name. Anderson suggested Life and Squire thought of World, but the five agreed on Yes, which Banks had thought of a couple of years before. After rehearsals between 31 July and 2 August, the first gig as Yes followed at a youth camp in East Mersea , Essex on 3 August. Early sets were formed of cover songs from artists such as
12650-669: Was released in 2023. Yes are one of the most successful, influential, and longest-lasting progressive rock bands. With a discography spanning 23 studio albums, they have sold 13.5 million Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified albums in the U.S., as well as more than 30 million albums worldwide. In 1985, they won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance with " Cinema ", and received five Grammy nominations between 1985 and 1992. They were ranked No. 94 on VH1 's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock . In April 2017, Yes—represented by Anderson, Squire, Bruford, Kaye, Howe, Wakeman, White, and Rabin—were inducted into
12765-521: Was released in March 1994 and is the band's fourteenth studio release. Its cover was designed by pop artist Peter Max . The record was largely composed and performed by Rabin, with the other band members following Rabin's tracks for their respective instrumentation. It was digitally recorded and produced by Rabin with engineer Michael Jay, using 3.4 GB of hard disk storage split among four networked Apple Macintosh computers running Digital Performer . The album blended elements of radio-friendly rock with
12880-501: Was subsequently released as a single. The album reached No. 4 in the UK and No. 5 in the U.S. Yes embarked on their 1974–1975 tour to support Relayer . The compilation album Yesterdays , released in 1975, contained tracks from Yes's first two albums, the B-side track from their "Sweet Dreams" single from 1970 titled "Dear Father", and the original ten-minute version of their cover of "America". Between 1975 and 1976, each member of
12995-410: Was suddenly stiff competition on the London gigging circuit, and they needed to be much more technically proficient, starting regular rehearsals. They subsequently signed a deal with Atlantic Records , and, that August, released their debut album Yes . Compiled of mostly original material, the record includes renditions of " Every Little Thing " by the Beatles and "I See You" by The Byrds . Although
13110-469: Was suffering from his first nervous breakdown . In 1973 Banks recorded his debut solo album, Two Sides of Peter Banks . It was recorded at the same time as Out of Our Hands , with Banks working with Flash during the day and travelling to a different studio to work on his own at night. The album features guest appearances from Jan Akkerman of Focus , drummer Phil Collins and guitarist Steve Hackett of Genesis , and John Wetton of King Crimson . In
13225-607: Was very good but it was obvious they weren't going anywhere". Barrie introduced Squire to singer Jon Anderson , a worker at the bar in La Chasse, who found they shared interests in Simon & Garfunkel and harmony singing. That evening at Squire's house they wrote "Sweetness" which was included on the first Yes album, and Anderson subsequently joined as lead vocalist. In June 1968, Hagger was replaced by Bill Bruford , who had placed an advertisement in Melody Maker , while in July
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