Just a sidenote, but when my father bought his first restaurant in Fulham Palace Rd London in the early 70's, we found that the basement walls had been covered in egg boxes and we asked the previous owner for the reason. He informed us that a few years previously, the basement had been used as a rehearsal room by a band called King Crimson! I met Robert Fripp at a friend's house a few years ago, but being stupidly aloof (and probably too stoned to make proper conversation) I never mentioned it to him... wanker.
Since vocalists tend to gather most of a group's attention, most Yes fans are passingly familiar with Jon Anderson's solo work, especially "Olias of Sunhillow, which predated the "Celtic music" movement by about ten years, and also his non-Yes collaborations with Vangelis and others. However, a real gem that is largely overlooked is the one solo album by Yes bassist Chris Squire, "Fish Out of Water." Talk about your progressive rock, he's got it all. Symphonic dynamics, lyrics that you need to examine multiple times before they make sense, 7/4 and 11/4 rhythms so unforced that you find yourself trying to tap your foot, rich harmonic structures. He plays almost all the instruments and sings as well. Hearing his voice solo explains a lot about the "Yes" sound: he sounds like Jon Anderson's understudy. When those guys were singing harmony, it's no wonder it sounded so clean and perfect; their voices are a magical blend. If you haven't heard "Fish Out of Water," treat yourself to a time warp back to the days when people actually listened to music instead of watching fifteen second cuts of bleeped videos while playing X-Box, talking on a cell phone, and downloading porn simultaneously. It's one of my top ten musical treasures of the 1970s.
I love Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, and I like what I've heard of King Crimson, but I hate Emerson Lake and Palmer. You listen to them and think, "They can play fast, but where's the music?" There just isn't any musicallity in there stuff. Comments?
Previous to ELP, Keith Emerson played in a band called Nice. I will always recall seeing them play live in a free concert in Hyde Park in '68 or thereabouts, as the sound of their awesome version of America (West Side Story) reverberated around the park... absolutely brilliant. On the same bill were Jethro Tull, Fleetwood Mac, Blind Faith and Fairport Convention amongst others... classic eh?
Yeah, some of the fast, circus like music ELP played turned me off, ...but, "Luck Man" and "In the Beginning" are masterpiece's. I really love that lazy guitar solo Lake played on "In the Beginning". Good vocals, too.
Check out Gentle Giant's best album, "Free Hand." I suspect you'll like it, especially the cut "On Reflection." I assume you have all given Radiohead's recent CDs a good listen?
Trivia question on Jethro Tull. Tull was formed in 1968, but the original guitarist, Mick Abraham, apparently exited the band the same year. Martin Barre, of course, was chosen in auditions to replace him, but does anyone know what guitarist he was chosen over that would later join another very famous band that would have a long history of its own?
That's easy- Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. Mick Abraham btw played his ass off on "This Was". Sorta mix between Cream era Clapton and jazz. He went on to Bloodyn Pig and then obscurity.
Wow. Am I in a time warp or what? I saw Jethro Tull at the Marquee in London in er, a long time ago, and they were great. I took a girl to see King Crimson - big mistake. She drooled over Billy Cobham all night and forgot I was there. Yes were a bit pompous imo and I never really got into them. EL & P I saw at the first Glastonbury festival. They were crap on the day. I even got to see Led Zep, who were awesome, in a class of their own. It was a great period for rock, then the accountants took over the biz.
Good job, Johnny. I think it was a good decision by Tull, and obviously worked out well for both bands. Iommi was considered not versatile enough for what Tull wanted in a guitarist, which is probably true, although he was probably the better pure 'lead' guitar, and he was the perfect axe man for a group like Sabbath.
You're obviously talking of the original Marquee club with the tiny stage. I saw King Crimson there as well, but Billy Cobham didn't play with them, d'you mean Bill Bruford? The first time I ever went to the Marquee, was coincidentally the very first time I'd ever been to a rock club and I remember feeling all tingly and amazed as I walked in and got enveloped by the huge loudness of the support band playing on stage, they were called East of Eden and featured an electric violinist and they sounded weirdly awesome. I think I'd gone there to see Ten Years After or maybe Taste, featuring Rory Galagher. Them were grand days lad.
Ah, Jethro Tull, Yes and Pink Floyd, some fabulous bands. Sadly, the only group mentioned here so far that I ever got a chance to see was Black Sabbath. Oh they were great, I just wish I could have seen some of the others as well...
Ah, senility approaches. Of course I do. East of Eden, Ten Years After? We must have been in the marquee in about the same month. A great club at a great moment in rock history.
Magic. I also used to go to Middle Earth at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm every Sunday, soaking up the hippie atmosphere and getting a good dollop of rock for the week. I remember sitting on the side of the stage shaking my locks to a relatively unknown Deep Purple there. Never did try their mint tea, it was reputed to be spiked with LSD.
I'm obviously abit of a youngster compared to most of you. These bands for me aren't anything from 'back in the day', all I have is their music and that is what I've fallen into. Actualy I must admit in shame that my taste's grown forth from listening to some of my old mans LPs he had back in the 70's. I have to update my taste with Genesis, especialy Selling England by the Pound, or anything from before they went horribly 80's. Also ol' Jethro Tull, I've got Songs from the Wood and I must say I realy do love this record. Also I got Yes' Tales from the Topographic Oceans, and I realy like it despite that many say that they went 'over the edge'. But I was still missing the big OM... heh
