Met Rick Wakeman tonight...

[Squids]

Patrick Warren,

Whoa Squids, do you know what's Patrick Warren been up to these days?? I absolutely loved his work with Michael Penn (damn tasty Chamberlain playing! )...I think I saw his name on the latest A Perfect Circle CD, but I'm curious what else he's been doing lately.

I did some of my tron sampling with Patrick actually. He had one of the original Ampex 3 track tube tape machines! Actually he bought if off of Richard Chamberlin (Harry's son). I loved this thing so much I offered to buy it from Patrick recently and he told me he already got rid of it!!! Bummer. So, I guess it was a good thing I did those samples that way while I had the chance. We did those at Michael Penn's studio in West LA in 1994-95. I wonder if they still have that studio. Maybe not.

Anyway, I need to talk to him at some point so if I do I will ask him what he's up to musically these days. I am curious myself. I really love the stuff he did on Fiona Apple's first record too. It was funny seeing their studio with all of these M1 Chamberlins with the hole cut out for his pitch bending technique. I wish I still had a Chamberlin around. I miss them. Ahhh... even he uses samples a lot of the time (like on the road). I remember stressing out in sessions with a Chamberlin or Mellotron and a screwdriver ready to tweak any notes that were warbling beyond usability. It's always great when the studio is charging the band hundreds per hour too. Not TOO much pressure! Samples sure are handy even though sometimes you just can't beat a little warbling in your keyboard sound.

[gnu23]

This is a sample of my luck..

My brother-in-law knows the son of the guy who puts on shows at the MCI Center in DC...so he got backstage to meet Eric Clapton on his acoustic tour. My wife and I had seen the show two days before and he tells us about it later...argh. "Oh, by the way!"..and he has the pictures to prove it.

Then he "runs into" David Bowie on a NY-DC-London flight that was delayed in DC. Bowie's on the way to John Entwhistle's funeral but regales the first class section with anecdotes and jokes while everyone waits to take off. And he gets more pictures...sigh.

I am sorry to hear Chris Squire was offputting. He was the reason I took up bass guitar (got a Ric 4003 right behind me...).

My luck again...I listened to The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge on cassette until the tapes broke and on vinyl until the grooves wore out...and they are one of the few bands from that era and genre I have not seen in live performance.

Glad to see someone has my anti-karma working well for them!

[Squids]

Yeah, the unpleasant Squire experience kind of bums me out even though it absolutely shouldn't. I go through phases where I am loving Yes and his sound is so unique and unusual (bass and vocals). He just wasn't all that nice or at least compared to Rick who is extremely so. Of course it's a moment in time and it's not fair to judge anyone for just that. Plus, it has nothing to do with liking the music or not.

It's a risk when you meet someone like that. I am actually not a big Clapton fan in particular but a friend of mine goes to the same pub as him in Guildford. One time this friend was in LA and we were out at a billiards place called the Hollywood Athletic Club and Clapton was there shooting pool. So, my friend introduced me to him and he was really nice. I don't know. I think you can almost tell if someone would be nice or not. It's too bad I can't share some of the much more unpleasant meetings but at a certain point this IS a publicly readable forum and it could come back and bite me in the ass (or arse for the UK readers )

[cfurlin]

Tull fan eh? I am working with Doane Perry at the moment. Any drum sounds you liked from Tull records? Want to have them for your very own? For that matter, we should make a thread of your favorite drum sounds on prog records (or any record really) while we're in the studio this Summer. Any requests?

I really like the drum work on "Velvet Green" and, of course, the song (filthy little tune that it is... *snicker*)

For Doane Perry's work, I quite liked the drums on "Kissing Willie" -- great example of what rock drumming *should* sound like.

Ouside of the scope of Tull, the range of drum sounds in Yes' "Leave It" are astounding (and the ones with heavy reverb will kill your speakers if you don't pay attention).

C

[duncanparsons]

A friend of mine once signed to Rick's Hope label, but nothing really ever came of it. I think Hope had financial difficulties (she's called Marianne Velvart if anyone wants to ask Rick what happened there. I've lost touch with Marianne...)

As I've posted before, I had a drum lesson from Bill Bruford, who is a sterling chap. I'd give you his address, but he wouldn't thank me!

I met Dean Friedman once. I realise he's not prog, but a really pleasant chap, very humble.

I use to write to Anthony Phillips alot, trying to pursuade himthat he needed a drummer and I was the chap, he was very good about telling me no!

I guy at our church, Nick Battle, was resonsible for signing the Spice Girls (and The Tweets of 'Birdie Song' fame). He worked with Ant Phillips and Dean Friedman funnily enough, as well as Godley and Creme around the IsmIsm time. He is quick to tell that there are some really incredibly nice people in the industry, and just as many egocentric megalomaniacs...

As for Tull sounds, don't tell Duane, but I'm more of a fan of Barrie Barlow's sound... I think it's the way he play's Aqualung that has always put me off. I've seen him play with them many times.. If you can get some of his splash cymbals.. I know it sounds funny, but getting a good splash can be hard to find. Normally I have to create my own from a crash and pitch-shift and shorten it. Duane has some good splashes!

HTH
DSP

[Phaedo]

Great band. Bit on the stupid side at times (what prog isn't?). Anyway, I can confirm what you say about keyboard players. For me, I'm a guitar player and a complete bastard.

[AndreasE]

I saw YES last Thursday in Munich. They played 3 hours (!) and it was a fantastic concert. Rick Wakeman played 10 different synths and the piano, but unfortunately no real mellotron/birotron. Most songs fortunately were from the 70s, their most creative era. At the end of the 22 min. ´Ritual´ (from ´Topographic Oceans´) there came in 20 men, each one additionally hitting on a drum - what a hypnotic moment! YES are 5 excellent musicians who don´t have to fear the competition of any other and younger musicians.

[puerileboy]

o .. come now! in a listing of YES albums, one MUST mention "The Yes Album". For those unfamiliar it is the Album just prior to "Fragile". To me that was the real beginings of Yes. Last Album with Tony Kaye and first Album with Steve Howe. Of the 6 tracks, 5 are icon Yes material.

[Squids]

o .. come now! in a listing of YES albums, one MUST mention "The Yes Album". For those unfamiliar it is the Album just prior to "Fragile". To me that was the real beginings of Yes. Last Album with Tony Kaye and first Album with Steve Howe. Of the 6 tracks, 5 are icon Yes material.

True. But it is the worste album cover and Tony Kaye is... not Rick Wakeman. But there are some killer tracks on that record too. However, Time and a Word and the first YES record kind of suck. I can't listen to them.

[Phaedo]

Have just bought Yesshows and Live at the House of Blues. You guys have reinfected me with the prog bug.

Now, back to listening to The Power and The Glory.

Incidentally, a guy I know was a backing singer on the first Yes album. He says he never got paid.

[AndreasE]

Yeah, the unpleasant Squire experience kind of bums me out even though it absolutely shouldn't. He just wasn't all that nice or at least compared to Rick who is extremely so.

Squire didn´t allow the other members to use the group´s name YES when he didn´t participate on one album (he owns the rights on this name). Instead of YES the remaining members took only their names ´Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe´.

[kuniklo]

Have just bought Yesshows and Live at the House of Blues. You guys have reinfected me with the prog bug.

Now, back to listening to The Power and The Glory.

Incidentally, a guy I know was a backing singer on the first Yes album. He says he never got paid.

Have you ever checked out the Italian band Area? Crazy stuff.

[Patrick de Caumette]

I was a total Yes fan in my teens (1973): Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans are my favorites. I then moved on to Jazz Rock, then Jazz and then Ethnic/World stuff.
I recently listened to Close to the Edge again and even though it had been 15 years since I last checked it out and the fact that I am now a much more accomplished musician than I used to be, I still find the music very inspiring.
The compositions are rich and incorporate ideas from a lot of different styles.
The best prog rock band ever as far as I am concerned.
I couldn't help feeling sad when I saw a picture of the 5 for their last tour (Chris looks like he has been boozing too much)
Man, time flies. They now look old ]
I guess I am next...
The music is forever though

[puerileboy]

Tony Kaye is... not Rick Wakeman. But there are some killer tracks on that record too. However, Time and a Word and the first YES record kind of suck. I can't listen to them.

True Kaye is not Wakeman, but neither is Moraz. I have times where i am all over the cascading riffs of Wakeman, however Kaye's playing on The Yes Album seemed to have more .. well 'nuts' (aside from that pukey synth filter sweep in Perpetual Change).

Time and a Word and prior .. well .. the less said the better i guess

[Squids]

Tony Kaye used to play with only one hand though. I also met him years ago and he came off as a spaced out goof with a chick under each arm and nothing interesting to say (and not even hanging out with the rest of the band... although that was probably normal for them).

Rick on the other hand is full of personality and even plays with two hands (sometimes eight if you slow down the tape! ).

I've met Moraz before and he's a wacky dude but also very nice and a two handed wicked keyboard player.

Even still, I agree the keys sound nice on the Yes Album and the parts are very tasteful. My only gripe is that the synth solo line in Yours Is No Disgrace is sort of quiet. I am wanting to hear Rick's searing minimoog there. Great song though... Starship Troopers, Perpetual... yeah it's a great album and worthy of a Roger Dean cover. Shame it has a lame picture of a the band with a blow up doll or whatever. Fragile on the other hand has one of the coolest album covers ever IMO.