Peter Banks - Two Sides of Peter Banks - Side 1

[@charlesnolan7602]

Peter Banks - I discovered Pete was in FLASH after hearing that he had been in YES. In February 1973, while a boarding school student at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island, I read about the first Flash album in a ( then) excellent rock magazine called ZOO WORLD ( out of Ft Lauderdale Fl). About a week later, I found that very album at the reduced price of $2.50 in a pharmacy in town! THAT was a deal. 1973 was what I now call the " YES ramp up year!" I bought the 2nd FLASH album, " In the can" another excellent album in a SAM Goody record store on Chestnut st in Phila in March, 1973. In June 1973, Rolling Stone did a feature article on YES, written by future movie writer CAMERON CROWE. I got to know the YES 1973 band line up. Over the summer I bought the first two Yes albums featuring Peter. I also bought YES Close to the Edge, Yessongs, Badger featuring original YES keys player Tony Kaye. Rick Wakeman's 6 WIVES I bought in August: Finally in October, I bought the 3rd Flash " Out of our hands and finally 2 sides of Peter Bamks!

[@1qaz2wsx3edc5753]

I am still crying over Peter's passing. I listen to this wonderful piece of artistic creation and think, "Wow, what a genius!" I look at the two sides of Peter Banks as traditional music, blended with exploratory stuff. This is relavent for today's music lover.How wonderful to hear this new music. It still sounds very fresh and expressive. What a mind!! I wish he were still alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@remoman]

Absolutely love this guys playing on the first 2 Yes albums. Thanks Peter, where ever you may be. RIP.

[@CStack2Ci]

R.I.P. Peter, one year ago....how quickly time flies!

[@mulemusic]

R.I.P. Peter... Thank you for your music...

[@marceloschiaff1886]

Amazing work

[@fabtbirdsblues185]

Great album ! R.I.P Peter !

[@lourdesio]

"Roundabout" riff on 4:27. Wich one is earlier? R.I.P. Peter Banks

[@davidwatkinson1226]

He is so much more than the ex Yes guitarist. This has such a lot going on, from the clever and cool cover through all the various styles Peter plays. You will be very surprised with his creativity. If only this and that happened for him, his life could have been so much more. Hey though, just look what we have, sit back and turn it up and smile.

[@mike9klf]

One of the best kept secrets in Progressive Rock! A true masterpiece!!! Try to own every record that each guitarists has been on and you would have a grand Progressive collection...

[@CaseyVan]

Although I think they needed Steve Howe to move on, Banks was needed to get Yes started, and he didn't really get his playing captured on Yes albums properly. You can hear him with Yes playing live on BBC recordings, and it gives you an idea of what Banks era Yes sounded like. The earlier jazzier, more jam band like sound is fascinating, and it's too bad you can't see that Yes lineup live.

[@proteusu9]

Has the same DNA as Yes. Awsome guitarist! Don't know how I didn't here of him till now:(

[@jm131719]

Bass player is probably Ray Bennett. Didja know that Jan Akkerman is playing the other guitar lead on this album?

[@sherrynoland]

Yes, Ray Bennett and John Wetton both played bass on this album.

[@nobodyspecialjusteric]

this is totally awesome. i can't find the side 2 of his 2 sides.

[@luiscarlosdavila6311]

This guy was extraordinary.

[@ThoughtThinkerTomas]

The man who gave the band the name - Yes.

[@TheAladelta5]

graaan guitarrista que echaremos de menos......muy buena música cmo para ser tan poco difundida. Peter, sos un grande!!! (esa "cosa" tan YES que emite....!!!Por siempre en el pedestal de los grossos....

[@MrChronowear]

R.I.P. Peter......:((

[@palmerbaggins3374]

Great guitarist...

[@powerfall83]

Great album. Never really dug the jams but this side is awesome. What if Peter Banks had always stayed in "YES"?

[@CaseyVan]

Atlantic may have dropped Yes, or Yes members might have merged with King Crimson in another King Crimson lineup. Sorry but Yes really really needed someone with the skill set of Steve Howe. It's not that Peter Banks sucked, it's just that Steve Howe understood how to arrange guitar parts for songwriters from his experience with Bodast, and he also had more of a Crosby Stills and Nash style of playing that was more commercially marketable than this jazz noodling style. Yes needed to sell records, and it's not necessarily Banks' fault that they weren't successful. Yes blew it with Time and a Word by having Tony Colton produce it and have all these heavy cheezy string arrangements. Banks didn't understand that Yes was going for a more grandiose sound, and Steve Howe was able to interpret what Yes was looking for.

[@MrBuho2010]

rip :( mr banks

[@MattMontedoro]

Roundabout was played by Steve Howe not Peter Banks

[@jamesrockford2626]

this guy was way before his time

[@powerfall83]

so you're saying nobody has ever herd of Phil Collins, Jan Akkerman, or Steve Hackett

[@lazur1]

RIP Tony Banks

[@powerfall83]

Who's the bassist on this again? I forget.

[@sherrynoland]

Grant Johnson Bassists on this are Flash band mate, Ray Bennett, and also John Wetton.

[@powerfall83]

who is Tnoy?

[@pleased9]

Tony - misspelled (Levin)

[@mawel1955]

I get the sneaking feeling that somehow Squire and Anderson conspired together to keep Tony Kaye and Peter Banks from teaming up. Of course, I have no way of proving that but I strongly suspect they were frightened that Kaye and Banks, if they continued to play together in Flash, would develop a sound that could seriously rival what they had in Yes - something which almost happened when Flash came out with the single 'Small Beginnings', which did fairly well on the charts and on which Kaye guested. Strangely enough, even after Kaye was fired from Yes, he stayed on good terms with both Squire and Anderson who, I suspect, steered him towards their old friend David Foster and the soon-to-be Badger and it was Badger that opened for Yes the night they filmed "Yessongs" at the Rainbow Theatre. I could never understand why Kaye didn't team up with Banks in 'Flash'. It was a logical move and would have been a smart one too but Kaye just wasn't interested which didn't make a lot of sense. If, however,Anderson and Squire promised to support him in Badger maybe that sealed it for Kaye.

[@sherrynoland]

machinewrecker I can assure you (I'm Flash bassist, Ray Bennett's wife) there was no "conspiracy" to keep Tony Kaye out of Flash. It was completely Tony's decision, and I'm told the primary reason was, he was ready to do his own thing (and that was Badger). Squire and Anderson may have reminded and cautioned him, however, against getting involved again with Peter. Peter was big trouble, which is why he was kicked out of Yes and why Flash broke up so soon in spite of their early success and great promise. And that's also why such a brilliant guitarist had such a limited career, and died alone.

[@mawel1955]

sherrynoland Thank you for your reply. You do raise an interesting point and I've often thought about the type of person Peter was. From what little I know, I did get the impression, after reading about how he bailed on Flash, that there was probably an issue with personality and behaviour. This impression grew a little stronger after Pete was left out of both the Syn and Flash reunions. Whether this was by his own choice, I'm not so sure. And, as you say, that a man of his talents had such a limited career and died alone (and probably broke) makes me suspect that there were many negative factors at play in Pete's life. Once again, I appreciate the clarification about Tony Kaye. 'One Live Badger' is one of my favourite albums and I am in touch, through 'Facebook', with Brian Parrish who is a really accessible and stand-up person. Kindly give my warmest regards and appreciation to your husband. I've always said his work easily rivals that of John Paul Jones and the late Chris Squire. His perfomance on a masterpiece like 'Lifetime' is ample proof.

[@sherrynoland]

Yes, there were "many negative factors" in Pete's behavior. He didn't bail on Flash, btw. The other guys finally had enough and left him in a hotel in Albuquerque, NM while on tour, ending the band (foolishly, instead of just replacing Pete as advised). And he was offered the reunion, but screwed it up for himself AGAIN. Since Ray is a lead guitarist now, he and Colin were just fine with carrying on this time, sans Pete. Thanks for your appreciation and kind words about Ray (I agree!!!), and I'll certainly pass it on. Cheers! P.S. facebook.com/FlashFeaturingRayBennettColinCarter

[@mawel1955]

Thank you, Sherry

[@atlasking6110]

The way I've heard it, Tony Kaye wanted to play a harder, heavier, "rockier" style than Flash so he formed Badger and did just that. For one album anyways, before it all went weird. But One Live Badger is a damn fine album, so at least we got that.

[@guitarlordful]

Yes was first, but Banks certainly influenced Steve Howe. Lots of cross-pollination going on.

[@pleased9]

That's a good analogy.

[@powerfall83]

I'm thinkin' Tnoy Levin before he mastered the Chapman Stick.

[@sherrynoland]

No Tony Levin on this. It's Ray Bennett and John Wetton.

[@powerfall83]

I knew it was a Crim alumnus. I wrote before I thought about it long enough. You are right!