FLASH

But the sheer brilliance of Colin Carter (lead vocals), Peter Banks (lead guitar, vocals), Ray Bennett (bass, vocals), and Mike Hough (drums, percussion) more than outweighs all of that. One must wonder why Flash are not spoken about in the same reverential tone as the other bands of that era, as they had great material, wonderful musicianship and harmony vocals to die for. Somewhere in my collection I know I have both 'Flash' and 'In The Can' and when I am home next I am going to be digging them out, as this set displays individua virtuosity, multi-layered and multi-sectioned songs, while they were also incredibly tight and consistent. Take "Black and White" for example, one of their longest songs at nearly 13 minutes in length. Here we have four different versions recorded in the space of more than a year, yet there is only 10 seconds difference between the shortest and the longest takes.

Each of the quartet is on the top of their game, with incredibly impressive performances throughout. Highly complex and complicated yet also with powerful hooks, this is an essential addition to any proghead's collection and one which will be getting a lot of play by me.

"Manhattan Morning" is a highlight of Out of Our Hands. Its euphony wends through strong vocals and later an instrumental conversation between guitarist Banks and bassist Ray Bennett. The song ends on a crescendo. "None Wiser", the album's first full-length track, also impresses. Banks' fancy fretwork fits like a glove over Bennett's thick groove. Singer Colin Carter couldn't be in better form. I've had a stressful day and feeling better just a little into the album. Flash is one of the most cheery bands I can think of. Technically Out of our Hands is a concept album. The lyrics address depressing social phenomenon, though the protagonists escape misery. Banks in his autobiography hints that the concept never fully took root and he wasn't that keen on it. It certainly doesn't detract from what Flash is all about. I'm really not a lyric person, so I'm not swayed in any direction by the concept and theme. Is it part of the concept and the mentioned escape of protagonist that recapitulates the joyous opening mood in the album closer, "Shadows: it's You?" The mood follows the lyric line "uplift" in the chorus two minutes in, where the musical styles shifts from sort of an updated swing ballad to pure rock. Altogether "Shadows; it's You" represents an entirely new song type for Flash, a band whose only weakness is a slight tendency to put forth similar songs. Flash never tires the listener, though, because they are so talented and enthusiastic.

Songwriting is a Flash forte. The richness of "Monday Morning Blues" or "Black and White" just sweep you off your feet. To be sure, these two songs have their Yes-like moments. After all, Banks was Yes' guitarist for two albums. Yet, each Flash band member made major compositional contributions to the album. Does that strategy keep things interesting? The listener gets so lost in side one that's it's over before she even knows it. Alright, alright, that side is more EP-style at only 15 minutes. Yet, how many like musical minutes of lesser caliber are spent glancing at one's watch?

Flash's command of jazz very well may lend the band its allure. Jazz building blocks are more extensive than rock ones. Granted rock is a limited idiom, but this reviewer's far preferred one. Rock has my heart. It is one in a million jazzier bands like Flash that can pierce that heart-space.

In the Can is a quintessential old-school gem when giving 1000% was all in a day's work. Lyrics were poetry as in "Black and White." Tempos effortlessly shift from a gallop to a standstill. Members seamlessly cycle through a gamut of styles from jazz to straight ahead rock. I can't think of another band that flows naturally to jazz idioms without self-consciousness and emotional loss. One of my favorite moments is in the middle of "Black and White" in a vocal passage where Banks in the background starts strumming a banjo. When the vocal tapers off, the instrumental timbre carries and then glides through wah-wah and other flavors, wisely receding for a brief drum solo. No "Inna-Gadda-Davita" here. Flash clearly grasp moderation, in fact a guiding principle

Banks is a guitar player extraordinaire with volumes to impart here. Only a band of Yes' rank can throw out a guitarist of this stature and have one slightly more useful waiting in the wings. If Banks had only fronted a lesser ensemble, he would have received the acclaim he deserved.

Admittedly the verses of album closer "There no More" reprise Flash's catalog up to that point. Enough is changed, however, to avoid the impression of repetition. Then things quiet to a hush to emerge in a sea of vocal harmony, looming larger than life. That's exactly what prog rock is all about.

Let's start at the beginning, none too small. The debut album's hit and arguably strongest song drives the potted review. The antithesis of the stereotypical prog axe clinician, Banks always entertains with his plentiful and varied riffs. Some of the other songs on Flash's debut well illustrate Banks' general style. "Children of the Universe" is anchored by a special Banks riff used sparingly to great effect. On the solo to "The Time it Takes" Bank's so-called "spidery triplets" work their magic. The heartfelt songwriting on the Flash debut generates that warm, fuzzy feeling all over that this jaded reviewer rarely anymore experiences. I contemplate a six month rotation of recorded books in my CD machine. Then Flash resurfaces and throws a wrench in my plans.

"Morning Haze" is joyful jaunt where one can literally feel Ray Bennett's acoustic guitar weave the song space like a tapestry. The conga drums and Colin Carter's honey-like voice make this simpler song stellar. Carter should be more of a household name. He has a unique voice, indescribably so. Pure bliss, though.

"Dreams of Heaven" is the epic number here. A grandiose flourish of an intro sends it off. It explores different moods and transitions flawlessly between heavy and merely spirited sections. OK, here Carter's vocals are a bit Jon-Anderson-like in cadence and emphasis but still quite distinct from Yes. The jam in the middle is sublime fare, up there with the best of them. Its success is its subtlety. Soloing on this song, Banks kicks out some jazz licks. He's the one artist who can play on the jazz end and not send me sprinting toward the door. That's because he always keeps it fresh.

The time it takes to run through this album isn't even perceivable. This record is such pure mirth. What more can I say about the closer besides it being a beautiful, touching ballad?! Oh yeah, I can gush how the melody is brilliant. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

It's been claimed, or maybe guessed, that Out of Our Hands is a concept album. If so, I don't get it! There are songs with "king," "pawn," "knight," "queen," and "bishop" in the title, but beyond that, no evident theme.

The closing jam of "Man of Honour (Knight)" is pretty good, as are the intros to "Psychosynch" (i.e., the "Escape" section) and "Manhattan Morning (Christmas '72)." But in general, in every respect, Out of Our Hands is a lesser album than In the Can - - and a much poorer album than the group's debut. Even Peter Banks, the band's driving force, and an excellent guitarist, is unimpressive throughout much of this album.

(P.S. This doesn't enter into my rating of Out of Our Hands at all, but I find it hard to believe that the album cover wasn't considered stupid, even in 1973. Maybe stupid was just more acceptable!)

The quality of the songs is fair, though they aren't as good as the songs on Flash. The performances are generally good; not surprisingly, this is a guitar-based album, and Banks is clearly up to the task. Nonetheless In the Can is annoying at times. The opening number, "Lifetime," is good, but it's hard to overlook the cribbing of "Hocus Pocus" (Focus, 1971) and "Astral Traveller" (Yes, 1970). "Black and White" has some good bass playing, but the vocal harmonies get a little tedious (e.g., the repetition of the word "time...time...time!").

Given the wide availability of Flash (1972) and Two Sides of Peter Banks (1973), I can't claim that In the Can is essential, even for Yes fans. I'd certainly recommend either of those albums before In the Can. If those are interesting, you might also listen to some of Banks's 1990s albums. Still interested? Then maybe In the Can is for you.

The strongest songs here are "Small Beginnings" - - the album-opener and lead single - - and "Children of the Universe." Those two, along with the acoustic and almost folksy "Morning Haze," make up the more accessible first side. The second side opens with the thirteen-minute "Dreams of Heaven," which is twice as long as anything Yes had recorded with Banks. Despite its length, it doesn't seem overlong. The final song, "The Time it Takes," is the weakest.

Along with Two Sides of Peter Banks, Flash is probably Banks's best work outside of Yes, although to be fair, Flash is by no means a solo album. Banks co-wrote three of the songs with lead vocalist Colin Carter; the other two, "Morning Haze" and "Children of the Universe," were written by bassist Ray Bennett. I'd recommend it to fans of Yes's early work, and to those who like their early-1970s album-oriented rock with a progressive flavor.

(P.S. What am I supposed to think of the album cover? Perhaps that this is a gutsy band who cared not what politically-correct whimps thought of them?)

As we know, Peter Banks was an English guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer. He was the original guitarist of the bands Syn, Yes, Flash, and Empire. But, he became more known as the original guitarist of the famous progressive rock band Yes. But unfortunately, for him but certainly not for Yes, he became also known for being the first person to be fired from the ranks of Yes. When he was on Yes, Banks contributed with his lead guitar skills to the first two studio albums of Yes, "Yes" and "Time And A Word", was responsible for the name of the band and designed the original, pre Roger Dean, Yes logo. The problem begun when Anderson and Squire decided they wanted an orchestra backing the five musicians on their second album. It wasn't well received by Banks because the orchestral arrangements left the guitarist, as well as keyboardist Tony Kaye, with little to do, since strings replaced their parts almost note-for-note.

As soon as he left Yes, while he was occupying his time with mostly session work in the interim, Banks formed Flash, in 1971, with Chris Carter (lead vocals and percussion), Peter Banks (backing vocals, electric, acoustic and Spanish guitars, synthesizer and horn), Ray Bennett (lead and backing vocals, bass guitar and acoustic guitar) and Mike Hough (voice, drums, percussion and cymbals). The album had also the participation of Tony Kaye (synthesizer, Hammond organ and piano). There is some controversy over whether Kaye, who appeared on the first Flash album, was actually an "official" member of the group, or merely a guest. The confusion stems from the fact that Kaye is listed alongside the other members of the group on the back cover of the album. Still, interviews with Banks and Kaye confirm that, though Kaye was invited to join, he declined. So, he only participated on the album as a guest. With Banks on board, Flash released three studio albums, "Flash" and "In The Can", in 1972 and "Out Of Our Hands", in 1973, and two live albums, "Psychosync", in 1997 and "In Public", in 2013. But Carter and Bennett, released a fourth studio album in 2013.

It would may not become as a surprise that the music on "Flash" sounds quite much like to Yes. Besides, this was their debut album and represents their classic release too. "Flash" is an energetic progressive rock album in the vein of Yes' third studio album "The Yes Album" but with some differences and changes. Still, any lover of Yes will eat up many tracks on the album especially the lengthy tracks. There are also some shorter and relaxed tracks here, but it's of course in the long tracks the group really shines. The performance all over the album is good, and besides the excellent playing of both Kaye and Banks you'll also notice the powerful bass playing of Bennett, in the same vein of Squire. Whereas Yes has moved on considerably with the release of "The Yes Album" and "Fragile", "Flash" continued on from where "Time And A Word" had left off. So, somehow, we may say that "Flash" represents the continuity of the first Yes group and represents probably what Yes would be if Banks and Kaye would have continued as members of the band.

"Flash" is the eponymous debut studio album of Flash and was released in 1972. The album has five tracks. "Small Beginnings" is a very good track and it has a certain resemblance to "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" which opened "Time And A Word". Banks provides a good guitar work supported by a nice drum rhythm of Hough and Bennett's upfront bass lines. Kaye's brief organ solo work and Carter's falsetto complete the all picture. "Children Of The Universe" returns to the bombast of the opening track. It has a tight and cohesively structure and is catchy and complex enough to call the listener's attention. This is a suitably epic with some Banks impressive playing. "Dreams Of Heaven" is centred around a nice guitar riff and chant like double tracked vocals, it's really an opportunity for Banks in particular to demonstrate his technical skills. This is the least cohesive track of the three epics, in terms of arrangement, but it still is really captivating. Of the two remaining tracks, "Morning Haze" is a much simpler track with the bassist also supplying the lead vocal. It has a sunny Caribbean vibe thanks to the dual acoustic guitar picking, but I can see nothing special on it. "The Time It Takes" is a dreamy ballad that attempts to capture the pastoral quality of Yes' "Sweetness". It does however benefit from Banks' familiar weeping guitar lines and Kaye's tasteful organ playing.

Conclusion: "Flash" is the continuity of first Yes and represents probably what Yes would be if Banks and Kaye would have continued on Yes. Of the original line up, two members are present, Banks and Kaye. About the other three, if Bennett plays in the same vein of Squire and Hough can do Bill Bruford's style drumming at moments, Carter isn't Jon Anderson. Besides, Banks isn't Steve Howe as a performer and composer. But above all, it lacks to Flash the creativity and the vision of Anderson and Howe. I always thought both were the main responsible for most of the best tracks on Yes. However, "Flash" is a nice album with some great moments. Whilst this album demonstrates Banks' unwillingness to relinquish the past, it also confirms his not inconsiderable input into the sound that shaped Yes' formative years.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

This was obviously the only album with Tony Kaye, he would jump ship to Badger. Regardless, it's not a perfect album, some of the solos tend to go on longer than needed, but I love how it sounds like a more down to earth version of Yes. Worthy of your attention, especially if you're a Yes fan.

Guitarist Peter Banks was unceremoniously expelled from the band Yes two months prior to the release of their second studio album "Time and a Word". Despite playing on the album, its cover featured a picture of the band which included Banks's replacement Steve Howe, although he never appeared on the album at all. Over the next couple years Yes would become a household name and a leviathan of progressive rock, releasing seminal albums such as "The Yes Album", "Fragile", and "Close to the Edge" with their new and far superior guitarist, who brought a classical style which helped define their sound. At this point it might seem like Steve Howe had always been the guitarist for the band, especially considering he's the band's sole remaining "original" member to this day on tour. As for Banks, he became an afterthought, quietly passing away in 2013 with very little fanfare. He did release some material following his expulsion from Yes, but mostly with his group known as Flash.

Flash was formed in 1971 by Banks and vocalist Colin Carter, who did some work with future Camel keyboardist Peter Bardens. Banks added a friend of his in Ray Bennett who he had knew since his time in Yes to play bass guitar, and then recruited Mike Hough to play drums. Initially desiring to be a standard prog quintet, after signing onto Capitol subsidiary Sovereign, the label expressed their desire for the band to add a keyboardist, making the band's lineup very similar to that of the now-immensely popular Yes. Banks would further recruit former Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, who had also been unceremoniously booted by the band following "The Yes Album" to make room for Rick Wakeman. Both exiled musicians represented a more mainstream and rocking sound than what Chris Squire and Yes were pushing for at the time, and naturally Kaye appears as a featured keyboardist (not a part of Flash itself) for the band's self-titled debut album. In typical Hipgnosis fashion, the album cover is abstract, this time being a rather shameless drawing of a girl's upskirt. All that aside, Flash presents itself as a rather unscrupulous Yes clone, but unlike blatant rip-offs such as Starcastle and the like, this band actually features past members of the band, while still retaining the original sound which Yes captured on their first two albums. Furthermore, Flash serves as an indicator of how Yes would have went given it kept Banks and Kaye in the band rather than acquiring Howe and Wakeman.

Flash's first album did see some surprising commercial success, largely thanks to the success of a edited single version of the opening track "Small Beginnings". In its original form it presents itself as a near ten-minute rocker, but for radio it was cut down to just over three minutes - both variants are good in their own respective ways. First impressions are pretty clear-cut; Flash sounds very similar to Yes, from the symphonic style all the way down to Colin Carter's voice, which is a slightly deeper clone of Jon Anderson's vocals. Musically it fuses the Yes album and Time and a Word into a concise hybrid, with a more rocking and accessible tone. "Small Beginnings" rose as high as #29 on the American Billboard Hot 100, while the album in its entirely followed close at #33. Given that the year of this album's release was 1972, it coincided with the popularity of Yes's "Close to the Edge" album, which took the world by storm and spawned several imitators. Listening to the single version of this song, it will omit the very progressive instrumental shifts and guitar escapades, opting rather to focus on Carter's vocals in a more succinct way that would work on the radio rather than on a deep cut. That being said, by listening to the edited version you are not missing much; while Banks does a lot of work on the guitar, none of it is particularly resonant, at least on this track. Kaye's keyboards are relegated to a backing act, reflecting the band's desire to follow the quintet style. Perhaps the greatest similarity to Yes comes at the end, when the wordless vocals come in alongside the synth, which provides that sublime sound similar to "Siberian Khatru".

Bennett takes over on acoustic guitar and vocals for the next song "Morning Haze", which apart from being a fine upbeat ballad, still retains that Yes acoustic tinge. It seems that Flash wanted to take Yes's more poppy sensibilities and use those entirely to compose their music. However, this album is still obviously progressive rock; if the three longer cuts did not already indicate that. "Haze" is only half as long as the album opener, and is a rather refreshing interlude, even if it hardly stands out as a takeaway on the album. We return towards more proggy and fast-paced tendencies with "Children of the Universe" which matches "Beginnings" at roughly nine minutes long. Here is where the album begins to pick up steam and allows itself to stand out; this piece features a rather comfortable tempo driven by the bass rhythm and Kaye's keyboards (he is allowed to do a Moog solo through the middle of this one). Just like the music, Flash's lyrics are like a watered-down version of Yes, with the band trying to retain the pretentious and philosophical lyrical style of Anderson. On "Universe" Flash emerges packing a punch with their music, combining the maritime guitar style of Banks with the symphonic vocals to make a song which despite approaching ten minutes, does not drag on like those written by obscure 70's prog acts.

Opening up the second side of the LP, Flash presents their strongest offering in the form of their longest piece, the nearly thirteen-minute epic "Dreams In Heaven" which I consider to be the biggest takeaway from this album. Opening up in a furor, the band shifts back and forth from outright rock to mellow acoustic passages before introducing the central musical themes of this song. Before exposing the lyrics, the band reveals a crescendo that reminds me a lot of the riff from Black Sabbath's 1973 song "Spiral Architect" off the album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", released a year later. I mean, it sounds remarkably similar, which wants to make me think that Sabbath was somehow influenced by Flash for that song, although it might be a trick of my imagination and/or pure coincidence. On "Heaven" Carter's vocals seem to diverge from those of Anderson's in terms of intensity, which is a promising sign given I can only handle so much of pure imitation. This is a pretty textbook progressive epic, with two lyrical sections book-ending a musically rich middle instrumental section that allows Banks to show off his refined guitar techniques. While I usually never go into obscure prog albums expecting to have legitimate takeaways that I could go back to far after I've made my review, "Dreams in Heaven" might very well last a decent amount of time on one of my playlists; the "Spiral Architect" motif and the intensity of the beginning and end serve as very listenable prog, which is very promising. My favorite part of this song follows the vocal bridge at around the eight-minute mark, when the tone of the song gradually grows sinister thanks to the heavy riffs of Banks, coupled with some jazz influences. Overall this is a track definitely worth giving your attention to. The album concludes with another mellow piece titled "The Time It Takes" which puts greater emphasis on the keyboards of Kaye than an acoustic guitar. The band makes use of the sound of crashing waves in order to conclude the album, which is a nice little touch that sort of salvages a rather weak closing track.

Flash's self-titled debut album is not bad at all; in fact it has a lot of good moments, something which surprised me given that solid obscure prog works from the 70's are few and far between. Nevertheless, this album is more mediocre than good, only being saved by the epic "Dreams In Heaven", and being hampered by the band's reliance on the Yes sound. Flash would release two more albums before abruptly breaking up in 1973, but even then those do not match up to the original in terms of innovation or commercial success. The band found a way to enter all their albums into the Billboard 200 album charts here in the States, which I found surprising - probably owing to the NSFW cover art. A fan of symphonic prog and Yes in particular should certainly give this album a listen, and even a more generic listener might want to give this one a go. As for my review, I will play it safe and give it a three-star (77% - C+) rating which is respectable for an obscure band. Basically a microcosm of the early Yes sound.