Billy Sherwood

Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Tom, you've never even HEARD `Open Your Eyes' I'm pretty sure after your lukewarm reaction to that latest one, you'd find it an underrated classic! Anyway, he's no doubt a solid musician...He probably unfairly gets a bit dismissed by some groups of Yes fanboys, but he definitely deserves credit for his work keeping the band going during his initial time with them. As for credentials as a proper `prog' musician....I think some consider him a bit of a `pretender'....?

My sis has Open Your Eyes on CD. I have persisted with it a couple of times in the past, nothing special, mostly commercially motivated dross. I can't even hear his influence on 'The Ladder'. But these Prog Collective projects.......to have enough cred to command these amazing performers to contribute to his strategically composed material speaks for itself.
Sure, these pieces are designed with the performer in mind.......space here for a Geoff Downes solo, verse, chorus, flute from Nik Turner, another verse, then some Sax.......etc.
Nothing ground-breaking, nor is its intention. Just a couple of cool albums featuring some superb musicians having some fun.....
Hats off to Billy.
I was a bit deflated when I caught Nektar's performance last year at BB Kings, NYC - I was hoping Billy would be playing bass but I got a mohawked dude called Lux Vibratus and he just didn't cut it for me (even with his red Rickenbacker bass.....)

Edited by Tom Ozric - September 03 2014 at 06:41

Who is this man?

Tom, you've never even HEARD `Open Your Eyes'

I'm pretty sure after your lukewarm reaction to that latest one, you'd find it an underrated classic!

Anyway, he's no doubt a solid musician...He probably unfairly gets a bit dismissed by some groups of Yes fanboys, but he definitely deserves credit for his work keeping the band going during his initial time with them.

As for credentials as a proper `prog' musician....I think some consider him a bit of a `pretender'....?