"The band Yes would’ve been had Yes not existed."
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Topic: "The band Yes would’ve been had Yes not existed."
Posted By: sherrynoland
Subject: "The band Yes would’ve been had Yes not existed."
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 21:30
Flash – debut album
February 24th, 2010
In an alternate universe, Chris Squire and Jon Anderson never met, and Yes never formed following the collapse of psychedelic band, Mabel Greer’s Toyshop. Filling the space-prog vacuum left in their non-existent wake was Flash, who went on to rule the world during the seventies before turning a bit sh*t in the eighties.
Of course, that’s an alternate universe and the one you’re reading this in already had Yes ready and willing to do all of the above. At the same time, we also had Flash. Flash was formed when Peter Banks, the original Yes guitarist, left the band under a cloud following their second album, Time and a Word. He teamed up with three likeminded spirits and even hauled in Yes’s pre-Wakeman keyboard-noodler, Tony Kaye, to guest on their 1972 self-titled debut, Flash. The result is Yes, in all but name. Sporting a cover that would nowadays elicit a raised eyebrow and a disapproving tut, Flash sounds like Yes’s little brother, kicking at the bedroom door, desperate to get in on the act. A little unfair, perhaps, as http://headfullofsnow.com/peter-banks-sides-peter-banks/ - Peter Banks was a founding member, but it’s impossible to listen to this album without thinking of those, ultimately more successful, prog standard-bearers. As I said, this is the band Yes would’ve been had Yes not existed. Right from the off, with the energetic ‘Small Beginnings’, the comparisons are cordially invited to evening drinks followed by a medium-sized finger buffet, right down to the slightly high-pitched vocals from Colin Carter, a la Jon Anderson. ‘Children of the Universe’, in particular, could easily have appeared on anything Squire and co. put out from The Yes Album to Relayer (with the possible exception of Topographic Oceans), such is its near note for note rendering of what a Yes song should sound like, yet despite all this sonic facsimile, Flash remains a worthy listen. Completely disassociate Flash from the Yes allusions and connections, and you have an album containing five solid space-prog tracks that all take themselves far too seriously, riding the rivers of pomposity with skis the size of canoes strapped to their feet, yet at the same time are hugely enjoyable. It’s pointless to even attempt to single out any one song above the rest, as they all follow the same ostentatious blueprint favoured by the prog bands of this type. Instead, Flash should be listened to in one sitting, enjoyed, and then quickly forgotten about until the next time it finds pride of place in the CD player. Although it’s lazy to once again mention the Y-word, truth of the matter is, if you like Yes, then you’ll love this too. The 2009 Esoteric reissue of Flash contains the rare single version of ‘Small Beginnings’ as a bonus track and is available to buy from http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002RBNNMC?ie=UTF8&tag=hefuofsn-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002RBNNMC - Amazon.co.uk Read more: http://headfullofsnow.com/flash-selftitled-debut-album/#ixzz0i66Gk4oq - http://headfullofsnow.com/flash-selftitled-debut-album/#ixzz0i66Gk4oq |
Replies:
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 21:34
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I find this review very amusing....especially the part about "canoes strapped to their feet"! But "hugely enjoyable"... 
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Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 21:57
Yeah, that was cute! Thanks, Sherry!
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sherrynoland wrote:Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 21:57
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You've posted basically the same information twice. Two threads. Plus, since this isn't really 'news', I would say it's a better fit in the Bands discussion section.
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Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 22:07
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I thought this thread was for "Press"? This is a press review I just found of a new reissue on Esoteric Records. |
Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 22:12
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^ Fair enough, but making two threads about it wasn't necessary. My 'not news' comment was mainly addressing the fact that this was originally announced back in November '09. I wasn't trying to come off as a smart-ass, if I did.
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Posted By: Harry Hood
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 22:25
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I don't know, I was always turned off by their album covers. ------------- 
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Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 22:26
| ^ Well, I think Bank's solo work is considerably better, but that's just me. |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 22:41
Sorry, I just discovered, both the Esoteric reissue announcement, and the headfullofsnow.com review. True, they're about the same reissue, but seemed like two different things to me and I couldn't think of a headline if I posted them together!  No offense taken. |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 03 2010 at 22:46
So was the band! Well, I don't know if "turned off" is quite how they felt. But as a marketing tool....brilliant! (I was kidding. The band had nothing to do with the designs, though I think they approved them. But they weren't bothered at all. They were a little worried, however, when it came time for the third album....) |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 06:15
Want to hear something funny, Joel. If you knew about the Flash reissue last November, you knew about it before the band members. Peter Banks made a deal without telling anyone. Ray and Colin found out about it a short time ago, and I just found the announcement online today. |
Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 09:26
Never said I knew about it. I just assumed it had already been announced given the date that was on the press release. And my name isn't Joel. Well, not my first name, anyway.
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Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 14:53
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Sorry, Mikah! |
Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 15:20
^ lol, you've ALMOST got the spelling right.  And no bigs.
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Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 09 2010 at 01:49
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Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: March 09 2010 at 02:51
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I don't see anything wrong with the covers at all. If it's not PC then well done. Ok, I would go for Roger Dean art... wI wonder if this (lack of) may have influenced (me and others to not hear.) Not sure. The thing is, there is SO much music out there that even if I spent all the money I have (not much!) on albums and tried to fill in the rest with piracy (as if I would!) then I still couldn't hear it all. Besides there are those albums I like to hear more than once. Never heard Flash and will have to set that right. Five tracks of spacey / prog - pompous. Great! "Riding the rivers of pomposity with feet the size of canoes..." that was funny though.  |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 01:31
...with SKIS the size of canoes...not feet! Your version is even funnier, though.....and hugely entertaining.
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Posted By: Man Overboard
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 01:59
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^ sherry are you pr affiliated with the band? I liked the video you took of the rehearsal :) Anyway, Flash are kinda cool and all, but they're no Yes and really, to try to alter the argument to say that they -were- going in that direction and could've replaced them just devalues both bands without bringing any honest discussion to the table. ------------- https://soundcloud.com/erin-susan-jennings" rel="nofollow - Bedroom guitarist". Composer, Arranger, Producer. Perfection may not exist, but I may still choose to serve Perfection. Commissions considered. |
Posted By: Harry Hood
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 02:03
 -------------
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Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 02:19
Thanks. Yes, I'm 'affiliated'. But I'm not a publicist or on any payroll. Darn-it!
If you're referring to the reviewer above, I agree wholeheartedly. The guy is YES obsessed! The guys in Flash and the guys in Yes, and Phil Collins, and various others from those early prog days knew each other before prog had a name, before anybody was famous and before their respective bands were formed. They were/are just a bunch of good musicians, all doing their own thing. And if there's one thing I'd say about them all - they're individuals - unique, creative and extremely independent, free thinkers/doers. Sometimes to a fault. Why do you think they had so much trouble staying together and working together? But whenever they managed to pull together, some magic happened. |
Posted By: Man Overboard
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 02:23
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That's a sentiment I can agree with. Most are content with just finding a box to put something in so that they don't have to look at it or try to understand it anymore as it's already 'understood' and catagorized. When something's covered, does it just go away? Or does it just hover behind the veil of today? I think any new music from a Flash reunion, or really, any time music is created, has a chance to be awesome. Will it? Depends on them. :) ------------- https://soundcloud.com/erin-susan-jennings" rel="nofollow - Bedroom guitarist". Composer, Arranger, Producer. Perfection may not exist, but I may still choose to serve Perfection. Commissions considered. |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 02:47
| Well said. It's all about the music... |
Posted By: Jeffman
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 11:11
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I've watched this discussion unfold with muted interest for the past couple of weeks, and only now feel the need to respond. Firstly, I'll let slide the fact that the Progarchives forum has republished a copyrighted article with neither permission nor intentional attribution (the link at the bottom of the review is hard-coded and appears whenever somebody cuts-and-pastes my posts). Secondly (and the reason I decided to respond), I find it a little unfair to be called Yes obsessed. This is certainly not the case, as I evidenced on my review of their debut album http://headfullofsnow.com/yes-1969/ - here . The reason I grasped the Yes comparison and went with it hammer and throttle is that I'm sent these CDs for review, not to endlessly over-analyse in some leaden, pseudo-academical fug. Therefore it's a case of whether I, personally, like it or not. Likewise, if it sounds like something else, then I'm going to mention it. The fact the Flash debut sounded so similar to Yes in so many ways gave me an angle on which to hang the article. The fact I say how much I enjoyed the album, surely doesn't devalue Flash in any way. If my likening them to a band of which one of their number was a former member does, then it wasn't my intention. |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 11:50
The policy at ProgArchives is not to reproduce articles without permission. If you wish the first post altered (I assume you are the author of the work), I'll be happy to contact an administrator about it. |
Posted By: Jeffman
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 12:13
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@Padraic Thanks, but no. It's fine to stay as it is. |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 15:55
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hahhaha.... I need another beer.. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 15:58
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@ Jeffman - Firstly, I'd like to say, I DID find your review "hugely entertaining", and the mind-twisting headline - captivating! That's why I posted it, and I noticed your hard-coded link when I previewed before posting - I always give a link so people can verify and contact. I appreciate you letting us keep it here. Secondly, sorry I called you "Yes-obsessed". That was a bit glib, but the Yes comparisons DO tend to get tiresome sometimes. You at least, made it fun! And, after all, you liked the album, and I like that... Cheers and regards. Please keep up the good work... P.S. Flash will soon have a new CD for you to review. |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 17:21
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And just for the record next member to whinge about Admin "censoring" the posting of lyrics, reviews, images etc will be pointed towards Jeffman's post above. Then suspended. To Jeffman: I meant to edit Sherry's post but, like a naive fool, presumed permission to reproduce had been sought and given. Apologies. |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 18:01
And I'd like to apologize to Jeffman for not contacting him for permission prior to posting. Sharing is so fast and easy online, I honestly didn't think about it. I assumed! I realize now, just providing a link isn't enough. Sorry. (embarrassed)
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Posted By: micky
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 18:07
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honest mistake.. not like you were using the review as yours but always a good idea to ask first. I used to post John McFerrins reviews all the time... finally when I got in contact with him ...I asked and he said no problem using them here in various discussion (what a great reviewer.. shame he doesn't review here). Most people would be tickled to see their work even read... probably happy if someone wanted to use it... but it is good form to ask first.
------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: March 13 2010 at 20:55
Hi Sherry, thanks for posting the updates! They are sounding great, I LOVE "Manhattan Morning"! Back in the early 1970's (and I remember them well, somehow!) it seems that any band with vocal harmonies and keys were being compared to Yes. The fact that Banks and Kaye both were founding members gave the media a tag to lay onto the band, although it wasn't terribly accurate IMHO. Most of the bands that crits said "sounded like Yes" sounded nothing like the band. Ray's bass style in Flash did draw comparisons to Chris Squire, rightly or wrongly....hell, they were flat-mates, probably shared the same bass and picks! It wouldn't surprise me if Ray was the one who invented the sound, as Squire was big on John Entwhistle (who didn't use a pick) back then. Ray's style was more straight-ahead rock & roll, but their general bass tone was similar...very trebly bass, with excellent sound definition and speed due to the use of a pick vs. fingers. Other bassists in that style back then included Jon Camp from Renaissance and Gary Strater from Starcastle. Consider me a '70s prog bass fanatic!! Take care, hugs to Ray & the guys! |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 15:45
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@ cstack3 Thanks for commenting. These guys are all fiercely independent artists. There was/is no copying going on. I know for a fact that Ray Bennett doesn't listen to other players much - he's too busy playing. He laughs at the comparisons. Maybe I'll get in trouble for telling you -- he thinks Chris is fine, but he'd have no problem going toe-to-toe with him any day of the week! I think Chris would agree. Ray's moved on to guitar now... |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: March 22 2010 at 16:55
Yeah, Ray's guitar work is really fantastic! He channels a bit of Fripp on the latest videos you posted on YouTube! Back in the early 1970's, both Ray and Chris were my bass-heroes, and I enjoyed the sound of the Rickenbacker bass & roundwound strings! I think Ray would have given Chris a run for his money back then for sure! Flash's new bassist is doing a great job, and I love the drums and keys! Keyboards add a lot to their music. Here's hoping for a great tour and successful CD launch!
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Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: March 26 2010 at 01:36
| Now that there are no Yes men in the band, it'll be interesting to see if the comparisons continue.... |
Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: April 11 2010 at 15:28
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An answer to my own musings.... As the comments come in, so far, the only comparisons from fans have been comparing Flash to Flash! Like this one... "Wow! It sounds just like Flash, only updated...modern." Nice. |