So it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut would say. I know the title of this post sounds like a line from Monty Python, but it concerns another group of talented Brits, the progressive rock group Yes, and in particular their founder and perennial anchor, Chris Squire, who passed away this past Saturday, June 27th, at 67 years of age. I bring this up because Yes is one of my favorite bands of all time, and Squire was the only member of the band to appear in all its incarnations, from its founding in 1968.
And I know that the music of Yes is not to everybody's taste, and I'm not trying to push it onto anyone who doesn't care for it, but as a late baby boomer, witnessing the passing of members of the early baby boomer generation that had an influence on me during my formative teens is more than a little significant. And of course, we've lost quite a few along the way, and will lost many more to come.
But Yes was my favorite when I was in high school and college, and remained one of my favorites ever since. And the one constant in every incarnation of the band was Chris Squire. More than anyone else, it was his band. And that's not to say that they simply cannot go on without him. But it does mean that they will never be able to go back to any of their early, classic line ups ever again. And it does mark the end of an era.
As mentioned, Yes is a progressive rock group, really one of the bands that helped to define that genre of popular music. Within progressive rock, their music was sometimes labeled as classical rock, not to be confused with the much broader category of classic rock. Classical rock represented a reversal from the earlier roll over Beethoven aesthetic, incorporating aspects of symphonic and other types of classical music into rock formats. Yes sometimes did this directly, while also drawing on jazz, rhythm and blues, and acid rock and psychedelia, and of course the music of the earlier British invasion bands, the Beatles having been a major influence on them.
But what stands out most about the British group is the complexity of their music, and the virtuosity of their members. They were interested in doing something far greater than appropriating bits and pieces of classical music. They aspired to create songs that were on a par with classical music.
And maybe you find them to be over the top. That's not uncommon. For myself, I have found their music to be intellectually engaging, as well as emotionally and spiritually moving, and that is why I have been listening to them for four decades.
And what distinguishes Chris Squire was his ambition to transform his instrument, the bass guitar, from a bottom dweller than simply kept the beat into a lead instrument. And he succeeded. He was an innovator, as well as a major influence on many other bass players. Much has been made of the fact that the bass player of The Who, John Entwistle, died on the same day, June 27th, over a decade ago, in 2002. Some are now saying that Squire and Entwistle were the two greatest bass players in rock history. And maybe that's true, although I think Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead would also belong in that number.
But by way of a tribute, let me include a high quality recording of their studio track "Heart of the Sunrise" for their
1971 album, Fragile. This is one of many songs that displays Squire's unique abilities, and the potential he introduced of how the bass guitar could perform as a lead instrument.
But Yes was my favorite when I was in high school and college, and remained one of my favorites ever since. And the one constant in every incarnation of the band was Chris Squire. More than anyone else, it was his band. And that's not to say that they simply cannot go on without him. But it does mean that they will never be able to go back to any of their early, classic line ups ever again. And it does mark the end of an era.
As mentioned, Yes is a progressive rock group, really one of the bands that helped to define that genre of popular music. Within progressive rock, their music was sometimes labeled as classical rock, not to be confused with the much broader category of classic rock. Classical rock represented a reversal from the earlier roll over Beethoven aesthetic, incorporating aspects of symphonic and other types of classical music into rock formats. Yes sometimes did this directly, while also drawing on jazz, rhythm and blues, and acid rock and psychedelia, and of course the music of the earlier British invasion bands, the Beatles having been a major influence on them.
But what stands out most about the British group is the complexity of their music, and the virtuosity of their members. They were interested in doing something far greater than appropriating bits and pieces of classical music. They aspired to create songs that were on a par with classical music.
And maybe you find them to be over the top. That's not uncommon. For myself, I have found their music to be intellectually engaging, as well as emotionally and spiritually moving, and that is why I have been listening to them for four decades.
And what distinguishes Chris Squire was his ambition to transform his instrument, the bass guitar, from a bottom dweller than simply kept the beat into a lead instrument. And he succeeded. He was an innovator, as well as a major influence on many other bass players. Much has been made of the fact that the bass player of The Who, John Entwistle, died on the same day, June 27th, over a decade ago, in 2002. Some are now saying that Squire and Entwistle were the two greatest bass players in rock history. And maybe that's true, although I think Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead would also belong in that number.
But by way of a tribute, let me include a high quality recording of their studio track "Heart of the Sunrise" for their
Arguably, "Heart of the Sunrise" is one of the best examples of what progressive rock is all about, with Squire's bass complemented by the ethereal singing and lyrics of Jon Anderson, balanced by the amazing drum work of Bill Bruford (the song is credited to Anderson, Bruford, and Squire), and also the keyboard wizardry of Rick Wakeman, and the brilliant lead guitar of Steve Howe. The video itself is very nicely done, all credit to vzqk50HD Productions.
And here are the wonderfully poetic lyrics:
Immediately following the conclusion of "Heart of the Sunrise" this particular video includes the brief reprise of Jon Anderson's "We Have Heaven" that comes at the very end of Fragile, which is altogether fitting in the context of a tribute to the memory of Chris Squire.
Again, I recognize that we all have different tastes in music, and all I want to say is that this music meant, and means something to me, which is why it deserves a place here on Blog Time Passing. And this is a topic I'll come back to in future posts.
And here are the wonderfully poetic lyrics:
Love comes to you and you follow
Lose one on to the Heart of the Sunrise
SHARP-DISTANCE
How can the wind with its arms all around me
Lost on a wave and then after
Dream on on to the Heart of the Sunrise
SHARP-DISANCE
How can the wind with so many around me
Lost in the city
Lost in their eyes as you hurry by
Counting the broken ties they decide
Love comes to you and then after
Dream on on to the Heart of the Sunrise
Lost on a wave that you're dreaming
Dream on on to the Heart of the Sunrise
SHARP-DISTANCE
How can the wind with its arms all around me
SHARP-DISTANCE
How can the wind with so many around me
I feel lost in the city
Lost in their eyes as you hurry by
Counting the broken ties they decided
Straight light moving and removing
SHARPNESS of the colour sun shine
Straight light searching all the meanings of the song
Long last treatment of the telling that
Relates to all the words sung
Dreamer easy in the chair that really fits you
Love comes to you and then after
Dream on on to the Heart of the Sunrise
SHARP-DISTANCE
How can the sun with its arms all around me
SHARP-DISTANCE
How can the wind with so many around me
I feel lost in the city
Again, I recognize that we all have different tastes in music, and all I want to say is that this music meant, and means something to me, which is why it deserves a place here on Blog Time Passing. And this is a topic I'll come back to in future posts.
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