Chris Squire R.I.P

Just read the sad news that Yes bass player Chris Squire has lost his battle with Leukemia. One of the best bass players to ever walk the planet IMO. His contribution to the music world is unmeasurable. He will most certainly be missed.

Yeah, I love Yes. Saw them a few years ago in Red Rocks (Colorado) and it was great!

Rest in peace, Mr. Squire.

originally posted by: Elton
Yeah, I love Yes. Saw them a few years ago in Red Rocks (Colorado) and it was great!

Rest in peace, Mr. Squire.

I've seen them a few times, best concert I've ever see and I've seen a lot of them.

Yes....what we listened to in the air force during the big war....special power in the word ...YES
when the world is bombs and bombs and guns...

a reply to: mtnshredder
Sad News, I saw "Yes" in their heyday many times, a recently departed friend idolized the band. Chris was an extraordinary musician.

a reply to: mtnshredder

Wow, this is the first I had heard of this. An icon really, one of the guys who influenced my early playing. He will be missed. Yes, I saw them back in the day too, one of those acts that sounded better live than on record.

'Starship Troopers', one of the greatest bass songs ever.
I had a bunch of their albums on cassette back in the day. great music.

www.youtube.com...

So sad. R.I.P Mr. Squire. I met Chris many years ago. Seemed like such a nice guy.

a reply to: works4dhs

Yes, yes! Not just the bass though! One of my favorites, thanks for reminding me about it. I always wanted to do this one in a band, unfortunately, I seem to be the only one with my musical tastes in any band I ever get in...

Sorry to hear it. I once played his iconic triple-neck bass, which he had put up for sale at a small but exclusively patronized guitar shop in Guildford, Surrey, England. It used to be rock star country thereabouts (probably still is) and a lot of famous guitarists used the shop owner's luthiery skills.

I used to love Yes; they're still kind of a guilty pleasure for me.

a reply to: mtnshredder

I've still got a couple of gatefold sleeves with the lyric inserts. Close to the Edge (beautiful art and gold font), Topographical somethings and another one. Just as a test, I've downloaded the mp3 of Close to the Edge and will see if it still moves me.

That refrain, I get up, I get down is so memorable.

a reply to: Kandinsky

I think you'll find that it does. It still moves me after all these years.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: mtnshredder

I've still got a couple of gatefold sleeves with the lyric inserts. Close to the Edge (beautiful art and gold font), Topographical somethings and another one. Just as a test, I've downloaded the mp3 of Close to the Edge and will see if it still moves me.

That refrain, I get up, I get down is so memorable.

That's a great album and one of my favorites. The talent in Yes is amazing and the fact that they all managed to hook up at a early age in one band, was against the odds. They did have some personal changes thru the yrs but they were all extremely talented. Every one of them are in the top tier of their given instrument. There were no week links in Yes.

a reply to: mtnshredder
a reply to: wtbengineer

I've just got home and am listening to it off YT. 1972! It's been so long since I played it and I would have said late 70s. Three years after Led Zep Led Zep and and a likely influence on Queen's first album from 1973. One year after Floyd's Echoes and is that one of the first times a white band played a reggae off-beat riff? Chamber music, reggae, rock and mystical lyricism. Yeah, it still sounds great.

Down at the end, round by the corner
Close to the edge, just by a river
Seasons will pass you by
I get up, I get down
Now that it's all over and done
Now that you find, now that you're whole

a reply to: Kandinsky

I knew it would still be magic! Thanks for posting it here, I'll be listening in a while after I get in the proper frame of mind. Or maybe that's what'll get me there. Man, even looking at the lettering of "Yes" takes me to a good place!

Oh, probably the first time...


Wow, epic! I know I haven't listened to that in 40+ years. It's amazing, I think there are more synapses firing as I listen to this now, more connections, more sense it seems to make... what a trip, thanks for posting!

I went out to my shed to see if I still had a picture I painted in high school art class circa '74 of Jon Anderson of Yes from a concert photo. It was an assignment where we had to do a portrait with lettering on it and I just painted him with the signature Yes centered below. I know I saved that thing through many moves but I was unable to find it tonight... it's no treasure or anything, I was just hoping I could find it and post a pic for posterity. Probably threw it out during the last move.

I sorry to hear the passing of Chris Squire. He was a superb bassist. Squire had a rumbling heavy sound coming from his fingers. I love the bassline from "Roundabout". He will be a monster inclusion in the Rock N' Roll Heaven lineup with, Hendrix, Rhoads, SRV, etc.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Arggg those lyrics. They made me hate Yes even as I loved them.

I love to sing and often do so as I go about my toilette, perform household chores, etc. And I love some of the melodies Yes have created — Heart of the Sunrise and the 'Soon, oh soon the light' part of The Gates of Delirium are particular standouts. But how can any sane person sing words like 'battleships confide in me and show me where you are' or 'power spent passion bespoils our soul receiver' without suffering brain damage?

Of course, in the middle of the surge of tripe and twaddle you'd suddenly come across apparently accidental gems like 'burn their children's laughter'. But not often enough to offset the general turgidity.

At least their music, unlike that of, say, Emerson, Lake and Palmer or the Mars Volta, was never pretentious. Bombastic, sure, but never pretentious. Bombast is okay; bombast is rock 'n' roll. Pretentious never is, or was.

a reply to: Astyanax

At least their music, unlike that of, say, Emerson, Lake and Palmer or the Mars Volta, was never pretentious. Bombastic, sure, but never pretentious. Bombast is okay; bombast is rock 'n' roll. Pretentious never is, or was.

I never went all the way with Yes and only have three albums. Of them, Close to the Edge was the one that got the airplay. The lyrics were a little bit avant-garde which can often be a euphemism for pretentious, BS or challenging depending on the listener's tastes.

Your post has reminded me of how pretentious some of the proponents of prog-rock were. I remember a few charismatic types who'd insist on playing some jarring racket whilst we tried to show enthusiasm or rolled our eyes. Experimental albums by Gong or Zappa would be inflicted on us in a demonstration of superior, intellectual musical tastes. You probably knew similar types who would insist that Saucer Full of Secrets was the 'best' Pink Floyd album and blanched at the merest hint of a melody, motif or coherent lyrics.

It also raises an uncomfortable smile as I recall inflicting King Crimson on friends. After playing Cadence and Cascade in a taxi one night, the driver asked if I could do him a favour? 'Yeah, what?' I asked.

'Don't ever bring out that tape again.'

a reply to: Kandinsky

I was, briefly, quite a fan. Makes me blush now to think of it.

But it was the whole package, really. Even the Roger Dean covers; I actually found myself losing interest in the band when they stopped using Dean as their cover designer. That hiatus was temporary, but though Dean returned, the spell for me was finally broken.

But there have always been exceptions...