"Sometimes
there is consolation in isolation''. These
are the words printed on the inside cover
of this marvelous electric guitar solo
album from that brilliant musician Mr.
Peter Banks. Very apt they are, too. Although
Peter Banks was at the creation of the
band "Yes" and indeed the bands
that were its forbearers ("SYN''
and "Mabel Greers Toy Shop"),
he remains the only member of the band
not to have been invited back at some
stage or other. His replacement on the
guitar, Steve Howe, has joined and left
the band an incredible four times. Even
when they recorded and then toured with
the Reunion album with an incredible and
quite farcical eleven man line-up, Peter
Bank's talents were regarded as surplus
to requirements. In fact, when once Peter
was invited by the rest of the band to
make a guest appearance on the encores
with the band at the end of a U.K. tour,
Steve Howe threatened to leave the band.
Peter Banks wasn’t allowed on the same
stage as the obviously very insecure guitarist.
So what can be the reason behind this
entire skullduggery? Almost alarmingly
simple the story goes like this.
In the formative years of "Yes",
way back in 1968, Peter Banks was not
only lead guitarist, but also inspirational
in creating the Yes sound. The distinctive
diamond edge guitar solos, the granite
hard riffs coupled with Jon Anderson's
soaring vocals, the brilliant musicianship
of the back line of Tony Kaye on keyboards,
Chris Squire on bass (one of the first
people to play the bass as if it were
a lead instrument rather than just a backing
device), and the drummer's drummer Bill
Bruford. The band was obviously tipped
for stardom. After two albums, the amazing
debut album 'Yes', which has just been
re-released digitally re-mastered with
four outstanding bonus tracks, and the
equally polished second album 'Time and
a Word', musically everything was looking
great, but whilst the others were all
rather taking themselves terribly seriously,
Peter Banks was enjoying the Rock 'n'
Roll lifestyle just a little too much.
An ultimatum was sent down by the management.
(It must be said not with the entire backing
of the entire band. Keyboard player Tony
Kaye was to leave the band in similar
circumstances after one more album to
be followed by drummer Bill Bruford an
album later. Over the years these two
have been in and out of the bands revolving
door whilst it has remained firmly shut
to Peter Banks.) Either clean up your
act or out they said. Well, there was
no choice really. Peter Banks left “Yes”
forming his own band “Flash”. Its music
could only be described as progressive
rock meets punk rock while retaining the
Banks’ guitar sound. “Yes” brought in
the far more controllable Steve Howe to
copy Banks’ licks for their break through
album 'The Yes Album'.
"Flash" went onto enormous
successes in the U.S.A. releasing three
albums before disbanding and going their
own way. Peter Banks went on to enjoy
life as a session musician and toy with
the idea of forming a Band called "Empire",
which went through as many musicians as
his former colleagues in "Yes” would
go through.
Several solo albums have been recorded
along the way with 'Reduction' being the
third. Released in 1997 it is full of
all the usual Bankism's that you come
to expect from the man. An amusing and
unique little opening to get you in the
mood before a blistering seven minutes
of 'Tone Down' where the guitarist shows
off all his talents at one minute one
hundred notes a second. The next bending
one note right round your player and straight
out the other door. I'm not saying you
have to have a decent player to listen
to a Peter Banks recording, but it certainly
helps. Voice samplings are used to string
each instrumental together, my favorite
being ‘What gives you the inspiration
to write a song like that’. ‘Usually the
Landlady knocking on the door" makes
the whole thing flow sublimely from one
track to another. Although every track
is a guitar instrumental there is more
variety on a Peter Banks album than there
are colours in a box of Smarties. They
rang from the sledgehammer licks of 'Fathat'
to the delicate acoustic work on the delightful
'Fade to Blue' or the tragic beauty of
a song like 'As Night Falls'. With songs
like this you do not need lyrics to display
the emotions of the music. The rhythms
of 'Dirty Little secret' will bury themselves
in your subconscious and drive you nuts
trying to recall where you have heard
it before. The overdubbed guitars here
become more and more menacing as the song
progresses, implying the perfect soundtrack
to a particularly nasty repetitive nightmare.
Fair sends a tingle up and down your tail.
"Reduction is the way to production"
is printed on the back cover. If this
is the way producing music of this caliber,
so be it. One can only ponder what would
of happened if the boys at "Yes"
had stuck with their wayward son. I do
not think that they would of turned into
the sorry parody of themselves that they
have now become. But we shall never know.
The best thing to do is get yourself a
copy of 'Reduction', press play and be
whisked away on one of Mr. Banks’ musical
journeys.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
