An "architect" of progressive rock passes away

Peter Banks died last Thursday of apparent heart failure at the age of 65.  For those who may be unfamiliar with the name or what he did, this will help:  the BBC's Danny Baker and Big George often called Banks "The Architect of Progressive Music."

Peter Banks (left) with Yes, along with Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, and Jon Anderson.

Banks' role in the history of progressive rock came about when he worked with a bass player named Chris Squire, and that relationship developed into a group that called itself Yes.  He was part of the group's eponymous debut album in 1969 that contained songs like "Yesterday and Today," a Yes classic in "Survival," and a cover of Lennon-McCartney's "Every Little Thing."

From there it was the 1970 album "Time and a Word," with original songs like "Astral Traveller" and the album's title track, along with two more covers -- Richie Havens' "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" and Stephen Stills' "Everydays."

That second album was the beginning of the end for Banks' time with Yes, despite some memorable playing from him on the songs "Then" and "The Prophet."  There was a parting of the ways stylistically speaking, and Banks was released which led to Steve Howe coming in on guitar -- even being pictured on the U.S. version of the album cover instead of Banks -- and the rest is Yes history.

From there, Banks formed the prog band Flash which would later include former Yes Keyboardist Tony Kaye.  There was also a memorable solo album, "Two Sides of Peter Banks," which featured Jan Akkerman, John Wetton, and Phil Collins.

It may be that not everyone knows the name Peter Banks.  But a part of his music will live on for a long time to come.

Yes, there was a time I got to see Yes!

There are a number of progressive rock bands I've followed closely for a long time yet there's a good chance I'll never get to see any of them perform live for whatever reason.  King Crimson is one.  Gentle Giant and Genesis with its classically progressive lineup are out because chances are they're among those groups that will never get back together again.  There was also a time when I thought I'd never get to see Yes.

Thankfully, I was wrong on that count when they came to Utah in the late 1990s for their 30th anniversary tour.  With all the Yes albums I've had in my collection, all the great Yes music that I've enjoyed, there was no way I was going to miss that show.

I was among the Yes fans who weren't overly thrilled with the studio album that came before the anniversary tour, "Open Your Eyes," seeing it as leaning a bit too heavily on vocal harmonies and not letting the instrumentation stretch out as much as I'd hoped it would.  So in the back of my mind, I was hoping Yes would focus more on its catalog of mind-opening songs that came throughout its history.

I wasn't left disappointed.  They seemed to turn the show into an absolute celebration of that 30-year history.  It gave me a glimpse into what a Yes show must have been like many years earlier, when the players were taking the music world by storm as younger lads.

This was the music of Yes performed live as I'd always imagine it.