SI …. Thanks. Bill Bruford is my favorite drummer of all time. What’s your take on his drumming? ….. I Especially like his playing on the ‘Fragile’ album. And Jon Anderson, what a lyricist! The Topographic Oceans ( inspired by the Autobiography of a Yogi ) album was amazing. Among so many others. There are may vibrations we are drawn to and that describe our own spiritual journey. The band ‘Yes’’ certainly had a pivotal influence on my creative perspective. The photo you put up here SI was before the presence of Steve Howe as their leads guitarist and Rick Wakeman as their keyboard player. Still I remember this period well with such songs Eric may also relate to even now….see ‘Yes’ under sound minds.
Bruford was clever, punchy, Fragile wouldn't be what it is without him. I saw them in 74, at that time they had Alan White and Pat Moraz, touring for the Relayer album which happens to be my favorite. Alan had chops too on that record, but at the concert nobody liked him, kept hearing "Bruford Bruford" from the crowd. I don't think anyone knew he did the Lennon Imagine album, no one cared (and still dont) really. But Bruford fit the band the best IMO. Moraz was good but his overall sound didn't come off well sometimes, Wakeman did not want to do the synth thing so of course he always had a great sound.
Steven Wilson recently did a remix (not remaster) of their early albums as a box LP set. Truly something you need to hear one day on a great system. Anderson sounds amazing. Topographic never sounded better. Howe is totally underrated nevermind Squire.
They did have kind of a spiritual quality about them, but I believe that was mostly due to Anderson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqb8uJ0cdKc&ab_channel=Yes-TopicYou have a lot to respond to here SI. I’ve seen Yes in concert many times. I saw that tour myself in 1974-75. I was particularly impressed by the lyrics of ‘Sound Chaser’ and the memorable melody of ‘To Be Over’.
I’ve also met Jon Anderson. The rest of the band was waiting for him and I was waiting to talk with him as two other people were talking with him, so we didn’t have much of a conversation. But I did get a chance to ask a question that was most important to me, considering his spiritual lyrics. I asked; “Do you meditate?” He answered quite concisely; “The mind is very difficult to control.” So I assumed he meant that he has taken various stabs at it. To what extent I do not know. The mind really can not be controlled; Rather the best way to accomplish anything with the mind is to let it go of its own accord while practicing meditation.
