• Chris Squire, bassist for English progressive group Yes, died over the weekend; he was 67. His death is something of shock, as he'd just been diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia last month.
Squire started playing music in 1965 with a local beat group called the Selfs. The Selfs, after some line-up shifts, became known as the Syn and included the addition of future Yes guitarist Peter Banks. The Syn were popular. They had a weekly residency at the famous Marquee club, signed with the Deram label, and released two now highly regarded singles—"Created by Clive" b/w "Grounded" and "Flowerman" b/w "14 Hour Technicolour Dream." When the Syn split in 1967, Banks and Squire joined Mabel Greer's Toyshop which, within the year, had evolved into the first Yes line up.
Yes spent the next five or so decades going on to great heights, or lows depending who you ask, and Squire was there through it all; he was the only original member who remained throughout all the tours, TRIPLE albums, line-up changes, and style shifts!
I've been a Yes fan for over 35 years. When I was a kid I was a '50s black R&B/rock n' roll obsessed freak, but one of the first rock LPs I owned was a hand-me-down copy of Yes' fourth LP, Fragile. To my raw R&B ears Fragile WAS SO WEIRD; it was other-worldly and exotic, and it sounded ALMOST visual. I think since I was also obsessed with the Everly Brothers, I was able to connect with the dense melodies and harmonies. Once I was older, and had tracked down all the Yes albums, it was their debut LP, Yes, which stood out.
Nothing else in their catalog sounds like their debut. I'm still so fixated on the record I actively avoid listening to it too often so I won't fall into a Yes hole for a month. Seriously, its beauty is hypnotic. The songs on Yes bridge the deep curiosity of what would become progressive and the dreamy, translucent expansiveness of what was psychedelia. "Survival," the last track on Yes, is perhaps the best example of Squire's fluid, on-point playing. (Also listen to this live take on "Survival" from German TV, GODDAMN).
Regarding his style, he's admittedly a student of the Who's John Entwistle and Cream's Jack Bruce. You can hear it! The thing is, although Entwistle had Pete Townshend to contend with, Squire had to duel with, and against, BOTH Peter Banks and the mighty Steve Howe—certainly a testimony to his skill.
I saw Yes play live a handful of times, but the last time, at Benaroya Hall, was the most memorable. They played for a small crowd, fewer than 400, and while they were entertaining, it felt a little rote. Still, Squire was playful and goofy as he thrashed about in his wizard's robe; I remember smiling, knowing I was seeing a moment of truth from a long lost time.
• On Friday, June 19, New Orleans saxophonist, pianist, producer, arranger, and label boss, Harold Battiste, passed away. He was 83. Mr. Battiste was a very productive, and highly regarded, behind the scenes gentleman. He produced MANY well-known R&B and pop songs during his career—for instance, he arranged Sam Cooke's "You Send Me."
In 1961, after working a few years as an A&R man for Specialty Records, he sorted the first black-owned label in New Orleans, All For One or AFO Records. AFO was a collective label run by musicians. They worked together to cut out the traditional businessmen who were taking the lion's share of the money generated by their records and productions—an exceptionally progressive idea at the time. Label partner Peter "Chuck" Badie has been quoted, in regards to AFO, as saying, "We did something that at the time needed to be done. Until then, it was companies from out of town that came here and made most of the records. We got paid for playing on the sessions, but those companies made the real money." AFO fostered many Nola locals, including Barbara George, Tami Lynn, and even a young Mac Rebennack. Rebennnack would later be known as Dr. John and, of course, Battiste produced his Gris Gris and Babylon albums.
By the mid-'60s, Battiste was based in Los Angeles and became a producer and arranger for movies and television. His West Coast production credits run deep; he even worked with y'all's country hero Gram Parsons! But I bet his best known work from this time period would be his solid run with Sonny and Cher. With the duo, he earned a handful of gold albums and he was the musical director of their TV series. He moved back to Nola in the '80s and followed more intellectual pursuits by lecturing at colleges and becoming active in a ton of Nola cultural preservation foundations. Looking at his credits, I'm shocked at how many of his behind-the-board productions I have in my record collection.
• Gary Quackenbush, guitarist for '60s long-hair group Scott Richard Case died Saturday, June 20; he was only 67. Inspired by Elvis, Gary began playing guitar while his older brother was taking piano lessons. Once the brothers got their music skills in order, and his brother traded the piano for an organ, they formed a band—an instrumental group called the Tremelos. The Tremelos eventually became the Fugitives. As the Fugitives, they found some success; they made three 45s and a fake live LP, which was uncommon for most garage bands in 1965.
After poaching singer Scott Richardson from local group the Chosen Few, the Fugitives morphed into Scott Richard Case. As SRC, they graduated from the teen scene to opening up for touring groups and playing the famous Grande Ballroom. At the Grande they'd also play alongside other Detroit heavies like the MC5, the Rationals, and the Stooges. Oddly though, SRC never really broke big. They were were still afforded three albums for Capitol: SRC, Milestones, and Traveler's Tale. When the group splintered in 1972, Gary stayed in Michigan and continued playing in various bar bands. He later worked for an electronics distributor and even played in a wedding band with his brother.
• Lastly, I should mention, although he's not exactly known as a musician, Phil Austin died of an aneurysm Thursday, June 18. His group Firesign Theater was a prolific hippie/weirdo improv comedy troupe that began on LA's KPFK radio in the late 1960s. It is Austin who voiced their well-loved detective narrative Nick Danger, Third Eye narrative.
