Peter Banks jams with Yes tribute band Fragile 19 March 1999
Beyond and Before: The Formative Years of Yes
Peter Banks jams with Yes tribute band Fragile
19 March 1999
Beyond and Before: The Formative Years of
Yes
Biography
Best known as the original guitarist for YES, Peter Banks began life as Peter Brockbanks on July 15, 1947. Banks was inspired by early pop music, particularly English Skiffle music and the works of Lonnie Donnegan, with whom Peter had the privelege of making the album "Puttin' On The Style" in 1977 (Available here - AH). Peter knew he wanted to be a musician from the age of 10. He got an accoustic guitar and a ukelele and began practicing. His first real guitar was a Gretsch because that was what Beatle George Harrison played.
Peter left school and began playing guitar in various bands at the age of 16 while listening to The Beatles, jazz greats like Dave Brubeck, Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis and John Coltrane and trying to learn drums to the tunes of The Shadows and The John Barry Seven.
Banks did a stint in a local band called the Nighthawks and played his first gig at the Barnet Pop Festival. Banks first recordings were in 1964 with Stones cover band, The Devil's Disciples, which are still circulating as bootlegs. The Disciples lasted for about a year. Band mate, Dennis Cowan, went on to play Bass with The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
Peter eventually got his first important gig when he joined Syn which began in 1965 as a Mod/Freakbeat band playing Motown covers and evolved into a Psychedelic band like many others at the time. Syn is where Banks met Bassist, Chris Squire. Also in the band was keyboardist, Andrew Jackman, who later became a successful arranger and orchestrator. These three played off one another singing harmony vocals. Banks cites this as the nascent sound of YES. Syn eventually landed a residency at the famous Marquee club and became the opener for many bands in the burgeoning London club scene including The Who, Hendrix and The Move. Syn lasted about 3 years with a couple of minor hits in France and Engand recorded for Deram.
Chris Squire formed Psydhedelic band Mabel Greer's Toyshop in January 1968 with Banks who left to join a band called Neat Change for a bit and then returned. The Toyshop landed a residency at the Marquee where Jon Anderson sat in a few times as singer. Three Toyshop tunes appeared on a BBC Psychedelic rarities compilation "A Dustbin Full of Rubbish" (1974 Not in print - NIP).
Eventually Squire and Anderson teamed up with a common vision of a band strong on musicianship and vocal harmonies and started looking for more suitatable players to flesh out their vision. With all the crucial members on board; Anderson, Squire, Banks, drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye, the name Mabel Greer's Toyshop was deemed too silly to suit the grand vision and the name YES, suggested by Banks in the Syn days, was assumed. Gems from Banks pre-YES days with Syn and Mabel Greer's Toysop can be found on "Can I Play You Something?" a compilation by Banks that is *essential* for any YES completist or fan of the 60's Psychedelic scene (AH).
Commenting on his tenure in the early days of YES Banks states: "Then there was myself, a guitarist of no fixed hairstyle, insecure about girls and guitar playing which was certainly distinctive in an angular way but I was very defensive and recalcitrant to any criticism of my idiomatic style. I was always playing weird open string chord inversions, tyring to make my six string Rickenbacker sound like a twelve string (I couldn't afford one!). Influenced by John McLaughlin, Kieth Emerson, Pete Townsend and John Coltrane, I never realized what an experimental and emotional player I was. It all sounded normal to me back then." -Peter Banks liner notes "YES, Beyond and Before: The BBC Recordings 1969-1970" (AH) .
Peter Banks singularly "angular" guitar on the first two YES albums, "YES" and "Time and a Word", set the groundwork for the signature YES guitar sound carried onward by Steve Howe. Banks spent a brief tenure in the Prog/Blues band Blodwyn Pig before they disbanded in 1970. Banks angular stye would serve him well when he moved on to found the heavy rock/ YES influenced Flash in 1972. Flash disbanded after three albums in 1974. Unfortunately, the band's catalogue is currently out of print (Might be Available Here -MAH).
The 70's were a busy time for Peter as he also found time to make a 1972 release with guitarist, Jan Akkerman (Title NIP), and guest on the "Electric Shocks" release by Roger Ruskin Spear (NIP), formerly of the Bonzo Dog Band (note that Pete Townshend of The Who played drums on this album!). In addition Banks made his own "Two Sides of Peter Banks(AH) and the eponymous "Peter Banks" (AH), both in 1973.
Empire was formed in 1974 after the dust settled on Flash as an eclectic, progressive jam band with Phil Collins sitting in on drums in early sessions and Jakob Magnusson on keys. Unlike most prog bands (Rennaisance, and Curved Air being notable exceptions), Empire was fronted by a woman, the bluesy Sydney Foxx. The band was unable to get solid backing and folded in 1980. The three Empire albums were reissued on One Way from 1995-1997 but are once again not in print.
Banks work in the late 70's included the 1977 Donnegan release and a guest shot on former Empire band mate and Jazz/fusion Keyboard artist, Jakob Magnusson's, "Special Treatmen"t in 1979 (NIP). Sadly this is also not in print.
The 80's saw little activity from Banks. He guested on the 1986 release "Romeo Unchained" by New Wave ironist Tonio K (AH) which recieved critical praise.
Banks re-emerged as a credible solo artist with an eclectic and evolving style beginning with the 1994 release of "Instinct" (AH). This was followed by the 1995 release of "Self Contained" (NIP) and 1999's "Reduction" (AH). Banks also contributed heavily to the liner notes and recordings from his personal collection for 1999's release of "YES-Beyond and Before: The BBC Sessions 1969-1970" (AH).
**From Henry Potts' alt.music.yes FAQ site:
Banks and Gerard Johnson have been working for some years now on Small Beginnings: Flashback , a project based around a re-invention of Flash's "Small Beginnings". Release is planned for 2002 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Flash. Ray Bennett, bass player in Flash, has an archival album, with "bands from the 70's to the 90's and solo pieces," which may include Flash material with Banks, due in Sep on VoicePrint. Bennett is also working on a website to cover Flash. Flash are talking about the possibility of a reunion tour in 2002 and an archival complete concert may also see release.
Banks has been working on his next solo album, "Production", with guest appearances from John Jowitt, Martin Orford and Ant-Bee. Banks has recorded parts for three tracks on Ant-Bee's planned album Electronic Church Muzik; other guests include Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Jan Akkerman and members of the Mothers of Invention and the Alice Cooper Group. Ant-Bee is still working on the album. Banks also guests on Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (AH) details under Oliver Wakeman. A track by The Syn, with Banks/Squire, is on the new 4CD compilation "Nuggets II" (AH).
Banks had been due to play in the John Jowitt and Friends band at the Baja Prog V festival, but the performance was cancelled because of availability problems. As well as Banks, the band was planned as Jowitt (bass, vocals - IQ (alternative link), Jadis and ex-Arena), Alan Reed (vocals - Pallas), Paul Cook (drums - IQ), Orford (keyboards - IQ, John Wetton Band). Reed has said that "There may of course turn out to be other occasions where this particular beast gets its act together." There were earlier plans for a Peter Banks Band with Jowitt and Steve Christey (drums - ex-Jadis, ex-John Wetton band), which also failed to materialise but Banks and Jowitt did perform "Beyond & Before" (as an encore to a set by Jadis) at the 1999 Classic Rock Society Awards Night. It is unclear whether this incarnation of the Peter Banks Band will ever emerge properly.
Peter has released a number of solo albums. The first three shown are still available on CD and can obtained here:
Can I Play You Something? |
Instinct |
Reduction |
Of course, Peter's association with Yes is
very well known.
These albums are still readily available.
Yes |
Time and a Word |
Beyond and Before aka Something's Coming  |
| Tales from Yesterday  |
Affirmative, The Yes Family Solo Album  |
Other projects that Peter has been involved
with include the following.
Unfortunately, to our knowledge, much of
this material is not in print. Some notable
exceptions include Jabberwocky, the recent
CD with Oliver Wakeman and Clive Nolan.
Some of the CDs, such as the Flash material,
can occasionally be found used.
