RUN WITH THE FOX (CHRIS SQUIRE & ALAN WHITE)

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I didn`t expect to find this single in the Prog Archives database, but I saw it today in the updates section of this website. So, I`m going to write a review about it. This single was released in late 1981 before Christmas, almost at the same time that the "Classic Yes" compilation album from Yes was released. By April 1981, Yes had split for the first time after the "Drama" album and tour of 1980, and after this Chris Squire and Alan White spent some time trying to form a band with Jimmy Page from the also then recently defunct LED ZEPPELIN. Despite they rehearsed and recorded some Demos for some months, the projected band called "XYZ" finally was found to be uncompatible in musical styles, and they split. So, some months later it seems that Squire and White had the idea to record this single with the help from Peter Sinfield who wrote the lyrics (while Squire and White maybe only wrote the music), and from the late Andrew Pryce-Jackman who did the orchestral and choral arrangements (and maybe played some keyboards too) for this Christmas song, which is good, with some choral arrangements which sound like inspired by a Church Choir. It also has some piano playing (maybe done by White), plus drums, percussion, bass guitar, and lead and backing vocals (with all vocals maybe only done by Squire). It also has a brief melody played with a recorder (soprano flute). I don`t know if this song was played in the radio in the U.K. then (and it seems that it wasn`t released in the U.S. then), but I listened to this song for the first time in 1991-92 when it was released in the "Yesyears" Box Set from Yes, and now it seems that it is the only release on which this single could be found on CD until this Box Set was discountinued some years ago. I don`t know why Squire and White wanted to record and to release a single like this. Maybe they only did it for fun. But I think that now it is mostly interesting for collectors only. Apparently the B-side was another version of the same song without vocals, but I never have listened to it.

Update (22-May-2015): "Return of the Fox", the "B" side of this single, is an instrumental version of "Run with the Fox", but played with keyboards (by Dave Lawson, former keyboard player with GREENSLADE) and with brief vocals by Nikki Squire (Chris Squire`s then wife), and also without the orchestral and choral arrangements.

"Beware of the rocks"

Run With The Fox is a non-album single released by Chris Squire and Alan White in 1981. The title song that forms the a- side of the single features lead vocals and bass guitar by Squire and drums and keyboards by White. I have often seen the song being described as a Christmas song, but this is not something that is very obvious to me. It does have a folkier sound compared to the music of Yes and I can readily imagine this being performed by Jethro Tull (which would have been interesting to hear). The flute-like keyboard lines could have been well played by Ian Anderson. While it may not appeal to all Yes fans, I like this song.

The title song appeared on CD for the first time ten years later on the Yesyears box set, but the b-side Return Of The Fox has so far never been released on CD and perhaps never will. As the name indicates, Return Of The Fox is a variation on the main theme from the title song and is basically an instrumental version of the same. Most of the vocals have been replaced by keyboards. This one is not essential, but worth a listen for the curious.

A worthy single release