Peter Banks (Yes, Flash)...R.I.P. - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Dayvenkirq View Drop Down

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Topic: Peter Banks (Yes, Flash)...R.I.P.
Posted: March 22 2013 at 14:13

Uh ... that's the way to go.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - March 22 2013 at 14:13

cstack3

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Posted: March 22 2013 at 13:50

This was posted to the "Remember Peter Banks" Facebook page:

Pete was cremated in a private ceremony this morning (Friday, 22nd March) at Golders Green Crematorium in north London.

The oldest crematorium in London, opened in 1902, others who have passed through there include Ronnie Scott, Keith Moon, Marc Bolan, Sigmund Freud, Michael Foot, Bram Stoker, Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, TS Eliot, Rudyard Kipling, Peter Sellers, Henry James and HG Wells.

stewe

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Posted: March 21 2013 at 17:01

Flash shows capabilities of Banks mainly as a songwriter. It is a magical music, I would compare it to raw experience which Yezda Urfa or Gnidrolog brought - the other lost treasures of prog rock. It also giving us a hint, that undeniably first two Yes albums were influenced by his contribution. The time it takes... Dreams of heaven are open for the musician with an unusually magic feeling...

<a href="http://steveer.ic.cz" rel="nofollow"

cstack3

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Posted: March 19 2013 at 14:45

Dayvenkirq wrote:

cstack3 wrote:

Good news! George Mizer managed to get Peter's body released, so he can FINALLY be treated with dignity!

Finally. I feared a little that this would never be resolved.

So, the donation does look legit.

Yeah, I trusted George! I sent him $50 US by Paypal and he replied by email:

Thanks so much , words can't express how grateful I am and how much this helps.
Peter always signed his emails to me with this phase

......Be well,be safe,be lucky;keep breathing......Pete Banks.

That being said :

.....Be well, be safe, be lucky;keep breathing..... George "TheMiz" Mizer

=======

I just sent him another $50 to help cover any funeral home expenses they may encounter. I'm part of the tribe....longtime friends with Ray, Sherry, Colin etc.

The Golden Age of Prog is drawing to a close, folks....I feel like I'm at the Grey Havens, watching the ships sail away, one by one.....

Dayvenkirq View Drop Down

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Posted: March 18 2013 at 23:55

cstack3 wrote:

Good news! George Mizer managed to get Peter's body released, so he can FINALLY be treated with dignity!

Finally. I feared a little that this would never be resolved.

So, the donation does look legit.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - March 18 2013 at 23:59

cstack3

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Posted: March 18 2013 at 23:20

Good news! George Mizer managed to get Peter's body released, so he can FINALLY be treated with dignity!

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/03/18/the-fans-have-been-great-body-of-original-yes-guitarist-peter-banks-finally-set-to-be-released/

Apparently, some of Peter's archival items are being posted to Ebay, so it would be worth keeping an eye on that site.

cstack3

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Posted: March 17 2013 at 19:43

The obituaries are starting to be written, this is a very insightful one, with some details on Peter's health challenges....what a pity, he had a very sad, challenging life!

As Pete used to say on his MySpace page, "Be Well, Be Safe, Be Lucky!" Poor guy didn't have any of those in the end, did he?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/peter-banks-original-guitarist-with-yes-giants-of-progressive-rock-8535209.html

Kashmir75

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Posted: March 16 2013 at 20:01

RIP Peter Banks. A truly underrated player

Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...

sherrynoland View Drop Down

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Posted: March 16 2013 at 00:06

Epignosis

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 21:30

https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays

Snow Dog

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 17:11

Shame Flash never made it big. They were a great band imo

cstack3

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 17:09

^^^ Great picture, Sherry! That is exactly how they looked when I saw Flash back up Wishbone Ash in 1973!

Ray was "the Man in Black" (with spiffy white boots!) and I think he was playing his black Rick 4001!

Peter even did one of those split leg leaps! He was wearing a floppy hat, I think because he was losing his hair and was a bit self conscious about it....

Thanks for sharing, and for giving an update on the new Flash CD by Ray and Colin! From the songs I've heard, it will be great!

sherrynoland View Drop Down

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 14:33

Snow Dog wrote:

What an extremely sad end to a great guitarist who has given so much pleasure. It truly saddens me.

After the initial shock, Ray and Colin's reaction was to remember all the good times and fun they had. Flash's success was especially satisfying for Peter in view of his experience in Yes. The musical chemistry of Flash was extraordinary and he really got to soar. They were heady, thrilling times for them all. Pete got to experience things most of us only dream of.

Nightfly

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 13:01

Aw no, just spotted this a few days late. Very sad news. Seem's like we're losing so many these days. Cry

Snow Dog

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 12:10

Slartibartfast wrote:

As much as like Howe, Peter didn't get the respect he was due in Yes. His Two Sides was great and his solo efforts should not be overlooked. In fact as Banks goes, he has a more respectable solo output than Tony does...

Definitely agree there...

Slartibartfast View Drop Down

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 12:07

As much as like Howe, Peter didn't get the respect he was due in Yes. His Two Sides was great and his solo efforts should not be overlooked. In fact as Banks goes, he has a more respectable solo output than Tony does...

Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

Moogtron III View Drop Down

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 08:07

Yes, I thought the same thing. Really horrible.

Snow Dog

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 05:02

What an extremely sad end to a great guitarist who has given so much pleasure. It truly saddens me.

sherrynoland View Drop Down

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 01:43

We got an update today from Cleopatra Records. The release date for the new FLASH CD is May 21st. I'm a bit disappointed that it's not March as planned, but they assured us that's the time it will take to do it properly and I'm just glad it's now official. I'll keep updating events and see if I can get some music from the CD to post.

Don't have any info yet on the release of the live CD Peter was working on, but Ray and Colin have been in contact with Cleopatra about it and it's their hope that that, too, will be released sometime soon.

As for donations, I've been told that George Mizer and another friend of Pete's will be traveling to London to take care of matters. I believe Peter left a will, and I assume he still owned some valuable guitars and memorabilia. I'm sure it will all be settled respectfully and we can all focus on appreciating Peter's remarkable contribution to music.

cstack3

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Posted: March 15 2013 at 00:25

Earendil wrote:

Any other sources on if this is legit?

I've known George Mizer for about ten years....he was Peter's friend and agent, and was also a road agent for Flash back in the 1970's. I came into contact with George when I bought an autographed copy of Flash "In The Can" on Ebay, to verify its authenticity. Pete was signing them & George was re-sealing them in plastic wrap!!

Since then, George "The Miz" and I have corresponded many times about Peter and his different bands, including Flash. When the news broke, I was in touch with Peter immediately and passed word on to many folks, including the members of the band Flash. There's been a lot of back & forth, please see Sherry's posting earlier.

Anyway, I thought "why the hell not?" and tossed a $50.00 donation to the Peter Banks donation site. George "The Miz" sent me this personal email just now:

Thanks so much , words can't express how grateful I am and how much this helps.

Peter always signed his emails to me with this phase

......Be well,be safe,be lucky;keep breathing......Pete Banks.

That being said :

.....Be well, be safe, be lucky;keep breathing..... George "TheMiz" Mizer

-------

Good enough for me! If you can afford any modest donation, please send it to The Miz at the Paypal link I posted earlier (below).

Peter got this going for all of us, we owe him a dignified passing.

...Be well, be safe, be lucky; keep breathing...and thanks for Peter,

Chuck "CStack3" Stack

----

(Posted earlier)

The PayPal account is: [email protected] and ready to accept any donation amount. The expenses that will need to be covered are cremation, urn, possible travel from USA to London, other fees and expenses regarding Peter's belongings which could be auctioned to help pay for this as well. Again, the account is [email protected]

Edited by cstack3 - March 15 2013 at 00:33