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Prog Reviewer Compares FLASH with YES

Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=114430
Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 10:47
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Prog Reviewer Compares FLASH with YES
Posted By: sherrynoland
Subject: Prog Reviewer Compares FLASH with YES
Date Posted: April 12 2018 at 17:35
"Of all the Progressive Rock bands that flourished in the early 1970s, British legends  http://www.adambaruch.com/reviews_search_artist.asp?what=Flash" rel="nofollow - Flash  were always among my favorites and the forty years that passed since basically changed nothing in that respect. I always claimed that Flash was what  http://www.adambaruch.com/reviews_search_artist.asp?what=Yes" rel="nofollow - Yes  should have become: a gutsy, focused and multifaceted outfit which was able to write great music and cross genres elegantly rather than indulge in endless doodling and ego trips." Read on...

http://www.adambaruch.com/reviews_item.asp?item=104372" rel="nofollow - http://www.adambaruch.com/reviews_item.asp?item=104372


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https://www.facebook.com/FlashFeaturingRayBennettColinCarter" rel="nofollow - https://www.facebook.com/FlashFeaturingRayBennettColinCarter



Replies:
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: April 17 2018 at 08:07
I cannot find any "endless noodling" on any Yes record. I love Peter Banks. Flash was super rad but...


Posted By: sherrynoland
Date Posted: April 18 2018 at 00:14
Hahaha....yes, Scot, there's no reason we can't love both, right?! 

I think this reviewer appreciates Yes, too, but he's on to something. There IS a difference and I think it has to do with Flash is a bit more reliably rock 'n' roll, and I guess he prefers that.  Pete and Ray and Colin 'blended' in a way Pete, Jon and Chris didn't (mostly Pete and Jon, I think). Flash gave Pete a better chance to stretch out.


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https://www.facebook.com/FlashFeaturingRayBennettColinCarter" rel="nofollow - https://www.facebook.com/FlashFeaturingRayBennettColinCarter


Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: April 18 2018 at 02:08
By "endless noodling", he probably means Tales from Topographic Oceans LOL.

Also, I see where he's coming from, but I disagree with his assertion that FLASH is what YES "should have" become.


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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021


Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: April 18 2018 at 07:50
Hi,

(... a slight review ... )

I don't like to "compare" bands. It's lke sitting at home, drunk, stoned (whatevvahhh!!!) and comparing women, and such and such and such and such, and the whole thing, after a while gets really off center, and ... at times ... disgusting.

It does not matter to me, how one describes YES, or one describes FLASH, and I, PERSONALLY, think that these reviews tend to take away the personality and individuality that FLASH had, which was different from the one in YES, which at the time was more group oriented, than the FLASH first couple of albums had been. It was obvious that there was something nice and good in there, although I am inclined to believe that in its infancy, they were not sure what to do, and riding the player that has the best ability to run with things, is one way of moving forward, however ... it will, eventually, show the limitations of the rest of the group.

Most honestly, btw, I bought FLASH's first two albums in 1974 and 1975, because of the covers. And that first album I had that cover on my wall for many years. I thought, at the time, that the music was nice, but was missing a dimention, and while still nice to play and listen to, I still think so some 40 plus years later.

HOWEVER, unlike YES, at least I did not feel that this band lowered its abilities and sounded better as it went on, whereas the other band, became a cookie cutter carbon copy of many of its best moments, and in my book, exceptionally boring! I have not bought a single album of theirs since RELAYER ... I simply do not find their work deep enough, and artistic enough to be worth my attention, and the majority of the lyrics, became somewhat insipid and just "politically correct" for the time, something that band did not do in the earlier days.

I tend to think that FLASH might have done better and stronger, if they had remained together and been able to take their early work further, and further, and eventually, likely come up with something to rival the likes of CTTE ... but it was not to be. The last stuff released, to my ears, is nice, but in my mind, it is sad. It feels like a throwback to a time and place, that is long gone, and trying to bring it alive again, seems OK for a song, but not an album. I hope these words are clear, because I admit that stating this might not sound correct to a lot of folks, specially Sherrynoland, whose efforts and posts have tried EVER so hard in the past few years to bring about some reactions, and by and far, she succeeded, and it would not be surprising to hear that she was the one that tried to get them together again.

All in all, a very nice band on its own, and as I said and think, I do not like to compare this band to YES, since it was not a "keyboard" band as much as the other one was, thus making the comparisons a bit more difficult to digest. The large and wide keyboard sound, made YES seem bigger than it was for a while, and this might have been what FLASH was missing, although it is my thought that the members were not interested in sounding like YES at all, thus keyboards not being a major component might have been an important idea, which made them sound more "Rock'n'roll" (as that reviewer stated), which, to my ears, unfortunately, makes the whole thing less valid and important, specially when at the time, "tripping" on long cuts and music was already being well developed in Europe, and I find it strange that FLASH members, would not have been aware of that to realize that simply to sound "garage'ish" was enough for them. I think that it made them come off as a "lesser" band, and I always felt that was unfair in many ways.


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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com


Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: April 18 2018 at 21:57
...I find it odd that so many people miss the second generation of Flash, namely "Empire" featuring Peter Banks, Flash bassist Ray Bennett and vocalist Sydney Foxx.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075V1DF6D//ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=geo02a9-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&linkId=72ac7642898e7068eec57a4399424d0e" rel="nofollow - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075V1DF6D//ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=geo02a9-20&ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&linkId=72ac7642898e7068eec57a4399424d0e

I haven't had the time to dig into their material, but from what I've heard, there are very listenable moments. 

Check this out: 




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I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!


Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: April 20 2018 at 09:16
Hi,

One could say that "Empire" was in the vein of the likes like "Renaissance", however it appears to have been more guitar driven than it was keyboard laden orchestral sound.

It is a shame that, at the very least, these folks kept going after the record companies, when it was obvious they did not have a feel for music, and never did. This example is very nice, and probably showed a nice thing going for the band, that ultimately fell apart and ruined what appears to have been PB's personal life (married to the singer Sydney Foxx) as well.

In the end, it is nice to see/hear this, and find that it should have gotten better attention than it did over 25 to 30 years ago. It's just sad to see so much great stuff just wasted ... because some folks kept expecting Godot to take care of them, and it didn't happen. This should have been privately released and sold, and it might have gotten more attention than it did, and the group/band giving up on their next 2 efforts (eventually) is a sad chapter in the lives of those involved, I imagine.

Really good listen.


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Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com


Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: April 20 2018 at 09:24
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Hi,

One could say that "Empire" was in the vein of the likes like "Renaissance", however it appears to have been more guitar driven than it was keyboard laden orchestral sound.


Thanks!  I was wondering if Empire were going more in the direction of Fleetwood Mac = guitar driven sound, "hot dish" lead singer, lighter songs that could be marketed for radio etc.  They were based in LA after all.




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I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!



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