TWO SIDES OF PETER BANKS

I have to admit being an old prog lover from the 70's and as anyone like me from that era Yes was at or near the top of the list of bands we loved. Peter Banks was only with them for only the first 2 albums so he was not there when they broke it big with the Yes Album on. But the album Yesterdays released in 75 flashed back to his time and that was the first or second album I had heard by Yes (Fragile was the other). His contribution on guitar was not really all that standoutish.

I had not heard of anything he did after that time until reading about him and this album popped up. I downloaded it and I have listened to it several times in the last day or so and am amazed! I love this record or at least many of the songs. He teams up with 2 members of my all time favorite prog band Genesis (1970-1977 of course) with Collins drumming on several tracks in what can be described as his similar sound on Brand X. Steve Hackett shows up only on one track (5). Jan Akkerman (Focus) is on most of the tracks and his guitar interplay with Banks is extremely good and the solos really rip well.

The album doesn't really start rocking until the third track Knights. It is in 3 parts and the mid movement The Falcon has some great guitar work. The tracks that really stand out for me are Battles with Collins great drumming. This was 1973 about the time that Selling England By The Pound was released by Genesis. The Knights (Reprise) track has Hackett on it but it is unknown when you are hearing him or Banks. Stop That! is a great track and probably the best with all the instruments doing great interplay. I love how his guitar starts tom to hit the left channel and after the beat gets more funky at about 10:20 the guitar starts to echo across to the right side. Get Out Of My Fridge ends the album with some great dueling guitar work and an almost country rock flavor.

The mellow tracks are just so-so but I am really impressed with the rockier ones and this album really showed me that Banks was a great musician. It was too bad he was not included in the Hall Of Shame induction of Yes but then again the RRHOF is a rip off anyway. They suck in one hit wonder groups and ignore prog bands and other long term rock acts that deserve to be in there before some punk artist who strummed the same 2 chords and cussed through every song. But I digress.

While Two Sides is not a prog masterpiece it still deserves a place on the mantle of a prog collection.