FLASH

The vocals are harder to take on this one as he really sings with passion and with a warble throughout. I found he at least changed things up when singing on the debut, but it's like he was determined to sing in this upfront style on here. And of course he's the focus when he does sing. That's the negative.

The positive is that Ray Bennett on bass is sounding in "tone" closer to Chris Squire. His bass is at least upfront and I'm a fan. Mike Hough on drums is given a greater platform on here and comes out with a really nice performance. They even gave him a short track to do a drum solo. But he's more active overall than on the debut. In fact, I thought the rhythm section sounded pedestrian on that debut, which had me thinking maybe they just weren't that good. I was proven wrong here.

So I feel this is a half a star better than the debut mainly for the rhythm section, but also for the guitar work which is more of a focus with Kaye gone. The vocals keep me from going 4 stars though. Again like the debut they stretch things out with three songs on here going over the ten minute mark. The other two include "Stop That Banging" the under 2 minute drum solo, and the 5 minute "Monday Mourning Eyes". The latter is a busy piece with some Howe-like guitar.

Of the three longer tracks I prefer the opener "Lifetown". It's almost festive sounding early on. It was 4 1/2 minutes in on this one where i said to myself "Where did this bass player come from?" Because he didn't sound like this on the debut. I do like this record but that fourth star isn't going to happen. With a different singer yes, but like their album covers, you just cant undo that stuff.

FLASH would release two studio albums in 1972, while YES would release "Close To The Edge". I must say that YES came to mind quite often during my spins of this record. Mostly the vocals and harmonies, but certain passages as well. This certainly isn't as complex or instrumentally impressive as YES was at this time in 1972. I mean you could compare each musician to each other, and there's not a lot of doubt who is better. That's okay though, it's about the compositions and ideas. And this is good. Not great though. An under 42 minute album with five tracks. They really stretch things out on three of these tunes.

The opener "Small Beginnings" was released as a single, I'm assuming in a shortened form, as this is 9 1/2 minutes long. I do like this one, although that guitar solo that is repeated throughout sounds just like the start of "Pinball Wizard". Right from my first listen, I actually was surprised at this. We get this just before a minute, 2 1/2 minutes in, and after 3 1/2 minutes, maybe more. Lots of repeated themes on this song. "Morning Haze" is one of two shorter pieces. They slow it down here with reserved vocals and a mellow sound. The wordless vocals 2 minutes in remind me of YES.

Back to a long one with "Children Of The Universe" at 9 minutes. It hits the ground running. Catchy stuff. I like this but I find the chorus really annoying. Tony Kaye makes his presence felt on this one. The longest track is "Dreams Of Heaven" at 13 minutes. A bombastic intro with piano before a calm with acoustic guitar. It kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes and we are off! The vocals will become the focus. Things are more determined sounding around 4 1/2 minutes, including the vocals. Its almost jazzy at 5 1/2 minutes with no vocals. An extended jam follows then a stuttering section before they get back to that earlier sound at 11 1/2 minutes. The closer is ballad-like with reserved vocals.

A good album but this isn't the music I'm into to be honest. Heck I only play three YES records these days, the rest, I'm just not that into them. And this is a big step down in my opinion to "Fragile" or "The Yes Album", let alone "Close To The Edge". Funny, thinking of this record I think of the vocals first. They really are the focus. I just am not impressed with the guitar or any other instrument on here.

I quite enjoy their unique blend of jazz and rock. With Banks having been in yes, it shouldn't surprise anyone that there are similarities. His playing is easily recognizable. However, I think the constant comparisons is a disservice to this record as it has it's own distinct flavour.

The jazz leanings, lack of organs, original vocals (which for me was an acquired taste which I've come to enjoy quite a lot), raw sound and strong song writing together makes this an album which should be enjoyed without any expectations of it being a yes album. Because it isn't, and that's a good thing.

But the sheer brilliance of Colin Carter (lead vocals), Peter Banks (lead guitar, vocals), Ray Bennett (bass, vocals), and Mike Hough (drums, percussion) more than outweighs all of that. One must wonder why Flash are not spoken about in the same reverential tone as the other bands of that era, as they had great material, wonderful musicianship and harmony vocals to die for. Somewhere in my collection I know I have both 'Flash' and 'In The Can' and when I am home next I am going to be digging them out, as this set displays individua virtuosity, multi-layered and multi-sectioned songs, while they were also incredibly tight and consistent. Take "Black and White" for example, one of their longest songs at nearly 13 minutes in length. Here we have four different versions recorded in the space of more than a year, yet there is only 10 seconds difference between the shortest and the longest takes.

Each of the quartet is on the top of their game, with incredibly impressive performances throughout. Highly complex and complicated yet also with powerful hooks, this is an essential addition to any proghead's collection and one which will be getting a lot of play by me.

"Manhattan Morning" is a highlight of Out of Our Hands. Its euphony wends through strong vocals and later an instrumental conversation between guitarist Banks and bassist Ray Bennett. The song ends on a crescendo. "None Wiser", the album's first full-length track, also impresses. Banks' fancy fretwork fits like a glove over Bennett's thick groove. Singer Colin Carter couldn't be in better form. I've had a stressful day and feeling better just a little into the album. Flash is one of the most cheery bands I can think of. Technically Out of our Hands is a concept album. The lyrics address depressing social phenomenon, though the protagonists escape misery. Banks in his autobiography hints that the concept never fully took root and he wasn't that keen on it. It certainly doesn't detract from what Flash is all about. I'm really not a lyric person, so I'm not swayed in any direction by the concept and theme. Is it part of the concept and the mentioned escape of protagonist that recapitulates the joyous opening mood in the album closer, "Shadows: it's You?" The mood follows the lyric line "uplift" in the chorus two minutes in, where the musical styles shifts from sort of an updated swing ballad to pure rock. Altogether "Shadows; it's You" represents an entirely new song type for Flash, a band whose only weakness is a slight tendency to put forth similar songs. Flash never tires the listener, though, because they are so talented and enthusiastic.

Songwriting is a Flash forte. The richness of "Monday Morning Blues" or "Black and White" just sweep you off your feet. To be sure, these two songs have their Yes-like moments. After all, Banks was Yes' guitarist for two albums. Yet, each Flash band member made major compositional contributions to the album. Does that strategy keep things interesting? The listener gets so lost in side one that's it's over before she even knows it. Alright, alright, that side is more EP-style at only 15 minutes. Yet, how many like musical minutes of lesser caliber are spent glancing at one's watch?

Flash's command of jazz very well may lend the band its allure. Jazz building blocks are more extensive than rock ones. Granted rock is a limited idiom, but this reviewer's far preferred one. Rock has my heart. It is one in a million jazzier bands like Flash that can pierce that heart-space.

In the Can is a quintessential old-school gem when giving 1000% was all in a day's work. Lyrics were poetry as in "Black and White." Tempos effortlessly shift from a gallop to a standstill. Members seamlessly cycle through a gamut of styles from jazz to straight ahead rock. I can't think of another band that flows naturally to jazz idioms without self-consciousness and emotional loss. One of my favorite moments is in the middle of "Black and White" in a vocal passage where Banks in the background starts strumming a banjo. When the vocal tapers off, the instrumental timbre carries and then glides through wah-wah and other flavors, wisely receding for a brief drum solo. No "Inna-Gadda-Davita" here. Flash clearly grasp moderation, in fact a guiding principle

Banks is a guitar player extraordinaire with volumes to impart here. Only a band of Yes' rank can throw out a guitarist of this stature and have one slightly more useful waiting in the wings. If Banks had only fronted a lesser ensemble, he would have received the acclaim he deserved.

Admittedly the verses of album closer "There no More" reprise Flash's catalog up to that point. Enough is changed, however, to avoid the impression of repetition. Then things quiet to a hush to emerge in a sea of vocal harmony, looming larger than life. That's exactly what prog rock is all about.

Let's start at the beginning, none too small. The debut album's hit and arguably strongest song drives the potted review. The antithesis of the stereotypical prog axe clinician, Banks always entertains with his plentiful and varied riffs. Some of the other songs on Flash's debut well illustrate Banks' general style. "Children of the Universe" is anchored by a special Banks riff used sparingly to great effect. On the solo to "The Time it Takes" Bank's so-called "spidery triplets" work their magic. The heartfelt songwriting on the Flash debut generates that warm, fuzzy feeling all over that this jaded reviewer rarely anymore experiences. I contemplate a six month rotation of recorded books in my CD machine. Then Flash resurfaces and throws a wrench in my plans.

"Morning Haze" is joyful jaunt where one can literally feel Ray Bennett's acoustic guitar weave the song space like a tapestry. The conga drums and Colin Carter's honey-like voice make this simpler song stellar. Carter should be more of a household name. He has a unique voice, indescribably so. Pure bliss, though.

"Dreams of Heaven" is the epic number here. A grandiose flourish of an intro sends it off. It explores different moods and transitions flawlessly between heavy and merely spirited sections. OK, here Carter's vocals are a bit Jon-Anderson-like in cadence and emphasis but still quite distinct from Yes. The jam in the middle is sublime fare, up there with the best of them. Its success is its subtlety. Soloing on this song, Banks kicks out some jazz licks. He's the one artist who can play on the jazz end and not send me sprinting toward the door. That's because he always keeps it fresh.

The time it takes to run through this album isn't even perceivable. This record is such pure mirth. What more can I say about the closer besides it being a beautiful, touching ballad?! Oh yeah, I can gush how the melody is brilliant. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

It's been claimed, or maybe guessed, that Out of Our Hands is a concept album. If so, I don't get it! There are songs with "king," "pawn," "knight," "queen," and "bishop" in the title, but beyond that, no evident theme.

The closing jam of "Man of Honour (Knight)" is pretty good, as are the intros to "Psychosynch" (i.e., the "Escape" section) and "Manhattan Morning (Christmas '72)." But in general, in every respect, Out of Our Hands is a lesser album than In the Can - - and a much poorer album than the group's debut. Even Peter Banks, the band's driving force, and an excellent guitarist, is unimpressive throughout much of this album.

(P.S. This doesn't enter into my rating of Out of Our Hands at all, but I find it hard to believe that the album cover wasn't considered stupid, even in 1973. Maybe stupid was just more acceptable!)

The quality of the songs is fair, though they aren't as good as the songs on Flash. The performances are generally good; not surprisingly, this is a guitar-based album, and Banks is clearly up to the task. Nonetheless In the Can is annoying at times. The opening number, "Lifetime," is good, but it's hard to overlook the cribbing of "Hocus Pocus" (Focus, 1971) and "Astral Traveller" (Yes, 1970). "Black and White" has some good bass playing, but the vocal harmonies get a little tedious (e.g., the repetition of the word "time...time...time!").

Given the wide availability of Flash (1972) and Two Sides of Peter Banks (1973), I can't claim that In the Can is essential, even for Yes fans. I'd certainly recommend either of those albums before In the Can. If those are interesting, you might also listen to some of Banks's 1990s albums. Still interested? Then maybe In the Can is for you.

The strongest songs here are "Small Beginnings" - - the album-opener and lead single - - and "Children of the Universe." Those two, along with the acoustic and almost folksy "Morning Haze," make up the more accessible first side. The second side opens with the thirteen-minute "Dreams of Heaven," which is twice as long as anything Yes had recorded with Banks. Despite its length, it doesn't seem overlong. The final song, "The Time it Takes," is the weakest.

Along with Two Sides of Peter Banks, Flash is probably Banks's best work outside of Yes, although to be fair, Flash is by no means a solo album. Banks co-wrote three of the songs with lead vocalist Colin Carter; the other two, "Morning Haze" and "Children of the Universe," were written by bassist Ray Bennett. I'd recommend it to fans of Yes's early work, and to those who like their early-1970s album-oriented rock with a progressive flavor.

(P.S. What am I supposed to think of the album cover? Perhaps that this is a gutsy band who cared not what politically-correct whimps thought of them?)