M. B. Zapelini wrote: There is something which always intrigues me: Yes's credits in the Seventies always states "Rick Wakeman appears by courtesy of A & M Records" or something like that. I know that Wakeman had a contract with A & M, but this company didn't got any money with this arrangement with Atlantic Records? Anybody knows something about this? How it worked?

i dont know

sorry

Phil wrote: I couldn't tell you the detail of how it worked but yes, Rick Wakeman was signed to A&M (formed by Herp Alpert) as a member of The Strawbs, and the record label would have benefited in some way by his being "hired out" to Yes on Atlantic, presumably through royalties for appearing and for composing. I have read that on Rick's first album with Yes, Fragile, because the contract had not been sorted out Rick was prevented or maybe discouraged from composing anything for Yes. Therefore his solo slot on the album, which he planned to be an original composition "Handle With Care" (for Fragile, get it?) was not used and instead he re-jigged some Brahms. Handle with Care ended up as Catherine of Aragon, the first track on 6 Wives. Rick has also claimed to have contributed to the writing of South Side of the Sky and Heart of the Sunrise for Fragile but no credit was made due to contract issues.

Thanks, Phil, your answer shed some light at this somewhat complicated issue.