Beginnings (Steve Howe) (LP 2781 - 2782)

Steve Howe  Beginnings (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1975) **  

Steve Howe  The Steve Howe Album (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1979) ***

Genre: Prog rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Pennants 

Gear costume: Double Rondo

Active compensatory factors: Steve Howe has been the lead guitarist for Yes throughout most of their career (in fact he's still in the band).

These were his first two solo albums (although Alan White also appears on drums). 

He's a great guitarist and reveals his guitar prowess in a variety of settings throughout these albums. He is not a vocalist, however, so that's a weakness on Beginnings (the album). 

Thankfully he only sings on one track on The Steve Howe Album. On that one he sticks to his considerable strengths as a musician! There is still a wide selection of styles but this is well named - the Steve Howe Album.

Unfortunately, unlike The Steve Howe Album, there is nothing on Beginnings that lingers long after the needle comes off.

Honourable mention to the brilliant covers by Roger Dean! I love his paintings.

Where do they all belong? Only his two seventies solo albums in my collection, with no great desire to own any more.

Sole survivor (Asia) (LP 1030)

Asia  Fantasia Live in Tokyo (CD, Eagle Rock Entertainment, 2007) ***  

Genre: Prog

Places I remember: The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Heat Of The Moment 

Gear costume: Sole Survivor 

Active compensatory factors: I continue to have a soft spot for this prog supergroup. Yes - the Geoff Downes synths are cheesy as all get out, yes - Asia songs feel like Yes lite at times, yes - they were a record company's dream of prog pop, and yes - this sometimes feels like prog Karaoke as the big four (Downes, Palmer, Howe and Wetton) celebrate their day job 'hits'.

So what? It's OTT good fun for the most part. The slower paced version of Roundabout doesn't do it for me, nor does The Buggles genuine hit - Video Killed The Radio Star, but the kitchen sink version of Fanfare For The Common Man hits the spot nicely (although there's not much for Chris Squire to contribute to that one).

And the Wetton 'hit' is done well - bizarrely he chose In The Court Of The Crimson King and yes, he was a member of King Crimson, but that song was originally sung by Greg Lake. Maybe it's done as a tribute to Carl's bandmate, because John Wetton sounds eerily like Lake.

BTW - terrible knock-off looking cover, it has to be said.

Where do they all belong? Obviously, this is the CD version of the video, but I don't mind as I can pretty much see the concert thanks to the music on offer. Enough Asia though.

Gone but not forgotten (Anderson Bruford Wakeford Howe) (LP 322 - 323)

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (CD - Arista, 1989) ***
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe An Evening Of Yes Music Plus (CD - Fragile Records, 1993) ****

Genre: Prog rock 

Places I remember:  The Warehouse stores when they were interested in selling CDs

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Long Distance Turnaround




Gear costume: Brother Of Mine, Close To The Edge




Active compensatory factors: A recent issue of Prog magazine reminded me of this old set by former members of Yes, before they regrouped for the much maligned (but not by me) Union album.

The studio set is quite dated sounding now, mainly thanks to Bruford's electronic artificial sounding drums. Now Bill Bruford is a great great drummer but this eighties sound is not his finest hour.

Instead I often return to the live set. Even though it has a Roger Dean cover, it's shoddily packaged. Indeed when I first got it I thought it was a bootleg!

Starting off with acoustic instruments (for most of the first volume of this two volume CD set), it is a warm and engaging sound with some welcome twists to my established favourites like Long Distance Turnaround.  

Rick Wakeman follows Steve Howe with some solo turns and almost steals the show! A great Gone But Not Forgotten and Catherine Parr!
  When the full band kicks in it is with power and prog depth. If I want to listen to Close To The Edge (and I do more often than you'd think), I go to this version. 

Where do they all belong? As a one off in the Yes canon but an exciting, worthwhile one off!

The heat goes on (Asia) (LP 115)

Asia Under The Bridge (Vinyl - The Vinyl Countdown, 2012) ***

Genre: Progressive Rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse (Hastings)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:  Heat of The Moment from the live album is always a great source for early eighties memories.




Gear: Soul Survivor

Active compensatory factors: Supergroup Asia's debut was firmly in the prog vein, thanks to sinuous songs, John Wetton's wonderful vocals (sadly John passed away in January this year), Geoff Downes' pop smarts, and great musical chops from Palmer and Howe. 

Under The Bridge is an 'official bootleg' of a show by the original band members from 2008 in San Francisco. One of those shows where legacy bands play a whole album - in this case their debut.

It's pretty good, too.

Sidebar for Under The Bridge: Naff cover is NOT by Roger Dean.

Where do they all belong? Asia would go through numerous personnel changes and I'd lose interest from the debut, persevering with collecting Yes albums instead.