Flash / Peter Banks - 4 Albums SHM-CD + CD Sets (Arcangelo Japan Mini LP 2010)

Music

Allmusic / Biography by Gary Hill
After Peter Banks found himself replaced in Yes by Steve Howe, he set his sights on creating a new band. That band was Flash. The group formed in 1971 when Banks recruited longtime associate Ray Bennett (Gun) along with Colin Carter (Pete Bardens' Camel) and Mike Hough. Original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye rounded out the group. Flash had a sound that felt a lot like that of Yes on its first two albums, but perhaps with a more pop-oriented texture. The group also had a more free-form approach to its virtuosic jamming, seeming to prefer improvisation to well-charted music. Flash's first album, a self-titled one, was released the following year. Kaye did not stay around very long past that release. Rather than replace him, the group carried on as a four-piece. They released two more albums, In the Can and Out of Our Hands in 1973. The group broke up shortly later, but a live recording, Psychosync (originally a bootleg), was released by Voice Print Records in 1997.
1972 Flash
Allmusic / Review by Bruce Eder
An album that could easily have been called "Son of Yes." With rippling keyboard passages and crackling lead guitar, the sound is less intense and demanding than Yes, but also less interesting.
d Peter Banks - guitar, synthesizer, vocals / d Ray Bennett - bass guitar, vocals
d Tony Kaye - organ, piano, synthesizer / d Mike Hough - drums, percussion / d Colin Carter - lead vocals
CD1 SHM-CD / CD2 From Original LP
01 Small Beginnings
02 Morning Haze
03 Children Of The Universe
04 Dreams Of Heaven
05 The Time It Takes
1972 In The Can
Allmusic / Review by Dave Connolly
If you closed your eyes, there are times when you would swear this is early-period Yes, and it's in that context only where Colin Carter's vocals can be called "eye opening." Without the high-register vocals and harmonies of Jon Anderson, compounded by the absence of Tony Kaye (who left to form Badger), Flash feels like Yes firing on half their cylinders. Of course, Yes even at half-power is better than a lot of things (like Time and a Word, for example). Peter Banks' guitar work, in particular, is terrific, gamboling along in the multi-part powerhouse "Lifetime" and conceding nothing to his counterpart, Steve Howe. Ray Bennett's bass is clearly modeled on Chris Squire, though his instrument fails to interleave with the other sounds as well as it could (sometimes, as on "Monday Morning Eyes," the mix is to fault), and drummer Michael Hough is unleashed to emulate Bill Bruford's athleticism. Carter isn't a bad vocalist, just a little affected (think John Sloman from Uriah Heep) and often lost in the middle of the mix. The lyrics he gets don't give him a whole lot to work with, either. Yet for all the moments where Flash seems to strain to match the complexity that came so natural to Yes, they still come away with much good music. There are individual passages on every song (the opening of "Monday Morning Eyes," the quieter passages on "Black and White") where the band nearly leaves the earth. On "There No More," they actually scratch at the door of the sublime, using Yes' "South Side of the Sky" as something of a template. Even if they couldn't keep abreast of Yes, Flash was following a hallowed path here. Unfortunately, the original Flash albums (and Banks' 1973 solo album) are in sore need of remastering/repackaging, since the One Way reissues are merely adequate.
d Peter Banks - guitar, synthesizer, vocals / d Ray Bennett - bass guitar, vocals
d Mike Hough - drums, percussion / d Colin Carter - lead vocals
CD1 SHM-CD / CD2 From Original LP
01 Lifetime
02 Monday Morning Eyes
03 Black And White
04 Stop That Banging
05 There No More
1973 Out Of Our Hands
Allmusic / Review by Paul Collins
A loosely organized concept album - an otherworldly prophet is institutionalized, befriends a fellow inmate, and escapes back to his home world - this release is primarily of interest today to Peter Banks fans. Too often the songs appear to be formed around the lyrics, rather than the other way around, and they only really get rolling when Colin Carter steps aside to let the band kick out the jams. "None the Wiser" has some tearing leads by Banks, and "Man of Honour," their strongest track, moves from a phased banjo introduction to fine interplay between acoustic guitar, bass, and tight drumming. But waiting for the four or five worthy instrumental passages on this album may try the patience of most listeners. A note to fans: despite the album's title, Banks's later Empire song of the same name is nowhere to be found here.
d Peter Banks - guitar, synthesizer, vocals / d Ray Bennett - bass guitar, mellotron
d Mike Hough - drums, percussion / d Colin Carter - vocals
CD1 SHM-CD / CD2 From Original LP
01 Open Sky
02 None The Wiser (King)
03 Farewell Number One (Pawn)
04 Man Of Honour (Knight)
05 Dead Ahead (Queen)
06 The Bishop
07 Psychosync
a. Escape
b. Farewell Two
c. Conclusion
08 Manhattan Morning (Christmas '72)
09 Shadows (It's You)
1973 Two Sides Of Peter Banks
Allmusic / Review by Francois Couture
For Two Sides of Peter Banks, the ex-guitarist from Yes gathered an impressive group of guest musicians, including Genesis' Phil Collins and Steve Hackett and King Crimson's John Wetton. Most importantly, the whole album was written and recorded with Netherlands guitarist Jan Akkerman (of Focus). The first six tracks make up a suite (early themes are recapitulated toward the end) ranging from acoustic duets ("Visions of the King") to full-blown instrumental progressive rock numbers ("Knights") that bear noticeable similarities with some material Steve Hackett would record for his first solo album Voyage of the Acolyte. Some sections (like "Battles") are surprisingly sloppy and show poor production, but overall the material is engaging for the prog fan and is worthy of the attention of anyone fond of Steve Hackett's mid-'70s albums. "Beyond the Loneliest Sea" is a delicate Akkerman tune, while "Stop That!" is an extended jam of medium interest (Banks and Akkerman trade some nice solos). Two Sides of Peter Banks is the most progressive effort the guitarist released after his departure from Yes. If it weren't for the star-heavy cast this album would be nothing more than an enjoyable curiosity, but fans of Genesis and Focus should find it an important addition to their collections.
d Peter Banks / guitar, synthesizer (Mini-moog), piano (Fender)
d John Whetton - bass guitar (tracks: 5) / d Ray Bennett - bass guitar (tracks: 3 to 5, 8, 9)
d Phil Collins (tracks: 4, 5, 8, 9) - drums / d Mike Hough (tracks: 3) - drums
d Jan Akkerman, Steve Hackett - guitar (tracks: 5)
CD1 SHM-CD / CD2 From Original LP
01 Vision Of The King
02 The White Horse Vale
a. On The Hill
b. Lord Of The Dragon
03 Knights
a. The Falcon
b. The Bear
04 Battles
05 Knights (Reprise)
06 Last Eclipse
07 Beyond The Loneliest Sea
08 Stop That!
09 Get Out Of My Fridge

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Flash Peter Banks 4 Albums SHM CD CD Sets Arcangelo Japan Mini LP 2010

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