So, this solo album from Peter Banks was released on CD in 2009. But, they just did a re-press of it. That got it under the radar for this issue. Of course, Peter Banks was the original guitarist in Yes and he also formed the band Flash. He passed away earlier this year. Steve Alspach reviewed this album for Music Street Journal before, but with the new pressing, it gives cause for us to get another review of it into the site.

Frankly, I’m a Yes fanatic and I’ve always loved Banks’ guitar style. There’s a lot of jazz in his playing. I’ve always wondered what Yes would have become if they’d kept Banks. This instrumental disc might give one possible insight. Banks is joined on this set by some pretty incredible musicians. At various points we get Jan Akkerman, Ray Bennett (of Flash), Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Mike Hough and John Wetton. This is a great album with a lot of great musicians.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

This short introductory piece comes in atmospheric and Banks adds more power and sound to it as it continues. Eventually it gets loud, but still maintains the same musical premise. It peaks to a noisy crescendo.

This is almost fourteen minutes in length, making it the longest tune here. It comes out of the starting gate with a real fusion vibe to it. The piece grows from there. Banks just keeps soloing as the piece evolves. It’s quite a freeform piece that wanders through a number of shifts and changes, but remains more or less a fusion backdrop for Banks’ guitar soloing. That’s not to say it’s all fusion (it even shifts to something a bit like early Hawkwind at times) and that Banks solos the whole time. For the most part, though, that analysis is pretty accurate.