Chris Squire of YES

[Solomon Zorn]

This is a little late, as he died two weeks ago today. I have been a YES fan since their first album, and Chris Squire is my all-time favorite bass player. He will be missed.

Here's a part of his Bio:

Squire's unique tone was very clear and distinct, and his playing was noted for being aggressive, dynamic, and melodic. Squire's main instrument was a 1964 Rickenbacker bass (model RM1999, serial number DC127), which he bought and began playing in 1965. Squire mentioned in a 1979 interview with Circus Weekly that he acquired this bass while working at the Boosey & Hawkes music store in London. The instrument, with its warmth, was a significant part of Squire's unique sound. Due to its distinctive tone, which has been compared to that of a guitar, it allowed the bass to take on a more "lead" role, which created a dynamic sound, and suited Squire perfectly.

  In a 1973 interview for Guitar Player magazine, Squire recalled how he had obtained his distinctive tone at the time by rewiring his RM1999 into stereo and sending the bass and treble pick-ups each into a separate amplifier. By splitting the signal from his bass into dual high and low frequency outputs and then sending the low frequency output to a conventional bass amplifier and the high-frequency output to a separate lead guitar amplifier, Squire produced a tonal 'sandwich' that added a growling, overdrive edge to the sound while retaining the Rickenbacker's powerful bass response. This gave his bass sound bright, growling higher frequencies and clean, solid bass frequencies. This technique allowed Squire to utilise harmonic distortion on his bass while avoiding the flat, fuzzy sound, loss of power and poor bass response that typically occurs when bass guitars are overdriven through an amplifier or put through a fuzz box.

  Squire claimed to have rewired his bass to stereo, even before Rickenbacker introduced the Rick-O-Sound feature, so he could send the output of the bass (neck) pick-up through a fuzz box, while keeping the treble (bridge) pick-up clean, because the last sounded "horribly nasal" when used with the fuzz effect. He also played with a pick which contributed to the sharp attack as well as using fresh Rotosound Swing Bass strings for every show. Squire's intricate and complex bass playing style has influenced subsequent bassists such as Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee of Rush, Jon Camp of Renaissance, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Les Claypool of Primus, John Myung of Dream Theater, and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots.

Here's an appropriate solo. I recommend headphones, to really appreciate the bass:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/IvZbLZ7laKk

[PopeyesPappy]

I hadn't heard. Thanks for posting.

I got to see Yes with Chris in 1976. It was a good year for concerts here. Yes, ELO, Rush, Aerosmith, Kiss, Marshall Tucker, Elvis.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Loved the band. .Didn't know he died though.. I could live without the Amazing Grace number.

[Solomon Zorn]

Loved the band. .Didn't know he died though.. I could live without the Amazing Grace number.

I thought it seemed appropriate - except for the 9/11 video somebody assembled for it.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I thought it seemed appropriate - except for the 9/11 video somebody assembled for it.

a matter of taste I suppose. . I could live without the 911 symbolism.

[Solomon Zorn]

Here's one with some great Chris Squire bass in it:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DAPbpW6EJ3Y

[aitm]

Yes was one of my fav bands in the late mid-70's. I had one of those big ass brass YES belt buckles..(wish I had it now) but I wore that buckle every day. It wasn't about the band though, it was my greeting to girls...well it worked twice...so there.

[Solomon Zorn]

I was about 3 years old when their first album came out. When I was 4 or 5, I found it in a local dime store, and my mom bought it for me (I had heard the song, "Survival," on the radio, and I associated it with a "follow the leader" type game we played, called "Survival"). My brother-in-law saw it and talked me into trading him the first album for their second album, "Time and a Word." I liked the title track better than "Survival," so for me it seemed like a good trade. I had that album my whole life, until I became a Christian, and gave away or smashed all my records. That particular album, I gave to a young black atheist (One of the first atheists I ever met).

I didn't really get into rock and roll that heavy until I became a teenager. The only YES albums that I had were "90125," and "Big Generator."

When my schizophrenia began, Jon's mystical lyrics began to fascinate me. They seemed to explain exactly what I was going through.

Since then I have collected all of their studio albums on CD, and had the privilege of seeing them in concert, at a small venue, in 2004. The song, "Awaken" was the highlight of the evening.

Here's a video of "Awaken," from a concert around that time.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/lFAKuallk-M

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eO0mDPcE35s