Who's got the most original members?

[GuitarGeek]

Your post reminded me of the reason why Bill Wyman got the bass job: No other reason except that he owned a big bass amp. They really didnt like him at first and, judging from the many interviews Ive perused over the years, Im not sure any of that really improved over the years Yes, I know Bill left on his own accord

Some of the funniest stories I read through a band's history are from The Rolling Stones, when they explain the myriad of reasons why members are credited playing different instruments on certain songs over their history.....these stories cann range from some form of hilarious debauchery to "Well, Ronnie played bass on that track because Bill didnt show up at the studio.....and we didnt see Bill again for the next two weeks."

Wyman was interviewed in Guitar Player back in the 70's, and he told of how they'd work on a song in the studio for a week or two or whatever, with all five of them there, then let's say on the 8th or 9th day, Bill would come down with a cold or whatever and not feel like working, and suddenly, that's the day they decide it's time to cut the song. So you end up with the odd track here or there with Keith or Woody or Mick Taylor playing bass.

[Bucka001]

I was adding a new spin on the original OP. I prefer to start with the classic line up when considering original members.

That's fair enough, and not to get argumentative (it's just goofy ol' music, after all ;-) ), but it's a bad spin. It's one thing to ordain a lineup as "classic" (and I agree with you about the PG/TB/MR/SH/PC lineup as being the "classic" one for Genesis), but it's just inaccurate to call it the "original" one. It'd be like saying "I don't think the country really got going until John Adams took over, so I consider him to be the first (i.e. original) president."

Plus, my fave Yes album is Time & A Word (it's actually one of my fave rock albums, period). For some, though, Yes didn't get going until The Yes Album (and even there, by your way of thinking, we run into problems as the "classic" lineup includes Wakeman... so is T Kaye considered an original member?). Many of my fave Yes vids are of the Banks/Kaye lineup (Beat Club, French TV '69, Time & A Word song lip synch)... As I'm watching that and someone tells me that Steve Howe was the "original" guitarist, I have to ask myself, "But... but.... but what am I watching here? I like this, but this isn't Yes? SH isn't in it, but it predates him. What am I watching?"

[Bucka001]

I'm sure i've read that Ant was the one who brought the 12 string thing into the band. I know I saw an interview on Youtube where he said he got interested in 12 string guitar because he had a friend at Charterhouse who had one, and that's led him to get one and introduce into the Genesis sound.

Also, though he's not credited on the record, Ant co-wrote The Musical Box. That first section is built on an instrumental that Ant and Mike recorded together around the time Ant left Genesis. Tony even admitted they probably should have put Ant's name in the byline on that one.

And I think it was Mike who said the only time Genesis even thought about breaking up was when Ant quit. That's how important he was in the early days.

Yeah, yeah... look, he wasn't an original member, okay?

;-)

[arabicadabra]

No mention of King's X yet?

[Rufus]

Hall & Oates lol

[bob_32_116]

The thing that surprised me when I first heard Trespass was how similar much of it sounded to later Genesis albums, even up to Selling England, despite Trespass obviously being much less polished. That probably says a lot about Anthony's influence - even though he was with them for only one real "prog" album, after he had left they kept that trademark sound that basically came from him.

[willyswing]

Los Lobos

[Trane]

Wyman was interviewed in Guitar Player back in the 70's, and he told of how they'd work on a song in the studio for a week or two or whatever, with all five of them there, then let's say on the 8th or 9th day, Bill would come down with a cold or whatever and not feel like working, and suddenly, that's the day they decide it's time to cut the song. So you end up with the odd track here or there with Keith or Woody or Mick Taylor playing bass.

apparently, it's more than a couple of songs that Wyman did not play on the studio version... he missed a lot of them final sessions

The man was the band's archivist, though... wonder how that turned out once he left the band

[GuitarGeek]

apparently, it's more than a couple of songs that Wyman did not play on the studio version... he missed a lot of them final sessions

The man was the band's archivist, though... wonder how that turned out once he left the band

You mean for Steel Wheels? I'm kinda vague on that part of their career, so I'm not sure if the details, but Wiki credits both Wyman and Woody with playing bass on the album, but gives no real details therein.

One story I remember hearing when it was first being talked about that The Stones would tour in 89, was that Bill wasn't interested in touring, so Woody was going to switch over to bass and Mick Taylor was going to come back and play guitar. So perhaps there was somebody who already knew that Bill wasn't really interested in doing another album or tour, even if the actual outcome was totally different.

[mozo-pg]

That's fair enough, and not to get argumentative (it's just goofy ol' music, after all ;-) ), but it's a bad spin. It's one thing to ordain a lineup as "classic" (and I agree with you about the PG/TB/MR/SH/PC lineup as being the "classic" one for Genesis), but it's just inaccurate to call it the "original" one. It'd be like saying "I don't think the country really got going until John Adams took over, so I consider him to be the first (i.e. original) president."

Plus, my fave Yes album is Time & A Word (it's actually one of my fave rock albums, period). For some, though, Yes didn't get going until The Yes Album (and even there, by your way of thinking, we run into problems as the "classic" lineup includes Wakeman... so is T Kaye considered an original member?). Many of my fave Yes vids are of the Banks/Kaye lineup (Beat Club, French TV '69, Time & A Word song lip synch)... As I'm watching that and someone tells me that Steve Howe was the "original" guitarist, I have to ask myself, "But... but.... but what am I watching here? I like this, but this isn't Yes? SH isn't in it, but it predates him. What am I watching?"

I don't want to argue either. I can appreciate your point of view but it doesn't change mine.

[GuitarGeek]

As far as non-original band members being identified as original members, I remember when Steve Howe and Bill Bruford appeared and Regis & Kathie Lee and both were identified as original members of Yes. Regis even makes this point of emphasizing this fact, even though as we know, Steve isn't an original member of Yes.

I also remember when the Free Bird documentary came out in the mid 90's, I saw an interview with Artimus Pyle on TV where he was identified as an original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

I guess it's too complicated to identify non-original members of a given as simply a "former band member" or "longtime band member" or whatever. Or maybe the musician in question is trying to position himself as being some key important person in a given band. I remember Peter Banks making a wisecrack in the liner notes of that Yes BBC sessions release about how "Steve Howe likes to think Yes didn't exist before he joined" or something like that.

[arabicadabra]

I'd say that the members of Yes were the most original in their heyday. True, Squire has admitted to several blatant ripoffs once cornered but the others all created such strong distinctive parts that they elevated his own contribution.

[Trane]

You mean for Steel Wheels? I'm kinda vague on that part of their career, so I'm not sure if the details, but Wiki credits both Wyman and Woody with playing bass on the album, but gives no real details therein.

One story I remember hearing when it was first being talked about that The Stones would tour in 89, was that Bill wasn't interested in touring, so Woody was going to switch over to bass and Mick Taylor was going to come back and play guitar. So perhaps there was somebody who already knew that Bill wasn't really interested in doing another album or tour, even if the actual outcome was totally different.

I meant that Wyman missed playing much more tracks than originally thought on 70's albums final recording sessions... He got credited for them anyway

Rumours has it that Wyman was mainly in it for the chicks & groupies, and studio sessions did not interest him that much