Guitarist Rick Wakeman regrets shunning Spiders From Mars

[Oreb]

Wow - a real quality piece of journalism that was!

[iguana]

Wow - a real quality piece of journalism that was!

i refuse to even comment on that. trust the tabloids to get it right…

[bob_32_116]

My Relayer gaffe noted:

Still, addressing my original point, my favourite Yes albums are CTTE and GFTO, and when I try to analyse why, the reasons are firstly Rick Wakeman, and secondly Jon Anderson.

[bondegezou]

we'd still have Relayer

We'd still have Close to the Edge and Going for the One, if in somewhat different forms. Wakeman was never the driving force in Yes. He wrote little of the music on either album, less than Anderson, Howe or Squire, less than Bruford on CttE, possibly less than White on GftO.

Henry

[Frumious B]

Wakeman probably wouldn't have lasted very long with Bowie and Yes music offered a bigger canvas for him. I'd say he made the right choice.

[Paulrus]

Wakeman probably wouldn't have lasted very long with Bowie and Yes music offered a bigger canvas for him. I'd say he made the right choice.

I agree, but it's fascinating to ponder the possibilities. Say Wakeman did become part of the Spiders from Mars, but then was laid off with the rest of them in '73. By then Yes would probably have hired some other wunderkind with the palette of sounds they wanted (Dave Greenslade? Woolly Wolstenholme? Kerry Minnear?) Would they have made a play for Wakeman then, and if so would Wakeman been interested now that he was ingrained in the world of glam rock? Wakeman's decision to go with Yes is one of those great inflection points in the rock music history IMO.

[jamesmanzi]

By then Yes would probably have hired some other wunderkind

Wasn't Elton John looking for a gig around then? It's always been rumored he audition for Crimson either before or after Gordon Haskill's term, IIRC. Think of the possibilities. Philadelphia Freedom could've been a Yes song.

[Mister Triscuits]

Wasn't Elton John looking for a gig around then?

The King Crimson audition was in 1970. By mid-1971, when Yes was in the market for a new keyboardist, Elton John had broken big in America, had four albums under his belt, and was clearly on his way to major stardom.

[pb2015]

Elton was nearly hired to do vocals on Poseidon (source: Fripp in the Young Person's Guide booklet). This was in early 1970 and he broke big in America that summer/fall.

[pb2015]

If we're talking about "what might have been" Yes scenarios, there is Phil Collins stating he nearly auditioned to replace Bruford in 1968 when Bruford quit to go back to school, but decided not to go.

[Paulrus]

If we're talking about "what might have been" Yes scenarios, there is Phil Collins stating he nearly auditioned to replace Bruford in 1968 when Bruford quit to go back to school, but decided not to go.

And as good as he was I'll bet he would have been hired!

[calyx]

The King Crimson audition was in 1970.

Elton John NEVER auditioned for King Crimson. The possibility was discussed between their respective managers, but never went anywhere near an actual audition or trial session. Fripp has said he heard Elton's debut album (NOT the s/t album btw) and thought Elton was the wrong vocalist for KC.

Another guy who was considered was Peter Straker, a black singer who later sang in "Hair" and was a close friend (if not boyfriend) of Freddie Mercury. But his manager's asking price was ridiculous so the option wasn't pursued.

At this point Greg Lake agreed to sing on the album as a session singer, famously asking for King Crimson's PA in lieu of payment, "for my art" (such were his exact words according to Fripp).

[Mister Triscuits]

Elton John NEVER auditioned for King Crimson. The possibility was discussed between their respective managers, but never went anywhere near an actual audition or trial session. Fripp has said he heard Elton's debut album (NOT the s/t album btw) and thought Elton was the wrong vocalist for KC.

You're right, my bad. The Bryan Ferry audition for Crimson, however, really happened.

[bob_32_116]

At this point Greg Lake agreed to sing on the album as a session singer, famously asking for King Crimson's PA in lieu of payment, "for my art" (such were his exact words according to Fripp).

We learn something new every day. I never knew Greg Lake had a PA.

[Progbear]

We learn something new every day. I never knew Greg Lake had a PA.

Public address system, not Prince Albert.