Solo Chris Squire

[saucyjackstl]

I actually think those two Conspiracy albums are quite good. In typical Sherwood style, they are polished and have a real pop sensibility to the songwriting but overall I think most of the songs are quite effective and I rather enjoy them when I'm in the mood for something a little less weighty. Not to mention I always love hearing Squire's voice. Squackett is a fun one too.

The playing is great. Could not handle the singing. I never play it.

[grego]

With every song seemingly driven by the bass and written around bass riffs, DRAMA does sort of stand up as a second Squire solo album.

Accepting the suggested criteria, his first solo album must be Time & A Word.

[per anporth]

I stand corrected. I tend to equate spoonerisms to their supposed French equivalent, "contrepèteries", which are almost always sexual in nature. So whenever a wordplay isn't sexual, "pun" comes to my French mind.

I didn't know of contrepèteries - I'm not sure if there's a direct English equivalent... However, on reading Wikipedia, I discover that Rabelais was at the source of these matters - which is pleasing, given a certain proximity to John Kelman, in his review of the Gargantuan Gentle Giant box set.

[The Twickerman]

Pedant's corner, entry #472:

Technically, this is not a pun, but a "spoonerism" - ie when the initial sounds of two words are inverted. The name derives from the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), Warden of New College, Oxford, who was, apparently, prone to inadvertantly spoonerising. The best spoonerisms, however, are those that, in some way or another, allude to an alternative truth about a situation (eg it is kisstomary to cuss the bride) - & Swiss Choir does just this!

Pedant's corner, entry #472, Appendix 1: In order to make this spoonerism "work", one has to presume "rhotacism" - ie the inability to pronounce the <r> sound, & replacing it with a <w> (as with Elmer Fudd, chasing the wabbit, Buggs Bunny). Thinking back to interviews I've heard with Squire, I don't recall him having any problems with his <r>s (so to speak!!) - I wonder if there's a further "in joke" directed at another member of the Yes entourage here...)

But this isn't a spoonerism. At least not in it's purest sense. That would be (phonetically) Skwiss Crier. or Skwiss Kwier, following the rhotacism point (i.e. it's an imperfect spoonerism because of the inconvenient "k" sound in Squire).

So it's therefore just a play on words. No?

Regarding the rhotacism point - I suspect you read too much into it. It was surely just a pun/(near-)spoonerism on his name, too tempting for Chris to resist. But who knows!

[per anporth]

I would prefer an imperfect spoonerism to a "mere" play on words - but that's all about the atmosphere in pedants' corner...

[calyx]

Perhaps there is a country called Squitzerland where we could turn this mere pun into a proper spoonerism ?

[Frankh]

Would it be improper here to wish you all a Nappy You Hear?

Or to warn you to beware of the bowers that pee?

I suspect it would.

[The Twickerman]

I would prefer an imperfect spoonerism to a "mere" play on words - but that's all about the atmosphere in pedants' corner...

Speaking of spoonerisms, I was disappointed that they didn't call the Squackett album "For Hire".

Not as disappointed as I was when I heard it though.

[moecurlythanu]

I was disappointed that they didn't call the Squackett album "For Hire".

That name Squackett just sounds like an angry duck to me.

[Mister Triscuits]

Speaking of spoonerisms, I was disappointed that they didn't call the Squackett album "For Hire".

Before I got your point I thought you meant it was a whore fire.

[Gizmotron]

Oh, there was a point to that post?

[rcarlberg]

Technically, this is not a pun, but a "spoonerism" - ie when the initial sounds of two words are inverted.

Kind of like "Cunning Stunts"? Besides, I think spoonerisms are a subset of the set known as "puns." A good pun is its own reword.

[rcarlberg]

Accepting the suggested criteria, his first solo album must be Time & A Word.

..

[Almost] Every Yes album ... has started out as a Chris Squire solo album, from what I've heard.

[Adinfinitum]

Are there any demos of Parallels that were done for Fish Out of Watef? I read that Parallels was going to be on FOOW or at least was written during that time priot to GFTO.

[bondegezou]

Are there any demos of Parallels that were done for Fish Out of Watef? I read that Parallels was going to be on FOOW or at least was written during that time priot to GFTO.

Not that we know of.

Henry

[calyx]

Are there any demos of Parallels that were done for Fish Out of Watef? I read that Parallels was going to be on FOOW or at least was written during that time priot to GFTO.

What we do have, and it's still puzzling, is a demo version of "Turn Of The Century" (a song that originated with Alan White, with no known involvement of Squire in the writing) on the GftO reissue that has a section of "Silently Falling" in it, so in all likelihood dates from 1974 rather than 1976 (as it seems unlikely they would have considered using a section of a released solo Squire song in a Yes piece). Maybe "Parallels" was written around that time, but wasn't finished by the time FooW was recorded.

[auxfnx]

This thread inspired me to put this together, a bit of a showcase of Chris 'solo' after Fish out of Water! Conspiracy & side projects.
Some edits and mixes, Yes/XYZ 'Satellites/Telephone Secrets', Conspiracy/Yes 'Wish I Knew/Open Your Eyes'! And other bits I was playing around with.