Flash
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1971-73) - Peter Banks -- guitar, synthesizers, banjo, backing vocals - Ray Bennett -- bass, guitar, vocals - Colin Carter -- vocals , percussion, synthgesizers - Michael Hough -- drums, percussion
supporting musicians (1971) - Tony Kaye -- keyboards
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- Peter Banks (solo efforts) - The Breed (Ray Bennett) - Camel (Colin Carter) - The Devil's Disciples (Peter Banks) - Empire (Peter Banks) - Eyes of Blue (Ray Bennett) - Gun (Ray Bennett) - Jabberwocky (Peter Banks) - Mabel Greer's Toyshop (Peter Banks) - Mushroom (Colin Carter) - Neat Chance (Peter Banks) - The Nighthawks (Peter Banks) - The Syn (Tony Banks) - The Syndicate (Peter Banks) - Yes (Peter Banks and Tony Kaye)
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Genre: progressive Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Flash Company: Capital/Sovereign Catalog: SMAS-11040 Year: 1972 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear; gatefold sleeve; original inner sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 20411 Price: $15.00
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Executive summary - if you like Yes, then Flash (the band and their debut album) will be right up your alley.
Guitarist Peter Banks was the main draw behind the band. Starting in the early-'60s he'd been in a number of bands including Mabel Greer's Toyshop who morphed into Yes. His two album stint with Yes is what brought him his fame.
Banks was fired from Yes shortly after the release of their 1970 album "Time and a Word." After a brief stint with Bloodwyn Pig, his first post-Yes musical project was Flash. Formed in late 1971, the band featured former The Breed bassist Ray Bennett, former Mushroom vocalist Colin Carter and drummer Michael Hough the quartet attracted the attention of Capitol Records newly formed Sovereign subsidiary. Produced by Derek Lawrence, there was no way to avoid comparing "Flash" to the Yes catalog. The similarity was further underscored by the presence of Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye. Kaye had been actively recruited to join Flash and the liner notes even listed him seemingly as a member, but he was a guest, having turned down the offer in order to join the band Badger. With Banks and Barrett collaborating on the majority of the LPs five songs, tracks like 'Children of the Universe', 'Dreams of Heaven' and 'The Time It Takes' aptly displayed the band's debts to Yes. Long compositions; complex, every changing melodies, spacey lyrics, interesting vocal harmonies, Kaye's array of keyboard and synthesizer washes and, recalling Jon Anderson, Carter's high pitched vocals. They all screamed Yes. Perhaps I'm an exception, but powered by Banks and Barrett's acoustic guitars, I've always thought the atypical acoustic ballad 'Morning Haze' was the album's standout performance. Hardcore Yes fans seem to delight in trashing the album, but I find it entertaining. Perhaps not the zenith of creativity, but it's certainly less ponderous than some of the Yes catalog (think about the fourteen minute long 'Perpetual Change' off the three album "Yessongs" set). Give it a try. What do you have to lose; plus you can still locate affordable copies.
Always liked the Hipgnosis designed cover art.
"Out of
Our Hands" track listing: 1.) Small Beginnings (Peter Banks - Colin Carter) - 9:23 rating: *** stars To my ears 'Small Beginnings' complex melody and song structure, coupled with Carter's high pitched vocals were the characteristic that instantly reminded me of Yes. Maybe a little more commercial than your standard Yes tune (nah, you weren't going to mistake this for Eric Carmen and the Raspberries), but the Yes similarities were clearly there. Most of the attention focused on Banks' impressive array of lead guitar moves, but Kaye's organ fills certainly mimicked the Yes sound, while Bennett's bass playing was every bit as impressive as Chris Squire. Sovereign was clearly interested in marketing them as Yes competitors going as far as releasing a heavily edited version of 'Small Beginnings' as a single:
- 1972's 'Small Beginnings' b/w 'Morning Haze' (Sovereign catalog number 3345) # 29 US Billboard charts 2.)
Morning Haze (Ray Bennett) - 4:32 rating:
**** stars 3.) Children of the Universe (Ray Bennett) - 8:55 rating: *** stars Well the title certainly screamed early-'70s, as did the lyrics and Kaye's opening keyboard washes. The funny thing is that overlooking the songs continual melodic changes and the goofy refrain ("La ouv ya ouv ya la ouv ya ouv ya la Ouv ya ouv ya la ouv ya ouv ya la oh, etc.") the song proved surprisingly catchy. Banks turned in one of his more melodic solos while Kaye's cheesy synthesizer solo was entertaining . An abbreviated version of the tune reappeared as the "B" side of their 'Lifetime' single. The black and white video and sound quality are poor, but YouTube has the band seemingly lip-synching a performance of the tune at: Flash - Children Of The Universe A shortened version of the song also appeared on their forthcoming 'Lifetime' single.
(side
2) Perhaps intended as the albums centerpiece, 'Dream of Heaven' opened with kind of a chaotic band warm-up, abruptly shifting to some classically-inspired Banks solo guitar before bursting into one of the album's most melodic efforts. Clocking in at almost 13 minutes, the song bounced all over the musical spectrum, including jazzy interludes, some of their most conventional rock moves and a section where the hyper-speed group vocals reminded me of the refrain from CSN&Y's 'Deja Vu'. The extensive running time also gave each member some time in the solo spotlight. Had it been a little more focused I would have gladly given it a fourth star. 2.) The Time It Takes (Peter Banks - Colin Carter) - 5:48 rating: *** stars The atmospheric closing ballad 'The Time It Takes' sported another pretty melody (with some of Kaye's most tasteful synthesizer moves), another set of fairytale lyrics and one of Carter's nicer vocals. He handled the track in a deeper register.
© Scott R. Blackerby November, 2024
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Genre: progressive Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: In the Can Company: Capital/Sovereign Catalog: SMAS-11115 Year: 1972 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear; gatefold sleeve; original inner sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4861 Price: $15.00
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1972's "In
the Can" marked Flash's second album in a year. Again
produced by De
In spite of the John Hoernie and Rick Rankin designed packaging, unlike their debut which went top-40 on the US Billboard charts, the follow-up failed to chart.
"In the
Can" track listing: 1.) Lifetime (Colin Carter) - 10:05 rating: *** stars Clocking
in at over ten minutes, the first three and a half minutes of 'Lifetime' pro
- 1973's 'Lifetime' b/w 'Children of the Universe' (Capitol/Sovereign catalog number 3496)
2.) Monday Morning Eyes (Ray Bennett) - 5:03 rating: ** stars Bennett's 'Monday Morning Eyes' opened up with an almost jazzy section and then Carter's vocals kicked in sucking the energy out of the tune. The performance got better when the harmonies kicked in and the song started to discover a melodic, Yes-styled melody.
(side
2) The album's longest number, 'Black and White' started out as a Peter Banks primer. Carter's vibratto vocals introduced the mandatory Yes comparisons. Admittedy this time out his voice didn't bother me as much. This one's always struck me as the album's least focused effort, bouncing all over the place. One minute your hearing some of Banks prettiest moves only to have the tune abruptly shift to full-tilt boogie rock, followed by a short ukulele segment. Good luck trying to keep track of the song's constant twists and turns. I'll also pint out that drummer Michael Hough sounded great throughout the song. 2.) Stop that Banging (Mike Hough) - 1:50 rating: star Even without seeing the writing credit most folks probably figured out the instrumental 'Stop that Banging' was Hough's moment in the spotlight. Thankfully it was a brief interlude. 3.)
There No More (Ray Bennett ) - 11:35
rating: *** stars
© Scott R. Blackerby April, 2023
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Genre: progressive Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Out of Our Hands Company: Capital/Sovereign Catalog: SMAS-11218 Year: 1973 Country/State: UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear; gatefold sleeve; original inner sleeve'; small cut out hole top right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4861 Price: $15.00
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Flash's third album, 1973's "Out of Our Hands" found the group releasing a dreaded "concept'" album. (I can already see some you hitting the escape key.) So what's this thing sound like? Well if the band's first two studio sets recalled early Yes, you probably wouldn't be shocked to learn that the same comparison extended to material like 'Open Sky', 'Man of Honour' and 'Manhattan Morning'. Largely penned by bassist Ray Bennett, the plotline was largely lost to me, but then my intellect has steadily declined with extended exposure to rock and roll. I'm really guessing here, but the story line seemed to establish some sort of connection between chess and an alien bringing the Earth a message of peace ... Clearly it was way beyond my limited analytical skills - feel free to send me a note with the true story. In a way the story line probably didn't matter all that much since Colin Carter's voice wasn't the thing that attracted listeners to Flash. Mind you, Carter wasn't a bad singer, rather he was just kind of got lost surrounded by the rest of the band. It's interesting that even though I'm not a big instrumental fan, instrumental segments in tracks like 'Dead Ahead' and 'The Bishop' provided the album highlights for me. Not my favorite of the three studio sets, but not the worst either.
Given the album hit # 135 on the US charts I can only guess that legions of Yes fans were looking for a readily available substitute with their favorite band on one of their creative holidays.).
"Out of
Our Hands" track listing: 1.) Open Sky (Ray Bennett) - 0:48 rating: ** stars Powered by a couple of Peter Banks chords the instrumental 'Open Sky' was more of an aural fragment than a complete song. It certainly set the stage with a slightly ominous vibe. 2.) None the Wiser (King) (Ray Bennett) - 3:17 3.) Farewell Number One (Pawn) (Ray Bennett) - 1:37 4.) Man of Honour (Knight)(Ray Bennett) - 4:45 5.) Dead Ahead (Queen) (Ray Bennett) - 4:38
(side
2) 2.) Psychosync (Farewell Number Two) (Ray Bennett) - 4:50 3.) Manhattan Morning (Christams '72) (Colin Carter) - 6:24 4.)
Shadows (Its You) (Colin Carter) - 3:20
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rek
Lawrence, the album found all four members contributing to songwriting
chores. As far as my ears could
tell, musically the biggest difference on this one was the absence of guest
keyboardist Tony Kaye. Kaye wasn't prominent on "Flash"
but his contributions to material like 'Small
Beginnings' gave the debut album a fuller
sound. His absence left Banks to fill the void taking an occasional
stab at an ARP, or other synthesizer (check out his work on 'There
No More').
It wasn't the same. It also meant the album shifted its focus to
Bank's guitar work. Given his tremendous chops that wasn't necessarily
a bad thing, though it made you think back to the debut collection's
fuller sound. The sophomore set featured five tracks, though 'Monday
Morning Eyes' and the drum solo 'Stop that Banging' were little more than
filler. That
left the focus on the three extended numbers - 'Lifetime', 'Black and White'
and the closer 'There No
More'.
And those are the songs that are the make-or-break factor with respect to
whether you like the album. There are hundreds of pages of online reviews
and debates with respect to do these guys sound like
Yes. I'm not a big Yes fan so my insights are limited, but as a casual
listener I'll tell you yes they recall Yes. Even without Kaye's keyboards
the twisting-turning song structures; Barrett's fat bass, Carter's unique
voice, Banks' wide array of guitar sounds and stylings, the spacey lyrics -
yeah, it all combined to remind me of Yes. Whether it was good, or bad
Yes was a different issue. I'll tell you the collection lacked a truly
memorable composition and I didn't think anything here matched the
debut. I'll leave it at that.
ved
surprisingly catchy. Ray Bennett's
"chunky" sound continued to remind me of Yes with Peter Banks
guitar floating all over the musical spectrum. At the three and a half
minute mark the track shifted into a completely different melody and
feeling. Morphing briefly into an atmospheric ballad, Bennett got to
step into the spotlight for a couple of minutes. If you could make it to the
6:40 mark you'd hear Banks take a cute nod to Focus guitarist Jan Akkerman
and 'Hocus Pocus'. Akkerman repaid the favor by playing on Banks'
forthcoming "The Two Sides of Peter Banks" solo
album. The last two minutes circled back to the song's original
melody. The results were pleasant and entertaining; the only irritant being
Colin Carter's shrill and irritating voice. Who knows why, but Capitol
chose a heavily edited version of the tune as a single. The track was
cut down to a running time of 2:58; a guarantee the single was going to
displease both pop and progressive fans. Welcome to instant obscurity.
