Remembering Chris Squire - Five Years On

Squire in August 1977 

Five years ago today, we had to say goodbye to one of the most respected bass players since Paul McCartney - Chris Squire. 

His long life

Born Christopher Russell Edward Squire on March 4, 1948, Squire began singing in the church choir at six years of age. It was only ten years later that he made music his calling thanks to the rise of the Beatles. A year later, Squire got his first bass guitar thanks to an employee discount at the music shop he was employed at.

In 1966, Squire and future Yes guitarist Peter Banks were in a band called The Syn. Several months later this became Mabel Greer's Toy Shop featuring Squire, Banks, guitarist/vocalist Clive Bayley and percussionist Bob Hagger. It was there and then that Squire made friends with La Chasse bar own in London's central area, Jack Barrie. Barrie invited his good friend, vocalist Jon Anderson to see Mabel Greer's Toy Shop. After the show, Anderson and Squire met backstage and upon discovering their love of harmonies, what was once a quartet, (briefly) became a qunintet (Banks left for a time, so the band now consisted of Anderson-Bayley-Hagger-Squire). 

Banks returned in the spring of 1968 - about the same time jazz drummer Bill Bruford placed an ad in Melody Maker to start a band of his own. Hagger packed and left with Bruford become the new drummer. That summer, the quartet officially became a quintet with Johnny Taylor's Star Combo veteran, Tony Kaye, joining in on keyboards. The Anderson-Banks-Bruford-Kaye-Squire lineup would be the final lineup of Mabel Greer's Toy Shop and the first lineup of Yes.

For the next two decades, Yes became one of the pioneers in the progressive rock scene. Their pinnacle arrived with their 1971 LP Fragile featuring new keyboardist Rick Wakeman - who proved more versitile than the one he was replacing. 

The band had two "restarts." The first occured in 1982 when Chris Squire met South African guitarist Trevor Rabin and hooked up with him and White to start a band called Cinema, which of course evolved into a reunified Yes. Their 1983 90125, REFERING TO ATCO RECORDS CATALOG NUMBER, saw an incorporation of pop music particularly with their comeback hit, Owner of a Lonely Heart. It also was the first of two LPs to be produced by Trevor Horn formerly of the Buggles, who replaced Anderson on Yes' 1980 album Drama (that record also featured Horn's Buggles partner, Geoff Downes replacing Wakeman). 

Anotehr down moment came in the late 1980s. Anderson, who longed for a return to the progressive sound of the 70s, hooked up with his former bandmates: Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, and Steve Howe, to form the short-lived Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, & Howe (ABW&H) band in 1988. Their self-titled 1989 LP was a modest success.

Their showstopper came during the making of 1990's Dialogue. Arista Records higher-ups insisted that the band find external songwritters for their songs. Anderson then rang up Rabin asking him to send some songs Anderson's way. Rabin promised to send four but permited the band to only have one. To this, Arista said no as they wanted all four tracks.

This mishap resulted in a so-called "merger" of the two bands. 1991's Union features both the former ABW&H bandmates and the Rabin-led Yes. Although all eight are credit, only Anderson and Squire featured on the entiere LP.

During that time the Rabin-led Yes tried to find a replacement for Anderson as well. One possible candidate was Supertramp's Roger Hodgson, who, despite his Anderson-ish voice, did not like the style of Yes-West himself. Steve Walsh of Kansas fame was also asked to join as was Billy Sherwood. Ultimately, Sherwood became something of a side-man for a time and today has replaced the late, great Squire. 

Gone, but never forgotten

Squire died in his Phoenix home on June 27, 2015. In May 2015, Yes announced that Squire had been diagnoized with leukemia and had asked Billy Sherwood to assist on bass during Yes' 2015 summer tour with Toto. Following Squire's death, Billy Sherwood has become the new bass player - having assisted on guitar and keyboards as well as backing vocals in the past.

Interestingly, at this point, Yes are left with no original members. Steve Howe, despite being a long-timer, actually joined in 1970 following the making of Yes' second LP Time And a Word. Anderson himself quit in 2008 after the band halted their 40th Anniversary tour due to Anderson's doctor's orders. While also a long-timer, Alan White replaced the original, Bill Bruford in 1972 (Bruford left in July 1972 to join King Crimson that very fall). 

As of 2016, Anderson has hooked up with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman for a separate endevaur - Yes featuring Anderson, Rabin, and Howe. I do hope that once this pandemic ends, the two bands will "merge" onstage akin to the 1991-92 Union tour.

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