Bloody Well Write
A HAT TIP TO THE GREAT WHITE
Rarely have I been moved so much by the passing of a musician as I have by the loss of Alan White. If ever there was a band that could be said to epitomise prog music, it surely has to be Yes. It’s all there: the long songs, the incomprehensible lyrics, the classical influences, the orchestras, the album covers, the instrumental virtuosity, and, of course the stunningly inventive music. And at the very heart of all that for 50 years – longer than any other member of Yes – was Alan White.
After Bill Bruford departed Yes in ’72, Alan was there in every Yes line-up, photo, concert and album. The only other Yes member that comes anywhere near that is, of course, the late great Chris Squire. And so the legendary rhythm section that
