74' Unknown band member?

[pakananda]

Here's an interesting bit of trivia from the '74 Tales from Topographic Oceans tour: For about half of the shows on the american tour, Rick Wakeman was replaced by a guy named Jake Welsh, currently residing in Princeville, Hawaii. He was on the sound crew and happened to be a yes fanatic who knew all of the songs in the repertoire. When the band was faced with closing down the tour due to Rick's health problems, they were about to shut down the tour. Jake stepped in and claimed to know virtually all the material. Incredulous of this sound guy from nowhere, they agreed to an audition. He passed with flying colors and saved the tour. Practicing only twice briefly with the band, he went on to play about 22 shows - apparently with no official recognition! He looked enough like Wakeman to pass as his "double"! (This part is hard to believe, I know) Anyone else that can confirm this?

[gathernear]

Where did you hear about this??? It's pretty hard to believe.

[Joe]

Where did you hear about this??? It's pretty hard to believe.
I never heard of this either. Could this be true? How can we find out?

[BrianD]

That sounds very unlikely to me. 22 gigs playing on stage instead of Wakeman is rather improbable. Methinks you have been conned.

[PO]

Odd that he knew all the songs since the album hadn't been released in the states yet! So, I guess he learned all the songs just by watching? With 22 shows there should be a picture somewhere. I bet no one finds one.

No way.

[fovman]

When James Hetfield/Metallica was burned on stage..........his guitar roadie took over his guitar parts in concert until hs hand and arm healed.

[JL]

Shades of William Campbell. Sounds about as legitimate.

[MoonGateClimber]

I'm not sure, but I was looking on forgotten yesterdays, & I found this pic of Wakey from the 03/15/74 San Francisco show... For some reason, I don't think it's Rick - his mouth & hair look different than the other photos of him from that time, but I could be wrong. Could it be Jake Welsh? ;)
I'd have to say that you've been decieved! I also noticed that you live in Hawaii... Did Jake tell you what you told us? :D

[pakananda]

Ok, I know this is VERY difficult to believe. That is why I posted this - for authentication. Here's the scoop:

I first met Jake Welsh in a 1990 in a little town called Hanalei (of "Puff the Magic Dragon" fame), on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. He was doing a solo gig at a little pavilion in the shopping center. Playing mostly his own material - very good stuff - to my (somewhat keen) ears. Having been a dedicated Yes fan since 1970, I recognized what I knew to be a strong Yes/wakemanlike flavor to his style: progressive rock with a clearly classical background. I'm intuitive by nature and had a strange "hunch" the whole time I was watching him.

So I got talking with him and asked him if he'd ever performed with any name bands. He had long golden blonde shoulder length straight hair, and bore (at the time) a remarkable resemblance to Rick Wakeman (rounded chin, somewhat goofy smile, etc.) Here's where it got weird: in a very non-chalant, almost reluctant kind of way, he said something like: "Well, yes, uh, I did a short stint with a name band in the '70s" Now, he's not mentioning the name of the band, as though he's not SUPPOSED to mention it for some reason.

I had to actually ask him several times before he would reveal the "name band". Almost apologetically and with relief, he said: "Yes". There was great hesitancy: this was not the sign of an egotist trying to spin a tall tale for self-aggrandizement or a practical joke. (I never mentioned Yes in the conversation to this point). Of course, my logical mind said he must be joking, but there was no hint of a smile or smirk or even a slight indication that he might be lying (or worse - deluded). This guy was serious and very casual. One of my best senses is when I'm being lied to. I can almost always spot a fake a mile away. There are certain indicators which were completely absent here.

I managed to coax out of him the following information: During the '74 Tales tour, he was a technician and sound check "stand-in" hired for the duration of the tour. Wakeman's use and sometimes overuse of the "spirits" is a fact that I think is well documented. But what is not known widely is that he began to have a serious health crisis midway through the US tour as a result. According to Jake, to the point where the last 22 or so shows were to be canceled as Rick received needed medical attention. As sound check man, he heard all the buzz and mentioned jokingly to someone that he should fill in since he knew most of the material (all of Close to the Edge and earlier tunes on the playlist). He had managed to grok much of the Tales material as well from attending over 40 live performances plus sound checks. (I can personally attest that Jake is an extremely talented musician with an INCREDIBLE mind and ear). So word got back to the band, Jon and Steve in particular. They asked him to audition for them and seemed impressed by his abilities - and in particular - his uncanny resemblance to Rick Wakeman. They did a couple of practice sessions with him, filling him in on the Tales material in particular. After only short rehearsals, they went live on stage with Jake as the solo keyboardist.

The oddest part of the story is that I challenged him by saying: "How could it be that you subbed for Rick for 22 shows and noone noticed? This seems completely implausible." Then, with an attitude which I can only characterize as "deeply hurt with a tinge of subdued bitterness", he revealed that he got no stage credits for any of his performances! He got no further pay above his modest technician's salary. "So they passed you off as Rick Wakeman?" I asked, completely stunned. His response was only that: "They tried to really play down the fact of my involvement for the sake of the band". Not willing to let it go, I asked "You mean they introduced you as Rick Wakeman?" Prior to this question, he seemed almost relieved to be talking about it, but would say no more.

Tall tale or the most incredible secret in Yes history? To be honest, my mind still tells me it can't be true. But somewhere in my gut, I know this guy at least "believes" he is telling the truth. One thing I can assure you, is that he is quite capable, musically speaking to handle any of Rick's chops on the keyboard. I've got a CD of Jake Welsh's original material called "Pele, the Fire Goddess" demonstrating that quite nicely.

I've bumped into Jake a few times over the ensuing years. Once, I asked him if he was just BSing me all those years ago. He stuck to his story like glue! He is quite a prodigy as it turns out. He is also a masterful portrait artist who has created some astounding mural sized canvases of fantasy/art (which I have personally seen). Is he a liar - I seriously don't think so. Is he crazy? Anyone with photos from the last part of that tour from the Hershey, PA show on is strongly encouraged to produce evidence either supporting or contradicting this story. (See "Forgotten Yesterdays" section of this website to see if your show was in the last 22 of the tour) I simply want to know the truth. And if Jake really was there, as I feel in my gut, give him some credit and recognition for his incredible "impersonation" of the keyboard master!

I attended the 2nd Philadelphia show, but that was definitely a Wakeman show. Please post photos or other documentation if you have them.

[MoonGateClimber]

Anyone with photos from the last part of that tour from the Hershey, PA show on is strongly encouraged to produce evidence either supporting or contradicting this story. (See "Forgotten Yesterdays" section of this website to see if your show was in the last 22 of the tour) I simply want to know the truth. And if Jake really was there, as I feel in my gut, give him some credit and recognition for his incredible "impersonation" of the keyboard master!
That's why I posted that picture above... I looked at many picures from the tour on yesterdays & that one was the least like Wakeman. I would really like to believe you, but it just seems to improbable - I'm sure the members would introduce Jake as who he was. I would really like to think that Jon, Steve, Chris, & Alan didn't lie to us all...

[neilius]

I'm not sure, but I was looking on forgotten yesterdays, & I found this pic of Wakey from the 03/15/74 San Francisco show... For some reason, I don't think it's Rick - his mouth & hair look different than the other photos of him from that time, but I could be wrong. Could it be Jake Welsh? ;)
I'd have to say that you've been decieved! I also noticed that you live in Hawaii... Did Jake tell you what you told us? :D

Thats definately Rick in that photo.

[neilius]

Ricks health problems didnt start until after he left yes. his heart attacks occured after he left yes. That's in his autobiograpghy. and documented elsewhere.
I dont beleive the story you have been told Pakananda, Not one bit.

[cinderella]

The only Jake Welsh I've ever heard of is a Hawaiian artist. It says on his website he's a local painter, musician and writer.

http://www.kauai-computer.com/jake/

[pakananda]

The only Jake Welsh I've ever heard of is a Hawaiian artist. It says on his website he's a local painter, musician and writer.

http://www.kauai-computer.com/jake/

Yes, Cindy! That's the guy. I've seen his art here on Kauai. He's quite talented. Check out his music on that site also, for at least a taste of his musical capabilities. Now that I've brought this to public awareness, he's probably going to kill me next time I see him. (We're not friends, only occasional acquantances).

[cinderella]

I don't know how it happened, but one day I was looking around online and somehow I came across him. When I read your post the name rang a bell so I went back to the site. I did listen to the music samples. Very nice. ;)

[pakananda]

I don't know how it happened, but one day I was looking around online and somehow I came across him. When I read your post the name rang a bell so I went back to the site. I did listen to the music samples. Very nice. ;)

Yes, I've owned his CD since first hearing him play it live in 1990. The 3rd track (as sampled on his website) is my favorite, but the album as a whole is quite good, I think. Do you agree that he at least has the musical capabilities to fill in for Wakeman?

[cinderella]

Do you agree that he at least has the musical capabilities to fill in for Wakeman?

Well I couldn't judge too much by the small samples I heard, but he seems very talented. It's hard for me to say. If he was in the right place at the right time, who knows.

[pakananda]

I'm not sure, but I was looking on forgotten yesterdays, & I found this pic of Wakey from the 03/15/74 San Francisco show... For some reason, I don't think it's Rick - his mouth & hair look different than the other photos of him from that time, but I could be wrong. Could it be Jake Welsh? ;)
I:D

While I agree with Neilius that the photo posted in post #8 is the genuine Wakeman, that photo looks suspiciously like a scan from the official programme from that tour. What I would like is for someone to come up with ORIGINAL photographs from any of the latter 22 gigs from that tour, showing a good closeup of the man's face. That is going to be the best evidence.

[neilius]

While I agree with Neilius that the photo posted in post #8 is the genuine Wakeman, that photo looks suspiciously like a scan from the official programme from that tour. What I would like is for someone to come up with ORIGINAL photographs from any of the latter 22 gigs from that tour, showing a good closeup of the man's face. That is going to be the best evidence.
On yesworld website, there's a review page in the archives of every gig yes played. Im sure you will find some reviews there. dont know about photo's.

[True Believer]

It's kinda hard to believe ... but who knows with Yes? Anything's possible.

[pakananda]

Ricks health problems didnt start until after he left yes. his heart attacks occured after he left yes.


In an interview in December '74, Wakeman himself attests to having an ulcer during and before the Tales tour and speaks of this playing a role in leaving the band. (see bottom paragraph of this article: http://yesmuseum.org/wakpar04.html)

Here is a quote from the article:
I was bad like that for about three months, and then we did the American tour! Anyway ... ulcers can be really bad when you're on the road and eating badly and all ... After awhile I just said, 'see you, no more of this' ... and that had something to do with my leaving the band and all. You just can't try and do two things in one go.
What does all this mean? It's interesting to note that there are 3 sets of "..." indicating that there was other text left out from the original interview. Was this possibly because of censorship of material to be hidden from the general public? Even in it's current edited form, can it be reasonably inferred that he left the tour early?

[neilius]

Click on Forgotten yesterdays on yesworld, The tfto tour is well documented there and as far as i've looked Wakey was on the bill on all those shows

[pakananda]

Click on Forgotten yesterdays on yesworld, The tfto tour is well documented there and as far as i've looked Wakey was on the bill on all those showsYeah - that's the whole point of this thread. I'm suggesting the possibility that there was an intentional deception and coverup. Think about it. 22 shows x avg. $150,000/show. That adds up to over $3Mil - a lot of money in those days! The guy wears a cape, and is practically enshrouded in hair and beard. Just how hard would it be to fool 15,000 fans seated an average of 100's of feet away from the stage? They're going to believe the music first, and their eyes may just go along with it. When I first saw Jake, I thought he looked alot like RW and I wasn't even at a Yes concert where I'm going to expect it. I've already established Welsh's musical capabilities. Take a listen for yourself by going to his website.

What about the Wakeman quote above? In the beginning of the article, RW says that he became unhappy "about midway through the tour". BTW, I only today read this article and it dovetails well with Welsh's story of 15 yrs.

[Joe]

Are you Jake Welsh?
No joke here

[neilius]

Have a look at Rick's web-site. www.rwcc.com
Maybe there's more info on that page, plus you have the option of emailing him although i doubt if he would reply to you regarding this situation.

[neilius]

Are you Jake Welsh?
No joke here
Im starting to think of trolls Joe!

[Joe]

Im starting to think of trolls Joe!


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/joeykeyz/Sm%20Pix/troll.jpg

Wakey graduating music school

[neilius]

:dog:

[pakananda]

Ok, Joe. Reasonable question - no. I am not Jake Welsh. As I said, he will probably be pissed when he finds out about this as he's bound to. I didn't know he had a website until Cindy pointed it out. This is not some sort of bizarre attempt at publicity either. This is a question I've had for 15 years and I agree - it does not add up - but if you were in my shoes, I bet you'd have the same curiousity. And Neil, I'm not going to bother trying to get at Wakeman because if this was a conspiracy, he was certainly in on it. I'm not a cult conspiracy type either, but I'll say this: If they got away with killing JFK in front of the entire world and covered that up with a lone gunman story, how much easier would this have been to pull off? Please read that complete interview article and see all the references to "leaving the band".

[Joe]

Ok, Joe. Reasonable question - no. I am not Jake Welsh. As I said, he will probably be pissed when he finds out about this as he's bound to. I didn't know he had a website until Cindy pointed it out. This is not some sort of bizarre attempt at publicity either. This is a question I've had for 15 years and I agree - it does not add up - but if you were in my shoes, I bet you'd have the same curiousity. And Neil, I'm not going to bother trying to get at Wakeman because if this was a conspiracy, he was certainly in on it. I'm not a cult conspiracy type either, but I'll say this: If they got away with killing JFK in front of the entire world and covered that up with a lone gunman story, how much easier would this have been to pull off? Please read that complete interview article and see all the references to "leaving the band".

Hey P,
we're just playing with you. Your the new guy! It's just hard to believe this.....although.....who know's! If it is true, you'll go down in history on YESfans!

[neilius]

It certainly will be a scoop!
I've decided to contact Wayne smith, The webmaster of rwcc.com and see what his comments are. If and when i get a reply, i shall post it here.

[Joe]

It certainly will be a scoop!
I've decided to contact Wayne smith, The webmaster of rwcc.com and see what his comments are. If and when i get a reply, i shall post it here.

TA DA!!!
Dig Neilius, dig!

[deelovesyes]

http://www.forgottenyesterdays.com/tour_listing.asp?s=2&tname=5&SortBy=tDate&so=asc&navb=1&page=5#graphics

Forgotten Yesterdays, Live from both Chicago and san Francisco, shots of wakeman on stage not scans from tourbook.

Dee

[PO]

Have Jake tell which shows he performed in. I mean, out of 22 shows he would certainly remember some. I would think for that kind of thrill, all the dates would still be crystal clear. US? Europe?

Ask him about the Detroit show that was filmed, too.

[neilius]

http://www.forgottenyesterdays.com/tour_listing.asp?s=2&tname=5&SortBy=tDate&so=asc&navb=1&page=5#graphics

Forgotten Yesterdays, Live from both Chicago and san Francisco, shots of wakeman on stage not scans from tourbook.

Dee
Yep.
There's Mr Rick Wakeman on the keys. Shame I've already contacted Wayne Smith!

[deelovesyes]

Paul he says the last 22 of the US tour.
Pictures of wakeman exist at 2 of those on Forgotten Yesterdays.


Dee

[deelovesyes]

Wakeman already hates the internet, this will give him more reason to hate it.

Dee

[Joe]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/joeykeyz/Music/2_183_2.jpg
UMMMMMMM?
Wakey or Wacky

[pakananda]

Have Jake tell which shows he performed in. I mean, out of 22 shows he would certainly remember some. I would think for that kind of thrill, all the dates would still be crystal clear. US? Europe?

Ask him about the Detroit show that was filmed, too.

Detroit was definitely Wakeman, according to his story Hershey was his first gig (or maybe Wakeman's last, not sure).
I'm not sure if he played EVERY gig in a row, but this was my understanding. It may sound wimpy, but I haven't seen Jake in 6 or 7 yrs and I'm not gonna ask him. I may have inadvertantly betrayed a confidence by bringing this out in the open. I've forgotten if he asked me to keep quiet. Sorry Jake, (if that's the case). My recollection was that he played 22 or 23 shows starting with the Hershey show. When I looked on the tour schedule TODAY (for the 1st time), that jived with what he told me. That's another indication of truth. If he was lying, he would have had to have access to that information and have a well sculpted lie. Not likely for someone who, if lying, would have had to fabricate it on the spot. This was a casual 1st meeting.

Besides, if this does turn out to be true, we need more than Jake's word on it anyway.

[PO]

Okay, I was at the Minnesota show ( the 4th suspect show). It was Wakeman. He would go up to the font of the stage, full frontal!) to get the audience going. I also had friends who were in the 2nd row.

Also, those San Fran pics, which is one of the 22 dates, are Wakeman.

Convenient that the first of these 22 dates is exactly the date AFTER the "pro-shot" Detroit show. The guy does his homework. ;)

Forgotten Yesterdays has been up since 1996. A lotof that info has been easily available to anyone for years.

[BrianD]

Its well documented that Wakeman was both unwell during the US leg of the TFTO tour and that he actually resigned from the band during that leg (but only very briefly) - but other than the uncorroborated views of Jake Welsh, I do not believe there is any evidence that anyone other than Wakeman played those shows.

[pakananda]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/joeykeyz/Music/2_183_2.jpg
UMMMMMMM?
Wakey or Wacky
You mean Wakey or Jakey

[neilius]

Maybe Jake is Ricks long lost twin brother

[PO]

There's no way they would let him anywhere near the front of the stage if he were an imposter. He would have to be a complete dead-ringer for Wakeman to pull this off. The rock press and radio stations were at all of these shows, too (Yes was very popular, then!).

20 shows, 200,000 fans, the press, and no one could tell?

There are bootlegs of these shows. I'm gonna listen to them and see what I can hear.

03/01/74 Hershey PA Hersheypark Arena (7,225)
03/02/74 Louisville KY Louisville Gardens (7,000)
03/03/74 Cincinnati OH Cincinnati Gardens (12,000)
03/05/74 Bloomington MN Metropolitan Sports Center (15,000)
03/06/74 Chicago IL International Amphitheatre (9,000)
03/07/74 Chicago IL International Amphitheatre (9,000)
03/08/74 St. Louis MO Kiel Auditorium (22,500)
03/10/74 Memphis TN Memphis Cook Convention Center (16,500)
03/11/74 Oklahoma City OK Fairgrounds Arena (10,944)
03/12/74 Wichita KS Century II Civic Center
03/13/74 Denver CO Denver Coliseum (9,200)
03/14/74 Albuquerque NM Pit Arena, The (18,000)
03/15/74 San Francisco CA Winterland
03/16/74 San Francisco CA Winterland
03/17/74 Sacramento CA Memorial Auditorium (4,000)
03/18/74 Inglewood CA Great Western Forum (15,000)
03/19/74 Long Beach CA Long Beach Arena (14,000)
03/20/74 Fresno CA Selland Arena (13,000)
03/21/74 San Diego CA San Diego Sports Arena (14,400)
03/23/74 San Antonio TX San Antonio Civic Center
03/24/74 Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University (14,500)
03/25/74 Dallas TX

[BrianD]

http://yesmuseum.org/images/WinterRick.JPG

Another photo from San Francisco

[PO]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/joeykeyz/Music/2_183_2.jpg
UMMMMMMM?
Wakey or Wacky


That's the Chicago show because he has the Chicago tour shirt on. There is no way in hell they would let an imposter mugg for the camera like that. No way. They'd be THE MOST STOOPID musicians in history if that were the case! :winknudge.

I can't imaginme anyone stepping in from the Sound Crew and running Wakeman's equipment, either. Everything was manually programmed on the fly. There was no pre-programmed anything. Wakeman ran the equipment as much as play it. His most complicated setup was the Tales tour.

[Joe]

I can't imaginme anyone stepping in from the Sound Crew and running Wakeman's equipment, either. Everything was manually programmed on the fly. There was no pre-programmed anything. Wakeman ran the equipment as much as play it. His most complicated setup was the Tales tour.[/QUOTE]
This is a good point. I'm no Wakeman, but I use 5 boards on stage when I play, and they're all programed to my personal needs and freak-o F/X settings. Only I could run them!

[pakananda]

I read somewhere in an article today that said both White and Wakeman were mostly absent at sound checks, implying that Wakeman did in fact have a sound guy for stand-ins. So far, all photos are definitely Wakeman, IMHO. Anybody have an obscure concert photo, specifically the Hershey show?

[1yesfan]

I was on the drums for the first 5 shows. HE HE HE HE

[cinderella]

http://yesmuseum.org/images/WinterRick.JPG

Another photo from San Francisco


Now to me that doesn't look like Rick. What did he gain weight?
His face looks too fat and his nose is more rounded.

[neilius]

Now to me that doesn't look like Rick. What did he gain weight?
His face looks too fat and his nose is more rounded.
He piled a lot of weight on during 73-74 due to his 16 pints of bitter and large indian meals every day, while his band mates were all vegetarians.
Its no wonder he had a heart attack; he had been without sleep for 72 hours(and drinking) when the Journey album was performed.

[cinderella]

He piled a lot of weight on during 73-74 due to his 16 pints of bitter and large indian meals every day, while his band mates were all vegetarians. Its no wonder he had a heart attack; he had been without sleep for 72 hours(and drinking) when the Journey album was performed.

Yikes!!!! I guess that could do it.





Are you Jake Welsh?
No joke here



Oh and don't shoot the messenger.

[JL]

From the day I found YesFans, we have been better than this.

If you play the last 2 minutes of Sound Chaser backwards, there is a detailed confession about Yes pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and passing Jake Welsh off as Rick. It seems Chris was introduced to Jake by William Campbell, who was introduced to Chris by John Lennon at Paul McCartney's secret funeral in 1966. John threw in a backwards snippet in Dear Prudence detailing the events of this day.

[cinderella]

There are bootlegs of these shows. I'm gonna listen to them and see what I can hear.

03/01/74 Hershey PA Hersheypark Arena (7,225)
03/02/74 Louisville KY Louisville Gardens (7,000)
03/03/74 Cincinnati OH Cincinnati Gardens (12,000)
03/05/74 Bloomington MN Metropolitan Sports Center (15,000)
03/06/74 Chicago IL International Amphitheatre (9,000)
03/07/74 Chicago IL International Amphitheatre (9,000)
03/08/74 St. Louis MO Kiel Auditorium (22,500)
03/10/74 Memphis TN Memphis Cook Convention Center (16,500)
03/11/74 Oklahoma City OK Fairgrounds Arena (10,944)
03/12/74 Wichita KS Century II Civic Center
03/13/74 Denver CO Denver Coliseum (9,200)
03/14/74 Albuquerque NM Pit Arena, The (18,000)
03/15/74 San Francisco CA Winterland
03/16/74 San Francisco CA Winterland
03/17/74 Sacramento CA Memorial Auditorium (4,000)
03/18/74 Inglewood CA Great Western Forum (15,000)
03/19/74 Long Beach CA Long Beach Arena (14,000)
03/20/74 Fresno CA Selland Arena (13,000)
03/21/74 San Diego CA San Diego Sports Arena (14,400)
03/23/74 San Antonio TX San Antonio Civic Center
03/24/74 Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University (14,500)
03/25/74 Dallas TX


Geez that's a lot of listening. I'm afraid my ears would become numb. :headset:

[cinderella]

I don't know why everyone here is so worked up over this.

He only asked a question and wondered if there was any proof of it.

If the answer is no then what's the problem?!

I'm just sayin'...

[ThePatman]

I was on the drums for the first 5 shows. HE HE HE HE

That's just as believable as the rest of this gumbo lol! :headset:

[neilius]

I hope he wasnt scared away!

[cinderella]

I hope he wasnt scared away!

If I were him I wouldn't come back, the way he's been treated.

I guess that's why I stay in the fluffy threads, keep my political beliefs to myself and never ask any of the questions about the things I've read about Yes around here. It's better to keep quiet. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/Cinderella528/N99%20Smileys/ohwell.gif

[Altres]

http://images.misupply.com/products/original/Gifts%20of%20Note/151491.jpg

This shot was taken at the Dallas show. I cannot believe no one noticed at all? I mean the guy has a different hair style, no cape and most obviously of all, a tooth missing.
Brian

[cinderella]

No that's Trevor Horn.

[Altres]

Cor, Cindy said "horn".

http://www.ckoi.com/images/comiques/normales/0000058.JPG

[neilius]

I hope Wakey visits this site. This thread is quite funny!
I feel sorry for the poor soul that started it now.
Come back P, all is forgiven.(unless rick goes nuts!)

[neilius]

It certainly will be a scoop!
I've decided to contact Wayne smith, The webmaster of rwcc.com and see what his comments are. If and when i get a reply, i shall post it here.
I have received an email from either Rick himself or Wayne Smith, the reply i got didnt have a name with it. here it is in full:

It's not really worth commenting on is it? :-)

Short and sweet.

[Yes2Yes]

I have received an email from either Rick himself or Wayne Smith, the reply i got didnt have a name with it. here it is in full:

It's not really worth commenting on is it? :-)

Short and sweet.

lol.Direct and to the point!

[pakananda]

From the day I found YesFans, we have been better than this.

If you play the last 2 minutes of Sound Chaser backwards, there is a detailed confession about Yes pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and passing Jake Welsh off as Rick. It seems Chris was introduced to Jake by William Campbell, who was introduced to Chris by John Lennon at Paul McCartney's secret funeral in 1966. John threw in a backwards snippet in Dear Prudence detailing the events of this day.This is getting to be some really funny ----. I woke up this morning and laughed my ass off at the above comment and the monkey thing (but that's actually Elvis, don't you know?) Come on now, with a few exceptions, most of you in this forum at least thought it was possible at some point. And you never even met this Jake Welsh guy. I did. I've seen him play and personally think he's better than Rick Wakeman. But that's just my taste. (I think Wakeman peaked out on Yessongs with his excerpts from 6 wives of Henry VIII.)

[pakananda]

OK, and now for the truth: I am Jake Welsh and I'm a raving egotist. I always wanted to be Rick. I stalked him for 17 years and learned everything about him from the way he walked, talked, wore his hair - even the kind of men he liked. I had my face done up by Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon down to the last mole and freckle on Wakey's face. I changed my name from William Smoots and became Jake Welsh just so I could be Jakey W. I joined the sound crew on the Tales tour and became Wakeman's stand-in in a vain attempt to eventually replace him, all the while encouraging him to drink and spreading vicious rumors about the rest of the band. I poisoned his mind against TFTO by telling him he was too simple minded to understand it. My plan seemed to be working when he quit at the Hershey show. Just when I was ready to step in, the band decided to all chip in and buy him a few extra pints. Well, that was that. Now I can only dream of what might have been and sleep with my life-size blow up doll which I like to call "Quakey Wakey". So, now that it's all out in the open, we can put this thread to bed.

There Rick, that'll teach you not to sign my Journey tour book!

-------------------------------------------
"The truth? You can't handle the truth!"

[Symbol]

Welcome to Yesfans pakanada.

Interesting first thread/posts.

[cinderella]

Cor, Cindy said "horn".

http://www.ckoi.com/images/comiques/normales/0000058.JPG

Ahhhh Mother Superior. Look she's trying to get to Yesfans!!!

[ThePatman]

did she just have some juice or what? :headset:

[neilius]

OK, and now for the truth: I am Jake Welsh and I'm a raving egotist. I always wanted to be Rick. I stalked him for 17 years and learned everything about him from the way he walked, talked, wore his hair - even the kind of men he liked. I had my face done up by Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon down to the last mole and freckle on Wakey's face. I changed my name from William Smoots and became Jake Welsh just so I could be Jakey W. I joined the sound crew on the Tales tour and became Wakeman's stand-in in a vain attempt to eventually replace him, all the while encouraging him to drink and spreading vicious rumors about the rest of the band. I poisoned his mind against TFTO by telling him he was too simple minded to understand it. My plan seemed to be working when he quit at the Hershey show. Just when I was ready to step in, the band decided to all chip in and buy him a few extra pints. Well, that was that. Now I can only dream of what might have been and sleep with my life-size blow up doll which I like to call "Quakey Wakey". So, now that it's all out in the open, we can put this thread to bed.

There Rick, that'll teach you not to sign my Journey tour book!

-------------------------------------------
"The truth? You can't handle the truth!"
:dog:
Pakananda,

Your thread lives on! it IS funny. Welcome!

[altaeria]

So...uh...wait...
It's all... um... true, then. Right?

Ironically, at the time, the "impostor" was actually sitting behind the drumset.

[neilius]

someone email Rick about this thread1 i know i already have, it was wayne smith who replied to me im sure.
I think rick would find this thread extremely amusing.

[flep]

So it was all a joke right?

It seems like that episode from Dallas!!!!

[kirk]

let a keyboardist in here....i agree w/ paul, no damn way anyone
could step into wakeman's keys in those days.
knowing the music isn't half the battle w/a pile of analog synths.
this was way before midi, sysex messages, that make it possible
to do rapid setup changes.
moogs are beasts to handle, forget imitating a master.

for the non-keyboardists, you'll remember from yessongs the
amount of knob twiddling going on during rick's solo.
add to that, wakeman's lookalike being a sound tech and...
break out the hipboots.

btw- the cincinnati gardens show was my 1st yes concert.

my time on the OMDs makes me a bit suspicious of posts like these.
if i'm wrong, apologies to the newbie...but it's not uncommon.

kirk
ummm...16 pints!?!

[Timmo]

I attended the 2nd Philadelphia show, but that was definitely a Wakeman show. Please post photos or other documentation if you have them.I was at that show too. It was definitely RW.

Actually, the entire band was abducted by space aliens right after the Philly Tales show. Ever since then, the "pod people" have been impersonating them!

Well, Jon at least.

I really have a hard time believing this story, but thanks for a great thread pakananda! I believe that this guy told you the story, I just don't think I believe the story itself.

Must have one of the Liquor Locusts ask Messier Squire about this. Hopefully he'll be amused.

[Joe]

Hey P*
Did your X-friend, Jake Welsh find out that
you told the YES world about his (maybe) lie?
Don't you worry, we'll kick his a#s if he mess's with you.
Your a YES head now! You have friends with connections! :greenchai :soldier:
Your YES Buddy's!

[PO]

... no damn way anyone
could step into wakeman's keys in those days.
knowing the music isn't half the battle w/a pile of analog synths...

Even the drawbar settings and running the Leslies would be enough of a challenge, much less the twoo Moogs, two mellotrons, RMI, etc., etc.

No one's personally going after you, Pak. We're just playing Mythbusters, Yes-style.!

[breadboy526]

couldn't have put it better.

[steve4001]

ummm...16 pints!?!Heck, that's only one pint an hour, and it still gives you eight hours a day to pass out, eat curry etc :friday:

[The Whale]

This is such crap! My dad seat in with Iron butterfly for two showes back in the late 60's. There drummer had problems they found him in a bar band playing some hevy drumm parts he was a huge fan so --- he didn't get paid they gave him a bunch of free stuff and lett him get pics of every one autographed and every thing with a thank you letter to boot. If Rick was sick they would have addressed it so he could get help not drag him around while hes sick just to get sick! Give me a brake/

[smatt]

Just not possible......

[smatt]

Firther expalination as to why it's not possible........


There's jsut to many people that are around today that went to the various Tales shows on the tour. Many of these people are so darned picky, they would've SEEN the difference, heard the difference, besides it would've leaked out soemwhere by now. He's pulling your leg.....

[MrZuLu]

Yes 2006
Jon Anderson
Steve Howe
Chris Squire
Jake Walsh
Alan White




That makes Anderson's name the longest!
:dog:

[smatt]

Thanks man, I needed that laugh! :lmao:

[Rabin105]

wait no it wasn't jake walsh It was tony kaye who reoplaced him on the tales tour
Matt you'll back me up right



:dog:

:lol: