bruford or white?
 

bruford...his drumming just sounded a lot better, i dunno.

I think this is like comparing Prince to Michael Jackson. What's the point?

White plays things Bruford can't even fathom, yet the same goes for Bruford being able to play things White can't.

What I think the main difference is:

King Crimson. Bruford played in King Crimson, which was doing some music far beyone the comprehension of Yes even, despite their avant-garde-ness. KC went to places musically that no band has ever even tried. They are truly the ONE unique band that has ever existed. They aren't Jazz, They aren't rock, they aren't pop. What are thy? The defintion of avant garde. But when Bruford was in, they only did a few amazing things. "Discipline", for example, being one of them.

Alan White on the other hand has done Relayer. An album (IMO) that overshadows everything that KC, ELP, or any other band did, no matter how brilliant they did it. The fact that White can still play Gates, is amazing and automatically qualifies him as the "greatest drummer alive right" now. Even Bruford would have a tough time playing the first 5 minutes of it. And had he stayed, Yes would not be the band they are, because Bruford wouldn't have done an album like Relayer. Tales is a whole other story. Only Alan White could have been on Tales. No other drummer would have done what he did, and this WAS HIS DEBUT appearance as a member of a band on a rock album pretty much. That says alot. And to those is says nothing to, his album before that was with Joh Lennon, so there! We're talking about someone who really gets the shaft as far as recognition goes.

His solo album "Ramshackled" is under-rated too. I think it rules. Not as much for the drumming, but for the songwriting. Bruford has been a pretty boring drummer considering what he has done since CttE. Every once in a while in his career, he does something memorable, but his most memorable stuff is with Yes and KC. But then again KC's most memorable stuff is without Bruford, so go figure. I think the same can be said about Yes and Bruford (with the exception of CTTE).

So anyways, Yes, Alan hasn't been the best drummer on the recent yes albums, but if Bruford was still in people would be saying the same, so it's really apples and oranges here, and taht's my point.


j;)e

ok...i dunno, i just like brufords style more, like in the cd jackets hes always smiling and he looks like he had a lot of evergy, which, i would guess, transformed into his drumming. i haven listened to enuf yes to analize them thouroughly...but the reason i picked bruford is because of what he did in ctte, the song. its like what genesis did in selling engalnd by the pound, i guess.

btw, i listened to the more you know, i really like the build up at about the 9 minute mark :)

I agree that Bruford has more style on CTTE, than Alan does, but I was just sort of saying that Alan is just as good, but in a different way. Like Phil Collins is. As a matter of fact Phil almost joined Yes, wouldn't that have been wild?!?!?!

P.S. thanks for compliment.


Joe

Bruford or White...
 

Bruford has always been the thinking man's
drummer. His approach was always more cerebral
to White's more physical hard hitting "rock" drummer
style.
I thought that Bruford was great at the ABWH shows
that I caught, but never really looked comfortable
on the Union tour.
It seemed at times that he played the roll of back up
drummer on that Union tour.
I thought he played alot better and looked more
at home on the King Crimson double trio line-up
tour.
As fans we are lucky to have experienced the best of
both worlds.
Another aspect may be that White on tour is probably
a very laid back easy going guy..
I would imagine that Bruford's arrogance and very
british pompous self assuredness may have been a bit
grating at times.

I am not a fan of electric drums and Bill uses them. As it was siad here Alan is more a rocking drummer which is what I love.

I honestly never paid much attention to the drums in Yes until I saw how much debate there was over Alan and Bill. I think I do prefer Bill's style of drumming, he seems very light on the sticks. I guess that has something to do with his jazz background.

However, I have no problem at all with Alan. I think he is great, and surely in the same league as Bill and other great drummers. Also, his dedication and love of the band is a nod in his favor. :drummer: :thumbs:

well again....
 

White seems to me more faithfulness for Yes than Bruford was !! Alan is heavier than Bill for rock!
My choice...... Alan
Afterimage

Hmmm
 

That's a rough one. I really do like them both, although Alan has a somewhat more amicable personality and Bruford doesn't seem to have too high of an opinion of Yes fans (just check the NFTE archives).
Aside from that, stylistically they are just too different to compare, as haroldthebarrel said.
I loved the stuff that Bill did prior to leaving Yes (hate the electronic drums, however). I loved the stuff that Alan did on Relayer, Drama, and Keys; however, I found a lot of the 80’s and 90’s albums sounded perfunctory in terms of the drumming.:clap:

what exactly are electric drums? which songs did he use them in?

Anything I have seen Bill playing on with Yes has been electric drums, not the usall acoustic set like Alans. Just watch him playing on the Union tour or the ABWH stuff.

Anyone who can come into a band such as Yes at essentially a moments notice during a tour and put his own style to material he had no part in creating without compromising the integrity of the pieces,deserves a little respect.Especially with a totally different method in use of his instrument.After all these years you would think that there would be no controversy at all in who Yes's true drummer is.Imagine the buzz if he decided to move on to other endeavors! Then maybe appreciation for this under-rated drummer would come to the fore.But I don't want to even imagine this happening.Just give Sound Chaser a good listen.Fantastic!

It's White for me now, Bill's liking for electronics leaves me hankering after the traditional skin-bashing approach. Somehow it has more soul. They are both just great as drummers, Alan is a true Yes man though, Bill's heart lies elsewhere.

Simon.

Re: well again....
 

Being faithful to a band is one thing, to be stymied and miserable is quite another. I honestly believe Bill felt he had accomplished as much he could musically with Yes. This guy wanted VERY BADLY to be in King Crimson. Better that he be in a band where he was content and felt he could make an equal contribution. Judging from what I’ve read about the CTTE sessions, that was not the case.

Or equally if not more wild was Bill Bruford joining Genesis for a tour...Now that’s what I call percussion heaven – especially the dual drum solo during Los Endos.

I'd like to hear some of the Bruford with Genesis stuff. All there is officially released of this is Supper's Ready from Seconds Out.

But even then, during the instrumental parts, Phil would hop on drums and do the main beats, while Bruford was more of a percussionist. I know that Bruford only played on the Trick of the Tail tour, is there a widely available boot of this?

J:smksml:e

Bruford w/Genesis
 

haroldthebarrel - FYI

Official Bruford drumming with Genesis releases:

SECONDS OUT

"The Cinema Show" (Chester Thompson's on "Supper's Ready")

THREE SIDES LIVE (US Version post 1994)

"It/Watcher of the Skies"

GENESIS ARCHIVES II 1976-1992

"Entangled" (glock/maraccas only)


And, I have to give a slight edge to Bruford over White. Alan is a great guy, outstanding drummer, and total team player, but Bill was doing things in the early 70s that no one at the time could touch. Techincal excellence with a strong sense of feel. Sometimes having an likeable personality and being a brilliant musician does not go hand in hand. I give you Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, for example.

You know, the YES West/Cinema fans always say, Trevor Rabin saved YES, gave them hits, and so on... but if you think about it, it is Alan White who actually allowed YES to have major success in the USA... there is NO WAY YES could've become so huge in the 1970s with Bruford doing his avant-jazz thing... Alan White helped YES to become a stadium band, and without him it could have been a very different story (think Gentle Giant record sales)... i love both drummers -- all credit to BB for his innovation and his integrity, and all credit to AW for his amazing work on Relayer and 'Awaken' and for keeping YES funky & popular...

Very good point Charl8e. I never looked at it that way as far as Alan and his role in the group.

Haroldthebarrel 11-13-2001
 

Yes: according to Chris Welch's 'Secret life of Peter Gabriel', Phil Collins thought to ask Yes for joining them when he heard that Bill bruford was leaving them.
Having heard for another group called Genesis, he decided to try playing with them, before Yes.


Ciao