FLASH (Peter Banks) Vs. BADGER

[carlmarx38]

Kind of embarrassing to admit.....I've been a YES fan for over 40 years, and have never really given a fair shake to the Banks and Kaye post-YES bands. I've heard Badger a few times, but almost never really listened to Peter Banks/ Flash.

I actually didn't even know there were 3 Flash albums (listening to "Our of Our Hands" as I write this). What are the best albums/tracks for these (mostly) under-rated Splinter projects of the Great YES family ? Does the second Badger album even count (since Kaye was only marginally involved....it was mostly a Jackie Lomax album in all but name).

[YESOLA]

It's all good to enjoy. Peter Banks sound, Yes album era production.

One Live Badger - Tony is featured very well on this.

Love all 3 Albums by Flash.

[Roundabob]

Small Beginnings is a great song off of the first album. I was in high school, and after hearing that song, I was thinking that Flash had as much promise for the future as Yes. The vocalist was not anywhere close to Jon Anderson quality, but I loved Peter Banks’ playing, and the energy that Flash offered.

[auxfnx]

Love Flash. The vocalist is not particularly strong for my tastes, but kind of reminds me of the vocalist of Budgie a little bit. I find it to be a nice continuation, instrumentally, of the first self-titled Yes album sound. Like an alternate future path Yes could have taken.

[Soundwaveseeker]

Fine, fine stuff all. One Live Badger is really the only one from them if you don't credit White Lady (which is really only just 'called' Badger). Tony has some hot organ on there, possibly the most Tony Kaye you'll hear on a band album. It was recorded at the same shows as Yessongs I believe, Badger being the opening band? Anyway, unusual for a band's debut to be a live album. Nice Dean album cover. The songs are a little samey though in an early 70's rockin' kinda way. But listen to it for Tony Kaye.

But my vote goes to Flash - an energetic and in your face synthesis of Yes and The Who. Banks is on fire on guitar. I would say some of his playing with Flash is as good as Howe on The Yes Album. The first album has Tony Kaye as a guest throughout as well. Peter Banks has always been the blueprint of the Yes guitar sound, he was just held back a bit as a member of Yes. With Flash he is unleashed. Flash is just great fun summery 70's rock/prog stuff. The second album is like the first a bit, great stuff. Like what the Yes album would have sounded like had Banks not left. The third one Out Of Our Hands is where they lost momentum and turned in a collection of shorter tunes in the format of a somewhat vague concept album, though there are still good tracks there as well. Then they soured on each other, imploded and disbanded in the middle of a tour, But three lively albums, worth checkin' out when you wanna hear some Yes alumni stuff other than the usual Fish Out Of Water, Asia, Jon & Vangelis, 6 Wives etc.

Also worth hearing is Empire, which was like Flash with female vocals.

fave Flash trax:

Small Beginnings
Children Of The Universe
Dreams Of Heaven
Black And White
None The Wiser
Manhattan Morning
Psychosync

[Sharp On Attack]

Flash all the way ! A mixture of YES and the WHO (inferior to either obviously) but still quite good...and nice covert art I should add...