Favorite Alan White performances

[Chrisklenox]

I thought it would be cool if we talked about some of our favorite performances that Alan has given over the years. Live, studio, with or without Yes. I am sure many of us will be revisiting our favorite tracks with Alan in mind.

For me, I’ll list a few right now, though I could list hundreds:

Yours Is No Disgrace (Houston 1988)
Close to The Edge (Glasgow 1977)
Gates of Delerium (Yesshows)
Drama (the whole album)
The Big Medley (Richfield 1978)
Cut The Ties (Circa)
Pennants (Steve Howe)
Homeworld (From The Ladder)

[Soundwaveseeker]

I love his drums on:

Release Release - the canned audience may be questionable but the solo feels good
Run Through The Light - towards the end: magic! Really, all of Drama
Big Generator - the title track, when the drums start slow and speed up like he's a machine
The Ancient
Ritual - tribal drums anyone?
Cut The Ties - he and Billy were a good combo
Sound Chaser
Changes
Endless Dream - Silent Spring
Yessongs performances
good basic rock drums on Wetton/Manzanera album
seeing the Syn with Alan live
On The Silent Wings Of Freedom
Face To Face
synth drums on live in Philadelphia

the list goes on!

[Mr. Holland]

Instant Karma - John Lennon, legendary performance.

The whole Relayer album and the whole Drama album, Alan's pinnacle with Yes and with Chris.

Turn of the Century - this is such an incredibly difficult song to keep going timing wise, because the percussion is so vastly different from what a drummer usually does in rock or prog rock even.

I know that many people feel Trevor Rabin's solo in Your is No Disgrace on the Union tour was pure wankery, but I loved especially how Alan backed him up.

Awaken on both Keys to Ascension as well as on Live in Montreux; Alan's drumming is so majestic.

Endless Dream, Real Love, The Calling from Talk. Alan always felt this was Yes' most underrated album and somewhere in the 2000's when he was asked what was the most challenging piece he ever played on stage he actually named Endless Dream. He was incredible on the Talk tour for that matter.

[Mr. Holland]

Instant Karma - John Lennon, legendary performance.

The whole Relayer album and the whole Drama album, Alan's pinnacle with Yes and with Chris.

Turn of the Century - this is such an incredibly difficult song to keep going timing wise, because the percussion is so vastly different from what a drummer usually does in rock or prog rock even.

I know that many people feel Trevor Rabin's solo in Your is No Disgrace on the Union tour was pure wankery, but I loved especially how Alan backed him up.

Awaken on both Keys to Ascension as well as on Live in Montreux; Alan's drumming is so majestic.

Endless Dream, Real Love, The Calling from Talk. Alan always felt this was Yes' most underrated album and somewhere in the 2000's when he was asked what was the most challenging piece he ever played on stage he actually named Endless Dream. He was incredible on the Talk tour for that matter.

Oh, Gates and Ritual on Yesshows! My God, the power, the finesse, the prowess; staggering!

[Frumious B]

Try “Whitefish” from 9012Live. It’s a pretty poignant listen right now.

[luna65]

I know that many people feel Trevor Rabin's solo in Your is No Disgrace on the Union tour was pure wankery, but I loved especially how Alan backed him up.

It was a great moment for the two of them, for sure.

[JMKUSA]

I put together a playlist that I’ll be listening to this weekend:

Instant Karma
Yours is No Disgrace (Progeny highlights album)
Ritual
Sound Chaser
Song of Innocence
Turn of the Century
Release, Release
Tempus Fugit
Whitefish (from 9012Live)
Shoot High, Aim Low
In the Presence Of (from Symphonic Live)
Cut the Ties
Hour of Need (Return Trip version)
To Ascend
The Western Edge
Imagine (from Royal Affair Tour)

[Soundchaser413]

On album:

Ritual
Sound Chaser
Going For The One
Parallels
Release Release
Arring UFO
On the silent wings of freedom
Machine Messiah
Tempus Fugit
Into The Lens
It Can Happen
Changes
I'm Running
Big Generator (title track)

So many others

[Esthe]

The Ancients
The Gates Of Delirium
Sound Chaser
Don’t Kill The Whale
Does It Really Happen
Changes
City Of Love
Big Generator
Lift Me Up
Homeworld

[Progify]

So many, hard to choose. But I would acknowledge his work on KTA, especially the live portions. Also Symphonic Live. Both of those recordings helped to deepen my appreciation for the material from Tales. At that point, I was still struggling to fully get into Tales, and those live recordings really pulled me in.

[Ceasar’s Palace]

Ok, most of it has been covered now.
I just want to add Wonderous Stories as another example of Alan’s subtler side.
And that short but sweet break on Can You Imagine which I always took as a little homage to himself on Instant Karma.

[Kevin W]

There are so many. But it's difficult to beat the trio of Yessongs (or Progeny highlights if you prefer; certainly a better quality sound), Tales and Relayer for a demonstration of his sheer power and ferocious intricacy of his playing. Superb stuff. Though I get the feeling that his personality and just generally being a decent human being was as important, in its own way, in keeping the band together, as his wonderful playing was to their sound. He will be sorely, sorely missed.

[Old Frothingslosh]

Drama and Relayer for recorded work and then the interplay between Alan and Chris during the Fish solo section live was a site to behold. It's easy to just focus on Chris as it's his solo but Alan's playing in the background is just unreal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gapqxwa0d6k

[Soundwaveseeker]

Other fine White moments:

Turn Of The Century
In The Presence Of - both of these for White songwriting rather than drumming. True Yes magic
Gates, of course
Awaken - cool percussion
live version of Hold On - drum solo then "On drums Mr Alan White! Great to be with you tonight!"
drum solo in Astral Traveler live, kinda cool
love the White album (not to be confused with the Beatles White Album, though that's great too) from 2006. Good summery Asia-like rock prog also featuring Geoff
well, he played on the Remembering from Tales, so whatever he played on that is instant magic
lots of cool Ladder moments in small doses
Shoot High Aim Low
Arriving UFO - hey, why not?
later live versions of Sweet Dreams
Cinema - I'm sure there was some cool drums on this possibly imaginary 'Time' track people keep talking about thru the years

and:
The Calling - loud & powerful drums! In fact, all of Talk.

1994: Floyd's Division Bell struck gold - you would hear material from that album at the hair salon. Talk on the other hand sank to the bottom. I think Walls should have been played in the barber shop too. Oh well. Great and powerful drums on all of Talk.

[Frumious B]