I only saw Yes once on the Union tour. I think it was 1991. 8 PC lineup Chris Squire Jon Anderson Steve Howe Trevor Rabin Bill Bruford Alan White Tony Kaye Rick Wakeman The Union album was pretty lame, but the live show was awesome. Highlight was Awaken. Perfect. Bad point was there was almost too much talent up there.. If that makes sense.

Indeed and so much more.. So sad to hear of this brilliant man's passing. He was the heart of Yes. The one common denominator of by far the most important "prog" band. He saw Yes through thick and thin. Rest in peace fellow Christopher and Picean.

Agreed. But it's his own big yap causing all the trouble. It's not like anyone just woke up this morning ready to bash Ginger Baker for no reason. Go over to Blabbermouth and see how much commotion his comments caused today.

He could read both

Well... at least he called John by his first name this time. There's no doubt Bonham was a huge Baker fan, but I can't see him saying that. I'd like to see the original quote. Unlike Baker, John always seemed respectful to other drummers. I know he used to beat the shit out of other drummers kits and once got upset that Karen Carpenter beat him out in a playboy drummer poll .. which was kind of childish. I mean, who cares? She was a very good drummer by the way. John seemed to enjoy the drummer comradery and talking drums and drummers. If he thought a drummer was mailing it in though, he'd get irritated, like the time he dragged Chuck Berrys drummer off his kit and "sat in" But, he wasn't bitter. Unlike Ginger Baker. Back on track, a friend of mine who is a huge Cream fan told me Baker learned to read music in a matter of days. Impressive and he's a very good drummer. But I think he's overrated and overrates himself.

Steve Vai is incredible period. A little odd, but his technical ability and musicianship is top notch. I love Page and all he does, but I can certainly appreciate Vai Malmsteen Satriani Eric Johnson etc for what they do. Hell, I loved Johnny Ramone and Ricky Wilson for their limitations that made them incredibly unique. The possibilities on guitar are so many that it doesn't make sense to me to close out players for being too technical..or not technical.. There's a time and place for all of it. Same with drummers..A direct solid drummer like Phil Rudd can be as fun to listen to for me as a great technical player like Tony Williams .. Depends what I'm in the mood for. As far as sloppy, there's 1973 Page sloppy, which was edge of your seat mastery of a genius pushing himself to the limit ... And there's 1980 sloppy .. which for the most part was inexcusable.. I'm just glad he survived it and got it back together.

Different time and place. Sure, if Joe Blow wrote and recorded Yesterday, it might not have caught on or been given a chance.. After all, being in the biggest band in the world does have its advantages. But, Paul McCartney's melodic sense is second to none. He makes it sound so easy.

JPJ showed once again that he could step up when necessary. I think he enjoyed his role in Led Zeppelin whatever it was, whether he co-wrote one song of 7 as he did on Presence or 6 of 7 as he did on ITTOD. I agree that Robert drastically changed his lyrical direction on ITTOD.. There's nothing raunchy.. It changed because HE changed. He went through a devastating, life changing experience. He got off drugs and I would think was in a very reflective and less cocky state of mind. ITTOD reflects this.. But it is not a Robert Plant solo album.. John Bonham, while less bombastic and received no writing credit came up with some of his most creative and tasteful drumming. Jimmy in some ways took a respectful back seat, which I think he felt was appropriate.. All anyone has to do is give the DW2 soundtrack a spin to hear that his creative brilliance was still obvious. And make no mistake, he produced In Through The Out Door. I also agree that Pictures At Eleven had much in common with ITTOD. But, by Principle Of Moments, Robert's solo direction was very different..

Same here Strider. She was born a week to the day before me. Never saw a bad word about her in the press. A child celebrity that kept it together.

Rest In Peace to Suzanne Crough, aged 52. She played Tracy Partridge... and was a helluva Tambourine player.

Me too.. Though Robert sounds like he seriously needs to clear his throat. I like it better than Southbound Saurez and Hot Dog .. but I don't see where it would fit better than either on ITTOD. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to ITTOD as it is. Besides, it makes Coda all the better.

Absolutely...Which is exactly why insulting his wife was a poor idea on Mr Jolene Turner's part, besides the obvious. I'll admit to being biased in my dislike of Joeylynn. I've rarely if ever read anything involving this guy where he didn't insult somebody.. A major bridge burner.

Does anyone think Ritchie Blackmore will reunite with this tool after he insulted the mans wife? I think Joe Lynne's big mouth just blew it. Good enough singer, but what a horses ass. Could never keep his trap shut.

Rest in Peace Cynthia Lennon aged 75 from cancer.

Rest in Peace Twisted Sister drummer AJ Pero aged 55... Excellent drummer. Was never much of a TS fan but AJ really stood out live.

Rest in Peace Toto Bassist Mike Pocaro aged 59 of ALS. Also Gong leader, the brilliant Daevid Allen aged 77 of cancer..

"It would have been silly to even think about continuing Zeppelin. It would have been a total insult to John. I couldn't have looked around and seen someone else on the drums. It wouldn't have been an honest thing to do". Jimmy Page quote from the early 80s... From memory. No way were Page and Jones pushing for a new drummer. I think Live Aid might have sparked them to reconsider and once Jason became a viable option that was correct, good and ethical did Page want to go on with it. Probably the same for John Paul. I think they both feel John would approve if not insist Jason be the choice.

HOW ON EARTH CAN HE BE CHARGED WITH SUCH A SERIOUS CRIME AND ON THE VERY NEXT DAY ... ER NEVERMIND... Charges dropped.. ?? Very odd.. This was international news. The name Phil Rudd will be tarnished forever because of this.. Possesion of Meth is a crime, but obviously pales in comparison to a murder for hire charge.. I wonder what AC/DC is going to do..

. I just read this. Unbelievable.

from Blabbermouth.. Rest in Peace Jack Bruce Legendary CREAM bassist/singer Jack Bruce died today of liver disease. He was 71 years old. His family said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we, Jack's family, announce the passing of our beloved Jack: husband, father, granddad, and all round legend. The world of music will be a poorer place without him but he lives on in his music and forever in our hearts." Bruce's death was confirmed by his publicist Claire Singers. She said: "He died today at his home in Suffolk surrounded by his family." CREAM was formed in 1966, and consisted of Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their sound was characterized by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and burgeoning psychedelic rock, combining imaginative lyrics, often written by poet Pete Brown, Eric Clapton's innovative blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's operatic voice and fluid bass playing, and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming. The group soon evolved further creating a trademark approach built around each musician's virtuoso playing. Their live performances soon became renowned for lengthy improvisational pieces based on traditional blues structures such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", modern blues such as "Born Under A Bad Sign", and their own songs such as "White Room" and Ginger Baker's powerhouse showcase "Toad". Following their first pop hit single "I Feel Free" in January 1967, CREAM's debut, "Fresh Cream", set the tone for group's inventive mix of blues standards and more eccentric original material and reached No. 6 in the UK album charts. It offered a unique blend of blues — Robert Johnson's "Four Until Late" and Skip James' "I'm So Glad" — inventive originals such as "Dreaming" and the showcase, near-instrumental "Cat's Squirrel". Before the end of the year, CREAM released the follow-up "Disraeli Gears", its distinctive Day-Glo psychedelic cover designed by underground illustrator Martin Sharp. Recorded in May in New York during their first American tour, it includes landmark songs such as "Strange Brew", the melodic but heavy-riffing "Sunshine Of Your Love" and more surrealistic, wah-wah drenched "Tales Of Brave Ulysses"; in all a brilliant, textured, multi-dubbed sound that went beyond blues. Non-stop touring soon saw CREAM break through in America where "Wheels Of Fire", released in August 1968, topped the U.S. charts for a month and was the world's first platinum-selling double album. It comprised one album "in the studio" — including the Jack Bruce- and Pete Brown-penned classics "White Room" and "Politician" — while the other side was recorded at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, highlighted by expansive readings of "Crossroads" and "Spoonful". Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/legendary-cream-bassist-jack-bruce-dead-at-71/#w25V4HIiccXlvUtQ.99

Check out … Last Days Here - The story of Pentagram frontman, Bobby Liebling. This raw documentary covers Bobby from the depths of addiction, sprawled out on his parents couch to getting his act together, falling madly in love and bringing the underground metal pioneers Pentagram triumphantly back to the stage.. Disturbing, but a must see. Much better than the Anvil documentary, which was also real good..

Check out the new David Bowie Documentary 5 YEARS... It was real good. Covers from Aladin Sane through Let's Dance .. It's currently on Showtime. I also watched the new Genesis Documentary, which is also on Showtime..sorry don't have the name in front of me.. that was also real good.. edit Genesis: SUM OF THE PARTS.. The 6 key members are all interviewed.. Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett, and original guitarist, Anthony Phillips.. as well as Chester Thompson and Daryl Stermer.

I did and agree. It was a great read. I don't think many people realize how close friends Iommi and John Bonham were.

I thought it was a nice tribute to Black Sabbath.. It was nice to hear something by them other than Paranoid on National TV.. They probably had a 4-5 minute limit.. so there was a lot of chopping but it still sounded pretty good to me.. Different in a good way.. Taylor Hawkins did a great job. The fact that they were playing it mattered more to me than the actual performance..

Thanks for posting ..very cool.. I missed the Boston shows this time .. hopefully they'll come around again. I've seen them 3 times in 1984, 1999, 2001 … (something like that).. last time was a double bill with JPJ.. The 3 drummers sound very tight.. Gavin Harrison is incredible and Pat M. is no slouch either. Odd that Adrian Belew is not there. But they're (Fripp) is obviously going for a very different thing this time around.