Alan White obituary
30.05.2022 - 00:11
/ msn.com
Bill Bruford. Had White’s health not been failing, the band’s forthcoming tour next month would have marked his 50 years with it. White joined Yes just as they were about to begin touring with their fifth album, Close to the Edge (1972), which comprised three extended tracks and is regarded by many as the pinnacle of Yes’s elaborate, quasi-classical prog-rock.
White had only three days to learn the band’s repertoire before the first concert in Dallas, Texas, but accomplished the feat without a hitch. His muscular approach was in contrast to Bruford’s more jazz-influenced style, and was ideal for the arena-sized venues in which Yes were now playing. His work on tour was preserved on the triple live album Yessongs (1973).
The first Yes studio album he played on was Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973). But what he called “the biggest break I ever had” was the phone call that came out of the blue in 1969 from John Lennon, who had seen him playing in a London club. “I was sure it was somebody playing a joke, so I hung up,” White recalled.
“A minute later the phone rang again, and sure enough it really was John Lennon. ”Lennon wanted White to join the band he was assembling for the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival that year. White was whisked to Heathrow airport in a limousine, and in the VIP lounge he met John and Yoko, Eric Clapton and the bass player Klaus Voormann.
They rehearsed their material on the plane and dubbed themselves the Plastic Ono Band. Their performance was preserved on the Live Peace in Toronto 1969 album, which reached No 10 on the US album chart. “John hadn’t performed live for a few years, and I know he really enjoyed Toronto,” said White.
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