REV: Original Syn 1965-2004
use...@bondegezou.demon.co.uk
CD1 (all tracks by the Syn unless otherwise indicated)
1. Andrew Jackman: Mallard Way
2. Grounded
3. 14 Hour Technicolor Dream
4. Created by Clive
5. Flowerman
6. The Last Performance of the Royal Regimental, Very Victorious and
Valiant Band
7. Ayshea: Mr White's White Flying Machine
8. Narsquijack: Cadillac Dreams
9. Narsquijack: Sunset Boulevard Lament
10. Merry-Go-Round
11. The Gangster Opera (excerpts from the rehearsal tape): Part 1:
Chorus / Part 2: Legs Diamond / Reprise
12. The Selfs: I Can't Explain
13. The Selfs: Love You
14. Flowerman (original recording)
CD2
1. Illusion: Part 1: Illusion / Part 2: Something's Going On / Part 3:
Illusion (Reprise)
2. Grounded 2004
3. Time and a Word: (i) Time and a Word
4. (ii) A Tide in the Affairs of Man
5. (iii) Time and a Word (reprise)
Musicians:
Andrew Pryce Jackman, Gerard Johnson: keys
Steve Nardelli, Chris Slater, Denny Ward, Ayshea Brough: vocals
Martyn Adelman, Gunnar Hákonarson, John Bowring: drums
Peter Banks, James Nisbet, John Wheatley, John Painter: guitar
Chris Squire, Steve Gee: bass
Full details at http://www.yescography.com/OriginalSyn.htm
There is a trend with a number of acts in the late '60s and early '70s.
They begin as covers bands, develop their own style through the
psychedelic period before emerging with what became known as
progressive rock. For some, that transition is well-documented in
contemporary and archival releases. The transition from Giles, Giles &
Fripp into King Crimson or the development of Soft Machine can be heard
across a number of albums. For most, however, these developments came
before they were regularly recording material and often happened on
stage rather than in the studio. We may get only part of the story as,
for example, with Caravan, where one can hear the last stages of their
evolution in their first, eponymous album.
The same has been true of Yes. We can hear the end of the beginning, so
to speak, on albums like _Yes_, _Time and a Word_ and the BBC
recordings collection _Something's Coming_ (re-released under numerous
different names). However, Yes also have a pre-history and there are
two significant bands here: Mabel Greer's Toy Shop and the Syn. The Syn
were the first time two members of Yes worked together -- Chris Squire
and Peter Banks -- but more than that, it was with the Syn that we
first hear the adoption of progressive influences. That process came
perhaps most from neither Squire nor Banks but keyboardist Andrew
Jackman, someone better know for his orchestral and choral arrangements
on later albums like _Tormato_, Squire's _Fish Out of Water_ and Rush's
_Power Windows_. Jackman sadly passed away in 2003. _Original Syn
1965-2004_ is the story of the Syn and of Jackman's early work.
Disc 1 of _Original Syn_ brings together just about everything existing
by the band and one of its predecessors, The Selfs. (Tantalisingly, a
late Syn piece called "Sunshine and Make Believe", with session
appearances by Tony Kaye and Davy O'List, could not be located.) This
is a comprehensive collection, nicely presented with lengthy notes. The
sound quality is variable but that reflects the source material with
some of the later tracks pretty rough: what we hear is as good as it is
ever going to sound. For those sad music buffs who like archival
collections, like me, this is top notch stuff. (It is a significant
improvement on Peter Banks' _Can I Play You Something?_ compilation,
the previous best source of Syn recordings, although _Can I Play You
Something?_ remains valuable for its coverage of Mabel Greer's Toy
Shop.)
But let us no get entirely bogged down with a history lesson. There are
some good tunes here, well worth listening to in their own right. The
two post-Syn tracks, "The Last Performance..." and "Mr White's White
Flying Machine", are great slices of '60s psychedelia, although I
wonder whether they sounded dated by the time they were released (early
'70s). The four contemporary Syn singles, which have been released on
several compilations and are the most familiar material here, have
their charm too.
The second half of disc 1 delves deeper into the archives. We move into
"historically interesting" territory and there is less hear that I want
to keep coming back too. However, it is still historically interesting.
_Original Syn_ was first released as a limited edition, Internet-only
purchase in 2004. That version came with a lengthy interview with
Squire and singer Steve Nardelli, removed from this full retail
version. However, the retail version has some extra tracks. To start
with, there is a second Narsquijack demo and an alternate recording of
the band's single "Flowerman". This brings us to Narsquijack, a
grouping named after its members, Nardelli, Squire and Jackman. An
on/off affair over several years, there are two demos here probably
from late '60s recordings (but wrongly credited to 2004 in the liner
notes). They are very demo-like in arrangement and sound quality, both
typical Nardelli compositions.
"Merry-Go-Round" is the Syn's first ever recording. "I Can't Explain"
(cover of The Who) and "Love You" are by the Selfs, a predecessor band
to the Syn including Squire, Jackman and Syn drummer Martyn Adelman and
these are the first ever recordings by any of them. All three tracks
come from acetates, so sound quality is not great, and The Selfs'
performances aren't stellar, but they were only 16. Listen to this disc
backwards and you can hear the development in Jackman's work from the
simple "Love You" to singles like "Flowerman" through to pieces like
"The Last Performance..." and "Mr White's White Flying Machine".
It was live that the Syn moved beyond the pop of their singles and, led
by Jackman, started developing longer pieces. Unfortunately, no live
recordings exist. (Well, there is a report that Banks has located a
tape of a full Syn live show, so we await developments there.) When
this collection was first being assembled, I spoke to Peter Banks and
he mentioned that he had a recording of a rehearsal session, but my
excitement was short-lived when he described how there were no complete
performances on it, nothing of use. However, Banks handed the tape over
and, after a valiant editing job by Johnson, enough was found for this,
excerpts from "The Gangster Opera". It still is patchy and again the
audio quality is poor, but there is enough here to hint at what the
piece was like.
The Syn ended with the '60s. Some of the band went on to fame with
other projects, some of the band left music altogether. With disc 2, we
jump forward nearly four decades to three songs recorded in 2004 with
Banks, Nardelli and Adelman. The reunion of Syn and subsequent
developments, including the creation of Umbrello Records, has sparked
much discussion. (Having played a small part in the process myself, I
cannot claim to be entirely objective here.)
Unfortunately that discussion has been more for what hasn't happened
than for what has with a number of abortive projects and band bust-ups.
Much could be said about all the drama, but it has also overshadowed
that the band has recorded some exciting new music. Unfortunately,
events have moved faster than releases were arranged, so the Syn has
been through two more line-up changes since the tracks here were
recorded and, as with Yes' _Keys to Ascension_ albums, new recordings
are buried at the back of something else.
"Illusion", a major re-working of an old Syn number, is for me the
highpoint of the entire release. Pete Banks brought in keyboardist
Gerard Johnson to the band: the two had worked together on a number of
projects before, but had never perfected their combined style. Here, it
feels everything falls into place. This is quintessential Banks and
something that harks back to the '60s Syn band while being entirely
modern. Listen to this and you too will lament that we aren't hearing
more recordings with Banks these days.
"Illusion" was on the original Internet-only release. The main addition
for the retail version of _Original Syn_ is 21 more minutes of 2004
recordings. "Grounded 2004" sticks more closely to the original, but
has some modern touches. The much vaunted 16-minute epic version of
"Time and a Word" is a real oddity. Suggested by Banks, but not
finished in 2004 before the line-up broke up, it was finished this year
by Johnson and guitarist James Nesbit (who, coincidentally, is the son
of a former manager of Pete Banks). The thing about "Time and a Word"
is that it isn't a cover of "Time and a Word": the heart of the piece
is the new composition, "A Tide in the Affairs of Man", with the "Time
and a Word" cover sort of an extended introduction. "A Tide in the
Affairs of Man" has similarities with the first of the 2005 Syn
recordings with Chris Squire, "Cathedral of Love". Nardelli's writing
style is recognisable from the Syn and Narsquijack material on disc 1,
but the surrounding arrangement has been updated. The band's press
releases call them 'prog modernists', which sounds good, but I don't
think it means anything! However, the band does have a style, a sound
of their own, and I enjoy "A Tide in the Affairs of Man" and "Cathedral
of Love". "A Tide..." would perhaps have done better not being housed
inside "Time and a Word", a song outside Nardelli's range. The "Time
and a Word" cover is best when most distant from the original and
compromised when it gets closer.
As I mentioned, 2005 saw Chris Squire re-join the band, which is now
without Peter Banks. Adelman is still associated with the band, but has
decided to stick with his day job as a photographer (you've seen his
work already: he did photos for the _Close to the Edge_ cover), having
never wanted to return to full-time drumming. Steve Nardelli and Gerard
Johnson remain, joined by Paul Stacey on guitars and twin brother
Jeremy on drums. (Yes, they do look pretty similar.) While Gerard, Paul
and Jeremy have worked with the likes of St Etienne, Oasis and Sheryl
Crow respectively, all three grew up loving prog. Their new album,
_Syndestructible_, is out in November. Live dates may or may not
follow.
In the mean time, _Original Syn_ is well worth getting. There is some
classic '60s music, there is some great new music, there are some
historical oddities and it is all put together behind a great cover.
Henry Potts, 18 Oct 2005
gondola bob
> two post-Syn tracks, "The Last Performance..." and "Mr White's White
> Flying Machine", are great slices of '60s psychedelia
Odd that both the Syn and Tomorrow did psychedelic tracks about
white vehicles.
Dylan Parry
> Odd that both the Syn and Tomorrow did psychedelic tracks about
> white vehicles.
And later followed it up with Yes' "Man in a White Car"... Sounds like a
good enough conspiracy theory to me ;)
--
Dylan Parry
http://webpageworkshop.co.uk -- FREE Web tutorials and references
Jeremiah Harbottle
I bought this at the weekend - had some doubt about it, but after one listen
I was quite happy with it. Not too sure about the demo/rehearsal stuff, but
the "Original" Syn tracks are superb.
The two tracks that were done after the Syn split up - was it all the
members of the Syn? The liner notes mention someone called Ayshea Brough
(Lift off with Ayshea?)...
I lent it to someone at work who hates Prog, and he thought it was
excellent.
use...@bondegezou.demon.co.uk
> The two tracks that were done after the Syn split up - was it all the
> members of the Syn? The liner notes mention someone called Ayshea Brough
> (Lift off with Ayshea?)...
Both were written for the Syn by Jackman and Nardelli, but only
recorded after the band had effectively split up. "The Last Performance
of the Royal Regimental, Very Victorious and Valiant Band" was recorded
by Jackman working with an orchestra and with Denny Ward on vocals, so
no other members of the band appear. (A version with Nardelli on vocals
was recorded, but it appears not to have survived.) "Mr White's White
Flying Machine" was recorded for Ayshea's debut album: she was Roy
Wood's girlfriend at the time and a TV presenter. Jackman arranged the
track and brought Squire and Banks in as session players on it.
--
Henry
use...@bondegezou.demon.co.uk
> "Mr White's White Flying Machine" was recorded for Ayshea's debut album: she
> was Roy Wood's girlfriend at the time and a TV presenter. Jackman arranged the
> track and brought Squire and Banks in as session players on it.
PS: Copies of Ayshea's original album appear to go for around £50
these days.
--
Henry
Chris Oberst
<use...@bondegezou.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>REVIEW: The Syn, _Original Syn 1965-2004_ (Umbrello Records, UMBRCD001)
>
Thanks for a great review, Henry. After reading your comments, I find
it sad that Peter Banks isn't a part of this project anymore. From
what little I've heard, it sounds like he added an 'edge' to the new
music that I find lacking on "Cathedral of Love."
Chris Oberst
cw.lo...@worldnet.att.net
Andrew Pryce Jackman told me that she was producer Chris Brough's wife
when the album was recorded. She later made an appearance or two on
Gerry Anderson's TV show U.F.O. a bit later.
I believe that the track on the CD (Mr. White's....) was taken from my
vinyl copy. It is probably also Chris's bass on the track Ship Of The
Line (the single b-side).
The album version has the ending with Chris' answering vox whereas the
single was faded early at the end.
I hope this helps in some way,
Cheers,
Clifford
Michel Forest
> Actually she (Ayshea Brough) was Roy Wood's girlfriend a bit later.
> Andrew Pryce Jackman told me that she was producer Chris Brough's wife
> when the album was recorded. She later made an appearance or two on
> Gerry Anderson's TV show U.F.O. a bit later.
Wearing a purple wig? ;-)
Steven Sullivan
The interesting nugget for me in your review, Henry, was that Tony Kaye
played with them briefly. Whereas we have some account of how
Banks, Anderson, Squire, and Bruford came together, the chronology
and mechanism of Kaye's recruitment into Yes has always seemed
shrouded in some mystery, and this lifts the veil a bit.
--
-S
"The most appealing intuitive argument for atheism is the mindblowing stupidity of religious
fundamentalists." -- Ginger Yellow
Norbert Becker
to find in stores?
Wish Peter Banks would be in a steady outfit as he obviously has something
to say musically.
Ryno - just Ryno
-0400, the Noodly Appendage moved Michel Forest <for...@sympatico.ca>
to write:
http://www.deep-purple.net/archive/68-76history/ayshea.jpg - yep, she
had Deep Purple ties also, but no wig.
The "wig" was Nick Drake's sister Gabrielle.
http://theavengers.tv/forever/pnote-drake.htm
/ryno, the orignal Hornery Critter
--
Penguins - http://www.ucomics.com/tomthedancingbug/2005/10/08/
use...@bondegezou.demon.co.uk
> The interesting nugget for me in your review, Henry, was that Tony Kaye
> played with them briefly. Whereas we have some account of how
> Banks, Anderson, Squire, and Bruford came together, the chronology
> and mechanism of Kaye's recruitment into Yes has always seemed
> shrouded in some mystery, and this lifts the veil a bit.
I don't think it does, actually. AIUI, the session with Kaye was with
Jackman and Nardelli, but after Banks and Squire had left the band. It
may be that Jackman or Nardelli later recommended Kaye to Squire or
something like that, but I think it's just a coincidence,
representative of how there was a fairly small London music scene so
everyone ended up working with everyone else at some point.
--
Henry
Mizer
> Wish Peter Banks would be in a steady outfit as he obviously has something
> to say musically.
>
>
He is they are called Harmony in Diversity
Stephen Bruun
> > The interesting nugget for me in your review, Henry, was that Tony Kaye
> > played with them briefly. Whereas we have some account of how
> > Banks, Anderson, Squire, and Bruford came together, the chronology
> > and mechanism of Kaye's recruitment into Yes has always seemed
> > shrouded in some mystery, and this lifts the veil a bit.
<use...@bondegezou.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1129719573.4...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I don't think it does, actually. AIUI, the session with Kaye was with
> Jackman and Nardelli, but after Banks and Squire had left the band. It
> may be that Jackman or Nardelli later recommended Kaye to Squire or
> something like that, but I think it's just a coincidence,
> representative of how there was a fairly small London music scene so
> everyone ended up working with everyone else at some point.
In the "YesYears" documentary, all Kaye says about it is that, at that time
in London, "everybody vaguely knew everybody else."
--
To reply, get rid of THAT THING
tru...@hotmail.co.uk
>to find in stores?
I got my copy in HMV in London.
I don't know about America other than through the Umbrello Records
store.
pro...@hotmail.com
> In the "YesYears" documentary, all Kaye says about it is that, at that time
> in London, "everybody vaguely knew everybody else."
"Everybody was bumping into everybody".
Edi
Steven Sullivan
> Steven Sullivan wrote
> > The interesting nugget for me in your review, Henry, was that Tony Kaye
> > played with them briefly. Whereas we have some account of how
> > Banks, Anderson, Squire, and Bruford came together, the chronology
> > and mechanism of Kaye's recruitment into Yes has always seemed
> > shrouded in some mystery, and this lifts the veil a bit.
> I don't think it does, actually. AIUI, the session with Kaye was with
> Jackman and Nardelli, but after Banks and Squire had left the band. It
> may be that Jackman or Nardelli later recommended Kaye to Squire or
> something like that,
That's what I assumed.
> but I think it's just a coincidence,
> representative of how there was a fairly small London music scene so
> everyone ended up working with everyone else at some point.
but the same small-pond argument could be used to posit that Jackman/Nardelli
recommended Kaye to Squire...Jackman in particular seems to have been
a nexus for all these folks, one that Squire particularly may have kept
in touch with (and whose musical judgement he respected).
All just speculation on my part. Maybe Clifford L. know more --?
DanC
<pro...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1129734017.1...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Stephen Bruun wrote:
>
>> In the "YesYears" documentary, all Kaye says about it is that, at that
>> time
>> in London, "everybody vaguely knew everybody else."
>
> "Everybody was bumping into everybody".
>
There's a word, and the word is 'incestuous'.
Dan
Jeremiah Harbottle
> I don't know about America other than through the Umbrello Records
> store.
>
It reached HMV in the provinces as well - I got in Coventry.