Category Archives: Miscellaneous

The Yes studio albums poll

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In June 2015 the world lost one of its finest musicians.  Mr. Chris Squire, founder and only constant member of Yes was not only one of the best bass players in progressive and classic rock circles, but one of the finest bassists, period. Perhaps only second to Jack Bruce in terms of huge influence, Squire’s playing was always near the pinnacle of brilliance.

He could be simple, complex, lyrical…and sometimes all within the confines of the same passage of music.  It may sound cliched, but Squire was a man who knew how it felt to be one with his instrument of choice, someone able to really make their bass speak.

At Real Gone, we’ve always been huge fans of Yes – in most, if not all incarnations – and it’s unlikely a week passes without at least one Yes album being spun.

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Chris Squire (4th March 1948 – 27th June 2015)

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On June 27th 2015, legendary bassist Chris Squire lost his battle with leukaemia.  He was known to millions as the founding – and only constant – member of progressive rock titans Yes.  His trademark sound provided the heard of the band’s ever evolving sound for twenty one studio albums and several live releases over a period of five decades.

Whether delivering a psychedelic sound, as per the first two Yes releases – an extension of musical themes practiced in Squire’s earlier band The Syn – or shaping the progressive rock of the seventies, or even the pop/rock band Yes eventually became in the 1980s, Squire could often be relied upon to steer his musical vision with some absolutely stellar performances.

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The Iron Maiden Studio Albums Poll

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book of soulsIron Maiden are one of the world’s most enduring hard rock/classic metal bands.  Henry Rollins once claimed they have “fans in any country that has electricity”.  The band’s appeal has stretched beyond their 80s breakthough and they’ve survived shifting line ups, while tours have seen them circle the globe many, many times.

Maiden’s fans are some of the most committed, so it was unsurprising that the internet went into a mini-frenzy when it was announced that a new studio album had not only been completed and scheduled for release in September 2015, but it was also to be the band’s first two-disc studio release, and it was also to include the longest song they’ve written to date.

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The Big Genesis Poll, part 2: the results

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Running a second poll for Genesis covering their more commercially sucessful (and arguably more radio friendly) years was always going to divide opinion. Naturally, as Real Gone’s last poll shows, there are many people very keen on the 70s prog side of the band who just never took to the more commercial Genesis. Likewise, the band picked up fans throughout the 80s who just never quite understood the earlier work.

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THE BIG GENESIS POLL: Part Two, The Pop/Rock Years 1978-97

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When Steve Hackett left Genesis at the end of the ‘Wind & Wuthering’ tour in 1977, for some of the more dyed-in-the-wool prog fans, that signified too much of a potential change waiting in the wings.  The fact that the three-man band of Phil Collins (drums/vocals), Mike Rutherford (guitars/bass) and Tony Banks sounded more commercial upon their return and even scored a genuine hit single with a pop ballad marked the end for some.  For those, supper had gone cold.  For the fans Genesis lost at this time, their new, more commercial sound gained new fans in droves and although the band became far less prolific – partly due to all three members embarking on extra-curricular recording – it marked the beginning of a very commercially successful decade.

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