RIP Chris Squire

[The Gunner's Dream]

Yes have issued the following statement:

"It’s with the heaviest of hearts and unbearable sadness that we must inform you of the passing of our dear friend and Yes co-founder, Chris Squire. Chris peacefully passed away last night in Phoenix Arizona. We will have more information for you soon."

https://www.yahoo.com/music/chris-squir ... 05051.html

This is really unfortunate news. Although Yes haven't done much worth listening to for the past 25+ years, I will always hold a place in my heart for their (mostly) great 70's output. Squire's bass playing was one of the most integral sounds of Yes. He contributed a lot to the band with his aggressive plectrum playing and raw Rickenbacker bass tones.

[Bigmanpigman]

The only member of the band to feature on every studio album. R I P Chris.

[danielcaux]

Yeah, Squire's bass sound is what makes Yes sound like Yes. He was a great bass player, not so much because of the complexity of his licks but because he made them interesting, you really wanted to pay attention to what the bass had to say in each Yes song. I think he was a big influence on many bass players too, at least I can hear it on Steve Harris from Iron Maiden.

RIP old Fish.

[nosaj]

sigh

[moodyblue]

Utterly gutted when I heard this news.
I looked up his illness when it was announced and the chances were very slim but you still think 'oh he's Chris Squire, he can't die'!
Yes cannot be 'Yes' anymore, Chris's sound was too integral to what Yes were all about.
I've got tickets to a couple of shows later next year in the UK and kinda want to show how much I loved the guy. No idea how just yet!

[my breakfast.]

A great and significant loss. In the world of bass, there are the pure bassists who value timing, 'groove' and 'pocket' playing. These guys treat the bass like a percussion instrument. Many good bassists come out of this mold, such as James Jamerson or Donald Dunn, but it is just one way of playing bass, and sadly it is slowly becoming the norm.

Then there are guys like Chris Squire who treat the bass like a harmonic instrument. Granted, Squire had to bludgeon his sound onto Yes from the earliest albums to be granted the sonic real estate he was afforded on the classics. In short, most guys played Fender basses with the tone rolled off, whereas Squire played a Rickenbacker bass with the treble turned up, the bass turned up and the middle scooped out. His bass was akin to a harpsichord or some other percussive keyboard instrument. His parts incorporated things that a pianist would play on either hand. His role in the band was as a joint-equal, which was unheard of for bassists at the time. You might be able to learn Siberian Khatru from tabs, but Chris was there at the coal face chipping away every gig ,and every note on every album. In a weird way he used a very personalised rig whilst simultaneously not caring about the factors in it. He pieced his bass rig, and sound, together from scratch. Once he found the perfect combination he stuck with it, for many tours. His playing was almost that of a boxer, pushing the tempo and dynamics into one corner, or fanning back to give the other players space. His playing came from an immense ego, and certainty in himself. This comes across in spades in his playing, which is amazing in itself.

I don't think there will be another Chris Squire, as there is no scope for a bassist to ever be that pioneering, that provocative and that musical whilst being granted such a blank canvas. Chris Squire was lucky to get the opportunities he did, but he was also gifted and without doubt a consummate musician with a bloody good pair of ears. RIP