Flash – In Public (Adequate Sounds, 2013)
British guitarist Peter Banks passed away last year. He was the first guitarist for popular British band Yes, appearing on the albums Yes and Time And a Word. This was the early Yes stage, before Yes became one of the greatest progressive rock bands in the early 1970s. After leaving Yes, Banks founded Flash in 1971.
In Public features a rare 1973 Flash live performance featuring Peter Banks on guitar and backing vocals, Colin Carter on lead vocals, Ray Bennett on bass and backing vocals, and Mike Hough on drums. The concert was recorded at Kansas City’s Cowtown Ballroom on the first mobile truck for The Record Plant. It was part of the Lee Jeans & Cotton concert series, a syndicated rock concert series in the United States.
Although Flash is usually regarded a progressive rock band, the band’s style resembled early Yes, before the more complex symphonic rock stage. The vocal sections of Flash are more in line with classic rock and pop. It is only when Peter Banks is given the opportunity to venture into solos that excitement begins and Banks guitar takes the listener into more multifaceted music. Banks was an excellent guitarist, with a distinct style that was showcased throughout Flash – In Public.
Flash – In Public is a worthy tribute to one of the early pioneers of British progressive rock.