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Review Summary: Beginnings should have been a better album. It wasn’t really a great beginning to one of the finest prog guitarists. “Beginnings” is the debut solo studio album of Yes’ guitarist, Steve Howe, and was released in 1975. The line up on the album is Steve Howe, Alan White, Bill Bruford, Patrick Moraz, Graeme Taylor, Malcolm Bennett, Dave Oberlé, Colin Gibson, Bud Beadle, Mick Eve, Patrick Halling, William Reid, John Meek, Peter Halling, Chris Lawrence, James Gregory, Sidney Sutcliff and Gwyd Brooke.
When Howe began playing guitar he had quite a few influences, chief among them Chet Atkins. When you consider that two of the others were Django Reinhardt and the duo of Les Paul & Mary Ford, it’s hard to believe that he would become one of the most influential guitarists in the progressive rock scene. In fact, his first band was a Chuck Berry infused outfit called The Syndicats. With the group he released several singles before he left them. His next band was In Crowd, which eventually became Tomorrow. Under the new name they released two singles and a self-titled album. When the group broke, Howe joined a band called Bodast. They built up quite a following and recorded an album. But, when their label went bankrupt, there still unreleased album was scrapped and the band eventually became a casualty, breaking up shortly thereafter. The album would not see release until 1981. After that, Howe began trying to find his next band. Auditions with groups such as The Nice and Jethro Tull were unfruitful. By 1970, Howe had caught the ear of several members of Yes. By this time, Yes had released two albums, but they were not happy with their guitarist, Peter Banks. So, Howe became the new guitarist of Yes. The first album he recorded with them was “The Yes Album”. It would garner them respectable commercial and critical attention, but with the follow-up “Fragile”, the group and Howe, were fully propelled into the limelight, followed by “Close To The Edge”, “Tales From Topographic Oceans” and “Relayer”.
So, it was a long and difficult path for him. It was after the release of “Relayer” that appears his debut solo album, “Beginnings”. “Beginnings” was one of the five solo efforts released in the same period of time by all Yes’ members during a hiatus of time by the band, after the release of their studio album “Relayer”, in 1974, along with Jon Anderson’s “Olias Of Sunhillow”, Chris Squire’s “Fish Out Of Water”, Patrick Moraz’s “Story Of I” and Alan White’s “Ramshackled”. As we can see by the extensive line up, shown above, the album also features some Yes’ members, Alan White and Patrick Moraz, and the ex-Yes’ member Bill Bruford. There are also members of the progressive rock band Gryphon, Graeme Taylor, Malcolm Bennett and Dave Oberlé on one of the songs, besides other guest musicians.
“Beginnings” sounded overall most like a folkier version of Yes’ sound with less emphasis on the keyboards. The material on the album is decent and varied. However, the problems here are the vocals of Howe himself. His voice fitted well into the vocal harmonies in Yes, but it reveals itself as very thin and helpless when it stands alone. And this means that good songs like “Doors Of Sleep” and “Australia” unfortunately never reaches the heights they could have with a good singer. “Pleasure Stole The Night” is a track in the same rural style and sound as the two earlier mentioned songs, while “Lost Symphony” benefits from a cool sax riff. “Will O’ The Wisp” is the most typical progressive rock track here, with an atmospheric mellotron break in the middle. “Break Away From It All” is the most rocking moment on the whole album, when Howe demonstrates some of his excellent and very distinctive playing here. There’s also three instrumental numbers here, including the complex and orchestrated title track and the ultra typical, Howe-like “Ram”. “Nature Of The Sea” is maybe the best showcase on the album for his guitar playing. So, all in all, we can say that “Beginnings” is a listenable album, but it would have been better if Howe had got someone else to do the vocals’ work.
Conclusion: Of the five solo albums of Yes’ members, all released between 1975 and 1976, the only one I haven’t yet listened to is White’s “Ramshackled”. “Beginnings” is, without any doubt, the weakest of all I know. I must confess that I always was a bit disappointed with “Beginnings”. It isn’t as good as it should be. Definitely, lacks to it some cohesion, passion and flame, and its music isn’t even very well elaborated. It’s true that it has some real good musical moments and technically the performance of Howe is great and absolutely perfect and irreproachable, as ever. However, this is very poor for a musician like Howe. Anyway, I think the main problems with this album are the vocals. Howe has a very weak voice and his experience on vocals are only when he worked as a backing vocalist on Yes. Unfortunately, he hasn’t a voice as good as the voice of his colleague of Yes, Squire. I think he has the same problem of Tony Banks of Genesis, but Howe’s voice is even worse. Without this problem I’m convinced that it would have been a better album. Definitely, this wasn’t a great beginning for one of the finest and greatest guitarists of the progressive rock music ever.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
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Album Rating: 3.0
Finally I returned, as I've promised, with my reviews about the world of Yes, once that the prog torney of Friday has ended and my extended vacations has ended too, finally. Lol.
As some of you remember, my last review about Yes was about "Two Sides Of Peter Banks". So, let's proceed with the review of another album of one of their members, this time, with the debut solo album of their main guitarist, "Beginnings". I hope you continue proceeding with me in what I called, "a journey to the wonderful world of Yes".
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Chet Atkins?!? That's a surprise.
I've listened to most of the Yes solo albums, but I've never listened to this one--until now. You're right. His voice is not so great standing on its own. But the production on this album is outstanding for 1975.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Yeah, the production is very good indeed. But his voice isn't. The album has some great moments, for instance "Ram" despite be very short. If it wasn't his voice I think I could give to the album a 3.5. Anyway, I think this is a pretty decent debut solo album of him. Still, I expected more of one of my favourite prog guitarists.
Thanks, Twig.
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Neat, good to see your reviews again. I haven't heard any Yes solo stuff but I'm thinking of checking out Bruford and Squire's albums out sometime.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Thanks, Saros. Do that, man. Check especially the album of Squire and "Feels Good To Me" and "One Of A Kind" of Bruford.
Besides, you can read my review about "Fish Out Of Water" already, if you want. Meanwhile, I intend to review both albums of Bruford even in this year, too.
Great album you are digging, right now, really. It's one of my faves, indeed.
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Nice job e. I agree with you. Howe's voice is fine for harmonies, but isn't strong or interesting enough to carry an album as a lead singer. And I also agree it suffers in comparison to the Squire album.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Album has a sentimental value since I bought the album in the early 80s, and I've listened to it quite often. It's true Howe is not quite good as a lead singer, but I enjoy most of the songs here, except ''Doors of Sleep'', and ''Break Away From it All'' which I skipped from time to time. The title track is overlong and that so-so classical piece doesn't feature Howe too much. But the songs that I like make up for it. It would be more like a 3.2, 3.3.
Good job on the review, and welcome back!
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Thanks, Diva. I think I've missed some of your last reviews. But there is one of them that I need to read and give my opinion. I mean "The Early Singles" of Pink Floyd, since I'm a great fan of the band. I'll read it tomorrow and will tell you something then.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
I didn't know that the album had a sentimental value to you Jethro. In reality and as a whole the album is pretty decent. But I must confess that it was a small deception to me when I listened it for the first time. Besides the problems with the voice of Howe, I really expected much more of an artist like Howe. Furthermore, almost all the solo albums of his collegues of Yes, at the time, are a bit beter or even much beter. Fortunately, his second solo album is beter than this one is, in my opinion. You'll see my opinion about it very soon. It will be the subject of my next review here.
Thanks Jethro. It's always great to return doing what I like to do, which is to write about the music I love most, the prog music.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I really dig ''Australia''and ''The Nature of the Sea''. Both songs wouldn't be out of place in an early solo album of Steve Hackett. ''Lost Symphony'' is probably my fave, with its uplifting nature and its funny sax riff. Great melody too. On ''Will O' The Wisp'', vocals are pretty weak from the start and are finally getting better. It's a good prog rock composition with mellotrons thrown in, and a good rhythm section. ''Ram'' is a nod and a wink to ''The Clap''. It's short and sweet. ''Pleasure Stole the Night'' is a cool folk in the vein of early Strawbs.
So I have many reasons to appreciate the album. It starts and ends poorly though, and the t/t drags too much and it's not exactly the greatest classical piece I've heard. Looking forward to listen to his second solo effort.
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Been a long time since I heard it. Think I owned it on cassette.
Hey, you guys know that the new Yes, featuring Jon Anderson... live album is out now, right?
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Nice to have you back, amigo.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Thanks, Zig. We both keep the Portugueses flag very high here on Sputnik. At least I like to believe it. Lol.
Um abraço, amigo.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Thanks for the information Diva. I only saw that today. The setlist is really impressive. I'm very curious about it. Besides, celebrate the 50th anniversary it's not for everyone. I'm going to celebrate that with my reviews.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
This is really growing on me. The vocals are the only thing that's gonna stop me from giving it a high score.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
Yeah, that is the main problem. They're awful. But you can check his second solo album, "The Steve Howe Album". It's better and doesn't have the vocal problems. His voice is better and it has a female singer Claire Hamill too. Besides, it has Alan White, Bill Bruford, Patrick Moraz and Clive Bunker on it. For many it's his best solo work. With it he proved that he coud make great music outside Yes. It will be my next album to be reviewed.
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