@@MagicRoosterBluesBand I can understand if you are not a skilled musician that you might arrive at progressive bubble gum band and think you've found greatness. Let me put it to you this way. There are songs that Keith Emerson wrote that I may never be able to play. Jeff Downes on the other hand played all the typical prorock boring suspension arpeggios. He actually made Rick Wakeman appear to be a keyboard maven.
I actually went to see Asia when they played in San Diego, CA in a rather small venue. Their album had been released recently and as it turned out they could have booked a much larger place to perform and sold it out easily even then, but then, at the time -- who knew? The concert tickets were like gold! It had to be 1982 or '83. An all-star band for sure. Downs and Steve Howe were attached in a way I suppose at the time every since the YES Drama Album had been released a couple years or so earlier. I remember the San Diego concert like it was yesterday. I remember trying to find my seat and ....... SHIT that was almost 40 years ago. OMG, What Has Happened?
He could make the workstation really talk! With so many sounds at his command -- it was and is an art medium few artists are even capable of occupying. The DRAMA Album byYES is the shit!
Holy Moses! Charlie Sheen from Hot Shots -Part Deux is a great keyboard player! I knew that rescuing prisoners from a fictional SE Asian or Middle Eastern country would come in handy!
uh, no. I reserve keyboard Gods for people like Emerson, Wakeman or Rudess. Keyboardists I have to actually struggle to play what they play. This guy is just playing nice sounds. Any professional keyboardist can do what he's doing
Yes and it was always cool (as a keyboard player) checking out his huge rig. Plus Downes always gave me hope that other mediocre players like myself could get big gigs :)
Watch Geoff play with yes on youtube, where he really has a hard time is with solos. Wakeman use to add little grace notes and trills in his solos that made him sound like Wakeman. Downes just does your basic blues scale riffs, and not very well at that. We use to cover quite a few yes covers back in the day and I was (still am) the keyboard player, and I'm (always have been) a VERY mediocre player. Songs like 'And you and I' aren't hard to play at all technically. Now take a song like Roundabout, still not the most technically difficult song to play, but there are a couple riffs in there where Wakeman does these grace notes that a hard to emulate, then their is the Hammond solo, thats where I always had a hard time emulating Wakeman, and so does Downes. As a keyboard player of 40 years now I know where Downes is coming from as I've watched him a lot over the years. He is a decent fill player, and a really good arranger/producer/song writer. Its always baffled me how he got the yes gig over a lot of other more competent players, guess its his connections like Trevor Horn. Would be interesting to hear some other keyboardist chime in here.
Never forgot seeing this as it aired on MTV. Love that solo piece from Cutting it Fine, a beautiful piece of music!
When I was about 12 years old. I played this VHS over and over about 2000 times. No exaggeration
Very beautiful song, I think both Geoff Downes and Greg Lake did a wonderful job on this.
Stunningly Beautiful!! UA-cam exists so that there is proof to yesterdays and today's generation that there once was this thing called music!!!!!
yeah but there was certainly better progrock examples than this progpop group
i Love every second of this! i think Geoff is one of the best writers and keyboardists of all time!
Best keyboardist?!! Nah not even close.
@@Versul1 No one asked you
That's the great thing about the comment section, no one has to ask you.
@@Versul1 Yes, who is better than Geoff Downes. Listen to the Asia album and get back to me.
@@MagicRoosterBluesBand I can understand if you are not a skilled musician that you might arrive at progressive bubble gum band and think you've found greatness.
Let me put it to you this way. There are songs that Keith Emerson wrote that I may never be able to play. Jeff Downes on the other hand played all the typical prorock boring suspension arpeggios. He actually made Rick Wakeman appear to be a keyboard maven.
My favorite keyboardist. Downs played on the YES Drama Album too! (which happens to be my favorite rock album of all time too -- Go Figure.)
I actually went to see Asia when they played in San Diego, CA in a rather small venue. Their album had been released recently and as it turned out they could have booked a much larger place to perform and sold it out easily even then, but then, at the time -- who knew? The concert tickets were like gold! It had to be 1982 or '83. An all-star band for sure. Downs and Steve Howe were attached in a way I suppose at the time every since the YES Drama Album had been released a couple years or so earlier. I remember the San Diego concert like it was yesterday. I remember trying to find my seat and ....... SHIT that was almost 40 years ago. OMG, What Has Happened?
wow really your favorite keyboardist?!! I gotta say you wouldn't say this if you were a keyboardist.
Man in a White Car!!! Check out the live clips of Geoff playing that track..!!!
Once upon a time....when music was still beautifully played🎶
@Ade F and the people used to care about others and talk to each other without being enslaved by smartphones
Shut up boomers.
Simply the best keyboard player for rock-pop, hands down.
Still my favorite Downes solo!
So brilliant !
That was awesome...
Thank you very much for posting this. I have not been able to view this since 1985.
Excellent version
geoff never using too many notes,but he always plays beautifully
He could make the workstation really talk! With so many sounds at his command -- it was and is an art medium few artists are even capable of occupying. The DRAMA Album byYES is the shit!
Basically a pop keyboardist
Pitiful vocal ... Needed original singer.
Great piano work.
@@martindebrois1472 IMO keyboards were BORING!!!
@@Versul1 - They're *awesome* . ... And the best thing, here ... with Greg Lake's pitiful, weak voice - trying to cover John Wetton.
Holy Moses! Charlie Sheen from Hot Shots -Part Deux is a great keyboard player! I knew that rescuing prisoners from a fictional SE Asian or Middle Eastern country would come in handy!
Masterpiece
I do believe that was the largest keyboard touring rig ever
Indeed. It holds the Guinness Record for the live presentation with most keyboards until today, with 28.
I went to this concert and was shocked to find out that John Wetton wasn't there.
The best
Geoff is a keyboard God
uh, no. I reserve keyboard Gods for people like Emerson, Wakeman or Rudess. Keyboardists I have to actually struggle to play what they play. This guy is just playing nice sounds. Any professional keyboardist can do what he's doing
@@Versul1 try to do something relevant insted of hating on professional musicians you loser
Man, the keyboards that REALLY stick out with unique voices are (in order) the prophet 5, miniMoog (of course) and CP70.
Yeah, nice keyboards, too bad they didn't have a keyboardist to play them.
@@Versul1 what a loser just hating
Mozart would have been proud.
Why?
03:04 My favorite part
love it!!
Mediocre player, very mediocre, but not a bad song writer at all.
Yes and it was always cool (as a keyboard player) checking out his huge rig. Plus Downes always gave me hope that other mediocre players like myself could get big gigs :)
Boy that would be an interesting conversation with Greg Lake 'so Greg how was it playing with Downes after playing all those years with Keith'
Watch Geoff play with yes on youtube, where he really has a hard time is with solos. Wakeman use to add little grace notes and trills in his solos that made him sound like Wakeman. Downes just does your basic blues scale riffs, and not very well at that. We use to cover quite a few yes covers back in the day and I was (still am) the keyboard player, and I'm (always have been) a VERY mediocre player. Songs like 'And you and I' aren't hard to play at all technically. Now take a song like Roundabout, still not the most technically difficult song to play, but there are a couple riffs in there where Wakeman does these grace notes that a hard to emulate, then their is the Hammond solo, thats where I always had a hard time emulating Wakeman, and so does Downes. As a keyboard player of 40 years now I know where Downes is coming from as I've watched him a lot over the years. He is a decent fill player, and a really good arranger/producer/song writer. Its always baffled me how he got the yes gig over a lot of other more competent players, guess its his connections like Trevor Horn. Would be interesting to hear some other keyboardist chime in here.
*****
Very cool, so you were kinda like Kerry Livgren, I guess I was more like Walsh :)
Yeah same here