Wow, what an excellent interview. I never knew the reason Bill Bruford left Yes. From a personal standpoint, I have never been "reached" by King Crimson the way I was by Yes, so definitely a disappointment Bruford didn't remain with his first project. Nonetheless, he is absolutely a stellar drummer, no matter what he plays. I have a couple of recordings of Genesis' live Trick of the Tail tour (I believe 1975 or 1976) with Bill playing drums, and they were phenomenal. Thanks again, John, for shedding light on one of rock's mysteries!
I saw Bill Bruford's Earthworks twice, on 1 June 2001 & on 23 May 2002. Both shows were at The Magic Bag in Ferndale, Michigan. At the 2001 show, Bruford said this to the crowd. "The Magic Bag has a history of artists signing autographs after the show, and anybody with Yes paraphernalia, I will not be signing it." The crowd was laughing, but they weren't laughing when he didn't after the show. He shook my hand & happily signed my copy of 'A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson' compilation album. No at the 2002 show, Bruford said this at the encore. "Our band was asked to play 'Close to the Edge' during our set. We said hell no." Again, the crowd laughed. While I was standing in line waiting for Bruford to sign another album copy (this time, it was King Crimson's 'Discipline' album), the person in front of me had a copy of Yes' 'Close to the Edge'. When Bruford saw the album, he looked at it for a few seconds, opened up the gatefold & said very quietly, "Alright, I'll sign this" & was a bit livid about it. When it came to me, he shook my hand & again, happily signed my King Crimson album. He even asked me if I wanted to take a picture with him & I did. At that time, it seemed that he had a personal vendetta against Yes which I was surprised about. On a side note, the day of the 2001 show, I was at Melodies & Memories in Eastpointe, Michigan, a music store that sold new & used CD's & used records. As I was purchasing 'A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson', John Sinclair (the American poet, writer, political activist & also the manager of The MC5) walked in. One of the workers there came up to me (I was a regular there) & said "That's John Sinclair at the counter. Go get an MC5 album & he'll sign it for you". I found a copy of 'Kick Out the Jams' (second print), purchased it & yes, he signed it. What a day that was!
Very happy with this interview. Bill Bruford is a wonder of a drummer and musician. I am such a Yes fan and I realize that he needed to leave. The chemistry was so good I never truly let him go. Crimson was such different territory, I never knew where to land. Quality music, I'm sure. Just sounded like jazz to me, I wanted high quality Rock/Pop that explored new ground, yet was relatable to a kid full of testosterone. I wanted highly melodic, high energy intelligent rock music. Light on the clich'es, please.
My interview with Mickey Hart around the same time , he could tell I was so nervous being back stage at a Dead show he actually held the recorder and question sheet 🤣 Best, Ben Berry
I spent 3 to 4 days with Bill and his son in the 90's as they were a guest on our outdoor Tv show. Awesome experience and Bill is a terrific gentleman with a great sense of humor. One of my all time favorite jazz composers and his sound on drums... well there is only one Bruford. IMHO yes was never yes again without Bill. An amazing musician, father, husband, educator, and the list goes on. Thanks for this update. Great show. Jim Baugh JBOTV
Greetings, heard BB talk about your show and saw a clip from it. Also great that he also wrote about it in his autobiography. I'm sure you cherish those memories. Thanks for adding to the lore. BTW, I'm also a Virginian. Love Bruford from back in the 70's.
I even saw Yes just after they released Close to the Edge and no BB. Man story of my life. I saw the Guess Who without Randy Bachman, Fleetwood Mac without Danny Kirwan, Chicago without Terry Kath, Heart without Roger Fischer. Man I'm on roll
For years , Bill Bruford's stock answer on why he left Yes was invariably that he felt that in his opinion YES ( with himself on drums ) had made an album , Close To The Edge , that could never be improved upon by that band . He said that rather than stick around to try and attempt the impossible , he would take up the musical challenges that working with Robert Fripp and King Crimson presented instead .
I love reading comments on BB videos, he is so revered and respected as an artist and innovator. Different level than any other drummer. "Fantastic" and "wonderful" are adjectives that describe listening to him quite well, he has a wonderful talent to be simple and complex at the same time, elegant and sophisticated, yet with confidence and balls.
Hi John, What a fascinating snippet of interview with yourself and Mr. Bruford. Wow I had never heard his reasoning behind his leaving Yes at the peak of their success and epic period in their catalog. Thank you and will definitely listen to the rest you have collected for us. God bless Tino
@@RockHistoryMusic You are quite welcome. You are always among the first items that appear on my notifications. I try to delve into as many as I can. Always enlightening.
From awhile ago but still interesting. Fragile and Close To The Edge were super important to me as a kid in '72/'73 (great GF music ;). I couldn't understand why Bill left. One critic then said "Bill didn't swing". Huh ?? Great drummer.
"...and tune in next week for mooooOOORE BILL BRUFORD!!!" Never thought I'd be regularly looking for the "next Bill Bruford broadcast". If he wasn't busy doing other stuff he could easily have a YT show of his own. Dishing out and digging up the historical prog dirt from years past. Of course, being the gentleman he is, he'd never do it, besides he put most of it in his book I guess (which is a great read!). Always a delight to hear one of my favorite musician/thinkers. Thanks.
John, I sent this video over to the Yes fan club page on Facebook and they really like it. So I'm glad you're doing something on on yes because I really love that band and I might go see Rick Wakeman on his grumpy tour which is coming to the United States very soon.
*Bruford & Squire* were a unique constellation in the Progressive Rhythm Section Universe. As impressed as I was with Squire's Industrial-Melodic dominance of YES' unique sound, Bruford's drumming stood out against those bass lines in a way that *_always impressed_* and made you take special notice of the drummer's innovative talents. There was no drummer I had higher praise for at the time of CTTE. When Bill left, he brought to an end something that had _built his life's legacy_ as a musician. IMO, _nothing_ he ever did afterwards came close to matching the incredible thing that he and Chris had made together. I've always blamed Bill for being a bit of a class snob behind it all...
I was shock when I found out years after I had benn a fan of Gong that he was apart of gong for Less then A year I only new (Cause of a Bootleg Gong live in oslo )where ever the hell that is? Did Bruford recorded an album with them? I guess he had a falling out with Daevid Allen ? Please shed some light on this subject.Thanks
Read his book he had gone as far as he could with yes I mean close to the edge is a classic he wanted a challenge this knocking on mr. Fripps door his years with king crimson
Frankly, this channel touches on topics I’m interested in but I don’t like being spoon fed like this by every bit of information cut into small and separate video clips.
I love Yes but Starless and Bible Black is almost unworldly incredible.....
Yes and King Crimson were my 2 favourite bands so I was ok when Bill switched. The albums he then did with KC are the best imho.
With all respect and love for White, YES was and mankind were never quite as good after Bruford left YES.
.....but of course Discipline is the best album of the entire 80s
Jay's Museum. Very true
Very true
@@Slammo *Especially* Indiscipline, one of my absolute favorite Bruford moments...!
Bill Bruford is singular in his field.
Wow, what an excellent interview. I never knew the reason Bill Bruford left Yes. From a personal standpoint, I have never been "reached" by King Crimson the way I was by Yes, so definitely a disappointment Bruford didn't remain with his first project. Nonetheless, he is absolutely a stellar drummer, no matter what he plays. I have a couple of recordings of Genesis' live Trick of the Tail tour (I believe 1975 or 1976) with Bill playing drums, and they were phenomenal. Thanks again, John, for shedding light on one of rock's mysteries!
I saw Bill Bruford's Earthworks twice, on 1 June 2001 & on 23 May 2002. Both shows were at The Magic Bag in Ferndale, Michigan.
At the 2001 show, Bruford said this to the crowd. "The Magic Bag has a history of artists signing autographs after the show, and anybody with Yes paraphernalia, I will not be signing it." The crowd was laughing, but they weren't laughing when he didn't after the show. He shook my hand & happily signed my copy of 'A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson' compilation album.
No at the 2002 show, Bruford said this at the encore. "Our band was asked to play 'Close to the Edge' during our set. We said hell no." Again, the crowd laughed. While I was standing in line waiting for Bruford to sign another album copy (this time, it was King Crimson's 'Discipline' album), the person in front of me had a copy of Yes' 'Close to the Edge'. When Bruford saw the album, he looked at it for a few seconds, opened up the gatefold & said very quietly, "Alright, I'll sign this" & was a bit livid about it. When it came to me, he shook my hand & again, happily signed my King Crimson album. He even asked me if I wanted to take a picture with him & I did.
At that time, it seemed that he had a personal vendetta against Yes which I was surprised about.
On a side note, the day of the 2001 show, I was at Melodies & Memories in Eastpointe, Michigan, a music store that sold new & used CD's & used records. As I was purchasing 'A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson', John Sinclair (the American poet, writer, political activist & also the manager of The MC5) walked in. One of the workers there came up to me (I was a regular there) & said "That's John Sinclair at the counter. Go get an MC5 album & he'll sign it for you". I found a copy of 'Kick Out the Jams' (second print), purchased it & yes, he signed it. What a day that was!
Very happy with this interview. Bill Bruford is a wonder of a drummer and musician. I am such a Yes fan and I realize that he needed to leave. The chemistry was so good I never truly let him go. Crimson was such different territory, I never knew where to land. Quality music, I'm sure. Just sounded like jazz to me, I wanted high quality Rock/Pop that explored new ground, yet was relatable to a kid full of testosterone. I wanted highly melodic, high energy intelligent rock music. Light on the clich'es, please.
Great job John! I interviewed Bill in 1989 on my radio show and he knew I was a completely inexperienced kid and still couldn’t have been nicer!
That's cool. I have a box of my first interviews from 1983 and I'm scared to listen to them.
My interview with Mickey Hart around the same time , he could tell I was so nervous being back stage at a Dead show he actually held the recorder and question sheet 🤣 Best, Ben Berry
I spent 3 to 4 days with Bill and his son in the 90's as they were a guest on our outdoor Tv show. Awesome experience and Bill is a terrific gentleman with a great sense of humor. One of my all time favorite jazz composers and his sound on drums... well there is only one Bruford. IMHO yes was never yes again without Bill. An amazing musician, father, husband, educator, and the list goes on. Thanks for this update. Great show. Jim Baugh JBOTV
Greetings, heard BB talk about your show and saw a clip from it. Also great that he also wrote about it in his autobiography. I'm sure you cherish those memories. Thanks for adding to the lore. BTW, I'm also a Virginian. Love Bruford from back in the 70's.
Great stuff. I worked at a job with Alex in London , around 2000, he was a nice lad.
Yes! Thank you John. Looking forward to the rest of this interview.
Thanks Freddie.
I even saw Yes just after they released Close to the Edge and no BB. Man story of my life. I saw the Guess Who without Randy Bachman, Fleetwood Mac without Danny Kirwan, Chicago without Terry Kath, Heart without Roger Fischer. Man I'm on roll
You tease! I need this 50 minute interview intact por favor
Bill Bruford might be the best rock drummer ever. Certainly the best progressive rock drummer.
Carl Palmer not far behind
bonham for rock, bb for prog.
People will talk to someone they know is truly interested and not just trying to get "known". Love your interviews, John. Thanks for doing them.
Yes was never the same without Bruford.
For years , Bill Bruford's stock answer on why he left Yes was invariably that he felt that in his opinion YES ( with himself on drums ) had made an album , Close To The Edge , that could never be improved upon by that band . He said that rather than stick around to try and attempt the impossible , he would take up the musical challenges that working with Robert Fripp and King Crimson presented instead .
I love reading comments on BB videos, he is so revered and respected as an artist and innovator. Different level than any other drummer. "Fantastic" and "wonderful" are adjectives that describe listening to him quite well, he has a wonderful talent to be simple and complex at the same time, elegant and sophisticated, yet with confidence and balls.
Hi John,
What a fascinating snippet of interview with yourself and Mr. Bruford. Wow I had never heard his reasoning behind his leaving Yes at the peak of their success and epic period in their catalog.
Thank you and will definitely listen to the rest you have collected for us.
God bless
Tino
Thanks Tino.
@@RockHistoryMusic You are quite welcome. You are always among the first items that appear on my notifications. I try to delve into as many as I can. Always enlightening.
I'm excited for this series!
Thanks for watching Forrest.
From awhile ago but still interesting.
Fragile and Close To The Edge were super important to me as a kid in '72/'73 (great GF music ;).
I couldn't understand why Bill left. One critic then said "Bill didn't swing". Huh ?? Great drummer.
"...and tune in next week for mooooOOORE BILL BRUFORD!!!" Never thought I'd be regularly looking for the "next Bill Bruford broadcast". If he wasn't busy doing other stuff he could easily have a YT show of his own. Dishing out and digging up the historical prog dirt from years past. Of course, being the gentleman he is, he'd never do it, besides he put most of it in his book I guess (which is a great read!). Always a delight to hear one of my favorite musician/thinkers. Thanks.
Man! You are on a roll. Great interviews!
Thanks Jeffrey.
Super valid Points I get all he's saying. He was truly a Journey man...
John, I sent this video over to the Yes fan club page on Facebook and they really like it. So I'm glad you're doing something on on yes because I really love that band and I might go see Rick Wakeman on his grumpy tour which is coming to the United States very soon.
Thanks so much. We might get Rick Wakeman before his tour.
@@RockHistoryMusic awesome. That would be great. He is really a funny guy. Remember him the Rock and Roll Hall induction ceremony.
hey john. you got to interview Andy from Sweet, he is a great musician...and has class....good luck 🍻
Master drummer
*Bruford & Squire* were a unique constellation in the Progressive Rhythm Section Universe. As impressed as I was with Squire's Industrial-Melodic dominance of YES' unique sound, Bruford's drumming stood out against those bass lines in a way that *_always impressed_* and made you take special notice of the drummer's innovative talents. There was no drummer I had higher praise for at the time of CTTE.
When Bill left, he brought to an end something that had _built his life's legacy_ as a musician. IMO, _nothing_ he ever did afterwards came close to matching the incredible thing that he and Chris had made together. I've always blamed Bill for being a bit of a class snob behind it all...
What's the outro song at the end of the video?????????!!!!!!!!!
I was shock when I found out years after I had benn a fan of Gong that he was apart of gong for Less then A year I only new (Cause of a Bootleg Gong live in oslo )where ever the hell that is? Did Bruford recorded an album with them? I guess he had a falling out with Daevid Allen ? Please shed some light on this subject.Thanks
Read his book he had gone as far as he could with yes I mean close to the edge is a classic he wanted a challenge this knocking on mr. Fripps door his years with king crimson
Alan white all the way!
Frankly, this channel touches on topics I’m interested in but I don’t like being spoon fed like this by every bit of information cut into small and separate video clips.
My biggest gripe is your interviews are way too short
It’s not brave at all. Nope, it’s called integrity.
As i have heard before, BB and Jon ANderson didnt get along as well
Actually David, Bill and Jon have remained very close to this day; Not sure where you heard that.
@@johnflanagan9153 Bill's own autobiography details a dream where he bludgeones Jon with a snare drum.
@@0tf850 I thought it was a Mic stand or cymbal stand, but I could be wrong. I'll have to reference his book, which I have.
Can’t imagine being bored and tired of playing with his mates in Yes. Eventually he officially retired from playing live.