Переиздан альбом многолетнего ударника великих Yes Алана Уайта 1976 г. "Ramshackled".
Alan White has been the drummer for the band Yes for more than thirty years, contributing to all their albums from the live "Yessongs" until the present. Before joining that band, however, he played with a lot of musicians, from local unknown bands to famous artists like John Lennon, George Harrison, Ginger Baker`s Air Force, Joe Cocker, Balls, Griffin, "Bell & Arc", Alan Price, Gary Wright, Jesse Ed Davis, Billy Preston, and many others.
Alan White was born in Pelton, Co. Durham, in northern England, on June 14th, 1949. He started taking piano lessons at the three years of age, but, encouraged by one of his uncles who also was a drummer, he was given a drum kit and he took lessons, leaving them later to find his own style of playing. He started playing in local bands, and by the age of thirteen he had become a professional musician. In 1969 he was playing in a club in London with a local band, and one day John Lennon and Yoko Ono were in the club listening to Alan`s band. It seems that Lennon was impressed by White`s playing, so in September 1969 White received a phone call which he initially thought was a joke - however, it really was John Lennon asking him to join his band (The Plastic Ono Band) for a concert in Toronto, in the "Rock and Roll Revival Show". He joined Lennon`s band along with Yoko, Eric Clapton and Klaus Voormann, and they rehearsed in the flight to Toronto, Alan without drums, only using his drumsticks to play on one of the seats of the airplane, while the other musicians played acoustic guitars. This concert was released as the "Plastic Ono Band - Live Peace in Toronto 1969" album in December 1969. Maybe this was the most important event on which he had participated until then. This led him to also play with George Harrison in his "All Things Must Pass" solo album in 1970. He also appeared on Lennon`s hit single "Instant Karma", on his album "Imagine" (including the title track) and on the live disc of the "Some Time in New York City" double album.
Alan White was also briefly a member of Ginger Baker`s Airforce in 1970, where he also played keyboards. He also appeared as a session musician in several albums by famous artists. In 1972 he was playing on tour with Joe Cocker and, in June of that year, at the end of the tour, he was asked to join YES by his friend Eddie Offord (who was YES` producer then), Jon Anderson and Chris Squire. Original YES` drummer Bill Bruford had left the band in July of that year after recording ...
Alan White was born in Pelton, Co. Durham, in northern England, on June 14th, 1949. He started taking piano lessons at the three years of age, but, encouraged by one of his uncles who also was a drummer, he was given a drum kit and he took lessons, leaving them later to find his own style of playing. He started playing in local bands, and by the age of thirteen he had become a professional musician. In 1969 he was playing in a club in London with a local band, and one day John Lennon and Yoko Ono were in the club listening to Alan`s band. It seems that Lennon was impressed by White`s playing, so in September 1969 White received a phone call which he initially thought was a joke - however, it really was John Lennon asking him to join his band (The Plastic Ono Band) for a concert in Toronto, in the "Rock and Roll Revival Show". He joined Lennon`s band along with Yoko, Eric Clapton and Klaus Voormann, and they rehearsed in the flight to Toronto, Alan without drums, only using his drumsticks to play on one of the seats of the airplane, while the other musicians played acoustic guitars. This concert was released as the "Plastic Ono Band - Live Peace in Toronto 1969" album in December 1969. Maybe this was the most important event on which he had participated until then. This led him to also play with George Harrison in his "All Things Must Pass" solo album in 1970. He also appeared on Lennon`s hit single "Instant Karma", on his album "Imagine" (including the title track) and on the live disc of the "Some Time in New York City" double album.
Alan White was also briefly a member of Ginger Baker`s Airforce in 1970, where he also played keyboards. He also appeared as a session musician in several albums by famous artists. In 1972 he was playing on tour with Joe Cocker and, in June of that year, at the end of the tour, he was asked to join YES by his friend Eddie Offord (who was YES` producer then), Jon Anderson and Chris Squire. Original YES` drummer Bill Bruford had left the band in July of that year after recording their "Close to the Edge" album in order to join King Crimson, leaving YES without a drummer just a few days before the start of their tour. Alan learned all the songs from the tour in three days, and he and the band gave each other three months to see if they were comfortable to play together. He has been YES' drummer since then, and with Chris Squire he has played on all their albums from 1973 until the present. His style of playing is "heavier" in comparison to Bruford`s, who has a technique more geared towards jazz-rock; however, Alan White has adapted his eclectic style to YES` music, playing complicated drum parts while also adding "power" to his playing.
In 1975, after the tour for YES` "Relayer" album, the band members started to record solo albums. Alan White recorded his first solo album called "Ramshackled" (released in April 1976) with the collaboration of old friends from his previous bands. Although this first solo album is not very well-known among YES fans (with the LP being out of print since the late Seventies and previously only being released on CD in Japan), it contains some interesting material for progressive rock fans. He applied his previous experience of playing with musicians of different styles in his career to create an eclectic album, showing his versatility as a drummer, and also including some Jazz-Rock and Prog influences in the arrangements of the songs . In 2006 the album was released on CD for the first time in the United States.
Alan White has also been playing in recent years with other part-time bands, like Mer Ka Ba, and with his own band called WHITE (which also includes former YES keyboardist Geoff Downes), recording an album with them. He also continues to play as guest with other musicians on albums and in concerts, and he also gives drum clinics when he is not working with YES. He is a respected drummer with a lot of experience. (From Progarchives)
Track List 1. Ooooh Baby 05:34 2. One Way Rag 04:07 3. Avakak 06:54 4. Song Of Innocence 05:02 5. Giddy 03:13 6. Silly Woman 03:15 7. Marching Into A Bottle 02:00 8. Everybody 03:14 9. Darkness 05:34
