Completing Prog’s rundown of Chris Squire’s 30 greatest musical moments, as chosen by the late bassist’s bandmates, collaborators and fans
Onward
Yes – Tormato, 1978
Geoff Downes, Yes, DBA: “We played this song live in Chris’ memory on the tour after his passing. It was a poignant tribute to him – he wrote it, and reckoned it was probably the best song he’d ever written. As the main lights dimmed there was a solitary white Rickenbacker bass – like the one made famous by Chris – illuminated on a stand as the sombre descending bass sequence began.
“It features a stunning orchestral arrangement with arco strings and French horns. While it has a lento feel, it’s essentially a beautiful love song. The concept behind it is one of positivity – it lays out the sentiment that life moves onward and upward. A most fitting tribute to the great man himself.”
Into The Lens
Yes – Drama, 1980
Leoni Jane Kennedy, Solstice, The Anchoress: “I was in my childhood bedroom jamming along to Drama having just been gifted my Mania bass, which had a gorgeously thin neck, after playing a Benson P-style bass with an action from Hell.
“Getting past the first three tracks took hours, because Machine Messiah had me headbanging for my life. When I eventually got to Into The Lens and its opening odd time signature and individual bass notes, with the drums playing the quadruplets in response – my God, was I invested! I just thought it was total sonic genius.
“It was one of the first times I spent hours trying to achieve triplets playing fingerstyle bass, aside from attempting YYZ by Rush. I just about got away with both, but it’s a core memory for my right hand! Chris Squire was such an intuitive player; his tone was so influential for me.”
Tempus Fugit
Yes – Drama, 1980
Andy Hodge, DBA: “Chris was a thing of wonder to my ears with the immaculate Run With The Fox, and soon after hearing it I fell for the charms of Drama. Tempus Fugit was a shock, hitting me squarely in the face: powerfully hypnotic, mesmeric in its repetition; it rocked my world!
“It has an all-time classic bass riff, played with ultimate precision and fluidity, unerring in its steamroller groove, performed seemingly effortlessly by a rock god. The track appeals to my core principles of hard-rocking riffs and hook-based songs.
“There’s a complex bass riff at its heart; but the bass line manages to bring both the rock and the hook. It’s as impressive as any solo but still serves the song in a truly magnificent way; a balancing act only a true genius could pull off.”
Run With The Fox
Chris Squire – Run With The Fox, 1981
Michael Whiteman, I Am The Manic Whale: “I don’t remember Run With The Fox being on the Christmas compilations we listened to growing up, and it never seems to have had quite the exposure of other Christmas songs, like Greg Lake’s I Believe In Father Christmas.
“I discovered it when my children were very little, and it quickly became a firm favourite in our household. My son likes to wake me up by playing it loud early on December 1 to mark the start of Advent. One year he dressed up like a fox for the occasion!
“When I Am The Manic Whale recorded it, we changed the arrangement; there are some subtle differences and some more obvious differences, like the big guitar solo. It’s a joyous, fun and energetic song that on the surface sounds quite pop-rock orientated – but there’s a lot more to it.”
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Yes – 90125, 1983
Troy Sanders, Mastodon: “Owner Of A Lonely Heart reached massive mainstream success with heavy rotation on MTV. As a young fanatic of all genres of music videos, it was my first exposure to Yes, which began an unexpected and magical journey into their back catalogue, their complex musical prowess and Chris’ undeniable talents.
“He proves that simplicity can bring a greater good to the song. Imagine if he went selfishly wild and did his own thing on the tune? I’d bet there were conflicting emotions as he went to record it, attempting the most basic supporting bass line he had likely ever performed.
“When done right, there’s beauty and strength in simplicity, and I applaud both the approach and outcome. Knowing your role and what’s best for the song is beautiful. Being a great bandmate is understanding that your contribution to a song is bigger than oneself. Owner Of A Lonely Heart is a perfect example. Thank you for the magic, Chris.”
Leave It
Yes – 90125, 1983
Shelby Logan Warne, Kyros, Circuline: “I love how weird Leave It was, especially for an album that felt much more pop-adjacent for Yes. The weird production and use of reverb – gated ’n’ all! – to create a sense of movement and space, along with the clever a capella parts, really tickled my brain. All of it felt grounded by the bass line. That taught me a valuable lesson in restraint for the sake of the bigger picture of the song.
“As I began to experiment with songwriting, piecing together ideas inspired by prog and the detailed production of pop, I learned that, a lot of the time, parts that are simple yet effective make a song. Light and shade to keep everything level. Chris’ playing here sums up his approach for 90125: a real sense of ‘keep it grounded.’”
City Of Love
Yes – 90125, 1983
Charlie Griffiths, Haken: “Around 1991 a friend loaned me his 90125 cassette. I was waiting for a bus on Ealing Broadway, Walkman in pocket, and that music blew my mind! I was pretty much a thrash and death metal-head, but I was looking to expand my knowledge; so I started exploring fusion and prog.
“I immediately loved the clean production and vocal harmonies, and the riffs were straight enough to groove along to – but they had some subtle twists. One of my favourite things in songwriting is having an element of surprise, but without too much of a left turn. I always loved that, on first listen to City Of Love, you assume the bass intro starts on beat 1; but when the drums come in you realise it was beat 2 all along. I try to infuse my music with a similar playfulness.”
The More We Live – Let Go
Yes – Union, 1991
Billy Sherwood, Yes: “This was the very first song Chris and I wrote together – I recall it like it was yesterday. He came to my home studio in LA and played me the keyboard part that makes up the long verses. I started singing the idea for ‘The more we live, the more we love, the more we grow.’ We started recording, developing the song, and we really got into a creative process together. Much to my surprise it became a track on the Union record, for which I’m honoured.
“It’s hard to fathom that it’s some 36 years later and Chris is gone. His memory lives on through his music – there’s so much of it to enjoy.”
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