Before Steve Howe joined Yes in 1970, he’d built a respectable career as both band member and session player. Even after becoming one of prog’s leading guitarists he was happy to make guest appearances on other artists’ albums.
Before giving Prog a rundown of his favourite experiences outside Yes in 2015, Howe recalled the session that got away, which took place in 1964 when he was 17 years old – the chance to record with jazz great Ella Fitzgerald.
“I got straight on a bus from Holloway to Putney, walked in with my Gibson ES-175 and an amp, and two guys were carrying her out of the studio – she was paralytic!” he said.
“I’m watching this in the corridor, the guys oblivious to this young kid with the guitar. So that session – ‘Steve Howe plays with Ella Fitzgerald’ – didn’t happen!”
Other sessions, as Howe explained, went a little better.
EMI sessions (1960s)
I’m a guitar for hire! There’s not many musical things I’d turn away from. In the 60s I played sessions for EMI, and I was always playing rhythm, with Big Jim Sullivan playing lead.
And the big day came when the producer said, ‘I want Steve to play lead and Jim to play rhythm.’ I thought, ‘Jesus, this could be the beginning of something big.’ I was off! All those things give you more confidence – if you survive them!
Lou Reed – Lou Reed (1972)
Yes were in Morgan Studios doing Tales From Topographic Oceans, and through other channels Rick Wakeman and I got invited to play with Lou. He came in, played us a demo, fine, gave us the chart, and we played. I’ve got no idea what it sounds like. I’ll have to have a listen back!
The openings for those kinds of guest things are fun. You start off thinking, “Oh, is this going to be alright?” And that adds a little tinge to it.
ZTT sessions with Trevor Horn (1985-86)
In the mid-80s there was this feeling around Trevor Horn. Sometimes I’d nip in to see him and things would spontaneously happen.
I play this jazzy guitar on Propaganda’s track Murder Of Love. On Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Welcome To The Pleasuredome, Trevor asked me to come back the next day to add a dobro guitar. And I played on two or three tracks from Frankie’s second album, Liverpool, too.
Queen – Innuendo (1991)
I was in a restaurant in Montreux and bumped into one of Queen’s techs. He said, ‘Steve, come down to the studio – the lads would love to see you.’ It was a set-up!
When I got down there they’d set up the studio for me. They played me the whole album, and it was stunning, and they said, “How about playing on Innuendo? Play like [Spanish flamenco guitarist] Paco De Lucía; just run around and go nuts.” So I did!
Flavio Sala – Sabrosa (2015)
Flavio’s a phenomenal Italian classical guitarist; he’s really going somewhere with it. We just recorded the Chet Atkins tune Sabrosa.
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