MICHAEL LANDAU
He’s worked with everyone from Celine Dion to Miles Davis, but not even a session with Pink Floyd could eclipse his admiration for Yes.
“I was invited to do the opening guitar on Pink Floyd’s One Slip on A Momentary Lapse of Reason. It was one of those signature David Gilmour parts. He couldn’t have been sweeter – we spent more time hanging out than playing.
“However, I was a massive Yes fan when I was 14. I had a band with some of the neighbourhood kids, the drummer’s father worked for a record label and was always bringing home promo copies of albums by bands like Yes, which gave us great exposure to this amazing music.
“We heard Close To The Edge, which blew us away, because, whereas The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix were playing the blues, Steve Howe was playing jazz. Nobody had ever heard anyone play the bass like Chris Squire and that tone, while Jon Anderson’s voice gave it that spiritual dimension.
“I did see Yes at the LA Forum back in the day, and they were incredible. We heard Fragile afterwards, which we also loved, but by the time Tales Of Topographic Oceans came out,
I was gravitating towards the jazz fusion of Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius and John McLaughlin.
“Later, I played guitar on several tracks on
Jon Anderson’s album In The City of Angels
– but unfortunately, he was not there himself. He was working elsewhere, which was really a bummer. It would have been really fantastic to have met him.
“Recently I’ve become a huge Todd Rundgren fan, and I go to all his shows when I can. I went to see him at a show that also featured Carl Palmer and Yes. It was great to see Steve Howe up there, but it was a little sad too because
Alan White could only come out to play one or two songs.
“I also loved King Crimson, especially Greg Lake’s voice, those tunes and that production on In The Court Of The Crimson King. We were fans of Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick – We listened to the first side and thought they played it from start to finish in the studio. Now, I can hear the edits!” AR
Michael Landau’s Liquid Quartet Live is out now via Mascot. For more visit www.mikelandau.com.