The Rock World Loses Another Legend - Alan White

Last week I learned that Alan White, drummer extraordinaire, passed away at age 72.  That made me pause because as a long-time Yes fan, I knew much of his work with the band. Yes has had many, many talented musicians within its ranks during its existence since 1968. Though White wasn't the only drummer to play with Yes, he did spend the most time behind the kit. He was the longest-remaining member in the band, never leaving, and playing right up until his death. During all of those decades, Yes was a revolving door of players, many leaving, returning, and so on. Yet ol' Alan kept on.

Alan White, during the classic Yes years of the 70s

Quite the storied career there, especially when you look at the other famed artists he worked with: John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band (playing live in concert and on most of the Imagine album), George Harrison, Joe Cocker, Gary Wright, Ginger Baker's Air Force, and The Ventures. That's just a sampling, since he performed on over 50 albums by various musicians.

I was inspired to listen to my favourite Yes song yesterday. Turn of the Century appeared on the Going For the One album (my fave Yes album, by the way) in 1977. I've always been fond of the gentle, emotional story and the lush, intimate instrumentation. Curiously, White barely plays on the track... and yet he co-wrote the song and played a large role in developing its vocal melodies and chord structure. Turn of the Century seems completely devoid of percussion until the latter portion of the song, where White plays mostly timpani, a type of kettledrum, more commonly used in orchestras. This choice of instrument adds to the building drama of the song. I feel like this is the most beautiful piece of music Yes ever composed. I always get a little misty while listening to it. And I never even knew until this past week that White played a major role in developing the track.

White was still active in the band 'til the end, appearing on their 2021 album The Quest. While his style of playing differed from that of original line-up drummer Bill Bruford, who came from a jazz background, his distinctive rock approach defined Yes's progressive sound. Such a loss to the music world. RIP, Mr. White.

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This is blog post #498.... getting closer to the big 500!