50 years ago, he was a fan of Yes' 'Close to the Edge.' Now he gets to play it with them

In the 1970s, the band Yes defined English progressive rock, beginning with its iconic albums “The Yes Album,” “Fragile” and “Close to the Edge.” The group returns to Cincinnati on Nov. 6 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the latter, with a lineup consisting of Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen. I recently had the opportunity to question keyboardist Downes about his experience with the band since joining in 1980, as well as his involvement in the Buggles (of “Video Killed the Radio Star” fame) and his side projects Asia and the New Dance Orchestra.

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Question: Both of your parents played keys. You grew up in Stockport, then moved to London (I just got to play Shepherd’s Bush a few weeks ago!). How did your upbringing, or the London arts scene at the time, influence your music taste? 

Answer:I started out singing in choirs and learning the piano and classical organ from about the age of 6. English church music was a big influence for me and I think that being brought up in that environment gave me a sense of the 'anthemic.' I took more of an interest toward modern music and pop when I was in my early teens, and when my mother bought me a Hammond organ on my 16th birthday, from then on I think I was destined to be a keyboard player. I got very much into the Canterbury scene (Caravan, Soft Machine, etc.), Procol Harum and Yes – the keyboard-driven bands. When I moved to London, I felt very much at home with the music scene that was happening at the time.

Q: You contributed to the Buggles’ version of “Video Killed the Radio Star.” 40 years later, it’s still relevant. At the time, could you predict how big of a hit it was going to be? 

A: I think both Trevor (Horn) and I knew we had something special with 'Video' … and after we were signed to Island Records, they too saw its potential. We spent a huge amount of time on that song in particular because we knew it was our best shot. But of course, you can’t predict how successful something will be until it’s out there. It still gives me chills when I hear it on the radio, as it still sounds fresh and so I’m proud of what we achieved.

Q: How’d you get called up to play in Yes?

A: We signed up to a management company which coincidentally was the same as Yes’s. We were rehearsing in an adjacent studio and they (Chris, Steve and Alan) invited us in to write with them. From that point, it just snowballed until eventually they turned around and asked us to join them.

Q: You’ve said “Drama” is your favorite work. From what I’ve read, the recording of it was a quick process because there was a supporting tour already booked. Did that pressure push you to do your best work?

A:We didn’t think about any issues regarding a booked tour, or at least not amongst ourselves. We just wanted to make a great record and that was our collective aim. It was not exactly a quick process, as we spent a lot of time writing the material and the recording side of it took quite some painstaking months in the studio.

Q: This tour marks a half-century since “Close to the Edge” was released. The album includes a few of my favorite tunes from childhood. How did the album land for you when you first listened to it, without knowing you’d eventually be playing it?

A:It’s ironic that this album came out just after I’d started at music college and was easily the most played in my student digs. It’s a remarkable piece of work and inspired not just me, but also many of my fellow students. An absolute milestone of creativity that I would never have thought in a million years I’d be involved in performing with the band 50 years later.

Q: How does your playing/writing style differ when it’s your own tunes (The New Dance Orchestra) as opposed to collaborating with Yes or Asia, etc.?

A: It’s been a case of wearing different hats for whatever you’re writing for in my case. For instance, the NDO is mainly instrumental, so obviously that’s a keyboard-oriented, ‘one-man orchestra’ approach if you like. But with Yes and Asia, they are wholly different from each other depending on who I am collaborating with. With Asia, John (Wetton) and I were very much into the song and melodic content, whereas with Yes it’s a broader mix with more classical undertones.

Q: Yes, ELP and King Crimson defined progressive rock. And it seems like a tight-knit crew of musicians that all respect each other. What do you think made the London brand of prog stand out at the time?

A:To be honest, I joined the party a bit later at the very beginning of the '80s, so I‘m not too familiar with what the London ‘scene’ was then. By that time, the grandiose progressive era had started to make way for punk, new wave and for want of a better word ‘stadium’ rock, or AOR as the radio programmers branded it. Of course, I was lucky insomuch as I was involved in the latter with Asia, but also had tasted other genres with the Buggles (pop/new wave) and Yes (progressive). I think that enabled me to adapt to virtually any style of music, and stood me in good stead for my career.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Yes (the band) celebrates 50 years since 'Close to the Edge' with tour