Alan White

[Jeremy Bender]

Well I just finished watching YES live and was compelled to say how much I enjoyed Alan White's playing with the band and for the music.

[thiscocks]

Yes, I love his playing on 90125, especially 'owner of a lonely heart'. Another under rated player....

[convertedguitarist]

I've been a fan of Alan White for the last 25 plus years. Seen him in concert twice and he's great at using his technique, but in a musical fashion that supports the song, instead of standing out like a sore thumb.

In the early 90's I drove from Cincinnati, OH to Chicago, IL with the drummer in a band I was in at the time to see Zildjian Cymbal Days. They had a group of maybe 7 or 8 famous drummers who endorsed their cymbals giving demonstrations. Alan White was there and he was excellent. I remember thinking how cool it was that he was playing his Ludwigs when everyone else there were playing their Sonors, Tamas and other new school sets. Remember, this was the early 90's before Ludwig started coming back. Very, very underrated drummer.

[King Crimson]

I have been listening to Alan since he joined Yes.

He along with Bruford, Peart, Heyward and Palmer is a favorite of mine.

Very, very good drummer.

[cjl71178]

Alan White was there and he was excellent. I remember thinking how cool it was that he was playing his Ludwigs when everyone else there were playing their Sonors, Tamas and other new school sets. Remember, this was the early 90's before Ludwig started coming back. Very, very underrated drummer.

Ludwig's the only company he's been with from the beginning. He's definately one of the reasons I own two Ludwig kits.

I absolutely love all of his stuff with Yes, especially songs like "sound chaser" off 'Relayer', "into the lens" off 'Drama', "hold on & changes" off '90125.

[supermac]

Yes, very under-rated.

Some really nice playing on Relayer, his first studio album with Yes, and thereafter.

When he joined the band, after Bruford's departure, he had literally days to learn a very complex Yes set before going on tour.

[Pavlos]

Alan White doesn't usually come up first when talking about fave drummers, but he is very underrated. I was just listening to some 80s Yes tonight and decided to look up this thread. Like supermac noted White had learn all the 70s Yes tunes quickly for the live stuff you hear on the Yessongs live album. That other guy appears on a couple of those songs from that disc(s) but most of it is White who did great under the circumstances and proved his versatility later but anchoring almost a totally different kind of group in the 80s (and beyond) Yes.

And his drumming on Relayer and Going for the One are great. I often wonder how Going for the One would have sounded with BB. As it is, I love it and think it is overall a better album than Close to the Edge.

and Alan seems like a loyal guy as he's stuck with Yes and Ludwig for such a long time. Not to mention he plays a bit of keyboard too (see Symphonic Yes DVD) and writes songs. An all around great musician.

[tbmills]

i learned to play on an 8 pc ludwig with every shell signed by mr. white.