Alan White – Vangelis

Alan White
1949 – 2022
Vangelis Papathanassiou
1943 – 2022
RIP

It is with great sadness that I find myself reflecting on the passing of two giants of the musical scene – drummer Alan White and keyboard player and composer Vangelis Papathanassiou – each of whom featured heavily in the evolution of popular music over the last five decades and thus its influence on those who follow it. For me this was the period during which my own musical tastes were formed.

Alan White joined a favourite band of my younger years – Yes – in 1972, replacing the much loved Bill Bruford. Famously, Yes were about to tour the US (a tour which formed the backbone of the live album – YesSongs) and White had three days to learn their complex material. Fortunately he was no novice, being already known for his work with John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band, as well as for Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Joe Cocker and George Harrison.

I first saw Yes live in London in 1975, at Loftus Road (the home of soccer club Queen’s Park Rangers). Another well known member of the band – Rick Wakeman – had left before the recording of their then latest album – Relayer – and they had invited Vangelis (who had at that point been part of Aphrodite’s Child with Demis Roussos) to replace him. Vangelis turned the band down (being, apparently, reluctant to travel) so I saw them in 1975 with Patrick Moraz on keyboards.

Vangelis – who is probably best known for his celebrated award-winning soundtracks for films such as Chariots of Fire and Bladerunner – did eventually team up with Yes’s vocalist – Jon Anderson – as the successful duo Jon and Vangelis.

It is always sad to mark the passing of one’s ‘heroes’ and they will both be sadly missed.