先日、悲しいお知らせをいただきました。

イギリスのプログレッシブグロックの巨星、｢YES｣のベーシスト、クリス　スクアイヤー氏がこの世を去ったということでした。

ショックです。私にとってYESは教科書的な音楽でした、ロック、ジャズ、クラシックと音楽の垣根を越えた創造性は初めて聞いた｢closs to the e    edge｣ から心をわしずかみにされ、以後ずっと聞いてきた音楽でした。

流石にメインヴォーカルのジョン・アンダーソンが脱退してからはあまり聞いておりませんでしたが、クリスのソロ、YES以外の参加アルバムもほとんど聞いていました・・・・

斬新なラインとリズム、そしてヨーロッパ特有のコーラスなどいつも新鮮な気持ちで聞くことが出来たベーシストはそうそういません。

YESは今後も存続していくのか定かではありませんが、また私の宝物は一つなくなるのか、と思うと非常にさびしい気持ちになります。

さようならクリス　スクアイヤー。私は貴方の音楽を一生忘れません！ありがとう・・・・

以下　アルバム　｢closs to the e    edge｣　より

[I Cord Of Life]

A man conceived a moment's answer to the dream
Staying the flowers daily, sensing all the themes
As a foundation left to create the spiral aim
A movement regained and regarded both the same
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

Changed only for a sight of sound, the space agreed
Between the picture of time behind the face of need
Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid
Emotions revealed as the ocean maid
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

Coins and crosses
(Turn round tailor, assaulting)
Never know their fruitless worth
(all the mornings of the interest shown,
presenting one another to the cord)
Cords are broken
(All left dying, rediscovered
Of the door that turned round)
Locked inside the mother Earth
(To close the cover, all the
interest shown)
They won't hide, hold, they won't tell you
(To turn one another, to the
sign at the time float your climb)
Watching the world, watching all of the world
Watching us go by

And you and I climb over the sea to the valley
And you and I reached out for reasons to call

[II Eclipse]

Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid
Emotions revealed as the ocean maid
As a movement regained and regarded both the same
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

[III The Preacher, The Teacher]

Sad preacher nailed upon the coloured door of time
Insane teacher be there reminded of the rhyme
There'll be no mutant enemy we shall certify
Political ends as sad remains will die
Reach out as forward tastes begin to enter you
Oooh, ooh

I listened hard but could not see
Life tempo change out and inside me
The preacher trained in all to lose his name
The teacher travels, asking to be shown the same
In the end we'll agree, we'll accept, we'll immortalize
That the truth of man maturing in his eyes
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid
As a moment regained and regarded both the same
Emotion revealed as the ocean maid
A clearer future, morning, evening, nights with you

[IV Apocalypse]

And you and I climb, crossing the shapes of the morning
And you and I reach over the sun for the river
And you and I climb, clearer towards the movement
And you and I called over valleys of endless seas