Psychosync, the Flash homepage

Perfect Sound Forever interview

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:09:16 +0000

Check out the in-depth interview by Ray & Colin at Perfect Sound Forever.

PSF: Being a frequent flyer at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in the ’70′s, I looked for you guys but never saw Flash adverted. I caught Trapeze, Uriah Heep, and a boatload of the ultra-talented Brit music-makers – even Barclay James Harvest played the Troubador once, down the way from the Whiskey – but the Flash sobriquet never seemed to materialize in SoCal. Did you guys make it to the US?

Carter: Yes. We played the Whiskey in the ’70′s, musta been about August or September of 1972.

Bennett: In fact, I have a picture. There is now a new Flash Live album coming out soon with a picture of Colin standing in front of the Flash billboard, on the street right next to the Whiskey.

Carter: A big billboard!

PSF: Oh hell!… yeah… in fact I remember it now… huge!

Bennett: We played there for a week, with the usual: big record company party, press, and all that. We didn’t play many times in L.A., though. I think we hit the Santa Monica Civic, too.

PSF: Oh geez, I saw lots of great acts at the Samo Civic: Focus, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Gentle Giant, the Strawbs… and I missed you there too? Bad news!

Bennett: Somewhere in the midst of our first or second tour, we ran into a lawsuit with the name, so we were temporarily not playing in California. That’s probably why you didn’t see us around much.

Carter: We also played Balboa Park in San Diego – not many places on the West Coast, though, at all.

Read the full interview at Perfect Sound Forever here: http://www.furious.com/perfect/flash.html

Goldmine Prog Rock Issue

admin — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:04:51 +0000

The February 2011 issue of Goldmine features a three-page Flash article as part of their Prog Rock issue.

Superstars Of Rock

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:04:37 +0000

“For the first time since around 1972 you have Peter Banks and Flash doing Children Of The Universe in full grainy Black and White, the song is the 45 version just about 3 minutes and 10 seconds long, taken from the tv series “SuperStars of Rock” Flash was on just before the WHO. as of today this is the only video footage I still have as most were sadly lost in a 1998 house fire. Enjoy this rough copy”
-George “TheMiz” Mizer

Flash headline ProgDay 2010

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:53:55 +0000

Flash confirmed to play the 2010 ProgDay in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on September 4th. ProgDay is an annual outdoor festival of progressive music featuring artists from all over the world. ProgDay has been held every year since it’s birth in 1995, making it the longest running progressive rock event in the world.

from ProgDay site:

In 1971, COLIN CARTER, formerly lead singer with PETER BARDEN’S CAMEL, initiated an idea with PETER BANKS, recently the first ex-YES guitarist, to form a new band. Musician RAY BENNETT had previously met Banks while staying with BILL BRUFORD, Bennett’s former bandmate from THE BREED. Recently returned to London, Bennett arrived right on time to fill the bass spot. MIKE HOUGH, a hard working drummer with a jazz, rock and big band background, was discovered by Carter and Banks playing in a ballroom in London. Together they formed FLASH.

In the early 70s FLASH put out three albums on EMI/Capitol Records, had the hit single “Small Beginnings” (#28 Billboard), and toured Europe and the USA four times. They even made it to Australia. But after two and a half years, FLASH disbanded. All four members later reunited in various combinations during the late 70′s and early 80′s. But by 1982 the FLASH members had gone their separate ways.

In 2002 all four original members made contact again and were initially enthusiastic about a FLASH reunion. Now spread out across the globe, plans to get together were discussed over several months. However, in the end, Banks and Hough failed to commit. In late 2004 it was FLASH songwriters Ray Bennett and Colin Carter who began working together again. They discovered that the old chemistry was still there and in 2005 they officially re-launched their musical partnership as FLASH.

2009 saw the almost miraculous resurrection of the fully realized FLASH. Gibson Guitars listed FLASH’s “In the Can” as one of their top 10 vintage classic prog-rock albums. Also in 2009, all of their albums were reissued. Now, with a spectacular new 5 piece line-up and a studio album of new material in the works, these prog-rock pioneers set sail again with renewed vigor and their hallmark originality, ready to continue their saga. Advance copies of the new album should be available in September at Progday.

More info: http://www.progday.net/Bands-Flash.html

Lonnie Donegan CD with Peter Banks

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:26:28 +0000

Brand new CD release of Puttin’ On The Style by Lonnie Donegan found Lonnie going into heavy territory in the company of Elton John, Brian May, Rory Gallagher, Ringo Starr, Ron Wood, Peter Banks, Gary Brooker, Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voorman, Pete Wingfield, Henry Spinetti and many more.

1. Rock Island Line
2. Have A Drink On Me
3. Ham ‘n’ Eggs
4. I Wanna Go Home
5. Diggin’ My Potatoes
6. Nobody’s Child
7. Puttin’ On The Style
8. Frankie And Johnny
9. Drop Down Baby
10. Lost John
11. The Grand Coulee Dream
12. London Is Behind Me
13. Whoa Buck (Whoa Back, Buck)
14. I’m Just A Rolling Stone

Out July / August 2010 on Sanctuary/Universal.

Remastered In The Can with bonus tracks

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:42:57 +0000

Esoteric Records releases the final Flash album missing in their remastered series on June 28th. In The Can gets reissued for the first time with two bonus tracks: Watch Your Step / Lifetime (single version).

[amazon-product]B003JIOHGS[/amazon-product]

Lifetime / Monday Morning Eyes / Black And White / Stop That Banging / There No More / Bonus Tracks- Watch Your Step / Lifetime (Single Version)

Flash Live in Portsmouth Gallery

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:42:32 +0000

Some new archive photos of Flash live in Portsmouth, UK 1972 courtesy of Terry Aldridge are up on the site. Check them out here.

Peter Banks interview @ Gibson.com

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:21:48 +0000

When you formed Flash, did you have in mind doing something stylistically that was radically different from Yes?

Looking back it would be very easy to say I had a grand plan, but I really didn’t. What I really had was a list of things I wanted to avoid. Even though I was just 22 or 23 when Flash got together, I had been a professional musician since the age of 17. I wanted to put together a true band. I had never had a band of my own before, but I didn’t want Flash to be my band. I wanted it to be a cooperative thing. And that’s basically how it was.

Read the complete interview @ Gibson: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/peter-banks-0122/

New Flash SHM CD remasters

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:11:18 +0000

February 19, 2010, new editions of the classic Flash albums (plus Bank’s Two Sides Of…) are reissued as cardboard sleeves two discs sets. One disc features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (fully compatible with standard CD players) and other disc features remastering from the original LP on a standard CD format. Includes a Japanese Obi for the albums “Flash,” “In The Can,” “Out Of Our Hands,” and “Two Sides Of (Peter Banks).”

Order from CDJapan or Artist-Shop.

Esoteric Recordings Reissues Flash Debut

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:00:21 +0000

Esoteric Recordings re-mastered reissue of Flash’s self-titled debut includes the rare single version of Small Beginnings for the first time on CD. Also reissued is Peter Banks first solo album recorded right after Flash’s breakup, “Two Sides Of Peter Banks”. Thanks to Flash’s degree of success in the USA, Banks was afforded the chance to record this solo album with a cast of guest musicians which included Jan Akkerman, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and John Wetton.

Flash US Store

Two Sides of Peter Banks US Store

Flash UK Store

Two Sides Of Peter Banks UK Store