In the '70s, drummer
Alan White was among the
Yes members who recorded solo projects; the others included
Jon Anderson,
Chris Squire, and
Rick Wakeman.
Ramshackled,
White's only solo album, was far from a huge seller, but some
Yes fans bought it out of curiosity. Many of them were no doubt expecting to hear
progressive rock, but this out of print LP is a long way from
Relayer or
Tales from Topographic Oceans. Instead,
White turns his attention to
blue-eyed soul-
pop and, to a lesser degree,
jazz fusion with erratic results. While the singing is unimpressive, some of the material is OK.
"One Way Rag," "Giddy," and
"Ooooh Baby" have more in common with
Van Morrison than with
Yes,
King Crimson, or
Genesis, and the
jazz fusion instrumental
"Avakak" might have worked on a
CTI session of the early to mid-'70s. Meanwhile, the most embarrassing tune on the album is
"Silly Woman," a painfully square and downright corny attempt at
reggae or Caribbean music. Although
Ramshackled isn't terrible, most of the
Yes fans who bought it agreed that their money hadn't been well spent. The LP soon ended up in the cutout bins, and
White's attempt at solo career died a quick death. ~ Alex Henderson
