NEWSPAPER NOTICES – 1972 and 1973
Flash on record
Extracts from contemporary reviews of the singles and albums
These are short extracts from newspaper notices of Flash’s records, in order of publication, with the original clippings where the newspaper allows. The records are the single Small Beginnings and the albums Flash, In The Can and Out Of Our Hands. Printed errors are marked [sic]. The Record Mirror reviews of October 1973 are on their own page.
The Knutsford Guardian (Cheshire) – June 1, 1972, page 10
Singles column: Flash, “Small Beginnings” (Sovereign SOV 105).
“A punchy number with Peter Banks, the group’s leader adding his own distinctive lead guitar feel to the music. Flip ‘Morning Haze.’”
Click the clipping to enlarge.
The Springfield Leader and Press (Missouri) – January 7, 1973, page 36
“Music, Cover Score”, the “Off The Record” column by Mike Kelley, on In The Can.
“‘Black and White,’ the album’s best cut, is almost jazz-like with its staccato melodies that jump out at you from the practiced fingers of guitar man Banks, who used to play with Yes.”
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The Illinois State Register (Springfield) – January 16, 1973
“Flash in the Can”, the “Albums-Albums” column, signed Tux.
“Of all the new bands that appeared in 1972, Flash seems to be the best of the bunch. Their sounds seems [sic] much more alive and innovative than any of the other new bands.”
“I like this album better though, because Bennett’s bass playing, the vocals and the guitar work are all improved.”
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The Los Angeles Times – March 4, 1973
“Pop Album Brief” by Terry Atkinson: In The Can (Sovereign SMAS-11115).
“Though in many ways a pretty blatant copy of Yes (guitarist Peter Banks’ former band), Flash has much to recommend it—especially Banks’ jazzy, indeed flashy guitar work. And its second album is a slight improvement over the first.”
“The band isn’t in the same class as Yes, but it couldn’t have chosen a better model.”
Click the clipping to enlarge.
The Guardian Journal (Nottingham) – April 21, 1973, page 11
“Happy reunion for original Byrds rock group”, a pop column signed Adrian Tame; In The Can, “just out on Sovereign”. (The clipping is not reproduced here.)
“Flash, the band formed by Peter Banks when he split from Yes, have their second album, ‘In the Can’ just out on Sovereign. Like their debut it is a complex mixture of hinted themes and subtle shadings. At first hearing it seems long and rambling, incoherent even, but with a little effort tracks like ‘Lifetime’ or ‘Black and White’ emerge as compositions of real strength.”
The Star-Phoenix (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) – October 11, 1973, page 40
“A message in music”, no byline: Out Of Our Hands.
“Although the two bands sound alike there is a very definite distinction in their respective sound that allows no confusion over who it is that you are listening too [sic].”
“. . . Banks really creates the eccentric sound that carries Bennetts’ [sic] music.”
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The Anderson Daily Bulletin (Indiana) – October 16, 1973, page 10
Short notice by “Youth Seen” rock critic Randall L. Rohn: Out Of Our Hands and Two Sides of Peter Banks. The clipping is cropped.
“‘Out of Our Hands’ . . . by Flash is a respectable album but Yes plays the same kind of music only better . . . However, Flash’s lead guitarist Peter Banks, has released an excellent solo album, ‘Two Sides of Peter Banks’ . . .”
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The Calgary Herald (Alberta) – October 19, 1973, page 73
“Rock” column, signed K.S.: Out Of Our Hands (Sovereign).
“Besides appearing on the sexiest record covers in the business, Flash also have a lot going for them musically. Their third album has a style distinctive to Yes with Peter Banks excelling on lead guitar and moog. The only trouble is Colin Carter’s flat vocals — Jon Anderson, he isn’t.”
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The Vincennes Sun-Commercial (Indiana) – November 2, 1973, page 14
“Old Post Platter Pics”, no byline: Out Of Our Hands.
“Overall, this ‘Out of Our Hands’ is a below-average album. It lacks all vocal refinement, especially good harmony.”
“Unless you are a real Flash enthusiast who praises ‘Flash in the Can’ as a masterpiece, forget this album. Get their first one instead, or better yet buy a Genisis [sic] album. They play the same style of music, but a whole lot better.”
Click the clipping to enlarge.
Newspaper names, dates and page numbers are as recorded on each clipping; where a clipping was cropped, they follow the archive’s own records. Extracts are given as printed.