Another big early Hammond organ influence of mine was Rick Wakeman with Yes. I really liked “Roundabout” when it hit the radio. I loved it on the live record “Yessongs” even more. His work on the studio records was incredible but hearing him perform it in a live setting blew me away. Wakeman had mountains and mountains of keyboards surround him on stage. It was mind boggling how he made the orchestral sounds with the synthesizers, but what truly inspired me was the colors and textures he created with the Hammond organ. Subtle sounds like the arpeggiated background on the breakdown in “Roundabout”, the colors and textures all over “Close to the Edge” and “Perpetual Change” are examples that shaped my sonic palette.
Rick Wakeman & Yes
