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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Russell Edward Squire |
| Born | 4 March 1948 Kingsbury, London, England |
| Died | 27 June 2015(2015-06-27) (aged 67) Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Genres | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, art rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1965–2015 |
| Labels | Atlantic, Wounded Bird, Sanctuary, Lime, Stone Ghost |
| Associated acts | The Selfs, The Syn, Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, Yes, XYZ, Conspiracy, Squackett |
| Website | chrissquire.com |
| Notable instruments:
Rickenbacker 4001 |
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Christopher Russell Edward “Chris” Squire (4 March 1948 – 27 June 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was best known as the bassist and founder member of the progressive rock band Yes. He is the only member to appear on each of their 21 studio albums, released from 1969 to 2014.
Squire was commonly known by his nickname, “Fish”, and the name is associated with many of his works including his solo record, Fish Out of Water (1975), and the solo piece “The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)” from the 1971 Yes record Fragile. The name has multiple origins, not least of which is the heteronymic meanings of “bass”, describing low frequency sound or the bass guitar as well as the fish. Additionally, Squire’s astrological sign was Pisces. Further, in the early days of Yes’ career, he once accidentally flooded a hotel room in Oslo, Norway, while taking a shower, and Bill Bruford gave him the nickname. On the 2007 documentary The Classic Artists Series 3: Yes, Bruford says that the nickname arose because Squire spent long periods in the bathroom while they shared a house together in Fulham.
Born in Kingsbury, London, Squire took an early interest in church music and sang in the local church and school choirs. After he took up the bass guitar at age sixteen, his earliest gigs were in 1964 for The Selfs, which later evolved into The Syn. In 1968, Squire formed Yes with singer Jon Anderson; he would remain the band’s sole bassist for the next 47 years. Squire was widely regarded as the dominant bassist among the English progressive rock bands, influencing peers and later generations of bassists with his incisive sound and elaborately contoured, melodic bass lines. His name was associated with his trademark instrument, the Rickenbacker 4001.
In January 1968, Squire joined Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, a psychedelic group that included Peter Banks, singer Clive Bayley and drummer Bob Hagger. They played at the Marquee club where Jack Barrie, owner of the La Chasse drinking club a few doors down, saw them perform. “The musicianship … was very good but it was obvious they weren’t going anywhere”, he recalled. One evening at La Chasse, Barrie introduced Squire to Jon Anderson, a worker at the bar who had not found success as the lead singer of The Gun or as a solo artist. The two found they shared common musical interests including Simon & Garfunkel, The Association and vocal harmonies. In the following days they developed “Sweetness”, a track later recorded for the first Yes album.
On 19 May 2015, Yes announced that Squire had been diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia, and would take a break from performing while receiving treatment.
In the late evening of 27 June 2015, Squire died from the illness, aged 67, while receiving treatment in his adopted hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. Yes’ official Facebook page confirmed the news the next day Tributes were paid by fellow musicians Brian May, Geezer Butler, Gene Simmons and Tom Morello, as well as bandmates Geoff Downes and Bill Bruford
Squire’s death was central to the song “Fragile” from the 2016 collaborative debut album between Jesu and Sun Kil Moon. In the song, Mark Kozelek recounts his experiences as a Yes fan, particularly in light of the death of a friend, also named Christopher. Squire was given a writing credit due to lyrics from his Yes composition “Onward” being quoted through backing vocals.
In April 2016 asteroid 2002 XR80 received an official permanent name from the International Astronomical Union in honor of Squire. Asteroid (90125) Chrissquire was discovered 11 December 2002 and is a main-belt asteroid with an orbital period of 4.08 years.
Squire’s unique tone was very clear and distinct, and his playing was noted for being aggressive, dynamic and melodic. Squire’s main instrument was a 1964 Rickenbacker bass (model RM1999, serial number DC127), which he bought and began playing in 1965. Squire mentioned in a 1979 interview with Circus Weekly that he acquired this bass while working at the Boosey & Hawkes music store in London. The instrument, with its warmth, was a significant part of Squire’s unique sound.Due to its distinctive tone, which has been compared to that of a guitar, it allowed the bass to take on a more “lead” role, which created a dynamic sound, and suited Squire perfectly.
In a 1973 interview for Guitar Player magazine, Squire recalled how he had obtained his distinctive tone at the time by rewiring his RM1999 into stereo and sending the bass and treble pick-ups each into a separate amplifier. By splitting the signal from his bass into dual high and low frequency outputs and then sending the low frequency output to a conventional bass amplifier and the high-frequency output to a separate lead guitar amplifier, Squire produced a tonal “sandwich” that added a growling, overdrive edge to the sound while retaining the Rickenbacker’s powerful bass response. This gave his bass sound bright, growling higher frequencies and clean, solid bass frequencies. This technique allowed Squire to utilise harmonic distortion on his bass while avoiding the flat, fuzzy sound, loss of power and poor bass response that typically occurs when bass guitars are overdriven through an amplifier or put through a fuzz box.
Squire claimed to have rewired his bass to stereo, even before Rickenbacker introduced the Rick-O-Sound feature, so he could send the output of the bass (neck) pick-up through a fuzz box, while keeping the treble (bridge) pick-up clean, because the last sounded “horribly nasal” when used with the fuzz effect. He also played with a pick which contributed to the sharp attack as well as using fresh Rotosound Swing Bass strings for every show. Squire’s intricate and complex bass playing style has influenced subsequent bassists such as Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee of Rush, Steve DiGiorgio of Death and Sadus, Pat Badger of Extreme, Jon Camp of Renaissance, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Les Claypool of Primus, John Myung of Dream Theater and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots. He was John Deacon of Queen’s favourite bass player.
Bass Stuff 