Conspiracy (band)
Encyclopedia
Conspiracy was a progressive rock band founded by Billy Sherwood
(formerly of Yes
) and Chris Squire
(bassist in Yes). The band released two albums: Conspiracy (2000) and The Unknown (2003), and a live DVD (2006). It is currently inactive.
had left the group to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
with three other former Yes members. Chris Squire brought Billy Sherwood
, a young musician he had met, into the group as a possible new lead singer. With Trevor Rabin
also absent (concentrating on his solo work), a line-up of the three remaining Yesmen—Squire, Alan White
and Tony Kaye
—plus Sherwood and guitarist Bruce Gowdy
(Sherwood's band mate in World Trade
) began rehearsing together. Rabin subsequently returned to the band and demos were recorded with a line-up of Squire, White, Kaye, Rabin and Sherwood.
Squire and Sherwood had formed a strong writing partnership, but Sherwood was pushed out of Yes before he had officially joined. A reunion with Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe left no official role for Sherwood, although one Squire/Sherwood composition, "The More We Live—Let Go", was released on the Yes album Union (1991). Sherwood played most of the instruments on the piece, including bass.
on guitar (Haun had played much of the guitar on Union) and Steve Porcaro
on keyboards. The set for the 25 August 1992 show in San Jose, California was: "Open Your Eyes
", "The Lonesome Trail", "You're the Reason", "One World Going Round", "Days of Wonder", "Follow Our Dreams". Another show included "Long Distance Runaround". Further collaborative work by Squire and Sherwood cropped up: "Say Goodbye" appeared on the second World Trade
album Euphoria while a Yes demo they had written, "Love Conquers All", was released on the YesYears collection.
The years passed—work continued on and off on the material while Sherwood's relationship with Yes went through many phases—when finally, in the late 1990s, a release under the Chris Squire Experiment name was announced, an album to be called Chemistry.
However, again, events in the Yes camp took over. Sherwood officially joined the band in 1997. Two tracks from Chemistry ("Open Your Eyes" and "Man in the Moon") were re-worked by Yes for Open Your Eyes
(1997).
Squire and Sherwood share lead vocals on the album, with Squire playing most of the bass parts and Sherwood playing most of the guitar and keyboard parts, plus contributing some drumming. The name Conspiracy was intended to represent Squire and Sherwood's desire to collaborate with different musicians. The album included appearances from White, Haun and World Trade drummers Jay Schellen
and Mark T Williams. Conspiracy also included one track based on a set of sessions involving Squire, Steve Stevens
and Michael Bland
: "Violet Purple Rose" consists of a recording from the sessions with overdubs from Sherwood.
(Billy's older brother) and Jordan Berliant (better known as Yes's then manager). The initial pressing of the album includes a bonus track entitled "I Could", an alternate form of the first half of a Yes track, "Finally", on The Ladder (1999). Many of the album lyrics refer to the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks
. Cover art was by Bob Cesca
, who has also worked with Yes.
Shortly after leaving Yes in 2000, Sherwood had announced a project called The Unknown including brother Michael, Haun, Schellen and Jonathan Elias
. Nothing more came of this, but the title track of the Conspiracy album was co-written with M. Sherwood and Haun and derives from those earlier plans.
A live band was assembled in 2004 with Squire (bass, vocals), B. Sherwood (guitars, keys, vocals), Schellen (drums), M. Sherwood (keys, vocals) and Scott Walton (keys). They rehearsed, but touring plans were abandoned. However, a private live show was recorded and released on DVD in 2006. Their set included Conspiracy tracks, material from Open Your Eyes and from Squire's 1975 Fish Out of Water solo album.
, Geoff Downes
, and former Gentle Giant
guitarist Gary Green
.http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=509&Itemid=59 (Kaye and Green have worked with Sherwood on a number of recent projects.) However, in 2007, Sherwood announced that this project, called Psy-Op, will be released under a different name and, while finished, will be put back so as not to compete with Sherwood, Kaye and White's new band, Circa.
In a late 2007 interview, Sherwood said, "I don’t foresee another Conspiracy record, simply because Chris lives in London and I live here in the States. I’m doing Circa now and he is doing his own thing. We have drifted apart in terms of working together simply by location/geographically more than anything. I’m enjoying playing bass a lot right now, my focus is on Circa and obviously Conspiracy is dear to my heart, but it took a turn and went into a dormant mode here so really see anything in the future right here at the moment."http://www.ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6584
"Interviews with Billy Sherwood and Chris Squire from 20th Century Guitar magazine and Music Web Express 3000 http://www.mwe3.com/archive/pastfeature/featureConspiracy2003.htm
Billy Sherwood
William "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
(formerly of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
) and Chris Squire
Chris Squire
Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
(bassist in Yes). The band released two albums: Conspiracy (2000) and The Unknown (2003), and a live DVD (2006). It is currently inactive.
Squire & Sherwood in Yes
In the late 1980s, Yes's original lead singer Jon AndersonJon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
had left the group to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
with three other former Yes members. Chris Squire brought Billy Sherwood
Billy Sherwood
William "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
, a young musician he had met, into the group as a possible new lead singer. With Trevor Rabin
Trevor Rabin
Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
also absent (concentrating on his solo work), a line-up of the three remaining Yesmen—Squire, Alan White
Alan White (Yes drummer)
Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
and Tony Kaye
Tony Kaye (musician)
Tony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
—plus Sherwood and guitarist Bruce Gowdy
Bruce Gowdy
Bruce Gowdy is an American guitarist, best known for his work with World Trade and Unruly Child.-Biography:Gowdy was a founding member of World Trade with Billy Sherwood and Guy Allison. He later formed Unruly Child with Allison. He was also a member of Stone Fury and has worked with musician...
(Sherwood's band mate in World Trade
World Trade (band)
World Trade was a U.S. progressive rock band that featured Billy Sherwood on bass and vocals and Bruce Gowdy on guitar. Yes's Chris Squire performed on their second album, Euphoria.-History:...
) began rehearsing together. Rabin subsequently returned to the band and demos were recorded with a line-up of Squire, White, Kaye, Rabin and Sherwood.
Squire and Sherwood had formed a strong writing partnership, but Sherwood was pushed out of Yes before he had officially joined. A reunion with Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe left no official role for Sherwood, although one Squire/Sherwood composition, "The More We Live—Let Go", was released on the Yes album Union (1991). Sherwood played most of the instruments on the piece, including bass.
The Chris Squire Experiment
Having written a body of work, Squire and Sherwood went on a brief US tour in 1992 under the name The Chris Squire Experiment. The rest of the band were White on drums, Jimmy HaunJimmy Haun
Jimmy Carey Haun is a U.S. left-handed guitarist, known for his work with the bands Yes, Air Supply, and Circa.-Career:Haun's first band was Lodgic with childhood friend Michael Sherwood and, later, Michael's younger brother Billy Sherwood. Haun went on to play on Yes's Union album before work in...
on guitar (Haun had played much of the guitar on Union) and Steve Porcaro
Steve Porcaro
Steven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
on keyboards. The set for the 25 August 1992 show in San Jose, California was: "Open Your Eyes
Open Your Eyes (Yes song)
"Open Your Eyes" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1997 album of the same name. It was a rock radio hit for the band, reaching number 33 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.- Details :...
", "The Lonesome Trail", "You're the Reason", "One World Going Round", "Days of Wonder", "Follow Our Dreams". Another show included "Long Distance Runaround". Further collaborative work by Squire and Sherwood cropped up: "Say Goodbye" appeared on the second World Trade
World Trade (band)
World Trade was a U.S. progressive rock band that featured Billy Sherwood on bass and vocals and Bruce Gowdy on guitar. Yes's Chris Squire performed on their second album, Euphoria.-History:...
album Euphoria while a Yes demo they had written, "Love Conquers All", was released on the YesYears collection.
The years passed—work continued on and off on the material while Sherwood's relationship with Yes went through many phases—when finally, in the late 1990s, a release under the Chris Squire Experiment name was announced, an album to be called Chemistry.
However, again, events in the Yes camp took over. Sherwood officially joined the band in 1997. Two tracks from Chemistry ("Open Your Eyes" and "Man in the Moon") were re-worked by Yes for Open Your Eyes
Open Your Eyes (Yes album)
Open Your Eyes is the seventeenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 1997. The follow-up to the twin projects Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2, Open Your Eyes marked Billy Sherwood becoming an official member of Yes, following Rick Wakeman's departure.-History:Sherwood...
(1997).
Conspiracy
The use of these two tracks from Chemistry stalled the release while Squire pondered what to do. Eventually, in 2000, Conspiracy by Chris Squire & Billy Sherwood was released. It appears that everything on Chemistry made it to Conspiracy (presuming a song title on Chemistry of "You are the Light of My Life" became the song "Light in My Life" on Conspiracy). Not wishing for the album to be seen as a re-release of existing material, the two Open Your Eyes tracks and a third familiar song ("Say Goodbye") were included on Conspiracy, but as 'hidden' bonus tracks. Versions of "The More We Live—Let Go" and "Love Conquers All" were also included on Conspiracy, plus material known from The Chris Squire Experiment tour.Squire and Sherwood share lead vocals on the album, with Squire playing most of the bass parts and Sherwood playing most of the guitar and keyboard parts, plus contributing some drumming. The name Conspiracy was intended to represent Squire and Sherwood's desire to collaborate with different musicians. The album included appearances from White, Haun and World Trade drummers Jay Schellen
Jay Schellen
Jay Schellen is a U.S. drummer who is best known as a member of the hard-rock band Hurricane. Schellen has also worked and currently working with a number of other heavy rock and progressive rock bands, including with Asia World Trade, CIRCA:, Unruly Child and several members of Yes.-Career:in...
and Mark T Williams. Conspiracy also included one track based on a set of sessions involving Squire, Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens is an American guitarist and songwriter.He is best known for playing for other artists and less known for his critically acclaimed solo efforts , collaborations Steve Stevens (born as Steven Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter.He...
and Michael Bland
Michael Bland
Michael Bland is best known as a drummer for Prince starting in 1989. He was with Prince during The New Power Generation era and played with him live and on albums for 7 years....
: "Violet Purple Rose" consists of a recording from the sessions with overdubs from Sherwood.
The Unknown and a DVD
The album name became a band name and Conspiracy moved from being a collection of recordings to a fully fledged group based around Squire (bass, vocals), Sherwood (guitar, keys, vocals) and Schellen (drums). The album The Unknown was released in 2003. Haun guests again, as do Michael SherwoodMichael Sherwood
Michael Sherwood is a U.S. keyboardist and singer.-Biography:Michael Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis and younger brother Billy...
(Billy's older brother) and Jordan Berliant (better known as Yes's then manager). The initial pressing of the album includes a bonus track entitled "I Could", an alternate form of the first half of a Yes track, "Finally", on The Ladder (1999). Many of the album lyrics refer to the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. Cover art was by Bob Cesca
Bob Cesca
Bob Cesca is an American director, producer, writer, actor, blogger and political commentator.Cesca writes weekly columns in The Huffington Post, which he has written since August 2005. He has also contributed to AOL's WalletPop blog and Manhattan Magazine.He began his career in media working as...
, who has also worked with Yes.
Shortly after leaving Yes in 2000, Sherwood had announced a project called The Unknown including brother Michael, Haun, Schellen and Jonathan Elias
Jonathan Elias
Jonathan Elias is a U.S. composer and record producer, known for his movie soundtracks, production for several pop and rock acts, and his award-winning advertising music including the PBS logo instrumental from October 1, 1984 to October 1, 1989....
. Nothing more came of this, but the title track of the Conspiracy album was co-written with M. Sherwood and Haun and derives from those earlier plans.
A live band was assembled in 2004 with Squire (bass, vocals), B. Sherwood (guitars, keys, vocals), Schellen (drums), M. Sherwood (keys, vocals) and Scott Walton (keys). They rehearsed, but touring plans were abandoned. However, a private live show was recorded and released on DVD in 2006. Their set included Conspiracy tracks, material from Open Your Eyes and from Squire's 1975 Fish Out of Water solo album.
Band dissolves & a new project
The band were looking towards a third album, but progress slowed dramatically when Squire—who had been living on the US west coast, like Sherwood—moved back to London, UK. By 2006, Sherwood was leading the project with Schellen, but with Squire no longer involved. A new album was announced and expected to include two songs written by Sherwood and Gowdy, left over from an abortive World Trade album. Others appearing include former Yes members Tony KayeTony Kaye (musician)
Tony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
, Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
, and former Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band was known for the complexity and sophistication of its music and for the varied musical skills of its members. All of the band members, except the first two drummers, were multi-instrumentalists...
guitarist Gary Green
Gary Green
Gary Green is a British musician. During the 1970s, he was the guitarist for the progressive rock band Gentle Giant. Green was with the band from the debut album Gentle Giant all the way to the last album Civilian. Green's style was different from most of his peers, being a more "blues" based...
.http://www.metal-rules.com/zine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=509&Itemid=59 (Kaye and Green have worked with Sherwood on a number of recent projects.) However, in 2007, Sherwood announced that this project, called Psy-Op, will be released under a different name and, while finished, will be put back so as not to compete with Sherwood, Kaye and White's new band, Circa.
In a late 2007 interview, Sherwood said, "I don’t foresee another Conspiracy record, simply because Chris lives in London and I live here in the States. I’m doing Circa now and he is doing his own thing. We have drifted apart in terms of working together simply by location/geographically more than anything. I’m enjoying playing bass a lot right now, my focus is on Circa and obviously Conspiracy is dear to my heart, but it took a turn and went into a dormant mode here so really see anything in the future right here at the moment."http://www.ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6584
External links
- Albums Conspiracy and The Unknown at Yescography
"Interviews with Billy Sherwood and Chris Squire from 20th Century Guitar magazine and Music Web Express 3000 http://www.mwe3.com/archive/pastfeature/featureConspiracy2003.htm