Bill Bruford was a founding member of Yes through the years 1968-1972, and whilst with the band recorded five albums, each of which was more successful than its predecessor. When Bill left Yes in 1972 following the release of "Close To The Edge", there were those who concluded that he'd taken leave of his senses.
But it proved an astute musical move. As King Crimson's enigmatic leader Robert Fripp decided to split the band after three tumultuous albums and move on to other projects, Bill moved to playing countless sessions, and was also briefly a member of the bands National Health, Gong and, more famously, Genesis, where he played alongside Phil Collins, who had just stepped up to the microphone following the departure of Peter Gabriel. Bill was the drummer in the live Genesis situation and was with the band for the majority of 1976, while the band toured their album "A Trick Of The Tail".
"The Bruford Tapes" was one of the first of the "beat the bootleggers" albums that are considered the norm these days. Featuring the later line- up of Bill Bruford, Dave Stewart, Jeff Berlin and the unknown John Clark, the album was recorded in the summer of 1979 for a live radio broadcast in Long Island, New York. "The Bruford Tapes" captures perfectly the raw atmosphere of the gig, whilst sacrificing none of the instrumental dexterity, which as ever with Bruford, is off the scale.
The material covered on this live album is drawn from the previous Bruford albums "Feels Good To Me" and "One Of A Kind" and includes improvisatory versions of "Hell's Bells", "Beelzebub" and "Sample And Hold" amongst its key tracks.
This re-issue of The Bruford Tapes has been re-mastered and also includes an unreleased bonus track "The Age Of Information".
