The Word is Live (2005)The Word is Live is a three-disc collection of live Yes recordings from various periods throughout the band's history, from the original lineup in 1970 to the
Big Generator tour in 1988. It specifically avoids duplicating material from
Yessongs,
Yesshows, and other official live releases, instead focusing on songs and lineups that are not as well documented. Hundreds of hours of collected bootlegs, BBC tapes, and soundboard recordings were reviewed, and the final choices emphasize performance quality. Still, the sound is mostly very good. The definitive recording of the early classic period,
Yessongs, has notoriously poor sound quality and is still highly regarded because of the performances contained therein, and the sound here is better than on
Yessongs.
The Word is Live is mostly chronological (with a few exceptions so that tracks fit properly onto discs), and presents a nearly four-hour journey through the history of Yes on stage. If you can find a copy, and can afford it, I highly recommend it.
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BBC 1970 (Anderson, Banks, Bruford, Kaye, Squire)Then (5:25)
For Everyone (4:44)
"Ladies and gentlemen... Yes."
This performance of "Then" is tight and highly energetic, but I suspect that it was chosen mostly because the first thing you hear is the BBC announcer introducing the band, which is a great way to start off any live album. The real gem here is "For Everyone", which never made it onto an album. Its bridge contains an early version of the "Disillusion" section of "Starship Trooper".
Gothenburg 1971 (Anderson, Bruford, Howe, Kaye, Squire)Astral Traveller (7:24)
Everydays (11:01)
London 1971Yours Is No Disgrace (11:45)
I've Seen All Good People (7:52)
America (16:21)
It's Love (11:07)
The 1971 band was in some ways the one that really pushed Yes forward the most, although a strong argument can also be made for the following lineup with Rick Wakeman. Yes was still performing some covers, but they were never content to merely cover a song; they took it to new, unimagined heights. Their covers of Stephen Stills' "Everydays", and Simon & Garfunkel's "America" are simply amazing. Yes did not simply add five-minute solos to these songs, but composed entire instrumental sections to bridge the verses. Many Yesfans were surprised to learn that the ten-minute version of "America", itself a major "proggification" of a simple three-minute song, was actually the
short version of what Yes played back then. Here we get the full 16-minute version, with all of the verses and changes. Yes' version of The Young Rascals' "It's Love" is... interesting. I can't say I'm a fan of the song itself, but it's certainly impressive what they've done with it.
Detroit 1976 (Anderson, Howe, Moraz, Squire, White)Apocalypse (3:08)
Siberian Khatru (10:10)
Sound Chaser (11:17)
As mentioned earlier, the early 70's period which is well documented on
Yessongs has been skipped, and the next lineup we hear from is the
Relayer lineup with Patrick Moraz on keyboards. Notable here are what he does with "Siberian Khatru", including the keyboard solo. Patrick prefers the jazzier sound of the Rhodes to Rick's baroque harpsichord sound, and it gives the break a different feel. Also notable is pretty much everything in "Sound Chaser". This version really smokes.
London 1975 (Anderson, Howe, Squire, Wakeman, White)Sweet Dreams (6:22)
Oakland 1978Future Times/Rejoice (6:59)
Circus of Heaven (4:52)
Inglewood 1978The Big Medley (25:53)
Time And A Word
Long Distance Runaround
Survival
The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)
Perpetual Change
Soon
Chicago 1979Hello Chicago (2:11)
Roundabout (8:42)
Oakland 1978Heart Of The Sunrise (10:56)
Chicago 1979Awaken (17:53)
No collection would be complete without the classic lineup, but the focus here is on the later 70's, with most of the material coming from the
Going for the One and
Tormato tours. The version of "Awaken" here is my favorite live version of the song. Yesmusic is sometimes about how perfect and balanced everything is, and sometimes it's about capturing the emotion of the song itself; what we get here is the best of both. Similarly, "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise" really shine here. I'm not a big fan of medleys, and Yes doesn't actually do them very often, but "The Big Medley" here is really something. Rather than simply jump from one song to the next, there are actual transitions, and the result is a very long, very nicely arranged piece of music.
New York 1980 (Horn, Howe, Downes, Squire, White)Go Through This (4:21)
We Can Fly From Here (6:46)
Tempus Fugit (5:53)
The
Drama tour was, sadly, not very successful. While most Yesfans have come to regard the album itself rather highly (at least those who aren't in the "it's not Yes without Jon" camp), Trevor Horn simply could not "be" Jon Anderson every night on stage. The songs were at the very top of his range and, by most accounts, his versions of classic songs were inconsistent at best. Here, we get songs that that band did well. "Go Through This" and "We Can Fly From Here" were both omitted from the
Drama album but played regularly in concert, and it's nice to hear some more music from this lineup. The latter was ultimately reworked into the title suite from the most recent Yes album,
Fly From Here. "Tempus Fugit" was obviously included because they hit this one out of the park.
There are some sound quality issues here, but the performances themselves outshine any imperfections in sound.
Houston 1988 (Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, Squire, White)Rhythm Of Love (6:42)
Hold On (7:24)
Shoot High, Aim Low (8:27)
Make It Easy/Owner Of A Lonely Heart (6:09)
The only official live document of the
90125 band,
9012Live - The Solos is a strange animal and, IMO, does not do justice to the band. Here, we get to really hear what they could do. This was a band that could rock heavier than other Yes lineups, but also had a prog side which is often overlooked by its detractors. "Shoot High, Aim Low" is the gem here, but the extended arrangements of the other popular songs from this period are also quite good.
Tony Kaye was both the first and fourth Yes keyboard player, and the
90125 lineup marked his return. It's interesting that he appears in both the first and last lineup in this collection.