Yes: better than Dream Theater.
Personally I believe the holy quartet (Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales, Relayer) to be the greatest string of albums any band's ever produced... ever. Close to the Edge is possible the single greatest pieces of music I've ever heard, personally. Even Yes's low points were better than most band's high points. The music was not only technically proficient, but at the same time as wowing listeners with skill, intense emotion was conveyed through strong melodies and harmonies, rhythms, and lyrics. What do you think?
Keys: Rick Wakeman vs Kevin Moore
Guitars: Steve Howe vs John Petrucci
Vocals: Jon Anderson vs James Labrie (tie)
Bass: Chris Squire vs John Myung
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
Anything else you can tell me about these guys?
Better than Dream Theater? That's debatable. Both are 'top 10' bands for me, but I find myself listening to a lot more DT of late. More influential than Dream Theater? Most definitely.
Just for fun, if I take my favorite lineup from both bands, here is how it breaks down for me.
Keys: Rick Wakeman vs Kevin Moore
Guitars: Steve Howe vs John Petrucci
Vocals: Jon Anderson vs James Labrie (tie)
Bass: Chris Squire vs John Myung
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
Not too familiar with Yes, but i guess the "where to start" question has been answered in the first post here. Anything else you can tell me about these guys?
I really think Going for the One is the best Yes album. Does anyone agree?
For me, the holy trinity of The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge are my favorites. Amazing band. I think Chris Squire has inspired me to pick up bass over the summer.
Keys: Rick Wakeman vs Kevin MooreInteresting, I have it nearly opposite.
Guitars: Steve Howe vs John Petrucci
Vocals: Jon Anderson vs James Labrie (tie)
Bass: Chris Squire vs John Myung
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
My wife plays soccer with Alan White's daughter.
That's really all I have to contribute to this thread.
:biggrin:My wife plays soccer with Alan White's daughter.
That's really all I have to contribute to this thread.
Is she hot?
(There, now you have more to contribute, if you so choose!)
Am I the only one who has The Yes Album at number 2 behind Close to the Edge? Starship Trooper is just an amazing song.
Relayer took me a lot longer to get into than the other 70's albums, because it's so different. Not just due to Moraz on keys, but also Howe's use of the Telecaster and its raw, biting sound. Also, Squire and White were really learning to work together in the studio by now and were super tight, which lays down a great foundation for Moraz and Howe to go crazy over. It's an oddball in the catalog, and most Yes fans either really like it a lot, or have some trouble with it. Not a lot of folks in the middle.
Mladen, Drama is good. Not nearly as good as their classic material, or even their best stuff they did with Rabin, but still good. "Machine Messiah" is an essential Yes song.I didn't doubt it. Just waiting for some more spare time, and I'll give Drama a spin...
I really think Going for the One is the best Yes album. Does anyone agree?Not my favorite, but really good. The title track rocks hard, for some reason reminds me of early Rush, and it's arguably the best track right after the masterpiece that is Awaken. Wonderous Stories is also a quite nice track, but the remaining two songs aren't as memorable as the rest... The cover sucks, by the way. I've never been a fan of asses.
I really think Going for the One is the best Yes album. Does anyone agree?Not my favorite, but really good. The title track rocks hard, for some reason reminds me of early Rush
My wife plays soccer with Alan White's daughter.
That's really all I have to contribute to this thread.
Is she hot?
(There, now you have more to contribute, if you so choose!)
My favorite band. I've been listening to Yes since I was seven and my oldest brother brough Fragile home on vinyl. I have never looked back. Seen them on almost every tour since 90125, and have never been disapointed.
Anyway, I can't believe there are so many people here older than me. I was 10 when Fragile came out in 1972. You guys were born in the 50's? Damn, you're old!I was -19 back then. :lol
The Masterworks Tour. Friend of mine back home in Michigan had tickets, and knew I'm a huge Yes fan, but didn't call me because he figured I wouldn't cruise over from Chicago to see them. Fucking asshole. I would have.
Anyway, I can't believe there are so many people here older than me. I was 10 when Fragile came out in 1972. You guys were born in the 50's? Damn, you're old!
I think it is always a shame how much songs from the first two records are overlooked. Songs like "Time and a Word," "Astral Traveler," "Survival," "Sweet Dreams" and "Looking Around" are all really good.
I think it is always a shame how much songs from the first two records are overlooked. Songs like "Time and a Word," "Astral Traveler," "Survival," "Sweet Dreams" and "Looking Around" are all really good.
I think it is always a shame how much songs from the first two records are overlooked. Songs like "Time and a Word," "Astral Traveler," "Survival," "Sweet Dreams" and "Looking Around" are all really good.
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NOOOOOO. JUST NO. :tdwn
Have ever actually HEARD Bill Bruford play drums?
(edit)
Sorry, I know I'm overreacting, so I'll give a better reason. Listen to Close to the Edge. From a drumming stand point, it is one of the most complex and beautifully intricate works in drumming, hands down. Bill keeps the rhythm completely smooth while still throwing in complex polyrhythms and maintaining a really unique style of playing while doing so. The parts he wrote for that album are so intense that you'll find something new that he's doing each time you listen to the album. Mike is great, don't get me wrong. But even he would openly agree to Bill being the better of them, I'm sure. Bill's later work and even his jazz albums contain some of the most hardcore drumming I've ever heard.
:hefdaddy :metalDrums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NOOOOOO. JUST NO. :tdwn
Have ever actually HEARD Bill Bruford play drums?
(edit)
Sorry, I know I'm overreacting, so I'll give a better reason. Listen to Close to the Edge. From a drumming stand point, it is one of the most complex and beautifully intricate works in drumming, hands down. Bill keeps the rhythm completely smooth while still throwing in complex polyrhythms and maintaining a really unique style of playing while doing so. The parts he wrote for that album are so intense that you'll find something new that he's doing each time you listen to the album. Mike is great, don't get me wrong. But even he would openly agree to Bill being the better of them, I'm sure. Bill's later work and even his jazz albums contain some of the most hardcore drumming I've ever heard.
This. Mike is getting pretty good at fills that don't sound like he's just filling because he can, but a lot of the time that's exactly what it sounds like. Extra beats just because he can, not because it actually adds anything. Bill's forte has always been his extreme discipline (ha!) and he never distracts from the main rhythm, but augments it in ways you barely notice. He's quietly going completely nuts back there, providing tension and complexity at the subconscious level.
Couldn't get into Tales at all
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NOOOOOO. JUST NO. :tdwn
Have ever actually HEARD Bill Bruford play drums?
(edit)
Sorry, I know I'm overreacting, so I'll give a better reason. Listen to Close to the Edge. From a drumming stand point, it is one of the most complex and beautifully intricate works in drumming, hands down. Bill keeps the rhythm completely smooth while still throwing in complex polyrhythms and maintaining a really unique style of playing while doing so. The parts he wrote for that album are so intense that you'll find something new that he's doing each time you listen to the album. Mike is great, don't get me wrong. But even he would openly agree to Bill being the better of them, I'm sure. Bill's later work and even his jazz albums contain some of the most hardcore drumming I've ever heard.
This. Mike is getting pretty good at fills that don't sound like he's just filling because he can, but a lot of the time that's exactly what it sounds like. Extra beats just because he can, not because it actually adds anything. Bill's forte has always been his extreme discipline (ha!) and he never distracts from the main rhythm, but augments it in ways you barely notice. He's quietly going completely nuts back there, providing tension and complexity at the subconscious level.
"The Remembering" has the biggest tease ever. The song takes forever to buildup, but it finally seems to reach a point where a major payoff is gonna come, Wakeman's solo around the 13 or 14 minute mark, but as just as fast as it begins, it ends, and Anderson comes in with another vocal section. It is almost like the lyrical direction Anderson wanted made them cut Wakeman's solo short, so Anderson could get back to his lyrics about God knows what. Also, Howe soloing along with Wakeman for much of the solo was unnecessary and distracting, too. That could have been one of the best keyboard solos ever, but alas, it was not to be.
The Keys to Ascension albums are great, but so frustrating. The classic 5-piece band had finally reunited at SLO and they wanted to get the recordings out there, plus they had a CD worth of new material. So what did the suits do? Fucked the whole thing up by releasing Keys at the same time as Open Your Eyes but giving it no promo at all, and split the live and new studio stuff between the two Keys releases. Yes has a long, long history of having no idea what they're doing on the business side, and trusting everything to managers and record execs who have no idea what they're doing, either.
The seven studio tracks from the two Keys albums total 74 minutes, which was the capacity of a CD back then (80 minute CDs hadn't come out yet). That can't be a coincidence. After the Union mess, the not-bad Talk by the 90125 lineup, and the band breaking up again, this should have been the amazing, massive return of the classic lineup. Seven new studio tracks, including two epics! Instead, almost no one has even heard it.
Anyway, the Keys material is solid, IMO. "Mind Drive" is easily my favorite latter-day Yes tune. Some of the other tracks do feel a bit padded out by endless repeated sections, but it all sounds good, so... okay.
This, but the opposite. And Jon Anderson > LaBrie.
Keys: Rick Wakeman vs Kevin Moore
Guitars: Steve Howe vs John Petrucci
Vocals: Jon Anderson vs James Labrie (tie)
Bass: Chris Squire vs John Myung
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
PC, I do not agree with that. Honestly, if someone doesn't dig Close to the Edge, they probably aren't gonna dig classic Yes in general.
PC, I do not agree with that. Honestly, if someone doesn't dig Close to the Edge, they probably aren't gonna dig classic Yes in general.
Or better put: If someone dislikes a flawless masterpiece, they sure as hell won't like albums that aren't. :P
Yeah I couldn't get into the song Close To The Edge, at least not in the sense other people have. It just seems like one really drawn out average idea. Never really got into Roundabout either but I haven't listened to that in awhile. The Yes Album, on the other hand, is fantastic from start to finish. Starship Trooper is easily my favorite out of what I've heard.
And it's fair to use that excuse because I wasn't even born in 1972? Are you fucking serious? So I can't have a true opinion on any music of that time period because I wasn't there to hear it when it came out? Give me a break.
Whereas you, of course, being at least 37 which you definitely are, are far more enlightened and fully understand it in all its beauty?Yeah I couldn't get into the song Close To The Edge, at least not in the sense other people have. It just seems like one really drawn out average idea. Never really got into Roundabout either but I haven't listened to that in awhile. The Yes Album, on the other hand, is fantastic from start to finish. Starship Trooper is easily my favorite out of what I've heard.
You only think this because you weren't around when the album came out in 72, so that's not entirely fair.
Yeah I couldn't get into the song Close To The Edge, at least not in the sense other people have. It just seems like one really drawn out average idea. Never really got into Roundabout either but I haven't listened to that in awhile. The Yes Album, on the other hand, is fantastic from start to finish. Starship Trooper is easily my favorite out of what I've heard.
You only think this because you weren't around when the album came out in 72, so that's not entirely fair.
Just posting to say I'm listening to Close to the Edge now and it is fantastical.
There was no need to pull out the Internet Cool Guy baiting tactics.
I always listen to it when I go camping in the Sierras. Lying on my back, staring at the starfilled sky, with that song playing, is on of the most beautiful experiences of life.Just posting to say I'm listening to Close to the Edge now and it is fantastical.
:tup
Tormato is a tough one. I agree with most other Yesfans that's among their weakest, but there are some high points. I think the closer "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" is quite strong, one of my favorites. "Onward" is a beautiful song. And there are parts of many songs that are pretty cool, even if the song overall isn't great.
The thing that's most often pointed out is that the keyboards sound dated. I guess I'm lucky in that I picked this one up when it came out, so they don't sound dated to me; that's just how they sound.
I've been getting the feeling that:
Wakeman:Yes::Rudess:Dream Theater
You want some great Wakeman solo action, watch this. This never fails to amaze me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkpGF4eWufg
And that is a bizarre list, to say the least, Quadrochosis. Seeing Union that high is just goofy. And 90125 last? For shame!
As a Yes fan of thirty plus years, hear is my top ten...
1-And You And I(the most beautiful song, ever)
2-Close to the Edge
3-Awaken
4-Rituals
5-Gates of Delerium
6-Yours is no Disgrace
7-America(I know it's a cover, but the guitar work is mindblowing)
8-Starship Trooper
9-The Revealing Science of God
10-Roundabout
And an honorable mention to Your Move/All Good People
Regardless, anybody who'd pass up an opportunity to see Howe and Squire should have their eyes and ears gouged.
They just announced a new slew of dates, including Dallas. The reviews from their last aborted tour were pretty bad. Hopefully, they've regrouped during the time off. Regardless, anybody who'd pass up an opportunity to see Howe and Squire should have their eyes and ears gouged.
Three of the five members are longtime Yes players, including Chris Squire, the only person to play on every Yes album. Not even Jon Anderson holds that honor, and the one album he's not on, Drama, is great.
Yes has a long history of rotating players. Three guitarists, five or six keyboard players depending on how you count them, two drummers, and two or three singers depending on how you count. But Squire-Howe-White have been the driving force for a long time now, moreso than Anderson by a lot. Oliver Wakeman is no slouch on the keyboards, either; he clearly inherited his daddy's talent. It almost doesn't matter who sings because the music will be great, but Benoit David sounds a lot like Jon, some say almost exactly like him (though I wouldn't go that far), and it's obvious why he was chosen.
Most people who have seen Yes on this tour have said it was a great show. But then, most people who've gone to see them are the ones willing to see them without Jon Anderson. I understand the "Yes just isn't Yes without Jon" attitude, but I don't share it. Yes is far more than any one person.
In some ways, seeing them without Jon is a bonus since they're now playing songs they never would have with him. Just seeing Machine Messiah and Temus Fugit make it all worthwhile.Three of the five members are longtime Yes players, including Chris Squire, the only person to play on every Yes album. Not even Jon Anderson holds that honor, and the one album he's not on, Drama, is great.
Yes has a long history of rotating players. Three guitarists, five or six keyboard players depending on how you count them, two drummers, and two or three singers depending on how you count. But Squire-Howe-White have been the driving force for a long time now, moreso than Anderson by a lot. Oliver Wakeman is no slouch on the keyboards, either; he clearly inherited his daddy's talent. It almost doesn't matter who sings because the music will be great, but Benoit David sounds a lot like Jon, some say almost exactly like him (though I wouldn't go that far), and it's obvious why he was chosen.
Most people who have seen Yes on this tour have said it was a great show. But then, most people who've gone to see them are the ones willing to see them without Jon Anderson. I understand the "Yes just isn't Yes without Jon" attitude, but I don't share it. Yes is far more than any one person.
I know how volatile Yes is with it's members but not seeing Jon Anderson is like missing half the show to me. His voice and the way he pantomimes things and just the energy he bring to his performances are unmatchable to me.
I mean, I'm still probably going to end up going to see them as long as the tickets are affordable and the venue is close by, but I'm still going to be upset about Jon not being with them.
Valid point. Truly one of the ugliest men in the industry.Regardless, anybody who'd pass up an opportunity to see Howe and Squire should have their eyes and ears gouged.
Considering how ugly Steve Howe is, I am pretty sure passing up the opportunity to see him would actually be doing your eyes a favor. :biggrin: :biggrin:
I've become more familiar with Fragile and Close to the Edge and I like the songs more and more each time i listen to them. My favorites from each are Heart of the Sunrise and And You and I. After reading, it seems like The Yes Album should be my next stop, since it appears to be the first in the direction of Fragile and CTTE.
Further, Yes is one of the few rock bands that I know of that really uses dynamics as much as much as skill, emotion, and composition. They really excel in all these areas without going too far in either. This is, of course, based on my limited exposure so far.
Going to see Yes tonight in Northampton! :metal :metalPiss Off!!!!!!
Going to see Yes tonight in Northampton! :metal :metal
Going to see Yes tonight in Northampton! :metal :metal
How was it?
Going to see Yes tonight in Northampton! :metal :metal
How was it?
Yea man, don't leave us hanging!
Would you be able to provide a setlist (or as close to one as you can remember)?
Thanks!
Sounds like a good time, I'll be at the Feb 13th show.
I hope they announce some dates on the west coast. I would love to see Yes finally.
1. Firebird Suite
2. Siberian Khatru
3. I've Seen All Good People
4. Tempus Fugit
5. Onward
6. Astral Traveler/White Drum Solo
7. Yours Is No Disgrace
8. And You and I
9. Steve Howe Acoustic
10. Owner of a Lonely Heart
11. South Side of the Sky
12. Machine Messiah
13. Heart of the Sunrise
14. Roundabout
Encore:
15. Starship Trooper
my thoughts exactly
1. Firebird Suite
2. Siberian Khatru
3. I've Seen All Good People
4. Tempus Fugit
5. Onward
6. Astral Traveler/White Drum Solo
7. Yours Is No Disgrace
8. And You and I
9. Steve Howe Acoustic
10. Owner of a Lonely Heart
11. South Side of the Sky
12. Machine Messiah
13. Heart of the Sunrise
14. Roundabout
Encore:
15. Starship Trooper
Oh my god. Near-perfect setlist. All its missing is CTTE and Soon.
Can't complain about that set. Must have gone by very quickly...
While "Close to the Edge" is one of my favorite Yessongs, the current lineup has obviously chosen not to do it, and I have to agree with them. Have you seen/heard recent renditions of "Close to the Edge" (like, in the past 10 or 15 years)? They slow it way down, painfully so, so that they can play it. True, people really want to see/hear this song when they go see Yes, but the band itself also wants to feel like they're doing the song justice, and honestly, I don't know if they could.
Eh, aside from the two Drama tunes, that pretty much looks like just about every set list Yes has done for the last 15 years...nothing but generally the same stuff from the 70s plus one token Rabin song which is always "Owner of a Lonely Heart." Ho-hum.
Eh, aside from the two Drama tunes, that pretty much looks like just about every set list Yes has done for the last 15 years...nothing but generally the same stuff from the 70s plus one token Rabin song which is always "Owner of a Lonely Heart." Ho-hum.
Still an awesome set for those of us who have never seen the band live, although I can still understand your disenchantment with the setlist.
Eh, aside from the two Drama tunes, that pretty much looks like just about every set list Yes has done for the last 15 years...nothing but generally the same stuff from the 70s plus one token Rabin song which is always "Owner of a Lonely Heart." Ho-hum.Agreed, except for the ho-hum part(for me, every Yes show is a treat, no matter the setlist), and not counting the Masterworks tour. The show I saw on that one had CTTE, Heart of the Sunrise, Rituals, Gates of Delerium, Starship Trooper, and Revealing Science of God.
Eh, aside from the two Drama tunes, that pretty much looks like just about every set list Yes has done for the last 15 years...nothing but generally the same stuff from the 70s plus one token Rabin song which is always "Owner of a Lonely Heart." Ho-hum.Agreed, except for the ho-hum part(for me, every Yes show is a treat, no matter the setlist), and not counting the Masterworks tour. The show I saw on that one had CTTE, Heart of the Sunrise, Rituals, Gates of Delerium, Starship Trooper, and Revealing Science of God.
I saw Yes when I was quite young. Maybe 14 or so.
Everyone recommend me an album for me to give them another shot with, plz.
I saw Yes when I was quite young. Maybe 14 or so.
Everyone recommend me an album for me to give them another shot with, plz.
Fragile or Close to the Edge are probably your two best bets. The Yes Album is also up there, and those three albums are pretty much the holy trinity of Yes.
Another close one though was the Reunion tour, when they played in the round and almost all present and former members played, including Anderson, Howe, Rabin, Squire, Bruford, White, Kaye, and Wakeman(I think).
I saw Yes when I was quite young. Maybe 14 or so.
Everyone recommend me an album for me to give them another shot with, plz.
Another close one though was the Reunion tour, when they played in the round and almost all present and former members played, including Anderson, Howe, Rabin, Squire, Bruford, White, Kaye, and Wakeman(I think).
That's the one and only time I've seen them, when all eight of them were up there in the round. Only Peter Banks and Patrick Moraz were absent. Wakeman was there, and the tour was "Union" (the union of YesWest and ABWH, the two Yes "factions" at the time). I figure that they'll never top that, between the fact that they're all getting older and some of them will never be back anyway, so at this point, I'll check out the occassional concert vid and hang onto my memories.
It is depressing, and I wasn't really gonna bring it up, but I had to correct lonestar on the name of the tour, and verify that Wakeman was indeed in the lineup.
It was actually a fucking amazing show. Howe and Rabin were opposite each other, Kaye and Wakeman were also opposite each other, this formed the main "crosshairs". Bruford and White were opposite each other, each between a guitarist and a keyboardist. The remaining two spots were Anderson and Squire. A perfectly balanced and perfectly logical arrangement. The round stage rotated slowly sometimes, so everybody got to see their favorite players "in front" at least some of the time, but it didn't just move all the time, because that would be distracting. It mostly stayed still. No opening act, and counting a 15-minute intermission and encores, the show was nearly three hours long.
What's extra cool is that, while different players took breaks during the show, the 80's stuff wasn't just played by the 90125 band, and the "classic" stuff wasn't just played by the classic lineup. Rabin and Howe did the guitar duel at the end of "Starship Trooper", for example. Wakeman took a screaming Moog solo at the end of "Owner of a Lonely Heart", a song he didn't even play on originally. That kind of thing. You might think that with two guitars, two keyboards, and two drummers, it would be cacaphony, but it wasn't. It was orchestral; a huge sound, mondo prog. "Awaken" was out of this world.
As I said, I don't think they'll ever top it, and I'm glad I got to see them at their peak, so I'm done seeing Yes in concert. It would only be disappointing now. But I'd still recommend seeing any version of Yes to someone who's never seen them.
It is depressing, and I wasn't really gonna bring it up, but I had to correct lonestar on the name of the tour, and verify that Wakeman was indeed in the lineup.
It was actually a fucking amazing show. Howe and Rabin were opposite each other, Kaye and Wakeman were also opposite each other, this formed the main "crosshairs". Bruford and White were opposite each other, each between a guitarist and a keyboardist. The remaining two spots were Anderson and Squire. A perfectly balanced and perfectly logical arrangement. The round stage rotated slowly sometimes, so everybody got to see their favorite players "in front" at least some of the time, but it didn't just move all the time, because that would be distracting. It mostly stayed still. No opening act, and counting a 15-minute intermission and encores, the show was nearly three hours long.
What's extra cool is that, while different players took breaks during the show, the 80's stuff wasn't just played by the 90125 band, and the "classic" stuff wasn't just played by the classic lineup. Rabin and Howe did the guitar duel at the end of "Starship Trooper", for example. Wakeman took a screaming Moog solo at the end of "Owner of a Lonely Heart", a song he didn't even play on originally. That kind of thing. You might think that with two guitars, two keyboards, and two drummers, it would be cacaphony, but it wasn't. It was orchestral; a huge sound, mondo prog. "Awaken" was out of this world.
As I said, I don't think they'll ever top it, and I'm glad I got to see them at their peak, so I'm done seeing Yes in concert. It would only be disappointing now. But I'd still recommend seeing any version of Yes to someone who's never seen them.
That sounds amazing! I'm gonna have to get some live bootlegs of this, it sounds incredible. Did you see them before or after the Union album, and did they play any material from it?
Would anyone be interested in a Yes survivor in the Poll Board? (Assuming no one else already holds this job and I am unaware of it?)
Would anyone be interested in a Yes survivor in the Poll Board? (Assuming no one else already holds this job and I am unaware of it?)
I would!
So far Tales is just alright, I haven't really gotten into it yet. It is a pretty dense album though so that doesn't really surprise me.
To me, the most important part of listening to Tales is to have ZERO distractions. If you start missing parts of it, the whole song tends to fall apart. Once you give yourself up fully to the album, you will truly benefit from its beauty.
I made an "Album Lineup Chart" and posted it in the Personnel section of Yes' Wikipedia page. I figured it would be useful for people like me getting into the band who want to learn the lineups for each of the albums. The chart that was already there was more of a timeline and wasn't really helping me so I took a few hours to learn how to make the chart and it worked out pretty good.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_(band)#Personnel
So far Tales is just alright, I haven't really gotten into it yet. It is a pretty dense album though so that doesn't really surprise me.
Of the four songs, I'd say the hardest one to stomach is "The Ancients." I'd focus on "The Revealing Science of God" and "Ritual" because those are the more accessible of the group.
It's also important (in my opinion) to listen to the album in one go. While I understand that 80 minutes is a lot of time to put into four songs, I always feel more satisfied when I listen to Tales that way.
So far Tales is just alright, I haven't really gotten into it yet. It is a pretty dense album though so that doesn't really surprise me.
Of the four songs, I'd say the hardest one to stomach is "The Ancients." I'd focus on "The Revealing Science of God" and "Ritual" because those are the more accessible of the group.
It's also important (in my opinion) to listen to the album in one go. While I understand that 80 minutes is a lot of time to put into four songs, I always feel more satisfied when I listen to Tales that way.
I've been obsessed with "Revealing Science" lately. The chant intro is chilling, and I can't stop singing the "momet moment momentttt" vocal line
Once you give yourself up fully to the album, you will truly benefit from its beauty.
Every year over Fourth of July week, I do a camping trip up to the same lake near Tahoe. Every night at sunset I sit on the edge of said lake, put on Tales, and watch the sunset over the granite cliffs, the sun shimmering on the choppy water. As the sun goes down, the shimmers become less, the cliffs darken, the air chills. I sense every molecule around me, the music goes into my ears and out my pores, cleansing my soul in the process. I have seen and been through a lot of shitty stuff in life, but as long as I can have moments like this, I WILL die happy.
Every year over Fourth of July week, I do a camping trip up to the same lake near Tahoe. Every night at sunset I sit on the edge of said lake, put on Tales, and watch the sunset over the granite cliffs, the sun shimmering on the choppy water. As the sun goes down, the shimmers become less, the cliffs darken, the air chills. I sense every molecule around me, the music goes into my ears and out my pores, cleansing my soul in the process. I have seen and been through a lot of shitty stuff in life, but as long as I can have moments like this, I WILL die happy.
That is pretty sweet. Thanks for sharing that! :tup :tup
Every year over Fourth of July week, I do a camping trip up to the same lake near Tahoe. Every night at sunset I sit on the edge of said lake, put on Tales, and watch the sunset over the granite cliffs, the sun shimmering on the choppy water. As the sun goes down, the shimmers become less, the cliffs darken, the air chills. I sense every molecule around me, the music goes into my ears and out my pores, cleansing my soul in the process. I have seen and been through a lot of shitty stuff in life, but as long as I can have moments like this, I WILL die happy.
Our little "posse" of Yes fanatics needs to be heard! We need to ensure that Yes goes as far as possible in the favorite non-DT bands polls! ONWARD!!!!!!! (through the night)Just voted, am about to open multiple other accounts to vote more. C'mon YESFANS, vote.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=10935.0
I love Yes to death, but they are in the 6-8 range all-time for me, so they didn't get one of my three votes. Sorry, fellas.
Yes is in the 1 to 1 range for me, and if their forum was as geeky and fun as DTF, you guys wouldn't know me.(DT is a HARD number 2, though)
Yes is in the 1 to 1 range for me, and if their forum was as geeky and fun as DTF, you guys wouldn't know me.(DT is a HARD number 2, though)
I made an account on that forum and have yet to post on it. Having a separate sub-forum for anything imaginable is kind of silly and makes trying to keep up to date with everything happening on the site kind of a chore.
Do you guys have the same usernames, maybe we could do a subtle takeover. :justjenYes is in the 1 to 1 range for me, and if their forum was as geeky and fun as DTF, you guys wouldn't know me.(DT is a HARD number 2, though)
I made an account on that forum and have yet to post on it. Having a separate sub-forum for anything imaginable is kind of silly and makes trying to keep up to date with everything happening on the site kind of a chore.
Yea, I occasionally post there, but there's too many subtopic within subtopics within subtopics to even keep track of anything.
Seriously, I posted something about how much I liked Union, and the post was moved from the Yes Fans - 90s Yes - Yes Albums triple subform to the quadruple subforum for Union. lol
Seriously, I posted something about how much I liked Union, and the post was moved from the Yes Fans - 90s Yes - Yes Albums triple subform to the quadruple subforum for Union. lol
Seriously, I posted something about how much I liked Union, and the post was moved from the Yes Fans - 90s Yes - Yes Albums triple subform to the quadruple subforum for Union. lol
Admitting that you like Union a lot should probably result in turning in your Yes fan card, so you probably lucked out. ;) :biggrin:
Okay so I've listened to all of the Yes albums up to Big Generator. I've loved everything From Yes to Drama and I think 90125/Big Generator are pretty good. From what I've gathered from some people (mostly Kev :)) Union isn't very good. Should I just keep going in order or should I skip Union for now? And if I do skip Union what should I skip to?Listen to it throughout, it's all good stuff. But once Howe went to Asia and they produced 90125, they lost something that they never got back. It almost felt like a part of their soul was sliced off at that moment, and instead of creating music for the beautiful, soulful aspects of it, they just made music.
Of the albums after Howe rejoins the band which is the best?
Well from the sound of it it's all downhill from here. :-\ It's too bad. Everything up to 90125 has been amazing.Yep, you might as well stop listening to music, you've heard the best them all. :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
Never seen Frampton, could be an interesting show. I always considered Comes Alive one of the signature live albums.
Not even in the same fucking universe.Never seen Frampton, could be an interesting show. I always considered Comes Alive one of the signature live albums.
Not as good as Yessongs though. :neverusethis:
It's not that the songwriting on Tormato was bad or anything; it's just that the sound of it is so bad. Howe's guitar tone is God-awful, and the keyboard sounds and tones are just wretched. Overall, it is just an ugly-sounding album, at least to me.
"Onward" from the Keys live CD is tremendous, though, I will say that.
Tormato is solid, there are some great songs on it (Release release, Don't kill the whales, Onward), but it's still the least good album. I like Drama MUCH more.
Then you have all the solo stuff by Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe.
Wakeman has an insane amount of solo material out there, most of which people have never heard of, and a lot of which Wakeman himself admits is pretty bad (and I agree). The Six Wives of Henry VIII was the first and is still my fave, followed closely by Criminal Record. Both of these are all instrumentals. If you don't mind your prog with extra cheese, Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are both quite good. There are extended instrumentals providing interpretation of the story, given in spoken word and singing, which isn't bad, but I end up wishing they'd just shut up so we can get to the next instrumental. Selections From Journey to the Center of the Earth, which he actually recorded much later, solves that problem and just gives you the instrumentals, plus a couple of revised tracks from King Arthur and Six Wives to help fill out the run time.
Wakeman seems to have shot his load in the 70's, though. He's released literally dozens of albums since then (seriously (https://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=RICK|WAKEMAN&sql=11:difexqq5ldfe~T2)) and honestly, I don't know if even 5% of them are any good. I checked out a good ten or 12 of them, and ended up nuking most of them from my hard drive. The New Age stuff isn't bad (Aspirant Sunset, Aspirant Sunrise, Aspirant Sunshadows) and I kept them. They have his knack for chords, but as with most New Age, it's meant for relaxing and/or background music. In the 70's, he was master of the piles of electronic keyboards, but on his later stuff, I prefer just him and acoustic piano.
Steve Howe also has a lot of solo albums. As with Wakeman, my favorites are the instrumentals, but in this case it's mostly because I really don't like Howe's voice. Natural Timbre is probably my favorite because to me, solo Howe is best when it's just him and an acoustic guitar. His amazing electric solos with Yes seem to require a strong band (like Yes, obviously) for him to play against, and he never really manages to assemble a really strong band on his solo albums, so don't look for a whole album of technical fireworks, such as on a John Petrucci solo album. Steve's solo albums encompass a lot of different styles, and that includes "regular songs" with him singing. I haven't heard them all, but Beginnings and The Steve Howe Album, the first two, are both very good, the aforementioned Natural Timbre, and I think it was either Skyline or Elements that I checked out one time that was pretty good.
Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz have a couple of albums out together, which are very interesting to me because you don't often hear music performed by piano and drums as a duo. The first one was simply called Moraz-Bruford: Music for Piano and Drums. Interesting but gets a bit repetitive after a while, as all of Moraz's solo stuff does for me. Their second album was pretty much the same, and I didn't keep it. I don't even remember its name.
Moraz is a brilliant, gifted keyboard player, but I find his solo albums rather dull. The Story of i is his best-known one, and the compositions and arrangements are great, the keyboard sounds are awesome, and I still find myself admiring all that, but somehow not being impressed overall. Something just doesn't grab me. There doesn't seem to be any real inspiration or passion to it, just a bunch of clever stuff.
Anyway, I've loved Moraz's work with Yes and even The Moody Blues, but to me, he's one of those musicians who really works better in collaboration with others, not so well solo. There's nothing wrong with that. Not every musician is a performance major and has everything it takes to make a good solo album.
Back to the noob discussion. Of the 2 albums I've so far listened to, Fragile and CTTE, I enjoy CTTE much more. And You and I really gets me on every listen. For a few seconds (around 6:25 or so), Wakeman doubles his melody a few octaves lower then fades it out. Those small details jump out at me, and make repeated listens very worthwhile.
Well from the sound of it it's all downhill from here. :-\ It's too bad. Everything up to 90125 has been amazing.
We agree mostly, so I guess I'll just say Thanks for reading and responding! I do tend to go on a bit when Yes is involved.
Moraz definitely brought a different dynamic to Yes, and a lot of Yesfans think a second album with him on keys could have been really interesting. Supposedly he helped write some of what became Going for the One, but never got writing credit (he got a "Thank You" in the liner notes) for the same reason Wakeman rarely got proper writing credits: label politics.
Anyway, I've loved Moraz's work with Yes and even The Moody Blues, but to me, he's one of those musicians who really works better in collaboration with others, not so well solo. There's nothing wrong with that. Not every musician is a performance major and has everything it takes to make a good solo album.
Hey, I happen to love the majority of Magnification.
My copy of Symphonic Live arrived in the mail yesterday.
It's amazing, to be quite honest. It has probably the best live version of "Close to the Edge" that I've heard and the versions of "Gates of Delirium" and "Ritual" are both fantastic, especially the extended jam in "Ritual".
Overall totally worth it, even the 3 songs from Magnification went over well in a live setting.
My copy of Symphonic Live arrived in the mail yesterday.
It's amazing, to be quite honest. It has probably the best live version of "Close to the Edge" that I've heard and the versions of "Gates of Delirium" and "Ritual" are both fantastic, especially the extended jam in "Ritual".
Overall totally worth it, even the 3 songs from Magnification went over well in a live setting.
I love Symphonic Live. "Close to the Edge" as an opening number is brazen, but works. "And You And I" with real strings playing those broad, amazing lines we've only ever heard played on a Mellotron is very cool also. For an added bonus, some of the girls in the orchestra are really cute. I'm just sayin'.
I've also got the Symphonic Music Of Yes (which is essentially Anderson, Bruford and Howe with Wakeman being replaced by the London Philharmonic and a chamber orchestra and choir if I'm not mistaken). David Palmer and Alan Parsons were involved in this as well. I think it was released around the time Talk came out as some sort of contractual obligation album, but I really have no idea.
I've also got the Symphonic Music Of Yes (which is essentially Anderson, Bruford and Howe with Wakeman being replaced by the London Philharmonic and a chamber orchestra and choir if I'm not mistaken). David Palmer and Alan Parsons were involved in this as well. I think it was released around the time Talk came out as some sort of contractual obligation album, but I really have no idea.
Wait, so none of the band plays on that record? Or Squire does? I saw that CD in the store before but I was a little confused.
Oops, you're right. Misread that. I really wish I picked up that CD when I saw it in stores, but I think I saw it pretty cheap online too.
Yeah, I made an account then took one look at the layout of the forum and never went back.
Oops, you're right. Misread that. I really wish I picked up that CD when I saw it in stores, but I think I saw it pretty cheap online too.
Me too. I think I got about ten post into it and fell asleep.Yeah, I made an account then took one look at the layout of the forum and never went back.
:lol Yea same here.
Thread bump to say that I'm listening to And You And I, the most beautiful song ever written.
:tupThread bump to say that I'm listening to And You And I, the most beautiful song ever written.
Not sure if I'd call it THE most beautiful, but it definitely is up there.
Thread bump to say that I'm listening to And You And I, the most beautiful song ever written.
Thread bump to say that I'm listening to And You And I, the most beautiful song ever written.
I just love is song. Seeing them play it many times live, it still sound fresh to me.
Thread bump to say that I'm listening to And You And I, the most beautiful song ever written.
I just love is song. Seeing them play it many times live, it still sound fresh to me.
It's timeless. One of my favorites.
I've always liked side two better than side one on that album anyway.
"Siberian Khatru" is amazing. I do like "And You And I" but consider it the weakest of the three songs on that album.
"Siberian Khatru" is amazing.
Calling any of the songs from a classic like Close to the Edge "the weakest" is like calling the girl in last place at the Miss Universe pageant "the ugliest." "Least best" and "least attractive" are much more appropriate, respectively, me thinks. ;)
I'd rather see Miss Hawaii play the church organ solo from the middle section of "Close to the Edge." :metal
Calling any of the songs from a classic like Close to the Edge "the weakest" is like calling the girl in last place at the Miss Universe pageant "the ugliest." "Least best" and "least attractive" are much more appropriate, respectively, me thinks. ;)
For me, it just seemed to touch something inside me, that so few songs could do. It is a song that tries to reinforce the relationship of the elders to the new generation, something we have been losing a touch of lately. As a youth, I saw the song as the beautiful joining between the teacher and the youth, promising to show him the way. As I got older, I felt that the song was decribing the increasing alienation of our elders. As we push forward, we push them away, and we lose all the wisdom they hold.Calling any of the songs from a classic like Close to the Edge "the weakest" is like calling the girl in last place at the Miss Universe pageant "the ugliest." "Least best" and "least attractive" are much more appropriate, respectively, me thinks. ;)
Okay, that's a fair point. But to be honest, it's a nice song, a pretty love song, and to me, not a lot more. At the time it came out, people were still pretty hyped on the success of Fragile, and Close to the Edge literally stunned people. "ONLY THREE SONGS?!" The title track takes a while to digest but to me seemed a masterpiece right off the bat, and "Siberian Khatru" is an upbeat driver with that wacky 15/4 riff and the harpsichord solo in the break. "And You And I", sandwiched in the middle, was the "filler" song. Yes, it's a great song, but honestly, I've never understood the huge, huge adoration it seems to get.
That's cool. Different people are touched by different songs. I won't say "And You And I" doesn't touch me as well. The first time I played the "Symphonic Live" DVD, and those big dramatic string lines are played by an orchestra rather than a Mellotron, it brought tears to my eyes. It was like the power of the song was finally, finally realized.Yes, just, yes. It's funny, I made that post last night with a pretty good hammer on, and went to bed afterwords, listening to Yessongs. CTTE came on, and in my sleepy drunken haze, I thought I had figured out what they meant by "total mass retained" after all these years. Now, the sleepy memory is hazy, and I am struggling to get it. Too funny.
The Yessong that always gets me is "Turn of the Century". Every time I play that song, I at least choke up, if not outright weep. It's one of the songs I put on when I need a good sobbing. They say it's good for you to do that once in a while.
Let me know what he plays, I passed him up to see Opeth.
Let me know what he plays, I passed him up to see Opeth.
It is both sad and unfortunate that Jon Anderson had to pull a Dennis DeYoung/Steve Perry like that, but shit happens. I guess. :(
It is both sad and unfortunate that Jon Anderson had to pull a Dennis DeYoung/Steve Perry like that, but shit happens. I guess. :(
Oh, I am a Styx fan, too, and I agree with most of what you said. I was just saying, while not the same thing, the situations are a little similar. And DeYoung, Perry and Anderson all seem to have that control freak thing going on, which is also why I thought the comparison was relevant. :)
Jon sold off his share in Yes LLC (yes, he sold his share in the band name to the other members)
Jon sold off his share in Yes LLC (yes, he sold his share in the band name to the other members)
Never knew this! Thats strange. Wonder why he did that?
Orbert, I've got to disagree with you on Dennis DeYoung. He for years hijacked the band with power plays. As talented and important part he was to the band, guys in the band can only take so much. So for them, Dennis crossed the line way too many times. Are they as big as they were back in the 70's and 80's. No way in hell. Are they much happier and enjoying playing again. Damn straigh.
Oh hell yes. A great voice and a great talent. Yes is my favorite band of all time, hands down. But I don't wear rose-colored glasses for anyone. Not my kids or my wife, and not for my favorite artists. If somebody's doing someone wrong, I'm gonna call it the way I see it, and Jon is just screwing this one up.
On the Yesfans boards, there's confusion and anger, but also a lot of sadness. The guys are in their 60's now, and it's a damned shame that they can't seem to get it together now while it's still possible, because someday it won't be. Jon still seems to love Yesmusic, he even goes out and plays it, so what is his problem?
I guess I don't interpret DDY's actions as hijacking and power plays so much as a basic difference in style from Shaw and JY. They were always the straight-on rockers, and DDY always had the theatrical side, but I guess it got harder and harder for them to integrate the two sides.
Still, as DDY and the Panozzo brothers started the band, and JY and Shaw were not even original members, it could just as easily be argued that they were the ones who hijacked the band and steered it away from its original vision, which was definitely more prog. Dennis' "power plays" were actually attempts to regain control of his own band from the guys who came in later and were trying to grab the wheel. In the end, the suits backed Shaw and JY, and history is written by the winners. But come on, Shaw and JY were the usurpers, not the victims.
Oh hell yes. A great voice and a great talent. Yes is my favorite band of all time, hands down. But I don't wear rose-colored glasses for anyone. Not my kids or my wife, and not for my favorite artists. If somebody's doing someone wrong, I'm gonna call it the way I see it, and Jon is just screwing this one up.
On the Yesfans boards, there's confusion and anger, but also a lot of sadness. The guys are in their 60's now, and it's a damned shame that they can't seem to get it together now while it's still possible, because someday it won't be. Jon still seems to love Yesmusic, he even goes out and plays it, so what is his problem?
I don't think it is fair to assume it is all Anderson's problem. I have read many things over the years about Squire and Howe being difficult, and maybe Anderson is just tired of dealing with all of it. I mean, the guy has to be in his mid 60s, and if he is happier touring by himself, then so be it. He has earned that right. He gave, what, well over 30 years of his life to Yes. I'd say that's enough, if that is what he wants. I understand fans wanting to see the band with the core members together again, but, just like Kevin Moore and DT, if Anderson doesn't want to do it, that is his right, and I see nothing wrong with it at all. :)
This, extremely well put, Kev.
Calling any of the songs from a classic like Close to the Edge "the weakest" is like calling the girl in last place at the Miss Universe pageant "the ugliest." "Least best" and "least attractive" are much more appropriate, respectively, me thinks. ;)
Okay, that's a fair point. But to be honest, it's a nice song, a pretty love song, and to me, not a lot more. At the time it came out, people were still pretty hyped on the success of Fragile, and Close to the Edge literally stunned people. "ONLY THREE SONGS?!" The title track takes a while to digest but to me seemed a masterpiece right off the bat, and "Siberian Khatru" is an upbeat driver with that wacky 15/4 riff and the harpsichord solo in the break. "And You And I", sandwiched in the middle, was the "filler" song. Yes, it's a great song, but honestly, I've never understood the huge, huge adoration it seems to get.
For me, "And You And I" is the most beautiful piece ever written.this
The "Soon" section of "The Gates of Delirium" comes damn close, but AYAI is slightly better (as far as sheer beauty goes)
I just saw Yes in February and Jon Anderson last week, so I dunno if I'm gonna hit up this summer tour. I'll check out the setlist... if theres some new shit I havent heard, I'll go.... if not... eh....
I just saw Yes in February and Jon Anderson last week, so I dunno if I'm gonna hit up this summer tour. I'll check out the setlist... if theres some new shit I havent heard, I'll go.... if not... eh....
I'm going to the Jones Beach show, you can't beat $19 tickets. I'm sure the set will at least be somewhat different, seeing as they just toured here 2 months ago.
Calling any of the songs from a classic like Close to the Edge "the weakest" is like calling the girl in last place at the Miss Universe pageant "the ugliest." "Least best" and "least attractive" are much more appropriate, respectively, me thinks. ;)
Okay, that's a fair point. But to be honest, it's a nice song, a pretty love song, and to me, not a lot more. At the time it came out, people were still pretty hyped on the success of Fragile, and Close to the Edge literally stunned people. "ONLY THREE SONGS?!" The title track takes a while to digest but to me seemed a masterpiece right off the bat, and "Siberian Khatru" is an upbeat driver with that wacky 15/4 riff and the harpsichord solo in the break. "And You And I", sandwiched in the middle, was the "filler" song. Yes, it's a great song, but honestly, I've never understood the huge, huge adoration it seems to get.
Well, leaving aside the fact that we had And You And I played at our wedding, what other band does a love song like that?
I'm generally not a "love song" kind of guy, but I think it's one of the best love songs ever written. There are others I like obviously, but this is the Yes thread.
Thanks for providing some context as to what the feeling was when Close To The Edge was released. I probably didn't hear anything off of the album until at least 5 years after it came out; maybe even later.
Calling any of the songs from a classic like Close to the Edge "the weakest" is like calling the girl in last place at the Miss Universe pageant "the ugliest." "Least best" and "least attractive" are much more appropriate, respectively, me thinks. ;)
Okay, that's a fair point. But to be honest, it's a nice song, a pretty love song, and to me, not a lot more. At the time it came out, people were still pretty hyped on the success of Fragile, and Close to the Edge literally stunned people. "ONLY THREE SONGS?!" The title track takes a while to digest but to me seemed a masterpiece right off the bat, and "Siberian Khatru" is an upbeat driver with that wacky 15/4 riff and the harpsichord solo in the break. "And You And I", sandwiched in the middle, was the "filler" song. Yes, it's a great song, but honestly, I've never understood the huge, huge adoration it seems to get.
Well, leaving aside the fact that we had And You And I played at our wedding, what other band does a love song like that?
I'm generally not a "love song" kind of guy, but I think it's one of the best love songs ever written. There are others I like obviously, but this is the Yes thread.
Thanks for providing some context as to what the feeling was when Close To The Edge was released. I probably didn't hear anything off of the album until at least 5 years after it came out; maybe even later.
I shouldn't diss "And You And I" the way I do. You're right; nobody does a love song (or anything else) the way Yes does. And the only real issue for me is those huge, sweeping, dramatic sections with the Mellotrons. Yes, they're beautiful, but they seem to come out of nowhere. To me, there's just not enough buildup to justify the near-orgasmic power of those sections. It's like, where did that come from?
I need to give it another listen, and hopefully appreciate it more. I do like the song.
What DT/Yes debate?I see what you did there
Just wanted to share that my class and I viewed "Yessongs" for a music assignment a few years ago. It was intense. Everyone was like WTF about their outfits and the length of CttE. I wish my current music teacher (in school) was that awesome. :metal
Btw my favourite line-up is Bruford Anderson Wakeman Squire Howe and my favourite album is Close To The Edge. My favourite song is the T/T. After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that Yes is has much better music than DT has, but DT has more orgasmic moments (F#, all of Metropolis, Another World, Razor's Edge etc). I can see also that the DT/Yes debate has pretty much ended...
I was being serious. :lolDid you read the OP?
I'm a relatively new fan of the band so I really didn't know about any debate.
Same
...
That being said, DT is still my favorite band of all time.
You're comparing one of Yes' best albums to DT's worst. Of course there's going to a big difference when you do it like that.
You're comparing one of Yes' best albums to DT's worst. Of course there's going to a big difference when you do it like that.
Reminds me when someone compared the lyrics of "Hallowed be thy Name" with "The Dark Eternal Night" a few years ago :facepalm:
What if you compared Close to the Edge to, say, Images and Words? I can say that Images has affected me (due to relatable lyrics) a lot more than Close to the Edge, despite CttE being one of my favorite albums ever. Images is almost twenty years old now and its still amazing, and I'm sure I'll still be listening to it when I'm 40.
Pretty much every CD I own is >>> than Tormato.
I shouldn't diss "And You And I" the way I do. You're right; nobody does a love song (or anything else) the way Yes does. And the only real issue for me is those huge, sweeping, dramatic sections with the Mellotrons. Yes, they're beautiful, but they seem to come out of nowhere. To me, there's just not enough buildup to justify the near-orgasmic power of those sections. It's like, where did that come from?
I need to give it another listen, and hopefully appreciate it more. I do like the song.
For some reason unknownst to myself, Machine Messiah is suddenly much more epic than I ever remember it being.
I feel like I'm listening to it for the first time.
For some reason unknownst to myself, Machine Messiah is suddenly much more epic than I ever remember it being.
I feel like I'm listening to it for the first time.
Drama is an awesome album. Squire, White, and Howe wanted to get a little heavier, while Anderson and Wakeman wanted to go a different direction. Anderson had been working with Vangelis, and thought doing something like that with Yes would be cool. And it would have been, except the other guys weren't on board with that.
Anyway, Anderson and Wakeman split, Horn and Downes (a.k.a. The Buggles) came in, and Drama happened. Another lineup that produced only one album.
Every Yes Album = awesome
How have I not posted in this thread yet? I :heart Yes!Welcome. Come with us...come with us.........come with us.......................................
I started reading 'Close To The Edge: The Story of Yes' yesterday after it arrived in the mail. Seems to be a great book, and I've always wanted to know more about this band. I love reading music biographies.
I started reading 'Close To The Edge: The Story of Yes' yesterday after it arrived in the mail. Seems to be a great book, and I've always wanted to know more about this band. I love reading music biographies.I will definatly have to check this out. One of my favorite biographies was Before I get Old, The story of The Who. So many little things fo into the formation of a band, I would be really interested to see the backstory of Yes, especially about their songwriting.
I started reading 'Close To The Edge: The Story of Yes' yesterday after it arrived in the mail. Seems to be a great book, and I've always wanted to know more about this band. I love reading music biographies.
I enjoyed "Close To The Edge" (the book). Very informative.
Let Tales work on you a little bit. Revisit it a few more times in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, pick up Relayer, Drama, and Going for the One, in that order.
Alternate suggestion: Yesshows, the live album from that period.
Nope, Tales has to be listened to in order from start to finish without any pauses or breaks with complete concentration. Otherwise the album falls apart and is hard to get into.
If you give it your full concentration and time it will change your life.
SPOILERS:
THEY PLAYED CLOSE TO THE EDGE!
SPOILERS:
THEY PLAYED CLOSE TO THE EDGE!
WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS. SOURCE PLEASE!
Holy fuck!
I love Yes, but...
am I the only one that feels they are really slow and dull live nowadays? I was watching Montreux 2003, which was a great show... but the songs lose so much when they are slowed down and tuned down. After that, I put Yessongs on vinyl, and forgot how much of a powerhouse this band used to be.
They are still great musicians, but the vicious uptempo songs like Heart of the Sunrise just don't sound that great anymore.
But aside from that, I'm most likely going to the show next week. :p Because....
SPOILERS:
THEY PLAYED CLOSE TO THE EDGE!
Jon Anderson is COMING TO MINNESOTA! He NEVER comes here as a friend of mine whose traveled across the country to see him a dozen or more times in the past 6 years.
Monday August 16th @ The Guthrie Theater. Tickets go on sale on Friday June 11th at 11AM.
https://www.guthrietheater.org/whats_happening/events/2010/jon_anderson
Just got back from the Yes show.
Meh.
David isn't that great. Close to the Edge was almost unbearable. The middle section was awesome, but the rest was horrible. It was either tuned down or David was singing off key (or more than likely, both).
Steve was on fire this show though. And I think Frampton put on a better show than Yes (even though I only knew two of his songs beforehand). By the middle of Close to the Edge, about half of the floor seats were cleared... it was kind of pitiful.
I don't think I'm gonna see Yes anymore. I went this time because I was dying to hear CTTE live.... but even that wasn't really worth it. :-\
Just got back from the Yes show.
Meh.
David isn't that great. Close to the Edge was almost unbearable. The middle section was awesome, but the rest was horrible. It was either tuned down or David was singing off key (or more than likely, both).
Steve was on fire this show though. And I think Frampton put on a better show than Yes (even though I only knew two of his songs beforehand). By the middle of Close to the Edge, about half of the floor seats were cleared... it was kind of pitiful.
I don't think I'm gonna see Yes anymore. I went this time because I was dying to hear CTTE live.... but even that wasn't really worth it. :-\
This sounds... disappointing. I really hope this is an exception rather than the experience held by others at other shows. Benoit can't be THAT bad, can he? I mean, he seems to be the youngest in this group and it would be awful if the older guys are having better nights than him at this point in their tenure together.
Either way, I would rather have this version of Yes (or any version of Yes for that matter), just quit touring and make one more good album before calling it quits. I think Genesis did it right with one more kick-ass reunion tour before prominently throwing in the towel, despite rumors and wantings of a Gabriel-Hackett reunion, which would seem less (or maybe as) likely as Anderson and (Rick) Wakeman returning to Yes to record/tour with Howe/Squire/White.
I also have to wonder why nothing has been released by Yes with Benoit on it because we all know how Yes is live-show happy, but then again, maybe the band themselves just don't feel the need to put out another Yesshow (because we're likely to get reissues from now til the end of time)... or maybe they're not so confident anymore without Anderson on board?
-Marc.
Yes haven't said anything about new studio material (other than the standard "we won't rule it out") and that is probably because Jon Anderson always had a huge role in the writing. Mostly lyrics, but also more of the music than many realize. Howe, Squire, and White also contributed to the music, of course. Wakeman tended to work directly with Anderson on some things, but other than that, he mostly showed up once the songs were pretty well formed and figured out some keyboard parts for them.
We've seen some evidence that Howe, Squire, and White have great musical ideas, but Anderson was always the one who pulled it all together, and as he's shown no interest in returning to Yes, I would not expect any new Yes studio material.
And before anyone mentions Drama... that was a rather different situation. Howe, Squire, and White had a lot of material already worked out, as did Downes and Horn. They combined their material and talents in what turned out to be a pretty good album IMO, but again, it took collaboration and a lot of work. I would not expect the current Yes lineup to even be interested in the amount of work a new studio album would require.
Well they were pretty good, although not as good as they were in February. There were a lot of parts where they just compeltely were not in sync at all, and David's voice was pretty shot towards the end of the show.
The keyboards were mixed a lot higher this time which was awesome because in February when I saw them they were almost inaudible.
CttE was worth the ticket price itself, and our group got a free upgrade to the next lowest section and a few rows down because the ticket sales were lowsy. So overall for 27 dollars we got to sit in the 60 dollar seats and see Close to the Edge, so overall, I'd say it was an awesome night.
Also, Frampton did covers of Black Hole Sun and While My Guitar Gently Weeps which were both outstanding.
This tour has been pretty notoriously hit-or-miss. Some longtime Yesfans are coming away really impressed, while others (who caught a different night in a different town) have literally walked out. I hope you get to see them on a good night.
Quad - how wad David during CTTE at your show? He was really off-key for almost the whole song (minus the middle section) so it kinda ruined it for me.
Also I bought Union the other day, will listen shortly.
Quad - how wad David during CTTE at your show? He was really off-key for almost the whole song (minus the middle section) so it kinda ruined it for me.
Also I bought Union the other day, will listen shortly.
Or as Rick Wakeman calls it, "Onion". Cause it makes him cry.
Well in truth, it's not the original or the classic lineup. AWBH were working on a new album and the tour with the 2 bands came togheter and the new YES wipped some somes together. Only Jon Anderson sang on both and Squire did backups on both. The tour, I saw 2 shows got better the second time around. Steve Howe's face said it all. He hated it. Rabin and Wakeman got along great and they've always talked about doing an album together and it sounds like all these years later they might do it.And as I understand it, Steve Howe is still bitter about it. He remains pretty standoffish towards the people affiliated with it.
Most of Union pretty much blows, and 99% of the band's fan base agrees that it stinks overall.
I love Union! It's sooo good, one of the better post GFTO albums.
A question. Not being very well-versed on Yes, I'll defer to the experts.
My bro tells me he'd read that "The guy from the Buggles sang Owner of a Lonely Heart". I pointed out that Trevor Horn, from the Buggles, produced 90125, but it was undoubtedly Anderson's voice on that song. NOBODY can cop his vocals. Best I can determine is that Horn maybe contributed background vocals on the chorus, but not even certain of that. Anyone know?
Your brother may be getting his Trevors confused.
Trevor Horn is "the guy from the Buggles" who did all lead vocals on Drama.
Trevor Rabin is on 90125 and does background vocals and some leads ("much better than a") on "Owner of a Lonely Heart".
LudwigVan: Are you positive that Horn does ALL vocals on Drama? The backgrounds don't sound like him; they still sound like Howe and Squire to me.
Drama is better than than a ton of the albums with Jon.
I'm still trying to figure out why nobody ever started a band called "No" and asked to open for Yes.Agent - "Hello, is this the Smokey House?"
I guess something like that must have happened to The Who in the early days too :lol
I'm still trying to figure out why nobody ever started a band called "No" and asked to open for Yes.Agent - "Hello, is this the Smokey House?"
Venue - "Yes it is! How can I help you?"
Agent - "Do you have any gig openings?"
Venue - "Yes we do! What's the name of the band?"
Agent - "No."
Venue - "Well we can't book you if you don't give us a name."
Agent - "No."
Venue - "Look sir, we need to know the name of the band first..."
Agent - "It's No!!!"
Venue - "Do you even HAVE a band or is this a prank?"
Agent - "I told you, it's No!!!"
Venue - "Sir, please don't call back here again. Good day."
Agent - "Noooooooooooooo!!!"
-Marc.
I guess something like that must have happened to The Who in the early days too :lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlXjIg4fH74
-Marc.
Listeniing to Mind Drive now, such a good song.
That is all.
I guess something like that must have happened to The Who in the early days too :lolThat's exactly why I think Yes and The Who are terrible names.
I guess something like that must have happened to The Who in the early days too :lolThat's exactly why I think Yes and The Who are terrible names.
I love Yes' 70's albums, and I like their pop era. What does that say about me?
I love Yes' 70's albums, and I like their pop era. What does that say about me?
I love Yes' 70's albums, and I like their pop era. What does that say about me?
That you are a Yes fan who doesn't insist that all Yes has to be prog. :)
I love Yes' 70's albums, and I like their pop era. What does that say about me?
That you are a Yes fan who doesn't insist that all Yes has to be prog. :)
Yes's mix of pop and prog has always been a beautiful thing to me, even when the prog was more prominent on the 70s albums. In fact, I made my current band with the goal to mix prog and pop elements in the same way Yes did.
Not to mention I don't think anyone could touch the prog aspect alone of Yes... :lol
Yes, even their heavy proggy era is filled with catchy melodies all over the place. I got into Yes growing up in the 80s by seeing the videos from 90125 and Big Generator on MTV about a million times. I didn't hear any of their 70s stuff until probably '89 or '90, and those songs were "Roundabout" and "I've Seen All Good People," both of which have very catchy and singable melodies. Getting into their prog albums was then rather easy, although Relayer took some work, and Tales literally took over 10 years for me to really get into it. :lol Close to the Edge, Fragile and The Yes Album all knocked my socks off immediately, though. :coolio
Yes, even their heavy proggy era is filled with catchy melodies all over the place. I got into Yes growing up in the 80s by seeing the videos from 90125 and Big Generator on MTV about a million times. I didn't hear any of their 70s stuff until probably '89 or '90, and those songs were "Roundabout" and "I've Seen All Good People," both of which have very catchy and singable melodies. Getting into their prog albums was then rather easy, although Relayer took some work, and Tales literally took over 10 years for me to really get into it. :lol Close to the Edge, Fragile and The Yes Album all knocked my socks off immediately, though. :coolio
The trilogy of albums. Bands have great runs in a 3 or for album run.
Yes, even their heavy proggy era is filled with catchy melodies all over the place. I got into Yes growing up in the 80s by seeing the videos from 90125 and Big Generator on MTV about a million times. I didn't hear any of their 70s stuff until probably '89 or '90, and those songs were "Roundabout" and "I've Seen All Good People," both of which have very catchy and singable melodies. Getting into their prog albums was then rather easy, although Relayer took some work, and Tales literally took over 10 years for me to really get into it. :lol Close to the Edge, Fragile and The Yes Album all knocked my socks off immediately, though. :coolio
The trilogy of albums. Bands have great runs in a 3 or for album run.
Yes, even their heavy proggy era is filled with catchy melodies all over the place. I got into Yes growing up in the 80s by seeing the videos from 90125 and Big Generator on MTV about a million times. I didn't hear any of their 70s stuff until probably '89 or '90, and those songs were "Roundabout" and "I've Seen All Good People," both of which have very catchy and singable melodies. Getting into their prog albums was then rather easy, although Relayer took some work, and Tales literally took over 10 years for me to really get into it. :lol Close to the Edge, Fragile and The Yes Album all knocked my socks off immediately, though. :coolio
The trilogy of albums. Bands have great runs in a 3 or for album run.
Except in Yes' case, the "trilogy" of albums went from The Yes Album through Going for the One (six albums)
Iron Maiden has seven in a row (Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son)Oh yeah.
The level of the Yes album, Close to the Edge and Fragile are better then the next 3. It reminds me of the Who, Tommy, Who's Next and Quadrophenia. Yes other albums are very good but not at this level. IMO.
The level of the Yes album, Close to the Edge and Fragile are better then the next 3. It reminds me of the Who, Tommy, Who's Next and Quadrophenia. Yes other albums are very good but not at this level. IMO.
Very true. And Going for the One, which is a good but not great record, isn't even in the same ballpark as Yes' holy trilogy.
I'm listening to Talk right now.
This is actually really good, surprisingly. I'm honestly surprised.
I'm listening to Talk right now.
This is actually really good, surprisingly. I'm honestly surprised.
:tup :tup
Good to hear! "Real Love" is definitely a bit out there, especially for them, but I love the weirdness of it, and it probably features the heaviest riffage of any Yes song ever. But you nailed the three best ones - "The Calling," "I Am Waiting" and "Endless Dream" are all legit Yes classics. I also have great love, in particular, for "Where Will You Be." :coolio
Listening to The Ladder won't change your mind. There are some good songs on it, but not enough to place it above Magnification.The orchestra still sounded fine, and I wouldn't mind them doing that again on another album, should they choose to do another one (Which I hope they do).
Unfortunately, I wouldn't consider Magnification evidence that Yes is still capable of making great music. It's nine years old and the lineup has no keyboard player (insert joke about how Wakeman left again and they needed an entire orchestra to replace him), although there are a few keyboard dubs.
Union gets way too much hate. It's not a bad album!
And, of course, Going for the One is the best them.
Union gets way too much hate. It's not a bad album!
And, of course, Going for the One is the best them.
Union gets way too much hate. It's not a bad album!
:tupAnd, of course, Going for the One is the best them.
:tdwn
Any answer for best Yes album other than Tales is the wrong answer.The Remembering is a boring song but other than that Tales is great. Its about 4th or 5th in my Yes album rankings though.
Any answer for best Yes album other than Tales is the wrong answer.
Tales is also my favorite Yes album--it's also one of the best albums ever to listen to when high :tupI wouldn't know what Yes sounds like while high.... but whatever floats your boat.
I also love love love Going for the One (it's easily my most played Yes CD and it seems to get better every time) and Relayer.
Drama was also 30 years ago. You have to wonder how much creativity these guys have left anyway, and without their main creative force, I have a bad feeling about this.I dunno, I feel optimistic about this. Doesn't Steve Howe also get involved in a good bit of the songwriting normally? Granted, he's a lot older, but I'm confident Yes can at least put out a decent record.
"In fact, we're planning to go into the studio Oct. 4 this year to do a new album of material," he said. "But of course that's going to be with Oliver Wakeman and Benoit."
A decent record? Well, to each his own, but as a longtime fan, them releasing a decent record with a different singer excites me about as much as picking out socks.Better than never getting a new album from them. But I've only listened to Yes for the past year or so.
Z is correct, except on Revealing. Ritual is the best them. To get into Tales, take each separate. Then when you know each song enough, try out the entire thing and have your life changed.
The Revealing Science of God is probably my favorite Yes song ever.Same here. The Ancient is a huge favorite of mine as well, I'd say it's Howe's brightest moment in his entire career. However, I've always found the other two songs average, which is a real shame. Ritual has a cool opening, but outside of the first couple of minutes, it's rather tedious...
Z is correct, except on Revealing. Ritual is the best them. To get into Tales, take each separate. Then when you know each song enough, try out the entire thing and have your life changed.
Ritual is great too, but the opening chant to the album is probably the greatest thing I have ever heard in music.
Ever.
EVER
And Jon Anderson did the chant at his solo show. :heart
That's one way to look at it. Another is that the original LP version is all there was for over 30 years and thus has a pretty fair claim to being called the "real" version. The first couple of CD pressings used that version as well. The extended intro is definitely cool, but it only appears on the most recent CD remasters, so it's not exactly a fail if someone isn't familiar with it.
Wait, theres a version where it DOESN'T open with chords? :huh:
The one I have has a few minutes of guitar and keys before it starts with the chant... wasn't aware there was a version that starts with the chant right away.
Wait, theres a version where it DOESN'T open with chords? :huh:
The one I have has a few minutes of guitar and keys before it starts with the chant... wasn't aware there was a version that starts with the chant right away.
Interesting... I assume they had it on the tape deck then?
Still don't have Tales on vinyl :( Never see it in the store
The one I have has a few minutes of guitar and keys before it starts with the chant... wasn't aware there was a version that starts with the chant right away.According to the album's Wikipedia page, the 2003 Remaster CD " restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed."
The one I have has a few minutes of guitar and keys before it starts with the chant... wasn't aware there was a version that starts with the chant right away.According to the album's Wikipedia page, the 2003 Remaster CD " restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed."
Kids these days.
Vinyl LPs were themselves something of an art form. You could squeeze more music onto a side by cutting the grooves closer together, but the grooves themselves would not be as deep and musical fidelity could be lost. The average LP side was usually around 20-25 minutes; anything higher than that was usually avoided, but it wasn't a hard physical limitation. In the hands of a skilled cutter, loss could be minimized or even eliminated. Side Two of Todd Rundgren's Initiation is a 36-minute epic ("A Treatise on Cosmic Fire") and it sounds amazing. A lot of that piece is rather sparse, and much of it is quite dense, so maybe Todd actually varied the angle; I don't know. That seems like an insane thing to do, but it's Todd Rundgren we're talking about, I honestly wouldn't be surprised.
Anyway, before the remasters, the only time the ambient intro was heard was during the original tour, when they played Tales from Topographics Oceans in its entirety, including the ambient intro. As I said upthread, all LP pressings and the original CD pressings used the version that starts immediately with the chant.
On the Yesfans site, folks talk about how the chant starting immediately is more analogous to the big bang ("dawn of light") when a moment before there was nothing, whereas the extended intro gives more the impression of earth and life evolving and at some point there is a creature with actual consciousness. Yesfans tend to get hung up on stuff like that. I just think it's cool that we finally get to hear the intro after all these years, but to me the "real" version will always be the original, the only one there was for 30 years.
I don't get the argument that "it wouldn't fit on a side of the LP". It's only 2 minutes and even then, the Remaster's length is only 22:20 (or something close to that), and plenty of LPs at that time had sides longer than that, like Genesis' Foxtrot.
I don't get the argument that "it wouldn't fit on a side of the LP". It's only 2 minutes and even then, the Remaster's length is only 22:20 (or something close to that), and plenty of LPs at that time had sides longer than that, like Genesis' Foxtrot.
This. I've seen this argument used with so many things (like leaving Silver Springs off Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"), but it has never made sense to me, because, as you said Orbert, vinyls can hold much more than 20 minutes. Yes, around 24 minutes or so, the quality isl likely to start going downhill, but in this case (and a few others) there wouldn't be any (significant) loss between 20 and 22 minutes.... just doesn't make sense.
Maybe they were just so high they accidently deleted it. :hat
I'll guess that some cd's are make without using the original masters. This happened a ton in the 80's when cd's first came out. Here is a great example. Rush Signals, the gold disk is missing a line in The Weapon. They said that it wasn't on the original master but it was leaked that they didn't Get the original master. Mobile Fidelity got screwed and so did we. I bought it for $25 dollars and the 20 bit remaster that I got for $6.99 is way better.
Noob question: MFSL?
By the way, I have Signals on vinyl, and it owns. You talk about warm sound. :hat
Just got home from the Asia show. Holy fuck was it amazing! The biggest surprise was how amazing John Wetton's voice still is. It sounds like he hasn't aged a day since the s/t came out. CP's solo was fucking mindblowing as well, and Downes was all over the keys. And there needs nothing be said about SH.. because well, he is still the master.
10/10 show.
Noob question: MFSL?
By the way, I have Signals on vinyl, and it owns. You talk about warm sound. :hat
Just got home from the Asia show. Holy fuck was it amazing! The biggest surprise was how amazing John Wetton's voice still is. It sounds like he hasn't aged a day since the s/t came out. CP's solo was fucking mindblowing as well, and Downes was all over the keys. And there needs nothing be said about SH.. because well, he is still the master.
10/10 show.
Nice! :tup Review?
I like most of the Keystudio tracks, but I am not nutty over any of them, like a lot of Yes fans are for "Mind Drive." Good collection of songs; nothing more, nothing less. I am happy to have gotten the live CDs at the time, though, as the live versions of "America" and "Onward" are stellar.
I do like the production of the Keys 2 studio songs better than Keys 1 studio songs.
Marc, what I realy want to hear is Rabin/Wakeman. They've talked about working together for years.
Yeah, he wanted to take a break, and the other guys wanted to keep working.
Maybe I don't get it because I haven't been a fan of the band for years and haven't seen them live yet but what's so bad about the current Yes?
I've been meaning to check out this band as I've heard so many great things about them. One of them being that they heavily influenced my favorite band Dream Theater. I was looking for best of albums on Amazon and based on reviews for them, they aren't really best ofs. A reviewer recommended the live album Yessongs. As a new listener, would I enjoy them live? I don't listen to much 70s prog. Thanks.
Even though it's not bad, I don't think that Owner Of A Lonely Heart qualifies as a song that influenced DT. You might actually like the hard-driving sound of Yes' Drama album. I think DT covered Machine Messiah on their last YJR release.
Listening to 90125 a lot lately... I'm really getting a new appreciation for it. Its finally starting to click.
But I still think BG is the better record. ;)
Thanks guys. So what's the general opinion among prog fans on Owner Of a Lonely Heart? Is it Yes' I Walk Beside You or is it still well liked among all Yes fans?
I like some of The Ladder, but there are some misfires there. Magnification is also very good, but I wouldn't say they regained their classic sound. They were trying something new (orchestra instead of keyboards) and IMO succeeded, but it will always stand out in the catalog. That's okay; Yes has plenty of one-offs in their catalog, for various reasons.Well, by "Their sound" I didn't necessarily mean their classic sound. Just a sound that resembled Yes. I enjoy the pop albums too, but as you said it feels like an entirely different band.
90125 at #5 = failBecause not prog = bad
Not necessarily. 90125 is better than some of the other Yes albums, but I wouldn't put it above Fragile, Drama, The Yes Album, or Relayer.
Not necessarily. 90125 is better than some of the other Yes albums, but I wouldn't put it above Fragile, Drama, The Yes Album, or Relayer.90125 is very solid, not a single song I'd call bad. Which is odd since its a pop album but hey I'm not complaining :lol
Not necessarily. 90125 is better than some of the other Yes albums, but I wouldn't put it above Fragile, Drama, The Yes Album, or Relayer.90125 is very solid, not a single song I'd call bad. Which is odd since its a pop album but hey I'm not complaining :lol
There are parts of Relayer I don't care for too much. Its still great, but not consistent enough for me.
I have to admit, I haven't really given TYA a lot of attention so I guess a revisit to the album is in order :P
Fragile has the interludes that kill the flow of the album for me. The main songs themselves are some of the best things Yes has ever written, but the interludes annoy me.
Drama again is great and fantastic, but I like the consistency of 90125 just a bit more.
So I listened to Close To The Edge for the first time in my life. Twice actually. Now, I wasn't in a quiet area where I could just concentrate on the music, I was at work listening on my Ipod. I don't think it makes a difference. The intro to CTTE sounds like a bunch of kids who got ahold of their dad's instruments and started fucking around. The rest of the song is pretty boring with nothing that really grabbed me. I also listened to a couple songs off Fragile (the long ones). Those were meh too. I guess 70s prog isn't my thing. I don't really like the way it all sounds. I wont write them off, but I don't get what all the fuss is about.My reaction to this post:
So I listened to Close To The Edge for the first time in my life. Twice actually. Now, I wasn't in a quiet area where I could just concentrate on the music, I was at work listening on my Ipod. I don't think it makes a difference. The intro to CTTE sounds like a bunch of kids who got ahold of their dad's instruments and started fucking around. The rest of the song is pretty boring with nothing that really grabbed me. I also listened to a couple songs off Fragile (the long ones). Those were meh too. I guess 70s prog isn't my thing. I don't really like the way it all sounds. I wont write them off, but I don't get what all the fuss is about.
The Revealing Science of God
Those are the two that always fight it out for me, too. I love Awaken for its unabashed scope. Pipe organ, choir, harp, and bells, none of which are common in rock music and are even rare in prog, all have prominent roles, and they work. That alone amazes me.You pretty much summed up why I love Awaken as well. Songs that just throw all that shit in there but still retain "their" sound (Whatever that band's sound may be) are awesome.
I find that I listen to Close to the Edge more often, but that's most because it's more accessible. "Regular" rock instrumentation and more basic song structure. I tend to put on Awaken when I really, really want to get blown away.
The Revealing Science of God
This is my favorite Yes song, but the other two you listed would also make my top 5... maybe even my top 3.
I like "Awaken" a lot, but it would have a hard time cracking my Yes top 20. I have just never thought it was the bee's knees like most Yes fans seem to.
And any discussion on best Yes song must include "Starship Trooper." :hat
I like "Awaken" a lot, but it would have a hard time cracking my Yes top 20. I have just never thought it was the bee's knees like most Yes fans seem to.Starship Trooper is to me what Awaken is to you.
And any discussion on best Yes song must include "Starship Trooper." :hat
"Awaken easily makes my to ten. The middle part of the song is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces I know of.This. Its so very odd, but so beautiful and haunting. I wish Yes had another song like it.
Agreed. It is a one of a kind. Saw them do it live with the backing of a fifty piece orchestra, brought me to tears."Awaken easily makes my to ten. The middle part of the song is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces I know of.This. Its so very odd, but so beautiful and haunting. I wish Yes had another song like it.
STARŠIP TROOPER IS GOOD
STARŠIP TROOPER IS GOOD
Good? I think you mean FUCKING AMAZING.
Sigz, you like Yes? I thought you hated classic prog.
Yes it is great. Saw them play it on the Onion, er.. I mean Union tour. Steve Howe looked liked he hated every minute being on stage with Trevor Rabin.How would you feel being on stage with your retarded little brother?
Sigz, you like Yes? I thought you hated classic prog.
Yes it is great. Saw them play it on the Onion, er.. I mean Union tour. Steve Howe looked liked he hated every minute being on stage with Trevor Rabin.How would you feel being on stage with your retarded little brother?
Yes it is great. Saw them play it on the Onion, er.. I mean Union tour. Steve Howe looked liked he hated every minute being on stage with Trevor Rabin.How would you feel being on stage with your retarded little brother?
:lol Howe has always been like that. It killed GTR. Man I loved that CD.
YES!! Magnification is by far their best album since Drama in my opinion. It's soo good.
And "America" is pretty smoking, too. :coolioSteve's solo in America is one of my all time favorites.
I haven't heard the demos. Although I would if I could find them.
Also, anyone know what happened to that Yes fansite with their extensive tourography? I think it was called Yesterdays? I can't find it anywhere. :sadpanda:
Ever listen to 90124? Rabin had most of that album worked out in demos. The band which became Yes in the 80's didn't start out as Yes; it started as Cinema and it was the band Rabin was putting together to play what would become 90125, and it was definitely Rabin's project.
I agree that it's not a bad album at all, and really has some very good music on it. It gets slagged by a lot of diehard Yes fans and other diehard prog fans, but not all.
Yeah Close to the Edge is their best. Love that disc, in my top 10 of all time for sure. What does everyone think of The Ladder? Personally I love that too.
Ever listen to 90124? Rabin had most of that album worked out in demos. The band which became Yes in the 80's didn't start out as Yes; it started as Cinema and it was the band Rabin was putting together to play what would become 90125, and it was definitely Rabin's project.
I agree that it's not a bad album at all, and really has some very good music on it. It gets slagged by a lot of diehard Yes fans and other diehard prog fans, but not all.
Every song on Tales needed to end 10 minutes before it actually ended. Except for Ancients. That one needed to begin ten minutes after it actually began.
Every song on Tales needed to end 10 minutes before it actually ended. Except for Ancients. That one needed to begin ten minutes after it actually began.
I don't know. I'd love Yes just as much without Tales in the discography at all to be completely honest. I've gotta side with Mr. Wakeman on that one.
I don't know. I'd love Yes just as much without Tales in the discography at all to be completely honest. I've gotta side with Mr. Wakeman on that one.
Do you mean the original "sudden" intro, or the somewhat ambient version they restored later?Yeah, I mean the ambient one. That combined with the vocal section after makes for a contender for my favourite intro ever. It always annoyed me that if I tried to show someone the song on Youtube I had trouble finding one with that ambient intro. :-\ But even without it, it's quite epic.
On the original LP, it started right with the vocals "Dawn of light..." One last edit to save some space on the record. The original CDs were the same, but on the remaster, they restored the intro before the vocals come in.
I see what your saying about Wakeman's playing, Orbert. But when I listen to his work on "Going for the One," I can't help but disagree. His work on that album's two longer pieces is amazing.
"Make It Easy" wasn't on 90124, but it would make sense that it was from the same sessions. I don't have 90124, and only heard it once a long time ago. As the name implies, the idea of 90124 was to provide a glimpse of the songs that eventually became 90125, and "Make It Easy" wasn't on that album.
I see what your saying about Wakeman's playing, Orbert. But when I listen to his work on "Going for the One," I can't help but disagree. His work on that album's two longer pieces is amazing.
I love Going for the One, and his work on "Awaken" and "Turn of the Century" (I think that's the next longest tune, I'm not sure) does show amazing restraint and, yes, subtlety. Those are two of my favorite performances by him. I guess I was thinking more of his recent stuff, and what happens when he plays live (he pretty much overplays everything), but just to keep things realistic, I thought about things like The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Criminal Record. But maybe that's not fair either, as with those early solo albums, showing off his chops appeared to be the whole point.
How is Anderson/Wakeman, by the way? Have you listened to it? It's something that's definitely on my radar.
Just picked up The Ladder and Big Generator. 2 albums I guess are over due. Next, Drama and Tormato. Or the first two albums. Kinda stinks knowing that the best is over. I guess that's why I held off for so long.
Yeah, Yes didn't definitely did not sell out. IIRC, they were talked into to using the Yes name, since it was mostly comprised of guys that had been in Yes, especially once Jon Anderson came aboard.
So, let me get it straight. Yes didn't sell out, just a bunch of guys in suits convinced 4 members of Yes (2 of whom where arguably the most important members from a creative and conceptual standpoint and 3 of which were in the latest version of the band) to sell out the Yes name and fake starting a "new chapter" in Yes history simply to be enhance profits?
Got it.
;)
Sorry guys, but that is TO ME the definition of "selling out."
Not that is matters, because 90125 is a great album and I use the word affectionately.
1. The Revealing Science of GodI'm not the only one. :tup
:tup1. The Revealing Science of GodI'm not the only one. :tup
So, let me get it straight. Yes didn't sell out, just a bunch of guys in suits convinced 4 members of Yes (2 of whom where arguably the most important members from a creative and conceptual standpoint and 3 of which were in the latest version of the band) to sell out the Yes name and fake starting a "new chapter" in Yes history simply to be enhance profits?
Got it.
;)
Sorry guys, but that is TO ME the definition of "selling out."
Not that is matters, because 90125 is a great album and I use the word affectionately.
They didn't convince Yes members, they convinced Rabin. Rabin wasn't in Yes (yet). If anyone "sold out" it was him (prior to being in Yes)
All true, except Can't Look Away didn't come out till the late 80s. I think he had a bit of success with "Now" from the Face to Face record in 1980. I actually like his self-titled debut album quite a bit. Somewhat raw, but a handful of really good tunes.
I totally hear what your saying about Yes being a "brand" Orbert. I'd made the same argument about Iced Earth awhile ago. Unfortunately the Iced Earth fans didn't really take kindly to it.
Then Schaffer kicked Owen out :D
I was listening to Yessongs the other night. What an amazingly mind-blowing live album, and probably one of my highest-ranked live albums of all time! You get all the epics from their 3rd, 4th and 5th albums, extended solo spots, extended jams, more solos, and amazing performances from 6 members of Yes!
-Marc.
I was listening to Yessongs the other night. What an amazingly mind-blowing live album, and probably one of my highest-ranked live albums of all time! You get all the epics from their 3rd, 4th and 5th albums, extended solo spots, extended jams, more solos, and amazing performances from 6 members of Yes!
-Marc.
It is dauntingly long, though. I must admit, sometimes I have trouble finishing it.
Circa's self-titled debut is pretty good, and the new one HQ is also very good, possibly better.
Well, I was hoping Drama would kick my ass.
It didn't, but it was still really good. However, there's a huge drop in quality after the epic Machine Messiah opener and the following White Car.
Well, I was hoping Drama would kick my ass.
It didn't, but it was still really good. However, there's a huge drop in quality after the epic Machine Messiah opener and the following White Car.
White Car is awesome. Don't write it off because it's a short song, a mere vignette. It's a full orchestra played entirely on 80's analog synths. Give it, and the rest of Drama, some time to grow on you.
Oddly, out of all the influence Yes has had on DT, Drama strikes me as the biggest influence. I hear more of Drama's influence in DT's music than any other Yes album.
I always liked the single version of American better. Chopped down, sure, but I didn't think it lost much and the 10 minute version I always felt was kinda long. Anyway, new top-10 rankings based on the kick I've been on lately.
Close to the Edge
Going for the One
The Yes Album
Relayer
Fragile
90125
Drama
Tales from Topographic Oceans
Magnification
Union
Coming soon to my home---> The Ladder, Big Generator
After that I suppose I'll get---> Tormato, Time and a Word
Or other suggestions?
I don't see how it could effect anything in the top 5, though. That's really, really solid.
I don't have the debut or Talk. The Debut I've been wanting for sometime but Talk I've always heard is garbage. Of course, I want to get them all eventually...
Oddly I've been into yes for like 5 years now. And I bought most of the Yes I listen to within the first year. After I had Yes Album->Going for the One I figured everything else was unimportant. But I like the band and Anderson's voice enough to realize that even a mediocre Yes release is still something I'll enjoying listening to.
In The Presence Of... just clicked. Oh my lord. What a fantastic song. Really just as good as any Yes song... beautiful work there :tup :tup :tup
Also, what would you guys recommend me do first?
1.) Buy up the remaining Yes albums I have? (Talk, Debut, TaaW, Keys, Tormato)
2.) Finally check out some solo stuff (Including AWBH, JA/RW/pretty much everything)
In The Presence Of... just clicked. Oh my lord. What a fantastic song. Really just as good as any Yes song... beautiful work there :tup :tup :tup
Also, what would you guys recommend me do first?
1.) Buy up the remaining Yes albums I have? (Talk, Debut, TaaW, Keys, Tormato)
2.) Finally check out some solo stuff (Including AWBH, JA/RW/pretty much everything)
Definitely Option 1 - there's som great music on those 5 albums that you're missing out on that are all definitive YES songs.
If you get any solo stuff, at least get the three I have - JA's Olias of Sunhillow, CS's Fish Out Of Water, and RW's Six Wives Of Henry VIII. All pretty good solo albums!
Keystudio is fine if all you want is the newer studio stuff, the last from the classic lineup. I noticed that the run time totals 74 minutes, the length of a CD in those days, and I don't think that's a coincidence. But the suits also wanted to get the new live stuff out there, and there's merit in that. Where they dropped the ball was in mixing the two up. They should have been separate releases, a single studio CD and a double live.
Yep, Magnification is a masterpiece.
but Talk I've always heard is garbage.
Yep, Magnification is a masterpiece.
Compared to what, Union? :Pbut Talk I've always heard is garbage.
You heard wrong. Talk is easily the best Yes CD of the last 25 years. Easily.
Yep, Magnification is a masterpiece.
Compared to what, Union? :Pbut Talk I've always heard is garbage.
You heard wrong. Talk is easily the best Yes CD of the last 25 years. Easily.
What's wrong with Magnification?
It's fitting that Magnification will most likely be the band's second-to-last album because, like the band's second album, it features an orchestra as part of the band, more or less. It's a fitting mirror-effect.
-Marc.
When I was just looking at their discography on Wikipedia I noticed that Union charted 7th, making it the only album to go above 15 since Drama came out in 1980.
What the hell? How did 90125 not go as high as it?
When I was just looking at their discography on Wikipedia I noticed that Union charted 7th, making it the only album to go above 15 since Drama came out in 1980.
What the hell? How did 90125 not go as high as it?
Who knows... it did well here in the US, coming in at 5, the last Top 10 album Yes made, with BG and Union coming in at 15 each. After that, all down hill from there.
-Marc.
I like An Evening of Yes Music Plus except for Bruford's electronic snare. That thing really bugs the shit out of me and he bangs on it incessantly on that album. Also Tony Levin got really sick and couldn't play that show, the one night they had all the recording equipment set up and everything. Jeff Berlin jumped in at the last minute, and did a great job for having like two days to learn everything, but damn, with Levin it would have been so much tighter.
I've been getting into Reunion-era Yes with The Ladder, Keystudio and Magnification. For the most part, it's solid stuff, especially Magnification.
As far as this era is concerned, the one weakness for me is Anderson's syrupy "save the green earth" lyrics. I much prefer the cryptic (almost nonsensical) lyrics that Jon Anderson wrote for early Yes. The wild imagery that he created on Fragile/CTE/Relayer with that lyrical style was near-perfect.
I can't figure out why GFTO isn't considered as good as TYE-->Relayer by so many people.In my case, the problem is Parallels. The song never did anything for me. On the other side, the previous five albums don't have a single weak track. And even Wonderous stories and Turn of the century ain't that great.
I get what you mean, though. Relayer is slightly lower rated for me because I can't stand Sound Chaser. It's one of those songs that I'll skip every time.WAT >:( >:(
I can't figure out why GFTO isn't considered as good as TYE-->Relayer by so many people.
OK, now you're making me angry >:(I used to dislike Sound Chaser, but now I can't help myself but enjoy it's craziness. It's such a sick track. :metal
I get what you mean, though. Relayer is slightly lower rated for me because I can't stand Sound Chaser. It's one of those songs that I'll skip every time.
GFTO isn't amazing, but it's still pretty damned good.
Well I have a pretty strict definition of amazing album-wise. :P I do agree there are no bad songs, and Awaken is just plain awesome.GFTO isn't amazing, but it's still pretty damned good.
What? It doesn't have a single bad track on it! Every song is killer. Easily a top 5 Yes album.
"Awaken" and "Turn of the Century" are both really good, but while none of the other three songs are not bad, none of them are anything special.
Maybe it's the production. Going for the One has a very "light and airy" sound to it, lots of high end, no bass at all, plus the music itself has a lot of cymbals, bell trees, and high harmonies. Add to that Jon Anderson's voice and Steve Howe's Telecaster on the opening title track, and the first thing that hits you is a lot of what really bothers many people about Yesmusic. Much of GFTO is Yes at the "airy-fairy" (not my term) best.
It's a valid criticism, to be honest. I don't agree with it; Going for the One my favorite, on days when Close to the Edge is not.
GFTO also had some great stuff on the remaster. Montruxe's theme and Vevey (Revisted) have pretty much become part of the actual album as far as I'm concerened.
I love every song on Going for the One. "Turn of the Century" still moves me to tears every time. If it doesn't move you, you have no soul.
And yet there's some great material on Union. Too bad it sounds less like a album and more like a compilation of Yes albums that never were.
M, that's a pretty cool idea. I should do an album-a-day thing with some of my favorite bands, or maybe some bands that will turn out to be favorites.
So I'm so close to purchasing Tormato but I'm scared....
Someone please reassure it'll be better then The Ladder and Big Generator (which was my last haul).
I'm thinking this haul will be Self-Titled and Tormato.
Oh maybe I'll just get Yesshows. Why is that one so rare?
I just bought that $9 one. Before, I didn't see it, just a bunch of $20, which I refuse to spend on most albums these days.
So, next up: Tormato and the Self-Titled probably. Or Keys. I dunno. I just can't wait for Yesshows now :)
On a side note: I'm really starting to feel like the time for buying cheap records online is passing. I remember being able to get into a bunch of bands VERY cheaply circa... 2005 or so. Now it seems like everything's a bit more expensive.
Or maybe I'm just poorer. Fuck. Gradschool. LOL.
I remember being able to get into a bunch of bands VERY cheaply circa... 2005 or so. Now it seems like everything's a bit more expensive.
Yeah, that's a good idea. What is absolutely baffling though is how the cheapest version of Keystudio is going for 20, and that's used.
Or be like me who bought both Keys to only find out years later they combined the studio stuff.
For some reason, I don't see the point in those live CDs. I love Yesshows and am sure I will love Yessongs, but after that, what does one really need? I've got the Yes Symphonic DVD as well, which is good enough. So why bother with anything else?
For some reason, I don't see the point in those live CDs. I love Yesshows and am sure I will love Yessongs, but after that, what does one really need? I've got the Yes Symphonic DVD as well, which is good enough. So why bother with anything else?
For some reason, I don't see the point in those live CDs. I love Yesshows and am sure I will love Yessongs, but after that, what does one really need? I've got the Yes Symphonic DVD as well, which is good enough. So why bother with anything else?
Well, after a while it becomes overload and you burn out from hearing the same songs live over and over. But there is always one or two songs that you must have. That being said. i can't stop myself from buying Rush live Cd's and DVD's so...........( Kettle/black) :lol
That's gotta be a typo, either in the original article or maybe Zydar's transcription.
That's gotta be a typo, either in the original article or maybe Zydar's transcription.
It must be the article, since I only copy + pasted directly from it.
Yes, the band where everyone wrote everything. :lol ;)
Just bought The Yes Album, finally.Good. Step into a world much more beautiful than the one you left behind.
Speaking of The Yes Album, does anyone else listen to it with the studio version of "Clap" in place of the live version on the original album? I've had it that way on my iPod Playlists for the LONGEST time and I don't think I recall the last time I listened to the album with the original live version of "Clap".
-Marc.
Speaking of The Yes Album, does anyone else listen to it with the studio version of "Clap" in place of the live version on the original album? I've had it that way on my iPod Playlists for the LONGEST time and I don't think I recall the last time I listened to the album with the original live version of "Clap".
Speaking of The Yes Album, does anyone else listen to it with the studio version of "Clap" in place of the live version on the original album? I've had it that way on my iPod Playlists for the LONGEST time and I don't think I recall the last time I listened to the album with the original live version of "Clap".
I didn't know there was a studio version.
Speaking of The Yes Album, does anyone else listen to it with the studio version of "Clap" in place of the live version on the original album? I've had it that way on my iPod Playlists for the LONGEST time and I don't think I recall the last time I listened to the album with the original live version of "Clap".
I didn't know there was a studio version.
It's on the Rhino Remaster of the album as one of the bonus tracks. IIRC, it's a bit longer than the live version as well.
-Marc.
As a noob in the Yes world of prog, I have a question for everyone on this thread.
Recently I picked up Close to the Edge on vinyl. When I brought it home, I listened to the title track once. I don't know if it was me, the record player, the production, or a number of these things, but the song didn't do anything for me. I already have Fragile on vinyl and the first time I heard that I was hooked. Am I missing something? Am I not listening right? Does it take a few listens?
What's wrong with this picture?
What was it called? Just good rock and roll?
bands like Dream Theater, Opeth, Children Of Bodom, and Between the Buried and Me
What was it called? Just good rock and roll?
I've come in to admit that the only Yes song I've heard is Owner of a Lonely Heart. But yesterday I picked up a best of and Going For the One extremely cheap. I haven't listened to them yet. By reading this thread, looks like I should have picked up Close to the Edge.
bands like Dream Theater, Opeth, Children Of Bodom, and Between the Buried and Me
One of these things is not like the others.
What was it called? Just good rock and roll?
In the 70's, yeah it was. You had your Rock station, and maybe a separate Oldies station as well, if there was enough demand for 50's music. I still remember hearing "Roundabout" on the radio back then, and realizing how incredibly special it was. Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, three-part harmonies, fast and slow movements, a double round of solos with the guitar and organ trading off, all in the same song. Nobody did that in the early 70's, but Yes did, and it was even a Top 40 hit. I think I knew then that I would always be attracted to music that pushed the envelope.
How could I forget Art Rock. Thank Orbert! The late 60's into the 70's was a great time of bands streching the limits of the definitions of what music was in peoples eyes and ears.Another thing to think about was that it wass all fresh and new at the time. We've had forty years of music to dilute the pool since then.
What was it called? Just good rock and roll?
In the 70's, yeah it was. You had your Rock station, and maybe a separate Oldies station as well, if there was enough demand for 50's music. I still remember hearing "Roundabout" on the radio back then, and realizing how incredibly special it was. Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, three-part harmonies, fast and slow movements, a double round of solos with the guitar and organ trading off, all in the same song. Nobody did that in the early 70's, but Yes did, and it was even a Top 40 hit. I think I knew then that I would always be attracted to music that pushed the envelope.
Now music gets classified and thrown unfiltered into niches where 90 percent of the people never experience it. In 1973 most people who listened to the radio knew who Yes was.
You could hear Yes, Slade, Elton John and Sly and The Family Stone within 20 minutes of each other.
Today, the scope of what you hear on the radio is very narrow. It's unlikely that you would hear the band Live and The Mars Volta on the same commercial/satellite radio station.
Is it abnormal that I find Fragile much easier to listen to and much more enjoyable than the 3 albums that followed it? Granted, I like CttE, Tales, and Relayer, but I've listened to them maybe 2 or 3 times each, whereas I've probably listened to Fragile about 10 times by now.
Wait, Oliver is out? lol I love how Yes can never go more than 6 months without a lineup change. :D
Guys, you do know that And You And I is the best song by Yes, dont you?
So close, but that's #2. The Revealing Science of God is the correct answer.Guys, you do know that And You And I is the best song by Yes, dont you?
It's up there, but that title belongs to "The Gates of Delirium."
The Revealing Science of God is the correct answer.
Naw brahs, best Yes song is obviously Starship Trooper.
Me too.The Revealing Science of God is the correct answer.
I agree with this
I guess so, but my personal favorite is "Roundabout".
Learning Mood for a Day on guitar. I have determined 1:15 is impossible.
o/
I see Yes is touring with Styx this summer, and they are actually coming to St. Louis. Despite no Dennis DeYoung and no Jon Anderson, I'd actually consider going to this, but ticket prices appear rather pricey. If a friend or two, who are into these bands, too, have any interest in going, I might be able to be talked into going. ;)
I'll admit to not liking Siberian Khatru that much, but it's fun as hell on guitar. :metalThis :metal
I'll admit to not liking Siberian Khatru that much, but it's fun as hell on guitar. :metal
Just give it time, man. Yes is not a fly by night girl, but a life long obsession. I have been listening to said albums for over 25 years, and still discover new shit about them at every listen. Protip-find a beautiful outside area, put the headphones on, and watch the nighttime stars while listening to Rituals off of Tales. It will, no pun intended, become a ritual for you, I do it every year at my annual camping trip in the Sierras, and it still brings tears to my eyes. Not tomention that it always makes me feel about this fucking big.
As much as I'd have loved to see a second album from the Drama lineup in its time, I don't think kicking out the current singer and keyboard player to do it is right. There have been so many statements from the band in the past few years backing Benoit David and insisting that they love him and they're moving forward with him on lead vocals.
But this is Yes, the most screwed-up band in the history of the world in terms of lineups and who's in and who's out and why. They've always let the suits call the shots for them; it shouldn't be surprising that they allow their producer that kind of power.
Hell, I've having trouble deciding if I want to fork over $50 to see Jon Anderson 15 minutes away from me at a very intimate venue. It's likely I won't.
Is that Jon Anderson solo, or the Anderson/Wakeman? I'd be pretty tempted to see Anderson/Wakeman, especially if it was close by. Those two are awesome together.
It's a common record in used stores. I say keep looking.
Ha. Y'all are lucky. The town I'm in is a prog fans nightmare. The only Yes anywhere is the Classic Yes compilation. So I've had to order my stuff.
Only CD shop in my whole town is an HMV in the mall. Then there's Future Shop. One time I went to Future Shop and they had EVERY PG-era Genesis album. I was still getting into prog then so I didn't have them all yet, so I was ecstatic. I bought Foxtrot immediately. Next time I came, they terminated their whole selection. Now they only have one section, labeled rock/pop (pointless to label isn't it?), and it has absolutely no prog, except for about 30 copies of A Momentary Lapse of Reason by PF. And that's how it is every time I go.
I had no problem getting mine.............in the 70's. :lol
CD in the 90's :lol
Cool! A record store here in HK has the 4 disc version of Keys. Should I get it?
Ha. Y'all are lucky. The town I'm in is a prog fans nightmare. The only Yes anywhere is the Classic Yes compilation. So I've had to order my stuff.
I had no problem getting mine.............in the 70's. :lol
CD in the 90's :lol
I'll be honest, I think the live version they stuck onto Classic Yes sucks pretty hard. The only thing going for it, maybe, is that Jon tries to squeeze "All we are saying is give peace a chance" into the chorus at the end, as on the studio version, except he discovers that he can't actually sing two different parts at once, especially when the lyrics are different. Howe's solo in the second part is probably why they included it; it's pretty hyper, but I still prefer the version on Yessongs.
Wait, Classic Yes has a live version not found on other releases?
I've seen the vinyl countless times at my local record store, but I never picked it up since I thought I already have all the songs on other vinyls.
Wait, Classic Yes has a live version not found on other releases?
I've seen the vinyl countless times at my local record store, but I never picked it up since I thought I already have all the songs on other vinyls.
The CD version of Classic Yes has live versions of "Roundabout" and "All Good People" that weren't on the LP and which are different from the versions on Yessongs (the only other officially released live versions at the time). Yes, the sound is clearer, the production is better, and all that. I'm just not crazy about the performance itself, which is the most important thing IMO. But the version you heard first is often the one that will always sound "better" to your ears. I grew up with Yessongs, and despite its crappy, muddy sound, the performances are inspired and most take the songs beyond their studio versions, but they're still clean and tight. To most Yesfans, Yessongs is still the definitive live Yes album. In a way, that's kinduv sad, that in 40 years, they still haven't surpassed it, and at this point never will.
Yes and no. They released a 3-disc set in 2005 called The Word is Live (a pun based on a line from the title track from Time and a Word, "the word is love") which gathers together various unreleased tracks from various points in Yes history. The quality varies greatly, as some of it is basically cleaned-up bootlegs, and they made an effort to not include a lot of material from the "classic" years, as they felt that that period was well represented already.
There's a version of "I've Seen All Good People" but I haven't listened to it in a while, so I can't vouch for its quality. If I were favorably impressed, I think I'd remember, but that's not a hard and fast rule. I do remember that the version of "America" is considerably longer than the studio version, which was actually an edit even though it still came in at 10 minutes. The live version is over 16 and includes an interesting extended intro which more clearly reveals how the arrangement actually did evolve out of a mashup between the Simon & Garfunkel song and Leonard Bernstein's "America" from West Side Story.
There are a few other interesting Yes rarities, including the original version of "We Can Fly From Here", the previously unreleased Drama-era song which has been reworked and is now the title epic from the upcoming album. But overall I think you'd have to be a pretty hardcore Yesfan, and a completist as well, to want to pick up The Word is Live, unless you can find a really good deal on it. Maybe used.
San Fran 1969 is pretty raw, but the band was already very tight, and it shows the beginnings (ha!) of a band that would become truly amazing for a while.
The 1972 stuff is mind-blowing. I wanted this band to last forever.
The only score I've heard by Rabin is National Treasure. What else has he done?
I just went from 6 to midnight
Going in with an open mind. Gonna miss Jon.Me too. The cover art is wonderful, Yes is still the band with the best album covers. I hope the music is as breathtaking as the cover. :)
I don't buy vinyl, but I'd honestly buy Yes on vinyl just so I could hang them on my wall. Roger Dean is always fantastic, IMO.Going in with an open mind. Gonna miss Jon.Me too. The cover art is wonderful, Yes is still the band with the best album covers. I hope the music is as breathtaking as the cover. :)
When I took a certain chemical last month, I was playing Tales for the first time on vinyl. I must have stared at the album cover for an hour. You can literally get lost in the worlds he creates. :tup
If I were looking for the forum expert on Jon Anderson, who would I go to?
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0053WU6XG/ref=sr_1_album_2_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B0053WU76W&qid=1307111833&sr=1-2 (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0053WU6XG/ref=sr_1_album_2_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B0053WU76W&qid=1307111833&sr=1-2)
SAMPLES!!!
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0053WU6XG/ref=sr_1_album_2_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B0053WU76W&qid=1307111833&sr=1-2 (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0053WU6XG/ref=sr_1_album_2_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B0053WU76W&qid=1307111833&sr=1-2)
SAMPLES!!!
I'm avoiding the samples. When the new album comes out, I want to buy it, rip the shrinkwrap off, and play it in my car, loudly, and let me ears and brain absorb it.
I'm avoiding the samples. When the new album comes out, I want to buy it, rip the shrinkwrap off, and play it in my car, loudly, and let me ears and brain absorb it. I will sit there in the parking lot of Best Buy and go through the booklet and lyrics and liner notes and everything, and everything I hear and see will be new, like in the old days.
I'm avoiding the samples. When the new album comes out, I want to buy it, rip the shrinkwrap off, and play it in my car, loudly, and let me ears and brain absorb it.
This. The best way to hear any new music, imo.
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0053WU6XG/ref=sr_1_album_2_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B0053WU76W&qid=1307111833&sr=1-2 (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0053WU6XG/ref=sr_1_album_2_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B0053WU76W&qid=1307111833&sr=1-2)
SAMPLES!!!
Sweet! Thanks for posting that!...but, who is singing in the clip for "The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be"??
This sounds like a classic Yes album in the making! If this ends up being their last studio album, I think I might be okay with it! :tup
-Marc.
Yes never really clicked with me, but right now 'The Yes Album' is slowly changing this. 'Yours is no Disgrace' is fantastic.
Yes never really clicked with me, but right now 'The Yes Album' is slowly changing this. 'Yours is no Disgrace' is fantastic.
I'm avoiding the samples. When the new album comes out, I want to buy it, rip the shrinkwrap off, and play it in my car, loudly, and let me ears and brain absorb it. I will sit there in the parking lot of Best Buy and go through the booklet and lyrics and liner notes and everything, and everything I hear and see will be new, like in the old days.
I considered not even checking this thread until after the new album comes out, so as to avoid people's opinions on the samples, but I guess I can deal with them, plus we talk about stuff other than the new album. So you guys are stuck with me for now.
I'm diggin' on The Ladder as it were ^__^
The Yes Album is pretty fantacular too, and the rest I'm still trying to understand.
How's Magnification though, I haven't really had the chance to listen to it yet, that's the 2001 release, isn't it?
Yes is my favorite band, and I'm not really sure what to think about those samples. They seem good, but not as rocking as I would have liked. I like Drama a lot, so I'm not a Jon = Yes guy, although I'd prefer Jon as singer, of course. The album cover's cool. :smiley:I'm diggin' on The Ladder as it were ^__^
The Yes Album is pretty fantacular too, and the rest I'm still trying to understand.
How's Magnification though, I haven't really had the chance to listen to it yet, that's the 2001 release, isn't it?
I love Magnification. The orchestra fits the songs quite well and I don't miss the keyboards. Knowing it's likely the last album with Jon makes the music more poignant, actually, since there's already a kind of nostalgic quality about some of it. Since you like The Ladder, you'd probably enjoy it.
According to wiki its Chris Squire. I mean, who else could it be, really?Trevor Horn
Its almost cheating. :lol They put out a song that was written during the Drama years, and marketing it as the newest Yes single. Its a great song, but I have a feeling everyone who didn't know that bit of trivia is going to get sucked in and be very surprised if the rest of the album sucks (which is entirely possible. Classic rock bands coming out of long hiatuses don't do to well with a new album, in my experience).
I don't expect the new album to suck, but I'm trying to keep my expectations low.
Its almost cheating. :lol They put out a song that was written during the Drama years, and marketing it as the newest Yes single. Its a great song, but I have a feeling everyone who didn't know that bit of trivia is going to get sucked in and be very surprised if the rest of the album sucks (which is entirely possible. Classic rock bands coming out of long hiatuses don't do to well with a new album, in my experience).
We're talking about a song that has been through extensive reworking, expansion to epic length, and now a single-length edit is being taken from the result. But I get your point, and don't really disagree with it. The single has a good chance to not be representative of the new album in general. But it also has at least as good a chance to be pretty much the same quality, as the same guys are writing it and playing on it, except for the lead vocalist, and the original lead vocalist is producing it. This is as close to Drama II as we're gonna get, and Drama is one of my favorite Yes albums.
I don't expect the new album to suck, but I'm trying to keep my expectations low.
I didn't notice anything else that was amazing yet, but I don't expect to hear it all the first time. Which other tracks should I look out for?
And You and I
Relayer is a must, as is Tales, which is the best Yes album.Nah, Relayer is the best Yes album. Tales is a very, very, very acquired taste, but is awesome as well.
Relayer is a must, as is Tales, which is the best Yes album.I'm with Quad on this one.
:heartRelayer is a must, as is Tales, which is the best Yes album.I'm with Quad on this one.
Be careful Quad, You know how an old man's heart can skip a beat......
Be careful Quad, You know how an old man's heart can skip a beat......
CODE BLUE!! CODE BLUE!!!
Got done with Jon 10 minutes ago and I'm still shaking...
Be careful Quad, You know how an old man's heart can skip a beat......
CODE BLUE!! CODE BLUE!!!
Is this your safe word? :lol
>Mental image of Lonestar in a situation where he would need a safe word
>lol
it might be the herbs, but Fly From Here is easily the best Yes album since GFTO.
Not mind blowing but good. I'd give it a B-. I liked the production but there was a stark difference in styles from the big song written in 1980 and the others. I need to play it a few times more.
I'm starting to fall under that category. I spun it 5 times in the first 2-3 days I had it but have yet to listen to it again. This week I'll have to listen again and see where I'm at. I think I was just overexcited with there being a new Yes album since I've become a fan.
Honestly though, it is pretty damn good considering they're more than 40 years into their career.
I love ABWH. I just hate the 80s production which kind of drops it down a notch for me.
Rick Wakeman blew me away.
Probably not interested. Squire has always sung background vocals and the occassional echo of Jon's lead, but that's it. I don't have any interviews or quotes to back it up, but after 20 albums in 40 years, I think if he'd wanted to, he would have by now.
He has a great voice, but again, I've always gotten the impression that he'd rather "just" play bass and sing backgrounds. His personality doesn't seem the type to be a front man.
Listening to the new album made me put my entire Yes library on shuffle, and now Real Love from Talk is stuck in my head. Why didn't I notice that song before? I remember listening through the entire album plenty of times...
I really hope I don't hear shit about poor sales of this album, when you can't actually find it in stores.
And if someone is gonna give me shit about downloading it, you can save it.
I really hope I don't hear shit about poor sales of this album, when you can't actually find it in stores. And if someone is gonna give me shit about downloading it, you can save it. I tried to buy the album and couldn't. I'm not driving all over the county to buy it when two different stores actually told me they'd have it today and did not.
Orbert, do you like the new album?
Went out to Best Buy this morning to snag the CD/DVD set for $11.99 - and it WASN'T IN STOCK >:(
Infuriated, I tried Target, just because it was nearly right next to my Best Buy, but to no avail...
...then I went to my mall, to check FYE, and they had plenty (six) of the CD and CD/DVD sets in stock but... their asking price was $19.99 for the 2-disc set, with their "sale price" tagged at $17.99. Ugh. My plan is to just buy it on Amazon (as well as The Living Tree) for fairly cheap, and buying both from Amazon allows free super-saver shipping, so I get both at low costs and no shipping!
-Marc.
This all begs the question, why the fuck are YES on Frontier records?
They are a moderate sized label, but I know that their US distribution has been oddly spotty in the past. And for a band like Yes, who plays quite large crowds even today in the US to not have their new album found at Best Buys is an absolute failure of epic proportions by the label.
They are a moderate sized label, but I know that their US distribution has been oddly spotty in the past. And for a band like Yes, who plays quite large crowds even today in the US to not have their new album found at Best Buys is an absolute failure of epic proportions by the label.
Yes are arguably the biggest prog band, one only has to look at record sales, and also their popularity chart at Prog Archives shows Yes at the top almost all the time.
I'm not a huge fan of the 90125 band, but one thing they did right during the 80's was make videos and actually promote the band. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was the band's only #1 hit, mostly because it's so catchy and commercial sounding, but it sure didn't hurt that it was actually promoted.
I'm sure a lot of their fans are also very old or dead
They are a moderate sized label, but I know that their US distribution has been oddly spotty in the past. And for a band like Yes, who plays quite large crowds even today in the US to not have their new album found at Best Buys is an absolute failure of epic proportions by the label.
I agree. If they can have new DT releases (even before they were on Roadrunner), on release day, they can have the new Yes album. Yes are arguably the biggest prog band, one only has to look at record sales, and also their popularity chart at Prog Archives shows Yes at the top almost all the time.
since the casual fans who used to frequent their shows back then seemed to be casual fans then because they had loss interest in the band post-MP
I agree with Kev. I think Rush is striking right now while their hot and they are getting all these accolades where they didn't before. It's now cool to say, I like Rush!" and when they pulled 13 to 18 thousand in the 90's, today at 9 to 10k they are upping their revenue.
I'm not familiar with GPS, but I have both Circa albums and they're quite good, so I'm looking forward to a new album from them.
I'm not familiar with GPS, but I have both Circa albums and they're quite good, so I'm looking forward to a new album from them.
Nice summary of their later stuff. I pretty much agree with all of it.
Have you heard the latest, Fly From Here? If so, what do you think?
Interesting observation about this album and Drama each ending a round of ten albums. They're definitely two of a kind, both with a lot of Buggles sound to them, and Benoit David even sounds a bit like Trevor Horn to me.
What? There's a longer version of "Hour of Need"? This is the first I've heard.
Also, I forgot to mention one observation about the new album. It's very good, well-produced (except for the lack of punch in the drums), but it isn't really "proggy". Pretty skimpy with the instrumental pyrotechnics, and the arrangements and time signatures are pretty conservative. In that respect, it's pretty tame for a Yes album.
This blows. I couldn't find Fly From Here in any stores, so I ordered it online. If I had known, I would've gone ahead and ordered the import version. I hate it when there's different versions of songs like that. Also, the Japanese seem to always get the "extra" stuff.
Wow!
I found the extended "Hour of Need" and downloaded it. It's awesome. The short version on the album is fine; it's a nice little song. Acoustic guitar is cool, nice harmonies, etc.
But with the extra intro and outro turn, it's a mini-suite, a Steve Howe showcase. Full band, with Steve taking the lead all over the place. Considering that Steve is the one veteran Yesman who's really on fire on this album, I think it was a dumb move to just go with the short version, the main song. Yeah, the intro and outro are optional, but look what it does to the song, and the balance of the album as a whole. You have the title suite, and some other songs. The other songs are fine, but as mentioned, none are particularly adventurous. "Into the Storm" is cool, but almost seems to end just as it's picking up steam. Including the long version of "Hour of Need" shifts the balance from the other songs just being there and filling things out (not that they're filler -- you know what I mean) to having some real substance of their own. It's not just a handful of songs, one of which gets kinda proggy, and the token Howe acoustic solo thrown in. It becomes a handful of songs, some which get kinda proggy, plus a Howe acoustic solo. Yes, I feel like it really affects the balance that much.
I don't know. The album felt to me like it just needed a little something to push it from a 7 (pretty good) to an 8 (really good) and this might've been it.
I love how expansive Topographic is. You can just get lost in that album. The more you listen, the more you hear musical themes repeated in different ways. One of my favorite Yes moments is The Remembering from 17:33 to the end. That one gives me chills.Agreed. I have been listening to that album for twenty years, and still get lost in it, and I look forward to another twenty years. Such a masterpiece.
By the way, Yes is my favorite band, but I still don't have Fly from Here. *hangs head in shame*
You guys reminded me to go and listen to Drama again. It's really cool. Tales is by far my favourite though.
I've been meaning to ask you Yes experts for some recommendations. I fairly recently listened to Fragile after years of meaning to get round to listening to Yes and absolutely loved it so wanna check out the rest of their stuff, but their discography looks massive so instead of me randomly jumping in somewhere if you could point me in the right direction as to what album I should get next, I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks Marc, what a great post :) I'll try out The Yes Album next then. I'm not really aware of all the members/changing line up but I've heard of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, is that worth checking out too?
Ok I'll do some digging into Yes first :D Thanks so much for the responses, I really like knowing these details about a band before I get into them but it's not much fun trawling through wikipedia or something for the info, much better getting it first hand from a fan :)
I love those three tracks too, particularly Roundabout cos I remember that main riff from my childhood (must've heard it randomly when I was young, not sure how!) so it was really cool hearing it again in the song it came from :) Also really like the solo bits, especially Mood for a Day.
Anyway, I'll keep what you've said in mind and report back when I've had the chance to listen :) Thanks again!
I've had TFTO for like two years and I still have really only gotten into the first song. It's an absurdly dense album.
Um, Tales is by Yes, a band that many people, especially critics, detest (I love them, but that's beside the point), while GS!BE is nearly universally loved by critics and people who actually listen to music.
Listened to The Yes Album, fallen in love with it too :heart
I really should've got on to Yes sooner!
I never really had any problems getting into Tales. One thing I find interesting is that Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, another album with four very long, slow developing pieces, is considered one of the best albums of all time by many, and Tales is considered overly bloated and dull.
^I remember reading an interview with Jon Anderson in the late 90s I think. He said that if they wrote Tales today it would fit on one CD. I can't remember if he mentioned an actual length, but I'm thinking he might have said around 60 minutes, but I could be wrong. I think it is very obvious that they were working with the media of the time. That said I find the entirety of Tales to be really good.
Yup, I do agree with that. Both albums are "long" but I always get the feeling that Tales is artificially long. It always seemed to me like they just wanted to have four big epics so they wrote them, rather then letting them develop organically.
Stopping in to say that The Yes Album, and Starship Trooper in particular, is amazing. The Wurm section is the best way to end a song (or in the case of vinyl, a side!).
And Steve's guitar just... paints.
Fly From Here is definitely in my Top 5 Albums of 2011 list. It's unusual to listen to Yes and not hearing Jon Anderson's voice, but Benoit does a good job.It might be in my top 5 as well. A very good album. :smiley:
Me neither. It was a deliberate attempt by Yes to get back more into their "classic prog" sound, but to me it sounds like a band trying to write songs that sound like classic prog Yes. The fact that it's Yes doing it is irrelevant. They sound almost like a parody of themselves.
The Ladder > Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
The worst song(s) on The Ladder > "Teakbois"
Yikes...
-Marc.
And admittedly, I was probably too aware that Wakeman had left again and whatever keys I was hearing were being played by some guy named Igor who had no Yes cred, so maybe I was biased.Yeah, I did notice that keyboards aren't as dominant on this album as on their good early works, but I don't really mind it. Steve Howe still delivers the goods, and Jon puts his stamp on the album, and that's pretty much the most important to me.
Are The Ladder, Keys I, and Keys II available on vinyl?
What do people think about the self-titled debut? It's kind of raw, but it has a youthful energy and some cool tracks: Beyond and Before, Looking Around, Harold Land, and so on.
Just came back from seeing Yes. It was a great show, but Benoit David was a tad too low a few times - don't know why, but other than that it was great.
<<Dear YES fans,
As you all know, the final three shows of last year's European tour
were
cancelled due to my ill health. On my return to Canada, I was advised
to
cease touring, for the foreseeable future, in order to avoid further
damage to
my voice. Following this extremely disappointing diagnosis, I had no
alternative but to inform my fellow band members that I was unable to
confirm my availability for, at least, the forthcoming concerts in New
Zealand, Australia and Japan.
Although there was no alternative, I did so with a heavy heart as I
felt that I
was letting everyone down especially those who have supported me since
I
had the privilege of becoming the band's vocalist in 2008. The band
members were all very understanding and asked if I would mind being
replaced for the April shows - I immediately agreed that this would be
the
best way forward and gave them my blessing. I was then pleased to
learn
that Jon Davison would be my replacement as he is an accomplished
musician with a fine voice.
I subsequently learnt, from a band member's interview, that I had
officially
left Yes and that my departure was permanent. As this is the
situation,
everyone should know that I will be eternally grateful for the
opportunity I
was given and very proud to have contributed to more than 200 concerts
and
to the 'Fly From Here' and 'In The Present Live From Lyon' albums. I
would
also like to express my appreciation for the support I was given by
each
member of the band, the fantastic crew, the management and everyone
else
involved during my time as vocalist in the band. Finally, to the fans
who
have applauded my efforts and to those I have had the pleasure of
meeting -
many thanks, my best wishes and please continue with your support of
one
of the world's greatest bands - YES.
Although I need to take it easy for a while, I fully intend to
continue with my
music career. In late summer of 2011, I added vocals to Mystery's
forthcoming album 'The World Is A Game' - which is at the final stages
of
mixing and will be available in the near future. This is my third
collaboration
with Michel St-Pere, and Mystery, following 2007's 'Beneath the Veil
of
Winter's Face' and 2010's 'One Among The Living'.
So I guess I will, hopefully, see you somewhere down the road…
Blessings,
Benoit David
17th February 2012>>
As someone pointed out, there will always be an incarnation of Yes, as there has already been a million of those. So whatever. As long as the next album is as good as Fly from here, I'll be interested. :smiley:
How amazingly unprofessional is it that the guy learns he's been permanently canned by reading an interview?
Just amazing.
But yeah, the Mystery news is good news.
How amazingly unprofessional is it that the guy learns he's been permanently canned by reading an interview?
Just amazing.
How amazingly unprofessional is it that the guy learns he's been permanently canned by reading an interview?
Just amazing.
I was thinking the same thing. With the other three "main" members, its like if you're spending too much time not doing what they want to do at that exact time they won't give a damn and replace you in an instant. That's basically what happened to Jon and Rick in 2008, and it just happened to David. "Oh you're sick and can't tour? Well we can. BOOM you've been replaced." At least he's being humble about it. I'd be trash talking them at every turn if I were him. :lol
think of it like a symphony. People might like Beethoven's Ninth or Sixth or whichever, but how often are you going to listen to a piece of music that's over an hour long?Never thought of it that way, thanks! :tup
Anyway, it sounds like you have access to the whole library, so keep at it. You've taken the right approach IMO by starting with the classics, so give them a little more time. They're my favorite band, but I don't even like everything they've done. Some of it just doesn't work for me.I actually started by going in Chronological order on Spotify, I kind of fell out of that after around Relayer and since then I've been buying the physical albums. Haven't gotten into the pop stuff yet, but I plan on checking out 90125 very soon.
How amazingly unprofessional is it that the guy learns he's been permanently canned by reading an interview?
Just amazing.
But yeah, the Mystery news is good news.
In other news, Trevor Rabin apparently will be releasing his first solo album in over 20 years this coming May. I'll definitely be picking that up!
I'm in a Yes mood for the last couple of days. I've been listening to a lot of their stuff, including the entire Fragile, Relayer and Close to the edge. Needless to say, I absolutely love this band. :heart
They are definitely on my list of bands that I need to see live, whatever they decide to play and whoever sings. Too bad they weren't anywhere close last year.
In other news, Trevor Rabin apparently will be releasing his first solo album in over 20 years this coming May. I'll definitely be picking that up!
Not that it matters but it is an instrumental album.
Just found this little gem, don't know why I didn't hear it before, a half hour acoustic Yes session with the premier lineup...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vChPoL7mLqg&feature=related (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vChPoL7mLqg&feature=related)
Actually, the lineup changed every time after Big Generator, and prior to that, there were never more than two in a row with the same lineup.
I wish the classic line-up of Anderson/Squire/Howe/Wakeman/White had stuck around after the Keys material. Imagine what kind of album we would have gotten with them...instead we got Open Your Eyes.
Gonna see Yes live in 24 hours!!
Just checked him out, here he is with the Yes tribute band. Go to 2:40, I think he'll be all right....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O82GGiFB1Pk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O82GGiFB1Pk)
What do you think of this Yes Cover. I have one of their albums and it's very good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT_zuk66RCM&feature=related
She's too damned sexy. I can't focus on the song. Gotta go back to the Yes clip; Steve Howe doesn't elicit the same response.
Just checked him out, here he is with the Yes tribute band. Go to 2:40, I think he'll be all right....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O82GGiFB1Pk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O82GGiFB1Pk)
What do you think of this Yes Cover. I have one of their albums and it's very good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT_zuk66RCM&feature=related
Just got my 1st bass. First song I learn is Close to the Edge. :lol:metal
Just found this one, video from the late 60's, early 70's, about 45 minutes, surprisingly clean too....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm2xkDfm_C4&feature=related (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm2xkDfm_C4&feature=related)
Legendary progressive rock band, Yes, today announced its upcoming North American tour, kicking off March 2013 in West Wendover, NV and wrapping up May 2013 in Detroit, MI. On this tour, fans can look forward to a totally new and unique Yes experience; the band, for the first time in its storied history, will perform three of its most popular albums in their entireties, The Yes Album, Close to the Edge, and Going for the One. Due to performance time limits in several venues, Yes will perform two albums, The Yes Album and Close to the Edge, in their entireties.
Performing three of rock’s most renowned albums will see Yes members, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, and Jon Davison, playing Yes staples that have dramatically influenced rock music over the last four decades. Fans will enjoy long time favorites, including "Yours is No Disgrace," "I’ve Seen All Good People," "Starship Trooper," "Close to the Edge," "And You And I," "Going for the One," "Wondrous Stories," "Awaken," and more, in a completely unique format. Moreover, Yes will perform all tracks in the order they appear on their corresponding studio albums.
"These albums we all easily agreed on—they are complete works in themselves. And several of the songs have rarely been performed live," says Yes guitarist, Steve Howe. "I believe the one song we’ve never performed in concert is ‘A Venture’ from The Yes Album," states Yes co-founder and bassist, Chris Squire. Yes drummer, Alan White goes on to say, "This is a great opportunity to show the growth of Yes throughout different eras, and to once again enjoy the great memories of those times, as well as create brand new ones. We’re looking forward to performing these albums. It’s going to be fun for us, and we think our fans will love it as well."
The tour visits Seattle, WA; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Reno, NV; Aspen, CO; Kansas City, MO; Austin, TX; Clearwater, FL; New York, NY; Detroit, MI; Toronto, Ontario; and a variety of other cities. See the tour page for complete tour itinerary information, including venues and dates.
This is awesome news...but I wish they would say which cities are getting the shorter set...
GTFO is my favorite Yes album as well. The day they play that in its entirety, I'd go to see them. Not to say I don't like TYA or CTTE, I'd just rather see that. When Benoit was in the band, what did they play?
Yawn. Most of the songs from those albums, they've played to death already over the years anyway, and now they are gonna play them without Jon Anderson? Yippee. Just retire now, guys, and stop embarrassing yourselves.No offense, but while I understand your opinion, I find it disappointing you feel that way and the fact that you aren't alone with that sentiment. As for a fan like myself, who will never get to see Jon Anderson-Yes, I'd still like to see them if I can, doesn't matter if they play Siberian Khatru 5x slower, or if it's a different singer, etc. I think I'd go see 70 year old DT without James (of course I doubt the possibility of that even being an option), because I mean, it's just.... Cool, you know? I can't really describe it. Seeing how Bruce's voice is nowadays, Iron Maiden probably won't be the same band energy and quality-wise in ten or so years (the difference between now and 30 years ago alone is striking), but I could give less of a damn because I'd still be going to see one of my favorite bands, who still happen to have the balls and endurance to get on stage and do what they love most and do best. That's really all I care about, they can have whatever money they're asking for.
Yawn. Most of the songs from those albums, they've played to death already over the years anyway, and now they are gonna play them without Jon Anderson? Yippee. Just retire now, guys, and stop embarrassing yourselves.No offense, but while I understand your opinion, I find it disappointing you feel that way and the fact that you aren't alone with that sentiment. As for a fan like myself, who will never get to see Jon Anderson-Yes, I'd still like to see them if I can, doesn't matter if they play Siberian Khatru 5x slower, or if it's a different singer, etc. I think I'd go see 70 year old DT without James (of course I doubt the possibility of that even being an option), because I mean, it's just.... Cool, you know? I can't really describe it. Seeing how Bruce's voice is nowadays, Iron Maiden probably won't be the same band energy and quality-wise in ten or so years (the difference between now and 30 years ago alone is striking), but I could give less of a damn because I'd still be going to see one of my favorite bands, who still happen to have the balls and endurance to get on stage and do what they love most and do best. That's really all I care about, they can have whatever money they're asking for.
Yawn. Most of the songs from those albums, they've played to death already over the years anyway, and now they are gonna play them without Jon Anderson? Yippee. Just retire now, guys, and stop embarrassing yourselves.No offense, but while I understand your opinion, I find it disappointing you feel that way and the fact that you aren't alone with that sentiment. As for a fan like myself, who will never get to see Jon Anderson-Yes, I'd still like to see them if I can, doesn't matter if they play Siberian Khatru 5x slower, or if it's a different singer, etc. I think I'd go see 70 year old DT without James (of course I doubt the possibility of that even being an option), because I mean, it's just.... Cool, you know? I can't really describe it. Seeing how Bruce's voice is nowadays, Iron Maiden probably won't be the same band energy and quality-wise in ten or so years (the difference between now and 30 years ago alone is striking), but I could give less of a damn because I'd still be going to see one of my favorite bands, who still happen to have the balls and endurance to get on stage and do what they love most and do best. That's really all I care about, they can have whatever money they're asking for.
You can't really criticize Yes for playing without Jon Anderson and then praise Styx, another band that only has one original member.
I saw at a friend's house a few months ago the DVD they released about a decade ago, and it was like last year's show all over again: great songs played by musicians who looked bored out of their minds and were there to just put in the time until the show was over and they could go home.I hope the DVD you watched wasn't Songs from Tsongas, the guys look 100% into it on that DVD, and boy do they rock! :hefdaddy
(https://www.yesworld.com/hero/tour2013.jpg)
It's the casino dates. Those will be shorter. Hang on, let me go check elsewhere...okay, found this on Blabbermouth:
Tour dates:
Mar. 01 - West Wendover, NV - Peppermill Concert Hall *
Mar. 03 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
Mar. 05 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
Mar. 06 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
Mar. 08 - Temecula, CA - Pechanga Theater (at Pechanga Casino)
Mar. 09 - Reno, NV - Silver Legacy Casino *
Mar. 14 - Omaha, NE - Holland Performing Arts Center
Mar. 16 - Hammond, IN - The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
Mar. 17 - Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
Mar. 18 - Kansas City, MO - The Midland by AMC
Mar. 20 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theater
Mar. 21 - Grand Prairie, TX - Verizon Theatre
Mar. 22 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Live - Biloxi *
Mar. 24 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena *
Mar. 30 - Melbourne, FL - Maxwell C. King Center for the Perf. Arts
Apr. 02 - Clearwater, FL - Ruck Eckerd Hall
Apr. 05 - Mashantucket, CT - MGM Grand at Foxwoods *
Apr. 06 - Hampton, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Apr. 07 - Bethlehem, PA - Sands Bethlehem Event Center
Apr. 09 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
Apr. 11 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
Apr. 12 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
* - YES will only perform two albums — "The Yes Album" and "Close To The Edge" — for shows at casinos due to the time constrictions of events held there.
That was interesting because Asia announced Steve's replacement later the same day, and also that they were already starting work on the next Asia album. That indicates to me that it was all coordinated. Steve had made his decision, but they asked him not to say anything until they could find his replacement and put together some good press to offset this obviously heavy blow.
The real question, in terms of Yes, is what this means for Geoff Downes. Steve and Geoff helped co-found Asia after Drama, when Yes technically didn't exist. The last three Asia albums have featured the original lineup, but Yes hadn't released anything during that time. Then last year's Fly From Here from Yes had both Steve and Geoff on it.
But Geoff has been the keyboard player on every Asia album, throughout their various lineup changes, and considers Asia his main gig. Hopefully he will also continue with Yes. It sounds like the split was amicable.
Steve has been on most Yes albums, and considers it his main gig, with Asia on the side. Between Yes, Asia, his solo work, and The Steve Howe Trio, he had to drop one of them. It's gotta be hard playing in two bands that both enjoying something of a resurgence and you want to keep that going, but they're in their 60's now.
I just had the thought - what if Steve had decided he was leaving Yes instead of Asia, and in turn, Geoff would have followed, leaving Chris and Alan without a guitarist or keyboardist.
And guess who happens to have been working with Jon Anderson as of late? A guitarist (Rabin) and a keyboardist (Wakeman). Too bad this didn't happen because it MIGHT have sparked Chris and Alan to get up with Jon, Trevor and Rick, but oh well.
Just found this amazing acapella version of Leave it.
Thought I'd just...leave it...here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJjff0RncqA
That is one of the bonus tracks on the most recent remaster.
It used to be on the 12-inch single with a few other mixes. There was also a Yes cassette that had all of the 12-inch mixes from 90125.
As I recall, it got a fair amount of airplay when it was released.
That is one of the bonus tracks on the most recent remaster.
It used to be on the 12-inch single with a few other mixes. There was also a Yes cassette that had all of the 12-inch mixes from 90125.
As I recall, it got a fair amount of airplay when it was released.
That's what I thought it was going to be as well, then I clicked the link.
It does sound like that. But it's also cool to be able to hear all of the harmonies and how much work really went into arranging all the vocals, without the other instruments obscuring a lot of it.
Is that the one where they're all standing there, then they get stretched and flipped around and stuff? Yeah, that was some pretty cool effects at one time.
I'll be in the balcony, stage right, fifth row. :biggrin:
I'll be at home, watching it in HD on my Sony Bravia, listening to it in 5.1 Surround.
Honestly, I'm not sure which is better, but I'm sure you'll have a better time.
Wow. Sorry to hear about Geoff's daughter. I can't even imagine.Same, had no idea about this. My thoughts are with Geoff.
Peter Banks
1947-2013
Note from the Edge is reporting that Peter Banks, the original guitarist for Yes, has died. Not a lot of details yet.
Sure, he was replaced by Steve Howe on the third album and many people never gave him a second thought after that, but the fact remains that we may not have had any Yes music at all had it not been for Peter Banks, and his work on the first two Yes albums is pretty damned good.
R.I.P., Peter. :(
Looks real nice, dude. :metal
Pretty cool! :tup
As you might imagine, I have a pretty nice collection of original Yes vinyl, but nothing recent.
Kinda considering going to Yestival, but probably won't. I mean, Yes without Anderson or Wakeman, and ELP without E or L. The Genesis tribute don't do much to sweeten the deal really.
Are they that good???
Should I start listening to this band, too?????
I swear, I will be in the po' house in no time... :'( :laugh:
Are they that good???
Should I start listening to this band, too?????
I swear, I will be in the po' house in no time... :'( :laugh:
The Yes Album and Close To The Edge :)
Close To The Edge will change your life. :)
Oops, forgot about this bold statement I made.Close To The Edge will change your life. :)
K, so... I love this first album. Some kind of everything on it, it's great!
I'm curious. Why will CTTE "change my life"? What's amazing about it?
Going For The One has always been a bottom 10 Yes album for me, but after seeing this I think I respect it a little more.
I'm sure some of you have seen it before, but I had no idea that this stuff was out there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO5xH6ikJP4
Going for the One and Close to the Edge constantly fight it out for my favorite Yes album.Those are my two favorites as well. I was disappointed that they didn't play GFTO when I saw them in April as it was a casino show with time limitations.
Both those albums are masterpieces. :tup
I really love Moraz's playing on Relayer and I've always wondered what they could have come up with had he made another album with them.
Listened to Fragile for the first time last night. Honestly my first true YES attempt. I loved it.The general consensus is that:
Orbert... I can't find your discog thread.
Also... recommendations anyone?
Listened to Fragile for the first time last night. Honestly my first true YES attempt. I loved it.
Orbert... I can't find your discog thread.
Also... recommendations anyone?
Listened to Fragile for the first time last night. Honestly my first true YES attempt. I loved it.
Orbert... I can't find your discog thread.
Also... recommendations anyone?
:lol Let me tie in a Yes song then. Well AWBH but I always looked at them as YES.
Brother Of Mine came out on the radio and it was a 6 minute edit. So when the album came out I was all messed up! :lol
Even worse was after the album came out there was a 4 minute version of that song on the radio. The editing was terrible!! :lol
After reading through your first couple write ups, I think I am going to go back to The Yes Album, and then hit up Close to the Edge.... After that Probably just check out various albums based on what I learn on the adventure that is a band discog thread.
So here's what pushed me to finally check YES out. I was driving to work while listening to KTYD (1 of the only 2 classic rock stations left in the area)... and the DJ gives a little intro to the next song he is putting on (In the 70's some people called this art rock, some prog, but I have always called this great music. Here is Yes.... Roundabout")
And then I hear the intro to Roundabout. My reaction was "Holy shit I know this... this is YES?"
I pulled in to the parking lot and turned it off. Then yesterday Along For The Ride premiered, and a few people compared JMX's playing underneath the Moog solo to Chris Squire. I wanted to know what they were talking about.. So I looked up what album Roundabout was off of and through it on (oooh spotify) and now I am hooked.
Close To The Edge is simply mind blowing. :omg:
To me, the lyrics are about an "enlightenment" or "ego death", influenced by the book Siddhartha (like Anderson once confirmed), and perhaps influenced by the use of psychedelics.
"Down at the edge, round by the corner,
Not right away, not right away.
Close to the edge, down by a river,
Not right away, not right away."
You know that you're on the edge of enlightenment, but are cautious of it "not right away"
"Now that it's all over and done,
Now that you find, now that you're whole."
By the end of Part 1, you have gloriously tasted enlightenment, and become one with nature/the universe
"Sudden problems shouldn't take away the startled memory.
All in all, the journey takes you all the way......
......Passing paths that climb halfway into the void.
As we cross from side to side, we hear the total mass retain."
This is one of the most intriguing lyrical passages. It's talking about how amazing the journey of enlightenment is, but I still cannot figure out the phrase "total mass retain"
In part three, now that you essentially know everything, are one with nature, and have become enlightened about the world, you explore the big problems in humanity and struggle with them:
"Two million people barely satisfy.
Two hundred women watch one woman cry, too late.
The eyes of honesty can achieve.
How many millions do we deceive each day?"
After the lyrical passage in Part 3, comes the amazing instrumental section and the fantastic keyboard solo, leading up to one of the most marvelous pieces of music, IMO.
"The time between the notes relates the color to the scenes"
YES is famous for lyrics that basically have no meaning, but sound cool. This is one of the most famous ones, but anyone who has used psychedelics and listened to music knows what this means. "Time between the notes" = rhythm, the rhythm of the music makes sense of the color and the extraordinary visuals you see that go along with the music. This may not actually be what they meant, but is an interesting thought nonetheless.
"Then according to the man who showed his outstretched arm to space,
He turned around and pointed, revealing all the human race.
I shook my head and smiled a whisper, knowing all about the place."
What an amazing few lines. Pretty self explanatory if you're considering the theme of enlightenment or ego death, but the combination of the musical and rhythmic themes(especially at the end of the passage) that come along with this part make it one of my favorites.
At the end, you hear the main themes of the song "close to the edge..." "I get up, I get down" in a grand finale that makes you feel, well, enlightened! :hefdaddy
And assessing points to nowhere, leading ev'ry single one.
A dewdrop can exalt us like the music of the sun,
And take away the plain in which we move,
And choose the course you're running.
YES: THE COMPLETE ATLANTIC STUDIO ALBUMS
The Progressive Rockers’ Legendary Atlantic Years Revisited With 13-CD Boxed Set Featuring Remastered and Expanded Versions Of The Band’s Studio Albums
Includes The U.S. Debut Of Remastered And Expanded Version Of Big Generator
The Collection Will Be Available On November 11 From Rhino
YES, the most successful and influential progressive rock band in the world, will celebrate its prolific tenure at Atlantic Records with a new boxed set that contains all 12 of the studio albums they recorded with the label. Each one features the remastered sound and bonus tracks that originally appeared in 2003 and 2004, when Rhino’s reissued the band’s catalog.
The collection spans nearly 20 years of music over the course of 13 CDs and includes the albums that earned Yes an international following and helped the English group sell more than 30 million (and counting) albums. Roger Dean, who illustrated many of Yes’ iconic album covers through the years, created the new artwork for the clamshell box that houses the music, making this set instantly recognizable to any Yes fan. The set also marks the American debut of the expanded and remastered version of Big Generator, which was previously available only in Japan.
COMPLETE ATLANTIC STUDIO ALBUMS 1969-1987 will be released on November 11 for a suggested list price of $74.98. A digital version will also be available.
Read more at https://yesworld.com/2013/10/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987-box-set/#rHw12iU1P84Je6OS.99
I believe that might be the live version from the box set Yes Years from the Big Generator tour.
I believe that might be the live version from the box set Yes Years from the Big Generator tour.
I forgot about that version.
It's been a while since I've had that fourth disc in. I'll have to fix that.
Has anyone heard the new remix of Close To The Edge by Steven Wilson?
Great, bring on a new Yes album! And I really liked Fly From Here.This.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Yes are back in the studio, working on a new album!
In case you couldn't tell, I'm a bit psyched up about this.
speaking of close to the edge, im looking for a short film of some dude that's into said yes classic that lends it to, I don't know, his little sister or her friend that are all about teen pop crap. but surprisingly, the girl likes what she hears, and before he knows it, ALL the young girls in town be spinning the fuck outta CTTE. at which point, the album's no longer underground and cool to him, he doesn't even want his copy back, and he starts a musical journey in search of his next unpopular music of choice.
anyone know what im talkin bout and where I can find it?
If anyone does find it. Please post a link. I've never seen it or heard of it, but it sounds hilarious.
Yes!
in fairness, I was.:lol
SW remix of The Yes Album is up for preorder on burning shed
April 14 is the release date
People are already griping about the new tour, saying Fragile is a poor choice. I somewhat agree. A lot of Fragile is the individual pieces, and most of the band that made that album aren't in the current lineup. Geoff Downes is cool, but "Cans and Brahms" is a Wakeman piece; it makes no sense for Geoff to play. "Five Per Cent for Nothing" is a 32-second Bruford composition, why would Alan White even want to play it? And how are they going to do "We Have Heaven"? The band songs are fine; they've been doing most of them for years with every lineup.
But wow, those two classics, the new album in its entirely and "Greatest Hits"? That sounds like a hell of a show.
Drama. It's the only album which I would consider essential that I don't see on your list. A slightly different direction for them, due to the presence of Trevor Horn on vocals and Geoff Downes on keyboards, but an excellent album, highly regarded by most Yesfans. If you like that, consider their most recent album (so far), Fly From Here. It has a very similar sound, but updated.
After that, consider either stopping, or moving into more recent stuff. If you're only a casual Yesfan after all this, it will probably not get much deeper for you. But if you really want more, maybe The Ladder, or the studio tracks from the Keys to Ascension series.
Drama. It's the only album which I would consider essential that I don't see on your list. A slightly different direction for them, due to the presence of Trevor Horn on vocals and Geoff Downes on keyboards, but an excellent album, highly regarded by most Yesfans. If you like that, consider their most recent album (so far), Fly From Here. It has a very similar sound, but updated.
After that, consider either stopping, or moving into more recent stuff. If you're only a casual Yesfan after all this, it will probably not get much deeper for you. But if you really want more, maybe The Ladder, or the studio tracks from the Keys to Ascension series.
Cool, I'll look for that one. In the meantime I found their first two albums for a nice price (I actually went out to a local record store to check for Yes lp's), so I bought them too.
I've thought about getting Drama before, but the different singer put me off. I'll check it out. After that it's mostly getting to know the material.
What's the story behind Lennon and McCartney being credited on the debut album then?
Finally considering myself a minor Yes-fan. Not a big one, far from that, but I've been reading into their discography all day (one of the advantages of being sick), and I'm quite interested.
I've loved Close to the Edge for a long time, but the biggest problem I've had with Yes is that they just don't seem to sound good on CD, on youtube or on spotify. Now that I'm diving into their discography, and now I've finally bought myself a decent collection of second hind vinyl, I can say I love their music. The vinyl albums (most notably Dean's artwork on larger scale) make it much more of a 60's/70's experience, and now everything seems to fit.
Biggest problem I face now is that I cannot grasp the vastness of their career. Here's what I've got:
The Yes Album
Fragile
Tales from Topographic Oceans
Close to the Edge
Yessongs
Relayer
Going for the One
Symphonic live (DVD)
What to get next?
Haha, soooo
Magnification
Tomato
90215
Talk
Drama
That makes a total of 14 studio albums that you guys think are essential, haha. Nice, I'll see what I can find.
:smiley:
Tormato is anything but essential. In fact, it's mostly dog crap. Imagine 70s Yes making an album that sounds really ugly, with a major drop-off in songwriting, and you've got Tormato. I love Yes, but, man, does that record blow.
Tormato is anything but essential. In fact, it's mostly dog crap. Imagine 70s Yes making an album that sounds really ugly, with a major drop-off in songwriting, and you've got Tormato. I love Yes, but, man, does that record blow.
I like the studio version of "Onward" better than the live version. I'm not sure what's supposed to be so special about the live version. The horn patch, and playing, on the studio version are both perfect. I've never heard a synth sound more like a French horn or any other emulated instrument. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" rocks and is a great album closer. "Don't Kill the Whale" is Greenpeace set to music, but come on, that Polymoog solo with the whalesong patch is sweet. "Madrigal" is mellow, but awesome. "Release, Release" rocks out. That's over half the album in the plus column, as far as I'm concerned.
And much has been said about the sound quality of the album, but that's a completely separate issue from the music quality. Turn down the treble, or activate your Dolby decoding if you have it. Problem solved.
YES – New album “Heaven & Earth” artwork & track listing revealedhttps://yesworld.com/2014/05/yes-heaven-earth/
Tracklisting:
Believe Again
The Game
Step Beyond
To Ascend
In A World Of Our Own
Light Of The Ages
It Was All We Knew
Subway Walls
Among the world’s most influential, ground-breaking, and respected progressive rock bands, Grammy Award winning, YES, is proud to announce its new album, ‘Heaven and Earth.’ Having sold nearly 40 million albums in a career that has so far spanned more than four decades, ‘Heaven and Earth’ sees YES continuing with its tradition of symphonic progressive rock that remains timelessly fresh and innovative.
‘Heaven and Earth’ contains eight new tracks, each of which boasts the unique musicianship and craftsmanship that have come to be known as ‘the YES sound.’ YES’ distinctive layered music, swirling arrangements, brilliant vocals and harmonies are all in abundance. ‘Heaven and Earth’ is an album sure to please both long-time and new YES fans.
For ‘Heaven and Earth,’ YES teams up with legendary Grammy Award winner, Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars, Guns N’ Roses, Foreigner, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice Cooper, etc.), who handles production and mixing.
Also onboard is long-time YES artist, the world-renowned Roger Dean, who again brings his masterful artistic creativity to the album’s cover art and packaging.
Since its founding in 1968, YES has created much of rock history’s most important music, including iconic pieces like ‘Roundabout,’ ‘Close to the Edge,’ ‘I’ve Seen All Good People,’ ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart,’ ‘Starship Trooper,’ and countless others. YES’s albums, including ‘Fragile,’ ‘Close to the Edge,’ ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans,’ and ‘90125,’ have been certified multi-platinum, double-platinum, platinum, and more by the RIAA. YES continues to inspire millions of musicians, fans, and music lovers around the world.
Personnel
STEVE HOWE – Electric, Acoustic, & Steel Guitars. Backing Vocals
CHRIS SQUIRE – Bass Guitar. Backing Vocals
ALAN WHITE – Drums. Percussion
GEOFF DOWNES – Keyboards. Computer Programming
JON DAVISON – Lead & Backing Vocals. Acoustic Guitar on tracks 1, 4 & 6
Produced and Mixed by Roy Thomas Baker
Oh don't get me wrong; I don't expect this to be like their 70's stuff or anything. But Jon Davison has proven himself to be a great singer, and a great lead man for Yes, and the rest of the band are still top-shelf musicians. It's gonna be good stuff. You can't put that much musical talent together and not get some good stuff. It won't be another Close to the Edge, but I'm still looking forward to it.
To be fair to Asia, I quite liked Phoenix and Omega. Never got all the way through XXX though. And Gravitas is just kind of gathering dust on my shelf until I finish XXX. :lol
A radio rip of Believe Again on Soundcloud!
https://soundcloud.com/thecheezmusic/01-believe-again-radio-rip
The full album is out there....Completely agree with this. What used to be an innovative prog rock band is now an elevator music band. No energy or passion on this album. I'd say it's time for them to call it quits.
Only listened to it once and found it extremely bland and lifeless. Alan White was hardly noticeable, the bass lacked the punch Squire's known for, and there were hardly any memorable moments from Howe. However, I will say that I did enjoy Davison's voice and there were some decent keyboard parts from Downes, but that still couldn't save the album for me.
And I don't dislike it because it's a poppy album and not very "prog". I like a lot of their 80's stuff but Heaven & Earth lacks decent songs IMO. I really wanted to like this but it ended up being a huge step down from Fly From Here.
I just got my first Yes album, Close to the edge.
Holy shit.
I just got my first Yes album, Close to the edge.
Holy shit.
Now if only I didn't miss it played live 8 miles from my house last week in addition to Dave Matthews Band up in Hartford.
I just got my first Yes album, Close to the edge.
Holy shit.
Now if only I didn't miss it played live 8 miles from my house last week in addition to Dave Matthews Band up in Hartford.
Check out Relayer asap; it's my personal favorite of the lot. :metal
I just got my first Yes album, Close to the edge.
Holy shit.
Now if only I didn't miss it played live 8 miles from my house last week in addition to Dave Matthews Band up in Hartford.
Check out Relayer asap; it's my personal favorite of the lot. :metal
@Mister Gold: You might as well check out every album of theirs from The Yes Album through to Relayer. One of the most perfect string of albums in music imo.
I just got my first Yes album, Close to the edge.
Holy shit.
Now if only I didn't miss it played live 8 miles from my house last week in addition to Dave Matthews Band up in Hartford.
Check out Relayer asap; it's my personal favorite of the lot. :metal
@Mister Gold: You might as well check out every album of theirs from The Yes Album through to Relayer. One of the most perfect string of albums in music imo.
Going for the One is rather excellent as well! I'm just partial to Relayer myself. :tup
Drama is awesome. It's worth hearing.
From what everyone's saying, this album seems like it's going to be Yes' imitation of Glass Hammer's impression of Yes. Hoo boy.
I just got my first Yes album, Close to the edge.
Holy shit.
I just got my first Yes album, Close to the edge.
Holy shit.
Basically popping in here to say this exactly. I also got Fragile, which I like and I'm sure I'll grow to like more than I do right now, but is overshadowed for me at present by Close to the Edge.
So I gather that I should go next to everything from The Yes Album to Going for the One. What about the 80s era, like 90125? I know that's one of their more popular albums; I gather though that it is somewhat of a less proggy one. Is it still worth getting at some point down the road?
Pretty much every song on Close to the Edge ranks up there with the best songs ever written. Part of the reason the album is basically perfect. I remember even being substantially underwhelmed by it as a whole and thought of it as a disappointment after having heard Fragile. It's a clicker, but fuck does it click hard.
Pretty much every song on Close to the Edge ranks up there with the best songs ever written. Part of the reason the album is basically perfect. I remember even being substantially underwhelmed by it as a whole and thought of it as a disappointment after having heard Fragile. It's a clicker, but fuck does it click hard.
Top 5 album for me of all time. Steven Wilson's 5.1 Blu Ray mix will blow you away as well.
However, of the 3 "Yes-West" albums, my favorite (and most proggy) is Talk. Completely under-rated album, and a very nice blend of 90125's pop stylings, and the classic 70's albums attitude of "...let's let this one breathe a bit..."
Beyond the singles, I think it actually carries with it some "neo prog elements". It's certainly an 80's synth album, but even when I look back at it now, I sometimes forget that there is really incredible musicmanship on that album.
However, of the 3 "Yes-West" albums, my favorite (and most proggy) is Talk. Completely under-rated album, and a very nice blend of 90125's pop stylings, and the classic 70's albums attitude of "...let's let this one breathe a bit..."
Seconded. Talk is a great listen, and I believe it needs more praise. I almost wish that they had continued on the style and done another. But you know...Yes lineups and everything.
Heaven and earth is the first yes album I've listened to (yes is my dad's style of prog more than mine) and, I have to say, I hated it... I'm sorry, but it was simply shockingly bad...
Heaven and earth is the first yes album I've listened to (yes is my dad's style of prog more than mine) and, I have to say, I hated it... I'm sorry, but it was simply shockingly bad...
Heaven and earth is the first yes album I've listened to (yes is my dad's style of prog more than mine) and, I have to say, I hated it... I'm sorry, but it was simply shockingly bad...
Heaven and earth is the first yes album I've listened to (yes is my dad's style of prog more than mine) and, I have to say, I hated it... I'm sorry, but it was simply shockingly bad...
Wow, I'm sorry that H&E was your first Yes album. You should definitely check out their 70's output and hopefully Yes will be redeemed in your eyes and ears. Check out Fragile, Close To The Edge, Relayer and/or Going For The One. Any of those are good starting points for what make up the core 70's Prog Yes output. After that, any of their first three albums, and the rest of their 70's material is good to check out.
-Marc.
Yeah, I was told to listen to some other stuff. I liked endless dream, but I'm yet to find another song I truly love :-\Heaven and earth is the first yes album I've listened to (yes is my dad's style of prog more than mine) and, I have to say, I hated it... I'm sorry, but it was simply shockingly bad...
Wow, I'm sorry that H&E was your first Yes album. You should definitely check out their 70's output and hopefully Yes will be redeemed in your eyes and ears. Check out Fragile, Close To The Edge, Relayer and/or Going For The One. Any of those are good starting points for what make up the core 70's Prog Yes output. After that, any of their first three albums, and the rest of their 70's material is good to check out.
-Marc.
"Endless Dream" from Talk? Is there some reason you're avoiding the 70's material that put Yes on the map, practically defined the genre, and which everyone is recommending?
I haven't listened to 70s yes because I haven't had time yet (exams) I listened to Talk because I asked my dad "Is there some heavier prog metal sounding yes songs, and he said yes, endless dream. Which yes albums from the 70s are recommended and I will give them a listen when I actually have longer than 5 minutes free at a time :sad:"Endless Dream" from Talk? Is there some reason you're avoiding the 70's material that put Yes on the map, practically defined the genre, and which everyone is recommending?
I'd be inclined to think that he doesn't want to like Yes, based on his posts and how Yes "was more his dad's style of prog." But that's just speculation on my part.
And hey, if he doesn't want to like Yes, he doesn't have to. I'd just continue to recommend he check out those particular 70's albums before he writes them off for good.
Yes was never prog metal, but Drama is generally recognized as the heaviest Yes.I shall have a look for that album amongst my dads collection, and give that a blast!
Heaven and earth is the first yes album I've listened to (yes is my dad's style of prog more than mine) and, I have to say, I hated it... I'm sorry, but it was simply shockingly bad...
Yes was never prog metal, but Drama is generally recognized as the heaviest Yes.I shall have a look for that album amongst my dads collection, and give that a blast!
Everything they did up to 90125 is worth hearing, and any of that is better than Heaven & Earthor Talk.
"Endless Dream" from Talk? Is there some reason you're avoiding the 70's material that put Yes on the map, practically defined the genre, and which everyone is recommending?
I'd be inclined to think that he doesn't want to like Yes, based on his posts and how Yes "was more his dad's style of prog." But that's just speculation on my part.
Orbert, you should seriously write a biography on Yes. I would read it.
It's been a few years since I read it but I remember Close To The Edge being a good one, yeah.
Yeah, Heaven And Earth might very well be the worst starting point possible. :lol
I still haven't been able to listen to H&E all the way through. Only Yes album where this is the case for me.I did. Don't bother. :-\ I'm sorry, but it's simply not worth it.
I figured as much. It's too bad. They had gotten a bit inconsistent since the 80s, but (at least on their studio albums) they never sounded like a tired old rock band...until Heaven and Earth.Yup. It seemed like the "spark" that Yes had has all but disappeared now. I think the death of Chris may well spell the end for Yes as a truly amazing band, sadly. Maybe if we got John Anderson back we might see some revival, but I doubt that will ever happen. It's sad, really.
The CDs are the remixed, remastered versions in stereo. So 2.0, suitable for anywhere.
The CDs are the remixed, remastered versions in stereo. So 2.0, suitable for anywhere.
Yeah, but I'd like a hi def blu ray 2.0, for that kind of money :smiley:
Someone on the Yesfans boards was on this year's Cruise to the Edge and had a chance to talk to Steve Howe. Asked about Tales from Topographic Oceans in 5.1, Steve said it was already out. He was then corrected by Jon, but he seemed surprised that Fragile is supposedly the last of the 5.1 releases, because he personally tweaked the final mixes of Tales with Steven Wilson. He's a big proponent of 5.1 music; he sees it as taking Yes into the 21st century.
Meanwhile, Steven Wilson has also confirmed that the 5.1 mix of Tales is done, and doesn't understand why there don't appear to be any plans to release it. I keep seeing references to Fragile being the last release "for now" but can't find where that story originated.
I have no idea what's going on. If I had to guess, maybe it has something to do with Tales being a double album, thus likely to command a higher price, and they're still working out the pricing behind the scenes, between the label and the distributor or something. But I don't know.
Update: There is no completed Tales from Topographic Oceans in 5.1 after all, and there are still no plans to release any more Yes albums in 5.1, according to a post on Yesfans.com. Crap.Little bit disappointing. Love Tales and Drama (it's currently the only non-Anderson release I play regularly) would have loved a 5.1 version of that.
----------
From Steven Wilson's latest newsletter:
"Steve Howe of Yes recently mentioned that you were also working on “Tales from Topographic Oceans”?
Steve heard some work-in-progress mixes I was working on in 2013 of that album, including my first attempt at a 5.1 mix, but as things stand, there aren’t any more Yes releases planned. There was talk about me doing “Drama”, an album I really love and that would sound great in 5.1, but not all the members of that line up are keen for the album to be remixed—which is totally understandable—and I wouldn’t want to do something without the band being behind it.
----------
Whoever said that Steven himself confirmed the existance of Tales in 5.1 was obviously wrong. I don't subscribe to Steven's newsletter, but unless someone on the Yesfans boards is just plain making things up (which I suppose is a possibility, but unlikely since it can so easily be verified, or not) this would seem to be the official word, from Steven himself.
Sorry to resurrect, but I just learnt that a new book on the history of the band will be released next week. So cool! I hope I manage to get a copy here.
I discovered Yes in 2005. I think the first song I ever checked out on my own was "Hearts". Then in 2006 a friend lent me his father's copies of Talk and Big Generator. I liked one or two songs on the latter, but Talk I absolutely adored (and still do). Later, I checked out their '70s material, obviously. But I was mainly attracted to their '90s discography - so many gems that even the band has ignored since. From the last two albums, there are some songs I like, but most of the rest I find weak.
These are my 10 favourite Yes songs:
1 Homeworld (The Ladder)
2 Love Shine (Open Your Eyes)
3 Going For The One (Going For The One)
4 Believe Again (Heaven & Earth)
5 The Revealing Science Of God (Tales From Topographic Oceans)
6 Time And A Word (Time & A Word)
7 Almost Like Love (Big Generator)
8 That, That Is (Keys To Ascension)
9 Miracle Of Life (Union)
10 State Of Play (Talk)
These are my 10 favourite Yes songs:
1 Homeworld (The Ladder)
2 Love Shine (Open Your Eyes)
3 Going For The One (Going For The One)
4 Believe Again (Heaven & Earth)
5 The Revealing Science Of God (Tales From Topographic Oceans)
6 Time And A Word (Time & A Word)
7 Almost Like Love (Big Generator)
8 That, That Is (Keys To Ascension)
9 Miracle Of Life (Union)
10 State Of Play (Talk)
"Open Your Eyes" is almost an unlistenable record for me, and that's coming from someone who feels Going For The One is his favorite album of all time by any band ever.
This gives me an idea for a ranking game (because DTF): pick your favorite song from each album, then rank them.
Yes, you can count Keystudio as an album.
Yes, you can count the ABWH debut as an album, since it is pretty important in the history of Yes.
Yes, you can conclude B-sides from an album as your pick for that album, but really, when will that happen? (Someone prove me wrong, I dare you lol)
Wow, that is quite an unusual list, but hey, we all like different stuff, right? Almost Like Love and Love Shine are definitely two, um, interesting choices. ;)
Open Your Eyes was disappointing on first listen,
Steve Howe has been accused of phoning it in on this one...
And coming out at the same time as the Keys to Ascension releases invites direct comparison, in which they it does come up short.
but for what it is, it's not a bad record.
I enjoyed Open Your Eyes and Keys II for what they both were at the same time. It was like getting a double album by Yes, only one was very proggy and the other focused on shorter, catchy songs, yet both recaptured the classic Yes sound to some extent, which was clearly the goal in the wake of Rabin's departure and the return of Steve Howe (and Rick Wakeman, briefly).
Open Your Eyes was disappointing on first listen, but over time I've come to like it. Sure, it's pretty stripped-down and poppish compared to most Yes, but it sounds great, the songs may be simple but they're well-crafted, and there's plenty of good playing. Steve Howe has been accused of phoning it in on this one, but he's all over it, with his complete arsenal of stringed instruments. Vocals are tight, bass and drums are tight as always, the only real weakness IMHO is the songwriting. And the songs aren't horrible or anything; they're just not as adventurous as some would like. And coming out at the same time as the Keys to Ascension releases invites direct comparison, in which they it does come up short. But hey, it's more Yes.
Am I the only one here whose favorite YES album is Talk and whose favorite individual YES song is Endless Dream? :lol
Am I the only one here whose favorite YES album is Talk and whose favorite individual YES song is Endless Dream? :lol
The fact that I really like Rabin's guitar playing may have something to do with it.
Can't Look Away is a very good album.
and you can hear here that Rabin was a major influence in the sound of Yes West
This! Union is a fantastic album IMO, even though the band didn't think so. I also love the guitar solo in Silent Talking. The More We Live, Let Go is another great song!The fact that I really like Rabin's guitar playing may have something to do with it.
The Lift Me Up guitar solo remains one of my favorites. Still gives me goosebumps.
It's the song that plays over the closing credits, isn't it? If so, yes, that's a great song. We have the movie on DVD.That is correct. I have the soundtrack to the Movie on cd. Tangerine Dream has a lot of great catchy instrumentals on this release, also with extended version of LOVED BY THE SUN with Jon Anderson. :tup
It isn't entirely fair, but there is a logic to it. I still don't think it's that bad, but I'll probably never listen to it again because so many other, superior Yes albums exist. If I feel like listening to Yes, there are at least 10 albums I'll reach for before I even consider Open Your Eyes. Is that "fair"? I don't know if "fair" or not really enters into it. It's just how it is.
Nothing in the Rabin years IMO comes close to "Awaken" or "Close to the Edge".
Do you guys know Trevor Rabins solo album Jacaranda from 2011 ? It's instrumental fusion-jazz-prog. So it's not for everybody (A friend said it sounds like Yes instrumental sections), but I consider it to be the best music coming from the Yes familiy since Talk.
Nothing in the Rabin years IMO comes close to "Awaken" or "Close to the Edge".
Fair point. Can't argue with that at all.
I am hoping for another Rabin solo album someday with vocals.
Interesting; I did not know all of that, or I might have been aware of it at some point and simply forgotten...sucks getting older. :lol
Thing is, Turn of the Century and Awaken are the only two songs from Going for the One that I ever listen to. Parallels is a solid tune, but it's just not one I go far. The title track features perhaps the most annoying playing of Steve Howe ever. And Wonderous Stories isn't bad, but it's just kind of there. For me, anyway. :)
Going For The One is my favorite album of all time by any band ever. Seriously. LOVE that album. I've come to embrace the sound. Yeah, it's bright, but Squire's bass has always been bright, and I think it adds to what I see as the "light" and "positivity" of the album. I know I'm off in lala land with this, but I consider that a very spiritual album, and I think it just all fits.
There are many times I have just turned out the lights, laid down on my bed and listened to Awaken on repeat in order to find some solace and peace.
Quote from:KevShmevQuoteI am hoping for another Rabin solo album someday with vocals.
I was hoping for this for years. Not that the 54 soundtracks hadn't their brilliant moments, but a rock album with vocals is the real deal.
There is a fantastic song he wrote for Bryan Adams "Never Let Go" indicating what can happen when Trevor is returning to the good old rock song structure.
About 2 years ago Trevor announced he's working on exactly that kind of an album. In January (2016) he put that album, halfway done, on hold to finally get the Anderson Rabin Wakeman project started.
The last years release of the album from the Anderson Pointy band showed that Jon Anderson recovered quite a bit of his voice . Much more power compared to his collaboration with Wakeman The Living Tree and his solo album Survival & Other Stories.
So I quess looking forward to another Anderson Rabin collaboration isn't exactly a cold comfort. I'm not too hot for the late Wakeman,though, but I trust Trevor to lead this project in the right direction.
Going For The One is my favorite album of all time by any band ever. Seriously. LOVE that album. I've come to embrace the sound. Yeah, it's bright, but Squire's bass has always been bright, and I think it adds to what I see as the "light" and "positivity" of the album. I know I'm off in lala land with this, but I consider that a very spiritual album, and I think it just all fits.
"Me too" to all of this. Anderson has always been a very spiritual person, and has named "Awaken" many times as the epitome of what he considers Yes music to be and represent. The lyrics, the whole thing with the pipe organ and the church choir, it's as close as you can come to religious music without coming right out and labelling it as such. Our old lead singer (now an ordained minister) said that Yes was the most well-known Christian Rock band that no one realizes is Christian Rock.
When I did the Yes discography, I listened to every album critically, which includes finding both the good and the bad. Familiarity can bring acceptance, and after listening to Open Your Eyes a few times, I found a fair amount of good. The songwriting wasn't great, but it didn't send me running from the room screaming or anything, and it was more Yes. More Steve Howe's finger-lickin' pickin', more great Yes harmonies, etc. I was fine putting it on and letting it spin.
Sure, the Keys to Ascension releases are superior, but I hate statements that are "I don't like ______ because ______ is better." By that logic, only the best of anything can be liked, since it's better than the rest. Keys being better has nothing to do with the worth of Open Your Eyes.
hi DTF,
I guess this this the right thread for my introduction, because I'm a big Trevor Rabin and Yes fanboy. 90125 was basically my first album and YES in 1984 my first concert experience in the Festhalle Frankfurt/Germany.
To this day Endless Dream remains my favorite song. So it's nice to see it's getting some love in here.
Do you guys know Trevor Rabins solo album Jacaranda from 2011 ? It's instrumental fusion-jazz-prog. So it's not for everybody (A friend said it sounds like Yes instrumental sections), but I consider it to be the best music coming from the Yes familiy since Talk.
pushed me over the edge
What do you think of "Endless Dream"?
So, like Orbert's post, not really the RIGHT place to put this, buuuuuuuuut... just booked tickets for the Manchester date of ARW. This'll be my first "Yes" (although not technically Yes) show.
I wouldn't go quite that far with Circa, although they do have a pretty strong case if they ever wanted to push it. They did that phenomenal live Yes Medley a while back, a 40-minute tour through the history of Yes, and their lineup has multiple founding and former Yes members. But they've always promoted their own identity first. Usually their names comes up in discussions like "If you like classic Yes, you'll probably like..."
ARW, on the other hand, is going the opposite direction, pushing the Yes name in the tour ("An Evening of Yes Music" -- sound familiar?) and Jon Anderson shooting his mouth off about ARW being "the next understanding of Yes" and how Yes is in his blood and soul, therefore any music he makes is Yes music. He's even said "I never really left Yes." Yeah, right, Jon. You quit the band twice, and sold your shares in the Yes, LLC.
ARW, on the other hand, is going the opposite direction, pushing the Yes name in the tour ("An Evening of Yes Music" -- sound familiar?) and Jon Anderson shooting his mouth off about ARW being "the next understanding of Yes" and how Yes is in his blood and soul, therefore any music he makes is Yes music. He's even said "I never really left Yes." Yeah, right, Jon. You quit the band twice, and sold your shares in the Yes, LLC.
I'm not a big fan of The Ladder
I just got Rabin's first solo album, Face To Face, and Can't Look Away, and while the first one sucks (godDAMN are those some bad lyrics), if you didn't know better and played the four Rabin songs from Union next to about half of CLA, you wouldn't be able to tell they were different ALBUMS let alone different bands.
Oh yeah, The Ladder and Keys to Ascension. The Ladder felt too Regae for me and Keys to Ascension was an odd mixture of live stuff and studio stuff. Why wouldn't they just put the studio stuff on one CD and call it an album?I might be wrong, but I understand that the 2 studio songs in the first volume of Keys To Ascension were recorded in late '95, before the reunion shows in '96. The studio songs in the second volume were recorded in late '96, after the first volume had been released. That said, they did put the studio stuff on one CD - called Keystudio, released in 2001.
The Ladder is also one of my favorite Yes albums, easily the best post-Drama release. It does sound extremely uplifting and positive for the most part, and also features two of their all time best songs - Homeworld and New languages. I also adore the shorter, fun tracks such as Finally, It will be a good day, If only you knew, Nine voices. Such a consistent, entertaining listen.
I think it beats Big Generator and Talk. Probably on par with 90125. I could never get into Keys or Magnification asides from a couple of tracks. (IMO)The Ladder is also one of my favorite Yes albums, easily the best post-Drama release. It does sound extremely uplifting and positive for the most part, and also features two of their all time best songs - Homeworld and New languages. I also adore the shorter, fun tracks such as Finally, It will be a good day, If only you knew, Nine voices. Such a consistent, entertaining listen.
I guess "best" now means "my favorite", because on any standard except "my favorite", there is no way The Ladder beats out the likes of 90210, Big Penetrator, Talk, either of the Keys studio works, or Magnification for "best post-Drama release".
Even just out of curiosity, what's the general consensus on Heaven and Earth?Here, and in a Yes forum, I've read a lot of opinions about how weak it is - most people agree that there is very little energy and dynamics throughout the album. I love the first song, but otherwise I find it boring too.
Heaven and Earth was disappointing for a couple of reasons. It was the first album from the latest lineup, so people were naturally excited to check it out anyway. Also, the band had just come off a three-album tour featuring classic albums that kicked ass. I assumed that somehow playing through those classic albums would put the band into a mindset similar to where they were in the 70's, and the music they subsequently wrote would reflect that. Not really a fair assumption, but not that ridiculous. The biggest stretch was probably that Jon Davison sounds the most like Jon Anderson of anyone else other than Anderson himself, acts like him onstage, has the same "spiritual presence" and hey, he even spells his name the same way. When we heard that he was also a songwriter and was working with Squire and Howe on new music, somehow I assumed that the results would be similar. Yeah, dumb to think that, eh?
What we got was an album of very nice music, I mean it all sounds great, but honestly it's boring as fuck. No energy, nothing uptempo. I wasn't expecting an entire album of "Tempus Fugit" but I also wasn't expecting a CD of elevator music.
First, I generally don't engage in the "[Insert band]-cover band" conversations. There are great bands - Deep Purple for one - that are not technically "original members" but are still viable. I've enjoyed several Sabbath that were basically Iommi solo albums.
There are, however, bands that have members that for me bring critical mass to the proceedings. Purple was my favorite band ever (because of Blackmore). I like the post-Blackmore material, and it is case-by-case as to whether I'll continue on, but in contrast, DT is not the same for me without Mike (I'm not trying to open a can here, it just "is"). I don't care about Ace and Peter in or out of Kiss - I actually think the band is better WITHOUT Peter - but I can't imagine Genesis without Tony Banks. Bruce Dickinson is the greatest metal singer ever in my opinoin, but I love the two Di'Anno albums, and can't stand the two Blaze albums.
The point of all this is to say... I can live with no Jon, no Rick, no Bill, no Alan, no Steve... but I need proof that this is a sustainable unit without Chris Squire. I loved Fly From Here (Into The Storm is the best Yes track since Tempus Fugit) but I felt Chris was missing on H&E, and, well, he's really missing now. We'll see.
That's why "my favorite" is in the post. That's actually the only standard there is, by the way. And as far as I'm concerned, it surpasses albums like Magnification, 90125 and Talk by quite a bit. Even though I like those as well.The Ladder is also one of my favorite Yes albums, easily the best post-Drama release. It does sound extremely uplifting and positive for the most part, and also features two of their all time best songs - Homeworld and New languages. I also adore the shorter, fun tracks such as Finally, It will be a good day, If only you knew, Nine voices. Such a consistent, entertaining listen.
I guess "best" now means "my favorite", because on any standard except "my favorite", there is no way The Ladder beats out the likes of 90210, Big Penetrator, Talk, either of the Keys studio works, or Magnification for "best post-Drama release".
First, I generally don't engage in the "[Insert band]-cover band" conversations. There are great bands - Deep Purple for one - that are not technically "original members" but are still viable. I've enjoyed several Sabbath that were basically Iommi solo albums.
There are, however, bands that have members that for me bring critical mass to the proceedings. Purple was my favorite band ever (because of Blackmore). I like the post-Blackmore material, and it is case-by-case as to whether I'll continue on, but in contrast, DT is not the same for me without Mike (I'm not trying to open a can here, it just "is"). I don't care about Ace and Peter in or out of Kiss - I actually think the band is better WITHOUT Peter - but I can't imagine Genesis without Tony Banks. Bruce Dickinson is the greatest metal singer ever in my opinoin, but I love the two Di'Anno albums, and can't stand the two Blaze albums.
The point of all this is to say... I can live with no Jon, no Rick, no Bill, no Alan, no Steve... but I need proof that this is a sustainable unit without Chris Squire. I loved Fly From Here (Into The Storm is the best Yes track since Tempus Fugit) but I felt Chris was missing on H&E, and, well, he's really missing now. We'll see.
Chris' presence is definitely missed, though I think if they wrote an album with Billy Sherwood, he'd fill those shoes adequately enough, IMO. His work with CIRCA: has been nothing short of amazing, and he's a pretty good guitarist and bassist, not too mention vocalist, so he'd be able to pull off amazing harmonies with Steve and Jon.
-Marc.
Man, I really love this live version of 'Onward'. It's much better than the studio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ_UvogGQ_A
Does anyone know why I can't find a copy of the Close to the Edge Blu-Ray mix from 2014 anywhere? Amazon has used copies and some imports from Japan, but that seems to be it.
For me, the biggie is that SW omitted the war noises and sound effects during the "battle scene" in "The Gates of Delirium". I know what they were originally going for, how war is loud and confusing and stuff, but I always thought it was a bit too much and for me it detracted from the song. I'd rather hear what the guys are playing. SW apparently felt the same way.Wow. I haven't heard Steven's remastered versions, but if I hadn't known this and listened to it for the first time, I would have been very disappointed not to hear the noises. I love those bits.
As much as I like Yes and Howe's playing, I've never cared for any of his guitar tones.Agreed, his acoustic stuff sounds great, but he's a bit too much of a traditionalist on his electric tones.
Rabin is just one of thousands of shredders.
Yours Is No Disgrace is a Howe song. Flip that around and watch Howe try to play Owner of a Lonely Heart; he butchers it every single time. And why? Because his style is not really suited for that song, just like Rabin's style isn't really suited for a lot of the classic 70s Yes material.This!
Steve Howe is an INSANE guitarist!! He has his own voice on the guitar, Rabin is just one of thousands of shredders. Howes playing on Relayer and Tales (Ancient!!!) is unbelievable. Relayer is one of my 3 favorite albums of all time.
I have always really liked Howe and Rabin both! Two different styles that both compliment Yes' music very well. While I'm personally more of a Rabin fan, it doesn't mean Howe is less talented. Both are up there with my favorite guitar players of all time, from one of the best bands bands of all time! :coolio
Jacaranda is so damn bloody good. It showed how Rabin matured without cheap hit ambitions.Me too!
In an interview Rabin said, no one liked Jacuranda. That's sad, because everybody I introduced to the album was really impressed.I have always really liked Howe and Rabin both! Two different styles that both compliment Yes' music very well. While I'm personally more of a Rabin fan, it doesn't mean Howe is less talented. Both are up there with my favorite guitar players of all time, from one of the best bands bands of all time! :coolio
Agreed, but if I had to choose 3 Yes albums for the island, I'd still take the 3 Rabin ones.
Jacaranda is so damn bloody good. It showed how Rabin matured without cheap hit ambitions.
In an interview Rabin said, no one liked Jacuranda. That's sad, because everybody I introduced to the album was really impressed.
I've never heard anything bad about that album by anyone who has heard it.Is it fair to say that a lot of hard core Yes fans wrote it off, hence "nobody likes it"?
I've never heard or heard of Jacuranda, I gotta order this if it is still in print. I do have Can't Look Away, and I love it!
AWR, which we now know is basically a Yes tribute band
That would be a great thing and they could go out with a bang. But Yes being Yes it will never happen and they will let another opportunity pass them by.
That would be a great thing and they could go out with a bang. But Yes being Yes it will never happen and they will let another opportunity pass them by.
I worry about who might be the next to go, as sad of a thought as that is. Alan and Steve cannot be getting any younger, and I'm sure if either of them passed away anytime soon, the band might throw in the towel. I mean, if Steve passed away, then what? Get the guy who replaced him in Asia? The band would be even MORE Asia with Billy and that guy, in addition to Geoff. Might as well do a Yesia tour and call it a day.
-Marc.
I would love a Union-like tour to end with a bang as well. But I don't know if Bill wants to come out of retirement.
That would be a great thing and they could go out with a bang. But Yes being Yes it will never happen and they will let another opportunity pass them by.
I worry about who might be the next to go, as sad of a thought as that is. Alan and Steve cannot be getting any younger, and I'm sure if either of them passed away anytime soon, the band might throw in the towel. I mean, if Steve passed away, then what? Get the guy who replaced him in Asia? The band would be even MORE Asia with Billy and that guy, in addition to Geoff. Might as well do a Yesia tour and call it a day.
-Marc.
You mean Guthrie Govan? :D
I would love a Union-like tour to end with a bang as well. But I don't know if Bill wants to come out of retirement.
I think he would, for the band that launched his career. I doubt he'd play with King Crimson ever again, especially now that they have four drummers, but for Yes, if they told him that it was their final tour, I feel like Bill might consider it.That would be a great thing and they could go out with a bang. But Yes being Yes it will never happen and they will let another opportunity pass them by.
I worry about who might be the next to go, as sad of a thought as that is. Alan and Steve cannot be getting any younger, and I'm sure if either of them passed away anytime soon, the band might throw in the towel. I mean, if Steve passed away, then what? Get the guy who replaced him in Asia? The band would be even MORE Asia with Billy and that guy, in addition to Geoff. Might as well do a Yesia tour and call it a day.
-Marc.
You mean Guthrie Govan? :D
Nah, I mean Sam Coulson, the guy who replaced Steve after the 3 reunion albums that they did (Phoenix, Omega and the poorly-titled XXX - never Google "Asia XXX").
Asia is currently Geoff and Billy, with Carl and Sam. Yes is currently Geoff and Billy, with Steve, Alan and Jon. It totally makes sense to just tour as Yes AND Asia with the same keyboardists and bassist. Heck, I'm sure Carl could play old Yes stuff better than Alan does these days, and having Steve play the old Asia stuff again would be a treat (and probably not as taxing or complicated as Yes stuff). A dual tour would probably rake in a lot of money.
I just think SOMETHING awesome needs to happen to Yes before another awful thing happens again.
-Marc.
Here's a better idea! Hold a two or three day festival, call it the YEStival, and host all of the various Yes spin-off bands and solo acts. Have Yes, Asia, GPS, John Payne's Asia, CIRCA, ARW, Yoso, and whoever else wants to perform, and make it a huge event. Record every performance, and then have a huge everyone-plays-together performance at the end of it all, doing the Yes classics (yes, even Roundabout, because let's face it, even though Yes have played it a billion times to the sun and back, you'd hear it if all of those above musicians were involved).
-Marc.
If it's on Facebook, then it must be true!It was actually posted from ultimateclassicrock.com
Most likely people have taken the story and run with it. Who knows?
(never Google "Asia XXX").
ARW (Anderson Rabin Wakeman) is now billing themselves as "Yes featuring Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman". That just strikes me as wrong. But I try to get past it.
ARW (Anderson Rabin Wakeman) is now billing themselves as "Yes featuring Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman". That just strikes me as wrong. But I try to get past it.
I thought they weren't and that was a European promoter that did that.
Union isn't very good
I get what you are saying, but I have to think that some type of deal was struck between the current Yes camp and ARW; I find it hard to believe that ARW would just go ahead and promote the tour like that without having the legal t's crossed and i's dotted.
I'll bet when it is all said and done, the two camps will come together somehow next year to do a 50th anniversary tour, that could end up being another disaster, but still make them lots more cash.
Geddy's, yes. But I'm sure I've seen him play a Rickenbacker.I don't recall ever seeing him play a Rick.
Rick Wakeman went on too long and lingered with the sexual stuff a little too much, but the closing joke was worth it (the erection joke). Steve is just a miserable gnome of a human being. He really is. And honestly, his playing is phoned in at this point; I saw him on his last Asia tour, and he was disinterested and there were easily ten or more blatant mistakes in the set, here he botches the ending of the song it is likely he has played more times than any other in his catalogue. Put in the effort dude.Rick is extremely funny. This isn't the first time I see him deliver a stand up act while receiving an award. I don't know if that's the appropriate place to perform a comedy routine, but still. :lol
Geddy's, yes. But I'm sure I've seen him play a Rickenbacker.I don't recall ever seeing him play a Rick.
Anyone have any idea why Geddy played a Fender bass for "Roundabout"? Geddy's been known to play a Rick and I'm sure he has at least one, and Chris Squire's use of the Rickenbacker is legendary. So why not play a Rick, especially for that song?
I get what you are saying, but I have to think that some type of deal was struck between the current Yes camp and ARW; I find it hard to believe that ARW would just go ahead and promote the tour like that without having the legal t's crossed and i's dotted.
I'll bet when it is all said and done, the two camps will come together somehow next year to do a 50th anniversary tour, that could end up being another disaster, but still make them lots more cash.
Of course they did; remember, they've been through this before ("ABWH - An Evening of Yes Music and More!").
Steve is just a miserable gnome of a human being. He really is. And honestly, his playing is phoned in at this point; I saw him on his last Asia tour, and he was disinterested and there were easily ten or more blatant mistakes in the set, here he botches the ending of the song it is likely he has played more times than any other in his catalogue. Put in the effort dude.
The problem I had with Rick's speech is that it went on too damned long. They had 10 minutes total, and Chris Squire's widow and child were brought up there to accept on his behalf. She even had something prepared. Then Rick blathered on so much, telling bad jokes that had nothing to do with music or the RRHoF, that they ran out of time and Scotty (Mrs. Squire) didn't get to speak at all. She should have been one of the first, probably right after Jon Anderson. There was a bit of "okay, who's next?" each time, because they'd obviously not planned things very well, likely because the two camps (Yes and ARW) aren't speaking to each other. So it's entirely possible that some people had no idea who that woman and child were and why they were up there.
Here's the punchline: Wakeman made a lot of noise at first about not going. Then he said he'd go, to honor Chris Squire, but only if Scotty was there. She was there, and he's the one who couldn't shut his hole and let her speak.
I also have to take my hat off to Rick Wakeman.
Rick had declined participating unless there was a Chris Squire acknowledgment. So it was fantastic that Scottie Squire and Xilan were there at our table,
I had a great time, I thought Rick was clearly a highlight, lightening the night up with his hilarious humor.
He should be doing SNL.
Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin are about to release stuff together for the first time in more than 20 years, which leaves you wondering if they still function well as a team and whether they can deliver interesting music.
I am sure both factions can still play the old songs good enough, but in regards to newer good music, it's telling that neither faction played anything from the last 25 years recently. Granted, the last two Yes albums were both pretty blah (and that is putting it nicely), so not playing anything from those albums is probably a good thing, unless they played Into the Storm, which is a good tune.
Funny thing, I actually remember that from the Yes discography thread you ran a while ago. There was also a great Yes documentary on YouTube that dedicated enough time to all various line up shifts and I remember seeing that there as well. But Yes has been so inconsistent with their line ups that it's truly impossible to memorize everything. ;D The hilarious thing is, if I recall correctly, Yes actually reunited with Steve and Rick to do the Keys albums only two years later. :lol
It's a shame Talk didn't receive enough attention back when it was released. In perspective, many fans would agree it was probably the best record of the Rabin era.
I am sure both factions can still play the old songs good enough, but in regards to newer good music, it's telling that neither faction played anything from the last 25 years recently. Granted, the last two Yes albums were both pretty blah (and that is putting it nicely), so not playing anything from those albums is probably a good thing, unless they played Into the Storm, which is a good tune.
I don't think that's as meaningful with the ARW lineup; what would they play?
Regarding Post-Talk material, I agree with Kev - the Keys material is probably their best in the last 20 years, though I would put Fly From Here and The Ladder right behind it. If they had released all 7 of those songs on an album called Know (as I recall reading, was Jon's or Rick's idea), I think it might have been better received, and perhaps that line up may have stayed together for another 90's album, but instead, we got Open Your Eyes... :'(
I would like to see them go out of their comfort zone with the staples. Play the masterpieces from the Rabin era too, like Shoot High Aim Low, Hearts, and especially Endless Dream! I guess that would only happen if Rick Wakeman was willing to learn Endless Dream, lol, which he very well could but would he?
I saw the ARW tour in Seattle and the set list was very conservative. They even omitted "Changes" from the set list that night. I heard Trevor was sick with a cold or something, still a great show.
I like the Rabin era of Yes. Big Generator is pretty bad but the other two albums are really solid.
I get some of those, but Jackson Browne and Bob Seger both deserve to be there.
And frankly, I understand Jane's Addiction not being there, as well as Soundgarden.
I hate Jackson Browne, though, and I don't get why his nonsense is in, but Kiss's isn't.Because Jackson Browne is an incredibly gifted singer/songwriter who has proved he belongs there both by hits, influence, and longevity, and popularity among the general public. Whereas KISS has always been seen by a lot of people as a gimmick. I know that you don't think they are, and I'm not saying they are, but that's the impression. Also, they fall in that hard rock/metal genre that is never taken quite as seriously as it should be - kind of like sci-fi/fantasy in film.
Or why Red Hot Chili Peppers are in first ballot and Iron Maiden - who fill stadiums without an album - are not.Can't help you on the Chili Peppers, but Maiden - see the answer for KISS.
But as for the other, do you believe RHCP, Nirvana and Pearl Jam deserve to be? Because neither exist without JA and Soundgarden. Nirvana arguably never gets a record deal without Jane's Addiction or Soundgarden.Yeah, but I'm not sure that the fact that Nirvana and Pearl Jam were influenced by Jane's Addiction or Soundgarden matters. That's not enough of a reason to get in, they have to get in on their own merits. And Jane's Addiction was always too much on the outskirts to have a huge, HOF-worthy impact. Soundgarden was probably big enough, but they didn't have the longevity.
I mean, I get that you disagree, but that doesn't mean that it's unreasonable. To me, it's perfectly understandable.
Because Jackson Browne is an incredibly gifted singer/songwriter who has proved he belongs there both by hits, influence, and longevity, and popularity among the general public.
Oh yeah I got that. It was the powers that ran the RnRHOF (The Rolling Stone Mag group) that used their prejudices to stop certain bands from getting in. That is now a thing of the past.That was awesome!
BTW, the roar and duration when Rush was inducted was glorious and said it all. I will never forget that moment.
But as for the other, do you believe RHCP, Nirvana and Pearl Jam deserve to be? Because neither exist without JA and Soundgarden. Nirvana arguably never gets a record deal without Jane's Addiction or Soundgarden.
I was listening to Going for the One on my way to drop my 2 year old son off at day care this morning, and Wondrous Stories was playing as I pulled into the parking lot. I turned off my car, and I can hear my son say, "the end." It wasn't the end of the song when I turned off my car, but I asked him, "do you like that song, bud?" and he replied, "yeah!" I was happy! Between that and his new found love of Star Wars, I feel like I'm doing a good job as a parent. :tup:clap:
I would say it does. Until the fan vote came into prominence, 70's bands like Yes, Rush, Journey were not getting a chance.
Look at Jann Wenner, owner of the Rolling Stone Magazine. He said decades ago Rush would make it into the hall over his dead body. He despised that style of music. Yet over pressure they let the fan vote have a say and now all these bands are getting in. His magazine had a prejudice over certain styles of music.
I realize that you find that prejudicial. However, we are talking about something called the Hall of Fame. Some of those "artists with a message" that we are talking about, their music has depth. Yes, you can just listen to it and like it, or you can get a message from it, or whatever - there are multiple layers to it, not just something to listen to in the car.
I love KISS, but there is no depth there. It is surface level enjoyment. And that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that. But are they just as deserving for inclusion in a Hall of Fame that ought to recognize real achievement in the art form as, say, U2 or Bruce Springsteen (just to throw some names out)? I would think not, if I were ranking them. And I like KISS.
Same thing with Maiden. Are they a great metal band? Yes, I would say so (although personally, I don't care for them). But that alone doesn't make them Hall-worthy, IMO.
The Oscars are kind of like the Hall of Fame, in a way. Is the biggest and loudest movie going to win an Oscar? No, not normally; it will normally go to a film that emphasizes nuance and craft over bombast. But it will make its fans happy and the actors and director will make a shit ton of money.
That's kind of how I see this. It's not a perfect analogy, but it works for me. And I'm not saying that's the case with all of the people that are late getting in (for example, Journey, Rush, Yes, etc), but that is one part of it.
TBH, I am shocked that KISS got in.
What did Jackson Browne do? Wrote a couple hits (quick: name one besides "Running On Empty", "Tender Is The Night", and that song about the roadies that no one knows the title to ("The Load Out") and that ends with the squeally annoying Frankie Valli impression ("Stay")). Hey! Did you see that shredding guitar solo he laid down at that RnRHoF ceremony? No? No. Because it didn't happen.
Waiting For You
I'm Alive
Looking East
The Barricades Of Heaven
The Pretender
That Girl Could Sing
Take This Rain
Knock On Any Door
Shall I go on?
I listened to Relayer today for the first time in a while.
Wow. How can music be both breathtakingly beautiful and maniacally insane at the same time? Tremendous stuff. The last sections of The Gates send shivers down my spine every time, and the ending of Sound chaser just make me laugh because of its awesomeness.
Jackson Browne has had a grand total of ONE SONG in the Billboard Top 10, and it was from a soundtrack ("Somebody's Baby", from Fast Times at Ridgemont High".)
Jackson Browne has had a grand total of ONE SONG in the Billboard Top 10, and it was from a soundtrack ("Somebody's Baby", from Fast Times at Ridgemont High".)
Relayer is an amazing album (it ranks 3rd for me behind Fragile & Close To The Edge), but I never really got the hype behind To Be Over. While it's a pretty good song, it just seems to drag out & doesn't really do much for me emotionally.
That said, Gates Of Delirium is a Top 5 Yes song & Sound Chaser's really good too (even though it is so chaotic).
:huh:Relayer is an amazing album (it ranks 3rd for me behind Fragile & Close To The Edge), but I never really got the hype behind To Be Over. While it's a pretty good song, it just seems to drag out & doesn't really do much for me emotionally.
That said, Gates Of Delirium is a Top 5 Yes song & Sound Chaser's really good too (even though it is so chaotic).
In the end of To Be Over you can hear church bells ring, although there aren't any.
I love Awaken!
:huh:Relayer is an amazing album (it ranks 3rd for me behind Fragile & Close To The Edge), but I never really got the hype behind To Be Over. While it's a pretty good song, it just seems to drag out & doesn't really do much for me emotionally.
That said, Gates Of Delirium is a Top 5 Yes song & Sound Chaser's really good too (even though it is so chaotic).
In the end of To Be Over you can hear church bells ring, although there aren't any.
Jackson Browne has had a grand total of ONE SONG in the Billboard Top 10, and it was from a soundtrack ("Somebody's Baby", from Fast Times at Ridgemont High".)
Rush had none. Man, do they suck.
Pearl Jam; just in the Hall this year. Listen to the solo from "Alive". Ring any bells? It should; the first half is the solo from "She", from, you guessed it, Kiss Alive!.
It's really sad to me that Keys To Ascension was forgotten because of how it was released. If all the studio tracks were on one disc, it'd rank right up there with the band's best albums imo.
It's really sad to me that Keys To Ascension was forgotten because of how it was released. If all the studio tracks were on one disc, it'd rank right up there with the band's best albums imo.
I thought they had something like that, called Keystudio? I remember it being too hard to find, so I just settled for the full Ascension release..
Pearl Jam; just in the Hall this year. Listen to the solo from "Alive". Ring any bells? It should; the first half is the solo from "She", from, you guessed it, Kiss Alive!.
That might be a really bad reference to use. That lead is ripped off from Robby Krieger in a very big way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGHhqV_QhzE
I could imagine a band like PJ would be influenced by both Kiss, and The Doors, so it might be hard to nail it down as a reference to She.
It's really sad to me that Keys To Ascension was forgotten because of how it was released. If all the studio tracks were on one disc, it'd rank right up there with the band's best albums imo.
I thought they had something like that, called Keystudio? I remember it being too hard to find, so I just settled for the full Ascension release..
They did, but it came out in 2001 (4 years after KTA2), messed up the order of the tracks & like you said, it was really hard to find.
I always thought the original order of the KTA albums was perfectly done. Sure, it does have two epics back-to-back, but since they're both structured so differently I don't even mind.
Still though, whose idea was it to have Foot Prints as the opener for the Keystudio version? What about that track would make it a good opener? I don't get it.
Album ranking:
#8. Union
10. Fly From Here
12. Heaven & Earth
13. 90125
14. Talk
18. Tales From Topographic Oceans
20. Big Generator
The problem I had with Rick's speech is that it went on too damned long. They had 10 minutes total, and Chris Squire's widow and child were brought up there to accept on his behalf. She even had something prepared. Then Rick blathered on so much, telling bad jokes that had nothing to do with music or the RRHoF, that they ran out of time and Scotty (Mrs. Squire) didn't get to speak at all. She should have been one of the first, probably right after Jon Anderson. There was a bit of "okay, who's next?" each time, because they'd obviously not planned things very well, likely because the two camps (Yes and ARW) aren't speaking to each other. So it's entirely possible that some people had no idea who that woman and child were and why they were up there.
Here's the punchline: Wakeman made a lot of noise at first about not going. Then he said he'd go, to honor Chris Squire, but only if Scotty was there. She was there, and he's the one who couldn't shut his hole and let her speak.
What's the general opinion on ABWH?
I had it on cassette many years ago, finally got the remastered CD, sounds pretty good, but a little dated.
I guess the most noticeable two things are Bruford's simmons (electronic) drums and lack of bass prowess.
What's the general opinion on ABWH?
I had it on cassette many years ago, finally got the remastered CD, sounds pretty good, but a little dated.
I guess the most noticeable two things are Bruford's simmons (electronic) drums and lack of bass prowess.
I love it but those Simmons do sound dated. Actually the production sounds dated as well. Music is great though. Prefer the live album.
What's the general opinion on ABWH?
I had it on cassette many years ago, finally got the remastered CD, sounds pretty good, but a little dated.
I guess the most noticeable two things are Bruford's simmons (electronic) drums and lack of bass prowess.
I love it but those Simmons do sound dated. Actually the production sounds dated as well. Music is great though. Prefer the live album.
There were some good moments - "Brother Of Mine" was strong - but it was just... I expected a lot more from those particular guys. I saw the tour, and it was good, but it started with "Time and a Word" (I'm pretty sure there was no Howe), "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (I don't remember if Howe played on that or not) and "Teakbois" (my least favorite song on the record, and the side of Anderson that I really, really, REALLY dislike the most), and I was ready to check out at that point. Then was Howe's solo spot, so I got the unique privilege of hearing the rarely played "Clap" and "Mood for a Day"...
Apparently there is supposed to be a 20 minute version of 'Cinema' lying around somewhere.
Rabin was asked about it and why it wasn't on the remaster of 90125, he responded he wasn't asked or contributed to the release.
Hopefully one day it will get an official release.
I think Trevor Horn had a huge influence of the sound of 90125, I am pretty sure he would have been involved with the song arranging.
"Run with the Fox" was something that Chris Squire and Alan White put together, during the Yes hiatus which followed the collapse of the Drama lineup (Horn-Downes-Howe-Squire-White). It was released as a single around Christmas time 1981, and is credited to Squire and White. It's not on any album; it's just a rarity that shows up in things like the YesYears box set (which I assume is what you're talking about).
Yeah, 90124 is an interesting one. Officially, it's Trevor's demos for the songs which ultimately became the album 90125. Unofficially, I've read more than one thing that seemed to say that people were wondering how much of the 90125 lineup was Trevor, how much was "real Yes" (Anderson, Squire, White) and stuff like that. 90124 answers that question and shows both. You can hear how much Trevor already had in place, but also how much things changed before the final versions. Some of that can be attributed to the normal things you might change before recording, and some I'm sure had to do with Jon Anderson never wanting to record anything that he didn't have at least some input into.
There are a few reasons why Talk is so underappreciated. One of the biggies is definitely because it received almost no promotion, because Victory Records filed for bankruptcy shortly after the album was released. So unless you visited records stores on a regular basis (which some people still did in the 90's), you didn't know it even existed. Another is that after the Union album, the return of the 90125 lineup caused many longtime fans to just ignore it (and again, that's if they even knew that it existed).
.
Even better than Talk, coming just two years later are two Phenomenal releases by the Anderson, Squire, Howe, White and Wakeman lineup. Keys To Ascension 1 (1996) and Keys to Ascension 2 (1997) Highly recommend both of these. It is the last studio recordings of that lineup featuring a combination of new studio material and live material on both releases and is in my opinion the closest Yes have gotten back to that classic lineup sound since.
"Run with the Fox" was something that Chris Squire and Alan White put together, during the Yes hiatus which followed the collapse of the Drama lineup (Horn-Downes-Howe-Squire-White). It was released as a single around Christmas time 1981, and is credited to Squire and White. It's not on any album; it's just a rarity that shows up in things like the YesYears box set (which I assume is what you're talking about).
Great box!
Used to be a Christmas staple for a few years. Always reminds me of Christmas.
I think I read on the ARW FB page that Fly From Here is being re-released this year with the vocals de-done by Trevor Horn.
I think I read on the ARW FB page that Fly From Here is being re-released this year with the vocals de-done by Trevor Horn.Wait, why is that piece of news featured on a band page where none of the band members took part in making of that album?
Phrased a bit more harshly than I might have, but yeah, I agree with all of that. And I ain't even mad, but I am kinda sad and disappointed because this just seems lame.
I know, I know. I don't have to buy it, some people will, some will like it, cool for them.
I disagree with that. There are 100 reasons why they would/might want to do that. Why did Kiss/Def Leppard/Foreigner/Countless other bands re-record various songs in their catalogue? Why did Bruce Dickinson re-record several Paul Di'anno songs? If the band for some reason is now preferring Trevor sing them, whether for artistic reasons, continuity reasons, performance royalty reasons, or whatever, that is on them to do. It is our choice whether to purchase that or not (I know I will, immediately).
In other news, Steve Howe's son will apparently be sharing drumming duties with Alan White on their next tour.
I think I read on the ARW FB page that Fly From Here is being re-released this year with the vocals de-done by Trevor Horn.Wait, why is that piece of news featured on a band page where none of the band members took part in making of that album?
I really don't see why Fly from here should be re-recorded. The album is fine the way it is, and the vocals are very well performed by David.
So I've been listening to a lot of YES the last few days on Google Music. Especially live stuff. Question I have is how often did they play Lonely Heart live with Howe? Was it a constant thing or just once in a while?
Another box set package of theirs I have that is pretty good is "The Word Is Live" a three disc live package put out by Rhino in 2005. This one has some more obscure stuff.
Disc 1.
Then (BBC 1970)
For Everyone (BBC 1970)
Astral Traveler (Gothenburg 1971)
Everydays (Gothenburg 1971)
Yours Is No Disgrace (London 71)
I've Seen All Good People (London 71)
America (London 71)
It's love (London 71)
Disc 2.
Apocalypse (Detroit 76)
Siberian Khatru (Detroit 76)
Sound Chaser (Detroit 76)
Sweet Dreams (London 75)
Future Times/Rejoice (Oakland 78)
Circus of Heaven (Oakland 78)
The Big Medley (Time and a word, Long Distance runaround, Survival, The Fish, Perpetual Change and Soon)- Inglewood 78
Hello Chicago (Chicago 79)
Roundabout (Chicago 79)
Disc 3.
Heart of the Sunrise (Oakland 78)
Awaken (Chicago 79)
Go Through This (NY 1980)
We Can Fly From Here (NY 1980)
Tempus Fugit (NY 1980)
Rhythm of Love (Houston 88)
Hold On (Houston 88)
Shoot High, Aim Low (Houston 88)
Make It Easy/Owner of a Lonely Heart (Houston 88)
Pretty cool package and some gathered up lesser available songs on it. I bought it mainly for the 78-80 era stuff. comes in a nice paperback sized hardcover package with a bound inner booklet with great pictures.
I like this package, too. Some fans complained that it was too heavy on the rarities and oddballs, but I'm pretty sure that was the whole point. The 70-71 was the big draw for me, as there's very little proper live material from the early days. The stuff here is mostly bootleg-quality (and again, fans complained) but most of it probably did come from bootlegs, if not all. Same with the Drama-era stuff.
Symphonic Live
In The Present (Live from Lyon)
Like It Is (Bristol Hippodrome)
Like It Is (Mesa Arts Center)
Another box set package of theirs I have that is pretty good is "The Word Is Live" a three disc live package put out by Rhino in 2005. This one has some more obscure stuff.
Disc 1.
Then (BBC 1970)
For Everyone (BBC 1970)
Astral Traveler (Gothenburg 1971)
Everydays (Gothenburg 1971)
Yours Is No Disgrace (London 71)
I've Seen All Good People (London 71)
America (London 71)
It's love (London 71)
Disc 2.
Apocalypse (Detroit 76)
Siberian Khatru (Detroit 76)
Sound Chaser (Detroit 76)
Sweet Dreams (London 75)
Future Times/Rejoice (Oakland 78)
Circus of Heaven (Oakland 78)
The Big Medley (Time and a word, Long Distance runaround, Survival, The Fish, Perpetual Change and Soon)- Inglewood 78
Hello Chicago (Chicago 79)
Roundabout (Chicago 79)
Disc 3.
Heart of the Sunrise (Oakland 78)
Awaken (Chicago 79)
Go Through This (NY 1980)
We Can Fly From Here (NY 1980)
Tempus Fugit (NY 1980)
Rhythm of Love (Houston 88)
Hold On (Houston 88)
Shoot High, Aim Low (Houston 88)
Make It Easy/Owner of a Lonely Heart (Houston 88)
Pretty cool package and some gathered up lesser available songs on it. I bought it mainly for the 78-80 era stuff. comes in a nice paperback sized hardcover package with a bound inner booklet with great pictures.
I like this box, but I'm always listening to disc three way more than the rest and I've been known to continually hit the repeat button on Shoot High, Aim Low. Killer version that.
Another box set package of theirs I have that is pretty good is "The Word Is Live" a three disc live package put out by Rhino in 2005. This one has some more obscure stuff.
Disc 1.
Then (BBC 1970)
For Everyone (BBC 1970)
Astral Traveler (Gothenburg 1971)
Everydays (Gothenburg 1971)
Yours Is No Disgrace (London 71)
I've Seen All Good People (London 71)
America (London 71)
It's love (London 71)
Disc 2.
Apocalypse (Detroit 76)
Siberian Khatru (Detroit 76)
Sound Chaser (Detroit 76)
Sweet Dreams (London 75)
Future Times/Rejoice (Oakland 78)
Circus of Heaven (Oakland 78)
The Big Medley (Time and a word, Long Distance runaround, Survival, The Fish, Perpetual Change and Soon)- Inglewood 78
Hello Chicago (Chicago 79)
Roundabout (Chicago 79)
Disc 3.
Heart of the Sunrise (Oakland 78)
Awaken (Chicago 79)
Go Through This (NY 1980)
We Can Fly From Here (NY 1980)
Tempus Fugit (NY 1980)
Rhythm of Love (Houston 88)
Hold On (Houston 88)
Shoot High, Aim Low (Houston 88)
Make It Easy/Owner of a Lonely Heart (Houston 88)
Pretty cool package and some gathered up lesser available songs on it. I bought it mainly for the 78-80 era stuff. comes in a nice paperback sized hardcover package with a bound inner booklet with great pictures.
I like this box, but I'm always listening to disc three way more than the rest and I've been known to continually hit the repeat button on Shoot High, Aim Low. Killer version that.
Yeah was very cool to have that included, my favorite song on Big Generator. Funny, I remember that tour, that was a strange Yes tour. They played the Spectrum in Philly and played Hendrix's Hey Joe I believe it was one of the encores. A lot of empty seats too, I believe each tour thereafter they downsized to smaller venues.
Her best friend (who is actually really cute... which is a nice plus) is a huge prog fan apparently. Genesis. YES (she saw Anderson Wakeman Rabin recently), ELP, etc... and is getting my sister into it.
WIN.
I guess they did a meet and greet ? Or it was just an informal chance. My sister met Carl Palmer and Todd Rudgren. Her friend got to chat with Billy Sherwood.
I would absolutely agree. Any variation of Yes without Squire is very noticeably lacking. Not just because of his dominant bass playing but also his outstanding backing vocals, which were a VERY important part of Yes's sound and depth. He along with Wakeman, were always my favorite members of Yes through the years, which is why I rank Going For The One and Tormato as high as I do. Drama, another favorite of mine was definitely driven by Squire. He is so much of a loss to Yes's sound, that I probably will hold my memories dear and never bother to see the band live again. Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman's version on the other hand I would love to check out at least once, one because I'm a major Wakeman fan and two because it has been years since I've seen Anderson.
Since you're asking, I'm assuming you don't consider the Yessongs version to be "good quality". That's understandable. A lot of people have trouble with the sound quality of that album, but the performances themselves are absolutely smoking. That's still my favorite live version of the song.
In terms of sound quality, the best ones are in the Progeny set. Soundboard recordings from the original tour.
If you're not in a position to flip for a 14-disc set, the next best version IMO is the ABWH version on An Evening of Yes Music Plus. Bruford was using his electronic drums at the time, so that could be an issue. Again, I try to listen to the musical performance itself, but it's tougher here because it's so clear.
I don't mind the sound of Yessongs and the performance is top notch.
The ABWH version is good but (imo) lacks a little bit in the bass department due to Tony Levin being ill and Jeff Berlin stepping in on short notice. And of course Chris Squire not being part of it.
YES ANNOUNCES #YES50 - 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
The year 2018 marks half a century since the formation of the legendary group YES, one of the biggest bands in prog-rock history and true pioneers of the genre. To celebrate this remarkable milestone YES will embark on a 10-date UK tour in March 2018 - #YES50.
On this not-to-be-missed tour, YES [Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood] will feature not only many of the band’s classic hits, but performances of Sides 1 and 4 and an excerpt from Side 3 of their 1973 album, 'Tales from Topographic Oceans', which was the first YES album to top the UK Album Charts. YES will also play some European shows. More dates will be announced soon on yesworld.com.
50TH ANNIVERSARY FAN CONVENTION
The final weekend of the UK Tour at the London Palladium on 24th and 25th March will include a 50th Anniversary Fan Convention – more details of the Anniversary Celebrations will be announced soon.
NEW ROGER DEAN 'CLOSE TO THE EDGE' PAINTINGS
Roger Dean (whose fantastical landscapes and logos have become synonymous with the band’s albums) will unveil new “Close To The Edge” paintings at the Palladium on March 25th.
TOPOGRAPHIC DRAMA – LIVE ACROSS AMERICA
YES, deservedly inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in April 2017, will release “Topographic Drama – Live Across America”, a new live album, planned for later in the year, recorded during their US 2016/17 tours.
50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR - QUOTES
Talking about their 50th Anniversary, Steve Howe said: “We want to mark this anniversary with a tour that encompasses some of our best loved work - we want to play things we enjoy, maybe songs we haven’t done in a while.”
Geoff Downes adds: “I feel enormously privileged be a part of the legacy of the incredible and unique line of musicians in YES. The band has always remained fresh and inventive throughout its 50-year history, and created an amazing catalogue of music that has inspired millions from all generations."
Alan White says: "Reflecting on the past 46 years that I've devoted my life to playing YES music, it's been an interesting journey and a true labour of love. I've always believed in the power of music and the band's recent induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and our Grammy (awarded in 1985) are testament to the longevity of influence our music has had through the years. I'm extremely grateful to continue to be performing on stages for our dedicated fans and look forward to our 50th Anniversary performing together in 2018. It's been a great ride!!"
#YES50 TOUR DATES - 2018 (UK & Europe)
Tue 13th March - Bristol Colston Hall
Wed 14th March - Sheffield City Hall
Fri 16th March - Glasgow SEC Armadillo
Sat 17th March - Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Sun 18th March - Gateshead Sage
Tue 20th March - Birmingham Symphony Hall
Wed 21st March - Brighton Centre
Fri 23rd March - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Sat 24th March - London Palladium
Sun 25th March - London Palladium
Tue 27th March - Tilburg 013
Wed 28th March - Antwerp De Roma
Fri 30th March - Paris Olympia
UK Tickets onsale Friday 8th September from 10.00am.
Available from BookingsDirect.com 24hr Ticket Hotline 0844 249 2222 (subject to fees).
Also available from venue box offices and select authorised ticket agencies.
Front row, Meet & Greet & VIP packages are available from yesworld.com
There is no support. Please see ticket for start time.
European Dates to be announced soon at yesworld.com
ABOUT YES:
YES is:
• Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals (1970 –1981, 1990–1992, 1995–present)
• Alan White: drums, percussion (1972 – present)
• Geoff Downes: keyboards (1980–1981, 2011–present)
• Billy Sherwood: guitar, backing vocals ((1994, 1997–2000), bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)
• Jon Davison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2012–present)
Founded in 1968 by the late and much-missed Chris Squire and Jon Anderson, Grammy-award winning recording artist YES has created some of the most important and influential music in rock history, including iconic pieces such as 'Roundabout', 'Close to the Edge', 'I’ve Seen All Good People', 'Starship Trooper' and countless others. The band’s albums, including Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer, Going For the One and 90125, have been certified multi-platinum, double-platinum, platinum, and more by the RIAA, selling over 50 million records during the band’s long and successful career that has so far spanned six decades. YES is undeniably one of the world’s all time most influential, ground-breaking, respected and loved progressive rock bands.
Why does that do absolutely nothing for me? (And this a band I've seen as much as any other, "Going For The One" is my favorite album of all time, and I even LIKED Tomato, and (most of) Onion).
For me, it's because almost none of the original players are out there playing it. Steve and Alan are the only ones left who were on Tales, and Geoff was on Drama, but without the original vocalists and the amazing Chris Squire, it will obviously not be the same as if you'd seen the original lineup back in the day, or even now.
I won't go as far as some who've called the current lineup "a Yes cover band" because that's not only stupid and disrespectful, it's just plain inaccurate. This is the official lineup of the band, today, like it or not. But I have little hope that they can recapture the magic.
My feeling is: If you're a big fan of the music itself, and the band itself, by all means go; you'll probably enjoy it. I don't think you can witness a live performance by five musicians of this caliber playing music at this level and not come away impressed. But for me, the attraction would be seeing Jon Anderson or Trevor Horn singing, or Rick Wakeman on keys (on Tales), not just whoever's in the band these days. And again, Chris is absent either way, which cannot be helped, but that's pretty much the deal-breaker for me.
I won't go as far as saying Steve has been phoning it in. He's 70 years old and can't play the way he used to. He's gone on record saying that yes, they know the tempos are down, but they feel that that's better than trying to play them at original tempos and butchering them. They've been trying to work on that.
I'm talking about the breakup in 2010-11, that's why I said "Unless you're talking about in 1979,"Shit. It's 8AM here, pardon me. :lol
Unless you're talking about in 1979, Jon Anderson didn't quit, he was fired & replaced (without his knowledge until it was announced).
Regardless of who was fired or quit or whatever, I find Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin nowadays much more interesting than the Howe, Downes, White incarnation. Both tour as nostalgia acts, playing their music from several years ago, but from what I've heard the performances of ARW don't suffer that much from old age.
Unless you're talking about in 1979, Jon Anderson didn't quit, he was fired & replaced (without his knowledge until it was announced).
You couldn't tell that I was talking about the 2010-2011 mess? Okay, you can call it being fired and replaced, but was being an asshole. He kept them waiting for four years, they scrapped tour plans and plans to go back into the studio while they waited for him, then they found out that he was out touring his solo thing. Then he cried foul when they found another singer and made an album. How long are you supposed to wait for someone? As far as they were concerned, he'd moved on. He never bothered to tell them what was going on, then he whines that they never told him he'd been replaced?
That much is probably true, that he chose to do his solo stuff because he wasn't up to the Yes touring schedule after his illness.
The problem is that he kept the rest of Yes "on hold" the whole time. They waited a while, checked back with him, he was still recovering, so they waited a while longer, etc. A few years went by with no word from him, then they hear that he's out there touring. Small or large tour, you don't exactly do that if you're supposedly recovering from an illness in order to get back with your main band. Knowing Yes, there was probably some misunderstanding involved, but at the very least, he could've let them know what was going on.
Due to the tragic, unexpected death of guitarist Steve Howe’s beloved younger son, Virgil, YES regrettably announces that the remaining dates of their Yestival Tour have been cancelled.
Ticket refunds for the affected tour dates (in Moorhead, Cedar Rapids, London, Rochester, Boston and Huntington) will be available at point of purchase.
YES — Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood — want to thank all their fans for their support and understanding at this time.
Steve Howe and family ask for their privacy to be respected during this difficult time.
Yes rereleased Fly From Here with Trevor Horn on vocals and expanded it a little. There's a new song, the FULL Hour Of Need, and a few different interludes on the title suite. Benoit sounded a lot like Trevor, and to a certain extend think this is pretty disrespectful to Benoit. But I like the new version better. I will wait for the vinyl and probably buy it. Until then it's on YouTube (hope it's not forbidden so say this here).
The Overture??? The Overture is one of the best tracks this mediocre album has to offer :D
I saw on Facebook that Yes announced their 50th anniversary tour - the version featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman.
Should be amusing when the Steve Howe version announces theirs as well.
If I had to go to one of them, there is no question I would go to the ARW show.
I believe in an album by ARW when I hold it in my hands. Yes have the tendency to announce stuff and never go through with it because someone stole another one’s cucumber and it results in a huge fight and possible lawsuit.
I saw on Facebook that Yes announced their 50th anniversary tour - the version featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman.Yeah, I agree with Fritzinger. I saw the Jon Davison version of Yes a few times (with Geoffry Downs on keys) and thought they were very good. However a ton of that was based on the fact that Squire was the man. Now that he's gone it's going to be a pretty sorry deal. They're just sad old men doing it for cash now (Alan White in particular seems like he just doesn't want to be there without his friend). The ARW show that I saw was pretty good, and they really seemed to enjoy themselves (well, two of them--Wakeman always looks bored). They're not a band that's been doing this stuff for 40 years, and it showed, but it was still solid and enjoyable. I'd make a point to see the ARW version if we were in the same town. I've blown off the Howe/Davison version the last couple of times they were in Dallas and will the next time.
Should be amusing when the Steve Howe version announces theirs as well.
If I had to go to one of them, there is no question I would go to the ARW show.
I saw on Facebook that Yes announced their 50th anniversary tour - the version featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman.Yeah, I agree with Fritzinger. I saw the Jon Davison version of Yes a few times (with Geoffry Downs on keys) and thought they were very good. However a ton of that was based on the fact that Squire was the man. Now that he's gone it's going to be a pretty sorry deal. They're just sad old men doing it for cash now (Alan White in particular seems like he just doesn't want to be there without his friend). The ARW show that I saw was pretty good, and they really seemed to enjoy themselves (well, two of them--Wakeman always looks bored). They're not a band that's been doing this stuff for 40 years, and it showed, but it was still solid and enjoyable. I'd make a point to see the ARW version if we were in the same town. I've blown off the Howe/Davison version the last couple of times they were in Dallas and will the next time.
Should be amusing when the Steve Howe version announces theirs as well.
If I had to go to one of them, there is no question I would go to the ARW show.
I'm actually kind of surprised that White hasn't jumped ship to the ARW camp. Squire's gone and Howe is not a pleasant man to be around. I have to wonder if being the steadiest member of the band all of this time has something to do with it.
Yes rereleased Fly From Here with Trevor Horn on vocals and expanded it a little. There's a new song, the FULL Hour Of Need, and a few different interludes on the title suite. Benoit sounded a lot like Trevor, and to a certain extend think this is pretty disrespectful to Benoit. But I like the new version better. I will wait for the vinyl and probably buy it. Until then it's on YouTube (hope it's not forbidden so say this here).
Honestly, I’m still skeptical. I mean, what else is Benoit going to say? You’re dealing in an industry where it is a general unspoken rule that everyone always speaks nice about each other publicly unless you A) are too big to worry about backlash or b) don’t care about dealing with any backlash which will most likely effect your future of finding work elsewhere.
Taking the high road is usually best for your long term income in this business.
Youre dealing in an industry where it is a general unspoken rule that everyone always speaks nice about each other publicly...
Um, you haven't been paying attention to anything said in the Yes, Kiss, Van Halen or Sons of Apollo camps, have you?
You’re dealing in an industry where it is a general unspoken rule that everyone always speaks nice about each other publicly...
Um, you haven't been paying attention to anything said in the Yes, Kiss, Van Halen or Sons of Apollo camps, have you?
Aren't most rap artists' careers built on not saying nice things about other artists?
Serious question for Yes fans.... is it hard to be a Yes fan with all the line-up changes? What I mean is, I know at the end of the day it's all about the music. But is it harder to identify with the band as a group of individuals if those individuals keep changing, than it is with a band like Metallica who have had 2 member changes since their first album over 30 years ago?
No disrespect to Fritzinger, with whom I usually agree, but I don't really have a problem with the lineup changes. Maybe it's because I've been spoiled because Chris has been there since Day One, and I always thought he was sort of the soul of the band. It took me:I agree with most of this, except Steve Howe. He's pretty much a integral part of Yes even though I'm more of a Trevor Rabin fan. I also liked Tony Kay, he was really good live on the Talk Tour in 1994.
- 4 seconds to get over Peter Banks being gone;
- 9 seconds to get over Tony Kaye;
- 15 seconds to get over Bill Bruford;
- 20 minutes to get over Wakeman the first time;
- 2 seconds to get over Patrick Moraz;
- 5 minutes to get over Howe;
From that point on it got to be 0 seconds for everyone. That's not to say that all are equal or interchangeable. "Open Your Eyes" is an embarrassment for a band of the caliber of Yes, and I don't think Heaven and Earth is that far behind (though the recent live disks with the entire albums are pretty good).
So uh, on the subject of Yes' recent albums...
I was playing through Magnification just now, & I was loving the album even more than I remembered. But then, as the album was ready to finish up, the closing track, 'Time Is Time' played.
& I think I started to tear up a little...
I've been going through a lot of mental issues lately, a lot of which revolved around me feeling worthless & depressed. & well, that song spoke to me. I realised that I could still feel the love in my life that could get me from day to day. I realised that even though everything seemed hopeless, I could still find a love of life through it all. I realised that I could still hold on to the things I loved in life whenever I was feeling everything was hopeless. & for the first time in years, I really felt like a human being with real emotions.
I know this is probably coming off as really tmi (especially since no-one here actually knows me personally), but I just wanted to say that, even though no-one from Yes will probably ever read this, songs like this are the reason that people say music can save lives, & to anyone that went into that song, I owe you my life. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for me hearing that song when I did, & I just want to make it clear how much this song means to me at this point in my life.
Okay, I think I'm starting to tear up again, so I'll wrap this up, but I'm so grateful for everything this band has done for my life, & all the hard times their music has gotten me through. So... thank you... for everything... :heart
I always got the same impression about Jon in general.
But has anyone seen any insight into what he’s really like? I ask because there’s not a lot of info out there about “the man”...only “the lead singer of Yes”. And I do recal hearing at least one report that he’s actually a bit stuck up and full of himself, which runs completely opposite of the “spiritual man” persona that he puts out front.
Now that Chris Squire is gone ( R.I.P.) I wish they would bring in Geddy Lee to make an album and tour with them. Since Rush has pretty much called it quits, Geddy would be a nice fit being that he's a huge fan of Yes..
I always got the same impression about Jon in general.My wife and I met Jon Anderson after one of his solo shows at the Beneroya Hall. He was very nice to us and gave us the time of day. He seemed just as happy to meet us as we were him, and his spiritual persona seemed to be very genuine. I've met Alan White twice, he was nice but Jon Anderson was more approachable..
But has anyone seen any insight into what he’s really like? I ask because there’s not a lot of info out there about “the man”...only “the lead singer of Yes”. And I do recal hearing at least one report that he’s actually a bit stuck up and full of himself, which runs completely opposite of the “spiritual man” persona that he puts out front.
Some Neal, though: Supernatural.
I find "Wonderous Stories" to be rather spiritual as well (actually, all of Going For The One, really).
"I don't like when I see bands that are just a memory of what they used to be, and there's a few out there that I've seen recently that are still touring... I'm not gonna name them, but some of the members can barely play their parts, and then they have a lot of other members that weren't even originally in the band. So I don't know. I would rather see a band like Rush go out on top and have all the good memories of what they're capable of."
Serious question for Yes fans.... is it hard to be a Yes fan with all the line-up changes? What I mean is, I know at the end of the day it's all about the music. But is it harder to identify with the band as a group of individuals if those individuals keep changing, than it is with a band like Metallica who have had 2 member changes since their first album over 30 years ago?
Quote"I don't like when I see bands that are just a memory of what they used to be, and there's a few out there that I've seen recently that are still touring... I'm not gonna name them, but some of the members can barely play their parts, and then they have a lot of other members that weren't even originally in the band. So I don't know. I would rather see a band like Rush go out on top and have all the good memories of what they're capable of."
With some bands, "original members" isn't the best indicator of quality. I prefer to consider the "classic" lineup.
And just to be pedantic, the classic Rush lineup wasn't the original band, either.
Talk is SOOOOO good. I’ve been spinning it all this week. I love 90125, but Talk is my favorite “Yeswest” album.Absolutely this!!! Talk is fantastic and the song Endless Dream might just be my favorite song ever written by any band ever.. They played that at the Gorge in 1994 during a almost otherworldly sunset, and to this day it is one of the most awesome things I have ever witnessed..
And yacht rock is now a subject of two threads.
Talk is SOOOOO good. I’ve been spinning it all this week. I love 90125, but Talk is my favorite “Yeswest” album.
And yacht rock is now a subject of two threads.
What the hell is yacht rock?
Everything I've seen online from the Talk Tour was off the charts good. It's a shame that ended the way it did.
I just saw that this morning. I think it's awesome for vinyl collectors.
People are complaining about the new artwork. Sigh. Losers.
Can we please stop complaining about the complaining?
:) :)
And yacht rock is now a subject of two threads.
What the hell is yacht rock?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rock
Most people throw the term out like it is an insult to be considered part of that style, but not everything has to ROCK to be good.
They renamed '70's soft rock? Why? Never understood the need to file everything down. The bigger umbrella the better.
And yacht rock is now a subject of two threads.
What the hell is yacht rock?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rock
Most people throw the term out like it is an insult to be considered part of that style, but not everything has to ROCK to be good.
They renamed '70's soft rock? Why? Never understood the need to file everything down. The bigger umbrella the better.
And yacht rock is now a subject of two threads.
What the hell is yacht rock?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rock
Most people throw the term out like it is an insult to be considered part of that style, but not everything has to ROCK to be good.
They renamed '70's soft rock? Why? Never understood the need to file everything down. The bigger umbrella the better.
And yacht rock is now a subject of two threads.
What the hell is yacht rock?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rock
Most people throw the term out like it is an insult to be considered part of that style, but not everything has to ROCK to be good.
They renamed '70's soft rock? Why? Never understood the need to file everything down. The bigger umbrella the better.
I think it's less about "labels" than it is the desperate, undying need to be hip and snarky about EVERYTHING.
Hey everyone! The Yes thread has been quiet lately, so it's time to bring it back.
I was wondering what is your favorite Yes era? Many prefer the classic era, but I really like the Trevor Rabin era. Especially towards the end with the TALK album.
I just purchased a dvd of the TALK Tour filmed in Santiago Chile and it is pretty fantastic! It's easily the best footage of that era that I've come across. I saw them on that tour at The Gorge and is still by far the best Yes experience I've ever had. Trevor Rabin brings alot more energy to the band and that's when Yes was at their peak in 1994. :coolio
I missed Rush on the Counterparts tour, they didn't come to Seattle that year if I remember right. That's awesome you got to see them four times, but it would have been totally worth it to sacrifice one of those Rush concerts to see YES that year. It was epic!Hey everyone! The Yes thread has been quiet lately, so it's time to bring it back.
I was wondering what is your favorite Yes era? Many prefer the classic era, but I really like the Trevor Rabin era. Especially towards the end with the TALK album.
I just purchased a dvd of the TALK Tour filmed in Santiago Chile and it is pretty fantastic! It's easily the best footage of that era that I've come across. I saw them on that tour at The Gorge and is still by far the best Yes experience I've ever had. Trevor Rabin brings alot more energy to the band and that's when Yes was at their peak in 1994. :coolio
That's a pretty amazing show. Wish I'd seen them on that tour. They were on fire. Needed to see Rush 4 times that year instead.
In 1994? Rookie. :neverusethis:
That sounds like a damned good year, even if it was only three months. :metal :metal :metal :metal
I missed Rush on the Counterparts tour, they didn't come to Seattle that year if I remember right. That's awesome you got to see them four times, but it would have been totally worth it to sacrifice one of those Rush concerts to see YES that year. It was epic!Hey everyone! The Yes thread has been quiet lately, so it's time to bring it back.
I was wondering what is your favorite Yes era? Many prefer the classic era, but I really like the Trevor Rabin era. Especially towards the end with the TALK album.
I just purchased a dvd of the TALK Tour filmed in Santiago Chile and it is pretty fantastic! It's easily the best footage of that era that I've come across. I saw them on that tour at The Gorge and is still by far the best Yes experience I've ever had. Trevor Rabin brings alot more energy to the band and that's when Yes was at their peak in 1994. :coolio
That's a pretty amazing show. Wish I'd seen them on that tour. They were on fire. Needed to see Rush 4 times that year instead.
Wish they had Geddy on bass, one can only dream.. ::)
I was wondering what is your favorite Yes era? Many prefer the classic era, but I really like the Trevor Rabin era. Especially towards the end with the TALK album.Talk is one of my favorite records actually! I had to hunt down a copy on eBay, but it was worth it.
I just purchased a dvd of the TALK Tour filmed in Santiago Chile and it is pretty fantastic! It's easily the best footage of that era that I've come across. I saw them on that tour at The Gorge and is still by far the best Yes experience I've ever had. Trevor Rabin brings alot more energy to the band and that's when Yes was at their peak in 1994. :coolio
This ARW live CD is fine but I wish there was a lot more YesWest (90125, Big Generator, Talk). I like Roundabout, Awaken and I've Seen All Good People as much as the next guy but I already have a dozen live versions of them. Looks like 5 tracks of YesWest not counting Owner of a Lonely Heart. Tripling that and playing YesWest deep tracks would have been great. As it is, it's worth buying but a missed opportunity.I didn't even know this was released. I agree though, they need alot more YesWest songs. I think it's a crime that Shoot High Aim Low and Endless Dream aren't automatic staples in a set list with Trevor Rabin and Jon Anderson in the line-up.
I'm having trouble seeing how it needs more YesWest. Nearly half the tracks are YesWest as it is. The "classic Yes" tracks are longer, so more runtime, but still pretty evenly divided, considering Rabin was in the band less than 10 years out of 50.
This ARW live CD is fine but I wish there was a lot more YesWest (90125, Big Generator, Talk). I like Roundabout, Awaken and I've Seen All Good People as much as the next guy but I already have a dozen live versions of them. Looks like 5 tracks of YesWest not counting Owner of a Lonely Heart. Tripling that and playing YesWest deep tracks would have been great. As it is, it's worth buying but a missed opportunity.
The lack of Endless Dream isn't a missed opportunity, it's a big kick in the balls.
I've Seen All Good People is a staple like Owner. They just have to play it. It'd be like no Highway to Hell or Satisfaction.
The production work by Rabin is outstanding. Best sounding Yes live album I know. Like Devi already mentioned, many songs come with a little twist or an extension. I'm happy to hear in what good condition the voice of Anderson is and yes, the wait for an album is killing me, too.
Yeah, basically after they'd worked in the studio for about the "normal" amount of time, Rabin took all the tapes (actually digital multitracks) back to his place and played with them for hours and hours. 13,000 hours is just Anderson using hyperbole, but by all accounts, it was a lot of time and he tweaked everything. Individual notes were adjusted, entire sections were reworked, drums sounds were removed and replaced by triggered sounds. It is widely believed that even though Tony Kaye is credited as the keyboard player, there's nothing left on the album that he actually played; his parts were all re-recorded by Rabin. Some bass parts, too.
Rabin knew that this would almost certainly be his last Yes album, and he wanted it to be perfect. And it does sound fantastic, I must admit. Somehow, I guess I prefer a bit less polish. To me it sounds over-produced, tweaked and corrected until there's no life left in the performances, because they're not even musical performances any more, but digital reproductions and simulations of musical performances. It sounds great, though.
Just going to throw it out because... but if you're a fan of Trevor, and you don't have (or haven't heard) Jacaranda, you need to rectumfy that immediately.
Not sure if this has been posted here before, but this left me completely impressed :o
I am usually not the biggest cover guy, but this one is just incredible.
Needless to say that the song itself is also a huge masterpiece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yVWwjI932k
I'm happy you like it that much and yes, it's that good. JP and TR doesn't necessaryly have to be compared, but in my dream band Trevor is playing. His guitar skill is marvelous, but it's about what he is hearing inside. The harmonies he can bring into existence. I always call him the last harmony wizard, while the world keeps suscribing to mediocracy like the Foo Fighters.Yeah not to compare, I just think JP and TR are in the same league musically. Both have amazing technical and compositional skills with a great sense of melody. They are at the top of my list of favorite musicians of all time.
I'm not a big live albums guy, but the 2 releases from Fates Warning and Yes (ARW) in this year are fantastic representives of their kind.
If you already regard Trevor that highly, I think it will be a (positive) revelation. I always liked him (LOVE his vocals) but it was that album that convinced me he was one of the truly elite guitar players out there.:tup
And if you're having it, look forward to track 4 - the section from 1.16 on.:lol
That belongs to the most mindblowing stuff I've ever heard.
note to myself: good job, trying to reduce expectations to rise them only one post later.
I don't spin Jacaranda that often, but it is definitely really good.
I have always been a big fan of Can't Look Away. It is a bit 80's sounding at times, and not always in a good way, but the songs are there. The Cape is an awesome song in general, and even better to show off your stereo.
All of that. For me, being a HUGE Yes fan, and loving Drama, when 90210 came out I was like "yeah, I like this guy's voice, but he's a rock guy, and Yes already has one of those in Squire. Where's the diversity of Steve Howe??" and then when I saw the live version (three times between the 90210 and Big Penetrator tours) it was even more evident that Trevor was a "rock guy". The eclectic acoustic guitar and country chicken-pickin' solos from Howe seemed to be replaced with more traditional rock parts. Good ones, don't get me wrong, but more traditional.
And I carried that for years. He was the "commercial rock guy" (that's not a bad thing at all for me). Then my buddy convinced me to listen to Jacaranda (and it was only a couple years ago) and I realized that Trevor was every bit as capable of playing other styles substantively and meaningfully. It really expanded my appreciation of him.
All of that. For me, being a HUGE Yes fan, and loving Drama, when 90210 came out I was like "yeah, I like this guy's voice, but he's a rock guy, and Yes already has one of those in Squire. Where's the diversity of Steve Howe??" and then when I saw the live version (three times between the 90210 and Big Penetrator tours) it was even more evident that Trevor was a "rock guy". The eclectic acoustic guitar and country chicken-pickin' solos from Howe seemed to be replaced with more traditional rock parts. Good ones, don't get me wrong, but more traditional.
And I carried that for years. He was the "commercial rock guy" (that's not a bad thing at all for me). Then my buddy convinced me to listen to Jacaranda (and it was only a couple years ago) and I realized that Trevor was every bit as capable of playing other styles substantively and meaningfully. It really expanded my appreciation of him.
It's always delightful to see, when years old conceptions get thrown over.
Did it change your perception of his work/time in Yes ?
I Didn't Think It Would Last should have been the single from Can't Look Away. Shoot, had that been recorded and released as a Yes song, with a slight tweaking to the arrangement, it could have been a big hit.
I'm watching Live at the Apollo, and I was a bit surprised to learn that ARW has now officially changed their name to "Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Rick Wakeman"
I don't have a link, but I heard that Yes featuring ARW is now on sabbatical and when/if they will return is unknown. Sounds like Jon Anderson got tired of plans for a new album and/or more tour dates always being put off.
I brought this up because "Live at the Apollo" premiered on TV tonight. I just got done watching it, and now I really REALLY regret not seeing this when it hit Seattle. Great setlist, great show.
Did they ever go into the studio at all?
I brought this up because "Live at the Apollo" premiered on TV tonight.
I watched a little more last night. I doubt this is something I will buy, as I'd probably never watch it again, but I am glad I am getting to see it on cable. It is so nice to see 90125 songs (besides Owner) performed live again by Yes, and I am still a sucker for Trevor Rabin singing.
I still wish they would have busted out a song from Talk for that tour and the recorded concert, but oh well, what can you do? It will be a shame if Yes featuring ARW is done, as I'd love to see them do another tour and get a little more adventurous, like playing some cool Rabin-era deep tracks like Heart, Shoot High Aim Low or I Am Waiting, but I won't hold my breath. :lol :lol
A large portion of Yes fans would disagree, but Endless Dream kicks the ever-living snot out of Awaken. :hat
Getting their act together has never been Yes' thing, which is probably why they have never had the same lineup for more than two albums in a row. :lol :lol
A large portion of Yes fans would disagree, but Endless Dream kicks the ever-living snot out of Awaken. :hatI'm with you on that bro! I love Awaken, but Endless Dream is one of my favorite songs ever written by any band. ☀
I still wish they would have busted out a song from Talk for that tour and the recorded concert, but oh well, what can you do? It will be a shame if Yes featuring ARW is done, as I'd love to see them do another tour and get a little more adventurous, like playing some cool Rabin-era deep tracks like Heart, Shoot High Aim Low or I Am Waiting, but I won't hold my breath. :lol :lol
I think they did play I Am Waiting on another leg of the tour, and I think Hearts made an appearance or two as well. For me, I would have loved to have seen them go really deep and bring out I'm Running, Final Eyes or Endless Dream. Final Eyes to me felt like the Rabin equivalent to And You And I and Endless Dream is the same answer to Awaken. Sad to think they might be done. It's another in a string of missed opportunities for this band since the 80s.
I would consider Endless Dream to be Rabin's crowning achievement in Yes, though.
I love Talk but nothing compares to 90125. That's Rabin's masterpiece.
A large portion of Yes fans would disagree, but Endless Dream kicks the ever-living snot out of Awaken. :hatI'm with you on that bro! I love Awaken, but Endless Dream is one of my favorite songs ever written by any band. ☀
Final Eyes might just be my favorite Rabin-era song.
A large portion of Yes fans would disagree, but Endless Dream kicks the ever-living snot out of Awaken. :hat
A large portion of Yes fans would disagree, but Endless Dream kicks the ever-living snot out of Awaken. :hat
I don't even know how to respond to that.
I love Talk but nothing compares to 90125. That's Rabin's masterpiece.
It's a close call, but I think I prefer Talk by a slight margin, although I get why many would say 90125.
Endless Dream is nice, but doesn't come close to the atmosphere of Awaken.
Okay, maybe it comes close, but nothing beats Awaken. Nothing!
Sorry to split hairs, but "Talk" is RABIN'S masterpiece, but 90210 is YesWEST's masterpiece, if that makes sense. Rabin basically carried 95% of the water on Talk and that makes it an amazing achievement. But the band worked together best on the first record.
As with any epic, you have to be in the right mood for Awaken. I mean, you don't listen to a 15 or 20 minute piece of music if you don't really feel like it, right?
As with any epic, you have to be in the right mood for Awaken. I mean, you don't listen to a 15 or 20 minute piece of music if you don't really feel like it, right?
True, but if I am in the mood for a 15-minute plus track, I am going for The Gates of Delirium, or Endless Dream, or Close to the Edge. All three of those would be in my Yes top 10, and I don't think I'd even put Awaken in the top 25 anymore (where it was borderline back in the day).
My top 10 Yes tracks:
#1. Close To The Edge
#2. Heart Of The Sunrise
#3. The More We Live (Let Go)
#4. The Gates Of Delirium
#5. Machine Messiah
#6. And You And I
#7. Survival
#8. Onward
#9. The Revealing Science Of God
10. Starship Trooper
For me, the greatest masterpiece that Yes ever released is Relayer. And The Gates Of Delirium is their greatest song in my opinion. The way it just perfectly flows, without even one leitmotif connecting the parts.. I have no idea how they made that work. I am usually a listener who wants a song to have like a "red line" (same reason why I don't like most Marillion 15 mins+ songs, they're just too linear, except for Ocean Cloud). But with Gates, it's different. The finale of that song always has me thanking the universe that I may listen to something that beautiful. As cheesy as that sounds :biggrin: Genesis' Supper's Ready has the same effect on me.
With all the talk (lol) about Close To The Edge and Awaken (which are of course masterpieces), I always feel that there is one 10 min+ song by Yes which always fall short. And that song is Machine Messiah! I absolutely love that song. The heaviness, Howe's guitar solo, the demonic reprises of the main theme.. Amazing.
I find it interesting that on the two last tours Yes tours with Rabin (1994 and this most recent one), Rhythm of Love was played, but Love Will Find a Way was not, when the latter was the much bigger hit. Neither Leave it nor It Can Happen were played on either tour either. Makes me wonder why none of those songs were played.
#3. The More We Live (Let Go)
Your #3 is an interesting choice. What about that song resonates with you?
Oh I love this song too. Beautiful melodies and a very captivating vibe, a song with Alot of depth.#3. The More We Live (Let Go)
Your #3 is an interesting choice. What about that song resonates with you?
I absolutely adore the ambiance of the song (lol alliteration). It has such a way of moving me into its world, & I love songs that have the ability to do that to me (Queensryche's Disconnected and Ayreon's Comatose are also good examples). I also really love the melodies. The "it's time to reach the goals we set for ourselves" section especially brings me to tears, & every time it transitions into the chorus I get chills. It's such a beautiful song & I think it's extremely underrated among Yes fans.
The More We Live (Let Go) is one of the few gems of theOnionUnion record. I wouldn't put it in my top 10 but I still love that song. Great moody atmospheric piece.
Oh I love this song too. Beautiful melodies and a very captivating vibe, a song with Alot of depth.#3. The More We Live (Let Go)
Your #3 is an interesting choice. What about that song resonates with you?
I absolutely adore the ambiance of the song (lol alliteration). It has such a way of moving me into its world, & I love songs that have the ability to do that to me (Queensryche's Disconnected and Ayreon's Comatose are also good examples). I also really love the melodies. The "it's time to reach the goals we set for ourselves" section especially brings me to tears, & every time it transitions into the chorus I get chills. It's such a beautiful song & I think it's extremely underrated among Yes fans.
My question is, what is there not to like about this song??
Oh I love this song too. Beautiful melodies and a very captivating vibe, a song with Alot of depth.#3. The More We Live (Let Go)
Your #3 is an interesting choice. What about that song resonates with you?
I absolutely adore the ambiance of the song (lol alliteration). It has such a way of moving me into its world, & I love songs that have the ability to do that to me (Queensryche's Disconnected and Ayreon's Comatose are also good examples). I also really love the melodies. The "it's time to reach the goals we set for ourselves" section especially brings me to tears, & every time it transitions into the chorus I get chills. It's such a beautiful song & I think it's extremely underrated among Yes fans.
My question is, what is there not to like about this song??
I don't remember much of the back half of Union, because I always thought it was trash. From the first half, I do like Lift Me Up, Miracle of Life and Shock to the System all quite a bit.My fav tracks from the second half of Union are Miracle of Life, The More We Live Let Go, and Silent Talking. All three great songs.
I don't remember much of the back half of Union, because I always thought it was trash. From the first half, I do like Lift Me Up, Miracle of Life and Shock to the System all quite a bit.
ALL of Union is great. :D
It's not that good, though. Even though it has a few songs I like, there are only two Yes albums I'd put below it for sure (Heaven and Earth & Tormato), and maybe one more depending on what day it is (Fly from Here).
It's not that good, though. Even though it has a few songs I like, there are only two Yes albums I'd put below it for sure (Heaven and Earth & Tormato), and maybe one more depending on what day it is (Fly from Here).
not Open Your Eyes? :omg:
Same here. I like Open Your Eyes. I avoided it for a long time because I was so bummed that the "classic" lineup had broken up again that I didn't give it a chance, and it was pretty bizarre how their final album came out within weeks of the first album by the new lineup. Also, the cover was boring and I'd heard the single (the title track) and it was okay, but money was tight at the time, so it was not worth the risk.
When I finally got it years later, it was a batch of regular songs, no epics, but most were catchy and it all sounded great. The Yes harmonies, Howe's guitars, Squire's bass, everything was there except for a strong keyboard performance, but Wakeman had already been hit or miss for a while.
I find it interesting that on the two last tours Yes tours with Rabin (1994 and this most recent one), Rhythm of Love was played, but Love Will Find a Way was not, when the latter was the much bigger hit. Neither Leave it nor It Can Happen were played on either tour either. Makes me wonder why none of those songs were played.I totally agree. It Can Happen would be incredible in a live setting, and Love Will Find A Way should be a live staple too.
It Can Happen would be incredible in a live setting, and Love Will Find A Way should be a live staple too.
Another song that gets no love in a live setting is Shoot High Aim Low. That is an absolute abomination that they didn't play that on the Talk tour or the most recent ARW tour. One of the cooler YES songs ever written!
I always loved I Would Have Waited Forever. Surprised it hardly gets mentioned here. That 6/4-groove is sick!One of my favorite's off of Union. That would be fun to hear live, the vocal harmonies in the chorus would sound so powerful. Especially after the long ascending build-up later in the song. :hefdaddy
Yeah I like BG too. I do remember hearing Shoot High Aim Low on the radio, but not in a long time. I don't really know if it would be considered a deep cut, but it is definitely a top 2 Rabin era song for me along with Endless Dream.
Also there is Real Love, a very unique song that really rocks when it kicks into gear and that guitar solo!Yeah I like BG too. I do remember hearing Shoot High Aim Low on the radio, but not in a long time. I don't really know if it would be considered a deep cut, but it is definitely a top 2 Rabin era song for me along with Endless Dream.
Shoot High Aim Low might be my 3rd favorite from the Rabin era after Endless Dream and Changes. But wait, there is The Calling, and Hearts, and I Am Waiting, and Owner of a Lonely Heart, and Love Will Find a Way, and...so many good songs!!!!!! :tup :tup
Also there is Real Love, a very unique song that really rocks when it kicks into gear and that guitar solo!
A large portion of Yes fans would disagree, but Endless Dream kicks the ever-living snot out of Awaken. :hat
Endless Dream is nice, but doesn't come close to the atmosphere of Awaken.
Okay, maybe it comes close, but nothing beats Awaken. Nothing!
It's not even my favorite from that record! :P
That would go to Turn of the Century.
Awaken does have some glorious moments, but I just have trouble getting through it now.
Yeah I like BG too. I do remember hearing Shoot High Aim Low on the radio, but not in a long time. I don't really know if it would be considered a deep cut, but it is definitely a top 2 Rabin era song for me along with Endless Dream.
Shoot High Aim Low might be my 3rd favorite from the Rabin era after Endless Dream and Changes. But wait, there is The Calling, and Hearts, and I Am Waiting, and Owner of a Lonely Heart, and Love Will Find a Way, and...so many good songs!!!!!! :tup :tup
I just discovered a full concert of the Union Tour last night on YouTube! I started to watch, couldn't stop watching, abandoned all my Saturday night plans and watched it till the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j81boILNI8&t=4689s
I hope it's okay to post this here, otherwise I'll remove it of course.
I like Rabin-era Yes the most, especially the Talk album. Endless Dream is :hefdaddy:hefdaddy
I just discovered a full concert of the Union Tour last night on YouTube! I started to watch, couldn't stop watching, abandoned all my Saturday night plans and watched it till the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j81boILNI8&t=4689s
I hope it's okay to post this here, otherwise I'll remove it of course.
Haven't picked up that Live Union set yet.
If someone asked me what rock album features the most bad ass bass playing, the answer would be easy and instant:
Fragile
Chris Squire... :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
If someone asked me what rock album features the most bad ass bass playing, the answer would be easy and instant:
Fragile
Chris Squire... :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
I actually wouldn't argue with that even a little bit.
https://youtu.be/pEQjXM2wFxk
"All Fighters Past" - an unused song from the Fragile days, with bits later reused for CTTE and TFTO.
Just found out about this from the Big Big Train Facebook group, have NEVER heard it before in my life! Anyone else heard of this before, or is this the first time you've heard about this?
-Marc.
Jon Anderson interview, where he confirms that Yes featuring ARW is on indefinite hiatus:Well that sucks! :tdwn :(
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/yes-jon-anderson-interview-new-album-reunion-809684/
I just discovered a full concert of the Union Tour last night on YouTube! I started to watch, couldn't stop watching, abandoned all my Saturday night plans and watched it till the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j81boILNI8&t=4689s
I hope it's okay to post this here, otherwise I'll remove it of course.
Haven't picked up that Live Union set yet.
That has been around for a while in various forms and formats. It's a good show from what was - at least relative to the album - a great tour. I think I saw three shows from that tour.
I don't usually feel this way about musicians/artists that we lose (John Wetton is perhaps the only other one in this group), but I miss Chris Squire so much. He had a way of making that Rickenbacker look so... small. I don't know if it was a special model or what, but you look at him, then look at Geddy or Cliff Burton, on whom the Rick looks like a slab from a barn wall...
If someone asked me what rock album features the most bad ass bass playing, the answer would be easy and instant:
Fragile
Chris Squire... :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
I actually wouldn't argue with that even a little bit.
Word, Kev.
Interestingly, Chris Squire is listed as a bassist in the Personnel section. Perhaps they're using of his unused Yes material? :huh:
It was posted in the Yes Discography thread!
It's a curious release, because 1. it's being released on a Sunday and 2. it's not available anywhere except for the 1000Hands website for 60$ plus 24$ shipping (for the vinyl).
I hope the vinyl will be available somewhere else because I refuse to pay so much money for a single vinyl.
Oh, and there's this:https://ultimateclassicrock.com/jon-anderson-yes-reunion/
AWR is on "hiatus", and there was disagreement over an album.
@Kev--What makes you say White can physically do it anymore? It's been a couple of years since I last saw Yes (no Squire-no Yes), but he seemed just fine.
Well, he can still hit some drums, but in my personal opinion, he can't play well anymore. He put together all his strengths for the RnRHoF performance (and he had one hell of a supporter with Geddy Lee), but listening to him play is becoming harder and harder. He drags, the is imprecise, no energy. Exactly the opposite of what made him special in the 1970s (Siberian Khatru on Yessongs holy shit). It hurts me to say that.
Alan White SLAYED it on the TALK tour in 1994. One of the best drum performances I've ever seen! I've seen different incarnations of Yes live several times since then, but none of them even come close to the TALK tour.
He might get my vote as well (it would be him or Geddy, depending on my mood).
Here is something to ponder: if Howe decides to bring Anderson back in to his version of Yes, what happens to Downes? From everything I have ever read, Anderson refuses to sing Drama material (and I suspect that would also apply to anything they have done without him in the last decade), which means if Downes stays in the band, he basically does it knowing that any Yes material he originally played on is now off-limits.
i'm going to see him in a small theater in about two weeks. Can't wait, though won't lie: I'm alternating between "skeptical" and "curious". If I get 90 minutes of Awaken, and some of stuff like Toltec (which I like) I'll be happy. If I get 90 minutes of Arriving UFO and Vangelis, maybe not so much.
Oh, and there's this:https://ultimateclassicrock.com/jon-anderson-yes-reunion/
AWR is on "hiatus", and there was disagreement over an album.
If someone asked me what rock album features the most bad ass bass playing, the answer would be easy and instant:
Fragile
Chris Squire... :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Squire is on fire on Drama. He was always a madman on the bass anyway, but Drama was a different vibe. It's like he was re-energized, the whole band was different. Of course that's true of Yes in general. By constantly swapping out the guitarist, keyboards, drummer, even lead singer, every album has its unique vibe, yet somehow it all still sounds like Yes, and nothing else does.
That really is a shame about the ARW YES falling through. They were working on a new album that I was really looking forward to and the single sounded really cool! Trevor Rabin always wanted to do an album with Wakeman and Anderson in the line-up, plus Rabin would be engineering the album. We all know how good of a job he did with TALK back in 1994. After all his experience doing movie scores since then, I bet he would have produced a mighty fine album with Yes.
I wonder who decided to drop the ball on this one? GOOD GRIEF!!! :facepalm:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jon-anderson-yes-makes-me-happy-video-813528/?fbclid=IwAR1rHXa3ijETIbVEMVbR1hVCRXsQLSJnsGevs0JtIZ4K5sy03I2duwvooiE:rollin
Opinions?
I met him at one of his solo shows in Seattle around 10 years ago. He was very down to earth and nice. He seemed to be just as grateful to meet my wife and I as we were to meet him. He actually had a free meet and greet after the show. So yeah, it was a very positive experience. :tup
Any thoughts? Anyone ever meet him?
I'm seeing John tomorrow. Got free tickets!
SCORE!
Billy Sherwood doing double duty as well?
I may go to this with a friend at work. I was saying to him that this sounds interesting, but...
It's Yes without Anderson, Squire or Wakeman.
It's Asia with I'm not even sure. Is Carl Palmer going to do both the ELP thing and Asia? How much is Howe really going to play with Asia? Will Downes be doing both Yes and Asia?
It's "ELP Legacy" with only the "P" (and with Arthur Brown singing??).
Not that there's anything that can be done about the lack of Emerson, Lake and Squire, but I can't say any of those things individually holds much interest for me. All of them together in one place might be worth checking out (especially since the Orange County show is on a Saturday).
I'm sure it'll still make a TON of money because it's 3/4th of the original Asia touring with Yes.
I wonder what Derek has been up to, then? :lol
I'm sure it'll still make a TON of money because it's 3/4th of the original Asia touring with Yes.
I don't think anything Yes have done in the last 10-15 years has made a "ton" of money :-\
I wonder what Derek has been up to, then? :lol
Secretly flipping burgers.
Duh, he's writing the new Sons' opus.
Well, with Billy Sheehan and Soto busy with Octavision, I guess Bumblefoot decided he'd pick up another gig, too, while SOA was on hiatus. I wonder what Derek has been up to, then? :lol
Well, with Billy Sheehan and Soto busy with Octavision, I guess Bumblefoot decided he'd pick up another gig, too, while SOA was on hiatus. I wonder what Derek has been up to, then? :lol
Making history!
And you?
Well, with Billy Sheehan and Soto busy with Octavision, I guess Bumblefoot decided he'd pick up another gig, too, while SOA was on hiatus. I wonder what Derek has been up to, then? :lol
Making history!
And you?
I'm sure it'll still make a TON of money because it's 3/4th of the original Asia touring with Yes.
I don't think anything Yes have done in the last 10-15 years has made a "ton" of money :-\
The last time I saw Asia - the last tour before Steve quit to devote full time to Yes - they played Mohegan Sun Casino's Wolf Den, a 300-seat cabaret setup that is free to people in the casino (the band is paid, but it's fully subsidized by the casino). That's not a band that is writing their own checks or holding promoters hostage.
All by himself? Well, I mean I figured he was writing SOME of it, but hopefully it's not all of Derek's material on the next album.QuoteI wonder what Derek has been up to, then? :lol
Secretly flipping burgers.
Duh, he's writing the new Sons' opus.
Sounds awesome, I would love to meet him. But I don't think I will spend 122 bucks for it. Was it worth it for you though?
What do you mean by "he has his reputation"? Were there any strange stories?
Yes, Asia, and Carl Palmer Tour
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/yes-announces-the-royal-affair-tour-with-asia-and-carl-palmers-elp-legacy/
Bumblefoot will play with Asia.
Steve Howe will play with Asia and Yes
Jun. 12 - Bethlehem, PA - Bethlehem Event Center
Jun. 14 - Farmingdale, NY - Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater
Jun. 15 - Atlantic City, NJ - Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
Jun. 16 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Jun. 20 - Westchester, NY - Westchester County Center
Jun. 21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
Jun. 22 - Baltimore, MD - MECU Pavillion
Jun. 24 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
Jun. 25 - Lewiston, NY - Artpark Amphitheater
Jun. 27 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Jun. 29 - Gilford, NH - Bank of NH Pavilion
Jun. 30 - Providence, RI - Bold Point Park
Jul. 03 - Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
Jul. 05 - Columbus, OH - Express Live
Jul. 06 - Aurora, IL - RiverEdge Park
Jul. 08 - Nashville, TN - Grand Ole Opry House
Jul. 10 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park
Jul. 12 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
Jul. 13 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Jul. 18 - St Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Jul. 20 - Irving, TX - Toyota Music Factory
Jul. 21 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
Jul. 24 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
Jul. 26 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
Jul. 27 - Irvine, CA - FivePoints Amphitheatre
Jul. 28 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
Magnification is solid, Open Your Eyes has some good tracks but lacks depth and proggyness. The Ladder has some good tracks (Homeworld, New Language) but songs like Lightning Strikes kill it for me. Maybe the worst Yes song ever recorded.
I REALLY hope they remaster - or better: remix!! - the studio tracks from Keys To Ascension and put them out as a studio double LP. I believe those songs are the only ones not available on vinyl by Yes. Meanwhile, Open Your Eyes is getting its third (!) vinyl rerelease now. (I think it's being released on 26th of April but somehow I already found a copy in my small hometown's local electronic shop like a week ago.)
@Stadler: Agree 120% on Jon Davison!
I REALLY hope they remaster - or better: remix!! - the studio tracks from Keys To Ascension and put them out as a studio double LP. I believe those songs are the only ones not available on vinyl by Yes. Meanwhile, Open Your Eyes is getting its third (!) vinyl rerelease now. (I think it's being released on 26th of April but somehow I already found a copy in my small hometown's local electronic shop like a week ago.)
@Stadler: Agree 120% on Jon Davison!
The Keys material is second only to GFTO in terms of what the lineup of Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman and White put out, in my opinion. Criminally underrated by both the fanbase and the band itself.
Stadler, Architeuthis and Rabin era fans: Because YES feat. ARW couldn't make an album, I tried to make one for myself by mashing up Rabin soundtracks and other sources with Anderson solo tracks.I just listened to alot of it. Man you must have taken a long time to do that, it's actually pretty cool! Some parts work better than others as far as the timing goes, but the melodies seem to work on the most part. I like how you meshed songs from the Tree of Life album with Rabin songs ( I'm thinking from Jacuranda?) I recently bought Jacuranda, but have only listened to it once. Trevor Rabin has some serious guitar chops on that album.
It would be great to get some feedback, what you think of the soundquality and if you think it's listenable or too chaotic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paFe9RygVH0
Stadler, Architeuthis and Rabin era fans: Because YES feat. ARW couldn't make an album, I tried to make one for myself by mashing up Rabin soundtracks and other sources with Anderson solo tracks.
It would be great to get some feedback, what you think of the soundquality and if you think it's listenable or too chaotic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paFe9RygVH0
Stadler, Architeuthis and Rabin era fans: Because YES feat. ARW couldn't make an album, I tried to make one for myself by mashing up Rabin soundtracks and other sources with Anderson solo tracks.I just listened to alot of it. Man you must have taken a long time to do that, it's actually pretty cool! Some parts work better than others as far as the timing goes, but the melodies seem to work on the most part. I like bow you meshed songs from the Tree of Life album with Rabin songs ( I'm thinking from Jacuranda?) I recently bought Jacuranda, but have only listened to it once. Trevor Rabin has some serious guitar chops on that album.
It would be great to get some feedback, what you think of the soundquality and if you think it's listenable or too chaotic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paFe9RygVH0
Anyaway, that was fun to listen to and I have your post a like on the Youtube page. 👍
So, serious question(s). I might have a chance to meet Mr. Wakeman in a few weeks. I was able to get Jon to sign Going For The One (my favorite album of all time), but I'm torn. If given the chance, do I:
- have Rick also sign GFTO?
- have him sign something else?
- and if so, here's the kicker: is it out of line to ask him to sign Tales From Topographic Oceans (it's one of my favorite album covers ever)?
Thoughts?
Stadler, Architeuthis and Rabin era fans: Because YES feat. ARW couldn't make an album, I tried to make one for myself by mashing up Rabin soundtracks and other sources with Anderson solo tracks.I just listened to alot of it. Man you must have taken a long time to do that, it's actually pretty cool! Some parts work better than others as far as the timing goes, but the melodies seem to work on the most part. I like how you meshed songs from the Tree of Life album with Rabin songs ( I'm thinking from Jacuranda?) I recently bought Jacuranda, but have only listened to it once. Trevor Rabin has some serious guitar chops on that album.
It would be great to get some feedback, what you think of the soundquality and if you think it's listenable or too chaotic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paFe9RygVH0
Anyaway, that was fun to listen to and I gave your post a like on the Youtube page. 👍
UK TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: THE ALBUM SERIES 2020
The Album Series 2020 Tour will feature YES' 1974 Relayer album in its entirety together with a selection of other classic YES favourites. (An extensive European tour will be announced soon.)
The show will comprise two sets by the band with full production and a high definition video wall. The first will feature favourite classic tracks from YES’ extensive catalogue. The second will feature Relayer, the seventh studio album by YES, and one of the band’s most distinctive.
Roger Dean will attend every show on the UK and European dates, and will have an exhibition of his iconic art, will be available to chat with fans front of house and sign merch, plus will be in the VIP meet and greets.
Tickets on sale tomorrow, Friday 11th October at 10AM!
See the full list of dates below and find out more at http://yesworld.com/2019/10/the-album-series-2020
The Album Series 2020 UK Dates:
Tuesday 26 May: Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
Wednesday 27 May: Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham
Friday 29 May: Barbican, York
Saturday 30 May: The Sage, Gateshead
Sunday 31 May: Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
Tuesday 2 June: Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Wednesday 3 June: Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Friday 5 June: Royal Albert Hall, London
(https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/72465480_3384521261559838_3871029340707749888_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_oc=AQl9CeGm-lAzsAwauEz3tQNtPEqH7IiUEulMvUbW9gZMHF8k9TUrVaJ3zHbCQoaxNdU&_nc_ht=scontent-vie1-1.xx&oh=08f49648d02916dbf18c05fabeea31b6&oe=5E1D9269)
Is Jay Schellen still subbing for Alan White? If not, he probably should, especially for Sound Chaser.
It'll be interesting to see the YouTube videos from this tour...
-Marc.
One last thing. Because I don't want to offer only negative points. I was very impressed with how well Billy and JonD tackled the vocal harmonies together (Dallas 2019). To my (sometimes questionable) ears they sounded great. Maybe someone who is more of a Yeshead can verify...but they sound like they are singing the same parts that Chris and JonA would sing. I wonder how much work went on behind the scenes getting all the harmonies figured out? Or are these guys so influenced by Yes that singing those parts is already in their musical DNA so to speak?
Sherwood is the real deal, IMO. He's not the weak link of the new Yes.
I would be stunned if Sherwood wouldn't be Squire's first choice to replace him if the need arose.
I would be stunned if Sherwood wouldn't be Squire's first choice to replace him if the need arose.
I THINK that's actually a fact. I can't remember where I read it, but I think prior to his death, Chris actually expressed his desire of Yes continuing with Billy.
Wow. Thanks Orbert. I thought they might. I was all ready to dislike Jon D based on all the comments I've read in threads like these, but I found much to my surprise that I enjoyed his singing and performance -- not as replacement for Jon A, but more of an alternative that works well with the music. I actaully was really surprised I found myself digging on what Jon D was doing (You know what they say about expectation?) Also, his acoustic guitar playing at the end of Soon sounded very competent (I thought). He seems like an extremely talented and musical dude.
Totally makes sense Stadler. Especially when you put in perspective of their whole career. In my mind no-one can actually replace Jon A. But still, I like what Jon D does though. It serves the songs well enough. My problems with current Yes performance have nothing to do with him and have everything to do band chemistry (see 1st post in thread).Wow. Thanks Orbert. I thought they might. I was all ready to dislike Jon D based on all the comments I've read in threads like these, but I found much to my surprise that I enjoyed his singing and performance -- not as replacement for Jon A, but more of an alternative that works well with the music. I actaully was really surprised I found myself digging on what Jon D was doing (You know what they say about expectation?) Also, his acoustic guitar playing at the end of Soon sounded very competent (I thought). He seems like an extremely talented and musical dude.
I don't want anyone to think I'm disrespecting Jon D. I have no doubt of his musical talent. But just like Bono might not be the best fit for AC/DC, so here. I just think that across the board with all seven of the main musicians in the classic era of Yes - Anderson, Bruford, Howe, Kaye, Squire, Wakeman, and White - the beauty of Yes for me was the ghost of a garage band (in the way that the early Beatles was a garage band) that was always behind the lovey-dovey, peace prog pretentions. That's utterly gone with Jon D (in my opinion).
Wow, I'm pretty much the opposite. The main thing I like about Jon D is that he seems very spiritual and positive ("airy-fairy" is what I see too often) in much the same way Jon A was/is. The fact that his voice has a similar timbre is a plus.
I'm not exactly sure what you mean about Yes having the spectre of a garage band behind their sound. Maybe because I was getting into them around the same time I was becoming a musician myself, but they've always been on a level way, way above me in terms of musicianship and songwriting. They came out of the gate with six original songs and two covers that completely transcend the originals, all masterfully arranged and performed. I will never be more than a garage band musician compared to those guys.
UK TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: THE ALBUM SERIES 2020
The Album Series 2020 Tour will feature YES' 1974 Relayer album in its entirety...
QuoteUK TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: THE ALBUM SERIES 2020
The Album Series 2020 Tour will feature YES' 1974 Relayer album in its entirety...
To be fair, given that they've played The Yes Album, Fragile, CTTE, as much of Tales as they could reasonably be expected to play, GFTO and Drama, this was to be expected, and we really should consider ourselves lucky they're not playing Tormato...
It doesn't help that Relayer is not really high on my Yes list (Tormato is, truthfully, higher).
It doesn't help that Relayer is not really high on my Yes list (Tormato is, truthfully, higher).
I know "TASTES!!" and all, but that might be the most confounding thing I've seen you post, Stads. ;D
For me, with the exception of A Venture and 3 of the 5 solo pieces on Fragile, the run from The Yes Album through Gates of Delirium is top 5 is pretty well perfection. Side 2 of Relayer brought that to a fairly crashing halt. I agree with Orbert's assessment of Sound Chaser, and To Be Over is an absolute dud. The last two classic lineup albums are hit and miss (Tormato is spotty, I don't care for the song GFTO, and I think the studio version of Parallels is also fairly weak, although the live version on Yesyears is epic).
That is absolutely a fact. Billy Sherwood was literally picked by Chris Squire as his replacement in Yes. He told the other guys as much. He knew his time was limited, and wanted the guys to know that Billy had his blessing. I'm sure it helps that Billy was an official member of the band prior to that (one album anyway) and behind the scenes of a few more. I don't know if the band had even thought about potential replacements for Chris, but this made it all much simpler.
Also, it's Davison, not Davidson. And yep, Jon D is singing Jon A's original parts, and Billy sings Chris' parts.
QuoteUK TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: THE ALBUM SERIES 2020
The Album Series 2020 Tour will feature YES' 1974 Relayer album in its entirety...
To be fair, given that they've played The Yes Album, Fragile, CTTE, as much of Tales as they could reasonably be expected to play, GFTO and Drama, this was to be expected, and we really should consider ourselves lucky they're not playing Tormato...
Honestly, with no irony or hyperbole, "Tormato" woudl be the one album that would get me to go see them at this point. Other than "Arriving UFO" and "Circus Of Heaven", that's a stellar album in my book.
I've seen Yes as much as any band, but that was with Squire (top five favorite musicians ever), and as much as I really like Sherwood, I have no desire to listen to Jon D. cutesy his way through songs that Jon Anderson owned then and still does (I saw him live a couple weeks ago, and although he looked like he was 86, he sounded like he was 26). It doesn't help that Relayer is not really high on my Yes list (Tormato is, truthfully, higher).
I agree that Sound Chaser is a bit of a miss, but it can be a fun one. I like To Be Over a lot, and of course The Gates of Delirium is incredible; still a top 5 Yes tune in my book. So yeah, I am a big fan of Relayer and don't think either Going for the One or Tormato come close to equaling it. But that's me. :biggrin:
Drama was a like an oasis in an desert of loss and confusion. I equate that album to Come Taste The Band by Deep Purple. Both albums were a revelation. They were wonderful anomalies to what came before and after.I like Drama a lot and it's one of my alltime favourites by Yes (despite JA and Wakie not appearing on it)
For me, with the exception of A Venture and 3 of the 5 solo pieces on Fragile, the run from The Yes Album through Gates of Delirium is top 5 is pretty well perfection. Side 2 of Relayer brought that to a fairly crashing halt. I agree with Orbert's assessment of Sound Chaser, and To Be Over is an absolute dud. The last two classic lineup albums are hit and miss (Tormato is spotty, I don't care for the song GFTO, and I think the studio version of Parallels is also fairly weak, although the live version on Yesyears is epic).
What three (or two)?
I like four of the five, and the fifth is too inconsequential to really "like" (Five Percent For Nothing). I dig the Brahm's piece, I dig Mood For A Day, I dig The Fish (though it's better live) and I really like We Have Heaven.
Where is the love for To Be Over? I like it a lot more than And You And I and it contains one of the most beautiful finales I have ever heard. This might sound corny, but whenever I listen to the last 2 minutes of To Be Over, I can hear church bells, even though I know there are no church bells on the recording.
Seriously, To Be Over makes Relayer the masterpiece it is and one of the greatest albums ever.
It was worth it; no opening act, the show started at 7:30 almost on the dot, and ended about 9:30 or so. You got your money's worth on the music alone, and the stories/comedy wasn't bad (if you saw/heard his RnRHoF induction speech you get the gist; every story had some reference to penis/sex/some bodily function).Just saw him in Seattle last night. That was a excellent show! He sounded phenomenal on that grande piano, plus his comedy segments were really funny too. I also didn't realise how much he worked with David Bowie in the past and many others.
It was worth it; no opening act, the show started at 7:30 almost on the dot, and ended about 9:30 or so. You got your money's worth on the music alone, and the stories/comedy wasn't bad (if you saw/heard his RnRHoF induction speech you get the gist; every story had some reference to penis/sex/some bodily function).Just saw him in Seattle last night. That was a excellent show! He sounded phenomenal on that grande piano, plus his comedy segments were really funny too. I also didn't realise how much he worked with David Bowie in the past and many others.
he worked with Bowie on Hunky Dory and Space Oddity (and some of Ziggy)It was worth it; no opening act, the show started at 7:30 almost on the dot, and ended about 9:30 or so. You got your money's worth on the music alone, and the stories/comedy wasn't bad (if you saw/heard his RnRHoF induction speech you get the gist; every story had some reference to penis/sex/some bodily function).Just saw him in Seattle last night. That was a excellent show! He sounded phenomenal on that grande piano, plus his comedy segments were really funny too. I also didn't realise how much he worked with David Bowie in the past and many others.
That was new for me as well. I knew he was in the Strawbs before Yes, and I knew he did some sessions after (Black Sabbath is a well-known one) but I wasn't aware that they were so extensive before that.
Yeah, he says Yes should call it a day even though he's no longer in the band (why should they quit if there's still an audience for what they do?) then says there'll be a new ARW tour next year, which you just know the promoters will insist on calling "Yes - featuring ARW" again...
Yeah, he says Yes should call it a day even though he's no longer in the band (why should they quit if there's still an audience for what they do?) then says there'll be a new ARW tour next year, which you just know the promoters will insist on calling "Yes - featuring ARW" again...
I am $ure there are rea$on$ that Wakeman i$ okay with doing an ARW tour where they are billed a$ Ye$.
But he said in the article that he was strongly opposed to ARW being renamed to Yes ft. ARW. :huh:
I heard him talk about this - in a more general sense - the other night in person, and I don't get any sense that it's that disingenuous. He wants to play. He seems to enjoy the Yes material, and seems to truly enjoy playing with Jon (in particular) and Trevor. He's always been sort of "eh, whatever, dude" to the business side of things and even though he speaks his mind about what he's feeling, I don't get any sense that it's a moral or philosophical conundrum to him.
There are plenty of things I don't like in this world, but not enough to on principle stop doing something I love and have dedicated my life to.
I heard him talk about this - in a more general sense - the other night in person, and I don't get any sense that it's that disingenuous. He wants to play. He seems to enjoy the Yes material, and seems to truly enjoy playing with Jon (in particular) and Trevor. He's always been sort of "eh, whatever, dude" to the business side of things and even though he speaks his mind about what he's feeling, I don't get any sense that it's a moral or philosophical conundrum to him.
There are plenty of things I don't like in this world, but not enough to on principle stop doing something I love and have dedicated my life to.
Agreed. I didn't see anywhere in that link where he said Yes should stop playing...he just said they shouldn't use the name anymore.
https://burningshed.com/store/yes
YES REVEALS FOUR PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 2010 RECORDINGS, ON THE NEW ‘FROM A PAGE’ FIVE PIECE MINI-BOX SET, PERSONALLY OVERSEEN BY EX-MEMBER OLIVER WAKEMAN.
OUT NOW!
YES has returned to the recordings made in late 2010 to mix the four completed tracks as new content for a miniature five piece box set of recordings from that era.
The box features two booklets and three discs containing the four studio tracks and Live From Lyon 2009, all of which were recorded by the line-up of Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Benoit David and Oliver Wakeman:
1. To The Moment (6:09)
2. Words on a Page (6:18)
3. From the Turn of a Card (3:24)
4. The Gift of Love (9:52)
Oliver Wakeman has personally overseen the preparation of the previously unreleased recordings which were mixed by Karl Groom and mastered by Mike Pietrini.
The box and one of the booklets features new artwork by Roger Dean, and the graphic design was undertaken by Oliver Wakeman, plus the set also includes his newly written liner notes about his time in the band.
The double CD album Live From Lyon was first released in 2010 and this edition restores “Second Initial” which was previously a Japanese only bonus track. The booklet for Live From Lyon has been re-designed and expanded.
Steve Howe described the project as “Good music never goes away or lays down to the commercial pressures that exist. Oliver's compositions, “To the Moment”, “Words on a Page” and “From the Turn of a Card” demonstrate his musicality and talents, while working together on its arrangement “The Gift of Love” explores the collaborative essence of YES, pooling ideas and then working together on its arrangement, whilst utilising all of its many themes and variations. Karl Groom and Roger Dean both contributed their skills towards making this a worthy further 'page' in YES' long and diverse musical adventures."
Oliver Wakeman says: “Following Chris Squire’s passing, I felt that the new music we'd created, but not released, should be heard and not sit unfinished on a shelf. And with Steve, Alan and Benoit's enthusiasm for the project, I am proud to know that this music will get to see the light of day and, hopefully, be enjoyed by YES fans as a piece of previously hidden Yes history.”
Alan White added: “I'm pleased to see a gem of YES history coming to fruition in the form of this mini box set. New songs from the past and I'm hoping we can find even more music in the archives for future releases.”
The set is IN STOCK NOW and exclusively available from the band’s own Burning Shed store and it cannot be bought in the shops or on Amazon.
The mini-box set and a vinyl release of the new songs are exclusively available here: https://burningshed.com/store/yes
(https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/73364228_3437321899613107_2945747137217953792_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQkVMQ-lAl-fgxPcF49JkKJ5qPhHCHC5cQx2Ig65xyjXJfZ5HsYU09ydAm5iJABINCs&_nc_ht=scontent-vie1-1.xx&oh=503dfec5b2ce35daea1897fe1b1795b6&oe=5E1D4584)
I didn't realize that Oliver co-wrote that one. That's my favorite from Fly From Here as well. I'm curious to hear any unreleased material from that period, especially because of Oliver Wakeman and also because it's some of the last unreleased stuff with Chris Squire. But I've seen and heard some live stuff from that tour and it doesn't really excite me. Tough call.
I've never ordered from a site where the currency is in pounds. How does that work?
Whoa, 25:43 of "new" Yes music with Chris Squire?! Sign me up!!! It can't be worse than Heaven & Earth...can it? :lol
Also, I never picked up Live From Lyon, so this is set would be completely new to me! Odd that this would be exclusive to BurningShed, and the price is probably a bit higher than I'd expect, but I don't really mind since it *is* new Yes material with Squire attached, so that alone has me intrigued.
Hopefully these don't sell out in the next couple weeks. I want one, but I'm a bit tight on funds at the moment. Being the exclusive seller of this set, though, one would hope they have plenty to spare.
-Marc.
Anyway, this is some good stuff. I've never actually heard anything by either of Rick's sons before, and that brief Moog solo was nice.
Oliver has actually played on Fly From Here, you can hear him on We Can Fly From Here and the Reprise, as well as Hour Of Need. He really sounds like his father.
New single To the Moment from the new release....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUK_frQEsQ&fbclid=IwAR22Bd5OHZFQ2iJWGVgZNNy1iTWwvw7K5vsHxO7_3YYLJF79iaRlKDsCON4
I'm pretty freakin impressed!!!
New interview with Bill Bruford, where he talks a lot about his time with both Yes and King Crimson. Very cool to read.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bill-bruford-yes-band-king-crimson-genesis-earthworks-interview-902501/
Jon Anderson has been saying he wants to reunite with Yes since the early 2000's, not long after he quit Yes. During the 2000's the band tried for years to put a reunion together, but Jon got sick, so they waited. The next thing anyone knew, Jon was putting a solo tour together. Apparently he got better, didn't bother telling anyone from Yes, and went to do his own thing, so the remaining members of Yes found another singer and moved on as well.
Yes have a singer and they're working now. They're not going to kick Jon Davison to the curb to make way for Jon Anderson, partly because Anderson is an asshole and everyone says he's very difficult to work with. With Chris Squire gone, the de facto leader of Yes is now Steve Howe, and both Howe and Anderson have indicated that they just can't work together. So I just don't see how a reunion could ever happen, or why Jon thinks it ever could, unless Howe leaves, which isn't going to happen. And even if he did, would it even be a "reunion" at that point? It would just be Anderson and mostly guys he's never even worked with before.
Dan Rather is one of the best interviewers ever. He's not a musician, but his knowledge of music and his love for it is pretty clear since most of his "Big Interviews" are with bands and musicians. I've watched his interviews with guys I don't even care much about, because I know they'll be great interviews and I'll come away with information and usually more respect for the subject.
Jon Anderson has been saying he wants to reunite with Yes since the early 2000's, not long after he quit Yes. During the 2000's the band tried for years to put a reunion together, but Jon got sick, so they waited. The next thing anyone knew, Jon was putting a solo tour together. Apparently he got better, didn't bother telling anyone from Yes, and went to do his own thing, so the remaining members of Yes found another singer and moved on as well.
Yes have a singer and they're working now. They're not going to kick Jon Davison to the curb to make way for Jon Anderson, partly because Anderson is an asshole and everyone says he's very difficult to work with. With Chris Squire gone, the de facto leader of Yes is now Steve Howe, and both Howe and Anderson have indicated that they just can't work together. So I just don't see how a reunion could ever happen, or why Jon thinks it ever could, unless Howe leaves, which isn't going to happen. And even if he did, would it even be a "reunion" at that point? It would just be Anderson and mostly guys he's never even worked with before.
I agree with all of this, except for the comment that Yes are "working now". That band (if you want to call it Yes or not is up to you) is not "working".
They toured this year. They toured last year. They toured the year before. The last two tours produced live albums, and there was a studio album the year before that. Next year's tour is already being booked. I'm not sure how that doesn't qualify them as a working band. They are the official version of the band Yes, the only official version of the band Yes, and that is not up for debate.
Anderson-Rabin-Wakeman had been saying for over 20 years that they want to work together, and they finally put a tour together to promote the new music they would be releasing "soon". It never materialized. One single was unofficially released. They keep saying there's more in the works, but Wakeman has hinted that there really isn't anything. They did tour, and managed to get permission to call themselves "Yes featuring ARW" but that doesn't change the facts; it was a band composed of some former members of Yes, each of whom has quit the band multiple times, but calling themselves Yes to sell more tickets. The only thing lending any of it any legitimacy was that Jon Anderson was a founding member. Him putting together a band including some other former members of Yes, while the actual band Yes is still around, doesn't make them Yes. That's not up for debate either. Those are just facts.
ARW had every right to call themselves Yes, former members or not.
I really doubt if they were doing it for the money, all three are multi millionaires.
Same as the people that say the Later Years Pink Floyd box is a cash grab, non of them need money and Gilmour gives away millions every year to various charities.
ARW had every right to call themselves Yes, former members or not.
ARW had every right to call themselves Yes, former members or not.
I don't see how. That would be like Sons of Apollo calling themselves "Dream Theater featuring Portnoy-Sherinian". A founding member, another guy who was in the band for a time, and some other guys. That doesn't make them Dream Theater any more than ARW is "really" Yes.
Thanks. :blush As many here know, Yes is my favorite band and has been for many years. But their history has some really messed-up shit. Maybe no more than a lot of bands, but it seems so counter to the glorious, positive vibe that permeates their music. Being a raving egomaniac is practically a requirement to be in the band, because if you're not, you'll never get any of your ideas across, let alone on a record.
Thanks. :blush As many here know, Yes is my favorite band and has been for many years. But their history has some really messed-up shit. Maybe no more than a lot of bands, but it seems so counter to the glorious, positive vibe that permeates their music. Being a raving egomaniac is practically a requirement to be in the band, because if you're not, you'll never get any of your ideas across, let alone on a record.
I wouldn't go as far as calling Jon Anderson that! He did get really sick for a while and nearly died with a respiratory condition and the band went on without him. Jon Anderson is the voice of Yes and the other two singers don't even come remotely close to filling those shoes. I met Jon Anderson and he was a very nice down to earth guy and gave me the time of day. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors in the band room but I couldn't see him throwing temper tantrums of that nature. He knows what he wants musically and probably isn't afraid to voice that.
But as much as I love Jon Anderson's voice and singing, he's a dick. He had a fucking temper tantrum, again, and quit the band, again, and this time he even sold his shares of the band name because he said he was done, really, for sure, this time. Oh yeah, but in interviews now he's "I always hope to reunite with the band".
as it is for Jon (CTTE basically is Siddartha set to prog, TFTO is based on spiritual Indian literature. There you go.Thanks. :blush As many here know, Yes is my favorite band and has been for many years. But their history has some really messed-up shit. Maybe no more than a lot of bands, but it seems so counter to the glorious, positive vibe that permeates their music. Being a raving egomaniac is practically a requirement to be in the band, because if you're not, you'll never get any of your ideas across, let alone on a record.
I love that observation. Going For The One is my favorite album of all time, and for me, part of it's glory IS that it's so positive and uplifting. It's spiritual to me (seriously).
Call me crazy, but to me the three biggest things I identify with as far as Yes goes are:as does Fly From Here: Return Trip (it's a continuation of Drama, same lineup. I love it.)
1) their vocal harmonies
2) Jon Anderson's voice as the lead singer
3) Chris Squire's bass playing
The current Yes, with Steve Howe, has only one of those three, and even that is a stretch since the current harmonies do not have Anderson, Rabin or Squire.
I initially had a hard time with Drama because it didn't have Jon Anderson, but it won me over because it was so good, and it did have two of those three.
Call me crazy, but to me the three biggest things I identify with as far as Yes goes are:
1) their vocal harmonies
2) Jon Anderson's voice as the lead singer
3) Chris Squire's bass playing
Orbert, what a great string of posts, man :tup
Call me crazy, but to me the three biggest things I identify with as far as Yes goes are:
1) their vocal harmonies
2) Jon Anderson's voice as the lead singer
3) Chris Squire's bass playing
But as much as I love Jon Anderson's voice and singing, he's a dick. He had a fucking temper tantrum, again, and quit the band, again, and this time he even sold his shares of the band name because he said he was done, really, for sure, this time. Oh yeah, but in interviews now he's "I always hope to reunite with the band".I wouldn't go as far as calling Jon Anderson that! He did get really sick for a while and nearly died with a respiratory condition and the band went on without him. Jon Anderson is the voice of Yes and the other two singers don't even come remotely close to filling those shoes. I met Jon Anderson and he was a very nice down to earth guy and gave me the time of day. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors in the band room but I couldn't see him throwing temper tantrums of that nature. He knows what he wants musically and probably isn't afraid to voice that.
Yes is not Yes without JA, it's just a business.. :biggrin:
Understandable from the band's viewpoint and management. I know Jon always wanted to do a solo project, but I didn't realize he left Yes on his own initiative. Thanks for clearing that up.But as much as I love Jon Anderson's voice and singing, he's a dick. He had a fucking temper tantrum, again, and quit the band, again, and this time he even sold his shares of the band name because he said he was done, really, for sure, this time. Oh yeah, but in interviews now he's "I always hope to reunite with the band".I wouldn't go as far as calling Jon Anderson that! He did get really sick for a while and nearly died with a respiratory condition and the band went on without him. Jon Anderson is the voice of Yes and the other two singers don't even come remotely close to filling those shoes. I met Jon Anderson and he was a very nice down to earth guy and gave me the time of day. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors in the band room but I couldn't see him throwing temper tantrums of that nature. He knows what he wants musically and probably isn't afraid to voice that.
Yes is not Yes without JA, it's just a business.. :biggrin:
He got really sick, but the band waited for him. And waited. Most of them had other projects, so it's not like they were just sitting around, but over a year later, after not hearing anything from him, they found out that he was putting his solo tour together, because he'd gotten better but never contacted them.
He knew they were waiting, and until that point they still wanted him back, but instead he decided to do his solo thing. That's when they found another singer and moved on.
If you want the real reason behind anything Yes does, follow the money. These guys (all of them) really stopped caring about the pure musical side of things decades ago. Since the late 70s, it's just been fighting over money and trying to milk whatever remains of the cash cow.
[reason for edit: to try to make my opinion sound less like was stating a fact]
Thanks. :blush As many here know, Yes is my favorite band and has been for many years. But their history has some really messed-up shit. Maybe no more than a lot of bands, but it seems so counter to the glorious, positive vibe that permeates their music. Being a raving egomaniac is practically a requirement to be in the band, because if you're not, you'll never get any of your ideas across, let alone on a record.
Same here. Absolutely breathtaking, every time. And yet it was the product of a band almost actively trying to destroy itself with all the infighting.
But also, it was the 70's. Lots of weed, in the practice rooms and in the studio. They got stoned, chilled out, and forgot about all the crap, until next time.
But as much as I love Jon Anderson's voice and singing, he's a dick. He had a fucking temper tantrum, again, and quit the band, again, and this time he even sold his shares of the band name because he said he was done, really, for sure, this time. Oh yeah, but in interviews now he's "I always hope to reunite with the band".I wouldn't go as far as calling Jon Anderson that! He did get really sick for a while and nearly died with a respiratory condition and the band went on without him. Jon Anderson is the voice of Yes and the other two singers don't even come remotely close to filling those shoes. I met Jon Anderson and he was a very nice down to earth guy and gave me the time of day. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors in the band room but I couldn't see him throwing temper tantrums of that nature. He knows what he wants musically and probably isn't afraid to voice that.
Yes is not Yes without JA, it's just a business.. :biggrin:
He got really sick, but the band waited for him. And waited. Most of them had other projects, so it's not like they were just sitting around, but over a year later, after not hearing anything from him, they found out that he was putting his solo tour together, because he'd gotten better but never contacted them.
He knew they were waiting, and until that point they still wanted him back, but instead he decided to do his solo thing. That's when they found another singer and moved on.
Okay, I used a little poetic license; I don't know that he actually had a tantrum. Maybe he was actually very calm during the whole thing. But he did quit the band and sold his shares because he had no intention of ever working with them again; he was done with Yes.
Call me crazy, but to me the three biggest things I identify with as far as Yes goes are:
1) their vocal harmonies
2) Jon Anderson's voice as the lead singer
3) Chris Squire's bass playing
I really like this, and agree 100%.
as does Fly From Here: Return Trip (it's a continuation of Drama, same lineup. I love it.)
I agree as long as (1) these things are not necessarily in order of importance, (2) the vocal harmonies specifically include Chris Squire, and (3) you also include Steve Howe's eclectic guitar work on equal footing with the rest of these. I generally like 90125, but it's really a different animal (as Lupton explained from a different POV), and the reason is because of Trevor Rabin's BIG, rock guitar playing in place of Howe's playing.
Agreed, on every point here! Those "cracktime cracktime" lyrics are pretty cringeworthy and almost ruin what could have been a pretty great song. :facepalm:
* What I mean is, there are three Rabin-led albums: 90210, Big Penetrator, and Talk, with four other songs on Onion. That's 30 songs, +/-, not including unreleased stuff. It is my humble opinion that the best of those tracks are pretty close to the equal of any of the "classic" material, and the WORST of those tracks is far better than some of the low points of the "classic" material. There is no Open Your Eyes or Heaven And Earth, there is no "Circus of Heaven", "Angkor Wat", or 'Janie's living on crack time, crack time!' in the Rabin Years.)
I agree as long as (1) these things are not necessarily in order of importance, (2) the vocal harmonies specifically include Chris Squire, and (3) you also include Steve Howe's eclectic guitar work on equal footing with the rest of these. I generally like 90125, but it's really a different animal (as Lupton explained from a different POV), and the reason is because of Trevor Rabin's BIG, rock guitar playing in place of Howe's playing.
Nope, not in order of importance, just a list of three things.
I do not include Steve Howe's guitar work on equal footing with the three things I listed. Maybe it's because I became a Yes fan thanks to the hits from 90125 and Big Generator, but to say Howe's guitar work is as important as anything in Yes feels like it would be dismissive of Trevor Rabin's work with the band, and that is not a road I will ever go down.
Rick Wakeman always calls it "Onion". I assumed it's because it's so layered (onions have layers, like ogres) but he says it because it always makes him cry. :lol
Stadler, you also have to consider that there's a lot more non-Rabin stuff than Rabin stuff. Rabin's on 3.5 albums out of 20 or something, so it's not really a fair comparison.
I agree with you that the "average quality index" of all Rabin songs is probably higher than that of all non-Rabin songs, and also that you can find low points in the non-Rabin years that are lower than the lowest lows of the Rabin era. Rabin's contributions have been pretty consistent, pretty consistently good. But nothing on any Rabin-era album comes close to "Awaken", "Close to the Edge", or "Gates of Delerium". People talk about "Endless Dream" sometimes, but come on, that song isn't even in the same league. It's a longer tune with some changes and ambience and it's very nice, but it's not transcendent like the 70's material. It feels calculated to be impressive and awesome, instead of impressive and awesome just because it is. I'll still take "Mind Drive" or even "Crack Time" over "Endless Dream".
Rick Wakeman always calls it "Onion". I assumed it's because it's so layered (onions have layers, like ogres) but he says it because it always makes him cry. :lol
I don't hold Gates in that high a regard, frankly.
Rick Wakeman always calls it "Onion". I assumed it's because it's so layered (onions have layers, like ogres) but he says it because it always makes him cry. :lol
There's a long interview with Rick that was posted here a while ago where he says that he hates (not the exact word he used) Union because the guy producing it (whoever that was) brought in a lot of guest musicians that had nothing to do with Yes and replaced some of the band members' parts with these session guys. He also replaced a lot of the keyboard stuff with sequencers, "this isn't what I played", so Rick was obviously mad about that.
All opinion, of course, but I think the best of the Rabin era - Hearts, Shoot High, Aim Low, Lift Me Up, any of the first four songs on Talk - absolutely rivals all but the very best of the Anderson years (for me, the highlights are Starship Trooper, Heart Of The Sunrise, all of GFTO). I don't hold Gates in that high a regard, frankly.
Orbert, while I agree that Endless Dream might not be as transcendent* as some of those 70's epics, I think it is still pretty awesome. The Yes harmonies with Anderson, Squire and Rabin were their best ones, and the ones in Endless Dream are just amazing.
*Great word to describe their music, BTW. :tup :tup
Yours Is No Disgrace - YES
Starship Trooper - YES
Perpetual Change - NO
Roundabout - EVEN
South Side of the Sky - YES
Heart of the Sunrise - YES (Maybe my favorite Yes song ever)
Close to the Edge - EVEN
And You and I - YES
Siberian Khatru - NO
The Revealing Science of God - EVEN
The Remembering - NO
The Ancient - NO
Ritual - NO
Gates of Delirium - NO
Turn of the Century - YES (If not "Heart" then this)
Parallels (the live version on Yesshows) - NO
Awaken - YES
Don't Kill the Whale - NO
Onward - NO
Machine Messiah - NO
Into the Lens - NO
Tempus Fugit - YES
Almost Like Love and Our Song are among the better Rabin songs imo and I also like Rhythm Of Love and Big Generator. The cheesy ones like Saving My Heart, Lift Me Up, Love Will Find A Way etc. are the ones I could do without.Lift Me Up is cheesy?? ??? ???
Almost Like Love and Our Song are among the better Rabin songs imo and I also like Rhythm Of Love and Big Generator. The cheesy ones like Saving My Heart, Lift Me Up, Love Will Find A Way etc. are the ones I could do without.
I could see why some do not like Almost Like Love, with Anderson repeating "it's almost" 59 times near the end of the song, plus I am sure plenty of prog fans blew their gaskets over a Yes song having a prominent horn section, but it's a fun little catchy tune. Not a standout, but I enjoy it when listening to Big Generator.The tune is tolerable and somewhat decent. Wait! You mean those are supposed to be horns? :lol The horns would be alright, if they actually sounded like horns and not some shitty casio patch. Those super fake sounding horns are probably the worst thing in the song. For all I know they could be real, as there are probably production techniques that can make real horns sound that terrible. Should have tried to make them sound more like actual horns.
Mind Drive?
I find it to be the best Yes track the last 38 years.
The title track for Open Your Eyes is a great song. The rest of the album is iffy but that one is definitely a standout for post-Drama Yes.
So can someone please enlighten me. What's all the hatred for the title song Big Generator? It's not just I Don't not Do not things post. I've seen hate for this song expressed unanimously. Why do people hate it? It's probably in the top 10* of all the Rabin tunes. Is it the psuedo metal guitar riff? Is this a life warning clue that I should be wary of?...To indicate my own horrible penchant for musical taste? I never saw anything "wrong" with it. Even when I was in my youthful proggy Yes discovery phase. I still think this is one of the more interesting almost Yes-like Rabin period tunes. And to this day I still like it. I love the way the low note in the "heavy" guitar harmonizes with Squire's bass. The OTT production style of this era really serves this tune too. Am I just too stupid? Or maybe nostalgic? It's a good song in my book.
*if my brain actually rated things in numeric order (which it doesn't)
[edit: PRAISE O PRAISE THIS ANTHEM GENERATOR!]
I've written a long and detailed answer what I think about it, but it got eaten by the internet, so in short: I like Big Generator but it all comes down to different tastes.
"AOR by numbers"...what does that even mean? I know some like calling certain kinds of late 70's/early 80's rock AOR (Album Oriented Rock) as if it supposed to be a criticism of some sort, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I guess bands were supposed to feel bad because their music ... *gasp* ... appealed to the masses.
Also, I will take almost every song from the three full Rabin albums over The Ancient (which I like within the context of the record, but it's a mess overall, even with the stellar Leaves of Green section near the end). :biggrin:
Stadler, this is specifically not directed at you, but seeing your ranking, I know a lot of people, that criticize Rabin-Yes for not being proggy enough and too mainstream, and then list the most mainstream and least proggy songs as their favorites. :D
And as I said, I don't have a definite ranking, but Lift Me Up and Love Will Find A Way would be way down that list, I'm Running on the other hand would at least be in the top 5.
Even though there are only three full length Rabin-era albums, he had a huge commercial impact on the band especially 90125 and Big Generator. TALK is a very underrated album and is my personal favorite (despite the weird sound of the kick drum, lol).
The song "Real Love" rarely gets talked about, I love the originality and weirdness of that song the way of flows. Trevors guitar solo is a stand out on this track too!
Endless Dream is just a masterpiece, which easily rivals Awaken imo. :coolio
To attempt a more detailed explanation: the verses of Changes, most of Walls, Lift Me Up, Love Will Find A Way, etc.. all sound like fairly generic standard early 80's radio tunes (like you'd hear in the credits of many 80's films) filled will common melodic and lyrical cliches. They don't sound like the work of someone who has a unique musical vision, rather that of a musical jobsmith tasked with the challenge of writing songs that are specifically (and perhaps even cynically) well crafted along the lines what are ('were' by the 90s) currently popular musical trends. Doesn't necessarily always equate with "bad" music, but it can certainly be offputting when in the mood for a more sincere or unique musical expression. Other times it's just enjoyable to turn off the brain and enjoy the musical equivalent of candy or popcorn.
I'm of the opinion that Rabin did good solid work with this approach, hence my praise for his skills. I do actually enjoy his Yes contributions. But they're a tiny patch on the previous band's completely one of a kind and irreplaceable sound.
But see, that's the beauty of Yes. There have been so many member changes throughout their entire history that it is impossible to point to a single album and say, "That is what Yes should always sound like." What each Yes album sounds like is a reflection of which members were on that particular album and who did the writing. Rabin's approach was obviously more American and straight forward with very much a rock sensibility, rather than the European prog approach of most of their work prior to his arrival, hence the differences in style and sound.
The title track for Open Your Eyes is a great song. The rest of the album is iffy but that one is definitely a standout for post-Drama Yes.
I like the title track from Open Your Eyes, but I don't love it. I think Fortune Seller has held up as the one standout from that record. It has just the right amount of weirdness to be great. :lol :lol
The title track for Open Your Eyes is a great song. The rest of the album is iffy but that one is definitely a standout for post-Drama Yes.
I like the title track from Open Your Eyes, but I don't love it. I think Fortune Seller has held up as the one standout from that record. It has just the right amount of weirdness to be great. :lol :lol
Fortune Seller is cool, I always forget about that one. No Way We can Lose is a secret favorite. I adore that song and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one. I also like The Solution quite a bit, and the first part of Wonderlove is great but then it Miracle Of Lifes itself into something quite bland which is my biggest complaint of Rabin's era. Somehow, Someday is pretty funny in the sense that Alan White sounds like he has no idea what the hell he's doing and is struggling to stay focused but I quite like the plodding vibe of the song otherwise.
The title track for Open Your Eyes is a great song. The rest of the album is iffy but that one is definitely a standout for post-Drama Yes.
I like the title track from Open Your Eyes, but I don't love it. I think Fortune Seller has held up as the one standout from that record. It has just the right amount of weirdness to be great. :lol :lol
Fortune Seller is cool, I always forget about that one. No Way We can Lose is a secret favorite. I adore that song and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one. I also like The Solution quite a bit, and the first part of Wonderlove is great but then it Miracle Of Lifes itself into something quite bland which is my biggest complaint of Rabin's era. Somehow, Someday is pretty funny in the sense that Alan White sounds like he has no idea what the hell he's doing and is struggling to stay focused but I quite like the plodding vibe of the song otherwise.
You aren't ;)
My OYE Ranking:
(songs I actually like)
#4. Man In The Moon
Regarding Big Generator. You've got Anderson on one hand trying to turn everything into this deep, serious spiritual thing and Rabin on the other sticking to his boy meets girl cliched lyrical guns. Good example: "Shoot High Aim Low" Anderson is singing about the Milagro Bean Field conflict (or somesuch thing) and Rabin comes in "In the blue sedan we couldn't get much further" :lol. He's just out cruising around the town with his girl (standard AOR trope ;)) and Anderson is trying to make some sort of meaningful statement on the human condition. It's fairly schizo, but it works.
It's great the way the end result turned out. Good song. Actually sort of hated it the first time I heard it. Took ages for it to grow on me.
It's about war in general, Nicaragua in particular, and Anderson and Rabin are providing contrast between the harsh realities of war and the more idealistic way things could be.
Shoot High Aim Low is such a wonderfully crafted song! The ambiance of this track is captivating and lets it really breath well. Probably tied for first place (for me) in Yes' entire catalogue along with Endless Dream. The Talk tour would have been perfect if they included SH/AL, same with the ARW tour. Missed opportunities! I can't believe that song wasn't a staple on all the Rabin era tours.
Could you imagine the light show that could acompany that song. "Someone shouted Open The Door LOOK-OUT" all of a sudden pillars of white fog explosions shoot up on all sides of the stage with intense lighting. :omg: :metal
Ive asked, but I don't know if anyone answered: is there a way of searching one's posts in a given thread? Or do you have to manually go through them? I did a Yes Top 20, but I can't find it.
The Talk tour is still to this day the best Yes experience I've ever had by a landslide. Plus it was on the Columbia River Gorge accompanied by an incredible sunset during Endless Dream. :omg:
I still remember the date. 7-10-1994
Kudos to DTA for including THREE Drama songs in his top 10. :tup
That's awesome! I lost my ticket stub years ago but not the memories. I bet the Dallas show was great too, what did you think of it?The Talk tour is still to this day the best Yes experience I've ever had by a landslide. Plus it was on the Columbia River Gorge accompanied by an incredible sunset during Endless Dream. :omg:
I still remember the date. 7-10-1994
:tup Mine was Dallas Starplex 7-31-94. Still got the ticket stub.
That's awesome! I lost my ticket stub years ago but not the memories. I bet the Dallas show was great too, what did you think of it?The Talk tour is still to this day the best Yes experience I've ever had by a landslide. Plus it was on the Columbia River Gorge accompanied by an incredible sunset during Endless Dream. :omg:
I still remember the date. 7-10-1994
:tup Mine was Dallas Starplex 7-31-94. Still got the ticket stub.
That's awesome Lupton! I agree about Hearts and The Calling, both were fantastic live. I missed the Union tour in 1991 though. I was working at an Italian Restaurant washing dishes and couldn't get off work that night. I still have kick marks to this day! :facepalm:
It's about war in general, Nicaragua in particular, and Anderson and Rabin are providing contrast between the harsh realities of war and the more idealistic way things could be.
Yes. That's the one. I remember reading somewhere ages ago that the "blue fields" referred to a specific conflict. Thanks for the correction. :)
The Talk tour is still to this day the best Yes experience I've ever had by a landslide. Plus it was on the Columbia River Gorge accompanied by an incredible sunset during Endless Dream. :omg:
I still remember the date. 7-10-1994
But on the bright side, seeing that Talk show gave you a chance to hear tunes from that album that would probably never be performed live again. A one of a kind performance. Plus that particular lineup was firing on all cylinders. They were HOT!
Ive asked, but I don't know if anyone answered: is there a way of searching one's posts in a given thread? Or do you have to manually go through them? I did a Yes Top 20, but I can't find it.
Indeed! Rush is also so good at this same thing, tastefully blending prog/ pop elements which results in really good songs.
In retrospect, Talk is such a perfect blend of YesWest's pop ideals, and Classic Yes' arrangements. I love that album, and I would have loved to have seen the tour.
Ive asked, but I don't know if anyone answered: is there a way of searching one's posts in a given thread? Or do you have to manually go through them? I did a Yes Top 20, but I can't find it.
I don't think so but if you do an advanced search you can search for your user name and a unique word from one of the titles you probably would have included and it should pull up all the posts you've had containing that word. Hopefully it's unique enough where the results are only Yes related and most of them in this thread.
In retrospect, Talk is such a perfect blend of YesWest's pop ideals, and Classic Yes' arrangements. I love that album, and I would have loved to have seen the tour.
When Brandon and Dylan sang "Hold On" I almost lost it.:rollin
90120 is a tv show in the 90's.
90125 is the Yes album.
90120 is a tv show in the 90's.
90125 is the Yes album.
90120 is a tv show in the 90's.
90125 is the Yes album.
Wasn't it 90210?
-Marc.
Trevor Rabin produced the Talk album and I highly doubt Steve Wilson could make it sound any better. I would think Rabin has more experience in the production room and is much more of an accomplished musician than Wilson, and that's saying a lot! let the flames begin..In retrospect, Talk is such a perfect blend of YesWest's pop ideals, and Classic Yes' arrangements. I love that album, and I would have loved to have seen the tour.
I would love to hear a great remix of Talk where that weird kick drum is toned down a little and replaced with a normal sounding one.
Steven Wilson always delivers great remixes, but 1. I don't think he likes Talk and 2. I don't think he would change the sound of the kick drum, since he always has a lot of respect for the original.
The title track for Open Your Eyes is a great song. The rest of the album is iffy but that one is definitely a standout for post-Drama Yes.
So can someone please enlighten me. What's all the hatred for the title song Big Generator? It's not just I Don't not Do not things post. I've seen hate for this song expressed unanimously. Why do people hate it? It's probably in the top 10* of all the Rabin tunes. Is it the psuedo metal guitar riff? Is this a life warning clue that I should be wary of?...To indicate my own horrible penchant for musical taste? I never saw anything "wrong" with it. Even when I was in my youthful proggy Yes discovery phase. I still think this is one of the more interesting almost Yes-like Rabin period tunes. And to this day I still like it. I love the way the low note in the "heavy" guitar harmonizes with Squire's bass. The OTT production style of this era really serves this tune too. Am I just too stupid? Or maybe nostalgic? It's a good song in my book.
*if my brain actually rated things in numeric order (which it doesn't)
[edit: PRAISE O PRAISE THIS ANTHEM GENERATOR!]
With Yes, it was never about length for me; it was about the playing and the writing. Wonderous Stories is still one of my favorite tunes in their catalogue.
This is where I chime in that Awaken is not only not as great as Endless Dream, but that many hardcore Yes fans overrated it big time. It's a good tune, and has that warm proggy Yes vibe that you can't help but like, but it just doesn't come together to be truly great like many of their other long epics do.
Regarding Big Generator. You've got Anderson on one hand trying to turn everything into this deep, serious spiritual thing and Rabin on the other sticking to his boy meets girl cliched lyrical guns. Good example: "Shoot High Aim Low" Anderson is singing about the Milagro Bean Field conflict (or somesuch thing) and Rabin comes in "In the blue sedan we couldn't get much further" :lol. He's just out cruising around the town with his girl (standard AOR trope ;)) and Anderson is trying to make some sort of meaningful statement on the human condition. It's fairly schizo, but it works.
It's great the way the end result turned out. Good song. Actually sort of hated it the first time I heard it. Took ages for it to grow on me.
When Brandon and Dylan sang "Hold On" I almost lost it.
The title track for Open Your Eyes is a great song. The rest of the album is iffy but that one is definitely a standout for post-Drama Yes.
I disliked that album so much I sold it back. The last studio album I like is Magnification.
My least favorite albums prior to that (other than Open Your Eyes of course are Tormato and about half of Going For The One.) I've heard random songs after Magnification but nothing that I've committed to. (I almost feel I have to make a disclaim that it's got nothing to do with Jon Anderson being in or out of the band. Don't have much of a feeling either way on that. If the music is good it doesn't really matter to me.
When Brandon and Dylan sang "Hold On" I almost lost it.
Trevor Rabin produced the Talk album and I highly doubt Steve Wilson could make it sound any better. I would think Rabin has more experience in the production room and is much more of an accomplished musician than Wilson, and that's saying a lot! let the flames begin..
:flame:
Not speaking for other Yes fans, but I'd much rather listen to Endless Dream given the choice. Not a contest in any way.
Magnification is excellent, along with The Ladder which doesn't seem to be mentioned much. The Ladder is really strong throughout, and besides a few JA missteps (If Only You Knew, Can I), every song is high quality. The Fly From Here suite is great but H&E really comes up short of anything worth listening to. Tighter playing, more adventurous arrangements, some editing, and some livelier musicianship would've improved it greatly.
90120 is a tv show in the 90's.
90125 is the Yes album.
I thought this was the Yes Album...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/The_Yes_Album.png)
By the way, I have all of Steven Wilson remixes, the 5.1 Blu-ray editions, and they're all amazing. Revelatory. Highly recommended.
When Brandon and Dylan sang "Hold On" I almost lost it.
HAHA, I triggered that joke and it didn't sink in at first, but that's a good one!
FYI, 90210, Big Penetrator and Onion are all sort of inside jokes. My best friend all through high school and college was a die-hard prog guy. While he liked 90125, Big Generator and Union, and we saw them about five times through that period, the nicknames were sort of his way of showing allegiance to the Wakeman/Howe era and it just stuck. It's a hard habit to break now (especially with 90125).
When Drama came out and Jon and Rick had been replaced by The Buggles, what I remember hearing a lot was that Yes was now "Yeah". Then when 90125 came out, they were "Yup". I think the sound of the 90125 band was so different that even with Jon's voice, it didn't sound as "Yessish" to the old-school fans as Drama did. Or maybe it was just funny that the lineup kept changing and the sound continued to stray from the wonderful proggy 70's sound. Then you had the truly hardcore old-schoolers who had dissed Drama anyway because Jon Anderson wasn't on it, and they didn't even know what to think about 90125. Jon was back, but everything sounds different, and who's this Trevor guy on guitar?
When Drama came out and Jon and Rick had been replaced by The Buggles, what I remember hearing a lot was that Yes was now "Yeah". Then when 90125 came out, they were "Yup". I think the sound of the 90125 band was so different that even with Jon's voice, it didn't sound as "Yessish" to the old-school fans as Drama did. Or maybe it was just funny that the lineup kept changing and the sound continued to stray from the wonderful proggy 70's sound. Then you had the truly hardcore old-schoolers who had dissed Drama anyway because Jon Anderson wasn't on it, and they didn't even know what to think about 90125. Jon was back, but everything sounds different, and who's this Trevor guy on guitar?
That was a crazy period. You had Drama, Yesshows, Classic Yes and 90125 all within a three year span.
I'm apparently in the minority in liking Yesshows, but I'm okay with that; it's an important document of some good live stuff and the CD version is even better. I nabbed Classic Yes when it came out as well, just because I'm a completist and there were the bonus live tracks. That was rare shit back in those days.
:tup
Back in the 80's, we accidentally put together a bar band with prog tendencies. It was fun. We messed around with Roundabout and always said we should actually learn it, because we probably could. But we never did. Worthless slobs, all of us. We did play some of Tarkus for some guys in Manistee, Michigan one time, though. That was fun. And for a while, we opened with jazzy jams, courtesy of our lead singer Mitch on Trumpet and myself on Saxophone. Then segue into something by The Police or Loverboy or something. In the 80's, you could do shit like that.
It was crazy, but yeah it was fun. Drama is top-tier Yes to me, but I also liked 90125 when it came out and still do. I'm apparently in the minority in liking Yesshows, but I'm okay with that; it's an important document of some good live stuff and the CD version is even better. I nabbed Classic Yes when it came out as well, just because I'm a completist and there were the bonus live tracks. That was rare shit back in those days.
I'm 100% with you. I think Yesshows is criminally underrated. Those performances of Ritual and The Gates Of Delirium are not from this world.
I'm 100% with you. I think Yesshows is criminally underrated. Those performances of Ritual and The Gates Of Delirium are not from this world.
And they really show what Patrick Moraz brought to the band - really makes me wish he'd stuck around longer.
It was crazy, but yeah it was fun. Drama is top-tier Yes to me, but I also liked 90125 when it came out and still do. I'm apparently in the minority in liking Yesshows, but I'm okay with that; it's an important document of some good live stuff and the CD version is even better. I nabbed Classic Yes when it came out as well, just because I'm a completist and there were the bonus live tracks. That was rare shit back in those days.
I'm 100% with you. I think Yesshows is criminally underrated. Those performances of Ritual and The Gates Of Delirium are not from this world.
This is only a dream, but my ultimate Yes line-up (without Squire) would be:
Jon Anderson
Trevor Rabin
Rick Wakeman
Geddy Lee
Mike Portnoy
Call it blasphemy, but I think it would be awesome! :metal
I had to bring in at least one player from each of my top three favorite bands of all time. Rush, Yes, and Dream Theater.
Just watched ARW (YES) Live at the Apollo bluray again last night. I just reminds me how much I like this line-up. Trevor Rabin brings so much to the table and him and Rick seem to really have fun being in the band together. Jon Anderson gives a flawless performance on this show. This would have been the perfect show if they substituted Long Distance Runaround with Shoot High Aim Low, and played Endless Dream as an encore.
This is only a dream, but my ultimate Yes line-up (without Squire) would be:
Jon Anderson
Trevor Rabin
Rick Wakeman
Geddy Lee
Mike Portnoy
Call it blasphemy, but I think it would be awesome! :metal
I would say all five of them could make some pretty great collaboration songs. 😎
I had to bring in at least one player from each of my top three favorite bands of all time. Rush, Yes, and Dream Theater.
That would be interesting. Who would do the writing? ;D
I finally noticed that after watching it a couple of times. I wonder if during the show it was Rick Wakeman with his sense of humor, hitting a patch on his keyboards that mimic a cheering crowd.. That wouldn't surpise me one bit. :lolJust watched ARW (YES) Live at the Apollo bluray again last night. I just reminds me how much I like this line-up. Trevor Rabin brings so much to the table and him and Rick seem to really have fun being in the band together. Jon Anderson gives a flawless performance on this show. This would have been the perfect show if they substituted Long Distance Runaround with Shoot High Aim Low, and played Endless Dream as an encore.
This is only a dream, but my ultimate Yes line-up (without Squire) would be:
Jon Anderson
Trevor Rabin
Rick Wakeman
Geddy Lee
Mike Portnoy
Call it blasphemy, but I think it would be awesome! :metal
I just don't understand why ARW had to mix in fake audience sounds into the otherwise great live album. It's particularly ridiculous when you see the bluray: you'll see people sitting perfectly still and enjoying the music, but you'll hear a crowd going fucking nuts like on Rush in Rio at the same time.
It was crazy, but yeah it was fun. Drama is top-tier Yes to me, but I also liked 90125 when it came out and still do. I'm apparently in the minority in liking Yesshows, but I'm okay with that; it's an important document of some good live stuff and the CD version is even better. I nabbed Classic Yes when it came out as well, just because I'm a completist and there were the bonus live tracks. That was rare shit back in those days.
I'm 100% with you. I think Yesshows is criminally underrated. Those performances of Ritual and The Gates Of Delirium are not from this world.
It was crazy, but yeah it was fun. Drama is top-tier Yes to me, but I also liked 90125 when it came out and still do. I'm apparently in the minority in liking Yesshows, but I'm okay with that; it's an important document of some good live stuff and the CD version is even better. I nabbed Classic Yes when it came out as well, just because I'm a completist and there were the bonus live tracks. That was rare shit back in those days.
I'm 100% with you. I think Yesshows is criminally underrated. Those performances of Ritual and The Gates Of Delirium are not from this world.
I always quite enjoyed Yesshows, it's a little different snapshot and a representation. I do revisit it from time to time and enjoy it. I also love the Keys to Ascension sets (both live stuff and studio) shame that stuff wasn't widely heard beyond the diehards.
The Keys studio tracks are really good, probably my second favorite batch of songs by the lineup of Anderson, Howe, Squire, Wakeman and White. They should have been released as a proper album, and if I’m not mistaken, the fact that they weren’t was one of the reasons Wakeman left that time.I didn't know that, but it makes sense. Those studio tracks are all pretty solid and Wakeman really shines. Imagine if Wakeman got his way, it could have re-written Yes' modern day history. The disastrous "Open Your Eyes" album likely would have never happened.
I bought the Keys sets when they came out, and while I agree they are brilliant, there's a clearly audible difference in the mixing between the Keys1 and Keys2 live stuff - the bass and bottom end is much louder on Keys2, and it has a grungier sound to it. I've never bought the DVD of the shows, but I would imagine all tracks are mixed to the same sound.I agree but I actually like Magnification and Fly From Here.
But I agree - the KeyStudio tracks are about the best thing Yes have recorded since their glory days. But then the entire history of Yes' later years is a series of bad decisions by record company execs.
It was crazy, but yeah it was fun. Drama is top-tier Yes to me, but I also liked 90125 when it came out and still do. I'm apparently in the minority in liking Yesshows, but I'm okay with that; it's an important document of some good live stuff and the CD version is even better. I nabbed Classic Yes when it came out as well, just because I'm a completist and there were the bonus live tracks. That was rare shit back in those days.
I'm 100% with you. I think Yesshows is criminally underrated. Those performances of Ritual and The Gates Of Delirium are not from this world.
And they really show what Patrick Moraz brought to the band - really makes me wish he'd stuck around longer.
I just saw his solo show. He's certainly struggling a bit physically (a LOT of hand-shaking in between songs) but the man can still play like no one's bidniss.
I guess I was thinking more about his collaborative work than his solo work. He did some good stuff with ARW, but it seemed more apparent than ever that he's got his bag of tricks and uses them all in various combinations and people think he's amazing. His speed has always been impressive, but it's reached the point where he's just playing the same shit over and over. So... impressive yet boring at the same time? Prior to that, my last real exposure to Wakeman was with Yes, and he'd deviated into some truly horrendous patches. This meant he was playing boring shit, super-fast, and sounding horrible, all at the same time. That's really quite an achievement.
Rick Wakeman is one of my personal heroes. There are tricks and techniques of his that I employ to this day (though obviously on a much smaller scale). So my ranting is mostly out of disappointment. I miss the old Rick, or I guess I miss the young Rick. Young Rick isn't coming back; I get that. But I still miss him.
Wakeman himself admits that he has boatloads of material out there, and not all of it is necessary top quality. I have a dozen or so Wakeman solo albums of all different genres, and I can't say any of them are really bad, but I think some are weaker than others.
I think my favorite "later" Wakeman solo stuff is the 1991 "Suntrilogy". Three albums of cheesy New Age stuff, mostly solo piano or just a few different keyboards, but pretty nice for chilling. I mean, it's cheesy, but it's really good, smooth cheese. Thick and rich. His last really good work with Yes was in 2005, the 35th Anniversary Tour (Songs from Tsongas) which also happened to be the last time the classic five (Anderson Howe Squire Wakeman White) toured together. Wakeman was great on that tour. The last couple of tours before that, he was getting a bit carried away with the high-speed noodling, and that combined with some really weak patches was getting pretty irritating. But the 2005 tour was great, he reined it in quite a bit and things were better for it.
Maybe it's a piano-player thing. Ever since I can remember, I've liked working up solo piano arrangements of songs I like. I'm actually rather proud of some of them. But if someone says "Hey Bob, play something" and I whip out one of my arrangements, they say it sounds like New Age crap. What the fuck? I'm playing a piano. It's not going to sound like drums and electric guitars are also playing; it's going to sound like a solo piano arrangement of a rock song.
I do get the hate of cheesy electronic sounds. Wakeman has way too many of those. But his solo piano stuff is great.
So a favorite band of mine, Allegaeon (melodic death metal) released a fantastic cover of Roundabout today, complete with a small bit of very tasteful growls. They paid respect to the original for sure, but also made it their own. I personally feel they knocked it out of the park. And the artwork is just :hefdaddy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_qQyJMlc4E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_qQyJMlc4E)
That's a badass cover. I've been getting into Allegaeon more, this was a nice surprise.
Not being critical at all, because that's a rare find, but it misses an essential point of that show (I saw two shows on that tour). At that point, I had never seen anything like that stage set; it was essentially an angled circle, metallic silver, almost in the round, but not really, and it was amazing for how it allowed even Alan White to seem like they were at the front of the stage. Add to that the lasers (which you could see at the very beginning, but not much after) but which formed glistening, spinning, dancing hearts duringLong Distance Runaround,haha, no, Hearts, and it was an amazing show.
Not my first concert, but first major arena act I had seen with no opening act (they played a Bugs Bunny cartoon, I think it was "Ali Baba Bunny") and it was really a special evening. I saw the second leg as well, and it wasn't as good (they ditched the lasers, for the most part). For me, the high points of the Howe era were higher, but the Rabin era was far more consistent in my opinion. Even the worst of the Rabin era ("Almost Like Love", "Big Generator") is still pretty strong.
Not being critical at all, because that's a rare find, but it misses an essential point of that show (I saw two shows on that tour). At that point, I had never seen anything like that stage set; it was essentially an angled circle, metallic silver, almost in the round, but not really, and it was amazing for how it allowed even Alan White to seem like they were at the front of the stage. Add to that the lasers (which you could see at the very beginning, but not much after) but which formed glistening, spinning, dancing hearts duringLong Distance Runaround,haha, no, Hearts, and it was an amazing show.
Not my first concert, but first major arena act I had seen with no opening act (they played a Bugs Bunny cartoon, I think it was "Ali Baba Bunny") and it was really a special evening. I saw the second leg as well, and it wasn't as good (they ditched the lasers, for the most part). For me, the high points of the Howe era were higher, but the Rabin era was far more consistent in my opinion. Even the worst of the Rabin era ("Almost Like Love", "Big Generator") is still pretty strong.
I'm sure the lasers were great and all and the video probably doesn't scratch the surface on what it was like to be there, but the music is flat out off the charts amazing. I kinda get now why Squire said that Rabin breathed new life into the band. Nobody seems happier than Squire and he's nearly possessed. My only reference from this period is the 90125Live edit and it's pretty good but not all that remarkable. I have no idea if this show was just a good night or par for the course.
To me it doesn't really matter who is in this band as long as they bring it.
Not being critical at all, because that's a rare find, but it misses an essential point of that show (I saw two shows on that tour). At that point, I had never seen anything like that stage set; it was essentially an angled circle, metallic silver, almost in the round, but not really, and it was amazing for how it allowed even Alan White to seem like they were at the front of the stage. Add to that the lasers (which you could see at the very beginning, but not much after) but which formed glistening, spinning, dancing hearts duringLong Distance Runaround,haha, no, Hearts, and it was an amazing show.
Not my first concert, but first major arena act I had seen with no opening act (they played a Bugs Bunny cartoon, I think it was "Ali Baba Bunny") and it was really a special evening. I saw the second leg as well, and it wasn't as good (they ditched the lasers, for the most part). For me, the high points of the Howe era were higher, but the Rabin era was far more consistent in my opinion. Even the worst of the Rabin era ("Almost Like Love", "Big Generator") is still pretty strong.
I'm sure the lasers were great and all and the video probably doesn't scratch the surface on what it was like to be there, but the music is flat out off the charts amazing. I kinda get now why Squire said that Rabin breathed new life into the band. Nobody seems happier than Squire and he's nearly possessed. My only reference from this period is the 90125Live edit and it's pretty good but not all that remarkable. I have no idea if this show was just a good night or par for the course.
To me it doesn't really matter who is in this band as long as they bring it.
I think it was more par for the course. Like I said, I saw two shows on that tour and they slayed it. That Rabin-Squire-White trio was on FIRE. Squire was always a rock bass player in a prog band anyway.
Just bought the Steven Wilson remixes of The Yes Album through Relayer. They were bundled together on amazon for 20 bucks so I figured it was worth it. I probably won't get around to listening to them in depth for a bit, but I hear they're a vast improvement on the originals (and the 2003 remixes I already own). I'm mainly excited to hear Relayer...some of Steve's playing and the battle sounds are so shrill on the 2003 version that it's tough to listen to.
Still kills me that SW didn’t get to do GFTO. But I guess I heard something about the original masters being either missing or partially damaged? I don’t remember which.
Still kills me that SW didn’t get to do GFTO. But I guess I heard something about the original masters being either missing or partially damaged? I don’t remember which.
I’ve kind of slowly and deliberately gotten into Yes’ catalog. For a long time I only ever had 90125, and then I finally got Fragile, followed relatively shortly by Relayer and then Close to the Edge, all of which I really enjoy. But as much as I enjoy all those albums, I have a hard time prioritizing new Yes albums over all the other stuff I’ve been exploring.You can't go wrong with The Yes Album or GftO.
So anyway, which 70s Yes album would you guys say is the next best step to take? The Yes Album? Tales from the Topographic Ocean? Going for the One?
I’ve kind of slowly and deliberately gotten into Yes’ catalog. For a long time I only ever had 90125, and then I finally got Fragile, followed relatively shortly by Relayer and then Close to the Edge, all of which I really enjoy. But as much as I enjoy all those albums, I have a hard time prioritizing new Yes albums over all the other stuff I’ve been exploring.You can't go wrong with The Yes Album or GftO.
So anyway, which 70s Yes album would you guys say is the next best step to take? The Yes Album? Tales from the Topographic Ocean? Going for the One?
Tales is awesome but put that nearer the end. It requires more patience.
I’ve kind of slowly and deliberately gotten into Yes’ catalog. For a long time I only ever had 90125, and then I finally got Fragile, followed relatively shortly by Relayer and then Close to the Edge, all of which I really enjoy. But as much as I enjoy all those albums, I have a hard time prioritizing new Yes albums over all the other stuff I’ve been exploring.You can't go wrong with The Yes Album or GftO.
So anyway, which 70s Yes album would you guys say is the next best step to take? The Yes Album? Tales from the Topographic Ocean? Going for the One?
Tales is awesome but put that nearer the end. It requires more patience.
Yeah, I started streaming Tales tonight and got through the first track alright, but the second one seemed to wander on forever without getting anywhere and I lost interest. It’s definitely one I’ll plan to explore later though.
My TFTO cd is still in mint condition after owning it for over twenty years. Not a scratch on it, it's been kept safe in its case after listening to it maybe once or twice.. Mayby I'll have to give it another chance and see if it still has warts, cesspools, and lillies.
Still kills me that SW didn’t get to do GFTO. But I guess I heard something about the original masters being either missing or partially damaged? I don’t remember which.
100% my opinion, and I'd like to add Drama. I would love to hear what he's make out of those two albums. Maybe he just doesn't like them. I heard he only remasters/remixes albums he personally likes (which makes sense)
There are probably a lot of people who've made their own edits of Tales, and to them they were logical and felt right. But I would never be able to listen to any fan edit without being conscious of where the cuts were, and that would always take me out of the experience. But then, I'm one of those who doesn't any problem listening to it all the way through, having done so many times.
And, this album is where I really start to dislike Howe's guitar tone.That's always been my problem with Steve Howe. He's a great guitarist but his guitar tone has always been a bit thin and cardboard sounding. For example when he was with Asia, his guitar solo on "Heat of the Moment" is an absolute mess. It is executed very sloppily and the tone makes it even worse. I can't believe they settled for that take on a otherwise great song. :lol
The title track from Going for the One is one Yes song I find almost unlistenable because of how atrocious Howe's guitar tone is in that song. It's not a particularly good song anyway, but Howe's guitar tone pushes it over the cliff.
I don't say this to argue, but to contrast.... I find some of the earlier Yes to be muddy (though it's improved a lot with the various remasters) and I LOVE Going For The One. It's my favorite album ever. I can't say I "love" the trebly, but it does fit with the rest of the instrumentation. Remember, Wakeman was having a torrid affair with a church organ in Switzerland at the time. :)
It could just be me but...sometimes I think you have to be really, really high to get where Howe is coming from. Not just his tone, but especially his phrasing.
"Aggressively trebley" is a great way to begin describing the mix on GftO. Add to that "no bottom end" + "tons of reverb" = a perfect shitstorm of unlistenability. It's a testament to just how damn good the songs are on that album that anyone can even listen to it all (IMHO). I still really enjoy the music itself.
Trevor also uses his sig Alvarez guitars for many live applications, which sound awesome imo. He's had that same strat throughout his whole career. I'll take Rabin over Howe any day, even though they both are fantastic in Yes..
I don't say this to argue, but to contrast.... I find some of the earlier Yes to be muddy (though it's improved a lot with the various remasters) and I LOVE Going For The One. It's my favorite album ever. I can't say I "love" the trebly, but it does fit with the rest of the instrumentation. Remember, Wakeman was having a torrid affair with a church organ in Switzerland at the time. :)
For me, the organ is only an issue on Parallels. It's so harsh -- almost to the point of being unlistenable. I spent a lot of quality time with Yesshows before ever buying TFTO, Relayer or GFTO. I thought Parallels on Yesshows was superb. Once I bought GFTO, I thought, "what the fuck?!" When I consider how much I like GFTO or rank Yes albums, I sort of think about the live version of Parallels, so the album gets more credit than it probably deserves. The interesting thing is that Awaken is very organ-heavy, but it works perfectly, and I wouldn't change a thing about it (I've also never heard a live version that I thought did the song justice, except when they played it in the round on the Union tour and maybe also the version with the symphony).
Wow, I guess I'm kinda the opposite regarding "Parallels". I love the way the pipe organ comes blasting in, like Bach himself rose from the grave to take the solo. I guess it does sound pretty harsh, but I've never thought that that was bad, because pipe organs can be deafening. They are the original heavy metal instrument.
In contrast, I like the live version on YesShows well enough, but always found the keyboard solo a bit lacking. Maybe not surprising since for me the studio version was first. I'd listened to it 100 times before I picked up YesShows, which came out years later.
I don't say this to argue, but to contrast.... I find some of the earlier Yes to be muddy (though it's improved a lot with the various remasters) and I LOVE Going For The One. It's my favorite album ever. I can't say I "love" the trebly, but it does fit with the rest of the instrumentation. Remember, Wakeman was having a torrid affair with a church organ in Switzerland at the time. :)
For me, the organ is only an issue on Parallels. It's so harsh -- almost to the point of being unlistenable. I spent a lot of quality time with Yesshows before ever buying TFTO, Relayer or GFTO. I thought Parallels on Yesshows was superb. Once I bought GFTO, I thought, "what the fuck?!" When I consider how much I like GFTO or rank Yes albums, I sort of think about the live version of Parallels, so the album gets more credit than it probably deserves. The interesting thing is that Awaken is very organ-heavy, but it works perfectly, and I wouldn't change a thing about it (I've also never heard a live version that I thought did the song justice, except when they played it in the round on the Union tour and maybe also the version with the symphony).
Wow, I guess I'm kinda the opposite regarding "Parallels". I love the way the pipe organ comes blasting in, like Bach himself rose from the grave to take the solo. I guess it does sound pretty harsh, but I've never thought that that was bad, because pipe organs can be deafening. They are the original heavy metal instrument.
In contrast, I like the live version on YesShows well enough, but always found the keyboard solo a bit lacking. Maybe not surprising since for me the studio version was first. I'd listened to it 100 times before I picked up YesShows, which came out years later.
I've never heard Yes-shows, but I have Yes-songs double disc set. Which of the two are better?
Then buy them both anyway, because they're both great.
I just wanted to add that later versions of YesShows have "Ritual" all as one track, correctly restored.
In a ridiculous comedy of errors (yet somehow not surprising for Yes), there are multiple CD versions of YesShows because of how many tries it took them to get it right. The original CD simply preserved the LP tracks, which as pg mentioned included "Ritual" split into two tracks. Later, this was partially fixed by putting them together as a single track on the CD, but they literally concatenated the original tracks together, so it faded down and then back up again. I waited until they finally got it right and re-edited the two tracks together. The newest CD versions have "Ritual" as one track, correctly restored as performed.
I just wanted to add that later versions of YesShows have "Ritual" all as one track, correctly restored.
In a ridiculous comedy of errors (yet somehow not surprising for Yes), there are multiple CD versions of YesShows because of how many tries it took them to get it right. The original CD simply preserved the LP tracks, which as pg mentioned included "Ritual" split into two tracks. Later, this was partially fixed by putting them together as a single track on the CD, but they literally concatenated the original tracks together, so it faded down and then back up again. I waited until they finally got it right and re-edited the two tracks together. The newest CD versions have "Ritual" as one track, correctly restored as performed.
PG, sorry to be that guy, but there's at least one song on Yessongs NOT from that November/December time frame: Perpetual Change has Bruford on it, so it is from an earlier date.
Yeah, the drum solo is in "Perpetual Change" and Bruford takes the solo. That and "LDR/Fish" are from the Fragile tour. The rest is from the Close to the Edge tour.
Is this a solo song or a "Yes" song? I'm a pretty strident Yes fan, but at this point I'm out. No Anderson, no Squire... that's not enough for me.
Came across this while googling stuff for the Jethro Tull discography. Hope someone finds this of interest (I did).
https://musicaficionado.blog/2018/11/28/relayer-by-yes/
Came across this while googling stuff for the Jethro Tull discography. Hope someone finds this of interest (I did).
https://musicaficionado.blog/2018/11/28/relayer-by-yes/
A million thanks! It was a fantastic read
Came across this while googling stuff for the Jethro Tull discography. Hope someone finds this of interest (I did).
https://musicaficionado.blog/2018/11/28/relayer-by-yes/
Came across this while googling stuff for the Jethro Tull discography. Hope someone finds this of interest (I did).
https://musicaficionado.blog/2018/11/28/relayer-by-yes/
I'm one of those guys who would not have been sad had Moraz stayed with them for at least one more album.
I also love this Yes's encarnacion and didn't know anything about the keyboardists auditions and how Relayer was made. Very interesting read, thanks!Came across this while googling stuff for the Jethro Tull discography. Hope someone finds this of interest (I did).
https://musicaficionado.blog/2018/11/28/relayer-by-yes/
A million thanks! It was a fantastic read
Random observation: Am I the only one who thinks Elrond from the Lord of the Rings movies looks like Yessongs era Steve Howe?
But nowadays he looks more like Gollum ;):rollin
(https://i.imgur.com/qrpRPGM.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/CiGG2wy.jpg)
Random observation: Am I the only one who thinks Elrond from the Lord of the Rings movies looks like Yessongs era Steve Howe?
(https://i.imgur.com/qrpRPGM.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/CiGG2wy.jpg)
But nowadays he looks more like Gollum ;)
Random observation: Am I the only one who thinks Elrond from the Lord of the Rings movies looks like Yessongs era Steve Howe?
I always thought of him as the crypt keeper from Tales From The Crypt or even Iron Maiden's Eddie.
He might look older than he actually is, however: I watched YES feat. ARW the other night and I realised that Steve's unique, spastic guitar style is so crucial for the Yes sound. As important as Chris' omnipresent bass and Jon's angelic voice. Trevor Rabin can shred, yes, but no one comes close to the magic that Steve Howe is doing in Awaken at 9:50 (original version).
He might look older than he actually is, however: I watched YES feat. ARW the other night and I realised that Steve's unique, spastic guitar style is so crucial for the Yes sound. As important as Chris' omnipresent bass and Jon's angelic voice. Trevor Rabin can shred, yes, but no one comes close to the magic that Steve Howe is doing in Awaken at 9:50 (original version).
But his soloing over everything, especially on later records can get a bit much.
I'm gonna give this question another shot.The what is an electric sitar. As for the why, it's probably as simple as he liked the sound for that section, and that's what he recorded it with. Howe is very detail oriented, so he's going to do his best to match the various tones from the albums, even if nobody notices but him. Nowadays he's got a stand-mounted variax that does the sitar parts (and probably a few other odds and ends).
In Close to the Edge on Yessongs (and I think every other video that features the song and every live show I've seen), Steve Howe starts playing one of his Gibson hollow-body guitars (ES-something or other, I think). However, right before the vocals start, he switches to a different guitar mounted on a stand. What is that second guitar, and why is he making the switch?
I'm gonna give this question another shot.The what is an electric sitar. As for the why, it's probably as simple as he liked the sound for that section, and that's what he recorded it with. Howe is very detail oriented, so he's going to do his best to match the various tones from the albums, even if nobody notices but him. Nowadays he's got a stand-mounted variax that does the sitar parts (and probably a few other odds and ends).
In Close to the Edge on Yessongs (and I think every other video that features the song and every live show I've seen), Steve Howe starts playing one of his Gibson hollow-body guitars (ES-something or other, I think). However, right before the vocals start, he switches to a different guitar mounted on a stand. What is that second guitar, and why is he making the switch?
Random observation: Am I the only one who thinks Elrond from the Lord of the Rings movies looks like Yessongs era Steve Howe?
My wife gets pissed at me every time he shows up on screen and I yell "Steve Howe!" But then again I yell "Rick Wakeman" at Christoper Lee in those movies. Guess who I yell Trewavas at in The Hobbit?
You might surmise I'm not much fun to bring to a movie.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/yes-alumni-announce-new-band-arc-of-life-and-release-video-for-you-make-it-real
New band comprising old and current members of Yes (and CIRCA:) are set to release a new album next February!
-Marc.
https://www.loudersound.com/news/yes-alumni-announce-new-band-arc-of-life-and-release-video-for-you-make-it-realAre these guys for real?? :metal :metal :metal :metal :lol :lol :facepalm:
New band comprising old and current members of Yes (and CIRCA:) are set to release a new album next February!
-Marc.
Random observation: Am I the only one who thinks Elrond from the Lord of the Rings movies looks like Yessongs era Steve Howe?
My wife gets pissed at me every time he shows up on screen and I yell "Steve Howe!" But then again I yell "Rick Wakeman" at Christoper Lee in those movies. Guess who I yell Trewavas at in The Hobbit?
You might surmise I'm not much fun to bring to a movie.
It’s appropriate for The Lord of the Rings to have the most prog rock cast ever. Also, Boromir is Ray Wilson.
I want to like that, I do, but.... I don't.
I'm a fan of Billy Sherwood, at least I think I am, but everything he's on I don't really like. :)
I like Open Your Eyes. I understand some of the complaints that many hardcore Yesheads have, but I don't agree with most of them. And I consider myself a pretty hardcore Yeshead.
I like Open Your Eyes. I understand some of the complaints that many hardcore Yesheads have, but I don't agree with most of them. And I consider myself a pretty hardcore Yeshead.
I agree, Open Your Eyes is not that bad. I think there's a bunch of pretty good tracks on there. The title track, Wonderlove and especially From The Balcony.
the fact that they shelved the Keys studio material to put OYE out is still a bgi WTF? in a history of WTF moments in their later career.
the fact that they shelved the Keys studio material to put OYE out is still a bgi WTF? in a history of WTF moments in their later career.
I'm not sure what you mean by that. Open Your Eyes came out after Keys to Ascension 2.
Keystudio, which combined the studio tracks from the two Keys albums, was actually an afterthought, even if it did put all the studio material together as was apparently the plan at one point.
My favorite part of OYE is how clueless Alan White sounds playing the drum part of Somehow, Someday. It's like he's just playing along to a track he's never heard and isn't quite sure of how the rhythm goes.:lol
Man, I had that remembered wrong. I forgot that OYE came in on the heels of KTA 2 because the record label was keen to make that happen. :-\
My favorite part of OYE is how clueless Alan White sounds playing the drum part of Somehow, Someday. It's like he's just playing along to a track he's never heard and isn't quite sure of how the rhythm goes.:lol
Now I have to dust off that album and listen to it just for that reason. I don't remember hearing that..
My favorite part of OYE is how clueless Alan White sounds playing the drum part of Somehow, Someday. It's like he's just playing along to a track he's never heard and isn't quite sure of how the rhythm goes. But the title track is quite spectacular and a song I wouldn't mind them busting out again.
I pulled Fly From Here off the shelf today. I know many people dislike it and even say it's not really a Yes album. I really enjoy it. It has a comfortable calming quality to it.I listened to it once, and it's been on the shelf ever since. Perhaps I'll give it another chance. It's hard for me to listen to Yes without Anderson. At least Squire is on the album.
Benoit David was such an awkward fit in the Yes lineup, they lost me after Andersons departure. The only exception of a good Yes album without JA is called Drama. (imo)
Big fan of Drama, and a big fan of Fly From Here. It's not Drama, but it SMOKES what is immediately around it in the catalogue (everything since the second Keys; Magnification is good, The Ladder is OK, and OYE and H&E are an embarrassment to the legacy, IMO).
Magnification is the best post-Drama Yes album in my opinion. It's not the whacky prog of the 70s, but it has some very good and actually complex songs and a great production.
Spun CttE yesterday. Been years...too many. Masterpiece. As stunning today as the first listen.
My favorite of theirs remains Relayer, and it's one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. But the whole Close/Tales/Relayer trilogy is out of this world. Each a 10/10 album.
I'd take The Yes Album/Fragile/Close to the Edge as their definitive trilogy (when discussing consecutive studio albums), but Relayer is pretty damn great as well. Tales isn't on the level of those four, but it's still quite good.
Fragile is such an odd duck for me.
Roundabout? Heart of the Sunrise? Absolute 10/10 classics.
South Side? Underrated, great song.
Long Distance Runaround? Quirky, good song.
Mood for the Day? Incredible solo guitar piece.
But that's really it.
The Fish is cool, but.... Cans and Brahms? Yawn. We Have Heaven? Yeah, ok, Jon. Five Percent? Thank goodness it's only 35 seconds.
Relayer loses it on side 2. Sound Chaser is good but not great, and To Be Over is just meh.
Fragile is such an odd duck for me.
Roundabout? Heart of the Sunrise? Absolute 10/10 classics.
South Side? Underrated, great song.
Long Distance Runaround? Quirky, good song.
Mood for the Day? Incredible solo guitar piece.
But that's really it.
The Fish is cool, but.... Cans and Brahms? Yawn. We Have Heaven? Yeah, ok, Jon. Five Percent? Thank goodness it's only 35 seconds.
On this I agree almost 100%. Cans, Heaven and Five could have been eliminated as they are and I would be fine with it. The Long Distance/Fish double pack is pretty cool. And the three "big" songs are all amazing and deservedly classics.
To Be Over meh?
To Be Over?
MEH???
I think To Be Over is one of their most beautiful songs of all time. And I'll put it above And You And I as well! The finale is just amazing. I always hear church bells (although there are no church bells).
I'll fight you over this :biggrin:
I don't hold We Have Heaven or the keyboard or drum solo songs against Fragile at all considering they take up less than four minutes of the entire album.
I actually think all of those bits on Fragile are either entertaining or pleasant. Even if they were duds, they wouldn't be able to drag down an album otherwise composed of brilliant epic music.
I actually think all of those bits on Fragile are either entertaining or pleasant. Even if they were duds, they wouldn't be able to drag down an album otherwise composed of brilliant epic music.
there's a whole reason and logic to the inclusion of the solo pieces, and why Wakeman's is kinda weak
there's a whole reason and logic to the inclusion of the solo pieces, and why Wakeman's is kinda weak
I must have missed this discussion....?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Wakeman's extravagant keyboard set up left the band with some financial (& thus, time) constraints. This meant they had to get the album soon out while only having 30ish minutes of material. That's when the idea of filling the rest of the album with the solo pieces came in.
idk the reason for Wakeman's interlude being "kinda weak" though.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Wakeman's extravagant keyboard set up left the band with some financial (& thus, time) constraints. This meant they had to get the album soon out while only having 30ish minutes of material. That's when the idea of filling the rest of the album with the solo pieces came in.
idk the reason for Wakeman's interlude being "kinda weak" though.
Well, I know he couldn't write anything because of his solo deal with... I think it was A&M. So that's why his is a cover. I don't know if that equates to "weak". I like how he used different keyboard instruments to play the different orchestral instruments.
It's all of the above. There was huge pressure from Atlantic to get the next album out. Part of that was because Wakeman's keyboards were very expensive. I've never seen it spelled out explicitly, but I've always taken that to mean that the label actually bought the equipment and wanted their investment back. It seems weird that the label would buy the equipment in the first place, but the Wakeman deal was weird all the way around. Maybe it was Wakeman personally who went deep into debt? That doesn't make much sense, either, but who knows?
The liner notes talk about how there are spotlight tracks for each of the band members. The Fish is Squire, Mood for a Day is obviously Howe, Five Per Cent for Nothing is Bruford, and We Have Heaven is Anderson. Wakeman had a piece ready, but he was contracted to A&M records, and the terms of him appearing on Atlantic forbade him from recording any original music with them. So at the last minute, he whipped up "Cans and Brahms". I personally like it. In the 70's, it was still pretty novel to arrange a classical piece entirely for keyboards, and the idea of each section being played on a different keyboard seemed pretty cool to me. I think I was still in junior high when Fragile came out. I remember my mom had to drive me to the store to get it.
The five solo tracks were literally filler, because the band only had four songs ready and the label was pressuring them to get the next album out because they have bills to pay. It was presented as a way to spotlight each of the members, but it was really because Yes take a long time to write and record songs, but the solo tracks could be put together relatively quickly.
Anyway, I referred to Can and Brahms as "weak" because on the Yesfans boards, it seems to be considered pretty bad. At least part of that is because the piece Wakeman had prepared became Catherine of Aragon from his solo album The Six Wives of Henry VIII, and it's one of the standout tracks.
Popping in to say how much I love To Be Over.Absolutely. One of my favorites!
Popping in to say how much I love To Be Over.
It's getting serious: The new Yes album is coming
We already know that Yes are working on a new album. Now it seems to be largely completed. In a recent interview, drummer Alan White said, "I just finished work on a Yes album and we did everything online by sharing files over the Internet."
The songs were composed mainly by Steve Howe and singer Jon Davison, with some contributions from the other band members. Many ideas go back to Davison, as was the case with "Heaven & Earth".
When asked what the album will sound like, White says: “It will be a completely different album again than last time, as was the case with many Yes albums in the past. I think it will surprise a lot of people. Some things are very commercial, but there are also a bit more funky pieces. ”Contrary to what guitarist Steve Howe has suggested at times, there won't be any epic longtracks on the new album. "We don't have the energy for 27-minute pieces anymore," jokes White. He reports on eleven or twelve songs that are between five and eight minutes long. Whether the supposedly ten-minute "Horizons" (a holdover from the "Heaven & Earth" sessions), "Breaking down on Easy Street" (which dates back to 2012, and was probably made with the participation of Chris Squires) and / or "Midnight" (presumably by Squire and White) will be on the album is still unclear. However, White announced the title of one of the songs: "The Ice Bridge".
As for the status of the work and a possible release date, White cautiously states: “We are currently in the process of mixing the album. That's a lot of material ”. He hopes Yes can release the album in late spring or summer.
Side 1 - 24:19
Roundabout
Cans And Brahms
Long Distance Runaround
The Fish
America
Side 2 - 24:47
We Have Heaven
South Side Of The Sky
Five Per Cent For Nothing
Mood For A Day
Heart Of The Sunrise
Side 1 - 24:19
Roundabout
Cans And Brahms
Long Distance Runaround
The Fish
America
Side 2 - 24:47
We Have Heaven
South Side Of The Sky
Five Per Cent For Nothing
Mood For A Day
Heart Of The Sunrise
I really like this playlist, but I think your math is a bit off for Side 1. It seems like that's closer to 26:45 :P
That really would have been pushing it for 1971.
I was reminded last weeks of the lyrics to And You and I (which was played by the DJ at my wedding reception), so CTTE is next on my list after I finish my current jaunt through Triumph's discography.
Popping in to say how much I love To Be Over.Absolutely. One of my favorites!
^^^ All this. I agree.
By the way, anyone who's interested in a new Yes album, give Arc Of Life a shot. The first single came out and was underwhelming to say the least. The second single, "Just In Sight" is a lot more indicative of the rest of the record (honestly, even the first track isn't that bad in the context of the record). Billy Sherwood is a beast on bass.
The "fan recordings" is what scares me. I have a copy of the Shoreline show; it's KILLER. I have to look, I think I was at the Worcester show; I know I saw Hartford (it was really good; way better than the album), but that's not on the set.
I don't know; I think I may be watching this on eBay to see if I can get it cheaper.
The "fan recordings" is what scares me. I have a copy of the Shoreline show; it's KILLER. I have to look, I think I was at the Worcester show; I know I saw Hartford (it was really good; way better than the album), but that's not on the set.
I don't know; I think I may be watching this on eBay to see if I can get it cheaper.
ebay=cheaper? Seems like your experience with ebay is much better than mine (limited.)
The "fan recordings" is what scares me. I have a copy of the Shoreline show; it's KILLER. I have to look, I think I was at the Worcester show; I know I saw Hartford (it was really good; way better than the album), but that's not on the set.
I don't know; I think I may be watching this on eBay to see if I can get it cheaper.
ebay=cheaper? Seems like your experience with ebay is much better than mine (limited.)
Well, depends what it is, and you have to be patient. The pro sellers are usually not cheap, but if you can find a private seller looking to move it, sometimes you can find a deal. I get 80% or more of my CDs from Discogs, and the remainder are eBay, Amazon or direct (the only direct I'm really buying, though, is from Neal Morse and Marillion/Fish, and not even then).
The "fan recordings" is what scares me. I have a copy of the Shoreline show; it's KILLER. I have to look, I think I was at the Worcester show; I know I saw Hartford (it was really good; way better than the album), but that's not on the set.
I don't know; I think I may be watching this on eBay to see if I can get it cheaper.
ebay=cheaper? Seems like your experience with ebay is much better than mine (limited.)
Well, depends what it is, and you have to be patient. The pro sellers are usually not cheap, but if you can find a private seller looking to move it, sometimes you can find a deal. I get 80% or more of my CDs from Discogs, and the remainder are eBay, Amazon or direct (the only direct I'm really buying, though, is from Neal Morse and Marillion/Fish, and not even then).
Tony Levin toured with them, but missed some shows because he got sick. Those included the shows recorded for the live album and apparently the night you saw them as well. Jeff Berlin was brought in on very short notice, but I have no issues with his performance and think they should've cranked him up. Berlin was Bruford's bassist and a beast in his own right.
I agree with you that there's something off-putting about the sound of the recording, and it's hard to quantify, but "antiseptic" works for me. Bruford thought he was joining Anderson's latest project, and was disappointed that it "turned into Yes". His sound is different from classic Yes because he was into different sounds and stuff by then, including the electronic and synth drums. When you get this many great musicians together, it's really hard to not be impressed with the results, but the album lacks warmth and somehow doesn't sound very "live" to me, though it's obviously live. It's almost as though they practiced "too much" and the results were too perfect, too clean and shiny.
I was listening yesterday and today to the ABWH "An Evening of Yes Music Plus" live album -- actually just the Yes songs on the album -- and was wondering what everyone's thoughts are about that project 30 years after the fact.
I was excited about having Bruford, Wakeman and Howe together again, and I liked the one studio album at the time, but I probably haven't listened to it in 10-20 years. It didn't really sound too much like early Yes, and I suspect a lot of that was a result of Chris Squire not being involved and Bill Bruford's focus on electronic percussion. I went to a concert on the tour and really enjoyed it, but the live album is very lacking and...antiseptic. I recall reading somewhere that they (or one of them) regretted not including Tony Levin in the band name or as a full member of the group, and I don't know if that had anything to do with him not being on the tour (or the full tour?). Jeff Berlin played at the show I saw and on the live album, but his bass is very low in the mix, which really takes away from most of the Yes songs, which should feature Squire's growling Rickenbacker. Despite the inclusion of an additional guitarist and keyboard player, the sound on the live album is somewhat sparse and wimpy.
So...what'd'ya think?
Not sure the extent to which folks here are fans of "reaction" videos, but this "classical composer reacts to 'Close to the Edge'" video is just fantastic. This guy has such great insights (even into lyrics).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRw3QlUuuSc
Not sure the extent to which folks here are fans of "reaction" videos, but this "classical composer reacts to 'Close to the Edge'" video is just fantastic. This guy has such great insights (even into lyrics).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRw3QlUuuSc
Not sure the extent to which folks here are fans of "reaction" videos, but this "classical composer reacts to 'Close to the Edge'" video is just fantastic. This guy has such great insights (even into lyrics).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRw3QlUuuSc
My thing with reaction videos (in addition to sometimes wondering if the person is really hearing the song for the first time) is that I don’t really want to watch someone listen to a song. I love what Rick Beato does with breaking down a song, and think more people should do “classical composer analyzes” or “explains” such and such. The reaction genre has just gotten kind of gimmicky. I saw one that was classically trained flautist reacts to Jethro Tull (or something along those lines), and I’m pretty sure that was her only video and that she had previously listened to Jethro Tull before. I did get a kick out of it though.
Beth Roars is easily the best of the “[professional so and so] reacts” YouTubers though.
His Lateralus video was very cool. He pointed out things I was unaware of.
It's just me, and I don't begrudge anyone watching what interests them, but reaction videos do nothing for me. Music is an experience, and a sensory experience at that. I want to react to the music, not watch someone react. It's like watching someone watch porn. No thanks. :)Maybe they should make videos of us reacting to reaction videos.. 🤔
What are the chances that this is really true?His Lateralus video was very cool. He pointed out things I was unaware of.
I was quite impressed that he figured out the Fibonacci stuff by himself. He listened and went "wait, are they using the Fibonacci sequence to build this melody?"
What are the chances that this is really true?His Lateralus video was very cool. He pointed out things I was unaware of.
I was quite impressed that he figured out the Fibonacci stuff by himself. He listened and went "wait, are they using the Fibonacci sequence to build this melody?"
These reaction videos do not impress me much, either. To me, they are probably not even what they claim to be. What I would suspect is more often the case is that the person making them understands that the value they offer is affirmation that what the viewer likes is good.
I've seen this "classical composer" and he makes very few comments of original value. As far as I know, he's not even a classical composer - I have never heard of him, at least. The point is, he provides a service, and that service is swooping in from somewhere else to affirm for you that the things you like are recognized as good by someone "out there". It's no different than the "Black Dude/White Chick Listens to Dream Theater" type reaction videos. We all know nerdy white guys love prog. This videos are about catering to the need for affirmation that people who aren't that like it too.
When I watched Doug's video for Close to the Edge, I found myself thinking that it would be interesting to see Jon Anderson react to this guy's video.
When I watched Doug's video for Close to the Edge, I found myself thinking that it would be interesting to see Jon Anderson react to this guy's video.
If you ever find such a video, be sure to record your reaction to it, and post it on YouTube. Then we can watch the video of you reacting to the video of Jon Anderson reacting to the video of Doug Helvering reacting to the video of Close to the Edge.
That would be cool. :tup
When I watched Doug's video for Close to the Edge, I found myself thinking that it would be interesting to see Jon Anderson react to this guy's video.
If you ever find such a video, be sure to record your reaction to it, and post it on YouTube. Then we can watch the video of you reacting to the video of Jon Anderson reacting to the video of Doug Helvering reacting to the video of Close to the Edge.
That would be cool. :tup
Vocal coach reacts to Hip Hop guy reacting to video of you reacting to the video of Jon Anderson reacting to the video of Doug Helvering reacting to the video of Close to the Edge.
It's just me, and I don't begrudge anyone watching what interests them, but reaction videos do nothing for me. Music is an experience, and a sensory experience at that. I want to react to the music, not watch someone react. It's like watching someone watch porn. No thanks. :)
Haven’t you guys ever shown someone Tom Sawyer for the very first time and then thrilled at the joy they get?
It’s like we’ve all heard that song over 1000 times. But when we see someone else hearing it for the first time, there’s that moment when we relive the moment we heard it for the first time.
It’s like that. You don’t necessarily have to find the same thrill that other people do, but I feel like it’s important that you understand that this is the emotion that people feel from reaction videos.
I really like reaction videos. It's awesome to see someone getting worked up over a section that I also love. It's like "wait until he hears that part". ;DI don't care for all these reaction videos, but I think the ones from Doug are particularly interesting given his background and the insights that he provides, having a wealth of musical knowledge.
That's really it for me, too. Sure, I've shared music and videos with family and friends, and wondered how they would react. I hope they'll like it, or laugh at it, or whatever it is I'm hoping for, based on who they are and what I expect. But watching complete strangers react to things as a form of entertainment just baffles me. Why do I care what these people think? I don't know them, I don't care about them, and for all I know, their "reactions" are completely scripted and crafted for entertainment value. I truly hope I never get bored enough with my life to resort to watching people I don't know reacting to things.
That's really it for me, too. Sure, I've shared music and videos with family and friends, and wondered how they would react. I hope they'll like it, or laugh at it, or whatever it is I'm hoping for, based on who they are and what I expect. But watching complete strangers react to things as a form of entertainment just baffles me. Why do I care what these people think? I don't know them, I don't care about them, and for all I know, their "reactions" are completely scripted and crafted for entertainment value. I truly hope I never get bored enough with my life to resort to watching people I don't know reacting to things.
Well then why are you here, in a forum, discussing things with people you don't know? :biggrin:
In my opinion, it's a completely different thing to care/talk about what people's opinion is vs. why it's their opinion. Of course I don't know any of you guys and I shouldn't care what you think, but I do, because we all share some common interests and I want my horizon being broadened by other points of views and opinions. For example, I am in a Progrock fan group on Facebook and many people just state under a post or link: "this is bullshit" or "I don't like this". I keep telling them that I don't know them, so what do I care if some guys from the other end of Germany doesn't like some song? I wanna know why they have that opinion, so I can project those arguments onto my opinion. That's precisely why I love to write in this forum because you guys almost always discuss and don't just state opinions. And that's also why I like to watch Doug's reactions, because he listens with a critical and compositionally trained ear and makes me (who also likes to pay attention to theoretical aspects of music) appreciate things I might not have noticed before.
That's really it for me, too. Sure, I've shared music and videos with family and friends, and wondered how they would react. I hope they'll like it, or laugh at it, or whatever it is I'm hoping for, based on who they are and what I expect. But watching complete strangers react to things as a form of entertainment just baffles me. Why do I care what these people think? I don't know them, I don't care about them, and for all I know, their "reactions" are completely scripted and crafted for entertainment value. I truly hope I never get bored enough with my life to resort to watching people I don't know reacting to things.
That's really it for me, too. Sure, I've shared music and videos with family and friends, and wondered how they would react. I hope they'll like it, or laugh at it, or whatever it is I'm hoping for, based on who they are and what I expect. But watching complete strangers react to things as a form of entertainment just baffles me. Why do I care what these people think? I don't know them, I don't care about them, and for all I know, their "reactions" are completely scripted and crafted for entertainment value. I truly hope I never get bored enough with my life to resort to watching people I don't know reacting to things.
Well then why are you here, in a forum, discussing things with people you don't know? :biggrin:
In my opinion, it's a completely different thing to care/talk about what people's opinion is vs. why it's their opinion. Of course I don't know any of you guys and I shouldn't care what you think, but I do, because we all share some common interests and I want my horizon being broadened by other points of views and opinions. For example, I am in a Progrock fan group on Facebook and many people just state under a post or link: "this is bullshit" or "I don't like this". I keep telling them that I don't know them, so what do I care if some guys from the other end of Germany doesn't like some song? I wanna know why they have that opinion, so I can project those arguments onto my opinion. That's precisely why I love to write in this forum because you guys almost always discuss and don't just state opinions. And that's also why I like to watch Doug's reactions, because he listens with a critical and compositionally trained ear and makes me (who also likes to pay attention to theoretical aspects of music) appreciate things I might not have noticed before.
Well then why are you here, in a forum, discussing things with people you don't know? :biggrin:
OK, some of you know others well. Nice.
It's not my case. So what the hell am I doing here? :lol
The initial curiosity is very similar: knowing what other people (whom I don't know) think about things that interest me.
Of course: different platforms, different forms of interaction, different possibilities.
I just think that "I don't know these people, so I have no interest in what they think" is quite radical. If I fully agreed with that idea, why the hell would I have done an account here?
OK, some of you know others well. Nice.
It's not my case. So what the hell am I doing here? :lol
Serious answer to a possibly not-serious question: To discuss music (and maybe some other stuff) with other people. That's why I joined the original DTF boards many years ago, anyway. I was obsessed with this new band I'd learned about named Dream Theater and wanted to discuss their music with other people. I've always assumed that that was the case with most people who join a discussion forum dedicated to a band. Over the years, the focus has changed, but also during that time, people have gotten to know each other. That's all I'm saying. If you spend enough time hanging around the same people, including virtually, you eventually get to know each other. And some of us have been here a long time. So their opinions matter to me.The initial curiosity is very similar: knowing what other people (whom I don't know) think about things that interest me.
Of course: different platforms, different forms of interaction, different possibilities.
I just think that "I don't know these people, so I have no interest in what they think" is quite radical. If I fully agreed with that idea, why the hell would I have done an account here?
That's fair. I do wonder what other people think about things that I feel strongly about. And again, that's why I joined up here: to discuss the music. To me, discussion is two-way; people share their thoughts and opinions, but also consider others' thoughts and opinions, and hopefully everybody ends up a bit more enlightened. I guess my curiosity just doesn't extend to the point where I wonder what random people on the street think of things, certainly not to the point where I would seek out their reactions. As was pointed out, it's only one-way at that point. If I watch a reaction video, I see their reaction (duh) but they obviously have no idea that I'm even watching the video, so it's not like it's going to lead to a discussion.
I can see how others get something out of it, perhaps even find it entertaining, not just informative. It's just not for me.
Of course the dynamics here are totally different from watching a react or something like that. And I'm not even a fan of react videos.
I just disagree with the idea that I don't care at all about the opinions of a total stranger.
How many times have I finished reading a book and searched for someone's text or video giving their impressions, opinions and analysis about that book? Lots and lots! Absolutely unknown people. And without the possibility of having a conversation. I was simply interested in what other people (whom I don't know at all) thought about a book I enjoyed reading.
Perhaps I am one of those weird ones who are interested in the opinion of strangers. :biggrin:
It's somewhat interactive.OK, some of you know others well. Nice.
It's not my case. So what the hell am I doing here? :lol
Serious answer to a possibly not-serious question: To discuss music (and maybe some other stuff) with other people. That's why I joined the original DTF boards many years ago, anyway. I was obsessed with this new band I'd learned about named Dream Theater and wanted to discuss their music with other people. I've always assumed that that was the case with most people who join a discussion forum dedicated to a band. Over the years, the focus has changed, but also during that time, people have gotten to know each other. That's all I'm saying. If you spend enough time hanging around the same people, including virtually, you eventually get to know each other. And some of us have been here a long time. So their opinions matter to me.The initial curiosity is very similar: knowing what other people (whom I don't know) think about things that interest me.
Of course: different platforms, different forms of interaction, different possibilities.
I just think that "I don't know these people, so I have no interest in what they think" is quite radical. If I fully agreed with that idea, why the hell would I have done an account here?
That's fair. I do wonder what other people think about things that I feel strongly about. And again, that's why I joined up here: to discuss the music. To me, discussion is two-way; people share their thoughts and opinions, but also consider others' thoughts and opinions, and hopefully everybody ends up a bit more enlightened. I guess my curiosity just doesn't extend to the point where I wonder what random people on the street think of things, certainly not to the point where I would seek out their reactions. As was pointed out, it's only one-way at that point. If I watch a reaction video, I see their reaction (duh) but they obviously have no idea that I'm even watching the video, so it's not like it's going to lead to a discussion.
I can see how others get something out of it, perhaps even find it entertaining, not just informative. It's just not for me.
I'm probably repeating myself, but it's CONVERSATION here. We can go back and forth: "what about this?", "what about that?" "How does x compare with y?" It's not a "reaction" in the same sense of the word, IMO. Those same people in the reaction videos, which I won't watch, if I was sitting next to them in a bar shooting the shit, I would probably be more interested in what they had to say, because I can fill in the blanks if need be and ask them questions.
Full title: The Quest for a Decent Yes Album
Fly From Here is always a nice experience. Heaven And Earth is their worst album in my opinion.
I'll listen with an open mind.
Fly From Here is always a nice experience. Heaven And Earth is their worst album in my opinion.
I'll listen with an open mind.
I agree with every word in that post. H&E is even worse than Open Your Eyes.
I really like Sherwood, though, and he's coming off Arc Of Life which is EXCELLENT, IMO.
I've never seen Yessongs live video but I do have it on double disc cd and it is awesome! Steve Howe is just super on this performance.
I just want to ask him: Steve, Howe do you you do it??
I've never seen Yessongs live video but I do have it on double disc cd and it is awesome! Steve Howe is just super on this performance.
I just want to ask him: Steve, Howe do you you do it??
Some of those from the record are the same as from the movie. I'm not sure which, but I think Yours Is No Disgrace, Roundabout and Close To The Edge sounded like the same performances. When you actually see Howe performing this stuff it's really unreal. He's just bouncing and moving like he's wired into some secret hippy sauce. Greatest guitar face I've ever seen. The rest of the band seem placid by comparison. And Yes. Howe did he do it??
[edit: forgot to mention there's a performance of (The) Clap on the video which is not on the record. Also Rick's solo is different from the one used on the record]
The Clap is included on my double disc set.I've never seen Yessongs live video but I do have it on double disc cd and it is awesome! Steve Howe is just super on this performance.
I just want to ask him: Steve, Howe do you you do it??
[edit: forgot to mention there's a performance of (The) Clap on the video which is not on the record. Also Rick's solo is different from the one used on the record]
According to Wikipedia, the video is all taken from the Dec. 15, 1972 show at the Rainbow Theatre in London, with Close to the Edge and the "Wurm" section of Starship Trooper that plays over the closing credits being the only songs that are the same as on the album.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yessongs_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yessongs
The Clap is included on my double disc set.
The Clap is included on my double disc set.I've never seen Yessongs live video but I do have it on double disc cd and it is awesome! Steve Howe is just super on this performance.
I just want to ask him: Steve, Howe do you you do it??
[edit: forgot to mention there's a performance of (The) Clap on the video which is not on the record. Also Rick's solo is different from the one used on the record]
The proper title of the piece is "Clap". Steve Howe has said so many times. Jon Anderson always called it "The Clap" and announced it as such, but that should be considered a case of misspeaking, and any "official" listing considered a typo.
The proper title of the piece is "Clap". Steve Howe has said so many times. Jon Anderson always called it "The Clap" and announced it as such, but that should be considered a case of misspeaking, and any "official" listing considered a typo.
The proper title of the piece is "Clap". Steve Howe has said so many times. Jon Anderson always called it "The Clap" and announced it as such, but that should be considered a case of misspeaking, and any "official" listing considered a typo.
Nah, let's just add a superfluous "The" to the start of every Yes song from now on... The Roundabout, The Heart Of The Sunrise, The Close To The Edge, The Ritual, The The Gates Of Delirium, The Awaken, The Owner Of A Lonely Heart... it'll catch on!
You are absolutely right. I looked at the back of My Yessongs album cover and The Clap is not on there. I did confuse it with the live version on The Yes Album. 🙃
You are absolutely right. I looked at the back of My Yessongs album cover and The Clap is not on there. I did confuse it with the live version on The Yes Album. 🙃
Though that does make me wonder why there isn't a bumper release of Yessongs+ including more of the material recorded from these shows? It really is an interesting transitional point for the band with a new drummer.
You are absolutely right. I looked at the back of My Yessongs album cover and The Clap is not on there. I did confuse it with the live version on The Yes Album. 🙃
Though that does make me wonder why there isn't a bumper release of Yessongs+ including more of the material recorded from these shows?
Progeny reveals that they played the same set list every night, so there aren't any other songs that weren't already released on Yessongs. In fact, Yessongs contains a few tracks from the Fragile tour (you can tell because Bill Bruford is on them) to help fill out the three original LPs, now two CDs. It wasn't like that, though; they're not "filler" tracks or anything. They just included material from different tours because they wanted their first live album to be a big deal, a triple LP.
You are absolutely right. I looked at the back of My Yessongs album cover and The Clap is not on there. I did confuse it with the live version on The Yes Album. 🙃
Though that does make me wonder why there isn't a bumper release of Yessongs+ including more of the material recorded from these shows?
But there isn't much of anything that wasn't included on the album. It was, after all, a triple album with over two hours of music.
Wikipedia indicates that the tracks on Yessongs were recorded at 6-8 shows on the Fragile and Close to the Edge tours: Feb. 19 and/or 23, 1972; Nov. 1, 12, 15 and 20, 1972; and Dec. 15 and/or 16, 1972. Assuming those dates are accurate, and assuming the set lists on setlist.fm are accurate, the songs on Yessongs are the ONLY songs performed at any of those shows, with two exceptions: (1) Clap (performed at most of those shows); and (2) South Side of the Sky (performed as a second encore only at the Feb. 19, 1972 show. The Feb. 19 and/or 23, 1972 shows were from the Fragile tour and are indicated as the source for the recordings of Perpetual Change and Long Distance Runaround/The Fish.
You are absolutely right. I looked at the back of My Yessongs album cover and The Clap is not on there. I did confuse it with the live version on The Yes Album. 🙃
Though that does make me wonder why there isn't a bumper release of Yessongs+ including more of the material recorded from these shows? It really is an interesting transitional point for the band with a new drummer.
There is a box set that was released called "Progeny", that has seven shows from that Fall '72 tour was released. I have it, but I haven't listened to all of it yet.
I like all incarnations of Yes, but the Rabin era is my favorite. The new single is pretty cool btw..
And don't get me started on the "this doesn't sound like Yes" nonsense, as some Yes fans are notorious for thinking they are THE authority on what Yes should sound like (see: a large contingent with their endless BS about how the Rabin era doesn't sound like real Yes, whatever the hell "real Yes" is supposed to be), when Yes can sound like whatever the current band wants it to.
I have a question.
Why is the Talk album not on Spotify?
This is such a bogus outcome for a top tier Yes album. I can see why Trevor Rabin got discouraged and left the band to do movie soundtracks. This record was a masterpiece for him and the band and they were on fire for that tour!I have a question.
Why is the Talk album not on Spotify?
The label it was released on (Victory Music) folded shortly after the album released & now no-one has legal rights to redistribute it.
General term for that late 70s “light and breezy” rock that made all those hits.
Little River Band
The MM-era of The Doobie Brothers
The peak (and ultimate “jump the shark” moment) was when Christopher Cross swept the Grammy’s in 1980-ish. It was all over after that.
I like all incarnations of Yes, but the Rabin era is my favorite. The new single is pretty cool btw..
And don't get me started on the "this doesn't sound like Yes" nonsense, as some Yes fans are notorious for thinking they are THE authority on what Yes should sound like (see: a large contingent with their endless BS about how the Rabin era doesn't sound like real Yes, whatever the hell "real Yes" is supposed to be), when Yes can sound like whatever the current band wants it to.
I'll get the new one just because I have every Yes album in at least one physical format and it would bother me not to have it. But it will be mainly for completeness, and so I can rip the tracks I like and add them to my Yes playlist.
I'll listen to the album when it comes out, but mostly for completeness sake.
I feel there's just zero energy to this new song. And I think that's what bums me out most about it. I get they're not young anymore, and I definitely don't want them trying to do another "Sound Chaser".
If I listened to it blind and didn't know who it was, I'd honestly guess it was a Yes cover band trying their hand at Yes-type music. Which is fine. It certainly doesn't mean "this is not Yes." And Yes has taken many directions and can determine whatever they want to sound like. But man I just wish I felt some excitement or energy in the playing. Maybe its just me.
For a humorous side, after reading some of the earlier comments this morning, I decided to throw on the song for the first time while I was working out. I may have been the first person in the world to have bench pressed to "Dare to Know". Will I remain the only person? Who knows....
Just read a good review from Progarchives. Dude said this new one is the best since Drama.
Just read a good review from Progarchives. Dude said this new one is the best since Drama.
Just read a good review from Progarchives. Dude said this new one is the best since Drama.
Sounds like a lame review on that alone, and since it's from Progarchives, it's probably someone who craps all over the Rabin era, so hard to take it seriously.
Just read a good review from Progarchives. Dude said this new one is the best since Drama.
Sounds like a lame review on that alone, and since it's from Progarchives, it's probably someone who craps all over the Rabin era, so hard to take it seriously.
Reminds me of the Prog Report reviews, where they blindly praise any new release with Portnoy but are over-critical of MM era DT :facepalm:
But there was a 2002 reissue, later included in a boxset. Doesn't Eagle Records own the rights?I have a question.
Why is the Talk album not on Spotify?
The label it was released on (Victory Music) folded shortly after the album released & now no-one has legal rights to redistribute it.
But there was a 2002 reissue, later included in a boxset. Doesn't Eagle Records own the rights?I have a question.
Why is the Talk album not on Spotify?
The label it was released on (Victory Music) folded shortly after the album released & now no-one has legal rights to redistribute it.
I'm looking at the track lengths for The Quest on wikipedia... why exactly is this a double album? The whole thing's only 61 minutes? Is it just to up the price?
2nd disc is bonus tracks, to my understanding.
Due to unforeseen manufacturing issues, the US physical release of the new Yes album ‘The Quest’ will be delayed. The worldwide digital release of the album will remain on the 1st of October. The US release for the 2CD Digipak, Limited Deluxe Box & Artbook will be on the 15th of October, and the standalone vinyl will be released on the 17th of December.
This does not affect the release outside of the US, where the physical release date will remain 1st of October.
The YesWorld/Manhead Merch store will still be shipping their stock as soon as product is received, as such customers who pre-ordered via this shop will receive their order on or before October 15th
We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused, and we are doing our best to get the album in your hands asap.
The album is out
First impressions: it exists
The album is out
First impressions: it exists
The album is out
First impressions: it exists
:rollin
I've listened to it once. It's not worse than Heaven & Earth, at least.
-Marc.
The album is out
First impressions: it exists
:rollin
I've listened to it once. It's not worse than Heaven & Earth, at least.
-Marc.
At least The Ice Bridge breaks the trend though. Even if only for one song, it's still quite a refreshing song.
I listened to it while driving home from Vienna yesterday and I had to fight falling asleep momentarily.
:lolI listened to it while driving home from Vienna yesterday and I had to fight falling asleep momentarily.
Maybe it should come with a warning label for listening while operating heavy machinery? :D
They lost me right afterJon Anderson's departure. I just can't get into either of the other singers at all.
I understand that the guys are older, but the music that they make nowadays doesn't grab me as much. It's very bland and average overall.
They're running out of ideas. I'd dismiss Geoff and bring on Clive Nolan.
They're running out of ideas. I'd dismiss Geoff and bring on Clive Nolan.
Fair enough, I don't know who Clive Nolan is, but I don't think the problem is Geoff Downes. This is Steve Howe's band, and that, IMO, is not a good thing. The heart of Yes was always Chris Squire.
This is Steve Howe's band, and that, IMO, is not a good thing. The heart of Yes was always Chris Squire.
This is Steve Howe's band, and that, IMO, is not a good thing. The heart of Yes was always Chris Squire.
This is the real problem, right here. Steve Howe is at best the third most important ingredient in the Yes sound, and now he’s leading the band.
I wish that the Anderson Rabin Wakeman project hadn’t run out of steam.I wonder what the heck happened with that project?? They were even working on a new album and somebody dropped the ball.. good grief! :facepalm:
They're running out of ideas. I'd dismiss Geoff and bring on Clive Nolan.
Fair enough, I don't know who Clive Nolan is, but I don't think the problem is Geoff Downes. This is Steve Howe's band, and that, IMO, is not a good thing. The heart of Yes was always Chris Squire.
Well, I think bringing on a prolific composer like CN https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Nolan would take SH out of the sole leader position. Geoff here is no more than a session player and a heavyweight like Nolan would bring balance within the band.
They're running out of ideas. I'd dismiss Geoff and bring on Clive Nolan.
Fair enough, I don't know who Clive Nolan is, but I don't think the problem is Geoff Downes. This is Steve Howe's band, and that, IMO, is not a good thing. The heart of Yes was always Chris Squire.
Well, I think bringing on a prolific composer like CN https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Nolan would take SH out of the sole leader position. Geoff here is no more than a session player and a heavyweight like Nolan would bring balance within the band.
Geoff Downes is an AMAZING composer. Remembering that I don't know who he is what would Clive Nolan have that Downes doesn't in terms of being heard?
I think Howe and Anderson have patched things up to some degree. Didn't they work together on Anderson's solo album from 2019?
So I had to pick this up. As a Yes completist it was mandatory, although I must say I was not looking forward to checking this out.:rollin
Well...I finally got the courage to put this in the player last night after drinking about six 9.0 IPAs, I found myself perilously drunk and ready to embark on The Quest. Having only previously heard the Ice Bridge, had no clue of the rest of what I was in for. Considering my state, it's no surprise I can't remember any of the actual music. What I do remember is being pleasantly surprised and pleased with each unfolding song and thinking: "Hey! This is not as bad as everyone's saying. Digging this slightly. This is good. Not great, but actually good." So I know I actually enjoyed it! But of course I don't remember a single note. And now I'm sitting here in the sober light of day wondering; do I dare chance listening to this again now at the risk of ruining my alcohol fueled delusions? :lol
Why won't you use PayPal?
I use it for just about everything I buy online or via a phone app.
The album is out
First impressions: it exists
The album is out
First impressions: it exists
I finally got around to listen to this and there's really nothing to add to this statement.
An unexciting, unoffensive record, it's so uneventful you can't even call it bad.
The need a good producer ASAP:
Steven Wilson
Kevin Shirley
Bob Ezrin
Someone.
Steve Howe produced the latest album, because he was tired of working with producers that he felt didn't understand Yes. I think the new album sounds great. It's the writing that's weak, and I'm not sure how much a producer can do about that.
Steve Howe produced the latest album, because he was tired of working with producers that he felt didn't understand Yes. I think the new album sounds great. It's the writing that's weak, and I'm not sure how much a producer can do about that.
I think a producer can do a lot about that.
I had relatively high hopes for Heaven & Earth, produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who has produced a lot of my favorite albums. That, plus Yes was coming off one of their full-album tours, and after playing Close to the Edge and The Yes Album, I'd assumed that they were reminded of what Yes was capable of creating. I assumed that they'd take that into the studio with them. Then the album came out and it's basically "lite rock". Then later we heard that the Baker and the band had butted heads a lot during the recording. The previous album, Fly From Here, was produced by Trevor Horn and was the last album that actually rocks. But that was 10 years ago.
I've read multiple statements from Howe and the others that "this is the band now" or some shit. They've all but come right out and said that they're a bunch of fucking lightweights now, they're old and tired, and they want to make wimpy, mellow music, and they're tired of fighting with producers who want them to play rock and roll.
That is reducing things to stereotypes, but yeah that's basically it. I guess I still think of Steve as a rocker, since I have many memories of seeing him just ripping through 32nd-note flourishes in Yes videos. Geoff Downes is in the band now, and hell, Asia rocks more than Yes does these days, and some of that is due to Downes. Oddly, Downes and Howe don't seem to write together, even though they're basically the core of both Yes and Asia.
Squire was present on Heaven & Earth, though, and it was a real snoozefest.
They really need to either bury the hatchet with Jon Anderson and welcome him back, or retire.
The interviewer should have asked him, "Speaking of things that are never going to work, how is Yes going without both Chris Squire and Jon Anderson?"
He also talked about the RnRHoF ceremony, and sort of pissed on that, distancing himself from everything but Roundabout and his playing bass (he didn't say what song, and I didn't watch the ceremony).
He also talked about the RnRHoF ceremony, and sort of pissed on that, distancing himself from everything but Roundabout and his playing bass (he didn't say what song, and I didn't watch the ceremony).
I rewatched that the other day... the tension between Howe and Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman was something, that's for sure. The man's a good guitar player, but every interview I see with him, I dislike him a little more.
https://www.q13fox.com/news/thieves-steal-piece-of-rock-and-roll-history-from-local-hall-of-fame-drummerPretty sad. But yeah, Alan's not looking good at all. I can't imagine him being able to play drums in such a fragile state. :sad:
WTF. Although I'm not sure if the stuff they stole is as concerning as Alan's health. :sad:
Well, they said in the video that they broke in and stayed there for "several days". That's kind of the definition of a squatter; staying for an extended time on a property you're not authorized to be staying on.
Alan looks... haggard. I hope he's okay.Yeah, he's looking pretty frail. Is he really going to play in 4 weeks? Their 30+ show tour is scheduled to start.
Alan looks... haggard. I hope he's okay.Yeah, he's looking pretty frail. Is he really going to play in 4 weeks? Their 30+ show tour is scheduled to start.
Alan looks... haggard. I hope he's okay.Yeah, he's looking pretty frail. Is he really going to play in 4 weeks? Their 30+ show tour is scheduled to start.
Weren't they touring with Jay Schellen because Alan couldn't play live anymore?
So...sometime last year, I bought Topographic Drama. If you don't know and it isn't obvious from the title, it's a live album from the tour on which they performed all of Drama and about 60% of Tales from Topographic Oceans (along with a handful of other classic songs).
I forgot I had the album until this weekend and finally listened to it over the last couple days. I don't know what it is, but this is a BAD album. It's lifeless and dull. The tempos of the songs were noticeably slowed down. Very disappointing.
Yeah, I've heard that one is downright embarrassing.
So the Tempus is no longer Fugiting then?
The tour line-up features Steve Howe (guitars), Alan White (drums), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (vocals), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Jay Schellen (additional drums and percussion).
Yes delayed their tour once again. What I find interesting is the following statement:QuoteThe tour line-up features Steve Howe (guitars), Alan White (drums), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (vocals), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Jay Schellen (additional drums and percussion).
It looks like Alan will be joining the band after all. Although I expect Jay to manage most drumming duties. Relayer is such a beast to play (on every instrument).
Yeah, I've heard that one is downright embarrassing. The band is a shell of its former self, even if they still have most of the guys that played on those two albums.This immediately makes me think of Rush, and as Marc said, knew when to call it a day (dunno about KC - are they truly "done" and given how frail Phil was on this last tour, it's debatable about Genesis, too). Better to leave on a victorious high note than milk it until it's just a dragging whimper that needs to be put out of its misery. (I hope DT doesn't eventually end up doing the same)
Yeah, I've heard that one is downright embarrassing. The band is a shell of its former self, even if they still have most of the guys that played on those two albums.This immediately makes me think of Rush, and as Marc said, knew when to call it a day (dunno about KC - are they truly "done" and given how frail Phil was on this last tour, it's debatable about Genesis, too). Better to leave on a victorious high note than milk it until it's just a dragging whimper that needs to be put out of its misery. (I hope DT doesn't eventually end up doing the same)
It's not like they're going to retire, take a pension, and go fishing. I dream of the day I can retire from my office job and just make music. Musicians, in a way, don't have that to look forward to because music is already their life. So they keep making music. If it's not great, people don't have to buy it. But I'll never begrudge them wanting to continue doing what they love doing.Well I'm sure they have other hobbies they are interested in. Look at how Alex keeps up with doing painting and Geddy kept busy with his bass book and now working on his biography; plus both seem to be involved in a bunch of causes, too. And I wouldn't fault any of them for continuing to make music. But if they're not doing the material justice live, then they should at least give that up unless they redo the songs in the way that they can still do them justice - doesn't sound like that's what Yes is doing. Or they could go another route and continue making music in other ways. Look at how busy Alex has been, first with doing stuff for other bands/artists, and now this Envy of None thing.
When Jon and Rick left Yes in 1979 following the Tormato tour, the remaining members chose to carry on, but Atlantic Records was not so sure about the future of the band. It was therefore decided that it was time for another live album, to keep Yes in the public eye and ear, and of course to bring in some revenue for the label.
Chris sat down with tapes from the past three tours and began editing. At one point, Yesshows was to be like its predecessor Yessongs in that it would be a triple LP package and feature the entire album Tales from Topographic Oceans, just as Yessongs had contained all of Close to the Edge. Chris was also asked to prepare a two-LP version, in case it was decided that another three-LP release wasn't feasible. Then the famous meeting of The Buggles with Steve, Chris, and Alan took place, leading to the Drama sessions and eventual album, and the Yesshows project was shelved.
After the band officially broke up in 1980 following the aborted Drama tour, Atlantic decided to release Yesshows after all. Apparently because Yes technically did not exist at the time, no one from the band was consulted, and someone at Atlantic dug up the two-LP rough cut that Chris had put together. This became Yesshows.
Yesshows has material from the Relayer, Going for the One, and Tormato tours, which is why both Rick and Patrick appear on keyboards. Patrick plays on "The Gates of Delerium" and, perhaps surprisingly, on "Ritual". The remaining tracks have Rick on keyboards as they were taken from the later tours.
The album opens, as does Yessongs, with an excerpt from Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite". But in this case, we join the excerpt nearer to its conclusion. We hear the applause as the band takes the stage, and they play along with the final segment, leading directly into "Parallels" to open the concert.
Because of its length, "Ritual" was originally split across the two sides of the second LP. There was a fade-down at the end of side 3, then a fade-up at the beginning of side 4, just before the point of the fade-down, so no music is actually missing, but it was still unfortunate that the song had to be treated this way. Incredibly, the two parts were not rejoined on the original CD release but instead the fade-down and fade-up were preserved as on the original vinyl. This was eventually corrected, and current CD versions of Yesshows feature a seamless 28-minute performance of "Ritual".
Another questionable edit is the joining of "Time and a Word" with "Going for the One". The performances were taken from different nights, from two different tours. It is a clever segue, but it never actually took place in concert.
Chris is alternately quite proud of the job he did in creating Yesshows, or quick to point out that it was merely a rough cut, (perhaps to apologize for the questionable edits he made), depending on when you ask him. Other members of Yes were generally unhappy with the results, including the choice of performances, the mixes, and the sound quality in general. They tend to point out that no one consulted them about Yesshows at all, including Chris. Some fans complain that the bass is too prominent in the mix. (The album was produced and mixed by the bass player; go figure.)
Most fans, however, were just happy to get more Yes. With live versions of two fan favorite epics, both of the band's recent hit singles, a classic from the early years, and two songs from Going for the One which took on new life in concert, there is much to like about this album. Even if it had been a triple-LP release, by the time all of Tales from Topographic Oceans was included, and "The Gates of Delerium" given its own side, there would have been only one LP side left for anything else. The two-LP release, with its greater variety, was probably the right decision, although to this day, fans would still love to hear a complete live performance of Tales from Topographic Oceans.
What is y'alls take on Yesshows?
I remember so vividly being ordered to a transit barracks in Rota, Spain awaiting orders to whatever ship I was going to ge assigned to. I was supposed to be there a week but instead spent 3 long months. Large groups of sailors would get shipped in and then right back out again so you couldn't make friends. It was very lonely. And the only cassette I had was Yesshows. I must have spun it hundreds of times. I remember one time during The Gates Of Delerium, having tears in my eyes as I wondered what in the he'll I had done with my life by joining the navy. Anyways, sometimes I just crave the album.
Because of its length, "Ritual" was originally split across the two sides of the second LP. There was a fade-down at the end of side 3, then a fade-up at the beginning of side 4, just before the point of the fade-down, so no music is actually missing, but it was still unfortunate that the song had to be treated this way. Incredibly, the two parts were not rejoined on the original CD release but instead the fade-down and fade-up were preserved as on the original vinyl. This was eventually corrected, and current CD versions of Yesshows feature a seamless 28-minute performance of "Ritual".
Because of its length, "Ritual" was originally split across the two sides of the second LP. There was a fade-down at the end of side 3, then a fade-up at the beginning of side 4, just before the point of the fade-down, so no music is actually missing, but it was still unfortunate that the song had to be treated this way. Incredibly, the two parts were not rejoined on the original CD release but instead the fade-down and fade-up were preserved as on the original vinyl. This was eventually corrected, and current CD versions of Yesshows feature a seamless 28-minute performance of "Ritual".
28 minutes? The component parts on the original vinyl and CD releases are 14:53 and 17:06 (total 31:59). Is there stuff missing on the CD re-release?
It may just be a matter of where they placed the track markers. After "Don't Kill the Whale", there's over two minutes where Jon introduces some of the sound and light crew, pushing the length of that track to 6:50 when the song itself is only four minutes or so. Then they start "Ritual". On the CD, that's where the track marker is; the actual beginning of the song. I don't remember now, but if that chatter was all originally considered part of "Ritual", then that would've upped the original vinyl track length. Subtract the original overlapping fades, and we could be down to 28:07 total time. My original vinyl is currently inaccessible, so I can't check. (Maybe someone else could?)
I'm often torn when it comes to live albums where there's talking to the audience. Sometimes it's just a quick word or two to introduce the song, sometimes there's a little story or something which is okay but I'd like to option to skip it. And with CDs, there doesn't seem to be a standard. Sometimes the track marker is always at the start of the song, regardless of any chatter preceding it, which is good if you want to just jump to the song, but sometimes they include the chatter as part of the track.
Because of its length, "Ritual" was originally split across the two sides of the second LP. There was a fade-down at the end of side 3, then a fade-up at the beginning of side 4, just before the point of the fade-down, so no music is actually missing, but it was still unfortunate that the song had to be treated this way. Incredibly, the two parts were not rejoined on the original CD release but instead the fade-down and fade-up were preserved as on the original vinyl. This was eventually corrected, and current CD versions of Yesshows feature a seamless 28-minute performance of "Ritual".
28 minutes? The component parts on the original vinyl and CD releases are 14:53 and 17:06 (total 31:59). Is there stuff missing on the CD re-release?
Hmmm... now I'm not sure. I have everything ripped to my hard drive, and Windows tells me it's 28:07. I just opened it in Audacity, which also tells me it's 28:07. But I'm pretty sure they didn't cut anything out of the song.
It may just be a matter of where they placed the track markers. After "Don't Kill the Whale", there's over two minutes where Jon introduces some of the sound and light crew, pushing the length of that track to 6:50 when the song itself is only four minutes or so. Then they start "Ritual". On the CD, that's where the track marker is; the actual beginning of the song. I don't remember now, but if that chatter was all originally considered part of "Ritual", then that would've upped the original vinyl track length. Subtract the original overlapping fades, and we could be down to 28:07 total time. My original vinyl is currently inaccessible, so I can't check. (Maybe someone else could?)
I'm often torn when it comes to live albums where there's talking to the audience. Sometimes it's just a quick word or two to introduce the song, sometimes there's a little story or something which is okay but I'd like to option to skip it. And with CDs, there doesn't seem to be a standard. Sometimes the track marker is always at the start of the song, regardless of any chatter preceding it, which is good if you want to just jump to the song, but sometimes they include the chatter as part of the track.
YES MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCE CHANGE TO UK TOUR LINE-UP
YES Management have announced today that due to current health issues Alan White will not be taking part on the forthcoming 50th Anniversary Close to the Edge UK Tour.
Alan was really looking forward to playing live again preparing to celebrate 50 years with Yes, having joined the band for the July 1972 Close to the Edge Tour, coming full circle in 2022. Alan’s close friend Jay Schellen will be taking on drumming duties in Alan’s place.
The Album Series Tour 2022 which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of YES’ iconic album Close to the Edge and will feature the album, performed in full, along with other classic tracks from YES’ extensive catalogue.
The tour line-up will feature Steve Howe (guitars), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (vocals), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar and backing vocals) with Jay Schellen (drums and percussion).
The show will comprise full production and a high-definition video wall directed by Roger Dean who will also be joining the tour with an exhibition of YES related art.
A full performance of the Relayer album will now be featured in a future UK tour in The Album Series. European dates were recently announced for rescheduled dates in 2023.
The 10 date UK and Eire tour starts on 15th June - full dates are:
Wed 15th June Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Fri 17th June Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Sat 18th June Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Mon 20th June Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Tues 21st June London Royal Albert Hall
Wed 22nd June York Barbican
Fri 24th June Birmingham Symphony Hall
Sun 26th June Newcastle O2 City Hall
Tues 28th June Dublin Vicar Street
Wed 29th June Cork Opera House
Tickets remain valid for the rescheduled shows. For full details and to book tickets for all shows go to venue website or http://yesworld.com/live where you can also book Meet and Greets with the band.
More info at www.yesworld.com
I know that everyone in the camp has always said “Yes will continue“ but this is starting to get ridiculous.
This is why I hate the business of music. Because everybody knows this is just Steve Howe with guest musicians. But for some reason, the legal entity always seems to be a game of survivor and who ends up being the last on the island to own the legal title.
I know that everyone in the camp has always said “Yes will continue“ but this is starting to get ridiculous.
This is why I hate the business of music. Because everybody knows this is just Steve Howe with guest musicians. But for some reason, the legal entity always seems to be a game of survivor and who ends up being the last on the island to own the legal title.
Alan White, our beloved husband, dad, and grandpa, passed away at the age of 72 at his Seattle-area home on May 26, 2022, after a brief illness.
Throughout his life and six-decade career, Alan was many things to many people: a certified rock star to fans around the world; band mate to a select few, and gentleman and friend to all who met him.
Alan was born in Pelton, County Durham, England on June 14, 1949. He began piano lessons at the age of six, began playing the drums at age twelve, and has been performing publicly since the age of thirteen.
Throughout the 1960s, Alan honed his craft with a variety of bands, including The Downbeats, The Gamblers, Billy Fury, Alan Price Big Band, Bell and Arc, Terry Reid, Happy Magazine (later called Griffin), and Balls with Trevor Burton (The Move) and Denny Laine (Wings).
In 1968, Alan joined Ginger Baker’s Airforce, a new group that was put together by the former drummer of Cream and other noted musicians from England’s music scene including Steve Winwood, formerly of Traffic.
In 1969, Alan received what he thought at the time to be a prank phone call, but it was John Lennon calling to ask Alan to join the Plastic Ono Band. The next day Alan found himself learning songs in the back of an airliner headed to Toronto with Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, and Klaus Voormann. The ensuing album, Live Peace in Toronto, sold millions of copies, peaking at number 10 on the charts.
Alan’s association with Lennon continued, recording singles like ‘Instant Karma’ and the subsequent landmark album, Imagine, with Alan providing drums for the title song, ‘Jealous Guy’, and ‘How Do You Sleep at Night’. Alan’s work with Lennon led to an introduction to George Harrison, who asked Alan to perform on the album All Things Must Pass, including the single, ‘My Sweet Lord’, released in 1970. Alan subsequently worked with many artists for the Apple label, including Billy Preston, Rosetta Hightower, and Doris Troy.
Alan joined YES on July 27, 1972, and with only three days to learn the music, YES opened their US tour before 15,000 fans in Dallas, Texas on July 30, 1972. Alan has been with YES ever since, and with the passing of founding member, Chris Squire, in June 2015, Alan is the longest continuously serving band member.
Alan is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and May White (née Thrower), his sister-in-law, Mindi Hall, and many loyal furry companions. He is survived by his wife of forty years (May 15, 1982) Rogena “Gigi” (née Walberg), his children, Jesse (Emily), their two children JJ and Ellie, and Cassi (Kela), and sister-in-law Andrea Holmqvist (Robert).
Gigi, Jesse, and Cassi
Seattle, WA
Wow. I'm bummed. He's the drummer on my favorite album of all time, ever.I am sorry if this is well known, but I am curious. Could it be Tales or Relayer?
Wow. I'm bummed. He's the drummer on my favorite album of all time, ever.I am sorry if this is well known, but I am curious. Could it be Tales or Relayer?
Sad news indeed. I need to spin Relayer.
In his honor I will spend the next few days running through the discography.
On any given day, Awaken could be my favorite song of all time.
Jon Anderson says that he considers "Awaken" to be the pinnacle of Yes music.
Gave Drama a runthrough yesterday (which I love, believe it or not, my favourite White era Yes album). It hurt. Lots.
Jon Anderson says that he considers "Awaken" to be the pinnacle of Yes music.I remember him saying the same thing about Endless Dream. :coolio
Jon Anderson says that he considers "Awaken" to be the pinnacle of Yes music.I remember him saying the same thing about Endless Dream. :coolio
It was around that time when he said that on a very long live radio interview. I also saw them on that tour and he said it again right before they played Endless Dream. In fact he specifically said that this song represents and is the epitome of what Yes is all about..Jon Anderson says that he considers "Awaken" to be the pinnacle of Yes music.I remember him saying the same thing about Endless Dream. :coolio
When did he say that about Endless Dream? I am guessing it was right around the release of Talk, which means it falls under the "our new album/song is our best ever" talking points to which many musicians often default. :P :P
Granted, I think Endless Dream is a lot better than Awaken, but I would guess if we asked Jon Anderson today which song he thought was better, he'd answer Awaken without hesitating. Which of course proves that artists often are wrong about which of their songs are the best/the pinnacle. :biggrin: :biggrin:
I consider Drama a perfect, 5-star record.Agreed! Drama is amazing.
It was around that time when he said that on a very long live radio interview. I also saw them on that tour and he said it again right before they played Endless Dream. In fact he specifically said that this song represents and is the epitome of what Yes is all about..Jon Anderson says that he considers "Awaken" to be the pinnacle of Yes music.I remember him saying the same thing about Endless Dream. :coolio
When did he say that about Endless Dream? I am guessing it was right around the release of Talk, which means it falls under the "our new album/song is our best ever" talking points to which many musicians often default. :P :P
Granted, I think Endless Dream is a lot better than Awaken, but I would guess if we asked Jon Anderson today which song he thought was better, he'd answer Awaken without hesitating. Which of course proves that artists often are wrong about which of their songs are the best/the pinnacle. :biggrin: :biggrin:
Spot on! :tupIt was around that time when he said that on a very long live radio interview. I also saw them on that tour and he said it again right before they played Endless Dream. In fact he specifically said that this song represents and is the epitome of what Yes is all about..Jon Anderson says that he considers "Awaken" to be the pinnacle of Yes music.I remember him saying the same thing about Endless Dream. :coolio
When did he say that about Endless Dream? I am guessing it was right around the release of Talk, which means it falls under the "our new album/song is our best ever" talking points to which many musicians often default. :P :P
Granted, I think Endless Dream is a lot better than Awaken, but I would guess if we asked Jon Anderson today which song he thought was better, he'd answer Awaken without hesitating. Which of course proves that artists often are wrong about which of their songs are the best/the pinnacle. :biggrin: :biggrin:
Okay, so that kind of backs up what I alluded to the other day. :)
Sadly, there will always be a percentage of Yes fans who refuse to give props to anything the band did with Trevor Rabin, so Endless Dream will never get the credit for being as great as it is from the fanbase as a whole.
Yes is on my list of retired favorites now, meaning a band that will always be a favorite, just not one I ever listen to regularly anymore, but when I do, I am just as likely to reach for the Rabin era as the 70s stuff. Granted, if you ask me what the best Yes albums and best Yes songs are, the vast majority in both categories will come from the 70s, but I grew up listening to 80s Yes and then Talk blew my mind when that came out, so the nostalgia factor is strong with the Rabin material. :hat :hat
Yes is on my list of retired favorites now, meaning a band that will always be a favorite, just not one I ever listen to regularly anymore, but when I do, I am just as likely to reach for the Rabin era as the 70s stuff. Granted, if you ask me what the best Yes albums and best Yes songs are, the vast majority in both categories will come from the 70s, but I grew up listening to 80s Yes and then Talk blew my mind when that came out, so the nostalgia factor is strong with the Rabin material. :hat :hat
So, I'm a Yes fan. Going For The One is my favorite record of all time by anybody, and I think there are other albums (The Yes Album) and songs (Heart Of The Sunrise) that are close. Having said that, I got into Yes around the time of Drama, and I loved that record too. At heart, I'm a Chris Squire guy; I think he was the heart and soul of that band. When I got the opportunity to see them in 1983, the "YesWest" version, I was all over it. I loved the single ("Owner...") and I loved "Hearts" (It's not on the video, but at my show the lasers were like nothing I've ever seen; there were two laser hearts that joined in the center of the arena - "two hearts are better than one!").
In hindsight, Yes fell off a bit after Keys To Ascension. As much as I love Billy Sherwood (hand-picked by Chris) I'm out now on Yes. Jon Davison is a good singer, but he's not Jon, but he's too close to Jon for me to be able to forgo the comparison. I think the highs of the Classic Yes era are higher, but the quality of the Rabin years is on the whole higher. There are no "Circus Of Heaven"'s in the YesWest catalogue. There are no "Arriving UFO"'s in the YesWest catalogue. I think those three studio records are solid, top to bottom, and even the three or four tracks from Onion are the best on that record.
I do hope you love CTTE too though :D
I think Endless Dream is a cool song, certainly one of the best from the Rabin era. I still spin 90125 once in a while, and have given Talk a good number of spins. It's good stuff, but if I'm going to listen to Yes, there are a dozen Yes albums I'd reach for before Talk. I'm not a Rabin hater; I just happen to prefer Steve Howe as a guitarist, and as guitarist for Yes. Similarly, I prefer Jon Anderson on vocals, but Drama is one of my favorite Yes albums. No hating, just stronger preferences here and there.
So, I'm a Yes fan. Going For The One is my favorite record of all time by anybody, and I think there are other albums (The Yes Album) and songs (Heart Of The Sunrise) that are close. Having said that, I got into Yes around the time of Drama, and I loved that record too. At heart, I'm a Chris Squire guy; I think he was the heart and soul of that band. When I got the opportunity to see them in 1983, the "YesWest" version, I was all over it. I loved the single ("Owner...") and I loved "Hearts" (It's not on the video, but at my show the lasers were like nothing I've ever seen; there were two laser hearts that joined in the center of the arena - "two hearts are better than one!").
In hindsight, Yes fell off a bit after Keys To Ascension. As much as I love Billy Sherwood (hand-picked by Chris) I'm out now on Yes. Jon Davison is a good singer, but he's not Jon, but he's too close to Jon for me to be able to forgo the comparison. I think the highs of the Classic Yes era are higher, but the quality of the Rabin years is on the whole higher. There are no "Circus Of Heaven"'s in the YesWest catalogue. There are no "Arriving UFO"'s in the YesWest catalogue. I think those three studio records are solid, top to bottom, and even the three or four tracks from Onion are the best on that record.
So, I'm a Yes fan. Going For The One is my favorite record of all time by anybody, and I think there are other albums (The Yes Album) and songs (Heart Of The Sunrise) that are close. Having said that, I got into Yes around the time of Drama, and I loved that record too. At heart, I'm a Chris Squire guy; I think he was the heart and soul of that band. When I got the opportunity to see them in 1983, the "YesWest" version, I was all over it. I loved the single ("Owner...") and I loved "Hearts" (It's not on the video, but at my show the lasers were like nothing I've ever seen; there were two laser hearts that joined in the center of the arena - "two hearts are better than one!").
In hindsight, Yes fell off a bit after Keys To Ascension. As much as I love Billy Sherwood (hand-picked by Chris) I'm out now on Yes. Jon Davison is a good singer, but he's not Jon, but he's too close to Jon for me to be able to forgo the comparison. I think the highs of the Classic Yes era are higher, but the quality of the Rabin years is on the whole higher. There are no "Circus Of Heaven"'s in the YesWest catalogue. There are no "Arriving UFO"'s in the YesWest catalogue. I think those three studio records are solid, top to bottom, and even the three or four tracks from Onion are the best on that record.
Agreed. I think Big Generator gets a bad rap, but I really like that record a lot, although it is kind of thin-sounding, so I can some not digging the production.
Yes has had flashes of greatness since Talk IMO, but they have been just that: flashes. I loved The Ladder when it came out, save for a song or two, but while I still like the album, there are only a few songs I'd go out of my way to hear on their own anymore. For me, The Yes Album through Talk will always be where it's at with me and Yes, so long as I can discard Tormato in the dumpster. :biggrin:
Tormato is confounding. It's a half of a great album.
1. "Future Times"/"Rejoice"
2. "Don't Kill the Whale"
3. "Madrigal"
4. "Release, Release"
1. "Arriving UFO"
2. "Circus of Heaven"
3. "Onward"
4. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom"
This is great:
1. "Future Times"/"Rejoice"
2. "Madrigal"
3. "Release, Release"
4. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom"
This is not so great (though DKTW and Onward are a step above the other two embarrassments):
1. "Don't Kill the Whale"
2. "Arriving UFO"
3. "Circus of Heaven"
4. "Onward"
I've always wondered how they could put out such a clunker in Tomato so soon after Going For the One, which is such a fantastic record.
Tormato is confounding. It's a half of a great album.
1. "Future Times"/"Rejoice"
2. "Don't Kill the Whale"
3. "Madrigal"
4. "Release, Release"
1. "Arriving UFO"
2. "Circus of Heaven"
3. "Onward"
4. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom"
This is great:
1. "Future Times"/"Rejoice"
2. "Madrigal"
3. "Release, Release"
4. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom"
This is not so great (though DKTW and Onward are a step above the other two embarrassments):
1. "Don't Kill the Whale"
2. "Arriving UFO"
3. "Circus of Heaven"
4. "Onward"
Woah, wait. Onward is the standout track on Tormato IMO. I also like Don’t Kill the Whale.
I think Tormato is much better than most Yes fans are ready to admit. It isn't as progressive as its predecessor but it's really rocking and I like that.
The only real clunker is Circus Of Heaven, and yes, that's really cringeworthy bad.
I'd be willing to switch out "Madrigal" for either "Onward" or "...Whale". My point was, I think they just lost focus midway through. There are the bones of a really GREAT record there. The only two real duds are Circus of Arriving UFOs from Heaven.
Tormato just sounds ugly. There might be more good songs in there, but they all get lost in the production and ugly sounds and tones. Onward is great on the Keys live album, which was quite a revelation for me when I heard that, so I do think there is more good in those songs; we just have never heard cleaner versions of most of them.
Tormato just sounds ugly. There might be more good songs in there, but they all get lost in the production and ugly sounds and tones. Onward is great on the Keys live album, which was quite a revelation for me when I heard that, so I do think there is more good in those songs; we just have never heard cleaner versions of most of them.
The sound choices may be a bit on the wired side, but in general I like the sound on Tormato (it’s Yes after all, they always sound weird). It’s much better sounding production wise than Going for the One at least.
Love GFtO but the last couple minutes of the opening title track, Howe's guitar has an overpowering, high pitched whine that can almost hurt your ears if the volume is too high.
Love GFtO but the last couple minutes of the opening title track, Howe's guitar has an overpowering, high pitched whine that can almost hurt your ears if the volume is too high.
Yup, and the fact that the end of GFTO just repeats the same stuff over and over and over and over...only makes it worse. I get the same thing with the organ on Parallels. I had heard the live Yesshows version first and LOVED (and still love) it, so I was really disappointed with the studio version. Those issues don't exist at all with TOTC, Wonderous Stories and Awaken.
Well that was cool! :metal
Metal Yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73WTnRa0d6M
I think I'm okay with this, sans for the Blast Beats.
I wanted to turn it off just past the 1:00 mark - right after the heavy rhythm guitar came in and drowned everything else out - but I stuck with it through the first chorus (just to hear what they did with the harmony vocals). There's a way to make a metal Roundabout that still retains the character of the original. This could've been it. The vocals were really good, but the guitars were excessive and the instrumentation was terrible.
I wanted to turn it off just past the 1:00 mark - right after the heavy rhythm guitar came in and drowned everything else out - but I stuck with it through the first chorus (just to hear what they did with the harmony vocals). There's a way to make a metal Roundabout that still retains the character of the original. This could've been it. The vocals were really good, but the guitars were excessive and the instrumentation was terrible.
the essence of that song for me is the walking (running?) bass line and that was lost beneath the ridiculous drums and wall of guitars.
On the original, if I'm not mistaken, Howe plays an acoustic and it was arguably as heavy as this in it's own way.
the essence of that song for me is the walking (running?) bass line and that was lost beneath the ridiculous drums and wall of guitars.
100%On the original, if I'm not mistaken, Howe plays an acoustic and it was arguably as heavy as this in it's own way.
If I remember correctly, he played each verse differently. The first two verses are only an acoustic playing between Em, a funky A chord, and Em7. I believe he added an electric guitar for the third verse, and the last verse doubles the bass line. Someone should correct me if I'm not remembering that correctly.
the essence of that song for me is the walking (running?) bass line and that was lost beneath the ridiculous drums and wall of guitars.
100%On the original, if I'm not mistaken, Howe plays an acoustic and it was arguably as heavy as this in it's own way.
If I remember correctly, he played each verse differently. The first two verses are only an acoustic playing between Em, a funky A chord, and Em7. I believe he added an electric guitar for the third verse, and the last verse doubles the bass line. Someone should correct me if I'm not remembering that correctly.
I don't have it to hand right now (maybe I'll listen in the car later) but I thought one of the verses at least was just harmonics.
I'm always divided on these. Generally, they're very good performances of songs that I like. But... I don't know, it's almost like I'm self-stigmatizing it. Why would I want to listen to a bunch of kids play Close to the Edge? Well, if it's a good performance of a song I like, then that should be enough. But I'm not going to go out of my way to check it out. If I'm browsing YouTube videos and see a School of Rock thumbnail, I will probably click on something else. Maybe if it's a video that started automatically after something else because I wasn't quick enough to stop it. And once it's playing, yeah, I'll probably check it out. But to think that I would literally not put any effort into it otherwise... fuck, I guess I am an elitist! :lol
@Orbert
Here's another one of them doing And You and I: https://youtu.be/gpNiRb99Kus
During the Eclipse section (starting around 3:23) one of the girls comes to the front and is playing some sort of electric/electronic wind instrument. Any idea what it is? I asked my woodwind-playing daughter, and she had no idea.
I'm always divided on these. Generally, they're very good performances of songs that I like. But... I don't know, it's almost like I'm self-stigmatizing it. Why would I want to listen to a bunch of kids play Close to the Edge? Well, if it's a good performance of a song I like, then that should be enough. But I'm not going to go out of my way to check it out. If I'm browsing YouTube videos and see a School of Rock thumbnail, I will probably click on something else. Maybe if it's a video that started automatically after something else because I wasn't quick enough to stop it. And once it's playing, yeah, I'll probably check it out. But to think that I would literally not put any effort into it otherwise... fuck, I guess I am an elitist! :lol
Marc is correct; that's a Roland Aerophone. Someone sent me a video of someone playing one, years ago, and said I should get one. It's a neat idea; a MIDI controller that's not a keyboard but based on a scaled-down Boehm system. The Boehm system is used on all modern woodwinds and basically means that if you can play the flute, you can mostly play the saxophone, oboe, and clarinet as well, because the fingering patterns are all the same. That's the really TL;DR version. Each individual instrument has its differences, hence the "mostly". Anyway, driving a synth, sampler, or anything else you might want to drive with a keyboard but using a woodwind-like controller would be fun.
It's a neat idea, and I've never played one, but it seems like it would feel very restricting. It doesn't have all the keys, just most of them, and after 50 years of playing winds and muscle memory, I'd think I'd have issues. Given unlimited funds, I'd probably opt for a Yamaha Digital Saxophone (https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YDS-150-Digital-Saxophone/dp/B08JX3ZLTB) or even hunt down an old Lyricon instead.
I'm always divided on these. Generally, they're very good performances of songs that I like. But... I don't know, it's almost like I'm self-stigmatizing it. Why would I want to listen to a bunch of kids play Close to the Edge? Well, if it's a good performance of a song I like, then that should be enough. But I'm not going to go out of my way to check it out. If I'm browsing YouTube videos and see a School of Rock thumbnail, I will probably click on something else. Maybe if it's a video that started automatically after something else because I wasn't quick enough to stop it. And once it's playing, yeah, I'll probably check it out. But to think that I would literally not put any effort into it otherwise... fuck, I guess I am an elitist! :lol
Lizzo digs her Yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qRQUNnm3MM
I just saw that Jon is playing the Arcada next year and am seriously thinking of going. I would much rather hear him perform Yes than actual Yes at this point. I get a perk from my employer to get 20% off all tickets from that venue so that sweetens the pot for me.
I saw him a couple of years ago as ARW, or whatever they called themselves. Good show. They seemed to have a lot of fun, unlike the Howe incarnations. Official Yes ended for me when Squire croaked. Add White into that and there's just not much interest for me.I just saw that Jon is playing the Arcada next year and am seriously thinking of going. I would much rather hear him perform Yes than actual Yes at this point. I get a perk from my employer to get 20% off all tickets from that venue so that sweetens the pot for me.
I saw him a year or so ago, and his voice is still solid.
I saw him a couple of years ago as ARW, or whatever they called themselves. Good show. They seemed to have a lot of fun, unlike the Howe incarnations. Official Yes ended for me when Squire croaked. Add White into that and there's just not much interest for me.I just saw that Jon is playing the Arcada next year and am seriously thinking of going. I would much rather hear him perform Yes than actual Yes at this point. I get a perk from my employer to get 20% off all tickets from that venue so that sweetens the pot for me.
I saw him a year or so ago, and his voice is still solid.
Thanks for the warning! Duly noted! :lolLizzo digs her Yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qRQUNnm3MM
So many things to say about that, but I'll leave it as...not worth watching/listening past the 30 second mark.
I saw him a couple of years ago as ARW, or whatever they called themselves. Good show. They seemed to have a lot of fun, unlike the Howe incarnations. Official Yes ended for me when Squire croaked. Add White into that and there's just not much interest for me.I just saw that Jon is playing the Arcada next year and am seriously thinking of going. I would much rather hear him perform Yes than actual Yes at this point. I get a perk from my employer to get 20% off all tickets from that venue so that sweetens the pot for me.
I saw him a year or so ago, and his voice is still solid.
BOOM. Me too.
Jon Anderson - Zamran coming?
extensive trailer
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=922398029119240&ref=sharing
YES and Warner Music's Global Catalog Division announce Milestone Deal
Warner Acquires Recorded Music Rights to YES’ Complete Atlantic Records Catalog
“The entire YES family came together and worked enthusiastically with Warner Music Group to secure this historic deal, ensuring that these iconic recordings will continue to be curated in the optimum manner to delight their fans across more than five decades, while also finding and developing new audiences for this timeless music.”
- YES
Read more: https://www.yesworld.com/2023/01/warner-musics-global-catalog-division-and-yes-announce-milestone-deal/
(https://i.ibb.co/cgmYPbk/Screenshot-2023-01-23-at-22-33-55.png)
Roger Dean showed a near-completed artwork for the new Yes album on his Facebook page today.
(https://ibb.co/YRr06DP)
Cool interview with Benoit David, the short-lived vocalist who replaced Jon Anderson in the 2000's. He has an interesting perspective as a guy who was never really part of the music industry, at least not on that scale. His experience was not entirely positive; I think he does a good job trying to stay respectful while being honest about it.This was a very interesting interview.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/benoit-david-yes-singer-still-hurts-1234671770/
Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman, Squire and White.
I still wish they had formed BRAWL - Bruford Rabin Anderson Wakeman Levin. The name alone probably would've enraged Howe. :lol
-Marc.
I think it would be interesting to see a project from Anderson, Bruford, and either Kaye or Wakeman…either one.
Heck, just to think that 4 of the 5 members of the Fragile/CTTE lineup are still with us and won’t even pull together for a “one-off” makes me kind of sad.
I can count on one hand the number of bands for which this is true, but this is one of them: there's no Yes for me without Chris Squire. I love Billy Sherwood, but it's not the same for me.
Finally grabbed Trevor Rabin's Jacaranda album this weekend. I'm kicking myself for not getting it sooner. Listening to it made me realize that his talents were kind of wasted in Yes! It also reminded me, again, that the greatest error of Yes was not doing an album or two with the lineup of Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman, Squire and White. Trevor certainly had the ability to play whatever they wanted to from the 70's material, and Wakeman certainly had the ability to be the Rudess to his Petrucci. It's a shame that never happened!
I think it would be interesting to see a project from Anderson, Bruford, and either Kaye or Wakeman…either one.
Not sure what you're getting at. The first two Yes albums featured Anderson, Bruford and Kaye, and ABWH was a thing.
raelnyc did a doc on Relayer and the solo albums that followed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz3jBBKSkTk
Prog legends Yes have announced that US drummer Jay Schellen has now joined the band on a permanent basis. Schellen had been acting as a stand-in for Alan White, who sadly died in May last year.
“We're all delighted to welcome Jay officially into the fold," exclaims guitarist and longest-serving member Steve Howe He's been a great support throughout the last seven years, and we couldn't have found a better all round team player.”
“I am thrilled to become the new drummer with Yes,” adds Schellen. “I grew up playing along to Yes records and I am proud to have worked so closely with my musical hero and great friend Alan White these past few years. I will strive to honour his memory as we drive towards the future with the band.”
By the way, to we know if the album in question really is a studio album? What if Roger Dean is working on a cover art for another live thing from the archives?
The band have worked on a new studio album. The blurb for Davison at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert website said, "2023 will see the release of a new YES studio album, and further tours in Europe, the UK and USA." In an interview conducted late 2022, Davison said, "Steve [Howe] is as excited as ever to propel the band into the far-reaching realms of studio creativity, and we're currently exploring such horizons on our latest effort, which'll be released early next year." A Feb 2023 interview had this exchange with Sherwood:
Interviewer: I understand there is a new [Yes] album in the works for 2023. What can you tell us about the project?
Sherwood: I'm not at liberty to discuss except to say we're all very excited about it.
Interviewer: Was Alan involved in any part of the process, or was it started after his passing?
Sherwood: It was right after production of the Quest record. Demos were plenty, pencil sketches of ideas etc...
By the way, to we know if the album in question really is a studio album? What if Roger Dean is working on a cover art for another live thing from the archives?
It certainly does seem very likely it's a full studio album. Potentially with Alan and Jay sharing drumming duties.
From the well connected Henry Potts at bondegezou.co.uk :QuoteThe band have worked on a new studio album. The blurb for Davison at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert website said, "2023 will see the release of a new YES studio album, and further tours in Europe, the UK and USA." In an interview conducted late 2022, Davison said, "Steve [Howe] is as excited as ever to propel the band into the far-reaching realms of studio creativity, and we're currently exploring such horizons on our latest effort, which'll be released early next year." A Feb 2023 interview had this exchange with Sherwood:
Interviewer: I understand there is a new [Yes] album in the works for 2023. What can you tell us about the project?
Sherwood: I'm not at liberty to discuss except to say we're all very excited about it.
Interviewer: Was Alan involved in any part of the process, or was it started after his passing?
Sherwood: It was right after production of the Quest record. Demos were plenty, pencil sketches of ideas etc...
Links to the interviews:
https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/ (https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/)
http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html (http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html)
By the way, to we know if the album in question really is a studio album? What if Roger Dean is working on a cover art for another live thing from the archives?
It certainly does seem very likely it's a full studio album. Potentially with Alan and Jay sharing drumming duties.
From the well connected Henry Potts at bondegezou.co.uk :QuoteThe band have worked on a new studio album. The blurb for Davison at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert website said, "2023 will see the release of a new YES studio album, and further tours in Europe, the UK and USA." In an interview conducted late 2022, Davison said, "Steve [Howe] is as excited as ever to propel the band into the far-reaching realms of studio creativity, and we're currently exploring such horizons on our latest effort, which'll be released early next year." A Feb 2023 interview had this exchange with Sherwood:
Interviewer: I understand there is a new [Yes] album in the works for 2023. What can you tell us about the project?
Sherwood: I'm not at liberty to discuss except to say we're all very excited about it.
Interviewer: Was Alan involved in any part of the process, or was it started after his passing?
Sherwood: It was right after production of the Quest record. Demos were plenty, pencil sketches of ideas etc...
Links to the interviews:
https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/ (https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/)
http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html (http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html)
I'm as big a Yes fan as anyone, but that bolded just doesn't ring true to me at all. AT ALL.
By the way, to we know if the album in question really is a studio album? What if Roger Dean is working on a cover art for another live thing from the archives?
It certainly does seem very likely it's a full studio album. Potentially with Alan and Jay sharing drumming duties.
From the well connected Henry Potts at bondegezou.co.uk :QuoteThe band have worked on a new studio album. The blurb for Davison at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert website said, "2023 will see the release of a new YES studio album, and further tours in Europe, the UK and USA." In an interview conducted late 2022, Davison said, "Steve [Howe] is as excited as ever to propel the band into the far-reaching realms of studio creativity, and we're currently exploring such horizons on our latest effort, which'll be released early next year." A Feb 2023 interview had this exchange with Sherwood:
Interviewer: I understand there is a new [Yes] album in the works for 2023. What can you tell us about the project?
Sherwood: I'm not at liberty to discuss except to say we're all very excited about it.
Interviewer: Was Alan involved in any part of the process, or was it started after his passing?
Sherwood: It was right after production of the Quest record. Demos were plenty, pencil sketches of ideas etc...
Links to the interviews:
https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/ (https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/)
http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html (http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html)
I'm as big a Yes fan as anyone, but that bolded just doesn't ring true to me at all. AT ALL.
propel the band into the far-reaching realms of studio creativity
By the way, to we know if the album in question really is a studio album? What if Roger Dean is working on a cover art for another live thing from the archives?
It certainly does seem very likely it's a full studio album. Potentially with Alan and Jay sharing drumming duties.
From the well connected Henry Potts at bondegezou.co.uk :QuoteThe band have worked on a new studio album. The blurb for Davison at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert website said, "2023 will see the release of a new YES studio album, and further tours in Europe, the UK and USA." In an interview conducted late 2022, Davison said, "Steve [Howe] is as excited as ever to propel the band into the far-reaching realms of studio creativity, and we're currently exploring such horizons on our latest effort, which'll be released early next year." A Feb 2023 interview had this exchange with Sherwood:
Interviewer: I understand there is a new [Yes] album in the works for 2023. What can you tell us about the project?
Sherwood: I'm not at liberty to discuss except to say we're all very excited about it.
Interviewer: Was Alan involved in any part of the process, or was it started after his passing?
Sherwood: It was right after production of the Quest record. Demos were plenty, pencil sketches of ideas etc...
Links to the interviews:
https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/ (https://ramzine.co.uk/interviews/jon-davison-of-yes-continuing-with-the-quest/)
http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html (http://progsheet1.hypermart.net/billysherwood2023.html)
I'm as big a Yes fan as anyone, but that bolded just doesn't ring true to me at all. AT ALL.
Holy hell is that second link unreadable! I thought we left that type of website design behind in the late 90's!
And yeah, that bolded part made me LOL. Steve Howe hasn't been innovative since Drama, and the likely hood this next album is more of the same milquetoast pablum they've delivered on their two previous records is way higher than them journeying "into the far-reaching realms of studio creativity" :lol.
Steve Howe and Yes making an EDM record :biggrin:I mean, I'm here for it.
I heard there's a rap breakdown in the middle of the new single. :)
Someone will probably start a separate thread for this article, but check out #3 on this list: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/horrible-albums-by-brilliant-artists-1234672895/yes-6-1234674916/Nothing that controversial about that. Union really IS a shit album.
Yeah. And let's not forget the C+C Music Factory breakdown in the middle of "Dangerous". I mean Yes have always been down with the hip new sounds.. ;)
Union is the album that got me into Yes. There are some excellent tracks such as I Would Have Waited Forever, Shock to the System, Silent Talking, The More We Live Let Go, Lift Me Up, Miracle of Life, and more. I don’t know how anybody could call it a shit album.. :mehlinSomeone will probably start a separate thread for this article, but check out #3 on this list: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/horrible-albums-by-brilliant-artists-1234672895/yes-6-1234674916/Nothing that controversial about that. Union really IS a shit album.
Someone will probably start a separate thread for this article, but check out #3 on this list: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/horrible-albums-by-brilliant-artists-1234672895/yes-6-1234674916/Nothing that controversial about that. Union really IS a shit album.
The Elder is one of my favorite Kiss records.That is not a universal opinion. That usually ranks amongst or at the bottom of KISS album rankings. So Rolling Stone ranking it there is not off base in any way at all, regardless of your low opinion of the publication.
The Elder is one of my favorite Kiss records.That is not a universal opinion. That usually ranks amongst or at the bottom of KISS album rankings. So Rolling Stone ranking it there is not off base in any way at all, regardless of your low opinion of the publication.
You got itThe Elder is one of my favorite Kiss records.That is not a universal opinion. That usually ranks amongst or at the bottom of KISS album rankings. So Rolling Stone ranking it there is not off base in any way at all, regardless of your low opinion of the publication.
Give me my moment. :) :) :)
Union has never been disliked by me. I recognize that it’s a mess but there’s so many strong tracks with only a few that I’d consider not good (Angkor Wat and Dangerous mainly). Way better than ABWH
I've been wanting to dive into more Yes for some time now. I already like some of their stuff, but they tend to be hit or miss for me.So..... I listened to the one early release and though it was HORRIBLE. DRECK. Then I volunteered to do a review of the record, and I listened to it, and lived with it for a couple weeks, and it really resonated after a spell. I thought it was really good and went out and bought it. So yes, I would if I was you. I wouldn't expect top-flight, Close To The Edge Yes, but it's a good record.
What I wanted to know from your opinions is, now that they're officially made of 3 full time Yes members (Davison, Sherwood, Schellen), should I also check the Arc of Life albums? It's a pretty obvious Yes spin-off, but there's been a few others through the years as well and I don't really have too much interest in them. Should I bother with AOL or just stick with Yes? They have a wide enough catalog for me to check out already :lol
I've been wanting to dive into more Yes for some time now. I already like some of their stuff, but they tend to be hit or miss for me.So..... I listened to the one early release and though it was HORRIBLE. DRECK. Then I volunteered to do a review of the record, and I listened to it, and lived with it for a couple weeks, and it really resonated after a spell. I thought it was really good and went out and bought it. So yes, I would if I was you. I wouldn't expect top-flight, Close To The Edge Yes, but it's a good record.
What I wanted to know from your opinions is, now that they're officially made of 3 full time Yes members (Davison, Sherwood, Schellen), should I also check the Arc of Life albums? It's a pretty obvious Yes spin-off, but there's been a few others through the years as well and I don't really have too much interest in them. Should I bother with AOL or just stick with Yes? They have a wide enough catalog for me to check out already :lol
I've been wanting to dive into more Yes for some time now. I already like some of their stuff, but they tend to be hit or miss for me.So..... I listened to the one early release and though it was HORRIBLE. DRECK. Then I volunteered to do a review of the record, and I listened to it, and lived with it for a couple weeks, and it really resonated after a spell. I thought it was really good and went out and bought it. So yes, I would if I was you. I wouldn't expect top-flight, Close To The Edge Yes, but it's a good record.
What I wanted to know from your opinions is, now that they're officially made of 3 full time Yes members (Davison, Sherwood, Schellen), should I also check the Arc of Life albums? It's a pretty obvious Yes spin-off, but there's been a few others through the years as well and I don't really have too much interest in them. Should I bother with AOL or just stick with Yes? They have a wide enough catalog for me to check out already :lol
:tup :tup :tup
There's two AOL albums, btw, in case you missed the second one.
I JUST TODAY learned that the covers of Relayer and TFTO connect together like two pieces of a jigsaw!
The granite rocks on the left back cover of Relayer intersect PERFECTLY with the rocks on the right of the front cover of TFTO. With both gatefold cover spread out, they make a single panoramic picture!
Am I just late to the party???
The main problem I have with recent Yes (like in the last 10 or 15 years) is that it sounds "tired". It sounds like decent music being written and played by guys in their 60's and 70's. Which is exactly what it is, I get that, but where is the fire? Where is the drive, the excitement? It all sounds "nice" but it lacks something. Maybe bumping up the tempo a tiny bit would help, but I don't know if that's it.
I enjoy Fly From Here and still listen on a regular basis. The last two are one rung below elevator music. Boring slogs.
I enjoy Fly From Here and still listen on a regular basis. The last two are one rung below elevator music. Boring slogs.
Agreed. I really wish the newer stuff was a bit more like "Into The Storm", which has a lot of energy behind it and is really fun, but Heaven & Earth and The Quest just sound like background music to me.
A new Yes album, called Mirror to the Sky, is due out in May, with a blu-ray with Atmos (and presumably 5.1) mix!
Yes, it's the new Yes, which isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I for one really enjoy the last album The Quest, which had a great 5.1 mix, so I'm hopeful. Reading in the latest edition of Prog magazine, this album has 6 tracks, including a 10 minute one and a 14 minute one.
1. Mirror To The Sky
2. Luminosity
3. Circles Of Time (written by Davison, "simple in texture and presentation but musically complex with a lot happening" per Howe)
4. Cut From The Stars
5. All Connected
6. Living Out Their Dream
Bonus Disc:
1. One Second Is Enough
2. Unknown Place
3. Magic Potion
I hope that doesn't sound disrespectful, but I'm very curious how Yes sound with a new drummer. Alan was a very good and powerful drummer back in the day and I miss him dearly, but his later contributions were not that great anymore.I definitely get what you mean. Since Billy and Jay came in as Yes' rhythm section on a more permanent basis the tempo and energy of their live performances have been on the up. It's going to be interesting to see if that will translate into a studio setting
And let's also hope that Steve Howe is singing less... :lol
https://open.spotify.com/track/3zqQQos627x2yRoTGKkLoI?si=E6Y4Lg4iTiekcmmewBG8Qg&app_destination=copy-link
New song
YES (official) announce new studio album ‘Mirror To The Sky’ for release 19th May 2023 - Launch first single ‘Cut From The Stars’: https://youtu.be/NdEF-vMO8vc
YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are pleased to announce their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023. “This is a very important album for the band,” says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.
Today also sees the launch of the first track taken from the album. Listen to Cut From The Stars & watch the video here: https://youtu.be/NdEF-vMO8vc
Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. What’s more, the tracks, like Yes’ best, take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes which also showcase Steve Howe’s dazzling guitars, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes’ impeccable sounds, exquisite melodies and fills, Jon Davison’s angelic, crystalline vocals, Billy Sherwood’s deftly dancing bass and Jay Schellen’s masterfully controlled explosions, on drums.
‘Mirror To The Sky’ will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean.
Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster
Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook
Ltd 2CD Digipak
Standard CD Jewel case
Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet
Digital Album
The Blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.
Pre-order now here: https://Yes-Band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky
The tracklisting is as follows:
CD1:
1. Cut From The Stars 05:27
2. All Connected 09:02
3. Luminosity 09:04
4. Living Out Their Dream 04:45
5. Mirror to the Sky 13:53
6. Circles of Time 04:59
CD2:
1. Unknown Place 08:15
2. One Second Is Enough 04:04
3. Magic Potion 04:08
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/334971177_115293171504062_5895524973429227659_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=6bUKYI7ZmJoAX8E5CWL&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfDeVYmrY31FLKT-oXSDbJWc_FtcrdrjVCV9AZKDfsB0yA&oe=640F7909)
Not bad. I like how the bass is pretty in-your-face, with Sherwood doing his best to channel Squire. Drumming is pretty tight, and keeps things moving. Doesn't sound lethargic like so much of their recent material has. Keyboards are kinda weird. I usually like Geoff Downes' keyboards but he's picked some weirdass patches here. Davison as usual sounds okay, but is basically a pale imitation of Anderson. Didn't hear much of note from Howe, which is actually surprising.
Not bad. I like how the bass is pretty in-your-face, with Sherwood doing his best to channel Squire. Drumming is pretty tight, and keeps things moving. Doesn't sound lethargic like so much of their recent material has. Keyboards are kinda weird. I usually like Geoff Downes' keyboards but he's picked some weirdass patches here. Davison as usual sounds okay, but is basically a pale imitation of Anderson. Didn't hear much of note from Howe, which is actually surprising.
Not bad. I like how the bass is pretty in-your-face, with Sherwood doing his best to channel Squire. Drumming is pretty tight, and keeps things moving. Doesn't sound lethargic like so much of their recent material has. Keyboards are kinda weird. I usually like Geoff Downes' keyboards but he's picked some weirdass patches here. Davison as usual sounds okay, but is basically a pale imitation of Anderson. Didn't hear much of note from Howe, which is actually surprising.
It sounds like a Yes cover band, to be honest. Davison sounds like a poor man's Jon Anderson, and Sherwood sounds like a poor man's Chris Squire (his tone isn't thick and fat like Squire's was). I have never been a fan of Sherwood, so he'd have to do a lot to win me over, but this basically sounds like a cover band trying to sound like old Yes.
Not bad. I like how the bass is pretty in-your-face, with Sherwood doing his best to channel Squire. Drumming is pretty tight, and keeps things moving. Doesn't sound lethargic like so much of their recent material has. Keyboards are kinda weird. I usually like Geoff Downes' keyboards but he's picked some weirdass patches here. Davison as usual sounds okay, but is basically a pale imitation of Anderson. Didn't hear much of note from Howe, which is actually surprising.
It sounds like a Yes cover band, to be honest. Davison sounds like a poor man's Jon Anderson, and Sherwood sounds like a poor man's Chris Squire (his tone isn't thick and fat like Squire's was). I have never been a fan of Sherwood, so he'd have to do a lot to win me over, but this basically sounds like a cover band trying to sound like old Yes.
Chris Squire is gone. Even if Sherwood somehow managed to get that same tone, people would complain about the notes or the playing or something. No one sounds like Jon Anderson. Anyone else will in fact sound like someone covering Jon Anderson.
The "Yes cover band" argument is so old. Of course it will not sound exactly like old Yes. If all members were still alive and together, it would still not sound like old Yes. The best we can hope for is music that is interesting and worthwhile to listen to.
Bothe the main album and the bonus disc together comes out to be 63 minutes. Grinds my gears when bands do this. Just put the bonus songs on the first disc, instead of charging more and gouging customers for no reason. I hate it.
A
1. Cut From The Stars 5:25
2. All Connected 9:02
3. Luminosity 9:04
B
1. Living Out Their Dream 4:45
2. Mirror to the Sky 13:53
3. Circles Of Time 4:59
C
1. Unknown Place 8:15
D
1. One Second Is Enough 4:04
2. Magic Potion 4:08
So is this a double album or an album with a bonus disc? Probably and hopefully the latter.
I still like physical media too, but if it all fits on one disc, use one disc. Calling it a 2-disc set so that your sales count double or something is lame.
Not bad, not great. Has some of the latter day classic Yes feel to it but doesn't offer anything very exciting.
It is with enormous regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the band’s control, YES have taken the decision to postpone their 2023 Relayer European and UK tour.YES and their management have explored every possible avenue to arrange insurance cover for the tour in the event of COVID-related exemption or Act of War exclusion.
The insurance industry has withdrawn all such insurances which made touring possible pre-COVID and before the Ukraine conflict.There have always been calculated risk assessments to consider when touring and YES has unfailingly paid a premium to cover against terrorism in addition to conventional cancellation risks.
With a view to supporting venues and crew, YES toured the UK in 2022 but the band simply cannot undertake such a large-scale tour with so many risks being uninsured. Insurance cover was promised for events in 2023 but this has now been withdrawn until 2024, with confirmations of normality in ’24 following representations to the insurance industry to reassess its attitudes to COVID and Act of War insurance.
Bands at some levels can mitigate against these risks but YES’ touring model creates unjustifiable levels of risk
YES’ 2023 Eventim Apollo (London) show is not happening and tickets are now being re-funded. The remainder of the tour dates are being rescheduled to 2024 with new dates to be announced shortly – all tickets will remain valid.
YES wish to express their sincere regrets to their faithful fans and ask for their understanding. The band has now received the necessary assurances for 2024 and are committed to returning to the stage then.
Quote
It is with enormous regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the band’s control, YES have taken the decision to postpone their 2023 Relayer European and UK tour.YES and their management have explored every possible avenue to arrange insurance cover for the tour in the event of COVID-related exemption or Act of War exclusion.
The insurance industry has withdrawn all such insurances which made touring possible pre-COVID and before the Ukraine conflict.There have always been calculated risk assessments to consider when touring and YES has unfailingly paid a premium to cover against terrorism in addition to conventional cancellation risks.
With a view to supporting venues and crew, YES toured the UK in 2022 but the band simply cannot undertake such a large-scale tour with so many risks being uninsured. Insurance cover was promised for events in 2023 but this has now been withdrawn until 2024, with confirmations of normality in ’24 following representations to the insurance industry to reassess its attitudes to COVID and Act of War insurance.
Bands at some levels can mitigate against these risks but YES’ touring model creates unjustifiable levels of risk
YES’ 2023 Eventim Apollo (London) show is not happening and tickets are now being re-funded. The remainder of the tour dates are being rescheduled to 2024 with new dates to be announced shortly – all tickets will remain valid.
YES wish to express their sincere regrets to their faithful fans and ask for their understanding. The band has now received the necessary assurances for 2024 and are committed to returning to the stage then.
From the Yes Facebook page about 23 minutes ago.
-Marc.
Wow! You covered a lot in 15 minutes!
Nice interview! :tup :tup
Wakeman always comes across as one of the most likable members of Yes.
Never seen Yes, but I just bought a ticket to see Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks perform Yes classics in May at the Arcada. I'm pretty excited for this show and to see Jon in such a small venue.
Never seen Yes, but I just bought a ticket to see Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks perform Yes classics in May at the Arcada. I'm pretty excited for this show and to see Jon in such a small venue.
Was there in Newark as well. Yes, wonderful performance. Was kind of shocked at the low turnout though.
Just got home from the Yes Epics and Classics show in Newark. What an absolutely amazing show. Knowing Jon Anderson’s backing band The Band Geeks personally I knew they had the talent to pull this music off, but they knocked it out of the park, and Jon Anderson sounds incredible at 78 years old. I highly recommend any Yes fan to see this tour when it hits your city.
Just got home from the Yes Epics and Classics show in Newark. What an absolutely amazing show. Knowing Jon Anderson’s backing band The Band Geeks personally I knew they had the talent to pull this music off, but they knocked it out of the park, and Jon Anderson sounds incredible at 78 years old. I highly recommend any Yes fan to see this tour when it hits your city.
Having seen the videos on YT, I'm hoping more than ever that they find a way to bring this tour over to Europe. I'm seeing Jon with the Paul Greek kids when they're over here in the summer but wow the Band Geeks are great!
Anyone else hear the new single today?
I thought it was decent. Sounded like Yes.
So my 8 year old son is very interested in Yes. And You And I is one of his favorite songs, and his favorite Yes album is Close to the Edge. I was telling him about Relayer, because it's like a weird, alternate universe version of CTTE, and he got really stoked about it. So, the other day, we were driving, and he wanted to listen to Relayer. So I put it on, and explained that the "battle section" would be really intense, like Yes was off their meds, and he was all in for it. As it gets towards the end of the battle section, he asks, "Dad, when will this song be over?" and without hesitation, I replied, "Soon." ;D Best prog-related Dad joke I've made yet! Oh, and he now likes Relayer too, especially Sound Chaser. He loves the frenetic nature of that tune!:metal
Wow! Raising 'em right.
So my 8 year old son is very interested in Yes. And You And I is one of his favorite songs, and his favorite Yes album is Close to the Edge. I was telling him about Relayer, because it's like a weird, alternate universe version of CTTE, and he got really stoked about it. So, the other day, we were driving, and he wanted to listen to Relayer. So I put it on, and explained that the "battle section" would be really intense, like Yes was off their meds, and he was all in for it. As it gets towards the end of the battle section, he asks, "Dad, when will this song be over?" and without hesitation, I replied, "Soon." ;D Best prog-related Dad joke I've made yet! Oh, and he now likes Relayer too, especially Sound Chaser. He loves the frenetic nature of that tune!
So my 8 year old son is very interested in Yes. And You And I is one of his favorite songs, and his favorite Yes album is Close to the Edge. I was telling him about Relayer, because it's like a weird, alternate universe version of CTTE, and he got really stoked about it. So, the other day, we were driving, and he wanted to listen to Relayer. So I put it on, and explained that the "battle section" would be really intense, like Yes was off their meds, and he was all in for it. As it gets towards the end of the battle section, he asks, "Dad, when will this song be over?" and without hesitation, I replied, "Soon." ;D Best prog-related Dad joke I've made yet! Oh, and he now likes Relayer too, especially Sound Chaser. He loves the frenetic nature of that tune!
WOW, that is world class.
You're making me want to buy this album now. :coolio
Here, we have new Yes music, and while it's not blowing me away, it's not bad. A bit of a pleasant surprise, actually. There's more uptempo stuff, more actual rocking. Steve is all over it, basically carrying things as I said, but hey, someone has to. Produced by Steve Howe, all three songs on the Bonus Disc solely written by him, co-writing credits on 4/6 of the main tracks.
I'm on my second listen now. Definitely a step up from The Quest, which makes it two steps up from Heaven & Earth. More Steve Howe goodness all over the place, and at this point he's carrying the band pretty much by himself. When we still had Squire and White... well, we got Heaven & Earth, so I guess their presence or absence wasn't the missing magic ingredient. I'm always disappointed that Geoff Downes doesn't contribute more to Yes musically. He plays, but he rarely writes. One co-writing credit on the album. For some reason I thought he was more of a collaborator, with Asia and The Buggles for example. Maybe not. I've never actually bothered to check.
Jon Davison sings in the same range as Jon Anderson, so it's obvious why he is the vocalist, and sometimes he even sounds like him in some ways, but I agree with those who say he doesn't have the range of emotion or the strength that Anderson has. Yeah yeah yeah, Anderson is out there doing amazing shows with a bunch of other guys playing Yes music. That's still not new music. Here, we have new Yes music, and while it's not blowing me away, it's not bad. A bit of a pleasant surprise, actually. There's more uptempo stuff, more actual rocking. Steve is all over it, basically carrying things as I said, but hey, someone has to. Produced by Steve Howe, all three songs on the Bonus Disc solely written by him, co-writing credits on 4/6 of the main tracks.
I didn't bother listening to Heaven & Earth or The Quest, so I can't make any comparisons. But after one listen I don't have any complaints so far. It's neither great or bad - I mean it's not Fragile or CTTE, but not horrendous either. A couple of more spins will hopefully reveal something to grab onto.
I'm on my second listen now. Definitely a step up from The Quest, which makes it two steps up from Heaven & Earth. More Steve Howe goodness all over the place, and at this point he's carrying the band pretty much by himself. When we still had Squire and White... well, we got Heaven & Earth, so I guess their presence or absence wasn't the missing magic ingredient. I'm always disappointed that Geoff Downes doesn't contribute more to Yes musically. He plays, but he rarely writes. One co-writing credit on the album. For some reason I thought he was more of a collaborator, with Asia and The Buggles for example. Maybe not. I've never actually bothered to check.
Asia was, for all intents and purposes, a vehicle for the Downes/Wetton writing team (I'm ignoring the Payne years, because I don't like it at all and I'm not familiar with it beyond that "I don't like it at all".)
They seem like a guitar based band with keyboards at this point instead of the other way around, which is how I generally view Yes.
I detected a very slight rawness in Jon's voice which makes it a bit more palatable to me.
Can’t wait til he hitsThe Yes AlbumRelayer.
They seem like a guitar based band with keyboards at this point instead of the other way around, which is how I generally view Yes.
So I'm going to try and get myself through the first few Yes albums. I've never heard them. I did rent Close To the Edge from my library many years ago.
My hangups with Yes generally revolve around Jon Anderson's voice. And I've never thought they were heavy enough. Yeah, that's a me thing.
They seem like a guitar based band with keyboards at this point instead of the other way around, which is how I generally view Yes.
Interesting. What drew me to them, and similar bands of this era, was that the keyboards and guitars seemed on more-or-less equal footing. In most rock bands, it's all about the guitars, with keyboards in a supporting role. Yes hasn't had a lot of guitarists over the years, but all three (Banks, Howe, Rabin) I think bring enough to the table to not be considered subservient to the keyboards, even when Wakeman was in the band.
Interesting, this is also the one sentence I just HAVE to reply to (like Orbert): I always thought one of the most unique things about Yes (in their prime) was that every instrument had equal value. They are not a keyboard-oriented band (like Genesis 78-82 or ELP) or a guitar oriented band (like most hard rock bands) or a band backing a singer. Every instrument is equally present, to the point that during large parts of songs, basically ALL musicians are soloing at the same time :lol
I've long had a theory that the bigger prog bands were all amalgamations of various things; Crimson was a JAZZ-based prog band, Genesis was a CLASSICAL-based prog band as was ELP... Yes was a ROCK-based prog band. They weren't "prog-metal" like DT, but they were the band that could play the rock hits of the day if they had to. Their encores would be "Gimme Some Lovin'", the Beatles "I'm Down", things like that. Chris Squire's post-Yes (before Rabin) gig was XYZ with Alan White, Jimmy Page, and (for about four seconds) Robert Plant.
Jon is a far better ROCK singer than some of his material let's on. I'm excited to hear what TAC thinks of "Sweet Dreams", "The Prophet", "Starship Trooper", "South Side of the Sky"... and that's with Bruford; it got more of a rock groove with Alan White.
Peter Banks was a heavier player. More driven, more rocking. And Tony Kaye did lean on the Hammond Organ a lot; it was his preferred instrument. So overall the early albums were a bit heavier.
With the advent of Howe and Wakeman, the dynamic shifted. Wakeman was definitely the flashier keyboardist, with those insanely fast fingers, academy trained mastery of both theory and tech, and years of working as a studio musician to learn how to best add color to pretty much anything. Plus he was all about synthesizers and Mellotrons and anything else with keys. Howe was pretty flashy himself, but not as heavy as Banks and maybe didn't stand out as much. Howe is all over the albums he does play on, but rarely playing chords, let alone power chords. He's playing countermelodies all the time. Bill Bruford once said that it seemed like Wakeman and Howe were having a contest to see who could play the most notes per minute.
How does everyone feel about the pre Steve Howe material? How are these first two albums thought of in Yes' catalog? I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised how much of them I enjoyed.
How does everyone feel about the pre Steve Howe material? How are these first two albums thought of in Yes' catalog? I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised how much of them I enjoyed.
So I was reading the Wiki article bout how Peter Banks wasn't happy with them using an orchestra. Seems he was out of the band after it was recorded.
There was a compilation from the mid-70's, "Yesterdays" that had a cool 10 minute version of Simon and Garfunkel's "America"
The Yes Album
Yours Is No Disgrace- Pretty decent tune. The bass is killing it. Wow. Bruford has a nice pitter patter drum style. Very precise and tight. This doesn't feel like 9 minutes. It's pretty easy on the ears. Could use a power chord or two.. Ok..there's some guitar for the last minute and a half..
The Clap-I mean, ok..sure.
Starship Trooper- Loving the drumming here in the first part. Jon's vocals ..I don't know. I don't love him, but he's not too distracting. The acoustic part brings me to those familiar Yes layered vocals. I actually like the last third of the song. Seems like one long outro, but to me it calms the song down a bit. I was thinking I'd have to listen to it again to get a grip on it, but it gets tied up very nicely.
I've Seen All Good People-Yay, a song I know. I'll be honest. I've always liked this song. There's something full about Jon's voice, especially in the beginning. Even on rock radio, the two parts, along with the transition still always seemed to work. Nice!
A Venture-This didn't do a lot for me, but I liked that piano/bass solo to close it out.
Perpetual Change- Listening to this, I feel like this would've been a great Queen song. This band has excellent control in some of the softer? moments including Jon's singing. It goes along, and I like that turn at 5:10. Even here, Bruford has a great touch, and never overplays it. Cozy Powell would've beaten the hell out of it. lol. Yeah, I don't mind this too much. It stays pretty interesting. I mean, there's nothing holyshit about it, but yeah, nice.
Pretty much enjoyed my listen to this. Jon didn't annoy me and really liking my introduction to Bill Bruford. Man, what a touch he has. The 4 longer tracks are all pretty good, and I'm obviously familiar with All Good People. I'd revisit the longer tracks again, simply to try and digest them a bit more. I am feeling a bit of blue balls when it comes to the guitar though.
I will. Is Yessongs one concert? a collection of live stuff?
The live versions of the longer TYA songs on Yessongs are the definitive versions, IMO. Definitely give that live album a spin once you get past Close To The Edge.
So I'm going to try and get myself through the first few Yes albums. I've never heard them. I did rent Close To the Edge from my library many years ago.
My hangups with Yes generally revolve around Jon Anderson's voice. And I've never thought they were heavy enough. Yeah, that's a me thing.
Spinning the first album tonight.
Beyond And Before- Feels longer than 4 minutes. Sounds like a first song on a band's first album. Kind of ordinary.
I See You- Wow, this is really cool. Great vibes. The mellow part is nice. Cool soloing. The middle part definitely ends heavy enough. Let's just say they should've just ended it right there. :lol
Yesterday And Today-Er...next!
Looking Around-Great start on this one. Anderson's voice has a slight youthful gravelyness to it. Chris Squire is absolutely killing it! I like this one!
Harold Land-This is a pretty cool song. I'm trying to place a comp to it, but I can't think of it. Again, I don't find Anderson all that annoying here. I like the outro. They just sound like a rock band here.
Every Little Thing-The beginning of this sounds like early Alice Cooper for sure. That's a nice long instrumental intro. Yeah, I like this one too. The guitar sound is heavier than I expected. I know this is Peter Banks and not Steve Howe, so that's most likely it.
Sweetness-Yeah, I don't think so.
Survival- I liked that first minute and a half intro. Not a fan of the quite parts with vocals. Can't say that I love this one either, but that's a neat little ending.
All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised at how much of this I actually liked. They seem like a guitar based band with keyboards at this point instead of the other way around, which is how I generally view Yes. I detected a very slight rawness in Jon's voice which makes it a bit more palatable to me.
I will. Is Yessongs one concert? a collection of live stuff?
As was more common back then, Yessongs takes performances over two tours, and thus features two lineups - one from the Fragile Tour with Bill on drums and then from the CTTE Tour with Alan White on drums.
Despite being a live compilation, the performances are pretty great (though the overall sound quality isn't too crisp or clear). It's the definitive early live Yes album IMO, and sits with the likes of Genesis' Seconds Out or ELP's Welcome Back My Friends in regards to great live albums from 70s prog bands.
-Marc. :hefdaddy
I will. Is Yessongs one concert? a collection of live stuff?
As was more common back then, Yessongs takes performances over two tours, and thus features two lineups - one from the Fragile Tour with Bill on drums and then from the CTTE Tour with Alan White on drums.
Despite being a live compilation, the performances are pretty great (though the overall sound quality isn't too crisp or clear). It's the definitive early live Yes album IMO, and sits with the likes of Genesis' Seconds Out or ELP's Welcome Back My Friends in regards to great live albums from 70s prog bands.
-Marc. :hefdaddy
More specifically: Perpetual Change and Long Distance Runaround are from February 1972, with Bruford on drums. He left the band after recording Close To The Edge, but about two weeks before the tour started, so they recruited Alan White to the band. The rest of Yessongs comes from a run of shows in November of 1972 with White. Seven of those were released in their entirety on a box set - kind of like the UFO Strangers Box - though two songs on Yessongs come from two London shows that AREN'T on the box. Those shows, though, makes up the Yessongs film, which is based only on the London shows (so is different, except for two songs, from the album).
Sorry, I should have put "NERD ALERT!" at the start of the post. ;)
I don't understand why Steve is always painted as the bad guy in these things. Jon is very, very well known to be a dictator within the band. In the early days, there may have been more compromise, but by the end Jon was pushing his ideas, his songs, his rules or the highway. When Jon got sick, they postponed the tour for him, waited, waited, and finally found out that he was unavailable because he was putting together his own solo tour. So they replaced him and never looked back. Why would anyone want to deal with that kind of shit?
Jon Anderson left Yes twice, so I'm not sure what that really proves. And I'm not surprised that Rabin and Wakeman love him. They are the two he hooked up with to tour as "Yes featuring..." when there was already a Yes out there. The one he left twice, but still considers "his band".
Howe is prickly, by many accounts just as difficult to work with as Anderson, but if Anderson will only work in a band that he (Anderson) has full control over, then I don't blame Howe for not even considering it.
I never said Howe was guiltless. I'm just wondering why everyone thinks Jon Anderson is this saint who's been wronged and somehow deserves to be back in Yes and Howe is the bad guy. Right or wrong, Howe (who has never left Yes) is running the show now and has chosen not to invite Anderson back. I'm just saying that I don't blame him.
Am I missing a nuance you're trying to make? He left twice himself; once after Drama, and once after Onion. The YesWest unit happened twice.
I know, we're totally quibbling over nuances at this point. But for some reason people seem to think that Anderson has more "right" to decide who's in Yes than Howe, perhaps by virtue of his being an original member, or maybe just because he was the lead singer for so long. And somehow it's important to me that Jon voluntarily left Yes twice, but still considers it "his band". Meanwhile Howe is currently trying to keep the damned thing afloat, despite being kicked to the curb twice by the band he clearly still loves.
Steve Howe pisses on anyone who was holding out hope that Jon Anderson might ever play with Yes again:
https://www.loudersound.com/news/steve-howe-yes-i-love-jon-anderson
Steve Howe pisses on anyone who was holding out hope that Jon Anderson might ever play with Yes again:
https://www.loudersound.com/news/steve-howe-yes-i-love-jon-anderson
I honestly mean this in the nicest way possible, but if anyone is still holding out hope that Jon Anderson, who is almost 80, might play with Yes again, it might be time to reconsider your musical priorities. :P
What's next? "Jeez, I hope Paul and Ringo get to play together again some day!" :lol
What's next? "Jeez, I hope Paul and Ringo get to play together again some day!" :lol
Steve Howe pisses on anyone who was holding out hope that Jon Anderson might ever play with Yes again:
https://www.loudersound.com/news/steve-howe-yes-i-love-jon-anderson
I honestly mean this in the nicest way possible, but if anyone is still holding out hope that Jon Anderson, who is almost 80, might play with Yes again, it might be time to reconsider your musical priorities. :P
What's next? "Jeez, I hope Paul and Ringo get to play together again some day!" :lol
While I wouldn't see Anderson ever going back to working with Steve Howe again (or even rejoining Yes) He's still writing music and touring at that age and so are Paul and Ringo. They just aren't reuniting. But I guess that's more of a comment about age than anything else.
What's next? "Jeez, I hope Paul and Ringo get to play together again some day!" :lol
Paul and Ringo have done stuff together musically since George's passing. So... that means Jon and Steve could/should? I guess I'm not sure what the analogy means.
Ah, I think I get it. Steve could play guitar on one of Jon's solo albums, just a song or two, something like that. It doesn't have to be a full-on reunion. But it wouldn't surprise me if those two are already sugar-coating things as much as they can, and they basically can't stand each other right now.
The wife & I with the great Patrick Moraz!
(https://i.postimg.cc/7hxdKMbY/20231006-173121.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/vgN0BnWp)
Here you goI was hoping some article like this existed. Thanks!
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/yes_frontman_shares_opinion_on_king_crimson_recalls_how_robert_fripp_treated_him_during_collaboration.html
My impression is that in the early days, King Crimson was more of a collective, a more democratic band in terms of roles within the band. It was an evolution of Giles-Fripp and some other earlier collaborations. But Fripp's personality, musicianship, and focus are naturally dominant and he essentially took things over because someone has to provide direction, and the others deferred to him. How amicable any of this was, I have no idea. King Crimson today is obviously whatever and whenever Fripp says it is, but it wasn't always "his" band. There's a story how at one point, the band was on the verge of breaking up, and Fripp was so dismayed by that that he said he'd quit the band if the band would continue without him. Totally selfless, or a calculated move? I have no idea.
I knew a lot of that, but was the ABWH album like that too?
My impression is that in the early days, King Crimson was more of a collective, a more democratic band in terms of roles within the band. It was an evolution of Giles-Fripp and some other earlier collaborations. But Fripp's personality, musicianship, and focus are naturally dominant and he essentially took things over because someone has to provide direction, and the others deferred to him. How amicable any of this was, I have no idea. King Crimson today is obviously whatever and whenever Fripp says it is, but it wasn't always "his" band. There's a story how at one point, the band was on the verge of breaking up, and Fripp was so dismayed by that that he said he'd quit the band if the band would continue without him. Totally selfless, or a calculated move? I have no idea.
Drums: Bill Bruford vs Mike Portnoy
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NOOOOOO. JUST NO. :tdwn
Have ever actually HEARD Bill Bruford play drums?
(edit)
Sorry, I know I'm overreacting, so I'll give a better reason. Listen to Close to the Edge. From a drumming stand point, it is one of the most complex and beautifully intricate works in drumming, hands down. Bill keeps the rhythm completely smooth while still throwing in complex polyrhythms and maintaining a really unique style of playing while doing so. The parts he wrote for that album are so intense that you'll find something new that he's doing each time you listen to the album. Mike is great, don't get me wrong. But even he would openly agree to Bill being the better of them, I'm sure. Bill's later work and even his jazz albums contain some of the most hardcore drumming I've ever heard.
Chris Squire(1993): Just about everyone in the world played on the ABWH tracks [on Union]. Half the time it wasn't Rick when it was supposed to be Rick. The same thing happened with Steve: it was other people. Jimmy [Haun, guitarist for the Chris Squire Expirement] played a lot of guitar Steve thought was him! He didn't realize until about halfway through the European leg of the tour that it was somebody else playing on the album. He hadn't even listened to it. I told him he might want to check it out and he got very annoyed. I don't quite know how that happened - whether Jon was in control of it with the producer. I don't know. It's definitely a very strange album. I think it's important to note that on the album there was no point where the eight of us were playing together on any one song. It was really like Jon was going back and forth between the ABWH band and us like a loose cannon.
i really like Union, i know it is one of their most hated ones but it's really not that badI mean, I'm glad you like it, and you shouldn't stop.
I think those guys provided the bed tracks that Wakeman and Howe came in and added to, with solos and leads and stuff.
I actually liked it well enough until I started reading the credits. The songs aren't bad, the playing is fine, the production is pretty good. It just has huge amounts of music that isn't actually played by Yes. It's a studio concoction cooked up by Jon Anderson and Jonathan Elias. Elias says that he was just doing was Jon A said to do, which was to finish the album after Wakeman and Howe buggered off and wouldn't come back for overdubs. Anderson, typically, has a different take.I think those guys provided the bed tracks that Wakeman and Howe came in and added to, with solos and leads and stuff.
I was referring to the sessions for the first ABWH album, not Union.
Where did you read that? That's basically the opposite of every other account I've read. Except for Anderson, who says he doesn't know.
Trevor Rabin should do a collab with Taylor Swiftthe hell
Trevor Rabin should do a collab with Taylor Swift
It would surely be interesting. But where does that suggestion come from lolTrevor Rabin should do a collab with Taylor Swift
I'd pay for that.
It would surely be interesting. But where does that suggestion come from lolTrevor Rabin should do a collab with Taylor Swift
I'd pay for that.
Next collab suggestion: Peanut butter and pimento chesseIt would surely be interesting. But where does that suggestion come from lolTrevor Rabin should do a collab with Taylor Swift
I'd pay for that.
my neurodivergent brain lol
Next collab suggestion: Peanut butter and pimento chesseIt would surely be interesting. But where does that suggestion come from lolTrevor Rabin should do a collab with Taylor Swift
I'd pay for that.
my neurodivergent brain lol
Next collab suggestion: Peanut butter and pimento chesseIt would surely be interesting. But where does that suggestion come from lolTrevor Rabin should do a collab with Taylor Swift
I'd pay for that.
my neurodivergent brain lol
Ewww. Way to make it weird...
HAHAHA.
So... I finally picked up the video for "9012Live".
Interesting. I never bothered with the video because the album (9012Live: The Solos) is a bizarre release that includes the solos, a few songs, and... that's all. The solo segments of a Yes concert have always been an important part of the show, but releasing them without the rest of the concert is kinda pointless IMO. Anyway, I never checked out the video because I assumed it was the same track listing.
According to Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9012Live_(video)), it was released on DVD and has a bunch of bonus stuff, including just the concert footage without the effects and also "Roundabout" which wasn't on the original VHS release.
Being something of a Yes completist, I should actually try to hunt down a copy.
I mean, it's a GREAT show, for what it is, but it's not a complete show (it's directed by Steven Soderbergh, so there's "art" involved, too) and they are amusingly dated with the hair and parachute clothes, but those sunsofbitches could PLAY in the day. White and Squire are beasts, and I have secretly preferred some of the more muscular versions of the songs with Rabin.
1. Introduction (an amusing, if not more than mildly sexist, video)
2. Cinema
3. Leave It
4. Hold On
5. I've Seen All Good People
6. Changes
7. Make It Easy/Owner Of A Lonely Heart
8. It Can Happen
9. City Of Love
10. Starship Trooper
---
11. Roundabout (bonus features)
The video (and, in part, the CD) omit:
4a. Our Song
4b. Hearts (the best part of the show, IMO)
5a. Solly's Beard (Rabin solo, it's on 9012Live the CD)
6a. And You And I (second best part of the show, and the classic song done best by Rabin, IMO)
6b. Soon (Anderson solos, it's on 9012Live the CD)
8a. Amazing Grace/Whitefish (Squire/White solo, it's on 9012Live the CD)
11a Gimme Some Lovin' (second encore)
Dammit, I miss Chris Squire. He was so much fun on stage.
Interesting. I never bothered with the video because the album (9012Live: The Solos) is a bizarre release that includes the solos, a few songs, and... that's all. The solo segments of a Yes concert have always been an important part of the show, but releasing them without the rest of the concert is kinda pointless IMO. Anyway, I never checked out the video because I assumed it was the same track listing.
According to Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9012Live_(video)), it was released on DVD and has a bunch of bonus stuff, including just the concert footage without the effects and also "Roundabout" which wasn't on the original VHS release.
Being something of a Yes completist, I should actually try to hunt down a copy.
Also, there was almost an Asia with Wetton, Palmer, Rabin and Wakeman. But Kalodner said he didn't like Rabin's songwriting. WTF?
Also, there was almost an Asia with Wetton, Palmer, Rabin and Wakeman. But Kalodner said he didn't like Rabin's songwriting. WTF?
What? Asia with Rabin and Wakeman? Did I forget about this?
Also, there was almost an Asia with Wetton, Palmer, Rabin and Wakeman. But Kalodner said he didn't like Rabin's songwriting. WTF?
What? Asia with Rabin and Wakeman? Did I forget about this?
It was early days, early on, but as I said Kalodner didn't think Rabin's writing was "commercial enough". The irony, right? Rabin said this in one of the interviews on the 9021Live set.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/yes-prog-rock-billy-sherwood-1234939989/ (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/yes-prog-rock-billy-sherwood-1234939989/)
Interesting interview with Billy. Most notable for fans of the current Yes line-up... is that we will be getting another new Yes album. I don't think it has yet happened in my lifetime that Yes have released 3 albums so close together. It's always nice to hear him talk about Chris as well.
Well worth a read.
will it be good though? i thought Mirror to the Sky wasn't bad but i'd guess they can't match it up again so quickly
they wrote close to the edge tho, we owe it to them to see if they can repeat its glory
they wrote close to the edge tho, we owe it to them to see if they can repeat its glory
They?
There's only one person in the current band who had anything to do with Close to the Edge, and it's been 20 years since the band had a majority of members involved in CTTE. While I appreciate Steve Howe for all his great work in the past, neither I nor any other fan owes Steve Howe anything.
Fly From Here is the last album I can say I really enjoy. I still go back to it every few months.
I'm all for bands not to become solely a nostalgia act but release new material once in a while but imo Yes should just call it quits. I can't imagine that they release something from this point on that will be interesting.
This always reminds me of the Rick Wakeman interview footage from the Union tour. He said that he thought Yes would still even after all eight of the then current members were dead. He compared the band to a symphony orchestra where players come and go. Not a completely apt comparison given the differences between classical and rock music, but it's still an interesting thing to think about.
Yes has only one "classic era" member and hasn't had any original members since Chris Squire died. Will it continue when Howe dies or retires (at which point it will have no link to its "classic era")?
Will the Rolling Stones continue after Jagger and/or Richards die? Chances are we'll find out the answers to these questions within the next decade.
We all know that DT survived without Mike, but I don't know if that would be the case if it was Mike AND JOHN that decided to pursue other artistic endeavors.
Kiss has made waves with saying that it will continue without Simmons and Stanley, but I think that undersells what Kiss is. Kiss is basically "Paul Stanley's Vision" in the sense that he's driven the decision-making in the band for decades now and I think it can continue as a revue, but the creative force, the innovation will die with Paul.
We all know that DT survived without Mike, but I don't know if that would be the case if it was Mike AND JOHN that decided to pursue other artistic endeavors.
Just saw that Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks will be touring again this year. The list of dates appears to be more extensive than last year, and they're doing a southern California date! Woo hoo!
They're also releasing an album together.
https://www.jonanderson.com/
There's nothing like a talented group of attractive young musicians. I was a regular on the old YesFans boards for many years, and when YesSymphonic came out, there was a poll for who was the "hottest" of the young ladies featured in the video. And by "featured" that of course meant that the camera lingered on them just a bit longer than one might think. The poll itself may have been in questionable taste, and was decried by many female members, and some male members as well, but let's face it; someone decided on the camera angles and chose to let the camera linger, and some of the young ladies were cute. There's a reason why it was edited the way it was.
There's nothing like a talented group of attractive young musicians. I was a regular on the old YesFans boards for many years, and when YesSymphonic came out, there was a poll for who was the "hottest" of the young ladies featured in the video. And by "featured" that of course meant that the camera lingered on them just a bit longer than one might think. The poll itself may have been in questionable taste, and was decried by many female members, and some male members as well, but let's face it; someone decided on the camera angles and chose to let the camera linger, and some of the young ladies were cute. There's a reason why it was edited the way it was.
Of the four albums the band released with Trevor Rabin (I'm including Union), Talk is my favorite. The poppy stuff is better than all of the poppy stuff on the preceding albums, and then there are some other bits that are heavy, progressive or experimental. It's a refreshing listen and an underrated release.
Hmmm... are hyperlinks being done differently these days?
Thanks for the link! After reading the article, there were no live recordings from that tour that were done right, as Trevor lamented. Only soundboard recordings. There's one from New York that will be in the box set. I actually have a live recording on 3 cd's from the Gorge amphitheater in Washington state, that a lady recorded on Adat from the audience perspective. 7-10-1994. It's awesome! :coolioNot a huge Yes fan so I don't collect their boots, but I read that on the Talk tour, the band made devices available for those who were hard of hearing so that they could hear the concert better. So some enterprising bootleggers got ahold of these devices at numerous shows, hooked them up to their tape recorders and made (essentially) soundboard recordings. So apparently there's many more shows from the Talk tour in circulation with superior sound than any other tour.
You need to put spaces between the parentheses and the link.
Speaking of Talk:
New four-disc box set for 'great lost Yes album' Talk due in May (https://www.loudersound.com/news/new-four-disc-box-set-for-great-lost-yes-album-talk-due-in-may)
Hmmm... are hyperlinks being done differently these days?
That's wacky, because I didn't put in the parentheses in the first place. Also, the link and prompt text seem to be correct now, and I didn't change anything. Oh well.
Not a huge Yes fan so I don't collect their boots, but I read that on the Talk tour, the band made devices available for those who were hard of hearing so that they could hear the concert better. So some enterprising bootleggers got ahold of these devices at numerous shows, hooked them up to their tape recorders and made (essentially) soundboard recordings. So apparently there's many more shows from the Talk tour in circulation with superior sound than any other tour.Very interesting! They also presented that tour in surround sound. I remember hearing it quite well at the Gorge show. Especially during Endless Dream when they get to the part with all the weird panning that almost sounds like a screaming crow or raptor.. :lol
i'm also one of the weirdos that likes Union (my first Yes album, lol)I love Union! Also my first Yes album..
I love Union! Also my first Yes album..
Union is great, and it sounds oddly coherent considering two different groups (and outsiders) were involved.
I love Talk but I’m not sure I need 4 discs of it.
This. I’ve been a big fan of both of these albums since day one. People bag in Union but Yes has definitely made worse albums.
Open Your Eyes
I like Onion, but the Rabin songs - the songs with Squire - have certainly aged with me much better. I respect Tony Levin, and love a lot of what he does (particularly with Gabriel) but he wasn't a great fit for Yes, IMO.
Speaking of Talk:
New four-disc box set for 'great lost Yes album' Talk due in May (https://www.loudersound.com/news/new-four-disc-box-set-for-great-lost-yes-album-talk-due-in-may)
Hmmm... are hyperlinks being done differently these days?
Endless Dream is great, but it feels less like an epic and more like just a long song. The Talk section is glorious (especially the chorus/ending section) and probably the most satisfying musical moment from the entire YesWest era.
If I was to rank the Yes epics:
1. The Gates of Delirium
2. Close To The Edge
3. The Revealing Science Of Good
4. Awaken
5. The Remembering
6. Fly From Here
7. Mind Drive
8. That That Is
9. Endless Dream
10. Ritual
11. The Ancient
Ranking the Yes epics:
1. Awaken
2. The Revealing Science of God
3. Close To The Edge
4. The Gates of Delirium
5. The Remembering
6. Endless Dream
7. The Ritual
8. The Ancient
9. Mind Drive
10. That That Is
HOTS, AYAI and Messiah all fall in the 10-11 minute range, but I thought they should be in there.
Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?
EDIT: Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no. Who'd be interested?
If I had to pick my favorite song off of each Rabin era album..
90125 - Changes
Big Generator - Shoot High Aim Low
Union - Lift Me Up
Talk - Endless Dream
That would be cool to listen to those songs in that order.
Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?I would probably participate.
EDIT: Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no. Who'd be interested?
I'd be in.
idk what a song countdown is but count me in!! i love Yes so much
idk what a song countdown is but count me in!! i love Yes so much
Has been mentioned yet that Yes are going on tour to support Deep Purple?
Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?
EDIT: Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no. Who'd be interested?
The first 10 albums (through Drama) have only 60 songs. If you omit the first two albums, it's only 44 songs on 8 albums. I think that, like you, Ben, most all of us know the first Howe-era albums intimately.
Then you have 38 songs on the 4 Rabin-era albums. I suspect most of us have a pretty good grasp of at least 2 of these albums.
9 songs on ABWH, which I'd be inclined to include.
7 more on the Keys albums.
Then there are 68 songs on the 7 post-Keys albums (plus From a Page).
So...that's 182 songs to pull from, but I think only a small handful of people are really knowledgeable enough on the post-Rabin albums. There's no way I'd do a top 100 and probably wouldn't do a top 75. I think 30 might be the right number, but I'd do 50 if that's what most folks want. I could also do what Kev did with Queensryche and limit it to the pre-Keys catalog.
Re: Rabin-era - This might seem weird, but through a weird combination of timing and “stars not aligning”, I’m extremely familiar with 90125 and Talk, but never heard BG at all. Don’t even own it. I may have heard one of the singles when it was new, but based on the fact that it was panned when it came out, and I just wasn’t listening to that type of music at the time, I just never got around to it.
You've got to include the b-sides. I know one will DEFINITELY make my list, maybe two.
I'll help compile the song list if need be.
I vote 50 (or 55).
What do you all think? Top 30? 50 seems like it might be too much given that a lot of their albums only had 3-4 songs, and there's probably some lack of familiarity with the last 5 or so albums.Top 30 sounds good to me.
Like what?
The only one I know is America. I normally wouldn't be inclined to include a cover song, but Yes's version sounds almost NOTHING like the original.
Slightly off-topic, but I used to have this recurring dream being in a record store (or it might have been some random department store) and stumbling upon a series of "lost" Yes albums (sort of like a multi-album version of TFTO). I would wake up feeling like it was so real. I'd head off to the record store and look but never find anything. :lol
Dear Father
America
Abilene
Money (Not a b-side, but officially released)
Make It East (Not a b-side but officially released)
Ah yes, the Yes West song "Make It East". ;)
-Marc.
WOW, that's a Freudian slip, innit? :)
For the rest, the song is "Make It Easy", and the intro is often played as an intro to "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" live. :)
I forgot about those outtakes on the box set. So I guess it would be
Dear Father (which I'd have sworn was an album track, but no)
America
Vevey (Parts 1 and 2)
Montreux's Theme
Money
Abilene
Run with the Fox
Make It Easy
Love Conquers All
I included America, despite being a cover, since it sounds almost nothing like a cover (if I did a Judas Priest countdown, I'd include Diamonds and Rust and The Green Manalishi for the same reasons). However, I didn't include I'm Down since it's basically the same as the original.
I’d definitely be interested in a Yes countdown. Also the epic rankings are interesting - lyrics aside, I find That, That Is (what a dumb title though) to be really solid musically with a lot of cool ideas but it’s ranked close to or last on every list. They really should’ve done more in that era as TTI and Mind Drive are both great modern epics like something Neal Morse or Roine Stolt would’ve written.
Hearts, but other than that...Good call! That's certainly right up there with Changes, but more epic. It Can Happen is also a stellar track..
So who agrees that Endless Dream is a top tier Yes epic?? :coolio
I wouldn't count And You And I as an epic. That one is just one of the most beautiful love songs ever :)
Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?
EDIT: Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no. Who'd be interested?
Dear Father was on Yesterdays; that may be where you thought it was on an album.
Album Announcement Press Release! May 8th 2024:
YES LEGEND JON ANDERSON AND THE BAND GEEKS RELEASE NEW ALBUM "TRUE" ON AUGUST 23RD, DEBUT SINGLE AND VIDEO PREMIERE MID-JUNE!
After a highly successful 2023 tour with The Band Geeks, Jon Anderson decided to expand the creative partnership with the band to create new material for a potential new studio album. The result of this effort is "TRUE" which will be released on August 23 by Jon’s new label, Frontiers Music. The 9-song album will be a welcome gift to all fans of Jon’s 40 years as lead vocalist of the multi-platinum Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee YES. The album’s collection of songs harkens back to YES’s classic 70’s sounds as well as to their latter-day success with the album "90125". The album’s release will be preceded by 2 singles and videos, the first arriving mid-June for the song "Shine On". The album was co-produced, engineered, and mixed by Band Geek bassist and musical director Richie Castellano.
Jon and The Band Geeks embark on their Summer 2024 tour starting May 30th in New Brunswick, NJ. The tour will encompass three legs and will run through September. Additional September dates will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
Current tour dates:
5/30/2024 - Thursday - New Brunswick, NJ - State Theatre
6/1/2024 - Saturday - Englewood, NJ - Bergen PAC
6/3/2024 - Monday - Rochester, NY - Kodak Center Theatre
6/6/2024 - Thursday - Albany, NY - Hart Theatre
6/8/2024 - Saturday - Hammondsport, NY - Point of The Bluff Concert Pavilion
6/13/2024 - Thursday - Chicago, IL - Copernicus
6/15/2024 - Saturday - St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
6/18/2024 - Tuesday - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theater
6/20/2024 - Thursday - Hershey, PA - Hershey Theatre
6/22/2024 - Saturday - Concord, NH - Capitol Center for the Arts
6/25/2024 - Tuesday - Boston, MA - Shubert Theatre
6/27/2024 - Thursday - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse
7/21/2024 - Sunday - Patchogue, NY - Great South Bay Music Festival
7/24/2024 - Wednesday - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium*
7/27/2024 - Saturday - Peachtree City, GA - Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheatre
7/30/2024 - Tuesday - Camdenton, MO - Ozarks Amphitheater*
8/2/2024 - Friday - Bonner Springs, KS - Azura Amphitheater*
8/4/2024 - Sunday - La Vista, NE - The Astro Outdoors*
8/7/2024 - Wednesday - Waite Park, MN - The Ledge Amphitheater*
8/10/2024 - Saturday - Denver, CO - Paramount
8/14/2024 - Wednesday - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre
8/16/2024 - Friday - Thousand Oaks, CA - Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center
*w/Special Guests The Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer
9/13/2024 Friday Glenside PA Keswick Theatre
9/15/2024 Sunday Glenside PA Keswick Theatre
For more information:
Jon Anderson’s official website: www.JonAnderson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJonAnderson/
Band Geek official website: https://richiecastellano.com/bandgeek/
Jon Anderson YES Epics and Classics:
Website: http://jonandersonyesepicsandclassics.com/
Facebook: Jon Anderson YES Epics & Classics - https://www.facebook.com/jonandersonyesepicsandclassics/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonandersonyesepicsandclassics
Twitter: @JonYesEpic
TikTok: @JonAndersonYESEpic
Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks - True coming August 23rd.
1st single/video in Mid June.
https://www.facebook.com/TheJonAnderson/posts/pfbid032wWYA7GQfetFcCYNvYxVTrPnVp2NzN2hDqYP6Ud5T8Gtah3v5tC1kLWDLvDX9iivl