The Official Yes Thread

[ytserush]

UK 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).

There was a time that I REALLY would have wanted to hear Relayer done live, but those days are long gone. Best option for me is that tour unfortunately.

It's like Rush trying to do something from Caress of Steel live.  I love Caress of Steel but it's just not a good idea to do that live in the 21st Century.   

[ytserush]

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. 

I've never been a "Top Whatever" ranking guy because I don't view music like that, but Relayer is a Top 5 Yes album. (I might put The Yes Album and Drama up there too.)

[LudwigVan]

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.

[Max Kuehnau]

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)

[Fritzinger]

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.

[Mladen]

I've always thought it was good, but Sound chaser and The Gates are SO out of this world that they sort of overshadow it.

[pg1067]

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.

Mood for a Day is light years above the other four, although I like The Fish quite a bit (probably wouldn't if I weren't a bass player), so those are the two.  Five Percent is nothing but noise.  We Have Heaven and Brahms are ok the first couple times (and, certainly, Rick's playing on the latter is excellent).  While I undoubtedly have listened to Fragile from start to finish dozens or hundreds of times (to the point that pretty much every note is burned into my memory), I suspect I haven't listened to Heaven or Brahms in probably 20 years.

[DTA]

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.

Agreed. To Be Over is a brilliant finale and the fade-out never fails to completely move me. And the twists and turns throughout the song are a lot of fun. One of their more unique tracks that I'm surprised was ignored for so long by the band.

[Orbert]

Steve Howe once cited "To Be Over" as one of his favorite Yes tracks, one that to him epitomizes Yes.  I can see why.  It has the beautiful serene stuff, the batshit crazy, and everything in between.

[Stadler]

I saw Rick Wakeman Sunday, on his "Grumpy Old Man Tour"; half comedy half music.   The comedy was okay; he's not Chris Rock, but he's funny if you get the references.   The music was really good.   The Yes piece - a medley of "The Meeting - And You And I - Wonderous Stories" was, well, a wonder, and the couple of Beatles pieces - "Strawberry Fields - While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Help! Eleanor Rigby" (the former done as a ballad, the latter done in the style of Prokofiev; yes, it worked!) resonated with me a lot, being a Beatles fan.

[Mladen]

I'd actually go see that. 

[Stadler]

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). 

[Zydar]

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/rick_wakeman_calls_current_state_of_yes_total__utter_mess_disrespectful_to_late_chris_squire.html

[Orbert]

Yeah, Grumpy Old Rick.  Practically the same bites as the Rolling Stone interview.  I mean, he makes valid points, and the idea that "Yes should just call it a day" isn't new to anyone.  Rick is not currently in the band and has left and rejoined the band many times over the years as it suited him, and he is also the one who said that Yes is a collective, not a specific set of individuals, and much like a symphony orchestra could theoretically continue indefinitely, replacing members as time goes on.  But now that Chris is gone, Yes should just stop.  Okay, Rick.

[Architeuthis]

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.

[The Curious Orange]

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...

[Stadler]

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. 

[Max Kuehnau]

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.

he worked with Bowie on Hunky Dory and Space Oddity (and some of Ziggy)

[KevShmev]

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$.

[IDontNotDoThings]

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.

[KevShmev]

But he said in the article that he was strongly opposed to ARW being renamed to Yes ft. ARW.

Correct, but being opposed to something doesn't mean you still won't go along with it, for a variety of reasons.  "Yes featuring ARW" is a much bigger draw than "ARW" would be, and Rick Wakeman knows it.  I doubt promoters would promise them as much money without the Yes name.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Sure, but then that's not really Rick's fault, & it certainly doesn't imply that he's being hypocritical, which was the implication that I got from reading your post.

[Stadler]

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. 

[Herrick]

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.

[ytserush]

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.

I agree with his comments. I even stopped caring about seeing them live before Jon was replaced But I'm just a fan making a choice. It's not my band.

[Fritzinger]

YES are putting out something like an EP of unheard songs. Let's see what this is... Most of these are Oliver Wakeman compositions, so that might be interesting.

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

[The Letter M]

Whoa, 25:43 of "new" Yes music with Chris Squire?! Sign me up!!! It can't be worse than Heaven & Earth...can it?

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.

[Stadler]

He co-wrote "Into The Storm" on Fly From Here, and that was my favorite track on an album I like very much, so... I'll probably be getting this.

[Orbert]

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?

[Stadler]

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?

In my experience - having ordered from Fish's site, Marillion's site, and... I forget the site but I  bought the UK box from them - you use your credit card as you always do, and they automatically implement the conversion rate.

[Fritzinger]

Whoa, 25:43 of "new" Yes music with Chris Squire?! Sign me up!!! It can't be worse than Heaven & Earth...can it?

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.

You don't need Live From Lyon, believe me

I wondered about the BurningShed thing, too. But Fly From Here - Return Trip was also only available there...

I don't get why a band would do that. It's like they don't want you to buy it Especially because the BurningShed shipping rates are not the lowest.

This weird move was only topped by Jon Anderson. His 1000Hands album was like 60 Euros for the vinyl, plus around 8400 Euros shipping.

[Stadler]

NO SHIT on the shipping.   $17.00 for me.   I may still get it, because there's something else available there that seems like a really good deal, but still.  You'd think you'd want to make it relatively easy for people to get your stuff.

[Nel]

Pfffft hahahaha HAAAAAA

So... In The Present - Live From Lyon is literally the only live album by Yes I own. I'd have to double-dip on the only one I've already got to get these tracks. 

They've been putting out so many live albums since Fly From Here came out that you'd think they'd just attach them to a new one.

[jammindude]

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!!!

[KevShmev]

Not bad at all.  And call me a sap, but hearing a new (to us) Yes song with Chris Squire was so comforting.