The Official Yes Thread

[KevShmev]

I'd rather see Miss Hawaii play the church organ solo from the middle section of "Close to the Edge." 

[King Postwhore]

I'd rather see Miss Hawaii play the church organ solo from the middle section of "Close to the Edge." 

And by organ you mean..........

[Orbert]

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.

[Quadrochosis]

Since we're all talking about Close to the Edge, why doesn't everyone go check out the Yes survivor down in the Poll board? We're up to CTTE and need all the votes we can get.

[glaurung]

You're just hoping to get some votes to save And You And I.

[Quadrochosis]

..No.. >_>

[lonestar]

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, 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. 

[Orbert]

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.

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.

[ZBomber]

I never liked Turn of the Century until I payed close attention to the lyrics. Now I think its one of their most beautiful songs! 

[lonestar]

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.

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.

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.

[ZBomber]

Seeing Jon Anderson on Wednesday, should be great!

[Quadrochosis]

Let me know what he plays, I passed him up to see Opeth.

[ZBomber]

Let me know what he plays, I passed him up to see Opeth.

I looked up the set from like 5 days ago, and he did about half solo stuff/half yes songs. Not too familiar with his solo material, but the Yes side had a few gems like Time and a Word, Ritual, and then the standards.


I also just had the idea to perform a Yes medley with my friend.... right now I really wanna get the intro from Revealing Science, Your Move, and maybe something more rocking (parts from CTTE?) Would also love to fit the vocal section from South Side in there somewhere, but it might be hard since that requires three voices and currently its only me and my friend.

[Quadrochosis]

It would be pretty cool if you could fit in "Soon" or some part of "To Be Over" in there somewhere.

[Nick]

Let me know what he plays, I passed him up to see Opeth.

Uber fail.

[Quadrochosis]

Ehh, I don't think so. Yes > Jon Anderson and I already saw Yes this year. Plus Opeth is only going to be playing BWP in its entirety live once.

[ZBomber]

I gotta say, if I liked Opeth, I would definitely choose them over Jon Anderson.

Jon Anderson, however, is quite cheap and I'm pissed I didn't get to see him with Yes, so..... this seems like the logical thing to do! Plus I am going to be stoned out of my mind, which will easily make this a night to remember... if I'm able to recall it the next morning.

[ZBomber]

 

Amazing show! i got high beforehand, and I have to say weed + Jon Anderson is a perfect combination. He did odd arangements of all the songs, but they were all awesome. AND he did segments of Revealing Science!!!

1. Yours is No Disgrace
2. Sweet Dreams
3. Long Distance Runaround
4. Time and a Word
5. Under Heaven's Door (Never Ever)
6. Count Your Blessings
7. I'll Find My Way Home
8. Starship Trooper
9. Unbroken Spirit
10. Ritual
11. Music Is God
12. Owner of a Lonely Heart
13. Set Sail/Close to the Edge/Marry Me Again/The Revealing Science of God
14. The Light of Love
15. And You And I
16. Tony And Me
17. Your Move
18. To the Runner
19. Show Me
20. State of Independence

Encore:
21. Roundabout
22. Soon
23. O'er

[Orbert]

So Jon is playing shows with a small band or something?

Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White are touring as Yes, with Wakeman's son and a Jon sound-alike, because Jon is "too sick" to tour.  But he's doing shows?

[ZBomber]

Its JUST Jon Anderson. No band. Hes up there alone with a guitar and a piano. It was really great. He sounded good (lost his range, but his voice is still very solid) and did very basic instrumentation of the songs.

Sadly I dont think I will ever get to see Yes with Jon Anderson now.

[Quadrochosis]

Wow.. that sounds really awesome. Glad you had a good time.

I'd be really interested to hear some of those arrangements with just Jon playing one instrument at a time.

[Mladen]

Sorry to be a n00b, but why doesn't he return to Yes? 

[Orbert]

Over the past decade, relations within the band have gotten steadily worse, and while we fans can never know everything that goes on behind the scenes, Jon Anderson clearly seems to be the one not interested in performing with Yes, or if he does, it must absolutely be on his terms.  From the "Yesfans" website:

Jon unilaterally said "no" to any more studio albums after Magnification, even though Steve, Chris, Rick and Alan were game
Jon said in interview that he left Yes after the 2004 tour
Jon reneged on a mutual plan to reconvene in 2005
Jon didn't show up for a 2005 studio album planned by Steve, Chris, Alan and Rick, with Trevor Horn producing
Jon sold off his share in Yes LLC (yes, he sold his share in the band name to the other members)
Jon, year after year, broke commitments to return to Yes, while touring Yessongs under his own name
Jon demanded to be paid MORE than Steve, Chris or Alan for the aborted 2008 tour

After five years of this bullshit, the others finally blew him off and got someone else to sing.  Benoit David auditioned, but supposedly he was originally found through YouTube videos of his Yes tribute band.  That was the cause of a lot of jokes and scorn, but really, it actually makes a lot of sense to me.  And from what I've heard of the shows with him on lead vocals, there are some off-nights, but he's generally quite good and sounds a lot like Jon, and is getting better.

When Jon heard about this, he asked them once again to wait, because he would like to be with Yes again, but just isn't well enough.  He's had health issues over the past several years, this is also documented, but rather than just take a break and get better, he went and set up some more solo shows, and posted on his website that the band touring now isn't the "real" Yes because he's not in it.

He's wrong.  Yes has recorded and toured without him (Drama is one of my favorite Yes albums).  Yes is not about any one person.  If Jon quit the band and sold off his interests in it, he has no say in who or what the "real" Yes is, and should shut the hell up.

[KevShmev]

It is both sad and unfortunate that Jon Anderson had to pull a Dennis DeYoung/Steve Perry like that, but shit happens. I guess.

[Mladen]

Thanks for the helpful info, Orbert. Too bad for Jon, I love the guy, but I would still watch Yes without him if I had the chance. And Drama is one of my favorite Yes albums as well. 

[skydivingninja]

It is both sad and unfortunate that Jon Anderson had to pull a Dennis DeYoung/Steve Perry like that, but shit happens. I guess.

Pretty much.  Didn't know Jon had reneged on past agreements like that, or sold his share in the name.  And I'm kind of with Orbert, Yes is not just about Jon, and Drama is one of their best albums.

[Orbert]

It is both sad and unfortunate that Jon Anderson had to pull a Dennis DeYoung/Steve Perry like that, but shit happens. I guess.

As a Styx fan, I have to take issue with Dennis DeYoung getting lumped in with the other prima donnas.  Dennis actually did have a documented medical condition which prevented him from touring.   The rest of the band was ready to go tour, and the suits were calling for a tour to promote the new album and make everyone (the suits) a lot of money, so they basically kicked Dennis out of the band and got a new singer/keyboard player.  After two years of treatment, Dennis was ready to rejoin the group, but now they're all "Dude, you're history, remember?"

The musical divide within Styx had been growing for a while (DeYoung's prog/theatrical tendencies vs Shaw and Young's more straight-on rock) and came to a head with Kilroy Was Here, which Tommy Shaw openly criticized after leaving the band to form Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent.  I think the current Styx lineup is having more fun playing arena rock than they ever did with DeYoung's "Babe" and "Mr. Roboto" crap, and have no desire to have Dennis back in.  But Dennis was originally kicked out over something that wasn't his fault.  Jon Anderson is basically being a dick, so there's a difference of circumstance.

[KevShmev]

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. 

[Nick]

Orbert just owned all over this thread with his last two posts.

[Orbert]

Thanks, Nick.  Just tryin' to keep the youngins educated.

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. 

There are definitely similarities as well, and all three of those guys are control freaks and prima donnas (besides being awesome front men and lead singers).  I just feel kinda bad for Dennis, while from what I understand, Steve and Jon were booted because they were being douchebags, and I wouldn't want people to think that Dennis was guilty of that.  He's guilty of a lot of other things (he should be shot for "Mr. Roboto" alone) but getting kicked out of the band that you yourself started in your garage, by guys who were your friends and played in that garage with you, that's gotta suck.

[KevShmev]

At 36, I love it when someone can refer to me as a "youngin."  

And I hear ya.  That had to suck for DeYoung.  And speaking of him, I feel he never gets the credit he deserves as being one of rock's all-time great singers.  The guy has just a phenomenal voice.  I remember the Styx reunion of sorts tour back in '96 (I think) and he sounded incredible; him holding that note for forever in "Suite Madame Blue" was one of the biggest eargasms of my concert life.  He does the same thing on the Return to Paradise live CD/DVD, for anyone curious as to what I am talking about (link now in the Styx thread, which I bumped, so this Yes thread does not off topic ).

[ZBomber]

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?

[Quadrochosis]

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?

Yea that does seem rather strange. Doesn't that mean he won't get any royalties from Yes songs? (This sounds almost irrelevant considering how little Yessongs are used in the public sphere but still worth mentioning I think)

[skydivingninja]

Well, "Roundabout," "Owner of a Lonely Heart," and "I've Seen All Good People" get pretty significant radio airplay, though I think that he'd get royalties anyway just because of writer's credit.

[Orbert]

I never heard why Jon sold off his share of Yes LLC, or exactly what that means legally and financially.  I've heard that the use of the name "Yes" for a band or anything having to do with the band currently belongs to Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White.  Basically the classic five minus the two (Anderson and Wakeman) who seem to come and go the most.  That's why they can tour now, legally, as Yes.

Wakeman has always been his own guy; he was a session musician before joining Yes, he has more solo projects than Tiger Woods has girlfriends, and he has joined and left the band many times.  He doesn't actually see it as joining or leaving, it's more like getting together with a particular group of guys he's played with before, and cutting an album and/or touring, much the same way groups like Return to Forever get together and record and/or tour, but each member has plenty of other stuff going on.

Anderson, though, I have no idea.  As a founding member of the band, and a guy who clearly sees himself as the "leader" of the band, what sense would it make to actually state in an interview that you've left the band, and even sell off your part of it?  Maybe he was pissed, maybe he really felt that if the band wanted to continue, fine, but he didn't want any part of it.  It does seem really bizarre.  But Jon's a bizarre guy.

A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace
And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace
And achieve it all with music coming quickly from afar
And taste the fruit of man, recorded, losing all against the hour

I mean... really.  He's way the fuck out there, always has been.