The Official Yes Thread

[gzarruk]

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?

[Cocopjojo]

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?

Oh, you're right. They had named some other reasons in the past ("Alan recovering from an illness," etc.) for Jay's tour support, but it seems like a safe bet that he will be with them again on their upcoming tour as well.

[pg1067]

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.

[Orbert]

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.  I personally think it was a mistake for the current lineup to try to tackle Tales.  Drama they had a slightly better shot at, with most Geoff on keyboards, but they just can't play like that anymore.

I'll always love Yes, but I only check out stuff they've done recently (like in the past 20 years) out of curiosity.

[romdrums]

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.

So the Tempus is no longer Fugiting then?

[pg1067]

Yeah, I've heard that one is downright embarrassing.

Yeah...and I admittedly may be way off with this, but it seemed apparent to me that Steve can't handle the material any more (and, given his age, that's not even a dig).  There were CONSTANT guitar driven ritards where they didn't need to be.

So the Tempus is no longer Fugiting then?

More like tempus ratibus.

[The Letter M]

I've deliberately not listened to any live Yes albums since Songs From Tsongas, which I think was the last live album to feature Jon Anderson. That's not a dig at the other vocalists who have come and gone from the band, but I just don't find myself interested in hearing the same dozen Yessongs played live again, especially at slower tempos. As tempting as it is to hear some of their classic albums played in full, I just can't bring myself to listen to them in the condition they're played in. If I wanted to hear those albums, I'll just spin the original studio recordings.

I wonder if they'll call it quits in 2024 and do a 55th Anniversary Tour and just bow out. At least King Crimson and Genesis knew when to call it a day, as did Rush. Steve just seems insistent on keeping the band going no matter what the music ends up sounding.

-Marc.

[Fritzinger]

Yes delayed their tour once again. What I find interesting is the following statement:

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). 

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).

[James Mypetgiress]

Yes delayed their tour once again. What I find interesting is the following statement:

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). 

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).

I've had tickets for the (now CTTE 50th anniversary ) tour in the UK for a while now. I believe Alan is always scheduled to be on the tour, but only plays one "set" - either the entire album or the collection of hits, depending on which one is less physically demanding for him - so I imagine Jay will be playing most, if not all, of Relayer.

[Setlist Scotty]

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)

[Stadler]

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 a fine line though, and I think there are variations on this that ought to be explored.  I look at Kiss; they're calling it a day - in theory - and by all accounts it's not what it once was; but once, it's still as good as it ever was (thanks Toby Keith).  Some people can walk away; REM.  The Kinks.  I totally speculating here, but for someone like Michael Stipe, I don't get that "REM" is his life; it's not the only avenue for his creative outputs; he has his singing, his lyrics, his album art, but he also has his photography, his filmmaking, etc.  But for, say, Keith Richards, I guess it's easier when you're touring arenas and stadiums, but I can't imagine him walking away since that's what he does.  That never seemed a job for Keef, but rather a facet of his life.  He's not going to walk away from his life, metaphorically.

Maybe it ought not take the form of the band we know in the form we now know it, but I can't assume that each of my favorite artists are going to handle this all the same way.  Steve Howe, maybe he can record and tour with his son(s) and not use the Yes vehicle for his art, but maybe he can't.  Maybe he can't walk away, and while it's something that I'm not interested in humoring, well, it's not my call.

[Orbert]

I'm not one of those that complains about bands continuing when they're clearly past their prime.  You won't hear me say "They should just pack it in."  I'm obviously not a player anywhere near that level, but I feel the need to play and to continue to find musical outlets.  There is a need to create, a need to collaborate.  Also, for a lot of these guys, it's the only life they've ever known.  Genesis formed when they were in high school.  Yes has been at it nearly as long.  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.

[Setlist Scotty]

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.

[Orbert]

I don't disagree with that.  I have some of Steve Howe's solo albums, and they vary a bit but are mostly good to great.  His more recent jazz trio stuff is pretty good.
 The other guys I'm sure have similar "other outlets".  But while Yes hasn't done anything truly exciting in a while (the opening track from their latest album had me cautiously optimistic, but it turned out to be the only real highlight on the entire album), I still can't fault them for wanting to continue with it, and continue calling it Yes.  It's just not up to us to say that they should stop.

[emtee]

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.

[Stadler]

Given it's circumstances - a live album of a disasterous tour, after a disasterous album, and the band splintering like it did - I think it's a way underrated live record. Howe hated it (wanted it a triple) and the splitting of Ritual was a necessary but unfortunate move. Having said that, I listen to it as much as I do any other Yes live album.   My only complaint, now that it's on CD, is the song choice; it SHOULD have been a triple and it should have been more reflective of the whole setlist instead of live selections over the years.

[Orbert]

I've generally considered it bad form to quote yourself, but in this case it's just easier.  I was going to spew a bunch of facts and background about Yesshows, but I'd already done the most ridiculously thorough job I could over in the Yes Discography thread.

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.

I personally like it a lot.  The editing is clever enough to present the illusion of a single concert experience, and I think the performances themselves are great.  I'm not really sure what specific issues are that the band members have/had with them.

[pg1067]

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.

It's really good.

Looking back at it, there are some real oddities, including the fact that it was released a few months AFTER Drama.  Hey...let's release a live album, with songs from three prior tours (apparently the "solo albums tour," GFTO and Tormato)...but not the tour that we're smack in the middle of...and with nothing from our current lineup.  That's a real WTF.

I didn't know any of this since I didn't start getting into Yes until the second half of the '80s, so it didn't matter to me.  I'm pretty sure I first bought Yesshows on vinyl.  Ritual being broken between two sides was weird (it was something they used to do on 8-track tapes), but it made sense for something that was 32 minutes long.  The Yesshows version of Parallels is, for me, definitive.  Time and a Word is meh, and Going for the One, while still not great, is an improvement over the album version (I heard Yesshows before I heard any of the predecessor albums).  Gates is epic.  I really like Whale, and Ritual is so good.  Stories seems like a throw in, but it's a nice little song.  My only complaint is that, when I replaced the vinyl with CDs, it still had the fade-out and fade-in in 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?

[Kwyjibo]

Can't add any more facts, Orbert has that covered in detail so all I can say is, I like it a lot but it's always second to Yessongs for me. That's the one I reach for the most when I want to listen to Yes live.

[emtee]

I knew none of this info. Thanks for sharing.

Love both Yessongs and Yesshows.

[The Letter M]

Speaking of live album titles, I always wished they had continued that trend and named albums like Yessuites and Yessymphonies.

As for Yesshows, I don't spin a lot of live Yes anymore, but I remember really liking this one when I was first discovering Yes nearly two decades ago. The killer versions of epics like "Gates" and "Ritual" were stand-outs for me, and really definitive live versions of those songs, and the other shorter tracks are all excellent as well. An underrated live album for sure!

-Marc.

[Orbert]

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.

[pg1067]

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.

That's got to be it (and I'm now a bit annoyed with myself for not thinking of it).  That little "rap" (or whatever you want to call it) is probably about four minutes long.  I actually really enjoy that part.  Jon had such a way with stuff like that.  It'd be great to have a video version of Yesshows.

[The Letter M]

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.

Regarding in-between chatter for live albums, when I'm feeling up to it, I usually make it so every track is indexed to start at the beginning of the song proper, unless the spoken intro overlaps into the song itself, then I'll leave it as is. Otherwise, I'll tend to go into Audacity and move the opening bits of a track that aren't the song itself to the end of the previous song/track, unless there's a disc-split where the first song on the next disc has to include the intro to the song before the song itself starts.

As for "Ritual" on Yesshows, looking at discogs, the vinyl version shows a total track length of 28:52, while the 1994 remastered CD shows the track total to be 28:54.

I don't feel like checking All 70 versions of Yesshows on discogs, but I didn't see any version where the track lengths for "Ritual" were 14:53 and 17:06. The CD I've had for over 15 years has been the 1994 remaster, so I've always see "Ritual" as near 29 minutes in length. I did find a Japanese pressing where "Ritual" was 29:26 long, but "Don't Kill The Whale" is also 6:51, a whooping 2:39 longer than the 1994 CD pressing. I'm not sure where all this extra time is coming from but almost every track on that version is longer than other versions.

-Marc.

[Stadler]

I do a LOT of ripping from DVD to audio, to put on my iPod, and unless the chatter actually is over-top the actual music, all chatter is on the end of the preceding track.   

[The Letter M]

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

Hopefully Alan will recover.

-Marc.

[jammindude]

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.

[pg1067]

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.

That's exactly how it works.  There are published cases from the days when bands didn't have well-drafted band agreements.  I think the seminal case involved the Beach Boys, but I could be wrong about that.  Almost without exception, any band of any prominence will have a written agreement (essentially a partnership agreement) that says a "leaving member" gives up the right to use the band name and is required to sell his/her interest in whatever corporations/LLCs have been formed to advance the band's interests.

Regarding Yes, I always look back on the YesYears VHS.  Rick Wakeman commented that he expected Yes would continue to exist 50-100 years after every then-living member had died.  He compared the band to the Royal Philharmonic, which obviously continues to exist no matter who the members are.  We're getting near the time when this concept will or may be tested -- with Yes and other bands from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

[Stadler]

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.

As long as everyone DOES know it's Steve Howe (and don't forget Geoff Downes; he has to count as a "Yes member" since he was on Drama back in the day; he's not original, but neither is Steve Howe) and guest musicians, so what?   Billy Sherwood was a close friend of Chris Squire, worked with him extensively and (it's my understanding) had Squire's blessing to carry on.  So that's three out of five that have a legit right to be "Yes".  There are only two original members in Dream Theater.  Kiss; for me they are just as legit (and a BETTER live band) than with Peter and Ace.   Hell, there's only ONE original member in Deep Purple (Ian Paice). 

I certainly get "liking" a particular lineup; there are certainly bands that I only listen to if a certain member is there, but that's on me, not the band. Music is how they make a living. Touring is, today, a key way of doing that.  I don't begrudge Howe his career, and while I probably won't go see them, that's more logistics than any moral conundrum.

[romdrums]

I'm pretty sure I've said this before in this thread, but Steve Howe is, of the lineup that was considered classic, is the last person in that lineup that I'm interested in seeing live.  I'm like zero percent financing because I have zero interest in seeing the current iteration of this band.  I think, at this point, Steve needs to put his ego aside and reach out to Jon and Rick to get Yes properly reconstituted.  I just don't think Steve's legacy in the band is what they can hang their hat on at this point. 

[The Letter M]

RIP Alan White...

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

-Marc.

[Stadler]

Wow.  I'm bummed.  He's the drummer on my favorite album of all time, ever.

[Mladen]

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.

[Orbert]

I'm thinking Going for the One, which is mine as well.

[emtee]

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.