The Official Yes Thread

[King Postwhore]

I read it online.  Here it is.

https://www.billboard.com/news/yes-guitarist-trevor-rabin-working-on-first-1005168102.story

[Orbert]

That sounds even better to me.  Rabin hasn't recorded a lot lately because he's been doing movie soundtracks for the last 20 years (which I guess is still "recording" but different).  He's done a lot of movies with great soundtracks, and an instrumental album from him could be really cool.

[lonestar]

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

[skydivingninja]

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

This is really cool!  Good find! 

[lonestar]

Great story behind it too. Imagine going to a movie theatrr to see a documentary, and at the end of it, them coming on screen to play that set unnanounced, so cool.

[Orbert]

I've heard the audio for that before, but have never seen the video.  Thanks!

[Zydar]

That was great! Cool rendition of Roundabout. Thanks!

[The Letter M]

So I've been listening to a bit of latter-day Yes lately, and was wondering if anyone else considers the following as their official Yes canon:
1 - Yes
2 - Time And A Word
3 - The Yes Album
4 - Fragile
5 - Close To The Edge
6 - Tales From Topographic Oceans
7 - Relayer
8 - Going For The One
9 - Tormato
10 - Drama
11 - 90125
12 - Big Generator
13 - ABWH
14 - Union
15 - Talk
16 - Keystudio/Keys To Ascension/Know (original working title)
17 - Open Your Eyes
18 - The Ladder
19 - Magnification
20 - Fly From Here

I include ABWH because, really, it is Yes, just a side-version of Yes, and it's more Yes than any other bands with Yesmen in the 80's had (like Asia, which had Howe and Downes). Besides, including ABWH is essential in the chronology to better understand where and how Union came about.

I also would group them in chunks of five:
1-5 = "The Bruford Years", the formation of where Yes started to what made them famous
6-10 = "The Anderson/Squire/Howe/White" years, where this line-up made the most albums and continues/finishes their classic era
11-15 = "The Rabin/Dual-Yes" era, which includes the 3 Rabin-made albums, as well as ABWH and the often misunderstood Union
16-20 = "Latter Day Yes", and while it began with the classic line-up doing the Keys material, it changed a bit with OYE and The Ladder, which turned them back into something different that carried over into Magnification. Oddly enough, FFH ends this group just as Drama did back then, the Downes/Horn pair on both ends each group of 10 albums (the first 10 and the last 10), as they introduce old material that didn't make it on Drama.

It's all very fitting, and it will be interesting to see where Yes go next, especially now that Benoit David is out and Jon Davidson is in.

-Marc.

[Orbert]

I agree with your definition of Yes canon, and I like how you've divided up the eras.  The only potential issue I see, which I'm sure will be shared by many Yesfans, is the divide between Fragile and Close to the Edge, which I'm sure you'll agree is something of a soft divider anyway.

I agree that the band did have a different sound with Bruford than with White (moreso than a lot of people realize) and yes, it does make sense to recognize the change there.  But it could also be argued that the introduction of Howe on The Yes Album was really the start of the classic sound.  Most fans of the classic lineup seem to feel that it is the presence of both Howe on guitar and Wakeman on keys that really makes the sound.  I tend to regard The Yes Album as the start of the main sequence, but I suppose that that doesn't necessarily mean that a new "era" started there.

But hey, Yes has changed personnel so many times that you could divide things up any way you want.  Relayer is an outlier because it's the only album with Moraz on keys.  The Keys to Ascension stuff is another anomoly, being from the classic lineup, but latter-day.  And so on.  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.

[The Letter M]

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.

Yeah, my groupings are a bit more generalized, but in each group of 5 all have a similar sound or feel, and even though the "Bruford Years" had a couple line-up changes, I think it's important to group those five as it shows the true evolution of Yes, while the following five albums show experimentation and refinement, and finally, a sudden change in the sound of Drama.

As for the line-up changes, there indeed have been a dozen or more, and 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.

-Marc.

[Pols Voice]

I wish we had gotten another album with Moraz. Relayer has some crazy stuff, and I think they could have explored those heavier and jazzier ideas more.

[Orbert]

Yeah, a second album with Moraz would've been cool.  But that band had problems (didn't they all?) and when they thought Wakeman might want to come back, they could not dump Moraz fast enough.

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.

Agreed.  I would've loved a sophomore effort from the reformed lineup after Keys, but as usual, Wakeman didn't want to be tied down, and things fell apart from there.  Open Your Eyes has managed to grow on me a little bit (I had a lot of trouble with it at first) but it's still pretty weak overall IMO.  The legendary Yes mismanagement struck again, completely slaughtering an opportunity and sabotaging their own sales.

Keys to Ascension should have been released as a single studio album (as originally intended) and promoted like nobody's business as the triumphant return of the classic lineup, the same band that brought you Close to the Edge and Going for the One, with seven new tracks including Two Epics!   Instead, they buried the new studio material as "bonus tracks" on live albums that nobody cared about, mostly because they received no promotion, and the promoted the hell out of Open Your Eyes, the vastly inferior album.

[Pols Voice]

The production on Open Your Eyes is really overbearing, like the huge walls of vocals on several songs. I do like the title track and some of the other songs, though, but you can tell Howe had very little input, and he's my favorite Yes dude. It's mostly a Sherwood/Squire album.

KTA has some very good material. Bring Me to the Power is one of the most overlooked Yes songs, IMO. Some really nice melodies in there. Mind Drive is cool too.

[Mladen]

I like that Relayer is the only album they released with Moraz, that makes it really special. 

[Orbert]

It's pretty different.  Between Moraz on keyboards and Howe torturing his Telecaster throughout, it has a very different sound.  A lot of Yesfans regard it as their favorite, hands down.

[Ryzee]

Yeah it's my favorite for sure.

[lonestar]

I have had a resurgence of my Yes love as of late.  I have been spinning little else, especially the last couple days, probably just in need of a spiritual re-tuning.  In honor of this, I am going to do something I haven't done in years, listen to Tales beginning to end.  See you in ninety minutes.....

[Jirpo]

Gonna see Yes live in 24 hours!!

[lonestar]

 


First time?

[The Letter M]

Gonna see Yes live in 24 hours!!

With Jon Davidson?? Let us know how it goes!

Also, is there any way (MODS?) that we could add the studio albums to this thread as a poll to pick our top 3 (or 5 since there are so many) favorite albums? I think if we use the list I posted a few posts back, it would work.

-Marc.

[Pols Voice]

Jon Davison sounds pretty good from the clips I watched.

[lonestar]

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

[King Postwhore]

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

Yeah, he will sound great with them.

[King Postwhore]

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

[lonestar]

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

Damn you.  One of my favorites sung by a hot chick, now I'm in love.


Loved this comment BTW...

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.

[Phoenix87x]

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

Yeah, I think I can get down with this guy. 

   and he kind of looks like Crispin Glover.

[Orbert]

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

So, Magenta is a band started by a guy who used be in a band called Cyan?  If they break up and he starts another band, I wonder what he'll call it.

Anyway, good cover.  I just listened to that song earlier tonight, and it sounds like they do it in the same key, which is good.  They do know how to take advantage of video, don't they?  Put the lead singer in an evening gown.  Not that I'm complaining, but they're really damned if they do, and damned if they don't.  She's pretty and has nice glands, so the obvious thing would be to show them off.  And even if they'd like the music to speak for itself, it's hard not to take advantage of a definite selling point.

[Jirpo]

Ahh! Damnit, I knew someone who could get us free tickets but he said I applied too late... so annoying especially cause he told me for the past few days that he was sure me and a mate could go

[skydivingninja]

I'm not sure if I'm sold on the new singer.  There were a few parts in Heart of the Sunrise and Owner where he sounded like his voice was straining in falsetto.  I'd rather have that chick from Magneta sing for them. 

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Just got my 1st bass. First song I learn is Close to the Edge.

[Pols Voice]

Anybody ever see/hear this? It's the isolated bass track from Roundabout. Pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRjAgl1dQBk

[Mosh]

Just got my 1st bass. First song I learn is Close to the Edge.

 

Chris Squire is the man. Possibly my favorite bass player. His tone on those albums...

[lonestar]

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

[ytserush]

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

Been a while since I've seen that. Thanks!

[Genowyn]

You guys might be interested to see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjpCV6ilJKw

This is the ending credits of an anime that is currently airing...