The Official Yes Thread

[ProfessorPeart]

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.

[pg1067]

Lizzo 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.

[The Letter M]

Are we sure that it isn't just her stage band that likes Yes and not her? I mean she probably has some say in what they play but I've seen instances where a singer has a band that plays stuff without the singer that is clearly not in the singer's wheelhouse simply because the musicians dig music like that.

Either way, what an interesting place to find Yes music.

-Marc.

[Stadler]

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.

[El Barto]

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.

[Stadler]

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.

BOOM.  Me too.

[Setlist Scotty]

Lizzo 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.

Thanks for the warning! Duly noted! 

[romdrums]

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.

BOOM.  Me too.

Same here.  While Steve Howe's contributions to Yes in the 70's are beyond reproach, he was never the main reason I listened to them.  The lack of respect that he has consistently shown to Trevor Rabin is childish.  In terms of talent, Rabin is a way better overall musician, and I think he's just as versatile of a guitarist as Howe, if not better.  Rabin sounds just fine on the Howe material, but Howe trying to play Owner of a Lonely Heart?  Hell the fuck no.  Rabin doesn't come across like a sour, jealous dick either.  Steve Howe doesn't look like he's had fun on a stage since the ABWH tour.  He seems to get super butt hurt when anyone looks like they're having fun on stage playing Yes music.  Any time I watch any moment where Howe and Rabin are sharing a stage, Howe always comes off as this jealous, insecure prick while Rabin is up there to have fun and vibe with the other guys on stage. 

[Stadler]

The story was always that Anderson and Squire had beef, which was why Anderson never came back after his brief health thing.   But Squire has been gone for years now and there's not even hints of Anderson (or Wakeman) rejoining the group, which tells me that Howe was at least a part of the acrimony.  That Anderson and Wakeman chose Rabin for their excursion speaks volumes as well.

I love Yes, Going For The One is my favorite record of all time, but the RABIN Yes is perhaps the most consistent part of the band's history.  Three SOLID records and a handful of great songs on Onion.

[ytserush]

Was listening to the Esoteric release of Anderson Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe (With Levin) which I find to be less bright than the original and was reminded reading the liner notes that Howe wanted to do his guitar parts in London rather than record the album with the rest of the band. He recorded a whole lot of guitars for the album and was upset that not all of his guitar parts made the final recording. It's almost a miracle Yes has survived this long but I guess at this point, it's his show to run.

[SoundscapeMN]

Jon Anderson - Zamran coming?

extensive trailer

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=922398029119240&ref=sharing

[The Letter M]

If anyone is interested, over in the Polls & Survivors subforum here, I've begun the Yes Survivor, hot off the heels of my Genesis Survivor! Tonight I've put up the first rounds for the band's first four albums, where you can vote for your LEAST FAVORITE Song each round. Check out the main Results & Discussion thread for more info there.

-Marc.

[James Mypetgiress]

Jon Anderson - Zamran coming?

extensive trailer

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=922398029119240&ref=sharing

As always with JA solo material, it sounds good, but I will believe it is being released when I have the CD/LP in my hands

[The Letter M]

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/

New re-issues incoming... maybe. If so, am I willing to replace all my older CD remasters? Perhaps...

-Marc.

[Stadler]

Without a Steven Wilson remaster of Going For The One, all that is "blah blah blah".  Haha.  The Steven Wilson remasters of the other classic albums are kind of all that needs to be said, though.

[Orbert]

I'm not sure how much there is to get excited about this, honestly.  The "Complete Atlantic Records Catalog" is not everything.  I know most people are in it for the 70's stuff, which is all included, but as Stadler said, the Steven Wilson versions are widely considered the definitive versions of those albums and I honestly don't see how they can be improved upon.  The multitrack masters of Going for the One are conceded by many to be lost forever, so unless they turn up somehow, we're not going to see a remix/remaster/whatever of that one.  For those for whom the 80's stuff is where it's at, note that 90125 and Big Generator were Atlantic, but Talk (widely considered the best of the Rabin era) is not.  Keys to Ascension I and II aren't as highly revered by some as much as me, but they do have the virtue of being performed by the 70's classic lineup and I think each has some great stuff, and they're not included.  I even like a lot of Open Your Eyes, which is also not included here.

So basically, the Atlantic albums are now Warner, but all the others are still whatever they were before.  Okay.

[James Mypetgiress]

Roger Dean showed a near-completed artwork for the new Yes album on his Facebook page today.

[The Letter M]

Roger Dean showed a near-completed artwork for the new Yes album on his Facebook page today.

Great art work! So wait... there's a follow-up to The Quest?

-Marc.

[DTA]

I actually downloaded The Quest in preparation for the survivor round and I actually like it more than I thought I would. A new album seems really unlikely though

[James Mypetgiress]

It seems fairly likely. The FAMES orchestra and Paul Joyce who worked on The Quest were recording new material for Yes sometime last year. Billy and Geoff have both confirmed that they were in the studio last year for work on a Yes album. Some fans with close ties to Yes have said we should hear some new material by May/June. I really enjoyed The Quest. It's leagues ahead of Heaven and Earth, and Jon D seems to have improved remarkably as a lyricst. I'm excited to see how this one turns out

[Mladen]

I didn't really care for Heaven and earth and The Quest, but I'll check out a new one. It's Yes, after all. 

[romdrums]

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!

[TheSoylentMan]

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.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/benoit-david-yes-singer-still-hurts-1234671770/

[Cocopjojo]

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.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/benoit-david-yes-singer-still-hurts-1234671770/

This was a very interesting interview.

I could totally see Squire doing what he did in the example Benoit gave. These guys have been doing this at a high level of quality (eh, give or take) for literally 40 years, so of course when the new guy starts to crack under the pressure, their response is more "do your job" rather than empathizing with him. They were probably also thinking, "I could have another one of you in a minute - as a matter of fact, he'll be here in a minute", which of course Jon Davison was.

[billboy73]

Great interview!  The only time I saw Yes was in 2009 when he was the singer.  Glad I got to see them with Squire and before Alan White started really struggling.  I remember when David's vocals were replaced on Fly From Here, and I felt bad for him.  I thought that was pretty dumb, as that record wasn't too bad.  I always thought he had a good voice, and it stinks that he had all those vocal issues.

[James Mypetgiress]

Benoit always seemed like a really nice guy! This interview is really interesting, very unique perspective of someone who was in the music industry for such a small amount of time. Love his comments on Alan White. Seems noone ever had anything bad to say about the fella. I remember an interview with Oliver Wakeman where he said how much Alan took he and Benoit under his wing during the initial 2008-10 tours.

[KevShmev]

Interesting interview.  You could tell he was trying his best to be respectful of Chris Squire, especially since he has passed, but it's clear that Benoit thought he was a prick.  I saw them on that Styx/Yes double bill tour and can definitely confirm what he said.  Yes was okay, but Styx had a tightness and energy that Yes was sorely lacking that night (Gowan's silliness notwithstanding).

[Orbert]

Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman, Squire and White.

Definitely a shame that it never happened, though I wouldn't call it an "error".  It's not like they could've chosen that lineup and didn't.  Every Yes lineup change was organic; it came about because someone, or more than one person, was leaving and was replaced.  Rabin and Wakeman wanted so badly to do a studio album together and it just blows me away that in 30+ years, they could never do it.  WTF?

ARWSW would've been great, but it would never have happened.

[jammindude]

It only just recently occurred to me that three of the five original members of yes are still alive, and none of them are in the band.

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.

[The Letter M]

I still wish they had formed BRAWL - Bruford Rabin Anderson Wakeman Levin. The name alone probably would've enraged Howe. 

-Marc.

[James Mypetgiress]

I still wish they had formed BRAWL - Bruford Rabin Anderson Wakeman Levin. The name alone probably would've enraged Howe. 

-Marc.

I don't know, I think Steve Howe likes a good BRAWL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ohHqRg7PGE

[Stadler]

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.

[pg1067]

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.

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.

Meh...the last 10 years have demonstrated fairly well that Howe can't pull off the material well anymore, and isn't Bruford retired from music?

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.

I don't know if I'd go that far, but the band currently performing under the "Yes" name is basically a travesty.  Squire, Howe, White, Downes and Davison did a solid enough job when I saw them play CTTE, GFTO and TYA in 2013, but I'd have ZERO interest in seeing the current incarnation.  I would, however, pay to see Anderson's tour with The Band Geeks or even one of the school of rock shows.

[ytserush]

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!

Tell me about it. I love this album. I think I waited about a year or so after it came out to get it. Probably my favorite Rabin solo album from the half dozen that I have. Really like 90124 too but I went into that knowing a lot of the source material.

[ytserush]

Bruford has been retired for long time now.