The Official Yes Thread

[hefdaddy42]

The Elder is one of my favorite Kiss records.

That is not a universal opinion.  That usually ranks amongst or at the bottom of KISS album rankings.  So Rolling Stone ranking it there is not off base in any way at all, regardless of your low opinion of the publication.

Give me my moment. 

You got it

[ytserush]

Union has never been disliked by me. I recognize that it’s a mess but there’s so many strong tracks with only a few that I’d consider not good (Angkor Wat and Dangerous mainly). Way better than ABWH

I have no problem with either of those. Open Your Eyes is another story.

[gzarruk]

I've been wanting to dive into more Yes for some time now. I already like some of their stuff, but they tend to be hit or miss for me.

What I wanted to know from your opinions is, now that they're officially made of 3 full time Yes members (Davison, Sherwood, Schellen), should I also check the Arc of Life albums? It's a pretty obvious Yes spin-off, but there's been a few others through the years as well and I don't really have too much interest in them. Should I bother with AOL or just stick with Yes? They have a wide enough catalog for me to check out already

[Stadler]

I've been wanting to dive into more Yes for some time now. I already like some of their stuff, but they tend to be hit or miss for me.

What I wanted to know from your opinions is, now that they're officially made of 3 full time Yes members (Davison, Sherwood, Schellen), should I also check the Arc of Life albums? It's a pretty obvious Yes spin-off, but there's been a few others through the years as well and I don't really have too much interest in them. Should I bother with AOL or just stick with Yes? They have a wide enough catalog for me to check out already

So.....  I listened to the one early release and though it was HORRIBLE.  DRECK.   Then I volunteered to do a review of the record, and I listened to it, and lived with it for a couple weeks, and it really resonated after a spell. I thought it was really good and went out and bought it.  So yes, I would if I was you.  I wouldn't expect top-flight, Close To The Edge Yes, but it's a good record.

[gzarruk]

I've been wanting to dive into more Yes for some time now. I already like some of their stuff, but they tend to be hit or miss for me.

What I wanted to know from your opinions is, now that they're officially made of 3 full time Yes members (Davison, Sherwood, Schellen), should I also check the Arc of Life albums? It's a pretty obvious Yes spin-off, but there's been a few others through the years as well and I don't really have too much interest in them. Should I bother with AOL or just stick with Yes? They have a wide enough catalog for me to check out already

So.....  I listened to the one early release and though it was HORRIBLE.  DRECK.   Then I volunteered to do a review of the record, and I listened to it, and lived with it for a couple weeks, and it really resonated after a spell. I thought it was really good and went out and bought it.  So yes, I would if I was you.  I wouldn't expect top-flight, Close To The Edge Yes, but it's a good record.

 

There's two AOL albums, btw, in case you missed the second one.

[King Postwhore]

Check out the band World Trade. First album was in 1989.

Billy Sherwood's band. Jay joined on the 2nd album.  The 1st drummer was the brother of Joseph Williams of Toto.

[jammindude]

I JUST TODAY learned that the covers of Relayer and TFTO connect together like two pieces of a jigsaw!

The granite rocks on the left back cover of Relayer intersect PERFECTLY with the rocks on the right of the front cover of TFTO. With both gatefold cover spread out, they make a single panoramic picture!

Am I just late to the party???

[Orbert]

I've seen that before, and was never 100% convinced.  It does seem like a few too many things line up for it to be coincidence, but the backgrounds are completely different, so even if the thing with the rocks was intentional, the two paintings don't really make one large work.

[Orbert]

It seems most likely to me that someone had their Yes albums on a table one time and just happened to notice how the Tales and Relayer covers do that.  These album covers are from original paintings by Roger Dean and are cropped to fit the standard 2x1 shape of a gatefold album cover.  The rocks on the Tales cover actually go further to the right, for example.

I actually have some relatively hi-res versions of most Roger Dean covers, being the huge Yesnerd that I am.  I don't know if I've ever seen a larger version of the Relayer cover, but the Tales cover is cropped for sure.  So I lined up the uncropped pictures, had to rescale the Relayer cover, and it turns out that some of the rocks actually line up better, and some do not.  So the jury's still out, as far as I'm concerned.

[Stadler]

I've been wanting to dive into more Yes for some time now. I already like some of their stuff, but they tend to be hit or miss for me.

What I wanted to know from your opinions is, now that they're officially made of 3 full time Yes members (Davison, Sherwood, Schellen), should I also check the Arc of Life albums? It's a pretty obvious Yes spin-off, but there's been a few others through the years as well and I don't really have too much interest in them. Should I bother with AOL or just stick with Yes? They have a wide enough catalog for me to check out already

So.....  I listened to the one early release and though it was HORRIBLE.  DRECK.   Then I volunteered to do a review of the record, and I listened to it, and lived with it for a couple weeks, and it really resonated after a spell. I thought it was really good and went out and bought it.  So yes, I would if I was you.  I wouldn't expect top-flight, Close To The Edge Yes, but it's a good record.

 

There's two AOL albums, btw, in case you missed the second one.

I did miss it!! Thank you for that!

[Stadler]

I JUST TODAY learned that the covers of Relayer and TFTO connect together like two pieces of a jigsaw!

The granite rocks on the left back cover of Relayer intersect PERFECTLY with the rocks on the right of the front cover of TFTO. With both gatefold cover spread out, they make a single panoramic picture!

Am I just late to the party???

Well, if it matters to you, I just learned about it too (from you!)

I also understand that if you listen to Dark Side of the Moon while watching the Wizard of Oz, they line up too (yes, I've done that, and it matches about as well as the Yes covers).

[Fritzinger]

I'm not sure anyone would care about AOL if it wasn't a Yes spinoff.

When The Quest by Yes was released I listened to it (of course) and decided it's a rather boring, always-15bpm-too-slow album that not many people would care for if it wasn't made by Yes - but still a far better album than Heaven & Earth. I still had some time left on the drive home so I randomly put on a different album I didn't know that much yet: Rise Radiant by Caligula's Horse. The contrast was huge.

I felt the same with AOL. I listened to both albums. Badly composed, lazily played and with a Sherwood-typical bad production and sound. I thought... why bother with albums like these just because it's a Yes-spinoff if there's way more interesting music out there by smaller/less known artists? Just my two cents.

[Stadler]

Well, I liked AOL, and I'm a lot more lenient to Billy Sherwood than it sounds like you are, but your underlying point is still valid:  I'm still not stepping over Going For The One or Scenes From A Memory to get to AOL. 

[DTA]

The Quest actually had a lot more replay value for me than I expected. The Ice Bridge, Dare To Know, A Living Island, and Leave Well Alone all feel pretty substantial which I didn't expect. And the other songs have some solid moments too. I agree that it's ultimately a non-essential album but it feels like there's some effort present in the songwriting. It's hard to compare it to a modern band in the midst of their creative peak.

[Orbert]

The main problem I have with recent Yes (like in the last 10 or 15 years) is that it sounds "tired".  It sounds like decent music being written and played by guys in their 60's and 70's.  Which is exactly what it is, I get that, but where is the fire?  Where is the drive, the excitement?  It all sounds "nice" but it lacks something.  Maybe bumping up the tempo a tiny bit would help, but I don't know if that's it.

[ytserush]

The main problem I have with recent Yes (like in the last 10 or 15 years) is that it sounds "tired".  It sounds like decent music being written and played by guys in their 60's and 70's.  Which is exactly what it is, I get that, but where is the fire?  Where is the drive, the excitement?  It all sounds "nice" but it lacks something.  Maybe bumping up the tempo a tiny bit would help, but I don't know if that's it.

I think you may have just described why I threw in the towel on YES after about 2003-4. Also a valid enough reason why I've bailed on other bands in general.

[Mladen]

Compared to The Quest and Heaven and earth, Fly from here has so much fire it sounds like it's played by guys in their 20s.

[Orbert]

I had high hopes, after that first tour years ago when they did Close to the Edge and The Yes Album in their entireties.  Or maybe it was two other albums.  Anyway, they did that tour, then went into the studio.  I was hoping that having played albums from the 70's again, they'd be inspired, remember what it was like to play actually exciting, challenging music.  Then we got Heaven and Earth. 

[emtee]

I enjoy Fly From Here and still listen on a regular basis. The last two are one rung below elevator music. Boring slogs.

[Nel]

I enjoy Fly From Here and still listen on a regular basis. The last two are one rung below elevator music. Boring slogs.

Agreed. I really wish the newer stuff was a bit more like "Into The Storm", which has a lot of energy behind it and is really fun, but Heaven & Earth and The Quest just sound like background music to me.

[Stadler]

I enjoy Fly From Here and still listen on a regular basis. The last two are one rung below elevator music. Boring slogs.

Agreed. I really wish the newer stuff was a bit more like "Into The Storm", which has a lot of energy behind it and is really fun, but Heaven & Earth and The Quest just sound like background music to me.

"Into The Storm" is a GREAT song, but, IMO, is an anomaly in the latter years of the Yes catalogue (and I LIKE "Fly From Here" generally).

[The Letter M]

After seeing the title in the 2023 Album Release pinned thread, I searched for "Yes 'Mirror To The Sky'" and came up with this link:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/new-yes-album-with-atmos-mix-out-may.33899/#post-681461

A new Yes album, called Mirror to the Sky, is due out in May, with a blu-ray with Atmos (and presumably 5.1) mix!

Yes, it's the new Yes, which isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I for one really enjoy the last album The Quest, which had a great 5.1 mix, so I'm hopeful. Reading in the latest edition of Prog magazine, this album has 6 tracks, including a 10 minute one and a 14 minute one.

If this is true/accurate, I remain cautiously optimistic but I won't hold my breath in hoping that it'll be any better than H&E or TQ.

Track list info from a r/yesband

1. Mirror To The Sky
2. Luminosity
3. Circles Of Time (written by Davison, "simple in texture and presentation but musically complex with a lot happening" per Howe)
4. Cut From The Stars
5. All Connected
6. Living Out Their Dream

Bonus Disc:
1. One Second Is Enough
2. Unknown Place
3. Magic Potion

https://www.yesfans.com/forum/main-forum/yesmusic-aa/39830-mirror-to-the-sky-new-yes-album-due-in-may

https://www.reddit.com/r/yesband/comments/11kgbpy/new_album_mirror_to_the_sky/

Release date is May 19th.

-Marc.

[Stadler]

Grrrr; "including a 10 minute one and a 14 minute one". As if "song length" is the problem here.   

[James Mypetgiress]

Honestly very excited for it. Will be interesting to hear Yes' first attempt at a longer piece since Mind Drive!

[Fritzinger]

I hope that doesn't sound disrespectful, but I'm very curious how Yes sound with a new drummer. Alan was a very good and powerful drummer back in the day and I miss him dearly, but his later contributions were not that great anymore.

[James Mypetgiress]

I hope that doesn't sound disrespectful, but I'm very curious how Yes sound with a new drummer. Alan was a very good and powerful drummer back in the day and I miss him dearly, but his later contributions were not that great anymore.

I definitely get what you mean. Since Billy and Jay came in as Yes' rhythm section on a more permanent basis the tempo and energy of their live performances have been on the up. It's going to be interesting to see if that will translate into a studio setting

[Mladen]

Some of the songs on The Quest were actually pretty good, they just lacked a little punch, not just in production, but also in performance. Hopefully the new guy pounded the crap out of those drums and inspired the rest of the band to kick it up a notch.

[Lupton]

And let's also hope that Steve Howe is singing less...     

[James Mypetgiress]

Steve's voice certainly is more suited to the traditional Yes 3-part harmony than some of the co-lead parts we saw on The Quest. I'd like to see them returning to that with this new release as opposed to just Billy or just Steve doing BVs. Given there is so much overlap with The Quest I'm not sure it will be the case, though.

[Stadler]

And let's also hope that Steve Howe is singing less...     

"In her white lace,..."

[Orbert]

Fair point, but remember that that was 50 years ago, harmonized with Chris Squire, and in a supporting role.  It was supposed to contrast with Jon's voice.

[devieira73]

https://open.spotify.com/track/3zqQQos627x2yRoTGKkLoI?si=E6Y4Lg4iTiekcmmewBG8Qg&app_destination=copy-link
New song

[The Letter M]

https://open.spotify.com/track/3zqQQos627x2yRoTGKkLoI?si=E6Y4Lg4iTiekcmmewBG8Qg&app_destination=copy-link
New song

Also on YouTube
https://youtu.be/5WSqjH6mFhk

-Marc.

[Orbert]

Not bad.  I like how the bass is pretty in-your-face, with Sherwood doing his best to channel Squire.  Drumming is pretty tight, and keeps things moving.  Doesn't sound lethargic like so much of their recent material has.  Keyboards are kinda weird.  I usually like Geoff Downes' keyboards but he's picked some weirdass patches here.  Davison as usual sounds okay, but is basically a pale imitation of Anderson.  Didn't hear much of note from Howe, which is actually surprising.

[The Letter M]

YES (official) announce new studio album ‘Mirror To The Sky’ for release 19th May 2023 - Launch first single ‘Cut From The Stars’: https://youtu.be/NdEF-vMO8vc

YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are pleased to announce their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023. “This is a very important album for the band,” says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.

Today also sees the launch of the first track taken from the album. Listen to Cut From The Stars & watch the video here: https://youtu.be/NdEF-vMO8vc

Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. What’s more, the tracks, like Yes’ best, take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes which also showcase Steve Howe’s dazzling guitars, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes’ impeccable sounds, exquisite melodies and fills, Jon Davison’s angelic, crystalline vocals, Billy Sherwood’s deftly dancing bass and Jay Schellen’s masterfully controlled explosions, on drums.

‘Mirror To The Sky’ will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean.
Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster
Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook
Ltd 2CD Digipak
Standard CD Jewel case
Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet
Digital Album

The Blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.

Pre-order now here: https://Yes-Band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky

The tracklisting is as follows:
CD1:
1. Cut From The Stars 05:27
2. All Connected 09:02
3. Luminosity 09:04
4. Living Out Their Dream 04:45
5. Mirror to the Sky 13:53
6. Circles of Time 04:59

CD2:
1. Unknown Place 08:15
2. One Second Is Enough 04:04
3. Magic Potion 04:08

https://www.facebook.com/289541335438/posts/pfbid0XBeGGdfnNUqy3XcdsnNt56BjjuT7qc334wfWaqZpjwJM4HPNWuZqcWESRFtpw7ZSl/?mibextid=Nif5oz

-Marc.