The Official Yes Thread

[ytserush]

As much as I'd have loved to see a second album from the Drama lineup in its time, I don't think kicking out the current singer and keyboard player to do it is right.  There have been so many statements from the band in the past few years backing Benoit David and insisting that they love him and they're moving forward with him on lead vocals.

But this is Yes, the most screwed-up band in the history of the world in terms of lineups and who's in and who's out and why.  They've always let the suits call the shots for them; it shouldn't be surprising that they allow their producer that kind of power.

I can easily see this happening if someone decided they could get more money from the tour (where the money is now made) without Benoit. Personally, I'd prefer Downes over Oliver Wakeman myself, but even that isn't enough for me to fork over they want for a ticket.


Hell, I'm having trouble deciding if I want to fork over $50 to see Jon Anderson 15 minutes away from me at a very intimate venue. It's likely I won't.

[King Postwhore]

Hell, I've having trouble deciding if I want to fork over $50 to see Jon Anderson 15 minutes away from me at a very intimate venue. It's likely I won't.

Same here where I live. He's about 30 minutes away and I'm not shelling out the money to see him.

[ZBomber]

Agreed. I saw Jon Anderson last year and it was a really cool experience, but tickets are so expensive and it's just not worth it to me.

[Orbert]

Is that Jon Anderson solo, or the Anderson/Wakeman?  I'd be pretty tempted to see Anderson/Wakeman, especially if it was close by.  Those two are awesome together.

[ZBomber]

Just Jon Anderson I believe. If it was Wakeman as well, that would change everything. 

[King Postwhore]

Is that Jon Anderson solo, or the Anderson/Wakeman?  I'd be pretty tempted to see Anderson/Wakeman, especially if it was close by.  Those two are awesome together.

Solo and look who else is playing in the same month but sold out.  Great small venue but I've got to find a new job first. So no concerts for me.

https://tickets.tupelohall.com/default.asp?SearchMonth=5%2F28%2F2011&monthsubmit=x&MV=5%2F28%2F2011

[lonestar]

So I'm at my local bar last night, and the band is playing the regular barband fare.  One of the guitarist breaks a string and goes to change it.  The other guitarist is diddling around to keep warm.  Out of the blue, he starts jamming a bit from the opening of Close to the Edge.  I was fucking floored.

[Orbert]

That would've been cool to hear.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Nice.

[lonestar]

It wasn't perfect, but a pretty adequate job, once again proving that there can be only one Steve Howe in the universe.

[Orbert]

We were rehearsing in a bar in Manistee, Michigan one afternoon called The Silver Fox.  At some point, our guitarist broke a string or something and needed to take a few, so that left the rest of us standing around, and the bartender yells "Hey do you guys know any Emerson, Lake & Palmer?"  As it happens, we had been messing around with "Tarkus" just for the hell of it (it's not like we were ever going to play it during a set, but I had the sheet music so what the hell).  So the bassist, drummer and I looked at each other and grinned, and started it up.  We played maybe 12 or 16 bars of that insane 10/8 intro, then stopped and looked over at him, asked him what he thought.  He was amazed.  "Are you kidding?!  Tarkus?!  I have never heard that played in bar before!"

He thought it was so cool that he gave us a round of drinks on the house.  That particular bar was actually pretty generous that way; we each got two drinks per set per night.  Presumably one for us and one for a friend.  Anyway, we didn't tell him that what we'd played was all we actually knew, but the bit we did play sounded pretty good.

[Mladen]

I've got a similar story. The guitarist from my band had some problems during the show with tuning, so he took a minute off to fix the problem. Meanwhile, the rest of us are chilling on stage, and I broke into Larks tongues in aspic just for the sake of doodling around. Nobody in the audience knew the song, and one guy was even like ''What the fuck are you doing?'' 

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

Just picked up two more Yes vinyls: Drama and The Yes Album

I'm really diggin both sounds. But I still have not found Tales or Relayer anywhere on vinyl. Should I bite the bullet and look online?

[Quadrochosis]

It's a common record in used stores. I say keep looking.

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

It's a common record in used stores. I say keep looking.

Which one? Tales or Relayer?

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Ha. Y'all are lucky. The town I'm in is a prog fans nightmare. The only Yes anywhere is the Classic Yes compilation. So I've had to order my stuff.

[King Postwhore]

Ha. Y'all are lucky. The town I'm in is a prog fans nightmare. The only Yes anywhere is the Classic Yes compilation. So I've had to order my stuff.

I had no problem getting mine.............in the 70's.
CD in the 90's

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

Don't feel bad. The nearest used CD/vinyl shop near me is 7 miles in any direction. I go to multiple shops, so it eats up the gas. More times than not, all they have are Rod Stewart, ancient pop hits and soul.

Where you located that Prog is seldom heard in conversation?

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Only CD shop in my whole town is an HMV in the mall. Then there's Future Shop. One time I went to Future Shop and they had EVERY PG-era Genesis album. I was still getting into prog then so I didn't have them all yet, so I was ecstatic. I bought Foxtrot immediately. Next time I came, they terminated their whole selection. Now they only have one section, labeled rock/pop (pointless to label isn't it?), and it has absolutely no prog, except for about 30 copies of A Momentary Lapse of Reason by PF. And that's how it is every time I go.

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

Only CD shop in my whole town is an HMV in the mall. Then there's Future Shop. One time I went to Future Shop and they had EVERY PG-era Genesis album. I was still getting into prog then so I didn't have them all yet, so I was ecstatic. I bought Foxtrot immediately. Next time I came, they terminated their whole selection. Now they only have one section, labeled rock/pop (pointless to label isn't it?), and it has absolutely no prog, except for about 30 copies of A Momentary Lapse of Reason by PF. And that's how it is every time I go.

That sucks. You should consider moving to Chicago. On Milwaukee Ave. near Clark, there is a shop called Reckless Records. Their vinyl selection blew the fuck up when hipsters started shopping at their new location. They always have RUSH, Pink Floyd, Yes, and some others that I like (shame I don't live in the city either). And as far as labeling everything Rock/Pop...their rock is not our rock.

[Orbert]

I had no problem getting mine.............in the 70's.
CD in the 90's

Heh heh, me too.  I have all original vinyl from the first album through 90125, studio and live.

[Perpetual Change]

Cool! A record store here in HK has the 4 disc version of Keys. Should I get it?

[lonestar]

 

[Orbert]

Cool! A record store here in HK has the 4 disc version of Keys. Should I get it?

Yes.

[ytserush]

Ha. Y'all are lucky. The town I'm in is a prog fans nightmare. The only Yes anywhere is the Classic Yes compilation. So I've had to order my stuff.

I had no problem getting mine.............in the 70's.
CD in the 90's

I had this on tape once. I never upgraded to CD, but I think I want it now because I've been really wanting to hear that live version of "I've Seen All Good People."

[King Postwhore]

Got it off my cousin who's a huge Yes nut.  I remember walking 3 miles just so we both could be the first in line to get Drama when it came out on album.  Walked 3 miles back to his place where his mom told him nobody over while I'm working(we never listened) and played the album a half dozen times

[Orbert]

I'll be honest, I think the live version they stuck onto Classic Yes sucks pretty hard.  The only thing going for it, maybe, is that Jon tries to squeeze "All we are saying is give peace a chance" into the chorus at the end, as on the studio version, except he discovers that he can't actually sing two different parts at once, especially when the lyrics are different.  Howe's solo in the second part is probably why they included it; it's pretty hyper, but I still prefer the version on Yessongs.

[ZBomber]

Wait, Classic Yes has a live version not found on other releases?

I've seen the vinyl countless times at my local record store, but I never picked it up since I thought I already have all the songs on other vinyls.

[ytserush]

I'll be honest, I think the live version they stuck onto Classic Yes sucks pretty hard.  The only thing going for it, maybe, is that Jon tries to squeeze "All we are saying is give peace a chance" into the chorus at the end, as on the studio version, except he discovers that he can't actually sing two different parts at once, especially when the lyrics are different.  Howe's solo in the second part is probably why they included it; it's pretty hyper, but I still prefer the version on Yessongs.

From what I recall, I think the production on that Classic Yes version is a little better and it was likely my first exposure to live Yes such as it was.

Of course it's been at least a dozen years since I've probably heard it so it's possible that I might agree with you now.

[Orbert]

Wait, Classic Yes has a live version not found on other releases?

I've seen the vinyl countless times at my local record store, but I never picked it up since I thought I already have all the songs on other vinyls.

The CD version of Classic Yes has live versions of "Roundabout" and "All Good People" that weren't on the LP and which are different from the versions on Yessongs (the only other officially released live versions at the time). Yes, the sound is clearer, the production is better, and all that.  I'm just not crazy about the performance itself, which is the most important thing IMO.  But the version you heard first is often the one that will always sound "better" to your ears.  I grew up with Yessongs, and despite its crappy, muddy sound, the performances are inspired and most take the songs beyond their studio versions, but they're still clean and tight.  To most Yesfans, Yessongs is still the definitive live Yes album.  In a way, that's kinduv sad, that in 40 years, they still haven't surpassed it, and at this point never will.

[ytserush]

Wait, Classic Yes has a live version not found on other releases?

I've seen the vinyl countless times at my local record store, but I never picked it up since I thought I already have all the songs on other vinyls.

The CD version of Classic Yes has live versions of "Roundabout" and "All Good People" that weren't on the LP and which are different from the versions on Yessongs (the only other officially released live versions at the time). Yes, the sound is clearer, the production is better, and all that.  I'm just not crazy about the performance itself, which is the most important thing IMO.  But the version you heard first is often the one that will always sound "better" to your ears.  I grew up with Yessongs, and despite its crappy, muddy sound, the performances are inspired and most take the songs beyond their studio versions, but they're still clean and tight.  To most Yesfans, Yessongs is still the definitive live Yes album.  In a way, that's kinduv sad, that in 40 years, they still haven't surpassed it, and at this point never will.

I get your point.

Performance certainly helps, in some cases a lot, but I think at that time I probably wasn't an advanced enough music listener to factor performance into the equation.

I just wish the crappy, muddy sound of Yessongs doesn't allow me to fully appreciate it like I should.

Are there other live songs in the vault from that period?

[Orbert]

Yes and no.  They released a 3-disc set in 2005 called The Word is Live (a pun based on a line from the title track from Time and a Word, "the word is love") which gathers together various unreleased tracks from various points in Yes history.  The quality varies greatly, as some of it is basically cleaned-up bootlegs, and they made an effort to not include a lot of material from the "classic" years, as they felt that that period was well represented already.

There's a version of "I've Seen All Good People" but I haven't listened to it in a while, so I can't vouch for its quality.  If I were favorably impressed, I think I'd remember, but that's not a hard and fast rule.  I do remember that the version of "America" is considerably longer than the studio version, which was actually an edit even though it still came in at 10 minutes.  The live version is over 16 and includes an interesting extended intro which more clearly reveals how the arrangement actually did evolve out of a mashup between the Simon & Garfunkel song and Leonard Bernstein's "America" from West Side Story.

There are a few other interesting Yes rarities, including the original version of "We Can Fly From Here", the previously unreleased Drama-era song which has been reworked and is now the title epic from the upcoming album.  But overall I think you'd have to be a pretty hardcore Yesfan, and a completist as well, to want to pick up The Word is Live, unless you can find a really good deal on it.  Maybe used.

[ytserush]

Yes and no.  They released a 3-disc set in 2005 called The Word is Live (a pun based on a line from the title track from Time and a Word, "the word is love") which gathers together various unreleased tracks from various points in Yes history.  The quality varies greatly, as some of it is basically cleaned-up bootlegs, and they made an effort to not include a lot of material from the "classic" years, as they felt that that period was well represented already.

There's a version of "I've Seen All Good People" but I haven't listened to it in a while, so I can't vouch for its quality.  If I were favorably impressed, I think I'd remember, but that's not a hard and fast rule.  I do remember that the version of "America" is considerably longer than the studio version, which was actually an edit even though it still came in at 10 minutes.  The live version is over 16 and includes an interesting extended intro which more clearly reveals how the arrangement actually did evolve out of a mashup between the Simon & Garfunkel song and Leonard Bernstein's "America" from West Side Story.

There are a few other interesting Yes rarities, including the original version of "We Can Fly From Here", the previously unreleased Drama-era song which has been reworked and is now the title epic from the upcoming album.  But overall I think you'd have to be a pretty hardcore Yesfan, and a completist as well, to want to pick up The Word is Live, unless you can find a really good deal on it.  Maybe used.

I picked up The Word Is Live a few years after it came out at a record show for $15. Had I known about the horrible sound quality beforehand, I might not have.

I love the package and the liners, but except for the third disc, it really hasn't left much of a lasting impression on me either.  I like MSG 1980 and Houston 1988 recordings most I think. I also like "Heart Of The Sunrise" from Oakland in 1978 and the Awaken recording from Chicago in 1979 doesn't really move me (I know...I have no soul) It's probably the best version I've heard.

But as you said, I found out the hard way that these recordings are essentially bootlegs of material that was mostly underrepresented in a live setting. I remember liking the pre-Yes Album stuff too, but some of those tracks I THINK are on the BBC discs.

I know "Sound Chaser" is on there too, but I have no memory of it at all, which, as you said, can't be a good thing.

That said, I'm sure there would have been enough material for another disc or two.

[Orbert]

$15 is probably a fair price.  I'm a pretty huge Yesfan, but there aren't any bands for whom I feel the need to just plain collect everything I can get my hands on.  Bands like Phish or The Greatful Dead I can almost understand, because improvisation plays such a vital role in their performances.  Getting to hear a particularly stunning version of a certain song, or a killer solo in a certain song would be pretty cool if it's a given that they're all different.  But I had a co-worker who was a Deadhead, and he had something like 300 bootlegs he'd collected over the years.  I still think that at that point he's just collecting to see how many he can get; they can't be that different from each other.

Anyway, with Yes, almost every live recording I've heard sounds mostly like an inferior version of their studio work, which is so carefully crafted.  I've listened to The Word is Live all the way through twice, and as a musician I find it interesting to observe some of the artistic choices they've made, and some of the compromises that they made in order to perform a song live that was originally quite layered in the studio.  But that's it.  Interesting is not the same as captivating.  I don't find myself wanting to hear it over and over again.

Maybe it's because their music is so dense and complex that there truly are very few live recordings that grab me and make me want to hear them again.  Maybe it's actually pretty rare that they actually manage to turn in a live performance that I'll like.  That may seem nearly sacrilegious, as they're my favorite band.  But it's what they can do in the studio that amazes me.  I think their music is just too hard to reproduce live.

[ThroughHerEyesDude6]

^As much as I agree with you on the live recordings argument, I think I fall into collecting-for-the-sake-of-collecting with some bands...Yes included. Surprisingly, Yes is the only band I can listen to strictly on vinyl. I started out with them on vinyl, and for some reason can't transport to CD.

Nevertheless, I never understood all the bajillion live recordings by Grateful Dead. Now that I know that there are several solos and improv sessions on every recording, now I can see the appeal. Deadheads sure are funky, though (No offense).


In other news, just picked up Going for the One on vinyl, and I'm very impressed...as usual.