Entertainment For Lively Minds
I am listening to Yes - and I am not ashamed.
Posted by Lando Cakes on 12 November 2009 - 8:29pm.
Yep, you read it right.
Dug out my old vinyl copy of Yessongs this evening. I have to report that it is very, very good indeed. Much better than I remembered it in fact. OK, so the lyrics are daft (what is a Siberian khatru anyway?). However they do seem to fit. And there are some missable solos. However, there are also a great many hummable tunes and much of the music is, frankly, rather exciting.
Now, what prompted me to dig out the vinyl is the fact that Yes are coming to this very town next week. My question is, are they worth going to see or is this incarnation a sad chicken-in-a-basket rendition of past glories and best avoided?
Your comments/advice appreciated.
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Nor should you be ashamed
Magnificent band.
They are coming to my town on the 25th
and I have tickets but absolutely no idea what to expect ... magnificence or misery. Possibly both.
I did hear a bootleg of
the US tour and the new singer handles it all pretty deftly. The plus point for me is they're finally doing some things off "Drama" which I love dearly, even if a lot of people moan about the absence of Anderson. Way better than the Rabin led stuff.
superb band
when they were on song. not sure about the new line up although the singer does sound uncannily like the jon anderson of the early 70's.
Still one of my all-time favourite bands but
I've lost track since they split into 'Yes West' and 'Yes Europe' and then all the reformations - it all seems a bit of a franchise now. I think the last 'new' album I bought on original release was Big Generator.
On their day - 1969-1978 - they were unbeatable.
They lost me on..
Topographic Oceans, which was hogwash, but the first 5 albums are still great stuff and I don't really think anybody is a better drummer than Bruford.
The old "Topographic" thing again!
For my part, I thought that it was superb! Not as good as Close to the Edge, which was transcendent, but still better than a lot of dross given high praise because the perpetrator is perceived as "cool". Time for a rehabilitation of "TFTO" and Word magazine should lead the way! Huzzah!!
i agree
It's a brilliant record to my ears. It creates a unique sound world.
The Revealing Science of God
So overblown. So beautiful.
The tour
with the new singer in America earlier this year seemed to go very well, at least for those fans who approached it with an open mind.
I agree with the comments above. There isn't much after Tormato you need to worry about, although I liked some of Drama. Didn't really like the 80s stuff, even the big hit, Owner of a Lonely Heart.
Anyway, I think you should go, and report back here afterwards.
good on album
I do like a bit of Yes from time to time, as do my friends who introduced me to them. But, going by their warnings, don't see them live. 5 old people farting around with keyboards hamfistedly for unspecific periods of time is not really the best live experience. But that was at Glastonbury several years ago. They may have been going through a bad patch. I don't know.
Just put on "Relayer" and think of a better time...
I would have
to disagree. I've seen them in concert many times and they've never been less than excellent.
now hold on a second !
I was there that Sunday afternoon at Glastonbury and thought it was great. Admittedly this was the 5th straight day of continuous refreshment, but I loved it. To hear Awaken played live by pretty much the classic line-up was a before you die moment. In fact, I am going to spotify it now !
so anyway, no shame required.
I suspect there weren't 5 people farting around
with keyboards - just the one - and, assuming it was Wakeman, I suspect he wasn't doing it hamfistedly.
Missing members
I was excited to see them booked for Manchester Apollo but then found out that there's no Jon Anderson and no Rick Wakeman. I could probably haves lived without one of them, but both - one too many.
Great shame. They were the first band I ever saw and I still think the first albums, up to TFTO are excellent and have not dated.
First band I ever saw live too
(Tormato tour, Empire Pool Wembley)
Never seen them since, but have a large number of live DVDs. They have survived having replacements for Wakeman well enough.
Will be interesting to see how the tribute singer works, but even if it doesn't there is consolation that the repertoire contains a *lot* or instrumental passages.
I'm still umm-ing and ah-ing about going up to London to see them.
The last time I saw them was on the ABWH tour*
and, they were still pretty damn good. I saw the Drama tour and even without Anderson and Wakeman, they were excellent. Trevor Horn did an incredible job of handling the singing all things considered.
I guess, from my point of view, Tormato was the last 'proper' Yes album - after that it all seemed to fragment into ad hoc line-ups. 'Close To The Edge' still stands as a towering achievement in popular music though.
*I'm excluding the Union tour which was a terrible mess.
Union...
Now referred to as "Onion" by the venerable Mr W because the tour bored him to tears and when he listens to that album it makes him want to cry!
Must admit we haven't booked for this tour but were tempted. No JA is a big shame but for me it's always seemed that musically Chris Squire and Steve Howe are fundamental to the real Yes sound. And neither of Rick Wakeman's sons Adam and Oliver are exactly shappy keyboard players.
Which I guess means that I've never really seen them properly since I saw them on the 90125 tour which was, of course sans Howe but with Tony Kaye reprising his role on the keys and the ABWH tour which has all the proper elements other than Squire (but with Tony Levin playing jaw droppingly good bass and Chapman Stick. Sorry Alan, I didn't really miss you that much and I prefer Bill's playing anyway). Both very fine shows and thoroughly enjoyable.
If you read Jon Anderson's lyrics...
then they come across as absolute gibberish. If you hear Jon Anderson's lyrics then the aforementioned gibberish assumes a kind of ludicrous grandeur which seems perfectly suited to the music. In a good way.
Yes had some bloody fine moments. And Steve Howe is one hell of a good guitar player - incredibly versatile.
The thing that set Yes apart from other bands of the era
was the vocal arrangements - they were one of the few bands to score the backing vocals as if they were an instrument. Rather than just tracking the melody, or doing simple three-part harmony, there was often sophisticated counterpoint going on. Listen to the BVs on the chorus of 'Going For The One' for an obvious example.
I presume this is down to Squire's training during his years as a chorister.
That is true, and may I also add...
capes.
and onstage curry 'n' lager.
the sound made by
the words was more important than the words themselves.
Point well made
And that is why some of us tolerate much of the nonsense written by Davy B and Bobby D.
I think
They were a question on The Weakest Link tonight. Fame indeed.
The current line-up appears to be
Squire, Howe, White plus Rick Wakeman's son Oliver and Benoit David, formerly the singer with Yes tribute band Close To The Edge.
If you want my advice it would be, go along with an open mind but don't expect much more than a Yes tribute band. That way if it's better than you expect, you won't be disappointed :-)
I've only got one bootleg of the current line up (Los Angeles, July 2009) and the setlist was comprised entirely of old:
Firebird Suite
Siberian Khatru
I've Seen All Good People
Tempus Fugit
Astral Traveller
And You And I
Clap
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Machine Messiah
Roundabout
Heart Of The Sunrise
Starship Trooper
From the audio it was a reasonable facsimile of Yes but I have to sayto my ears, it all sounded a little tired and predictable.
I've just dug out a Wembley 1977 show and have now got a huge silly smile on my face remembering just how good they *were*.
This is superb...
it's a shame there are no visuals.
Much older
From new DVD http://www.yeslostbroadcastsdvd.com/
When you see it written down like that
it does look very impressive. I am definitely going to dig out owner of a lonely heart, roundabout and heart of the sunrise and give them an airing today.
Met Bill Bruford
in Huddersfield last week, doing a talk with video clips of his career in the Wall Of Sound record emporium (yes they still exist and thrive). He was promoting his autobiography and signing anything put in front of him. A thoroughly good night and a decent cove, pity more musicians and former television music show presenters (hint!) don't give us the pleasure of their intellect and gossip in similar surroundings.
By all accounts it is a fascinating read - I have yet to start the weighty tome - but will report back any interesting facts on Anderson, Collins or Fripp from his mighty past.
It's a very good read
One of the best musicians autobiographies I've read. Some thought-provoking ideas on the nature of being a musician as well
OK I'm going to the gig
I checked on the venue website and there was a spare seat in the front row of the balcony (embrawumman having made it clear that she will be washing her hair that evening). The opportunity to be - ahem - close to the edge seemed too good to miss.
bargepole
would be most appreciative if you could post your thoughts after you've attended the gig.
I love the fact that...
...the singer appears to be wearing one of his Yes tribute band outfits (and tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be Olias of Sunhillow)
Yes
I've seen them quite a few times, starting with the Drama tour and taking in Union, ABWH, a couple more and most recently the orchestral tour when they played Gates Of Delerium all the way through. I'm sure David Benoit will do a fine job, but I'm not going this time. I've just seen them do: Clap, Owner Of A Lonely Heart and bloody Roundabout too often.
Exceeded all expectations
Well, that was a fantastic gig. 2.5 hours of top quality music - really, much better than I expected. Better than when I saw the 'classic' line-up in 1998, in fact.
In fact, there were a few goosebump moments, which my jaded musical palate has not experienced recently. I think it's because their music has what i can only describe as a 'River Deep, Mountain High'-type quality. They're all going full tilt, riding an emotional wave and then they somehow manage to pull something extra out of hat. Riveting.
As Fraser Lewry has noted elsewhere, David Benoit sounds uncannily like Jon Anderson. I have to say though that visually it was a bit odd. For some reason he reminded me of the young Keith Chegwin - a certain fresh-faced, Butlins redcoat quality.
And to put the icing on the cake there was no half-hour long bass guitar solo.
Close, but no cigar...
I'm a big Yes fan, always have been. Having listened to bargepole's clip of 'Onward' I have to say the new guy makes a decent attempt at copying Jon Anderson, but does not have his purity of voice. Of course this is only one low-fi clip, so I'll still reserve judgement. But I must say he does remind me of Sam Gamgee on his wedding day.