With a band name as positive-sounding as "Yes", it's no surprise that their music is consistently happy and upbeat, full of non-threatening references to Eastern mysticism and Harmonic Convergence. (Note: All bootlegs/ROIOs/CDRs have been moved to a separate page.)

"Yes"

1. "Beyond and Before" (4:50)
2. "I See You" (6:33)
3. "Yesterday and Today" (2:37)
4. "Looking Around" (3:49)
5. "Harold Land" (5:26)
6. "Every Little Thing" (5:24)
7. "Sweetness" (4:19)
8. "Survival" (6:01)

First time I heard this album it was a real trip, being accustomed as I was to their more classically-derived tunes such as "Roundabout" and "Close to the Edge". Lotta jazzy tunes here, particularly on "Beyond and Before" (GREAT bass riff in that one!) and the Ritchie Havens song "I See You". Their cover of the Beatles song "Every Little Thing" is kinda annoying, though.

"Time and a Word"

1. "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" (4:47)
2. "Then" (5:42)
3. "Everydays" (6:06)
4. "Sweet Dreams" (3:48)
5. "The Prophet" (6:32)
6. "Clear Days" (2:04)
7. "Astral Traveller" (5:50)
8. "Time and a Word" (4:31)

Held out a long time for the cover art with that naked chick flying through the window, but finally gave up. "No Opportunity..." (another Havens tune) is a BLISTERING jazz rendition, flowing seamlessly into a country-ish bridge (BEST experienced with headphones!) "Time and a Word" and "Everydays" are sweet and poppy, while "Astral Traveller" and "The Prophet" give hints of what was later to come.

"The Millenium Collection" (live; BBC sessions)

This is that same BBC knockoff collection that was released as Beyond and Before in the U.S. and Something's Coming in the UK. I think Peter Banks had a hand in the liner notes, in which he refers quite bitterly to being "kicked out" of the band in 1970, right after these recordings were made. Well I hope he's making SOME money off it, because he sure hasn't had anything resembling a career since then...(and if I were kicked out of a band and replaced by GOD, I'd have far more respect, I think!!) On the other hand, no attempt has been made to clean up or remaster these recordings, which are mostly bootleg quality (and occasionally worse!) For instance, "No Opportunity Necessary" is totally missing the keyboard intro (as seen in the Yesyears video.) My favorite part is tracks 1-5 on disc 2, since they all come from the same show and are the only consecutive tracks with any sense of continuity. "For Everyone" (the requisite exclusive track included solely to piss off us Yes completists, grr) is an embryonic form of the middle section of "Starship Trooper".

"The Yes Album"

1. "Yours is No Disgrace" (9:26)
2. "The Clap"--instrumental (3:07)
3. "Starship Trooper": (9:23)
   • a. Life Seeker
   • b. Disillusion
   • c. Würm
4. "I've Seen All Good People": (6:47)
   • a. Your Move
   • b. All Good People
5. "A Venture" (3:13)
6. "Perpetual Change" (8:50)

Oh yeah, thought I'd talk about the band members at this point. The lead singer is Jon Anderson, who contributes all the happy vocals and weird transcendental shit. The bassist is Chris Squire, the only member to play with the band throughout its various incarnations. As far as I can tell neither one of them has done anything worth mentioning outside of Yes (except for that amazing Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe project, more on that later.) Contributing on keyboards is Tony Kaye, who left after this album to do God knows what else for ten years before finally rejoining the band. Drummer Bill Bruford has the most impressive resume -- he's played for King Crimson, Genesis, U.K., and of course the aforementioned A.B.W.H., just to name a few. Their original guitarist, Peter Banks (no relation to Genesis's Tony Banks) got the boot and was replaced by God of all guitarists, the classically trained Steve Howe, who not only is one of THE most talented guitarists in the world, but also the UGLIEST, and has the biggest ego as well!!

So with Stevie on guitar, this was where Yes finally started to sound like Yes. "Yours is No Disgrace" launches with a bouncy intro into their first long-form song. "The Clap" is a brilliant guitar solo a la Steve, played totally live, though I liked "Mood for a Day" a whole lot better. "Startrip Trooper" is by far the best track here...dreamy and melodic, with inspired vocals, and a repeating guitar riff in the last third that just builds and builds and BUILDS until you can't take anymore! The second side, however, doesn't fare as well: "...All Good People" has been played so many damn times on the radio that I'm sick of it, "A Venture" is an annoying Jon Anderson vocal solo (Yes is the only band in history to do "vocal solos"!) and "Perpetual Change", despite it's misleading title, sounds pretty much the same throughout.

"Fragile"

1. "Roundabout" (8:29)
2. "Cans and Brahms (Extracts from Brahms' 4th Symphony in E Minor Third Movement)" --instrumental (1:35)
3. "We Have Heaven" (1:30)
4. "South Side of the Sky" (8:04)
5. "Five Per Cent of Nothing"--instrumental (0:35)
6. "Long Distance Runaround" (3:33)
7. "The Fish (shindleria praematurus)"--instrumental (2:35)
8. "Mood for a Day"--instrumental (2:57)
9. "Heart of the Sunrise" (10:34)

Out goes Tony, and in comes Rick Wakeman, forming the "classic" Yes lineup which would produce their most legendary music. It's no surprise, then, that this is one of the band's most recognizable albums. In fact, it's practically a POP album, considering how many times "Roundabout", "Long Distance Runaround", and "Heart of the Sunrise" have been played on the damn radio!!! Plus, five tracks are given over to individual band members as semi-solo pieces...hmm, egos starting to rub a bit, perhaps? Which only leaves "South Side of the Sky", an obscure, heavy-rhythmed number which by default is my favorite from this album. :)

Oh yeah, this was where their long-time cover artist, Roger Dean, made his debut (Yesterdays, with its scandalous rear cover, was actually released some time after Relayer.) Too bad most of the CD's don't include the breathtaking images in the original gatefold crappy vinyl versions, those were works of art, man.

"Yesterdays" (compilation)

1. "America" (10:31)
2. "Looking Around" (3:59)
3. "Time and a Word" (4:31)
4. "Sweet Dreams" (3:47)
5. "Then" (5:46)
6. "Survival" (6:20)
7. "Astral Traveller" (5:53)
8. "Dear Father" (4:18)

Just a compilation of songs from their first two albums, plus "Dear Father" (a B-side omitted from TAAW), and a mind-blowing, 10-minute rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "America". (Funny thing about that one, the liner notes say it's from the album, Song of Atlantic, but that album doesn't exist!!) The coolest thing about the album, though, is the sketch of two naked kids on the back cover...the boy's taking a piss, though his back is turned, and the girl's legs are spread open just wide enough so you can clearly see her little cunt!! Oh my! JUST WAIT TIL ORRIN HATCH SEES THIS!!!!!!

"Close to the Edge"

1. "Close to the Edge" (18:50)
   • i. The Solid Time of Change
   • ii. Total Mass Retain
   • iii. I Get Up I Get Down
   • iv. Seasons of Man
2. "And You and I" (10:09)
   • i. Cord of Life
   • ii. Eclipse
   • iii. The Preacher The Teacher
   • iv. Apocalypse
3. "Siberian Khatru" (8:57)

Hummm, did I say Yes's album covers were works of art? Could they possibly have come up with a MORE BORING ALBUM COVER than this one?? Oh well, it's pretty cool, in a minimalist sort of way. The music, however, is far from minimalist. Only THREE SONGS on this one, each one longer than nine minutes! "Close to the Edge" and "And You and I" are both over-the-top bits of art-rock, lots of classically-influenced passages, countless tempo changes, you name it. "Siberian Khatru" is the only straightforward rocker, and even that one's like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going and going and going and going... (And you thought Emerson, Lake & Palmer was bad!)

"Yessongs"

Hmm, did I mention ELP? Turns out they're not the ONLY ones to put out a TRIPLE LIVE ALBUM!! This one is truly a masterpiece...just looking at the songs here, all from their previous three releases, it's amazing to see how many downright classics are on here. And Yes performing live proves that their studio creations are no trick of the mixing board and the splicing wheel...each song is played to absolute perfection. (There's even an alternate intro for the song, "And You and I".) Perhaps a bit excessive, but hey, I'm a sucker for good progressive rock performed live...

"Tales from Topographic Oceans"

disc one:
1. "The Revealing Science of God -- Dance of the Dawn" (20:27)
2. "The Remembering -- High the Memory" (20:38)

disc two:
1. "The Ancient -- Giants Under the Sun" (18:34)
2. "Ritual -- Nous Sommes du Soliel" (21:35)

In the Yesyears video retrospective, Jon Anderson explains how this album came into creation: "Somebody said that in Yes's next project, we were going to put the Bible to music...so I said, 'Alright, fuckers, I'll *show* you what we can do!'" (Actually he said "suckers", not "fuckers", but my point is that's the only time I can remember Jon-boy showing even the slightest hint of irritation.) This album truly boggles the mind -- four songs, each filling the whole side of a crappy vinyl record, exploring some unfathomable mystical shit about how God is in each and every one of us and the blades of grass and the murmurs of the wind or some shit like that, hell I can't figure it out and I don't think the band members could, either. It's a trip to listen to, even if it does have some VERY annoying parts like that stop-start guitar thunkery in "The Ancient". Best to drag out the bong or the blotter sheets for maximum effect.

"Relayer"

1. "The Gates of Delirium" (21:55)
2. "Sound Chaser" (9:25)
3. "To Be Over" (9:08)

Rick Wakeman got fed up with the band, so he left to pursue an unexciting solo career highlighted by uncredited keyboard work on Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. In comes Patrick Moraz, who previously played in a bunch of incredibly obscure art-rock bands that were nowhere near as good as Yes. (I'm not kidding here...during the peak of my "progressive rock" obsession, I collected a whole shitload of crappy vinyl records by art-rock bands you've probably never heard of, such as Caravan, the Keef Hartley Band, Mainhorse, and other trippy shit that I can't even remember what they were called...don't have any of 'em now, 'fraid to say, which is a shame because they're probably worth a lot of money to the right people...)

Oh yeah...can't forget to talk about the music! Well this one's got "Gates of Delirium", undeniably the BEST of Yes's 20+ minute epics, and the closest they ever got to heavy metal! Dude, I get freakin' chills just listening to that wild instrumental part in the middle: "Dah dun, dah DAH...dah dun duh DAH dah dun duh DAH dah dun duh DAHHH!!!" Hmm, that doesn't seem to make any sense at all but oh well. The other two songs get waaaay out there and I don't particularly like 'em, really.

"Going for the One"

1. "Going for the One" (5:30)
2. "Turn of the Century" (7:58)
3. "Parallels" (5:52)
4. "Wonderous Stories" (3:45)
5. "Awaken" (15:38)

Rick finally patches things up with the band and rejoins (doh, forgot to mention that Bill Bruford was replaced by Alan White a few years back; Patrick, on the other hand, would eventually wind up with The Moody Blues.) This release gets back to the short-form song, which is kind of a letdown since their super-duper long songs were so mindblowing. Still, it's a damn good album. "Parallels" has yet another INCREDIBLE bass riff, and though its one of the most simplistic Yes songs to date, it's also one of their best. It should go without saying, though, that "Awaken" is by FAR their best! Oh man, that loud instrumental part right before the ending gives me chills (no, I won't try to hum along to it this time...) "Going for the One" is a fun little rocker, in fact one of the few real rock songs the band has done. "Turn of the Century" is kinda lame and boring, whereas "Wonderous Stories" is just plain boring.

"Tormato"

1. "Future Times"
   "Rejoice" (total=6:46)
2. "Don't Kill the Whale" (3:55)
3. "Madrigal" (2:21)
4. "Release, Release" (5:40)
5. "Arriving UFO" (5:35)
6. "Circus of Heaven" (4:15)
7. "Onward" (4:00)
8. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" (7:45)

This may not be a perfect album, but for some reason I love the hell out of it. It's just so damn WEIRD! "Release, Release" is a fast, upbeat number that goes in all directions at once, yet somehow stays together. Same with "Future Times", except it *doesn't* manage to stay together...heh. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" is soaring and majestic (I wonder how many times I've used those two words in conjunction to describe a song in my collection? Sorry...I've been up 48 hours straight and once I'm done with this Yes page, I AM DONE.......) Of course, the band was starting to fall apart at the seams during the recording of this album, and on a closer listen, it definitely shows...all too often they start building up to some unforseen climax, and fall short for no apparent reason. Still, it's a damn trippy, damn WEIRD album, with some really kewl ideas that would have become masterpieces if the band was in the proper frame of mind to make it so.

"Yesshows"

Another great live album, this time focusing on the Topographic Oceans through Tormato period (with one pre-Yes Album track, "Time and a Word".) The songs were recorded over a period of years, with Patrick Moraz performing on a couple. (Odd mixing job here: "Time" leads directly into "Going for the One" without pause, yet they were recorded nearly a year apart!)

"Drama"

1. "Machine Messiah" (10:27)
2. "White Car" (1:21)
3. "Does it Really Happen?" (6:34)
4. "Into the Lens" (8:31)
5. "Run Through the Light" (4:39)
6. "Tempus Fugit" (5:14)

The band basically broke up for the next five years, with Jon & Rick bidding adieu, and the remaming threesome of Steve, Chris & Alan joining the Buggles for this one album (yeah, I know it's released as a Yes album, but gimme a break, it's really a freakin BUGGLES album!!) Alright, "Machine Messiah" is definitely a Yes-worthy epic, and "Tempus Fugit" is the best song the Buggles ever made...but "Into the Lens" has got to have the DUMBEST lyrics ever put to tape ("I am a camera...camera, camera...") After this dreadful excursion, Steve Howe left with fellow Buggle Geoff Downes and a couple other art-rocker legends to form Asia (and later formed the band GTR with ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett), while Chris & Alan hooked back up with Jon to create:

"90125"

1. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (4:27)
2. "Hold On" (5:15)
3. "It Can Happen" (5:39)
4. "Changes" (6:16)
5. "Cinema"--instrumental (2:09)
6. "Leave It" (4:10)
7. "Our Song" (4:16)
8. "City of Love" (4:48)
9. "Hearts" (7:34)

Actually, this album began as a band called Cinema, with Chris & Alan rejoining long, long departed member Tony Kaye and an unknown South African guitarist named Trevor Rabin. (Fellow Buggle Trevor Horne, finally realizing he was the shittiest lead singer on Earth, was relegated to production duties.) Then Jon came along looking for a job, and with him on board, they decided what the hell, let's name the band "Yes" after all. The result was their BIG SMASH HIT for the Eighties, with "Owner of a Lonely Heart" topping the charts, and just about every other song (except "Hearts") being played to death on the radio! But hey, I can live with that...it's such a damn good album!

"9012Live: The Solos" (live EP, Japanese import)

1. "Hold On" (6:44)
2. "Si"--instrumental (2:31)
3. "Solly's Beard"--instrumental (4:45)
4. "Soon" (2:08)
5. "Changes" (6:58)
6. "Amazing Grace"--instrumental (2:14)
7. "Whitefish"--instrumental (8:33)

Oh my, talk about a self-indulgent release! Only two complete songs, with the rest made up of individual solos as performed on the 90125 live tour. I was hoping they would release the entire concert on CD (as they did on video), but no such luck...in fact, this CD's only available as a super-expensive Japanese import!!! All I can say is, THANK GOD for CDNow's 30% off import sales & $10 coupons. :-)))

And just so you know: "Si" is a Tony Kaye keyboard solo; "Solly's Beard" is Trevor Rabin's acoustic guitar solo; "Soon" is Jon Anderson singing the last part of "Gates of Delirium" (hence, a vocal solo?); "Amazing Grace" is Chris Squire wanking off on bass, and "Whitefish" is basically an extended jam version of "The Fish", with bits and pieces of "Tempus Fugit" and "Sound Chaser" thrown in. (I guess Adam White wasn't egotistical enough to insist on his own solo?)

"Big Generator"

1. "Rhythm of Love" (4:49)
2. "Big Generator" (4:31)
3. "Shoot High Aim Low" (6:59)
4. "Almost Like Love" (4:58)
5. "Love Will Find a Way" (4:48)
6. "Final Eyes" (6:20)
7. "I'm Running" (7:34)
8. "Holy Lamb (Song for Harmonic Convergence)" (3:15)

Don't ask me why, I just get a major groove listening to this one. Probably because I was getting stoned on a daily basis and continually going off on exciting pleasure cruises in the mind with this music in the background (had a particularly awesome acid trip while waiting in line for Jethro Tull tickets and listening to this album.) "Love Will Find a Way" is kinda poppy and annoying, but "Rhythm of Love" and "Big Generator" are great bouncy rock numbers ("Hands upon the wheel..." -- hehe, sorry that line reminds me of something funny during that acid trip that you wouldn't possibly understand...and oh yeah, the Scorpions released a song called "Rhythm of Love" around this time too, isn't that a hoot?) "Shoot High Aim Low" is slow and pleasant, and "I'm Running" really blasts forth with a great harmonic verse at the end. Oh yeah, never did mention Yes's vocals, they were one of the few bands, probably the ONLY band, that consistently sang in perfect, multi-part harmonies! And what other band would dedicate a song to Harmonic Convergence? Hahaha, I remember that very night when the planets were supposedly coming into alignment, me and some friends got loaded and cruised around L.A. all freakin night, lotta weird shit happened, one of these days I should write about it...

...Okay, so what happened next? Well, Jon Anderson hooked up with former band-mates Wakeman, Bruford and Howe for an album called, oddly enough, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe. An EXCELLENT album, I might add, definitely one of the best the Yes-men have ever accomplished. (Jon Anderson also appeared on a various artists album called A Requiem for the Americas around this time.) Then something weird happened. You see, the remaining members (Rabin, Squire, Kaye & White) got into a hassle with A.B.W.H. about who gets to carry on the Yes moniker. In the end, they settled it in typical Yes-fashion, by putting out an album, called:

"Union" (German import w/bonus track)

1. "I Would Have Waited Forever" (6:33)
2. "Shock to the System" (5:08)
3. "Masquerade"--instrumental (2:17)
4. "Lift Me Up" (6:30)
5. "Without Hope You Cannot Start the Day" (5:18)
6. "Saving my Heart" (4:41)
7. "Miracle of Life" (7:30)
8. "Silent Talking" (4:00)
9. "The More We Live - Let Go" (4:54)
10. "Angkor Wat" (5:23)
11. "Dangerous (Look in the Light of What You're Searching For)" (3:38)
12. "Holding On" (5:24)
13. "Evensong" (0:51)
14. "Take the Water to the Mountain" (3:12)
15. "Give & Take" (4:29)

...with ALL EIGHT MEMBERS!! But there's 2 problems. First, this isn't REALLY an eight-man Yes playing, but songs by A.B.W.H. interspersed with songs by A.W.K.R.S., with only Jon Anderson being the common man throughout all tracks. (Except for the obligatory Steve Howe guitar solo, of course.) Secondly...with the exception of the heavenly "Lift Me Up", this album SUCKS WORSE THAN MONICA LEWINSKY ON THE BUMPER CHROME OF A '58 BUICK!!! I mean, GOD!! It's awful!!! In fact, I originally bought this when it first came out, and sold it almost immediately...well, now that I've become a Yes-completist, I was obliged to buy it AGAIN, just to fill the hole in my collection. In fact, I had to buy the German import version, to get the song "Give & Take", which doesn't appear on the U.S. version for some stupid reason.

"Yesyears" (box set)

Allow me to rant for a minute. I am TOTALLY PISSED OFF at my favorite classic rock bands putting out humungous box sets with only a minimal amount of new stuff. I mean, just look at this thing. Out of nearly 5 hours of music, less than 1/4 of it is previously unreleased material. Cut out the live versions & instrumentals, and you got ONLY SEVEN SONGS that aren't available anywhere else!! Just who the fuck is this supposed to appeal to, anyway? As a "greatest hits" collection, it's way too big and expensive for the casual fan (although, granted, Yes songs are so damn long that any proper "best of" compilation would take up at least a couple CDs.) For the serious collector, it's an unconscionable rip-off. Yet the greedy record companies figure it's a good way to bilk us consumers out of our hard-earned cash, instead of loading it up with more rare tracks or live songs to make it WORTH something (see Jethro Tull to see how box sets are supposed to be done!!)

So...how did this wind up here? Well, I just happened to run across this on eBay, completely sealed, for a mere twenty-eight bucks. The guy selling it even lived within driving distance of me, so I was able to meet him in person, where I lead him into a dark alley and rolled him. :) "Make it Easy", a 90125 outtake sung by Trevor Rabin, is really the only good unreleased song here..."Run with the Fox" is a Drama outtake, which speaks for itself, and "Something's Coming" is their first single, released in 1965 or so. The "alternate" version of "It Can Happen" sounds VERY different! "I'm Down" is a dull Beatles cover; the live tracks on the end of disc 4 are okay, but lemme tell you, Trevor Rabin is no Steve Howe. Oh well...at least the booklet it comes with is pretty nice.

"Symphonic Music of Yes"

1. "Roundabout" (6:09)
2. "Close to the Edge"--instrumental (7:38)
   • i) Solid Time of Change
   • ii) Total Mass Retain
   • iii) I Get Up, I Get Down
   • iv) Seasons of Man
3. "Wonderous Stories"--instrumental (3:51)
4. "I've Seen All Good People" (3:48)
5. "Mood for a Day"--instrumental (3:01)
6. "Owner of a Lonely Heart"--instrumental (4:42)
7. "Survival" (4:15)
8. "Heart of the Sunrise"--instrumental (7:47)
9. "Soon"--instrumental (6:15)
10. "Starship Trooper"--instrumental (7:16)
    • i) Lifeseeker
    • ii) Würm

"Yes Muzak" is more like it, or would be if it weren't for the presence of Jon Anderson's vocals on many tracks. Seriously, they totally chose the wrong songs here -- how cool it would have been to make fully classical renditions of the more complex Yes tunes (such as "Ritual", "Awaken", or "Gates of Delirium"...well, ok they did include "Soon"...) instead of the simpler pop tunes like "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and that totally annoying last half of "All Good People". Like A Classic Case from the Jethro Tull page, this isn't really a Yes CD, but since it also features Steve Howe on guitar and Bill Bruford on drums, I'd say it counts...

"Talk"

1. "The Calling" (6:52)
2. "I Am Waiting" (7:22)
3. "Real Love" (8:42)
4. "State of Play" (4:58)
5. "Walls" (4:52)
6. "Where Will You Be" (6:03)
7. "Endless Dream" (15:41)
   • Silent Spring--instrumental
   • Talk
   • Endless Dream

One of my bigger fans heartily recommended this CD, and even sent me a tape containing a few selected tracks to prove it wasn't as bad as other Yes critics said. True, it's not Close to the Edge by any stretch of the imagination, heck it's not even 90125. Actually, it's more of a combination between Big Generator and the weaker elements of A.B.W.H. "The Calling" is a great album-opener, "State of Play" has some nice riffs to it, and the slow & gloomy "Real Love" may be their best song EVER from the Trevor Rabin era! The rest is less impressive -- "I Am Waiting" is boring as hell, "Where Will You Be" rips off the Caribbean motif of ABWH's "Teakbois" (and badly, I might add), and the 15-minute "Endless Dream" has its moments but overall tends to be overblown and pretentious. Still, it's not as big an embarrassment as I'd feared...surely better than Open Your Eyes, and WORLDS better than Union! (This CD's out of print, but don't worry, it's very easy to find used and CHEAP!)

"Keys to Ascension"

Uhoh, the D.N.R.S. (Dreaded Nostalgic Reunion Syndrome) hits Yes!! But hey! The classic lineup of Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman & White put together a FINE piece of work on this double live set, which was recorded somewhere in San Luis Obispo. They had to do their "hits", of course, but they did squeeze in a few surprises, such as "Onward" and "The Revealing Science of God", and especially "Awaken"!! Of course, "Starship Trooper" and "Roundabout" were already done recently on ABWH's live set, but dammit, I'm just a sucker for live Yes... Two brand-spanking new tracks here too, though of mixed quality -- "Be the One" is an annoying, vocal-laden track which sounds like it would be more at home on a Jon Anderson solo album (and not a good one, either), but "That, That Is" wanks up some nice progressive riffs. It ain't classic Yes, but it ain't bad, either.

"Keys to Ascension 2"

Basically the "outtakes" from KTA #1. :) Regarding the live tracks, the main draw is "Turn of the Century", which has never been released on a live album before..."Time and a Word" is also a fine version, quite rare as a standalone tune instead of being part of a medley. The other four songs aren't any better or worse than the billions of other versions out there...

Ok, now the studio tracks. "Mind Drive" has received HEAPS of praise from Yesfans everywhere I've been since getting on the Internet (in 1996, the same year this album was released, ironically), and several people even rate that track as one of the band's greatest songs, ever. So it was interesting to hear it for the first time, at long last, and to be honest, I haven't been able to form an opinion yet. It's so damn different from anything they've done before -- if pressed for a description, I'd say it resembles the guitar-heavy era of Drama, mixed with the more jazz-minded style of A.B.W.H., with just a dash of Time and a Word thrown in for good measure. I will say this, my interest grows exponentially, every time I listen to it. On the other hand, "Foot Prints" is a poor attempt at country-western music, and man does it suck HARD -- "Bring Me to the Power" and "Children of Light" are both a bit heavy on the vocals (you can already see how the band was heading towards its misguided Open Your Eyes sound); although the 2nd half of "Light" is a surprisingly beautiful instrumental featuring just Steve & Rick (very atmospheric & new-agey!) "Sign Language" is rather boring, though.

Incidentally, the studio tracks from both KTA sets have been compiled onto a single disc called Keysstudio -- which, essentially, is a full reunion studio album with Howe & Wakeman. (Not that that's necessarily a good thing...)

"Open Your Eyes"

1. "New State of Mind" (6:00)
2. "Open Your Eyes" (5:14)
3. "Universal Garden" (6:16)
4. "No Way We Can Lose" (4:56)
5. "Fortune Seller" (5:00)
6. "Man in the Moon" (4:41)
7. "Wonderlove" (6:06)
8. "From the Balcony" (2:43)
9. "Love Shine" (4:37)
10. "Somehow, Someday" (4:47)
11. "The Solution" (5:25)
12. [unlisted ambient track] (16:20)

Think of all the most annoying aspects of Yes, and you'll have a good idea of what this album sounds like. It's not as downright terrible as Union, I suppose, but most of these tracks are harmonies in search of a song, or vice versa -- interesting bits and pieces here and there that never quite come together. Steve Howe's still in the band (the other four members being Anderson, Squire, White, and some nobody on keyboards named Billy Sherwood), but his guitar playing is inexplicably restrained...in fact, the only guitar you can hear clearly is the acoustic intro to "From the Balcony"! (Oh! I forgot to mention Steve Howe's guest appearance on Dream Theater's "Uncovered" show, he's also on the Five Years in a Livetime video too.) The production is a total mess, with the vocals mixed WAY too high, and stupid keyboard notes tossed in all the places they don't belong. And the lame cover art is a complete joke! (I guess Roger Dean was on vacation or something?) The ambient track (following two minutes of silence at the end of track #11) would be nice to listen to if it wasn't for all the a cappella bits of various songs on this album spliced in.

"The Ladder"

1. "Homeworld (The Ladder)" (9:33)
2. "It Will Be a Good Day (The River)" (4:53)
3. "Lightning Strikes" (4:34)
4. "Can I?" (1:32)
5. "Face to Face" (5:03)
6. "If Only You Knew" (5:42)
7. "To Be Alive (Hep Yadda)" (5:07)
8. "Finally" (6:01)
9. "The Messenger" (5:13)
10. "New Language" (9:19)
11. "Nine Voices (Longwalker)" (3:20)

Well I'll be jiggered, looks like the Yes-boys had a GOOD ALBUM left in them after all! Okay, there's a few annoying tracks..."Finally" just plain SUCKS, "If I Only Knew" is a dull ballad (Yes has no business writing pop songs w/o Trevor Rabin in the band), and "Can I?" is basically "We Have Heaven Part II", nuff said about that piece of trash, except that it's mercifully short. On the other hand, the two 9-minute songs are truly epic-worthy, "Lightning Strikes" is a yet another wonderful update of the ABWH song "Teakbois", and even the dorkiest song title here, "To Be Alive (Hep Yadda)" manages to find a nice groove. Not sure if I'd rank it as an all-time classic yet, but even compared with Yes's most inspired works, this one fares quite well.

"House of Yes: Live from the House of Blues"

Consarn it, after being blown away by the awesome "Masterworks 2000" concert (see below), the band decides to release THIS live set instead...recorded in Las Vegas on Halloween 1999, this one offers up a bunch of songs from The Ladder (which are quite good, actually) with only a few rudimentary "classic Yes" tracks mixed in. What's even more annoying is that two songs from the concert were deleted -- well, "Close to the Edge" I can live without, since I've already got about 20 billion live versions of that song already...but why the fuck did they have to remove "Hearts"???? (The only way to hear those songs is by checking out the webcast at the HOB.com Archive.) At least they kept "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and whether "Awaken" here is better than the Keys to Ascension version is a matter of opinion...

"Magnification"

1. "Magnification" (7:15)
2. "Spirit of Survival" (6:01)
3. "Don't Go" (4:26)
4. "Give Love Each Day" (7:43)
5. "Can You Imagine" (2:58)
6. "We Agree" (6:30)
7. "Soft as a Dove" (2:17)
8. "Dreamtime" (10:45)
9. "In the Presence Of" (10:24)
   • i) Deeper
   • ii) Death of Ego
   • iii) True Beginner
   • iv) Turn Around and Remember
10. "Time is Time" (2:08)

Shortly after the Masterworks 2000 tour, Igor got fired from the band -- I never got the full story, but apparently he got drunk and assaulted a female security guard, or something like that (ah, those crazy Russians!) Anyway, instead of hiring a new young keyboardist, or begging Rick or Tony to come back, the band decided to replace him with -- a 40-piece orchestra!! Amazingly, the formula works, as the songs were clearly written with orchestra in mind, though it's weird to hear Yes songs with NO keyboards in them (aside from Alan White noodling a bit on the piano at the start of "Can You Imagine" and "In the Presence Of".) The overall sound continues in the power-pop vein of The Ladder, with a few syrupy ballads here and there (esp. "Give Love Each Day" and "We Agree"); the heavy, bass-driven "Spirit of Survival" is my favorite.

Cover art was designed by Bob Cesca, of Camp Chaos fame (he's the guy who did all those Metallica vs. Napster cartoons.)

"Magnification Bonus Tracks" (live; CDR)

1. "Close to the Edge" (20:14)
2. "The Gates of Delirium" (22:42)
3. "Ritual" (27:33)
4. "Long Distance Runaround"--w/ orchestra (3:49)

Well, well, well. It appears that the band did hear my plea to make an official release of the Masterworks 2000 show...but this wasn't what I had in mind!! You see, each of these songs was only released as a bonus CD with Magnification, BUT...you only got ONE song on each disc, and which song you get depends on which major chain store you bought it at! (For instance, Best Buy would give you "Gates of Delirium", Sam Goody would give you "Ritual", etc.) What kind of obscene crass marketing ploy is this? Does the band think that their fan base has enough disposable income to drop on THREE copies of their new release, at overpriced chain stores, no less??? (Actually, considering that Yes music appeals to nerdy, intellectual, scientifically-minded people, that's probably the case!) Well, I guess the band does need the extra money to pay for such stunts as going on tour with a full orchestra in 2001 (which is where "Long Distance Runaround" comes from; it appears on each of the bonus discs.) Luckily, my poor ass was able to get a burned copy from a friend who had managed to acquire all three bonus discs. The total time comes to 74:18 -- pretty sweet, huh? Don't even need an 80-minute CDR for this one!!!!!

"Symphonic Live" (DVD + bonus CD)

Unfortunately, this limited edition DVD should have been listed as: "Bonus CD in lieu of the bonus DVD that comes with the regular version!" Yep, stupid Amazon still lists this item including the "Dreamtime" documentary and "Don't Go" video as special features...but noooooo!! FUCKING LIARS!!! And in retrospect, it's kind of silly to have just a single bonus CD, since it omits "Ritual", "Gates of Delirium", the two longest Magnification tracks, and Steve's guitar solo. What's the point? They should have released a separate 3-CD package like Rush and Iron Maiden did with their recent DVDs...

Well, enough about all that. This DVD kicks ass, featuring nearly the same tracklist as the Masterworks tour, and more! Yes music naturally lends itself to orchestration, and the arrangements here wisely avoid the pitfall of having every instrument playing with every note of every song (Metallica, are you listening?) "Ritual" has never been this LOUD before! The orchestra itself also features many surprisingly good-looking European women...and also the fattest trombone player I've ever seen. :)

videotapes:
• "9012Live" (taped from TV, missing a couple songs I think)
• "Yesyears" (dubbed)

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