yes: classic or dud? search and destroy

Yeah, Tomorrow.

His first recording was a Chuck Berry cover with a group called the Syndicats.

Like I said, I know he can. And Asia represented a nadir of the square peg into round hole trend of '70s prog bands dumbing themselves down for '80s pop success. It's ironic that Howe would show such distaste for the dumb riff of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" yet still proceed with Asia. Has anyone heard the GTR record he did with Hackett that just got reissued?

SHT

(that was the actual Musician magazine review of GTR)

And "When the Heart Rules the Mind" seemed to be on the radio a lot when it was released. It was like a bland(er) version of Asia.

Now that I think about it, "Three Jolly Little Dwarfs" is my favorite Tomorrow song and I remember Howe saying he didn't like it. It was certainly one of their simpler tunes. Don't know how that would reflect on his opinion of "Wild Thing" or "You Really Got Me," though!

Disagree with the characterization of Asia. Wetton has proved over the course of his career that his Asia songwriting was not some intentional dumbing down - like that's genuinely his style.

(OK, official Steve Howe perspective on "Three Jolly Little Dwarfs" - "It's my least-favorite song; I used to love it. I used to like playing it, but it's actually one of the most trivial things we ever did, and I don't like the radio version--in fact I don't think I like any version of that song much.")

OK, so I guess what I like is how Howe integrated a contrapuntal guitar style into a loud electronic rock aesthetic with a certain level of finesse. You may actually be right that there was more folk than classical in it, although the classical influences are certainly apparent.

Oh, not my perspective, necessarily, just from historical accounts of the '70s anti-Yes et al. punk perspective, I meant. There is also so much class tied in to classical music (and opera) that it is made even more inaccessible, more sobby, beyond its innate technical challenges. That is, to invoke a yardstick like "Howe plays beautifully, like a trained classical guitarist" is to add yet another reason for folks to blow raspberries. It's kind of a classical equivalent of rockism.

But what if he does? I could see how it would be elitist (it would be the opposite of 'rockism' surely!) if I'd said "Howe is a much better player than ... because he had some classical chops" but all I said was that I like that Howe did this. Doesn't mean I have anything against other approaches.

Btw, I know what punk guys - who were after all trying to market their own music - said in the 70s but I'm not sure why I should care in 2012, any more than I care that people thought ragtime promoted immorality 100 years ago or that my Dad thought Nirvana was poisoning the youth in 1994.

I'm not even sure why it's important whether or not Howe could play "You Really Got Me", especially when I'm not too concerned about whether the Kinks could play "Sound Chaser".

None of it is important, least of all Yes, terribly.

OK, sorry if I overreacted. So your point is just that Howe takes the harder, less-travelled route each time and seems like the sort who wouldn't feel right just laying down something basic? May have a point there. (Although what about that riff on "Roundabout"?)

Yeah, basically. And some of Yes's complexity - and this is Yes the unit, not just Howe - seems to be complicated just for the sake of being complicated. Which I think of as detrimental, personally, though at its best the band knows how to arrange the flurry of notes pretty presentably.

complicated just for the sake of being complicated

Well, which pieces strike you this way? As I said, I'd definitely disagree when it comes to anything on Close to the Edge.

(But e.g. I put on Fragile today and I could maybe see where you were coming from with the bonus track version of "America". And "Heart of the Sunrise" has some of their best moments but the overall composition could possibly be tightened a little.)

What the what

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/jeffersons-star-sherman-hemsley-had-lsd-lab-recorded-002809921.html

who said the entire Yes catalogue was that difficult to play??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WBrgCUBAHcg#!

http://cruisetotheedge.com/

http://cruisetotheedge.com/imgs/artists/zebra_slide.jpg

BAND AND ARTIST PERFORMANCES, MAIN THEATER
Enjoy special band and artist performances designed just for the cruise…the earlier you book, the better your seat! You won’t believe the sound and site lines in our grand three-level theater!

STORYTELLER PERFORMANCES
Bonus performances by selected bands and artists featuring history, back-stories, music and more! Once again…the earlier you book, the better your seat!

ACOUSTIC LOUNGE AND PROG JAM STAGE
Enjoy an array of guest band and artist performances in one of the many venues around the MSC Poesia, including the Acoustic Lounge and the Prog Jam Stage. These intimate venues bring you up close and personal with Prog Rock legends like you’ve never experienced!

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Join our resident Progressive Rock Historian for a walk down memory lane and get the “back-stories” of the bands that made Prog Rock History. Entertaining, informative with lots of great stories about some of the genres most famous players.

can't decide whether this wd be amazing or voyage of the damned, leaning toward the latter but that might be early morning misanthropy, plus hating fans

I love Yes, but this looks hellish

Reminds me of Goth Cruise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLVcCsjOWv4

Yoshida rules. Surprised they didn't end it with "owner of a lonely heart", though.

Chris Squire and Steve Howe take you on a tour through the guitars/effects/amps they're using on tour right now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsGjl6kP0SI

I don't know what it is, but every time the organ and bass kick in on the end of the first part of 'I've Seen All Good People', it just gets to me every damn fucking time.

^^^that bit is absolutely amazing, yes

all we are saying is "give peace a chance!"

i've heard that song 30-some times before i even noticed that

don't surround yourself with yourself

http://i40.tinypic.com/2ilypts.jpg

YES, the iconic and Grammy-winning rock band, released their new studio album HEAVEN & EARTH today (7/22) on Frontiers Records.

This can't be any good, can it?

Yes - Heaven and Earth (2014)

So I am about to dig into this box set with seven gigs within a three week period in 1972 with the exact same setlist and I am totally excited.

let me know how it is. I don't know if I have the time for all that.

Listening to Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens, Oct 31st '72, enjoying it so far and it's sounding great, kinda rough around the edges in a good way, but there's something cool about a modern mix of material recorded decades ago.

Set list.

Opening/Siberian Khatru
I've Seen All Good People
Mood For A Day/Clap (not sure I'm up for checking out all the versions of this tbh)
Heart Of The Sunrise
And You & I
Close To The Edge
Excerpts From 'The Six Wives Of Henry VIII'
Roundabout
Yours Is No Disgrace

oof:

From the Official Yes Facebook page:

YES BASSIST AND CO-FOUNDING MEMBER CHRIS SQUIRE
TO UNDERGO TREATMENT FOR LEUKEMIA

Grammy Award-winning bass guitarist, vocalist, and founding member of YES, Chris Squire, has been diagnosed with Acute Erythroid Leukemia (AEL), an uncommon form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Chris will be receiving treatment in his hometown of Phoenix over the next few months.

YES will be honouring their commitment to their North American summer tour with Toto, as well as confirming their performances on Cruise to the Edge in November.

Chris's role in the band will be covered by YES alumnus Billy Sherwood.

To quote Chris: "This will be the first time since the band formed in 1968 that YES will have performed live without me. But the other guys and myself have agreed that Billy Sherwood will do an excellent job of covering my parts and the show as a whole will deliver the same YES experience that our fans have come to expect over the years."

damn.

serious bummer. get well soon mr. squire!

Hope he gets better too.

I do wonder what members they'd have to lose to stop the band. Maybe if Squire and Howe were gone.

Squire is the only player to appear on every Yes album. He's the linchpin of the whole operation.

That's why I thought the band wouldn't have gone on without him.

Man.

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

Sad news

I'm not sure what it would take to stop Yes at this point. These lineups keep getting stranger and stranger. Hopefully Squire gets better soon, dude is a living legend

While we're on the subject (of their constantly shifting lineups etc.)...I ranked all their albums (studio and live) for Stereogum. It took me, like, two months.

did not know that Davison was literally in a Yes tribute act...I thought you were getting a dig on Glass Hammer!

whoa, that's an awesome list! i'd rank the ladder and fly from here above ABWH though -- they're growers, swear

I'm a huge Tormato fan so I disagree on that but it's an interesting list.

I went in wanting/expecting to like Tormato more than I did...usually, when albums show up on a ton of "Worst Ever" lists it's knee-jerk snarky bullshit, but I really didn't like it at all. It made me sad.