Yes: `Keys To Ascension' studio tracks. Are they well regarded or under-rated ?

[Beebfader]

I happened to check these out with a cursory listen on Spotify, and liked what I was hearing....I gave up on any new Yes after `Tormato'....so I shelled out £15 for a very good value 4CD/1DVD set of the complete Ascension recordings figuring I'd enjoy the live stuff at any rate. Is it the last hurrah of the (second) classic line-up ? I've yet to investigate the studio tracks properly, but was just wondering what you `Yesperts' thought ? It does seem that it was all really badly managed and if they had been assembled as a new studio album at the time, instead of being mixed up with the live recordings, they might have formed a more coherent statement ?

[Progatron]

I really like them, especially "That, That Is", "Children Of Light" and "Footprints". I also really love the 'Humankind' section of "Be The One". Most people prefer Keys 2 to Keys 1, so I'm in the minority there. I like "Mind Drive" but not as much as most fans. I've never quite understood why that one is so revered compared to the rest of this material. I do like it all, though, and still listen to it on occasion.

But yeah, had it all been recorded at the same time and released properly as one album, and the live stuff released as a separate set, I don't think this period would be so overlooked now.

[Scott Bails]

I like them, but I think they're completely over rated by most Yes fans. Never understood why "Mind Drive" is so highly regarded.

I always preferred "Be the One" and "That, That Is," but I think I'm in the minority.

[80s were ok]

throw in the fact that "Open Your Eyes" came out at around the same time (on a different record label), it's no wonder these are so overlooked. I like most of the tracks but never got into "Mind drive" even though that is the one that people seem to favor.

[SteveSly]

Love "Mind Drive" myself, and think all of these studio tracks are pretty good, especially on Keys II.

Steve Sly

[happytheman]

Another one of those releases that "snuck" up on me. Our local radio station was playing the live version of Awaken and I almost pulled the car to the side of the road to call them to find out what live Yes album did they have that I didn't have (of course this was years before I even owned a cell phone!). With that said I was thrilled to find out Wakeman was back in the mix and thoroughly enjoyed the first Keys. I didn't buy Open your eyes immediately rather waited till I found it used. Keys 2 came out and I bought it straight away again thrilled to hear more "new" Yes music, but of course disappointed that they didn't follow through on the tour etc. Oh well... they still get a spin every now and then to and from work.

[trurl]

Be The One and Footprints are pretty good. That, That Is and Mind Drive are meh.

[dpt3]

I liked them quite a bit at the time, but I'm not sure if they've held up that well. Mind Drive and Footprints are the standouts for me, though. Also, love the "All and all" section of That That Is.

[Paulrus]

I actually re-listened to all of the Keys studio tracks for the first time in a long time and was surprised by how much better it was than I remembered, especially the Keys 2 stuff. I think "Mind Drive" is popular because it sort of feels like it could have been a Tales leftover -- not on the same level as those tracks, but it's in the same style and was constructed much like the Tales pieces were.

I applaud the band for having the guts to get really proggy so late in the game, though it's sad that their own usual foibles and poor management ultimately did them in yet again.

[Haruspex Carnage]

They have moments of brilliance and moments of pure cheese...the lyrics and delivery of such in That, That Is are cringe-worthy at times and the chorus of Mind Drive musically (da dee dee da da "we will bring the...") equally i find...that being said i wish in one of their last tours they did NOT split/butcher Mind Drive like they did with its reprises throughout the evening...if this direction were perfected/expounded upon (rather than a return to the Drama sound and an orchestra) i would be more interested in Yes than i'm not today.

[Vic2012]

I'm a big fan of Keys II (never heard Keys I). I think I've played the live disk a couple times in the 10 years I've had the CD. The studio tracks are all great. The KTA2 studio disk is, for me, the best Yes album post Going For The One. Yes, I'll say it again. KTA2 studio disk is better than Tormato, Drama, 90210 (an album I can't stand), and whatever else came after up to KTA2 (and better than Ladder, and Wussification ). It's just my opinion on it fellas. Let's not get our shorts in a wad over it .

[gregory]

Uder rated is Time And A Word - an album which is much better than over rated Yes Album. Tormato, which we thought was a crap when it came out, is now a classic! As for KTA part2 - never seen the part 1 actually, it's not essential Yes. Good for completists of this band.

[Rael]

I never cared for the Keys studio tracks. Not bad music, but nothing all that memorable either, IMO. I never understood why Mind Drive was so popular as I always found it really repetitive and overly long. I actually find it easier to get through just about anything Yes related from the 90s than the Keys tracks, "Union" included.

[Rufus]

I think 'That, That is' is the only stand out track. It could have achieved classic status but sounds like an unfinnished piece to me!

The rest, including Mind Drive is miss, miss, miss !

[flowerking]

I love That that is. Not only is the playing great on it but Jon Anderson managed to have some really tangible lyrics to a song. To me, thats the highlight of all the studio tracks. I also like Mind Drive quite a bit but it just lacks something, maybe its too repetitive or drags in parts? But aside from those two, I don't care much for the remainder of the studio tracks.

But if you gave up on Yes after Tormato, you should consider these checking out both Drama and Magnification (and maybe also Fly From Here).

[Beebfader]

But if you gave up on Yes after Tormato, you should consider these checking out both Drama and Magnification (and maybe also Fly From Here).[/QUOTE]

I'm afraid I'm one of those folks who thinks it's really only Yes when Jon is at the helm ! I did see them on the Drama tour actually. To hear Trevor Horn try to sing Yours Is No Disgrace will haunt me forever :-)

[Splicer]

I guess I'm in the minority of Yes fans in that I think they are completely over-rated. I hear some interesting ideas there but I feel they are on the level of a demo run-through and incomplete. The arrangements could be better and some of the filler could easily be cut but what I think bothers me most about them is that the melodies are rather unmemorable. I admit that I'm a melody-whore -- I love rich, lush melodies that I can remember bits and pieces of after one listen. I find none of the KTA studio tracks at that level at all. Had they spent more time fleshing them out, there might have been something good there.

[Brian Griffin]

I like the shorter cuts better than the two "epics", although both have their moments they don't consistently hit the sweet spot

That That Is lyrics are hugely problematic

Footprints and Bring Me to the Power are, IMHO, as good as anything that had come prior


BG

[bRETT]

Footprints and Bring Me to the Power are, IMHO, as good as anything that had come prior

I agree that these easily beat Mind Drive as the standouts of the whole Keys era.

[Trane]

I never really liked that much the Keys1 studio tracks >> they sounded too Drama-like.... don't get me wrong, I prefer them to anything post Drama until K1...

However, at first I was really into Mind Drive when Keys2 came out... I really thought it was the best thing since Awaken... There was another track I liked (Children Of Light, I think).

But both tracks have not really had that long a lasting power in the long term (ten years is not that bad, though)... Nowadays I realized that like everyone else, I had a needed to recognize that Yes had grown back to their former selves after the stinky 80's and Onion/ABWH eras...

So in other words, the Keystudio album is a good one (but no more), maybe the best since Relayer with Drama and Magnification and GFTO(which has only Awaken for me to like/love)

[Rand Kelly]

[QUOTE=Brian Griffin;33251]



Footprints and Bring Me to the Power are, IMHO, as good as anything that had come prior

I agree here and iirc, I saw Yes play these 2 in San Francisco with Igor on keyboards. Btw, did you guys know that Children of Light's lyrics are inside the ABWH program on Jon's page,circa 1989?

[Nearfest2]

I like them, but I think they're completely over rated by most Yes fans. Never understood why "Mind Drive" is so highly regarded.

I always preferred "Be the One" and "That, That Is," but I think I'm in the minority.

Totally agree, but I do like "Mind Drive." I think part of the appeal comes from the fact that the song began as an XYZ track.

[80s were ok]

Uder rated is Time And A Word - an album which is much better than over rated Yes Album. Tormato, which we thought was a crap when it came out, is now a classic! As for KTA part2 - never seen the part 1 actually, it's not essential Yes. Good for completists of this band.

I love uder rated albums too -I ask cows for the opinions. Also if you've never seen Part 1, how do you know it's not essential?

[The Letter M]

For what Yes put out in the 90's the Keys material is some of the best, if not THE best. I wish it had been one album!

I prefer THIS listening order:
Mind Drive
Foot Prints
Be The One
That, That Is
Bring Me To The Power
Sign Language
Children Of Light

It flows like a vinyl, with MD on side 1, FP and BTO on side 2, TTI on Side 3, and the rest on side 4. It's a great running order and I love opening with "Mine Drive".

Anyways, probably one of my favorite, and most listened to albums by Yes, and the material is still pretty good. A shame the music wasn't saved for a single studio album, and had it been, it might've sold well, and that line-up may have made another album! Who knows what could've been, but at least we got this gem in the 90's, especially compared to what came after it (OYE).

As an aside - I edited the live tracks and mixed them together to be in the original concert-order, and made a pretty sweet 2-Disc live album, which is how it SHOULD have been. The live album is pretty good, too, with some rarely-played songs, a killer version of "Time And A Word", and of course "The Revealing Science Of God" and all 3 songs from Close To The Edge!

-Marc.

[Rand Kelly]

Totally agree, but I do like "Mind Drive." I think part of the appeal comes from the fact that the song began as an XYZ track.

True Chad but,the overlong middle section that sounds like it is outakes from The Remembering comes nowhere near what Jimmy Page,Chris Squire and Alan White were up to imho. I think Mind Drive could be edited and it would be more cohesive. I still love it. Keystudio is one of my favorite Yes cds. Rick's biggest objection to the 1 and 2 releases of Keys To Ascension was having the live stuff on there and Keystudio was the solution. But,by the time that came out,Rick was long gone until 2003.