As a lead guitarist, I too - was floored by that remark.Originally Posted by Mister Triscuits
As a lead guitarist, I too - was floored by that remark.
x2 but nix the Abba and Carpenters in my library.
You made me blow my drink up my nose,thanks
Have they dropped Your Move at other shows, or just Radio City? I'm listening to the boot of the Albany show, and they played it there (as well as Owner and The Game and Ascend). Because something really awkward seemed to be going on at the Radio City show, between the a capella bit and Alan's half-assed drum fill that led into a lazy-paced All Good People. Been wondering if everyone realized that Steve didn't have his Portuguese guitar, panicked, and just jumped ahead to AGP.
I watched a few videos, and if the new material has been tempo-set so Howe can play them, when it comes to soloing, it sure looked clear to me that anytime he tried to speed up to play some faster lines he fell all over himself.
I don't know if there's something physical going on - maybe he has arthritic problems? - but one of the things that aging musicians must come to grips with is that they cannot necessarily do the things they did when they were younger. Gabriel sings great on Back to Front Live in London because, for example, he doesn't try to sustain notes to the length he could more easily when he was younger (though he was hitting a lot more high notes than back on the Growing Up tour, which suggests maybe he had some training?); Robert Plant, when touring with Band of Joy, reinvented Zep tunes in ways that didn't insist he try and hit notes he simply no longer can. Sad, though it is, we've all seen how Keith Emerson simply cannot play those high velocity, heavy stamina-requiring lines he used to. And How, for whatever reason, simply cannot play at the greater speeds he once could. So, better not to try and create solos that work with any restrictions of age, than continue to try and do things he simply no longer can.
And no, it wasn't jazz either
I really want to give these guys some props, but they just sound tired to me. The new album, while what I've heard sounds better than Fly From Here, simply reeks of a band well past its best buy date, and I am really not happy saying that. These guys were, at one time, my heroes. And I would love to respect them for what they do now, but it's hard when they just don't seem capable of the kind of fire they once possessed. As for Davison, he sings well but I think he was better served in Glass Hammer in all ways except exposure ...
Are those cardboard cut-outs of YES???
Dropped in Boston.
Interesting. I'm thinking the awkwardness I sensed might've been everyone trying to remember how they intended to jump right into AGP.
I think if Yes wasn't committed to playing Fragile and Close To The Edge that they would be playing a lot more of Heaven & Earth. So, maybe next year they will support their new album and do only 1 full album,Drama? Btw, I decided that it was now or never to get the Japanese SHM-CD for $50 to get it here in 2 days. Already there are reviews that the sound quality is so much better than what the leaked MP3 files have to offer. Most of the negative reviews are being fueled by these (unintended for the public) recordings.
I also pre-ordered the $10 cd from Amazon and it should arrive on Tue,the 22nd. So I will those 2 to compare sonics.
With all of the thumbs down (and justifiably so I belive) on the new album, I somehow doubt there will be a next year for Yes.
That would be awkward. IMHO it was also awkward the times I've heard them do "Long Distance Runaround" without going straight into "The Fish" or, even worse, just doing "The Fish" with no "Long Distance Runaround". I know they are technically considered separate pieces, but my ears treat them as a unit.
"It was a cruel song, but fair."-Roger Waters
Mine should be here soonish. I went with the Japanese version because I'm OCD enough to want the bonus track. However, sound wise there shouldn't be any difference whatsoever between the SHM CD, the standard Japanese CD and the CD you can get for $10.00 on Amazon right now. The ones and zeros are exactly the same.
"It was a cruel song, but fair."-Roger Waters
NO, JOHN! PLEASE NO!
Please, John, say that it might be due to the fact that the album possesses a subtly hidden sense of finesse and intelligence that simply demands infinitely repeated listenings, and that it's way above the likes of Pat Metheny (etc) and will eventually sell like crazy and secure a new spring for the prog and I ooph %&J?"&#sthhhhhhh
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Yes have had worse reviews for an album and kept going. Touring is far more important to the band's ongoing existence anyway.
The band already have plans for next year. The current tour is probably coming to Europe early 2015. The next Cruise to the Edge has been announced for November, and Squire dropped a bombshell in a recent interview:
More at http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wnyesm.htm#brdwyNatürlich können wir nicht behaupten, dass Jon Anderson bald wieder an Bord sein wird[.] Aber ausschließen will das auch niemand. Zwar ziehen wir im Laufe dieses Jahres noch etliche Konzerte mit Davison überall auf der Welt durch. Andererseits laufen schon Verhandlungen, dass wir 2015 ein paar Konzerte mit dem anderen Jon - also Anderson - machen werden. Doch wer weiß schon, was die Zukunft bringt? Vor allem die Zukunft von Yes, die ja stets unberechenbar war.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
10518009_10204420663339436_4151836120260724759_n.jpg
I look forward to the elder Jon's version of "To Ascend"!
BG
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
The correlation between those two observations should not escape anyone pondering over the future(?) of (rock) music.
109??:
Yes is not folding shop any time soon, as Henry points out...
But this...
...makes me realize my half-joke in an earlier thread about Jon Anderson possibly re-uniting with the band on the 2015 Cruise is suddenly seeming a lot more plausible (they'll just need to navigate around the hazards known as Steve Howe.)
The German interviewer was probably wondering why Chris kept winking at him.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
From what I've read--I think Howe would work with JA again as long as he wasn't dictating everything-- like what he will or will not sing or who he will or will not perform with---JA said last year if he were to rejoin he's sing with Downes in the band and do songs he didn't write ---but we shall see---but to suggest this album is the end of Yes is silly---it is a very good album---the tour seems very popular --they seem to be happy--and getting good reviews as they still sound great.
Preach!
I'd have to say that I enjoyed this show more than any since Masterworks - they brought it, Howe was on fire
The Warner Theater is one of my all time favorite venues - sound was absolutely perfect, and no need for earplugs, and the stage is the right height when you are down front
In the middle of my first spin of H & E since the show, I think I'm ready to slot it now
I made it a point to play all the post BG CD's last weekend, and for me this is the best since Keystudio
From the short time I got to spend with them, 2S is spot on, they seem very happy
My lovely bride is out getting me frames for the posters I got at the show, looking forward to hanging them over the weekend
BG
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
Agreed! The Warner Theater is an excellent venue, and Howe was indeed on fire the other night.
Is this an album where they paid a 'big name' producer a lot of $$$$$, and because of tight deadlines, and the band not being happy with the results, they pay a close friend of Squire $$ to remix the album to get the album out quick? I will admit, the tunes do grow on you, just could have been developed and "Yessified" more. What is a good album, could have developed into a great one, given another 6 months.
Perhaps the most import quality to me, is does it have "layers"
Do you notice a riff, harmony, or nuance that you hadn't heard before, does it "open up" every spin?
That was the real beauty of the main sequence - I've played those albums 100's of times and I still can find things I'd missed, so well crafted
I'm 25 or so spins in at this point, and for me no question it does
Songs that sounded pretty straight ahead seem to have a lot more going on
Whether I'll still be hearing new things 25 more spins in is debatable, but for me there was a lot more under the surface
Some don't seem to like JD's words, but I love what he's brought to the table - the feel is quite "Yessified" to me, very positive, very spiritual
I think for me the initial negative reviews actually helped, I wasn't expecting much - I love these songs
BG
Last edited by Brian Griffin; 07-17-2014 at 05:38 PM.
"When Yes appeared on stage, it was like, the gods appearing from the heavens, deigning to play in front of the people."
The weakest link of this album is easily Alan White. What in the hell is the man doing on the drums for these songs?? It sounds like he's struggling to keep the sticks in his hand for the entire album. The bridge of "In A World Of Our Own" has some of the sloppiest drumming I've ever heard in my life. I think I heard one really badass fill in Step Beyond, but that was basically it. His drumming has never really impressed me outside of Drama and Relayer, but this is inexcusable.
I do enjoy the album, much to my own surprise. I really expected to hate it, but it's pleasant. It sounds like a bunch of old dudes trying to make an album, and I'm okay with that. I'd say my biggest issue outside of White, is the TEMPO. The songs remain the same tempo throughout the whole song. This makes a bridge like the aforementioned IAWOOO sound so plodding and weird, when if sped up, could sound really powerful. The tempos of all the songs are painfully dull and slow, but they should've made the middle sections more dynamic and varied in order to bring some more excitement.
I think my favorite song is probably Light of the Ages. Least favorite has to be It Was All We Knew. I think even Circus of Heaven beats that one.
CAREFUL. Don't say things you can't take back!
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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