That dvd they filmed---An Evening Of Yes Music Plus,I was there.
That dvd they filmed---An Evening Of Yes Music Plus,I was there.
Did you see the teepee?
Originally Posted by Rand Kelly
Me too!
In other words, the best part is the Roger Dean cover.But seriously, I like Tony Levin's bass playing on this one, even if it sounds more like 80s King Crimson than 70s Yes.
I'm surprised they made this album. I wish the 80's never happened. Not much good came out of that decade for things along the line of Progressive Rock. (I like Crimson's works however)
This whole idea that "Prog" must progress into new territory is a fatally flawed argument. Once computers, sampling, drum machines, triggers, midi etc came onboard, it moved away from what the great bands did so well. They all played wonderful compositions with organic sounding instruments in real time without the aid of all the technology. THAT is what really separated them from other rock acts. Even the vinyl copy I have of this album is very compressed and squashed sounding. There is no reason for that, not with this caliber of players. Union came next and was even worse, then the horribly produced Keys to Ascension. I really wish YES had just called it a day after Drama didn't work... similar to Led Zeppelin calling it quits after "In through the Out Door." I know Bonham died also, but it was over either way. The Zep legacy with remain intact better than YES which keeps going on and making an embarrassment of themselves and I ONLY say this based upon the greatness of the material they released prior.
I don't think Squire would have saved this album either. It's just an uninspired work that is only of interest to see what they would have done in the 80's and this is it.
I like Tony on the album as well. I personally don't find lack of Chris a big flaw, though it's the biggest factor in keeping the album from sounding like Yes- which it wasn't, so that's fine. I think it's about 15 minutes of pretty good music. The other 30 though- I'll take Union any day!
The most I can say is that every so often I try with this thing.
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
Themes - very good
Fist of Fire - very good; unintentionally funny in a Jon Anderson, eunuch-shouting-about-the-sun kinda way, but good
Brother of Mine - very good
Birthright - good, a bit predictable. Better live.
The Meeting - not bad but kinda milquetoast
Quartet- not just milquetoast but saccharine. The pop song version of "I'm Alive" on the In The Big Dream video was actually better.
Teakbois - an abomination, mostly; Wakeman's keys toward the end are about all it has going for it.
Order of the Universe - the instrumental parts were good, but the rest was frighteningly bad. Let's take a bunch of lame songs from outside, slap them together, and call it a Yessuite, shall we?
Let's Pretend - Another outside song. A good song but it doesn't save the disaster that is SIDE TWO.
Vultures - should've been on the album in place of Teakbois
Production - quite possibly the worst ever on a Yes (more or less) album. Totally inappropriate for this band.
Tour - the saving grace of this project, although I could've done without quite so much of Milton McDonald.
Hired on to work for Mr. Bill Cox, a-fixin' lawn mowers and what-not, since 1964.
"Arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon. It'll just knock over all the pieces, shit on the board, and strut about like it's won anyway." Anonymous
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” George Carlin
One of Roger's best as far as the artwork goes.
Musically, some is quite good, others..
I'd probably give:
Themes - A-
Fist of Fire - C (don't quite get the love for this)
Brother of Mine - A-
Birthright - B
The Meeting - C-
Quartet - B (don't quite get the dislike for this one, Steve has some nice guitar moments in this one)
Teakbois - C+
Order of the Universe - C (by now I'm yawning, wondering what else I can play)
Let's Pretend - C+
Vultures - A-
But where to shelve ABWH... under its own "A" section or down with the other Yes stuff in the "Y"'s???
I've spent far more time pondering this question than thinking about the music Itself. After much deliberation I believe the right answer is "Y" but this may be one of life's unsolvable mysteries...
I rather like some of it, liked it a lot better than 90125. Seems like they sound like Yes on Themes, Brother of Mine and Quartet. The rest does not sound much like Yes to me.
I liked "Union" better myself overall, although pretty much only the songs with Steve Howe.
Of course, Steve Howe is barely on said "songs with Steve Howe," but I digress. If you haven't seen Henry's AWESOME interview with Jimmy Haun about his guitar playing on Union... prepare yourself:
http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/iv/jhinterview.htm
Overall this album gets too cheesy for me after a few minutes. Different sounds & less singing might have helped, but I'm not sure.
I liked it at the time, as I felt it was a return to form. In hindsight, it's aged poorly. Those crappy drums make the whole thing sound like more of a dated '80s relic than either of the Rabin albums from the same decade.
Tour was great, album aged poorly.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
ABWH is definitely a Yes album. File between "In the City of Angels" and "An Evening of Yes Music...Plus." Don't know how anyone can say ABWH isn't Yes but Talk is.
Because of the name on the cover, mostly. Secondly, because of Squire.
ABWH goes under "A" in my collection.
Technicality.
Hard to do, since my copy of In the City of Angels is in the collection of whoever was dumb enough to buy it off me.
Call me crazy but I always thought the name of the band was Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe.
Their one and only album was a very good and very prog album for the times. The Yes gang has done better but they have also done worse imo. I saw this tour and I have to tell you it was something I will never forget as long as I live. The title track to Close to the Edge in particular was spectacular. I also liked the solo spots. I definitely need to get any dvd live concert of this.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
It would be nice if a pro-shot video of a show WITH LEVIN from this tour would surface.
Or has one? I know of none.
The show with Berlin is great of course but one with Levin would be fantastic.
Hired on to work for Mr. Bill Cox, a-fixin' lawn mowers and what-not, since 1964.
"Arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon. It'll just knock over all the pieces, shit on the board, and strut about like it's won anyway." Anonymous
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” George Carlin
http://www.grande-rock.com/reviews/abwh_-_live_nec
So "In The City Of Angels" is also a Yes album?
My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/
LOL. My ABWH is indeed filed right after it....but it's still-sealed! I've never even opened it, let alone heard it. It's the completist in me.
No but I file all things Yes together chronologically, that's why.
Good album with a couple of stinkers on it, but like many here, I find the production very dated. It was of its time, although not everything 80's sounds bad - for example, a lot of Genesis & Rush material from the 80's still sounds good to my ears, and even the 90125/big generator albums stand up better than ABWH production wise.
I listened to ABWH & Union recently, and they weren't as inconsistent as I remembered them to be. I enjoyed both tours too. However, the one album in the Yes canon I cannot listen to is Open Your Eyes. I cannot recall anything that redeems it.
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