Anyone else see this?
Trevor Rabin
3 hrs ·
PS...great stuff happening with Jon and Rick
Anyone else see this?
Trevor Rabin
3 hrs ·
PS...great stuff happening with Jon and Rick
I saw Jon and Rick do their thing a couple of years back atthe beautiful Hanover Theater in Worcester...there's some great chemistry between these two so I'm on board for whatever they do (Living Tree 2?)
An album with Trevor, Rick and Jon? Yes, please.
Sounds like "Vera, Chuck and Dave."Originally Posted by dropforge
Smothers, Smothers and Humperdinck!
Wow! Major potential there.
could be about jon & rick (+TR) sitting together over a cuppa and having a good laugh at us lot… who knows?
if anything musical at all… we'll have to wait until JA finishes his opera on the clintons.
Haha! That's funny.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Oh my...two Yes' again.
The Prog Corner
Wow. That one Facebook post was enough for Prog Magazine to make an article out of it: http://prog.teamrock.com/news/2016-0...roject-back-on
In 29 days, it will be the 6th anniversary of the announcement of the Anderson Wakeman Rabin project. (If you go 6 years after Yes formed, you get to the end of the Tales from Topographic Oceans tour, the band has released 6 studio albums. Wakeman has left and Moraz is about to join.)
We went all of 2015 without hearing anything about AWR, but they were exchanging and developing some musical ideas earlier on. http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wnyesm.htm#wakrab summarises what we know so far.
I hope this project does eventually emerge. I think it would be a good context for both Anderson and Wakeman (Rabin can do just fine on his own judging by Jacaranda!). However, I'm not going to get too excited given the rate of progress so far, Rabin's slow progress on such projects when he's often busy with film work, and Anderson's general track record on completing anything.
I am reminded of the two Asias: original Asia and Asia Featuring John Payne. One has released multiple albums and toured internationally. The other still haven't released their debut album (although Payne's covers album got released under the AFJP name) and has played a few short US legs. Likewise, Yes in the last 6 years have released two studio albums, further live albums and toured internationally, while AWR have worked on a few demos. In both cases, the expected competition between the two acts rather disappears if one of the acts struggles to exist.
In other words, we don't have two Yeses yet! AWR might be a significant rival Yes if they can transition from idea to reality.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
I think there are two things that tend to get my hopes up about this project actually seeing the light of day sooner rather than later:
1. I think Jon's experience working with Jean Luc Ponty -- both in the studio and live -- was positive (maybe more so than he thought it would be), and that he'd like to keep that experience rolling. And since Rick and Trevor are known quantities as far as he's concerned the risks are relatively low.
2. With Chris' passing I can't help but think it's made Jon reflect on his own time left on Earth and that all of those projects he's been talking about all these years aren't going to finish themselves. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we find ourselves in the beginning of a new phase of hyper-activity from Jon. Relatively speaking, that is.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
This is what I'm hoping for.2. With Chris' passing I can't help but think it's made Jon reflect on his own time left on Earth and that all of those projects he's been talking about all these years aren't going to finish themselves. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we find ourselves in the beginning of a new phase of hyper-activity from Jon. Relatively speaking, that is.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
RAW....... Rabin, Anderson & Wakeman
WAR
I don't think Trevor Rabin would have written that on Facebook unless he thought there was going to be new music this year. He was already working on a more rock style solo album with him singing, so I'm guessing he wants to finish it with Anderson and Wakeman. Rabin talked about what would become Jacaranda for years, and I thought it was great.
So... there easily could be two Yeses this year, and it will be interesting to see how Billy Sherwood juggles his schedule to be in both bands
What is it good for?
Been hearing about this forever--I'm not as excited about it as some or optimistic that it will be a collaboration---not that JA collaborations with TR were very good--maybe more a TR album with JA adding stuff and RW playing all over it--- but I'd still buy it.
Billy' has slready said he's not involved. Don't you think Mr Howe would be very displeased if Billy went off with them?I don't think Trevor Rabin would have written that on Facebook unless he thought there was going to be new music this year. He was already working on a more rock style solo album with him singing, so I'm guessing he wants to finish it with Anderson and Wakeman. Rabin talked about what would become Jacaranda for years, and I thought it was great.
So... there easily could be two Yeses this year, and it will be interesting to see how Billy Sherwood juggles his schedule to be in both bands
About the most I can say for now is that we have decided to tour.
thanks for all the good vibes.- TR
The clot thickens. Please in the name of all that is holy may the word "Kickstarter" not ever appear anywhere within 1000 miles of this project.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
Just read this.. This is a tour that I'd like to see..
About ten years ago, Anderson talked about 'The Big If' as some sort of umbrella term for an album or multiple albums/DVDs. He later explained what the term meant. The "if" is if he can finish all the projects he's started over the years. While he stopped using that phrase, he was still talking about that challenge to finish all those projects around 2010, spurred on by his significant ill health in 2008 and after. So we've seen a Jon Anderson who is motivated to try to finish all his projects: that's the Jon Anderson we've had for the last decade, during which, to be fair, some things have come out but, by and large, the list of unfinished projects has grown.1. I think Jon's experience working with Jean Luc Ponty -- both in the studio and live -- was positive (maybe more so than he thought it would be), and that he'd like to keep that experience rolling. And since Rick and Trevor are known quantities as far as he's concerned the risks are relatively low.
2. With Chris' passing I can't help but think it's made Jon reflect on his own time left on Earth and that all of those projects he's been talking about all these years aren't going to finish themselves. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we find ourselves in the beginning of a new phase of hyper-activity from Jon. Relatively speaking, that is.
At this point, I don't think Squire's passing -- someone Anderson hadn't seen in person for 8 years and barely talked to in that period -- is therefore going to make much difference to his rate of output. He's been motivated to finish projects and still mostly not done so. Maybe the best thing is if he stops worrying about the dozens of unfinished things and just concentrates on doing something, so this is where I agree with your first point. Despite some hiccoughs along the way, the Anderson Ponty Band has delivered something. For many years, Anderson said he wasn't interested in band projects and was focused on his own (backlog of unfinished) solo work; APB sees him back collaborating with another musician on an equal footing. Collaboration is a great way of making you finish a project. I'm a scientist and I much prefer writing papers with colleagues because working with the other person keeps the momentum up.
That said, the Anderson Ponty Band said they had plans for more work in 2016, which might get in the way of the AWR project. But I wonder if the APB is struggling to books dates? Although still without the lucrative "Yes" name, AWR is the biggest project Anderson can do right now. It's the biggest project Wakeman can do right now (although Wakeman keeps pulling back from extensive touring... and then booking more touring... repeat). That's got to be a big motivation. (Rabin's in a very different position. He makes oodles from doing film scores. This is probably a pay cut for him.)
Part of Anderson's problems with delivering are, I suggest, because he doesn't have management. Or, rather, Jane appears to effectively be his manager. The Andersons appear to have an inflated view of Anderson's market appeal. While people in this thread know who he is, most of the ticket- and album-buying audience want the band name. Like many other ageing prog stars, he's much less famous than his former band. Consumers want Yes, not Jon Anderson, as they want Jethro Tull, not Martin Barre, Asia, not John Wetton, King Crimson, not Robert Fripp. I'm guessing that Anderson keeps expecting these big deals to land his lap, but he won't get them without some better marketing hook and without some decent management. So instead we get this stready trickle of guest appearances that receive minimal promotion, dodgy releases on labels like Gonzo (since declared bankrupt) and a lack of progress on many fronts. APB, after the embarassment of the Kickstarter, has managed to drag Anderson out of that, and maybe AWR will continue to do so.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
This message gives me more hope than the last and I'll be there for any UK show.
That said, I still struggle with the idea behind this band. Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin were never together in Yes in the studio, and they only toured together within the gargantuan Union line-up. They are without a doubt the three most famous surviving Yes alumni, so they would seem a sensible choice if you want a rival Yes (and to capture a slice of the Yes market), but what do they play? Promoters will want to hear them do albums like Close to the Edge, Going for the One and 90125, but, hold on, Rabin playing "Awaken" caused as much complaint as glee back in the day, and Wakeman noodling over "Owner of a Lonely Heart" doesn't sound like a wise move to me! And why would Rabin be interested in doing Steve Howe numbers? And Rick Wakeman has been pretty critical of 90125. The one album the band members have talked about doing is Talk, which will excite some... but not many. Talk was Yes's worst selling album and tour for decades. AWR can play whatever they want live and I'll go see them, but the promoters will want the well-known Yes songs. Look at how APB was promoted.
When ABWH was created, it wasn't just a collection of famous Yes alumni. There was also a vision behind the band. It was about reuniting the Fragile/Close to the Edge band (minus Squire) and going back to a prog style in contrast to the more mainstream YesWest. What's the vision behind AWR? It's somewhat harder to articulate, and therefore market. A, W and R, it seems to me, get on well with each other -- probably better than most Yes line-ups have -- but they've not yet enunciated that vision for their music. I was struck by Wakeman's description of when Rabin met him in London a few years ago to discuss the project. According to Wakeman, they spent most of the time with Wakeman explaining freemasonry to Rabin. It sounds like they had a great time, two friends having an interesting discussion. But what it didn't sound like was two people driven to make music together. I could be entirely wrong here: they may have some grand idea waiting to burst out. But Anderson Wakeman didn't with The Living Tree, giving us a stitched together album of Anderson singing over Wakeman's recordings. I don't mind The Living Tree, it's an OK album, but it pales in comparison to, say, Jacaranda, which is bursting with purpose, an album where Rabin wanted to say something musically.
I've talked about money a certain amount. Money matters. It's a motivator, and it also allows things to get done. I like the APB album -- more than The Living Tree -- but it was under-prepared. There was a great interview with Anderson when the project was new and he had these wild ideas. Let me quote: "You don’t want all the songs sounding the same. I put them together in sections so that they’re 15-minute works: a well-known Jean-Luc piece, a new piece, and then a well-known Yes piece. And then the other way around [...] that’s what’s very good for a musician: the journey of performance. Sometimes the audience really enjoys the journey rather than every four or five minutes us stopping [...] I want to go on a little journey [...] After “Listening,” it goes into Amharic music, which is from Ethiopia". That's not quite what we got. What we got was Anderson singing over existing Ponty material and the APB band playing selections from Anderson's solo set. Which worked because the old Ponty and solo Anderson/Yes material is strong, because Anderson has a great voice and the Ponty band can play, but it was done on the cheap. I don't believe the APB has yet delivered a real fusion of A and P, some new experience.
What are we going to get with AWR? They're all talented musicians: they can go up stage and deliver great music. They've got an extensive back catalogue of material to draw on. But are they going to do something more than that? ABWH gave us the classics, but they also delivered an album of new and distinctive music. Perhaps not always successful music, opinions differ on that, but I feel ABWH tried to do something new. AWR doing a trio show going through the songs we know will be a good show and sell tickets. To be a rival Yes, to be the realisation of the potential these musicians have, what more do they have? I don't know. I await with interest.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
I'd guess Lou Molino would be the pick for the drum chair, but, assuming Sherwood is off the table, the choice of bass player is going to be a big one. Do they go for a Squire clone or for someone who will put his/her own stamp on things? Live set isn't that tough to figure out. I'd guess they would probably do about thirty minutes of new music, thirty minutes of seventies Yes and thirty minutes of YesWest plus a couple of encores. If they are less faithful to the album versions then that just makes for a more interesting and enjoyable live show. Steve Howe is a living legend, has a much greater body of work and is really the only reason I'd be tempted to consider buying a ticket to a Yes concert these days, but in the here and now I'd tend to expect bigger, better things and more creative mojo from Rabin. My only gripe with Rabin is that his talents are wasted IMHO scoring such sh*tty movies. Good for his bank balance, but it sucks for his fans who want to hear him rock. Jacaranda is a great record and hopefully the AWR record will be great too.
"It was a cruel song, but fair."-Roger Waters
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