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Thread: Jon Davison talks Yes in new interview

  1. #1
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    Jon Davison talks Yes in new interview

    Just came across this pretty cool new interview with Yes’ lead singer. I haven’t seen him do too many. The interviewer is a bit too enthusiastic of a fan for my tastes but Jon comes across as a really solid, humble guy.

    https://biffbampop.com/2018/08/01/ex...avison-of-yes/

    I liked this exchange:


    Q: “When did you feel like you were the singer in Yes? Was it a gradual thing?”

    Jon Davison: “I figured from the moment I joined Yes that as long as I kept performance quality as my primary focal point, my ultimate goal, I’d know soon enough whether or not I was cut out for the role. So far, I feel I’ve met with success. Obviously the vast majority of Yes fans feel the same. That is really the only criteria I’ve allowed to define me as the singer of Yes. Otherwise, I don’t need to be the singer of Yes to have fame, recognition, or for any other egotistical motivation.

    I’m forever in the shadow of Jon Anderson. However, that’s not a bad shadow to be in, depending on how you look at it. I have such a love for the music and I deeply relate to it. Also, I just happen to have been physically blessed with a counter tenor vocal range required for Yes vocals. So, I try and get the ego out of the way and let these two aspects guide my personal style of performing.“

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    WOW!! great interview and insight into Jon the person as well as the frontman for Yes these days.
    I've said this before, I was not a fan of JD, in fact didn't care for his vocals with Glass Hammer either. And when Fly From Here came out I really enjoyed Benoit David's vocals and thought to myself, ok, someone can make Yes whole again without JA. However having seen some of his performances on their Yes DVD(can't recall which one, it was part documentary and part clips from shows), I felt he was rather stiff as the frontman lead vocalist for Yes.
    I still bought the Live at Mesa and LIve at the Hippodrome DVD's and I didn't really appreciate either of them until Chris' passing.
    I was still on the fence about Jon D and felt he still had a lot more work to do on his stage presence and vocals.

    It wasn't until Topographic Drama was released I warmed up to him and the band without Chris or Jon A.
    I feel for some reason that was a turning point for the band. Billy brought in new energy and Steve really took ownership and leadership imo. That was really clear to me after seeing Yes live last week.
    Maybe he always was, but it always seemed like he was in the background while Jon and Chris were directing things. I'm sure Henry and others can fill me in on the roles each had.

    Thanks again for sharing this, I really enjoyed it.
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    Member Gizmotron's Avatar
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    Yes, indeed. A very insightful interview.
    The man truly feels Yes music.

    I liked this:

    Jon Davison: That’s a interesting question. Of all the songs, ‘Awaken’ is the the one I can associate the most memories with. I was probably 18 or 19 when I was discovering spirituality, meditation, and vegetarianism. I was simultaneously listening to the Going for the One album everyday. I have memories of watching the sunset over the ocean and listening to that majestic piece of music. I guess in some way I was manifesting to the universe what was to come. That song has always been with me. Sometimes when I sing ‘Awaken’ onstage, I have to hold back the tears as it brings back so many memories. There’s such a strong, nostalgic component to hearing a song. To be able to sing it onstage is very emotional. We actually performed it for a couple of years as part of the Album Series. You mentioned seeing it performed back then?

    When watching him perform the song it is very clear.

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    Member chescorph's Avatar
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    It doesn’t seem like Benoit had 10% the connection to Yes music that Davison has.

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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    Agreed

    Great boat upholsterer though....

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    Thanks for the link, great interview from a class act.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by chescorph View Post
    It doesn’t seem like Benoit had 1.0% the connection to Yes music that Davison has.
    Corrected that for ya...
    G.A.S -aholic

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    Not quite sure why the negativity for Benoit David, am I missing something?

    Interesting interview with him from Notes from the Edge(but you've probably already seen this) for those who may be interested.

    http://www.nfte.org/interviews/BD309.html
    Soundcloud page: Richard Hermans, musical meanderings https://soundcloud.com/precipice YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@richardhermans4457

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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    Might be poking a little fun at him, but nothing negative per se. He did fine during his tenure but remember that he wasn't originally into Yes like Davison was/is. A friend of Benoit's heard him sing and suggested he front a Yes tribute because his voice was similar to Anderson's so he came to that music well after the fact.

    So yeah, I'd say Davison "got" it better in the long run. He had decades of absorbing the music under his belt. Meanwhile, Benoit, not so much under his upholstery....

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    I felt it was clear fairly early on (even in 2008) that Benoit David was not right for the role. But I had sympathy; he (as does Davison) really had to copy another singer's style, in a way that isn't normal, because of the vocal style within Yes' music. This was something Trevor Horn also struggled with when that line-up toured. I think the Yes fanbase just will not accept someone who sounded like Barry White or Isaac Hayes singing this material!

    I did think he did a good job on Fly From Here, though (sounding more like Trevor Horn, funnily enough!). I would say that album stands as Benoit David's legacy within Yes but at present it is out of print. We shall see in due course whether it is 'replaced' permanently by the Trevor Horn one.

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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    I felt Benoit emulated Horn better than he emulated Anderson.

    Davison does a better Anderson than he does a Horn.
    Last edited by Sean; 08-02-2018 at 02:13 PM.

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    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean View Post
    I felt Benoit did a better Horn than Anderson.

    Davison does a better Anderson than Horn.
    Totally agree.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

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    From what I I always understood was that Benoit couldn’t handle the vocal stress of touring. I didn’t think he was that bad of a vocalist myself. He was a quick fill in for when Anderson fell ill and I’m sure he did his best but fell short. Kind of makes you wonder how guys like Jon Anderson can keep going at their age in relatively good voice. Jon Davison seems like the right replacement now and is enjoying it. Good for him.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Benoit David was never a bad vocalist, trying to sound like Jon Anderson night after night wasn't suited to him and that's not exactly grounds for condemnation. Clearly, it suits Davison's vocal range better.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean View Post
    Might be poking a little fun at him, but nothing negative per se. He did fine during his tenure but remember that he wasn't originally into Yes like Davison was/is. A friend of Benoit's heard him sing and suggested he front a Yes tribute because his voice was similar to Anderson's so he came to that music well after the fact.

    So yeah, I'd say Davison "got" it better in the long run. He had decades of absorbing the music under his belt. Meanwhile, Benoit, not so much under his upholstery....
    Yep, he even says in the interview I linked that he wasn't into yes, "too much stuff going on".. lol and once he was approached about the Close to the Edge Yes Tribute gig, he started listening to more Yes and then he began to really like the music.
    I always said I think his vocals were more suited for the music of Mystery than Yes, and again he says in the interview, the difference was he was involved in the creation of the Mystery music, where with Yes he had to do the vocal melody as it had already been done.

    I agree his stage presence was rather flat most of the time, and some of the Yes tunes just didn't feel right with his vocals.

    I couldn't be happier for Jon D that he has found his own voice with Yes. You could clearly see his confidence on vocals and performance. Those early shows I've seen of him reminded me of a wide eyed hippie who just got of the Grateful Dead tour bus and clearly looked in disbelief he was graced with this awesome gig.

    Jon D was also in a Yes tribute band very early in his career, have any of you seen YT clips from that band?
    Last edited by Top Cat; 08-02-2018 at 02:35 PM.
    Soundcloud page: Richard Hermans, musical meanderings https://soundcloud.com/precipice YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@richardhermans4457

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Top Cat View Post
    Jon D was also in a Yes tribute band very early in his career, have any of you seen YT clips from that band? there are a couple of them up if you get the chance to check him out.
    It wasn't very early in his career: it was after he started focusing on singing, so after several years as the bassist in Sky Cries Mary, and not that long before he joined Yes. He wasn't in the band for long.

    Henry
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    Quote Originally Posted by bondegezou View Post
    It wasn't very early in his career: it was after he started focusing on singing, so after several years as the bassist in Sky Cries Mary, and not that long before he joined Yes. He wasn't in the band for long.

    Henry
    You're right Henry, I wrote that and then went back and re-watched an interview on YT with him, and I believe the Roundabout video was from 2009. He said in the interview the rest of the band didn't take it very seriously and didn't want to practice...
    now this one WAS early in his musical journey.. lol
    Soundcloud page: Richard Hermans, musical meanderings https://soundcloud.com/precipice YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@richardhermans4457

  18. #18
    Jon is the bassist in the above clip? If so,I'm surprised he's not singing the song or doing backing vocals.

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    Quote Originally Posted by the winter tree View Post
    Jon is the bassist in the above clip? If so,I'm surprised he's not singing the song or doing backing vocals.
    Hi Andrew, in this interview he described playing bass in his early days and singing backing vocals and how he started singing lead vocals. Enjoy.


    Apologies to Dan Roth for posting so many videos in your thread.
    Soundcloud page: Richard Hermans, musical meanderings https://soundcloud.com/precipice YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@richardhermans4457

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Top Cat View Post
    Geez, based on the screaming girls, you'd think Davison was Paul McCartney.

  21. #21
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    He submitted an audition video for the bass position in a Queen tribute that Roger Taylor put together in about 2011. He did not get the gig. And neither did I.

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