Once again, we’re down to one Yes: ARW is toast

[Impman]

https://985thefox.iheart.com/feature...-only-one-yes/

Let the “Jon begs his way back into YesO” speculation begin!

[calyx]

Very little substance to this article (generous use of the term), and in fact JA suggests that he’s hoping ARW can resume next year, so nothing new, really. Just clickbait.

[NogbadTheBad]

Let the angst begin.

[bondegezou]

We already knew that there was no ARW activity this year, although Wakeman had talked about returning in 2020. Anderson's been asked about ARW in a couple of recent interviews, and taken together, he's not saying ARW is over, but he's talking about 2020 or even 2021 before new activity, and he's pretty clear he wasn't happy with how things were going: "it just wasn't as clear, for us, the three of us, where we were heading. And I, personally, always wanted just to make some new music, but it was just hard to get everything in that sort of area".

More at http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wnarw.htm#wakrab

Henry

[Top Cat]

I personally get the feeling a long break for ARW will make it more difficult for the 3 to get back to where they were as a touring act.
Maybe Henry can verify my recollections, but it seemed Trevor wasn't all that hot on touring to begin with. Once all the commitments were in, he had to follow through.
But I think it will be hard to get Trevor Rabin back on the road again.
Thankfully, we do have a concert DVD of the 3 of them performing and I will be happy with that.
As I wrote in another thread, I just bought tickets for Jon's show on May 8th and we're looking forward to seeing him perform.

The sands of time are running quickly it seems these days. Jon is 74 and a year or two hiatus from ARW puts him at 75 or 76. Granted he seems in good health and lives a healthy lifestyle, but as we've seen so many times, when we least expect it, our music heroes are taken from us all too soon.

[yamishogun]

Anderson's been asked about ARW in a couple of recent interviews, and taken together, he's not saying ARW is over, but he's talking about 2020 or even 2021 before new activity, and he's pretty clear he wasn't happy with how things were going:

Anderson told a fan during the recent livestream that he will work with ARW again and then said they will meet again in 2020 or 2021.

(56:45) fan: "What's going on with ARW? Are you going to be working with them again? Because they were awesome - you were awesome with them."

Anderson: "Yes...Yeah, yeah! We just went through a period where we were very happening on stage but everything around wasn't as clear or as defined as it should be ... ... it wasn't as clear for the three of us where we were heading. Personally, I always just wanted to make new music, but it was hard to get everything in that sort of area where we were connected and that's just the way things are. So I just said 'I'll see you in 2020 or 2021 and so we'll get together.' I'm a big, big fan of both the guys - you know, the music that Trevor does is ridiculous - it's so beautiful. His scores, his music he does for movies - the consummate artist - and Rick is a wild and crazy guy!... Rick may be a little out there at times but man, when he's on stage he's a magician - very rare, very rare. Beautiful, very powerful. So, we'll see what happens."

Rabin also seemed frustrated last summer in an interview with Billboard:

"Rabin says that "there is a lot of music that's been written and stuff that's been passed backwards and forwards," but the group appears in no hurry to put anything out at the moment.

"I have no idea whether that's in the cards or not, but it's certainly not something I'm against and it's not something Jon or Rick is against," Rabin says. "We've been offered a number of record deals but we don't want to commit to that, so we've turned them down. Doing a record contract is not something we want to do, and if we record then we'll record first and then decide what to do with it. There won't be some announcement that Yes signs to whatever. That's not something we're even interested in."

This seems related to the collapse of the music industry that was discussed a few weeks ago...

[Splicer]

If a band isn't putting out new material then it is a nostalgia act - one notch above tribute band.

[yamishogun]

I think these quotes are interesting:

Anderson, a few days ago: "Personally, I always just wanted to make new music, but it was hard to get everything in that sort of area where we were connected and that's just the way things are."

Rabin, last summer: "there is a lot of music that's been written and stuff that's been passed backwards and forwards,"

If you didn't know what Rabin said, including that he said a few weeks later: "There's a lot more in the pipeline (after "Fragile")", then you'd think Anderson was strongly in favor of making new music and the other two were not so nothing new was made. This seems like Anderson spinning and leaving out important things that happened from late 2017 on.

[Mascodagama]

Versions of Yes are like cockroaches. They will probably constitute the last remaining form of life when Earth is a burnt-out cinder about to be consumed by the Sun.

[Top Cat]

If a band isn't putting out new material then it is a nostalgia act - one notch above tribute band.

I think a band is a band is a band, whether they are playing older material or not. What changes my opinion is when most of the original members are no longer in the band but one or two surviving members are and they tour as XXXX.

I feel it doesn't need to be put into a category. If you like the music it shouldn't matter if it's new or not, especially when a band has been playing for 30-40 or 50 years.
I think it's a bit insulting to refer to a band like ARW as nostalgic, but I understand that's your opinion and we kindly disagree.

[arturs]

I wonder also if Trevor and Rick's other careers have put ARW on the back burner. I know Rick's two recent piano albums both went Top 10 in the UK, with the first one being awarded "silver" designation for 60,000 sold. While that won't buy Rick's Rolls Royce collection back, it is probably more than ARW could hope to sell at this time. And is probably far less expensive to record a piano album!

Trevor has alluded to continuing demand for his soundtrack work. So that leaves Jon...

[Koreabruce]

...Rick may be a little out there at times but man, when he's on stage he's a magician - very rare, very rare...

Imagine that - Jon Anderson calling Rick Wakeman "out there."

[yamishogun]

Imagine that - Jon Anderson calling Rick Wakeman "out there."

Even funnier is that you can see that he was channeling Divine Mother Audrey Kitagawa when he said that.

[The Dark Elf]

Oh no, down to only one YES? What will the cruise lines do without the extra bookings?

[bondegezou]

I think a band is a band is a band, whether they are playing older material or not. What changes my opinion is when most of the original members are no longer in the band but one or two surviving members are and they tour as XXXX.

Isn't that most of the '70s or '80s prog bands still touring? Yes (both of them), Crimson, Camel, Gong, Caravan, Tangerine Dream, Kansas, Dream Theater, Soft Machine etc.

Henry

[JJ88]

I wonder also if Trevor and Rick's other careers have put ARW on the back burner. I know Rick's two recent piano albums both went Top 10 in the UK, with the first one being awarded "silver" designation for 60,000 sold. While that won't buy Rick's Rolls Royce collection back, it is probably more than ARW could hope to sell at this time. And is probably far less expensive to record a piano album!

Trevor has alluded to continuing demand for his soundtrack work. So that leaves Jon...

Well of course at this stage, the world isn't waiting for a new album by any of the 'classic rock' set, but I suppose Fly From Here performed respectably and that was without Anderson/Wakeman (arguably the best known members individually), obviously! ISTR it charted far higher than any of Asia's albums on the same label.

With ARW, well, they have only been a nostalgia act, frankly, playing (IMHO) fairly uninspired setlists. My enthusiasm for ARW faded very quickly when this became apparent. And then there was all the press release nonsense about 'the definitive Yes line-up'. I am not sure this project was worth the bad feeling that has been caused.

The other Yes also seem to be going through a very quiet period. Who knows what will happen...

[ThomasKDye]

Isn't that most of the '70s or '80s prog bands still touring? Yes (both of them), Crimson, Camel, Gong, Caravan, Tangerine Dream, Kansas, Dream Theater, Soft Machine etc.

Henry

Yeah, I mean, you've basically just left ZZ Top as the only legitimate 70s/80s band out there.

[Jerjo]

Very little substance to this article (generous use of the term), and in fact JA suggests that he’s hoping ARW can resume next year, so nothing new, really. Just clickbait.

Nonetheless, we can expect a good twenty-thirty pages discussing it.

[moecurlythanu]

I am not sure this project was worth the bad feeling that has been caused.

Didn't you hear the raucous and consistent applause on the DVD? Clearly yours is a minority opinion.

[JJ88]

^

I'm afraid I had no interest in that DVD at all...nor any of the other Yes' regular live albums.

[aith01]

Imagine that - Jon Anderson calling Rick Wakeman "out there."

Now I've seen everything!

[yamishogun]

The other Yes also seem to be going through a very quiet period.

It's known over at YesFans as Mystery Period 2

[IMWeasel]

Versions of Yes are like cockroaches. They will probably constitute the last remaining form of life when Earth is a burnt-out cinder about to be consumed by the Sun.

LOL.

I mean "Drama" isn't just the name of a Yes album, it really describes the band in general. Every time a lineup mentions how much they love working with each other and want to continue, that always seems to the cue that they are going to break up any day.

[Dan Roth]

Yes also seem to be going through a very quiet period.

They were performing their Japan dates last week....

[progmatist]

What else is new? I remember there being 2 bands called Yes in the late 70s, early 80s.