Jon Anderson found touring with Yes "too stressful"

[GuitarGeek]

I'm sure Howe and Squire have their own flaws -- I'm not saying they're the "good guys" in this divorce -- but I can't think of any instances where they've shown this particular character trait.

There probably aren't any "good guys" in this context. I suspect all three of them did stuff that contributed to the way things went.

[aith01]

There probably aren't any "good guys" in this context. I suspect all three of them did stuff that contributed to the way things went.

This is likely true.

But the stuff Jon says compared with what he does makes him seem delusional, at best. IMO.

[miamiscot]

Jon is delusional. He lives in a very different head space than most people. Dude thinks he is Yes. Demands 50%. Disparages the Mother Ship and Mr Howe on the regs.

That said, I really want him back in the fold...

...with Jon Davison!!!

[mx20]

"Begone, you ever-piercing power-play machine!"

[ThomasKDye]

"Begone, you ever-piercing power-play machine!"

Our musical solidarity was cut long ago, and it HURT.

[Vic333]

He's attempting to be more diplomatic. I'm doubtful it'll pay off, but still hopeful.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[3LockBox]

I'd rather hear Makes Me Happy again than anything off H&E. As far as the video goes it's by far not the worst video I've seen from an old prog act, doing pop or prog.

[Plasmatopia]

I'm far from a rabid fan of anything Yes or Yes-related these days (or JA-related), but I wonder if modern day Yes might have been better off (musically) with a bit of a Jon A. injection than without. I'm pretty sure Jon is directionally correct when the phrase "too stressful" is mentioned though.

[Man In The Mountain]

If you pass up 1000 Hands based on "Makes Me Happy" you would be as dumb as someone passing on Brain Salad Surgery after hearing "Benny The Bouncer". Not comparing the two albums, but I am comparing the two songs in context of the albums.

To be honest, after seeing the current YES I don't really see Anderson fitting back in at all. They are their own thing as a unit, and Anderson is too big a cheese to just fall in line and get on with it. He's far better in ARW & his solo group where he is the main focus - the master of ceremonies.

[bondegezou]

I'd rather hear Makes Me Happy again than anything off H&E.

I am glad to live in a world where I can hear "Makes Me Happy" and Heaven & Earth and "Activate"/"First Born Leaders"/"WDMCF" etc. and "Opus No. 1 (Hopefulness)"/"Opus No. 2 (Joyfulness)"/"Opus No. 3 (Thankfulness)"/"Opus No. 4 (Gratefulness)" and Fly from Here - Return Trip and Trevor Horn Reimagines the Eighties. And I'd rather hear all of those over "Now and Again", the Anderson/Howe collaboration on 1000 Hands that I find rather disappointing.

Henry

[abhorsen]

Honestly, as someone who has followed Yes and Mr. Anderson since my high school days in the 80's, if you say you are a fan who responds to his spirituality, music and words, I can't see how you don't see essential parts of Jon in Makes Me Happy. You need to listen to the first Yes album again if you think Jon Anderson has gone far afield from where he used to be in the 1970's. He may be experimenting with different instrumentation and tempos but at its core, the music is pure JA. The guy fortunately has always found joy in life and has used his career in music to try and spread that joy to others. We should all be so lucky.

The long form stuff is great. I'm grateful Anderson doesn't need a recording contract from Atlantic to put it out there in 2019. Given the quality of his voice and music now, I dearly wish he and Steve could bury whatever bad blood exists between them and do a final Yes project together. Anderson at the very least is putting out enjoyable new music.

[GuitarGeek]

Given the quality of his voice and music now, I dearly wish he and Steve could bury whatever bad blood exists between them and do a final Yes project together. Anderson at the very least is putting out enjoyable new music.

It would be nice if they could put aside whatever-the-frell-it-is. But I gather for much of the time that Howe was back in Yes, maybe even going back to the ABWH days, the two of them could do nothing but argue with each other. I don't understand how you can make new music together under those circumstances, beyond perhaps Steve handing Jon a bunch of demos and saying "Do whatever you like with them for the next album", which again, I gather is how a lot of Steve's contributions to Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, and Magnification came into the picture.

Has Steve made any comments about what he thinks of the last two albums? I know with each of the circa 1997-2004 albums, he had some derogatory comment to make, eventually, after the given album had been out for awhile. I don't remember talking about Keys To Ascension, but it seems like each of the other three, he had something to say about how he was unhappy with the record.

[bondegezou]

It would be nice if they could put aside whatever-the-frell-it-is. But I gather for much of the time that Howe was back in Yes, maybe even going back to the ABWH days, the two of them could do nothing but argue with each other. I don't understand how you can make new music together under those circumstances, beyond perhaps Steve handing Jon a bunch of demos and saying "Do whatever you like with them for the next album", which again, I gather is how a lot of Steve's contributions to Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, and Magnification came into the picture.

The Ladder and Magnification were done collaboratively. Your description there better fits ABWH, I think.

Has Steve made any comments about what he thinks of the last two albums? I know with each of the circa 1997-2004 albums, he had some derogatory comment to make, eventually, after the given album had been out for awhile. I don't remember talking about Keys To Ascension, but it seems like each of the other three, he had something to say about how he was unhappy with the record.

Howe has been very positive about the Keys to Ascension 2 studio material and about Fly from Here, but he's been negative about Heaven & Earth, which, my guess is, was driven by Squire.

Henry

[DoubleDrummer]

From 1968 until 2015, Squire was in every version of the band YES.
He put the band before himself in the context of priority and business.
This is why Squire should be viewed as the member with obvious dignity and vision (although certainly without faults).
He brought in Downes and Horn to keep the project moving forward; he formed Cinema with Rabin and decided to bring Anderson into the (already very good) band to allow YES to survive.
The blurb below tells the story...............

In May 2015, news of Squire's diagnosis with acute erythroid leukaemia was made public. This resulted in former guitarist Billy Sherwood replacing him for their 2015 summer North American tour with Toto between August–September, and their third annual Cruise to the Edge voyage in November, while Squire was receiving treatment. His condition deteriorated soon after, and he died on 27 June at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. Downes first announced Squire's death on Twitter. Squire asked White and Sherwood to continue the legacy of the band, which Sherwood recalled "was paramount in his mind ... so I'm happy to be doing that." Yes performed without Squire for the first time in their 47-year history, on 7 August 2015 in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Personally for me, IMO, the end of the band was the day Squire died.

[Stevie B]

From 1968 until 2015, Squire was in every version of the band YES.
He put the band before himself in the context of priority and business.
This is why Squire should be viewed as the member with obvious dignity and vision (although certainly without faults).
He brought in Downes and Horn to keep the project moving forward; he formed Cinema with Rabin and decided to bring Anderson into the (already very good) band to allow YES to survive.
The blurb below tells the story...............

In May 2015, news of Squire's diagnosis with acute erythroid leukaemia was made public. This resulted in former guitarist Billy Sherwood replacing him for their 2015 summer North American tour with Toto between August–September, and their third annual Cruise to the Edge voyage in November, while Squire was receiving treatment. His condition deteriorated soon after, and he died on 27 June at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. Downes first announced Squire's death on Twitter. Squire asked White and Sherwood to continue the legacy of the band, which Sherwood recalled "was paramount in his mind ... so I'm happy to be doing that." Yes performed without Squire for the first time in their 47-year history, on 7 August 2015 in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Personally for me, IMO, the end of the band was the day Squire died.

It may be your opinion, and I respect that, but as the "blurb" you quote makes clear, it wasn't Squire's opinion...

[happytheman]

From 1968 until 2015, Squire was in every version of the band YES.
He put the band before himself in the context of priority and business.
This is why Squire should be viewed as the member with obvious dignity and vision (although certainly without faults).
He brought in Downes and Horn to keep the project moving forward; he formed Cinema with Rabin and decided to bring Anderson into the (already very good) band to allow YES to survive.
The blurb below tells the story...............

In May 2015, news of Squire's diagnosis with acute erythroid leukaemia was made public. This resulted in former guitarist Billy Sherwood replacing him for their 2015 summer North American tour with Toto between August–September, and their third annual Cruise to the Edge voyage in November, while Squire was receiving treatment. His condition deteriorated soon after, and he died on 27 June at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. Downes first announced Squire's death on Twitter. Squire asked White and Sherwood to continue the legacy of the band, which Sherwood recalled "was paramount in his mind ... so I'm happy to be doing that." Yes performed without Squire for the first time in their 47-year history, on 7 August 2015 in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Personally for me, IMO, the end of the band was the day Squire died.

Key word is "legacy".. Someone asked about the show I saw two weeks ago.. "who's in Yes"? And I think that's a key question for the average music listener.. My reply as it has been for the last two times I've seen them.. "There are no original members in the band these days.. I basically go to see Steve Howe"..

[Top Cat]

Key word is "legacy".. Someone asked about the show I saw two weeks ago.. "who's in Yes"? And I think that's a key question for the average music listener.. My reply as it has been for the last two times I've seen them.. "There are no original members in the band these days.. I basically go to see Steve Howe"..

When we went to see Yes last fall, we went to hear the music of Yes and of course to hear it live. Actually I say listen because I had 2 very tall people sitting in front of me which resulted in seeing part of Steve and Geoff's back when I tilted my head to the left, and to the right a part of Jay on drums and Billy Sherwood.
But what I heard being played live was wonderful, very Yes and tight with passion and drive.
Although there are no original members per se, most have been playing in Yes for decades in one way or the other. It's not like a tribute band where there is the drummer from the original group and the rest are hired guns.
I understand your position and it's great we STILL have Steve Howe performing with Yes. There are a few of my favorite bands out there still touring, but I'm not interested in seeing them live anymore because there have been enough lineup changes where it just doesn't work for me anymore.

I am reminded of Public Broadcasting fund drives where they have concerts with 50's and 60's acts performing and many of them are but a shell of the original band or group.
Unfortunately our progressive rock bands are reaching the ages where we are starting to see the same thing beginning to happen with them, and it will only get worse.

[Steve983]

Floyd = Retired. Genesis = Retired. Rush = Retired. Yes = Still Going! I'll see them every chance I get next year when they hopefully play in the UK.

After Steve Howe retires though I imagine its over....

[happytheman]

Floyd = Retired. Genesis = Retired. Rush = Retired. Yes = Still Going! I'll see them every chance I get next year when they hopefully play in the UK.

After Steve Howe retires though I imagine its over....

Yeah.. I've gone on record to say once Steve leaves the band.. my interest will wane for sure..

[Sunlight Caller]

I doubt we will ever get the reunion some dream of, I’m just happy that Jon is still out their being Jon, and he seems to have been in a particularly creative mode of late. I feel Yes could do with his energies and ideas, their tours are still enjoyable nostalgic trips. It has been a long time since a collaborative endeavour between them yielded magic, so I’ll take what I can get from them.

[gearHed289]

To be honest, after seeing the current YES I don't really see Anderson fitting back in at all. They are their own thing as a unit, and Anderson is too big a cheese to just fall in line and get on with it. He's far better in ARW & his solo group where he is the main focus - the master of ceremonies.

I agree with this. Considering their history, it's kind of interesting just how different YES Official and ARW are. It's definitely not just Howe vs Rabin or Wakeman vs Downes. It's a very different vibe. Funny thing, when I saw that Sherwood is using a Spector, I thought "Cool, he's not totally aping Chris with a Rickenbacker". But when I saw Pomeroy WITH a Ric, it seemed appropriate. Maybe I'm nuts?

Personally for me, IMO, the end of the band was the day Squire died.

Sadly, same here. I don't want to seem close minded, and I am truly happy that people are enjoying Yes Official, but with no Anderson or Squire, I'm really not interested.

[yamishogun]

Howe has been very positive about the Keys to Ascension 2 studio material and about Fly from Here, but he's been negative about Heaven & Earth, which, my guess is, was driven by Squire.

Henry

I've read Howe only liked one song on Magnification.

[Progatron]

I figured this thread was as good as any...

Just saw on Facebook a guy complaining that he ordered a pendant and necklace from Jon's official web shop and it never came, and nobody is answering his e-mails. A couple of responses already, with one guy saying it's been over 14 months since he ordered his and he doesn't have it! Ouch.

[Steve983]

I figured this thread was as good as any...

Just saw on Facebook a guy complaining that he ordered a pendant and necklace from Jon's official web shop and it never came, and nobody is answering his e-mails. A couple of responses already, with one guy saying it's been over 14 months since he ordered his and he doesn't have it! Ouch.

I think this pretty much sums up Jon Anderson.

[bondegezou]

I've read Howe only liked one song on Magnification.

I've not read that, and your memory is... amusing at times.

Howe has voiced unhappiness with the album. He didn't like the orchestra. He's even mooted released a non-orchestral version. He didn't like Anderson taking complete control of the lyrics.

Henry