Billy Sherwood talks about his long history with Yes

[Paulrus]

I also recall Bill telling of how Anderson was constantly on everybodies backs to write stuff.. Somewhere along the way I've heard it said Jon would come in bashing about on a guitar 2-3 chords saying.. "this is what we're going to do until someone else comes up with something better.. all but forcing the bands hand to getting involved.. I will agree with you that sometimes conflict ends up bringing the best out of a group of people shooting for a common answer..

I think Peter Banks said once they would come up with more complicated arrangements simply as a preventative measure so that JA's very crude ideas weren't the final result!

[abhorsen]

Which just goes to fuel the opinion that it's the internal conflicts and tensions within a band that lead to the best creative results. I can recall from the YesYears documentary Bill Bruford saying "We ONLY ever disagreed." And ironically, perhaps that's a contributing factor of why so many vintage bands can't reproduce the brilliance of their glory days; they've gotten themselves to a place where everything is happiness and sunshine and they don't have to fight for their ideas anymore. Add to that you've reduced the band down to 2 or 3 long time members and the new, younger guys aren't going to fight for their ideas.

Yeah definitely, when you consider CTTE, Fragile and the Yes Album especially. I recall some of Bruford's comments, making fun of Anderson's inability to actually play the guitar he would strum to come up with ideas on and such. The arguments over every last note in that era surely led to some brilliant music.

I'm a big fan of the first two albums with Peter Banks. I dig his guitar work on those early albums. I wish he had made another album with Yes in that classic era. His sound was much more rooted in the prog pscyh era that gave birth to Yes. His runs on those early songs bring a lot of energy to the music and the compositions.

[happytheman]

Yeah definitely, when you consider CTTE, Fragile and the Yes Album especially. I recall some of Bruford's comments, making fun of Anderson's inability to actually play the guitar he would strum to come up with ideas on and such. The arguments over every last note in that era surely led to some brilliant music.

I'm a big fan of the first two albums with Peter Banks. I dig his guitar work on those early albums. I wish he had made another album with Yes in that classic era. His sound was much more rooted in the prog pscyh era that gave birth to Yes. His runs on those early songs bring a lot of energy to the music and the compositions.

It was years before I heard Two Sides to Peter Banks or in my case the twofer Flash/In the Can. Lot's of good riffs on those releases.. I've never understood the Yes purist who overlook or outright cock their legs on the first two Yes albums.. I played TaaW and The Yes Album way more than than any other Yes release when I first got turned onto the band. And when I finally got a hold of the first release I found Survival / Looking Around to fit comfortably under the classic Yes label. I guess that's why I was the only guy in our group of high school friends to buy Yesterdays when it came out..

[abhorsen]

Definitely! Those first two records are very much classic Yes and Yesterdays will always be my favorite compilation from the band. Just a really nice selection to go along with America.

[the winter tree]

Definitely! Those first two records are very much classic Yes and Yesterdays will always be my favorite compilation from the band. Just a really nice selection to go along with America.

"Yesterdays" is a great compilation, but most of the tracks other than "America" sound like they were run through a phase shifter and sound very thin. It gets worse as the album goes on. "Survival" is almost buried in phasing. On the original albums the songs sound fine. Then they remastered all these songs in 1994. I don't understand why they didn't recompile it with the better sounding tracks from the original albums when remastering. I've never been able to get to the bottom of this and I never hear anyone comment on it, which is strange because it's so obvious.

[Splicer]

I assume Igor looked appropriately dour while playing all these songs he had nothing to do with, and Alan was careful not to look like he "had anything to do with" Roundabout, yes?

Since nothing they were doing at the time stood out as unusual, I have no memory of them doing anything except playing. There's a reason that Sherwood stood out the way I related it. It's not that he didn't play the Trevor Rabin part well - he did. It just came across as an out-of-place showcase moment. Mileage varies.

[rojon]

"Yesterdays" is a great compilation, but most of the tracks other than "America" sound like they were run through a phase shifter and sound very thin.

I think this was tinkering by Eddie Offord. This just from some vague memory, I don't have anything to back this up so feel free to disregard.

[ytserush]

Definitely! Those first two records are very much classic Yes and Yesterdays will always be my favorite compilation from the band. Just a really nice selection to go along with America.

Big fan of those first two Yes albums in the way that I like those early Floyd albums.

[floyd umma gumma]

Thanks for posting - a nice set of comments from Sherwood. Seems like a nice fellow. I am hoping this group will record something with Sherwood as the bass player, I would like to see if he brings anything fresh to the band as the bass player on record. Looking back at the times when Yes have brought in replacement players, in many cases it opened up a new set of sounds/styles. Moving from Peter Banks to Steve Howe gave them a different sound for sure. Bruford to White, Kaye to Wakeman, Wakeman to Moraz, Howe to Rabin. Each of those players had their own set of influences and style. Tony Levin on the ABWH record did not sound very much like Chris Squire but I thought he brought a fresh sound to that record.

But when I hear Sherwood play Yes music on the bass - it's a remarkable facsimile of Chris Squire. Perhaps that will change if it's new material - I hope so. As the years pass, I think Sherwood is actually starting to look more like Chris Squire. The hair, the stage clothes. He does not look as if he is taking good care of his health/fitness. Perhaps this is one Chris Squire trait he should not wish to emulate.

[abhorsen]

Big fan of those first two Yes albums in the way that I like those early Floyd albums.

Agree! I love Saucerful of Secrets, even with the descending into chaotic mess that is Corporal Clegg. The first album is a masterwork of psychedelia, as is Umma if not as solid track to track by the individual band members.

[Nearfest2]

...a nice set of comments from Sherwood. Seems like a nice fellow. I am hoping this group will record something with Sherwood as the bass player, I would like to see if he brings anything fresh to the band as the bass player on record.

If World Trade and "Open Your Eyes" are any indication (and they are), then the answer is a resounding "no".

But when I hear Sherwood play Yes music on the bass - it's a remarkable facsimile of Chris Squire. Perhaps that will change if it's new material - I hope so.

I'm not holding my breath. Sherwood may be able to play the parts, but he's never shown that he can write bass parts like the great Chris Squire.

[Adm.Kirk]

If World Trade and "Open Your Eyes" are any indication (and they are), then the answer is a resounding "no".




I'm not holding my breath. Sherwood may be able to play the parts, but he's never shown that he can write bass parts like the great Chris Squire.

Check Cut the Ties from the first Circa album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nce70kMbDo

Not saying it's as good as Squire but this isn't bad.

Bill

[arturs]

If World Trade and "Open Your Eyes" are any indication (and they are), then the answer is a resounding "no".

I said it on the previous page but I'll say it again: Sherwood/Circa's "Valley of the Windmill" from 2015 is a minor classic IMHO. Before that one, I might have agreed with you. But no need to go back to World Trade or OYE when there is a much more recent and much stronger example of Sherwood's prog work.

Windmill shows that Sherwood can write damn good epics, with catchy riffs and strong melodies. Intelligent lyrics too. As 3LockBox said: better vocal harmonies and some Steve Howe sprinkled over the top and you have the best Yes album in 30 years.

[bondegezou]

I said it on the previous page but I'll say it again: Sherwood/Circa's "Valley of the Windmill" from 2015 is a minor classic IMHO. Before that one, I might have agreed with you. But no need to go back to World Trade or OYE when there is a much more recent and much stronger example of Sherwood's prog work.

Windmill shows that Sherwood can write damn good epics, with catchy riffs and strong melodies. Intelligent lyrics too. As 3LockBox said: better vocal harmonies and some Steve Howe sprinkled over the top and you have the best Yes album in 30 years.

Valley is a very nice album, but it's CIRCA:, so it's Kaye co-writing, not just Sherwood. (Of course, Kaye could co-write for a new Yes album too!)

Henry

[Yestronomy]

Valley is a very nice album, but it's CIRCA:, so it's Kaye co-writing, not just Sherwood. (Of course, Kaye could co-write for a new Yes album too!)

Henry

Now that would be nice.

[Steve983]

Please forgive me if I have somehow missed this info that has been hiding in plain site but I have never known for sure why Billy left Yes after The Ladder tour (and before Masterworks & Magnification).

There is this interview here that is most likely some contrived after the event cover story that he resigned but the band didn't want him to leave..
https://somethingelsereviews.com/201...rmerly-of-yes/

Excerpt from the interview:

NICK DERISO: You quit after the U.S. leg of the tour in support of The Ladder. But that wasn’t the end of things with Yes, was it?
BILLY SHERWOOD: I resigned, but the management and the band — nobody believed that I had just quit. The management called and said: ‘The European leg is coming up.’ I laughed and told them: ‘You’ll be fine without me. I’m done here.’ And they said no, no. I was really not wanting to go to Europe. They kept calling me back — and so I basically said: ‘If I come back to do this, with the course and destiny of the band right now, you are still going to get my resignation when we were done.’ So, I actually quit twice! Look, Yes is a tense band. You see what’s going on now: There is no surprise that there is tension in the band. I just wanted to go forward, and eventually, it turned into a ‘masterworks tour.’ For me, my passion is about making new music — moving forward. That was my passion and motivation in Yes, and when I felt that time was passed, I was done. The fact that they just now have a new album out — after 10 years — that speaks to what I’m talking about. I’ve got to move faster than that. (Laughs.)


However I have heard conflicting comments that he was 'treated very badly' and forced out in the usual Yes manner, like so many ex Yes members.
So does anyone have any more detail on this please? Thanks.