Arc Of Life, new band featuring Davison, Schellen, Sherwood, Kerzner and Haun

[Crawford Glissadevil]

Well, that's a relief. Billy is pleased.

Decades ago, I thought Billy had the potential to improve YES composition and production.
Down in Texas we have an old football expression that goes, " Potential means the boy hasn't done it yet."
Today, I associate Billy with stale.

[ThomasKDye]

Ah, the joys of being a YES-fan and reading many of the same folks, on various forums, politely and not so politely, explaining just how much YES suck; usually without Jon Anderson. Never seems to get old for some folks. ;-)

I'm terribly sorry. Everything Yes has ever done is brilliant and beautiful and if you listen for too long, you will ascend into the heavens to meet St. Jon at the gate where he will greet you with joyfulness and hep-yadda for eternities to come.

[Splicer]

The BAND GEEKS for the win, killing it as usual!

They're always a lot of fun to watch and listen to.

[julioscissors]

Here's this weekend's chat with the Arc guys.

Thanks! I'll pour a couple fingers of Scotch tonight and give it a listen. I really enjoy all your interviews; it's "evergreen" content.

[Vic2012]

he will greet you with joyfulness and hep-yadda

Thank you. I just snarfed beer all over my shirt....

[Impman]

I struggled through the whole Arc Of Life album today. Never. Again.

Shockingly unlistenable, even with very low expectations.

[julioscissors]

Listening to it now, there's something way off with the production to me. Like the treble knob is all the way to the left.

It's a shame because I like the music of the the opening track, and Davison sounds good. The little guitar solo is nice as well. It just sounds so muddled.

[julioscissors]

OK, I'm gonna be that guy. I got used to the production after a couple of songs (so I take back that post up there ^^), and I really like it. Jon sounds really good, the guitar playing is cool, bass is solid, and the harmonies are nice. It's like a really good version of Open Your Eyes.

Therefore We Are is an especially tasty tune; love the vocals and melody.

That said, God knows why they led with You Make it Real. It's easily the worst song on the album.

I listened on Spotify to get a taste, and I'm off to purchase on Amazon.

[moecurlythanu]

^ Scandal!!!

[julioscissors]

^ Scandal!!!

Haha I'm a pariah

It's really a great album save for a couple tunes. Fight me.

[Frumious B]

OK, I'm gonna be that guy. I got used to the production after a couple of songs (so I take back that post up there ^^), and I really like it. Jon sounds really good, the guitar playing is cool, bass is solid, and the harmonies are nice. It's like a really good version of Open Your Eyes.

Therefore We Are is an especially tasty tune; love the vocals and melody.

That said, God knows why they led with You Make it Real. It's easily the worst song on the album.

I listened on Spotify to get a taste, and I'm off to purchase on Amazon.

I think I had a similar experience to what you describe above with the original release of Rush’s Vapor Trails. I think it’s sorta like “bootleg ears” where spending time with a poorer quality recording (audience bootlegs, old jazz and blues recordings taken from 78s, more modern releases with extreme “loudness wars” type compression applied to them) allows you to hear through the imperfections to get to the performances. Of course I only ever listen to the remix of Vapor Trails now.

[julioscissors]

I think it’s sorta like “bootleg ears” where spending time with a poorer quality recording

I think you're right. I had just finished listening to the new Transatlantic album with all that great production, and switched over to Arc of Life and it was a bit jarring.

Billy's got his own "vibe" with his production, and after a couple or tunes I was really diggin' it. There's some really good playing and some great chord changes and harmonies on the album.

I'm not the biggest fan of Sherwood's lead vocals... but fuck it, they're his lyrics and more power to him if he wants to sing them.

And no, I'm not their agent

[moecurlythanu]

And no, I'm not their agent

Well, as there's a scissors aiming at the scrotum, and one aiming at Julio (stay away from the schoolyard, young man,) this is probably a dangerous forum if one doesn't know how to navigate it properly.

[julioscissors]

Well, as there's a scissors aiming at the scrotum, and one aiming at Julio (stay away from the schoolyard, young man,) this is probably a dangerous forum if one doesn't know how to navigate it properly.

I rode on the back of rec.music.progressive and stood on the decks of a blinker and watched C-beams slag Adrian Belew near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments, all the posts in alt.music.yes, will be lost in time, like tears in rain

[Splicer]

I rode on the back of rec.music.progressive and stood on the decks of a blinker and watched C-beams slag Adrian Belew near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments, all the posts in alt.music.yes, will be lost in time, like tears in rain

Ah, the good old days featuring Tony Elka demanding proof that one was truly a fan and not a pretender.

[Progatron]

Troopers vs. Generators

[julioscissors]

Troopers vs. Generators

All the cool kids were Panthers.

[moecurlythanu]

^ Very Sci-Fi, I'm impressed.

[Splicer]

I think you're right. I had just finished listening to the new Transatlantic album with all that great production, and switched over to Arc of Life and it was a bit jarring.

Billy's got his own "vibe" with his production, and after a couple or tunes I was really diggin' it.

I haven't seen any liner notes but I'm assuming that Sherwood produced and engineered the album. Just my opinion from being a radio production guy, I think his ears are shot from years of abuse. Reminds me of a coworker of mine whose final mixes always sound muddy to me. He was on-air DJ and he tends to listen to everything at an unnecessarily loud volume so my assumption is that he's missing the mid range of his hearing because he makes everything sound as if that's the only thing that's being pumped up.

[Harbottle]

I'm just listening to this. It's not bad, but does sound a lot like OYE era-Yes at times (Which I don't like much). Some of the vocals are poor, but there're some enjoyable instrumental passages, but it all sounds a bit odd, like someone fiddled with cables in the studio for a joke. All a bit muddy sounding. I quite liked Just in Sight, but the song about Siri was somewhat embarrassing.

'Locked down' is quite 'proggy', with lots of start stop passages, vocal interplay and instrumental passages and time signature changes. Very 90125 in places.

[malgeo]

I'd love to hear Billy produce a record using nothing but analogue equipment. But would that really change his "sound"?

[Squids]

I'd love to hear Billy produce a record using nothing but analogue equipment. But would that really change his "sound"?

Analog is not necessarily the audio savior many people think it is. It all depends on what gear you use, how you use it and your ears. Billy actually does use some analog gear. It's not always the gear I would use but each engineer has their particular taste and reasoning.

Personally my favorite sounding Yes album is Close To The Edge. It doesn't get any better than that. I've been studying it and trying to understand better what Eddie Offord did sonically to achieve that quality at Advision in the early 70s. I've even put together recreations of some of the audio equipment to add to my recording and mixing set up because I love that sound so much.

Anyway, it's interesting reading what you guys say. But, in the end, it IS subjective and I guess it's one of those albums or bands that have a wide range of love it or hate it. Maybe leftover from the endless Yes debating perhaps. But, remember, each opinion is only worth one vote and there are others out there who feel differently than you. People also vote with their wallet and that speaks volumes because I think it's doing quite well! I believe the CDs are sold out at the moment from the label who is already making its second pressing. I heard it was in the iTunes top 20 chart or something like that (I don't pay a lot of attention to that but I saw someone mentioning it). So, you know... to each their own.

[bondegezou]

I rode on the back of rec.music.progressive and stood on the decks of a blinker and watched C-beams slag Adrian Belew near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments, all the posts in alt.music.yes, will be lost in time, like tears in rain

Nice.

All the cool kids were Panthers.

Were? Are. Strike hard. Strike fast. No mercy. (I may be getting confused here...)

Henry

[bondegezou]

I heard it was in the iTunes top 20 chart or something like that (I don't pay a lot of attention to that but I saw someone mentioning it)

It peaked at #95 on the US iTunes chart, which ain't bad.

Henry

[The_Lurker]

I haven't seen any liner notes but I'm assuming that Sherwood produced and engineered the album. Just my opinion from being a radio production guy, I think his ears are shot from years of abuse. Reminds me of a coworker of mine whose final mixes always sound muddy to me. He was on-air DJ and he tends to listen to everything at an unnecessarily loud volume so my assumption is that he's missing the mid range of his hearing because he makes everything sound as if that's the only thing that's being pumped up.

Yes, he produced and engineered it. He says there was band input on that and also he used Derek Shulman as a sounding board. But to my ears it sounds very Billy anyway, regardless of who else weighed in. You can hear him talk more about that here (was linked a few pages ago but who has time for that these days?):