New Yes Video: Dare to Know from The Quest

[Top Cat]

Sorry mods, Splicer posted this in a Yes thread at the same time. Please delete my post if necessary.

[Farpoint Kevin]

I listened once last night, and once this morning. It's very mellow! I don't dislike it, but so far I found "The Ice Bridge" more fun to listen to. But this one could be a grower. I'll listen a couple more times before I make a final judgement.

[Conti]

I quite enjoyed the song. It could easily be on Magnification and, IMHO, be one of the best songs in the album. Not groundbreaking, but very nice. I liked it better than The Ice Bridge. So far, so good.

[Splicer]

I think it's just plain weak. There are some nice Howe-esque moments but they sound like they're dropped into the song after the fact to Yes-ify it. There are stretches early on that sound like music from some adventure game. The overall production does not sound like it has any depth at all. I can almost see the separate tracks on the DAW while listening to this.

[ThomasKDye]

I thought it was quite nice. REALLY Starcastle-y to me. Howe definitely has some nice bits (particularly the intro, which at first I thought was a sitar!) and I don't care what anybody says, the addition of the orchestra alone puts it above H&E.

It's not quite as catchy as "The Ice Bridge" and I'll admit, a whole album of this would be... not great. But it's good enough that I'll be looking forward to the rest of it.

[Mstove]

I enjoyed it. As Thomas mentioned, I don't want a full album of it, but one or two like this works for me. So far, so good, IMO.

[Scott Bails]

It's.....fine. Very Steve Howe, similar to the more "new agey" stuff he's done, solo or with Paul Sutin.

[bondegezou]

I think it has a lot more structure than the "new agey" albums Howe did. I like how it takes the listener on a journey as it explores its themes through contrasting instrumentation, from electric rock band to full-on orchestra to acoustic guitar. I like how it starts with a bare electric guitar as an intro into a rock instrumentation (guitars, bass, drums, Hammond), then it builds the tempo at the same time as introducing the horn jabs. It then goes into a verse, but just as you think you understand the song, "things keep on changing" (as the lyrics warn us) and we tumble into the orchestral section. But before that has a chance to become familiar, we have a new guitar timbre taking over the main theme, lifting us back into a new verse. We go around again, but this time rock band and orchestra are integrated. As per the lyrics again, "Things start[ed] to happen, they form[ed] in a pattern". That final verse then has a celebratory tone, a resolution achieved. And into a finale... except that is then undercut by the melancholy coda on acoustic guitar, leaving us almost "hang[ing] by a limb".

Henry

[Top Cat]

I think it has a lot more structure than the "new agey" albums Howe did. I like how it takes the listener on a journey as it explores its themes through contrasting instrumentation, from electric rock band to full-on orchestra to acoustic guitar. I like how it starts with a bare electric guitar as an intro into a rock instrumentation (guitars, bass, drums, Hammond), then it builds the tempo at the same time as introducing the horn jabs. It then goes into a verse, but just as you think you understand the song, "things keep in changing" (as the lyrics warn us) and we tumble into the orchestral section. But before that has a chance to become familiar, we have a new guitar timbre taking over the main theme, lifting us back into a new verse. We go around again, but this time rock band and orchestra are integrated. As per the lyrics again, "Things start[ed] to happen, they form[ed] in a pattern". That final verse then has a celebratory tone, a resolution achieved. And into a finale... except that is then undercut by the melancholy coda on acoustic guitar, leaving us almost "hang[ing] by a limb".

Henry

Henry, sorry for starting a separate thread for the video. I was in a hurry to post it and I couldn't find your thread on the first page, so went with it.
I was also worried the new video might get lost since the discussion in the thread had somewhat flattened out recently.
Perhaps a Moderator can merge this into your thread, or we'll just have 2 Yes release parties. lol

I don't know if everyone who didn't care for this song had the video on while it played or not, because I found it to detract from the music.
So I didn't watch the video the second time, and I got a better sense for the feel of the song..just a thought.

Another thing I'd like to add is, I revisited part of a song from Heaven and Earth on Youtube the other day, and it struck me how poorly the album is mixed.
There is very little dynamics to the instruments or space for each of them to individually breathe, and the treatment and performance of Jon D could use a revisit to my ears.
I think a proper remix would bring out the feel of the songs better, or at least improve on them.
It becomes even more obvious to me when I hear how well this album is mixed and mastered. And Jon D's voice on these new songs is more Benoit David than Jon Anderson, and that's a good thing.

[bondegezou]

Henry, sorry for starting a separate thread for the video. I was in a hurry to post it and I couldn't find your thread on the first page, so went with it.
I was also worried the new video might get lost since the discussion in the thread had somewhat flattened out recently.
Perhaps a Moderator can merge this into your thread, or we'll just have 2 Yes release parties. lol

I've got no problem with 2 Yes threads. I remember glory days of yore when we had 4 or 5 Yes threads on the PE front page. ;-)

Henry

[Aquatarkus]

I like the video presentation quite at a lot and the music is nice. I've no problem with mellower Yes, which is probably why I enjoyed H&E more than some. The weak point in the song for me is Davison. His voice is just to thin here. This is kind of an issue for him in general in my view but on mellower tracks like Dare to Know the thin vocals takes away from the music.

[Paulrus]

I've no problem with mellower Yes, which is probably why I enjoyed H&E more than some. The weak point in the song for me is Davison. His voice is just to thin here. This is kind of an issue for him in general in my view but on mellower tracks like Dare to Know the thin vocals takes away from the music.

Yeah, mellower Yes produced songs like "To Be Over" and big chunks of "The Remembering", which to me is the lineage here. Steve's definitely in charge on this one, so it's nice to see the focus shift from keys to guitar. Overall I like it more than I thought I would, although it is a bit sleepy.

[Wil]

A listen through the headphones without the distraction of the horrendous 'video' left me liking this more than I initially did. It is a bit pedestrian and kinda just peters out at the end but there are some nice sounds and textures in there and the production sounds, er... nice. I guess I think it's nice. Never going to be a Yes favourite, though.

[jamesmanzi]

I like the tune and ain't trying to start anything, but it amused me that... the first few listens I couldn't place what other Yes music the ascending acoustic gtr phrase that enters around 2:30 reminded me of. Third listen I realized it was Fragile, that one new ARW tune. The opening arpeggios of the song.

[Aquatarkus]

Yeah, mellower Yes produced songs like "To Be Over" and big chunks of "The Remembering", which to me is the lineage here. Steve's definitely in charge on this one, so it's nice to see the focus shift from keys to guitar. Overall I like it more than I thought I would, although it is a bit sleepy.

Steve's imprint is all over this, which is nice since the music on the first two songs released is a step up from H&E. The Remembering is one of my favorite Yes songs and I listen to it often. I'd love to hear Anderson or Benoit David on this new song. We know Anderson won't be allowed back in because Steve likes being the master of the good ship Yes and maybe after so many years he deserves to be after Chris's passing. Not for me to say. There are songs where I think Davison's vocal characteristics work well and it's usually when he sings a little below his natural tenor. His voice seems to hold up to Yes's touring schedule which is something we could not say unfortunately about Horn or Benoit David.

[happytheman]

Henry, sorry for starting a separate thread for the video. I was in a hurry to post it and I couldn't find your thread on the first page, so went with it.
I was also worried the new video might get lost since the discussion in the thread had somewhat flattened out recently.
Perhaps a Moderator can merge this into your thread, or we'll just have 2 Yes release parties. lol

I don't know if everyone who didn't care for this song had the video on while it played or not, because I found it to detract from the music.
So I didn't watch the video the second time, and I got a better sense for the feel of the song..just a thought.

Another thing I'd like to add is, I revisited part of a song from Heaven and Earth on Youtube the other day, and it struck me how poorly the album is mixed.
There is very little dynamics to the instruments or space for each of them to individually breathe, and the treatment and performance of Jon D could use a revisit to my ears.
I think a proper remix would bring out the feel of the songs better, or at least improve on them.
It becomes even more obvious to me when I hear how well this album is mixed and mastered. And Jon D's voice on these new songs is more Benoit David than Jon Anderson, and that's a good thing.

I found a youtube link from someone over at Yesfans a number of years ago who did a remix of H&E.. might try looking for that.. sounded fine to my ears..

[moecurlythanu]

I think this track is pretty good. The vocals are the weak link, but I would say that about classic era Yes, so I guess it's fitting. As stated above, the song does peter out, which is a bit unfortunate. But it's enjoyable & pleasant, which is hardly a negative, especially at this stage of the game.

[bondegezou]

A listen through the headphones without the distraction of the horrendous 'video' left me liking this more than I initially did. It is a bit pedestrian and kinda just peters out at the end

Fair enough if it doesn't work for you as a piece, but I don't think it's correct to say it "just peters out at the end". The end has a structure. The song comes to a traditional end at 5:14 following a harmonic conclusion, but there is then an acoustic guitar cadenza exploring the song's theme, which I interpret as sort of casting doubt on the conclusion we've just had, reflecting also the uncertainties described in the lyric.

Henry

[auxfnx]

I found a youtube link from someone over at Yesfans a number of years ago who did a remix of H&E.. might try looking for that.. sounded fine to my ears..

That was me! That older version got taken down, but I've made a new and improved version now that really does it for me, so maybe ye will like it too!

[Wil]

Fair enough if it doesn't work for you as a piece, but I don't think it's correct to say it "just peters out at the end". The end has a structure. The song comes to a traditional end at 5:14 following a harmonic conclusion, but there is then an acoustic guitar cadenza exploring the song's theme, which I interpret as sort of casting doubt on the conclusion we've just had, reflecting also the uncertainties described in the lyric.

Henry

You're a far better musical analyst than I am, Henry. I think, for me, the main thing is that I don't dislike it, despite it not making much of an impact on the first few listens.

[bondegezou]

You're a far better musical analyst than I am, Henry. I think, for me, the main thing is that I don't dislike it, despite it not making much of an impact on the first few listens.

You flatter me: I am a terrible musical analyst, not being a musician of any sort myself. But I have the unfair advantage of having been listening to this track for a month!

Henry

[Mister Triscuits]

The band coming in on that maj7 chord sounds SO schmaltzy. And the ascending guitar figure that leads up to it and recurs throughout the song sounds more like a scale exercise than a riff. There are bits to like here, but other bits that just sound cheap. Not very enjoyable to me overall, while I rather liked the previous song.

[Steve983]

It's ok, its pleasant enough but some people who have heared the whole album are saying The Ice Bridge is the best track so...

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[Progatron]

It's ok, its pleasant enough but some people who have heared the whole album are saying The Ice Bridge is the best track so...

I am definitely one of those people. Although Leave Well Alone has its moments, overall this is just another example of an album that will lead me to wonder why I'm not listening to a much better Yes album, of which there are many. Again, I stress that I'm hoping to be in the minority - I don't want this album to be a dismal failure in the eyes of most fans.

[bondegezou]

the ascending guitar figure that leads up to it and recurs throughout the song sounds more like a scale exercise than a riff. There are bits to like here, but other bits that just sound cheap. Not very enjoyable to me overall, while I rather liked the previous song.

I love the arrangement of "DtK" and across a lot of the album, but there are places where Howe's riffs disappoint. I think he had better on New Frontier.

Henry