Yessongs question

[Digital_Man]

Whether Yes was mega or just big in their heyday, it's a shame they fell so far off the radar to all but the most diehard fans after the Union Tour or so.

I'm really not sure what was up with that. Even though I wouldn't go quite that far(that is to say that only their die hard fans followed them after Union)that's probably not too far from the truth especially after the Talk album but then again their quality seemed to go down around then also especially with OYE which even the most hardcore Yes fans seem to dislike intensely. Anyway, Union was their last gold album. I think a lot of people liked the idea of a "super Yes" and then when they found out about how it was all put together and then ultimately imploded a lot of people jumped the boat thinking Yes had jumped the shark(and in some ways they did). Maybe a few of those fans who left after Union came back for the whole Keys to Ascension albums and tours but it seems like the Trevor fans lost interest in that and the oldschool prog fans lost interest in Talk. Was Yes trying to play both sides? They were definitely a band of contrasts for a while especially if you compare the KTA to what came right after it(ie OYE).

[Paulrus]

I'm really not sure what was up with that...

I put it down to a combination of internal fracturing and changes in the music biz.

We all know that Yes have been their own worst enemy over the years, and the period from the late 80s to the mid 90s did them no favors. IMO the fissures that appeared when Rick and Jon left in '79 never really healed. 90125 may have bandaged over some of those rifts, but these guys didn't really like each other any more, and although they could work together given enough of an incentive it wasn't sustainable. And that was evident in the music, which was either unfocused or forced. Not the sort of chemistry and shared vision that produced Fragile or The Yes Album.

On top of that, when grunge and rap took over commercial radio in the early 90s Yes were an immediate casualty. The majors wanted nothing to do with them anymore (except to fleece the back catalog) so getting the kind of label support they had been accustomed to wasn't happening.

What I like about Yes' current situation is that Chris and Steve (and Alan) seem genuinely to be having a good time together, just playing the old stuff they and the fans love. It's a very uncomplicated place to be and a situation they can probably continue as long as their collective health allows. Sure, they're not selling albums like they used to, but who is? They've realized that their future is on the road, which is a big reason Jon had to go.

And speaking of, I know everyone misses Jon but my God for a dude who is all about love, heaven and spiritual harmony he sure did manage to turn everyone into sad pandas when he was around.

[Supersonic Scientist]

I have a different Yessongs question:

At the very beginning of the Firebird Suite fade-in, you hear an audience member shout 2x "we want an encore".

Question: Who was the warm-up band for Yes at this show?....I have always wondered about that.

[calyx]

I have a different Yessongs question:

At the very beginning of the Firebird Suite fade-in, you hear an audience member shout 2x "we want an encore".

Question: Who was the warm-up band for Yes at this show?....I have always wondered about that.

If you're referring to the film, or if the intro is from the same Rainbow concert, the opening band was Badger, Tony Kaye's band, who recorded their live debut album "One Live Badger" at that very show.

[Supersonic Scientist]

If you're referring to the film, or if the intro is from the same Rainbow concert, the opening band was Badger, Tony Kaye's band, who recorded their live debut album "One Live Badger" at that very show.

Actually I was referring to the album but thanks for the other info too Calyx.

[Jeremy Bender]

The film was 91 minutes and besides PaaE had "Barbarian", "Knife-Edge", and "Take a Pebble". It was released full-length on the Japanese LaserDisc, but cut down to just PaaE for the US VHS release, probably because at that time videotape was expensive.

The film ended with Rondo. The encore on that first tour was Nutrocker, often played twice but cut from the film (it's there on the Brussels show). The setlist was:

PaaE (complete)
Barbarian
Take A Pebble
Knife Edge
Rondo

Nutrocker

ELP were a bigger live draw than Yes from 1970-1974, ELP reputedly trailed only the Stones, Who and Zeppelin in concert revenue. They headlined some US football stadiums on the last leg of the BSS tour (Buffalo, Cleveland, Yale Bowl, Roosevelt Stadium), were second on the bill to the Allman Brothers at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and of course they headlined Cal Jam over Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

I'd add a full BSS show (with the curtains, video screen, ahead-of-its-time lighting rig and "quad" sound) as a lost opportunity for a film to a list that includes a complete Lamb show and complete A Passion Play show. Plus, where's the Pictures at an Exhibition from the Anaheim show that WBMF was recorded at?

[JJ88]

It is interesting how much ELP fell from favour over the years. They were inarguably one of the biggest rock (never mind prog) bands around in the early 70s as all their chart placings show. Yet they seem to be used as a 'punchline' now. For my part I love their classic stuff without any 'shame' whatsoever.

I never bothered upgrading my second hand VHS of 'Pictures'. Mostly because the VHS was so cheap but also I don't believe any DVD release has yet restored the entire show they did on that night anyway (I believe the Eagle one restored some but not all of the rest of the show). It was, I think, filmed before the version that came out on album, and the performance does show that, being somewhat less tight IMHO. But it's a terrific historical document. It was clearly shot on videotape...was it transferred to film for its cinema release?

Similarly, I'm still clinging onto my second hand VHS of 'Yessongs' as I've not read too many positives about the DVD releases.

[profusion]

I put it down to a combination of internal fracturing and changes in the music biz.

Those are both definitely true. However, many of the other bands cited in this thread "went away" for awhile and thus were remembered mostly for their glory days. Yes struggled on after 90125 and into the '90s in a less-than-glorious fashion.

If Yes had skipped the '80s entirely and reunited with the Classic Yes lineup in the late '90s or '00s, they might have been looked at differently and the results might have been better.

[gearHed289]

Really good posts Digital_Man and Paulrus, thanks.

I think I'm going to go ahead and pick up a DVD of Yessongs, despite the fact that it's gotten so-so reviews. It doesn't sound like there's much that can be done for the audio and video quality.

[Rufus]

Really good posts Digital_Man and Paulrus, thanks.

I think I'm going to go ahead and pick up a DVD of Yessongs, despite the fact that it's gotten so-so reviews. It doesn't sound like there's much that can be done for the audio and video quality.

Give it Steve Wilson !

[Paulrus]

I think I'm going to go ahead and pick up a DVD of Yessongs, despite the fact that it's gotten so-so reviews. It doesn't sound like there's much that can be done for the audio and video quality.

Everyone's mileage will vary when it comes to the film version of Yessongs, but what it shares with the album version is some insanely hot playing. Seeing Yes at the height of their powers, no matter what the condition of the sound and visuals, is worth the price of admission alone. Remember, for a couple of years there very few rock bands on the planet could touch them, and the film is a document of that era (also be sure to check out the 1972 Sounding Out program on YouTube.)

[Doctor Flang]

I think I'm going to go ahead and pick up a DVD of Yessongs, despite the fact that it's gotten so-so reviews. It doesn't sound like there's much that can be done for the audio and video quality.

Well, of course the audio could be remixed, if the multitracks still survive. It wouldn't even be very expensive, and Yes could make some money by releasing the complete concert on audio CD. However, re-editing and restoring the film footage is virtually impossible unless someone is willing pay a few hundred thousands dollars to fund the process. And even then, the film footage may be lost or destroyed by age.