Steve Howe: Doubt Over Future Yes Albums

[80s were ok]

Perhaps because neither the fans or the band knows what they want to do? Look, it's becoming more and more obvious that if Yes is going to continue in any capacity, it's gonna be mainly as a touring band, just playing the "hits". There's still a market for that, and it's a sure-fire way of making a living, for now. But it takes the wind out of these old men. And that's what they are. When they come off a tour, they might have other priorities than getting back in the studio. Michael Dunford dropped dead at the dinner table for chrissakes!

so when you get old (or more older than you are now) you want people to say about your career "hey bud, hang it up. You are old"? THey are people too and that is their job. And to throw that comment about Dunford in there...all class bud.

[meimjustalawnmower]

so when you get old (or more older than you are now) you want people to say about your career "hey bud, hang it up. You are old"? THey are people too and that is their job. And to throw that comment about Dunford in there...all class bud.

No, dumbass. What I was saying is that THEY are becoming cognizant of their own limitations, and much of it has to do with their age.

[80s were ok]

No, dumbass. What I was saying is that THEY are becoming cognizant of their own limitations, and much of it has to do with their age.

i see you are still as classy as ever, even on the new board!

[80s were ok]

Words cannot express how much I hate this POV.

"I don't like it, therefore they should just stop altogether."


Why can't they go on doing whatever they and their fans want them to do, and you just ignore it, if it displeases you so?

totally agree with this 100%. It's like saying "I don't like Burger King, so they should just close all of them up".

[meimjustalawnmower]

i see you are still as classy as ever, even on the new board!

I liked you better when you had me on "ignore".

[bondegezou]

Henry, how has the relationship been between Howe and Squire over the years? Not that this stuff is particularly important but I do find it interesting.

I'm not really certain. I do have this 2-out-of-3 model of Yes, that it generally takes 2 out of Anderson, Howe and Squire to get anything done. For much of the '80s and '90s, Squire sided with Anderson and Howe was often excluded (and Anderson and Howe have struggled to get on since the late 1970s). But what the 2008 reunion marked was a decision by Howe and Squire to move on without Anderson. Without being best mates or anything, Howe and Squire do seem to have established a good working relationship.

Henry

[Scott Bails]

Perhaps because neither the fans or the band knows what they want to do? Look, it's becoming more and more obvious that if Yes is going to continue in any capacity, it's gonna be mainly as a touring band, just playing the "hits". There's still a market for that, and it's a sure-fire way of making a living, for now. But it takes the wind out of these old men. And that's what they are. When they come off a tour, they might have other priorities than getting back in the studio. Michael Dunford dropped dead at the dinner table for chrissakes!

I think you're missing my point.

What I'm saying is that as fans, it's silly to call for any artist to "hang 'em up" simply because we don't like what they're currently doing. Many people do enjoy what they're doing, like their recent material, enjoy seeing them live, etc. So to just say "they should stop because I don't like them" is like the height of arrogance, IMO. Don't like it? Ignore it!

Now, if the band itself is struggling to keep up with the schedule, then sure, hang 'em up. Or, change your paradigm, like Zeppelin, or many other acts that use a more sporadic schedule now (Rush, etc.).

[Progtopia]

What I'm saying is that as fans, it's silly to call for any artist to "hang 'em up" simply because we don't like what they're currently doing. Many people do enjoy what they're doing, like their recent material, enjoy seeing them live, etc. So to just say "they should stop because I don't like them" is like the height of arrogance, IMO. Don't like it? Ignore it!

Fair point. And I have pretty much ignored what I couldn't get into after more than a couple listens, just because there's so much good new stuff out there. Really it makes me more sad than anything when I hear a band I used to adore floundering around later on. But you're right. One man's trash and so on...

[Scott Bails]

there's so much good new stuff out there.

This is the point I'm at.

There is so much great new stuff out there - either from vintage artists or from completely new acts - that it's silly to waste time on things one doesn't really care for.

[ItalProgRules]

On this day in 1968, YES opened for Cream's farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Now back to our regularly scheduled arguments

[JAMOOL]

Can I just say that I like the band Yes

[JAMOOL]

Sometimes, they were good. Other times, they were bad. I want them to record new material if it's going to be good. Anyway, that's all I have to say.

[meimjustalawnmower]

I think you're missing my point.

I really wasn't trying to argue your point so much as making my own. I actually agree, although I think it's natural for some to write off a band when they've been around long enough to become mediocre, or jumping the shark by having not one, but two singers replacing someone who's still willing and capable, especially when it's gotten to the point where the casual fan doesn't even know the difference. It's disheartening to the hardcore longtimers to see their fav band go out like that. I doubt that Yes has another great album in them, and it's apparent that Howe has similar feelings. I'm also pretty sure that none of these guys wanna spend the last ten years of their lives trying to live up to CTTE. Their last album was incredibly strong, but it's still just a footnote in an illustrious history that deserves a proper end, and I don't think that being their own tribute band is the way to go about it. Just my two cents.

[bondegezou]

Their last album was incredibly strong, but it's still just a footnote in an illustrious history that deserves a proper end, and I don't think that being their own tribute band is the way to go about it. Just my two cents.

You talk of history books. I see a bunch of musicians who want to go on making music. Let history sort itself out, and let a bunch of musicians who have earned so much praise for their music choose how they wish to continue.

Henry

[ItalProgRules]

This hardcore long-timer was in no way disheartened by last summer's show. For their age, at this point in time, I was pleasantly surprised.

[Vic2012]

It's disheartening to the hardcore longtimers to see their fav band go out like that.

I agree with this. I'd prefer that some of these old bands just hang it up too, but rather than bemoan the fact that they're just doing the nostalgia/tribute act scene, I say let 'em continue if they're making a decent living at it and their fans are okay with it. I can just ignore them if I'm not interested (which is the case with YES today). But I agree, it's dishaertening to see a band that you worshipped in the past just continue playing state fairs, casinos, etc. as a tribute act. I'm not referring to YES playing "state fairs" I'm thinking of a few other bands.

[ItalProgRules]

I agree with this. I'd prefer that some of these old bands just hang it up too, but rather than bemoan the fact that they're just doing the nostalgia/tribute act scene, I say let 'em continue if they're making a decent living at it and their fans are okay with it. I can just ignore them if I'm not interested (which is the case with YES today). But I agree, it's dishaertening to see a band that you worshipped in the past just continue playing state fairs, casinos, etc. as a tribute act. I'm not referring to YES playing "state fairs" I'm thinking of a few other bands.

"Tribute acts" don't do 25 minutes of new material as YES did on the last tour.

[battema]

I really wasn't trying to argue your point so much as making my own. I actually agree, although I think it's natural for some to write off a band when they've been around long enough to become mediocre, or jumping the shark by having not one, but two singers replacing someone who's still willing and capable, especially when it's gotten to the point where the casual fan doesn't even know the difference. It's disheartening to the hardcore longtimers to see their fav band go out like that. I doubt that Yes has another great album in them, and it's apparent that Howe has similar feelings. I'm also pretty sure that none of these guys wanna spend the last ten years of their lives trying to live up to CTTE. Their last album was incredibly strong, but it's still just a footnote in an illustrious history that deserves a proper end, and I don't think that being their own tribute band is the way to go about it. Just my two cents.

Just my $0.02: Anderson may be willing, but I really don't think he's capable. At least not to the extent that the others currently tour (and are arguably capable of touring).

In some ways, the folks who keep hoping for Anderson to return are kidding themselves even more than the folks who like the current lineup. Anderson returning won't fix anything; it will just send the band back into the same spiral of self-destruction that came to pass in the mid 2000's. Anyone who has followed Anderson's ever-growing list of "pending projects" would know that his return would pretty much end any chance of significant new output.

Even if they strictly toured the oldies? A classic reunion would be the same "grand finale" as watching poor ELP struggle their way through lackluster renditions of their classics at High Voltage, where the crowd is putting on severely-rose-tinted lenses. Watching another cringefest like the '04 tour, where the band so clearly disliked one another and turned in half-assed renditions of the songs isn't my personal idea of a solution.

[Scott Bails]

Just my $0.02: Anderson may be willing, but I really don't think he's capable. At least not to the extent that the others currently tour (and are arguably capable of touring).

In some ways, the folks who keep hoping for Anderson to return are kidding themselves even more than the folks who like the current lineup. Anderson returning won't fix anything; it will just send the band back into the same spiral of self-destruction that came to pass in the mid 2000's. Anyone who has followed Anderson's ever-growing list of "pending projects" would know that his return would pretty much end any chance of significant new output.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[meimjustalawnmower]

Let history sort itself out, and let a bunch of musicians who have earned so much praise for their music choose how they wish to continue.

Henry

I think that's what they're trying to do now. But I also think they're all (current and former) strong personalities who don't exactly have a reputation for being on the same page for more that ten minutes at a time. Whatever happens happens. I just hope it's not embarrassing for them. Of course they're capable of putting on a great show. They're pros. It's what they do. But for how much longer?

[Rufus]

Just my $0.02: Anderson may be willing, but I really don't think he's capable. At least not to the extent that the others currently tour (and are arguably capable of touring).

In some ways, the folks who keep hoping for Anderson to return are kidding themselves even more than the folks who like the current lineup. Anderson returning won't fix anything; it will just send the band back into the same spiral of self-destruction that came to pass in the mid 2000's. Anyone who has followed Anderson's ever-growing list of "pending projects" would know that his return would pretty much end any chance of significant new output.

Even if they strictly toured the oldies? A classic reunion would be the same "grand finale" as watching poor ELP struggle their way through lackluster renditions of their classics at High Voltage, where the crowd is putting on severely-rose-tinted lenses. Watching another cringefest like the '04 tour, where the band so clearly disliked one another and turned in half-assed renditions of the songs isn't my personal idea of a solution.

Well Rick Wakeman would disagree with you. He talks in depth about Yes in the Classic Rock edition of 'Journey' which has just hit the news stands. He said the 04 tour was Yes at their peak from a musicianship view point. He knows they would never be able to replicate the playing standards of that tour & so a reunion would be pointless!

[battema]

Well Rick Wakeman would disagree with you. He talks in depth about Yes in the Classic Rock edition of 'Journey' which has just hit the news stands. He said the 04 tour was Yes at their peak from a musicianship view point. He knows they would never be able to replicate the playing standards of that tour & so a reunion would be pointless!

IMHO I think he's doing what he does best...a bit of historical revisionism to paint a rosier picture than was actually the case at the time. Same way he bashes the band when he isn't there, and then talks of pure brotherhood and whatnot the minute he's back on the roster.

But he and I would probably disagree on a wide array of subjects, so the '04 assessment is probably just keeping in line

[NorthNY Mark]

A Grounding in Numbers is as good as anything VdGG did in the 70s.

I wish I could agree. Unfortunately, I don't think it even comes close.

[Frumious B]

Anyone who has followed Anderson's ever-growing list of "pending projects" would know that his return would pretty much end any chance of significant new output.

I think Jon Anderson really needs structure and a more fixed slate of collaborators in order to do his best work. When he gets off on his own he tends to flit around like a butterfly, lose focus and not follow through on things. It can be very frustrating for people who just want to see him get down to business again because I, for one, think he's still got the voodoo kicking around in there somewhere. In that sense, I think that either rejoining Yes or entering into a some other more rigidly defined collaborative situation would benefit him tremendously.

[Scott Bails]

It would benefit him, but would it benefit Yes, or the other members of the band?


Frankly, I care more about Yes than I do Anderson, so I'm perfectly happy with the current situation.