______ ______ ____________ _________ / \ | \ __/ \ __/ \__ _________ | \| \ / |/ _ \ _________ / | // _____ || / \_/ \ | \ // / \ \\_ \_ NOTES| | \ || _____ ___\ \ \_ \_ FROM| | \ || / ---/______| \ \_ THE| | ___\ || | | /______ __/ \ EDGE| | ___/ \ \\ \_ \_ // | #7| \_____ / ___\ _/ \_ \ \_ _// | ______/ \__ \__/ ___/ \_ \____ | \_/ \__ ___/ \___ _/ \__ \__/ \ \_________/ \_____/ \_ \_____/ \ \_ | \_ | \__ __/ \_____________/ February 8, 1991...Notes From The Edge #7 * * * * * * * * * * IN THIS ISSUE... I The 1991 Tour II Rarities Exchange --a description III Yes-Complete --comments and criticisms IV 90125 Songbook --a request V "Quartet" --notes on background lyrics VI "Final Eyes" --a question VII Yessongs on Disc --better quality? VIII Miscellaneous Non-Studio Recordings --comments IX Yes on Laserdisc X Yes GIFs --a request XI _Re-Evolution_ --the CD bootleg XII _Time_And_A_Word_ --further explanations for the cover XIII Rick Wakeman --a review of his _Six_Wives_ _of_Henry_VIII_ XIV Steve Howe --his involvement with Queen --and The In Crowd --a review of his _Beginnings_ XV Chris Squire --his birthday --ex-roomies --comment on his nickname --an interview with the Fish XVI Lyrics On-Line XVII Uncle Joe's Address XVIII Bass Players' Mailing List XIX Birthdays XX Important Notes from the Editor!!! XXI Important Addresses * * * * * * * * * * Record time...only a two week break between newsletters. I hope everyone appreciates this! :-) UPDATE: ====== For those of you that are new to the group I thought I'd let you know what's goin' on. Last we heard: --ABWH's second album is due in March --The Yes boxed set is due in April --Yes/ABWH have booked Wembley Arena in London for June 28 and 29, and the line-up is supposed to include Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Alan White, Tony Kaye, Trevor Rabin and possibly Bill Bruford. --When they tour the states, there are plans in the making for a Yes-Fest in Philadelphia --Rick's latest effort was his album Sea Airs, along the new-age line. Released last year. --Jon and Vangelis's fourth effort together is due "early 1991". I haven't seen or heard of it anywhere yet. --Bill toured North America with his jazz-fusion band Earthworks last fall. --Steve has plans for another solo album called Turbulence. This has been put off in favor of the new ABWH album and the Yes deal. --Jon has similar plans, but with his new J&V album due soon, the ABWH project, the box-set, and the reunion, he's kind of tied up. --Chris contributed recently to the Rockaid Armenia project. --Trevor Rabin had been working closely with Roger Hodgson of Supertramp. * * * * * * * * * * 1991 TOUR: ========= From: IN%"CFOSTER@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU" Also, has anyone heard of tickets going for sale in the U.S.? ***If you do hear, or have heard, be sure to let us know! +++ +++ +++ +++ The re-form has been rumored for quite a while; there has been some discussion on the Yes mailing list about it all. I'm not sure about the accuracy of the line-up though. I know there have been real problems with Bruford and Squire who have apparently hated each other for years! The NME said: "YES, the 70's supergroup, are reputedly ready to make a comeback tour of America later this year. US TV suggests the original line-up of the band have settled last year's well-publicized differences and may gig again as early as March" Hope that helps! Regards, Brian Potter. * * * * * * * * * * RARITIES EXCHANGE: ================= Well, the list is up and running. A brief description of the list is as follows: It is an attempt at a comprehensive listing of YES and Non-YES rarities. It includes from both of these sources live recordings, demos, videos, b-sides, hard-to-find imports, and other sundry items. Additionally the list tries to be as descriptive as possible about a particular item(everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask). If you either have items for trade or are looking to obtain some of these items please email: ILWN500@INDYCMS Thanx Dave Markfield * * * * * * * * * * YES MUSIC BOOK: ============== From: IN%"borellms%clutx.clarkson.edu@CLVM.our.EDU" In the YES music book that Rick Meyer mentioned, there are many errors. The beginning of Machine Messiah, which is fairly simple, even has mistakes. Also, as in most music books with annotation or tablature, some solos and intros are missing. Oh well. Mike Borella +++ +++ +++ +++ From: IN%"STOREYR@Venus.YCC.Yale.Edu" I've also seen the Yes songbook, but unfortunately it is not much use unless you want to do Yes tunes for solo piano. The guitar parts are poorly transcribed (no tab either) and the solos are all left out. I always thought of the solos as a part of the music, sort of like classical works. It seems a shame to leave them out. If you want to know the basic chordal structure behind every Yes tune up to Drama, though, this book is useful. Ross Storey +++ +++ +++ +++ From: IN%"halm@england.crd.ge.COM" In Notes From The Edge #6 Rick Meyer writes about a Yes songbook. I think I might have this. It's called "Yes - Complete" or something like that, and the cover has overlapping "mountains" in various shades of red on it. It's a great source for people interested in playing this music, but I must point out it has a number of limitations. I believe the main intent of the songbook is to allow people to sing the songs while playing a simplified arrangement of the music on a piano or while strumming guitar chords. If you're a vocalist, this is great. The vocal lines are mostly accurate, and some of the harmony parts are even included. But if you're an instrumentalist looking for note-for-note transcriptions of the guitar, bass, and keyboard parts you'll still have to figure out much of the music on your own. To be fair, the songbook does get you started in the right direction. The chords are indicated by name and by guitar diagram, but often this does not represent what notes are actually being played. The right hand piano part tries to combine these chords with some semblance of the main instrumental parts, but this is of course limited. At least the left hand piano part is usually a fairly accurate representation of the bass guitar part, so bassists have most of their transcription work already done for them. Guitarists and keyboardists will have a lot more work to do. Sometimes the actual guitar and keyboard riffs do appear quite accurately in the music, other times they don't. Another big limitation is that almost every song is cut in some way. For instance "Roundabout" ends before the organ solo, and the _Tales from Topographic Oceans_ material omits large amounts of the instrumental sections. When instrumental sections are included in the music they usually contain a lot of accurate information. I still think this songbook is a must for anyone interested in playing this music. But just be aware that if you want to play it accurately, you'll still need to do some transcription work off of the albums. ----- David * * * * * * * * * * 90125 MUSIC: =========== From: IN%"jd2o+@andrew.cmu.EDU" "Jack C. Deem" I've been looking for the 90125 songbook for three years with no luck. I have Yes Complete which includes music from Yes thru Drama and I have the Big Generator songbook. I also have 'The Best of Yes' which includes Owner and Leave It. The remaining songs from 90125 are what I am really interested in. Anyone who owns the 90125 songbook please email me directly at jd2o@andrew.cmu.edu and hopefully we can make some arrangements for me to buy or photocopy the book. * * * * * * * * * * "QUARTET" BACKGROUND LYRICS... ============================== From: IN%"borellms@clutx.clarkson.edu" I think all the quotes from the old songs in "Quartet" are sampled. At least that was my first impression. I'm no guru however, so I'll have some of my recording studio buddies take a listen and see what they think. +++ +++ +++ +++ From: IN%"halm@england.crd.ge.COM" Following the first line of the song, "She gives me love...," the background vocals sing a few lines from "The Revealing Science of God": "What happened to this song we once knew so well. Signed promise for moments caught within the spell." There's also a bit from "The South Side of the Sky": "A river, a mountain to be crossed. The sunshine...." You caught the "Soon, Oh soon the light" part from "The Gates of Delirium," and the last one is simply "In and around the lake" (from "Roundabout") repeated a few times. It's interesting to hear how the melodies of these background parts were changed slightly from the original melodies in order for them to fit in with the harmonies of "She Gives Me Love". ----- David * * * * * * * * * * "FINAL" EYES... =============== From: IN%"mikesch@wam.umd.EDU" A friend of mine told me that the Intro to "Final Eyes" on Yes's last album "Big Generator" was taken from a previous Yes song. Does anyone know which one? Or is this just a hoax? Thanks... -- Mike Scheinberg * * * * * * * * * * YESSONGS: BETTER ON DISC? ======================== From: IN%"CFOSTER@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU" I have one question for the assemblage of Yes fans out there: what is the story on the original Yes live album, Yessongs? I've heard that the original album/cassette had terrible sound quality. I personally have no complaints with the CD's. -Chris Foster * * * * * * * * * * LIVE RECORDINGS: =============== From: rjtst3@unix.cis.pitt.edu" I also saw, but did not pick up, a double album covering ABWH's last tour. There was also a live double album of Tales with the title of "The Affirmatives". Anyone have any info on these two (sound quality, music quality)?? * * * * * * * * * * YES ON LASERDISC: ================ From: IN%"DMARKFIE@INDYMED.BITNET" Besides Yessongs, 9012 Live, and In the Big Dream, I believe that Yesshows is available on import laserdisc. I have seen it on a list of rare and obscure videos. Someone with import connections might have more info on this than I. Dave Markfield * * * * * * * * * * YES GIFs: ======== Well, someone had to bring the subject up. Does anyone know of any YES and/or Roger Dean GIFS that are available anywhere? Anyone with any information please email me(as well as Notes...) at: DMARKFIE@INDYMED.BITNET Dave Markfield * * * * * * * * * * RE-EVOLUTION: ============ From: IN%"rjtst3@unix.cis.pitt.edu" YES fans may be interested in a disk I got at a record fair last week -- it is called "Re-evolution" with a Roger Dean-ish cover (no credit is mentioned). It is live from 1974 (Relayer tour) and contains excellent live versions of Soundchaser, To Be Over, Close to the Edge, And You And I (with a harmonica part in the middle section!), and an average Roundabout. The last track is from a different tour site and sounds exactly like the live version released on Classic Yes -- I am speaking of "Your Move/All Good People"... All in all an excellent disc. +++ +++ +++ +++ From: IN%"borellms@clutx.clarkson.edu" So I walk over to the CD import/bootleg section and head for the Y's. I didn't know why I was bothering...after all, I look there every time I am in the store and I NEVER find any Yes bootlegs on CD. As far as I knew, none existed. The first disc I see is the import version of Time and a Word with the original cover. Interesting, only $12...I'd definitely get it if I didn't have the domestic version. I look behind Time and a Word and I see what I first thought was an import version of the first disc. But wait a second...I've never seen THAT cover before!! (a human-looking fish in an underwater seascape) Hey!!! I anxiously grab the disc and read the song list. Sound Chaser, Close to the Edge, And You And I, recorded live at the Boston Garden! This is a bootleg! I clutch the disc tight and head to the cash register thinking "This disc is MINE!", and looking around to make sure no one is going to wrestle it away from me. When I reach my goal, I finally come to my senses and remember the first rule of purchasing bootlegs: listen to the recording before putting any money down! If you don't do this you might get stuck with a dog, and most places that sell bootleg discs tend to have this annoying no return policy. So I ask the store owner if I could hear a couple minutes of it. He gives me a funny look. I really can't stand this guy. You'd think he'd be happy to see me since I've spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars at his store in the last seven years or so. Finally he obliges, slides the CD into the player, and the chords of Firebird Suite erupt through the store's speakers... ...Ok, I admit that I embellished the above a little, but not much. This is more or less what was going through my head when I bought Re-Evolution, the first bootleg Yes CD I've ever seen. As soon as I heard the opening, I knew it was good. More than good. Excellent! Not only is it the first Yes CD bootleg now widely available, it is also the best live recording of the band I've ever had the pleasure of owning. According to the liner notes, it was taped November 12th, 1974 at the Boston Garden. However, the songs they play make it from the Relayer tour which, from what I understand, did not embark until 1976. Hmm. The track listing is as follows: 1) Sound Chaser 12:11 2) To Be Over 9:24 3) Close to the Edge 20:31 4) And You And I 9:56 5) Roundabout 8:24 6) I've Seen All Good 7:13 People Making a total time of 67:14 Patrick Moraz plays keys on all except track six, which was recorded in 1973 with Rick Wakeman. The disc was put out by Flashback World Productions, which operates out of Luxembourg. Of all the foreign bootleg or "parallel import" companies, Flashback seems to have consistently the best quality. Here's my humble attempt at a track by track review: Sound Chaser - Includes the Firebird opening. Alan plays percussion during the classical intro. As it gets to that critical moment where the band is about to come in, instead of hearing the guitar riff of Siberian Khatru or the familiar chords of Parallels, the cha-cha's of Sound Chaser are followed by Patrick's quick keyboard intro, Alan's drums and Chris's bass run. The song is just about note-perfect to the studio version, including Steve's "solo" at the 3 minute mark. His distortion is heavy and high on presence, similar to the Relayer album. This holds true for the entire recording. Jon's voice is strong, but his timing is a little off when he doesn't have Chris and Steve singing backup. Nothing major though. Jon announces that they are going to play the whole Relayer album, then introduces To Be Over. To Be Over - I've always had trouble figuring out which parts are played on the electric guitar and which are played on the steel. Some are obvious, some are not. Oh well. This one is pretty much the same as Sound Chaser - perfect. The vocals at the beginning are beautiful. Timing is exact. This version puts a bit more emphasis on the bass and keyboard parts, and listening closely I can hear a few notes and fills that I'd never noticed before. Close to the Edge - A direct segue from the last song. I was interested to hear how Patrick played Rick's keyboard parts. Unfortunately, the keys are mixed down a little in this one. I know he's doing something different during the first four minutes, but I'm not sure what. Whatever it is, he sure is moving! Jon's voice is right where it should be and Steve just never stops with the fills. The soft part is from about 10 minutes into the song until the 16 minute mark. Alan makes interesting sound effects with cymbals and other percussives. Again, the keyboards are overshadowed by Steve's harmonics, but they can be heard if you listen closely. The explosive keyboard part is played very Wakeman-esque and so is the solo, but once again, mixed a little too low to really hear what Patrick is playing. As far as I can tell, he doesn't play the same exact part, but it's so close it doesn't matter. And You And I - I can't say too much about this one. I've heard many live versions of this song from the 70's, and they are all similar. The keyboards take a much larger role once again. During The Preacher The Teacher, someone (Chris, I think) throws in a quick harmonica. Like the others, this version is very precise. The steel guitar/keyboard theme is majestic. A quick drum roll, then Jon mentions that he wants everybody dancing and singing. Roundabout & All Good People - What can I say about these two without being redundant? We've all heard them plenty of times. They are similar to the versions off of Yessongs. In Your Move, Jon sings the "give peace a chance" bit, very discernibly. This is a five star bootleg. If you can find it, GET IT! Of course, don't look for it in your average run-of-the-mill mall store. I've seen it at three stores so far, all in central Long Island. I'm not sure where to find it outside of New York, but I can provide pointers for people in this area. HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!!!!!! "So whaddya think?", asks the store owner. "Not bad. How much?" "Thirty bucks." "THIRTY BUCKS?!?!!?", I think to myself, "He's crazy!" But I was already digging into my wallet. I shouldn't have been surprised knowing how expensive this place is. I also shouldn't have been so quick to show the color of my money... "Say, do you like ELP? Have I got a deal for you..." -Mike Borella borellms@clutx.clarkson.edu * * * * * * * * * * MORE ON THE TIME AND A WORD COVER: ================================= From: IN%"alchemy@buhub.bradley.EDU" "Michael Swiston" I saw Rick Meyer's comments on the original Time and a Word cover and thought I'd add my two cents' worth. I picked up a used first pressing of the album for $15 a couple months ago, and the cover is a black and white drawing. It's a bit hard to describe, but it looks like a view down a long hallway with a checkered floor. There is a naked woman (although her legs are together) lying with her head unseen through the far end of the hallway, and the size of her body is much too large for the three-dimensional style of the hallway. On the back are the pictures which are also on the back of the more common sleeve, but they're also in b&w. No credit is given to the author of the cover. Also, the copies of this original pressing that I've seen have all contained a lyrics sheet; I haven't seen any of the later pressings with lyrics. +++ +++ +++ +++ From: IN%"makila@finsun.csc.fi" There was something about the original cover of Time And A Word. Well, I have it right here. Looks pretty surrealistic. There's this woman lying with only shoes on but you can't see her hands or head so you can't be quite sure. The hands and head are out of the box the woman is lying in and where the picture is 'taken' or painted. Outside you can see some trees. The floor of the box is chessboard-like, the walls and ceiling are grey. There is also a butterfly. After this explanation (ha!) I'll say that I can see no reason to ban this cover. OK, you can see the woman's titties, but this isn't the only album cover of that kind. On the back there are, by the way, pictures of the band members including Peter Banks. //Niko +++ +++ +++ +++ From: IN%"borellms@clutx.clarkson.edu" The original cover of Time and a Word is available on the Japanese import, which I've been seeing for about $12 (excellent price!). Also, if I'm not mistaken, import pressings tend to be of superior quality. +++ +++ +++ +++ From: IN%"DMARKFIE@INDYMED.BITNET" The reason behind Steve Howe on Time and a Word is that the American issue is a re-release. Both Yes and Time and a Word were originally released overseas and then they were subsequently released in America. The original cover to Time was a nude female torso in a room with a butterfly by her thigh. For those who have seen the cover you know I'm not doing it justice. The original Yes cover was black with a red and blue word balloon of the word Yes. It was gatefold. Inside was the Melody Maker article plus a picture of the band in front of some trees with individual pictures of the band live overlaid. Hope this helps Dave Markfield * * * * * * * * * * HENRY VIII's HAREM: ================== _The Six Wives of Henry VIII_ by Rick Wakeman 1) "Catherine of Aragon" 4) "Jane Seymour" 2) "Anne of Cleves" 5) "Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou 3) "Catherine Howard" 6) "Catherine Parr" Rick Wakeman, the then rising young electronic keyboard star, recorded his first solo album throughout most of 1972. It is interesting that Rick Wakeman was also on the Yessongs tour with Yes during this time. It is my understanding that originally Rick had wanted to do a big scale, orchestrated version of Jules Verne's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" for his first project, but record company executives were reluctant to spring for such an expensive first project, asking him instead to consider something on a smaller scale. On the flight home he happened to read a book about Henry VIII and thus the concept for this album was born. Appearances are made on the album by Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, and Bill Bruford. I imagine that were this not an instrumental album Jon Anderson would have appeared, completing the set of all Yes members. In addition two members of Wakeman's former band The Strawbs, Dave Lambert and Dave Cousins, also appear on this album. Like so many of Rick Wakeman's solo albums this is a concept album, in fact it is credited as being the first ever rock concept album, pre-dating _Dark Side of the Moon_ by almost six months. Each of the six tracks on this album represents Wakeman's musical interpretation of the character of one of the wives of King Henry VIII. The opening of the first track "Catherine of Aragon" is also the opening of "Excerpts from Six Wives of Henry VIII" on Yessongs. However, on this version Howe, Squire, and Bruford join Wakeman. The added bass and percussion really put some teeth in this version. "Anne of Cleves" is more dissonant and chaotic, but retains the same level of energy and power as the remaining tracks on the album. "Catherine Howard" neatly blends a broad range of musical feeling into a high spirited piece. Like much of the rest of the album, the mood on this piece changes suddenly from quiet guitar solo to a roar, in the blink of an eye. Wakeman's carefully crafted arrangements effortlessly move from one musical idea to another, never seeming forced or contrived. "Catherine Howard" like most works on this album is composed of many varied musical themes, including a hauntingly beautiful opening and closing theme. "Jane Seymour" with its heavy use of church organ, and the same sliding synthesizer and mellotron segment as in the excerpt on Yessongs, creates a dark and brooding mood. "Anne Boleyn", probably meant to portray her quick temper and savage tongue, does so brilliantly by rapid, but seamless, alternation between beautiful pastoral melodies, including the hymn 'The Day Thou Gavest Hath Ended', and stronger, more dramatic, even angry sections. The last piece, "Catherine Parr", is about as close as Wakeman comes to a straight ahead rocker, but the musical themes are more numerous and the construction and instrumentation are much more elaborate than the average rocker. _Six Wives of Henry VIII_ is arguably Wakeman's finest solo work ever, and is certainly representative of the very best of seventies progressive rock. It is difficult for me to find anything about the album that can be faulted. You can get an idea of what _Six Wives_ is like by listening to the excerpts from it on Yessongs, but this performance lacks the complete arrangements, full instrumentation, and excellent production that add so much to the album. Rick Wakeman's classic _Six Wives of Henry VIII_ is a bargain at the $13 or so it currently costs, it is readily available, and deserves a place in any collection of early Yes music. -Dave Scidmore * * * * * * * * * * STEVE HOWE GUESTS ON LATEST QUEEN ALBUM: ======================================= From: IN%"JTULL@vms.cis.pitt.EDU" Just thought you should know, on Queen's new album Innuendo, Steve Howe plays on the title track. I haven't heard the song yet but everyone is raving about it. In England the song debuted on the charts at number 1. Which is remarkable by anyone's standards. Rick Meyer * * * * * * * * * * THE IN CROWD: ============ From: IN%"makila@finsun.csc.fi" To add a piece a trivia: In the late sixties there was a movie called BLOW UP, in which the English blues/r&b/whatever-band Yardbirds play in one scene. Tells Mr. Howe (who was at the time in a band called The In Crowd and was to appear in the film): 'We went on the set and started preparing for that guitar-smashing scene in the club. They even went as far as making up a bunch of Gibson 175 replicas... and then we got dropped for the Yardbirds who were a bigger name. That's why you see Jeff Beck smashing a replica of my guitar rather than his!' While I'm on Howe (who happens to be my favourite guitarist) I'll mention that later The In Crowd changed their name to Tomorrow and released two singles and a marvellous album. They never broke through because the psychedelic era was coming sadly to end in Feb '68 when their album was released. The best songs on the album are (IMHO) the single a-sides My White Bicycle and Revolution and there is also a good cover of Strawberry Fields Forever. If you ever see this album (don't know if it's on CD too), be sure to check it out. Have a nice time and don't you kill the whale!! // niko * * * * * * * * * * STEVE HOWE'S BEGINNINGS: ======================= _Beginnings_ by Steve Howe 1) "Doors of Sleep" 5) "Beginnings" 2) "Australia" 6) "Will O' the Wisp" 3) "The Nature of the Sea" 7) "Ram" 4) "Lost Symphony" 8) "Pleasure Stole the Night" 9) "Break Away From It All" Following the release of Relayer and subsequent tour the members of Yes decided to take some time off to pursue solo projects. For Steve Howe _Beginnings_, which was recorded during this period, was his first solo album. As is not unusual for first solo albums he brings in members of his current and past bands to play on some of the tracks. Alan White plays drums on five of the tracks, Bill Bruford plays on two, and Patrick Moraz on three. A variety of other musicians, some well known some not, fill in several tracks. The music on this album is absolutely first rate, and except for a single flaw I would recommend it without reservation. The flaw is that Steve Howe sings lead on the album. For those of you who have heard Steve Howe sing lead, no further explanation is needed, for those who have not you might want to listen closely to the background vocals on "I Get Up, I Get Down" in "Close to the Edge" (especially on _Yessongs_). It is not that Steve Howe sings off key, quite the opposite, he could not sing close harmony like he does with Yes and be off key. It is just that his voice is not particularly pleasing to listen to. Fortunately, on many of the tracks the harmonies are so thick, and the effects heavy enough that Steve Howe's vocals are not much of a detraction. Also there are three instrumental tracks on the album in which Steve Howe does not sing. The first of these "The Nature of the Sea" is a basic guitar, bass, drums song, with shades of too many Yes songs to mention. Another "Beginnings" is a beautiful blending of baroque and romantic musical styles, played by a chamber orchestra, with Steve Howe, Patrick Moraz, and Alan White playing along on electric guitar, synthesizer, and percussions. This is by far the best and longest track on the album. The last instrumental "Ram" is a guitar solo very reminiscent of "The Clap", but augmented by steel guitar and banjo. The writing in the remaining tracks, both music and lyrics, is somewhat similar in feel to the music and lyrics of Yes to which Steve Howe has contributed. However, Steve Howe has chosen to write several smaller, more topical, "songs" rather than the larger, more elaborate, pieces that show up on _Close To The Edge_, _Tales_, and _Relayer_. The music is also less intricate and complex than on these albums, and more like _The Yes Album_ in this respect. This similarity to _The Yes Album_ is heightened by the absence of heavily layered electronic keyboards, with the arrangements leaning more heavily on the guitar. Despite the similarities to the music of Yes, the music on this album is also quite different and unique, combining elements of many types of rock and roll and country music. The song writing, arrangement, performance, and production are all outstanding. This C.D. is only available as a Japanese import, and as such will probably run about $25. Most C.D. stores that carry imports will be able to order it for you (I had no trouble getting my copy this way). If you don't mind spending a lot on an C.D. with only 50% listenable material, or if you think you could learn to overlook Steve Howe's voice (you can get used to it, I did), or you are a die hard Yes fan, then this is definitely an album for you. Dave Scidmore Daves@heurikon.com * * * * * * * * * * ANOTHER IMPORTANT EVENT IN YES HISTORY ====================================== Hey everybody, March 4th is Chris Squire's 43rd birthday (yeah, that means he was born in 1948). Don't forget to celebrate! * * * * * * * * * * CHRIS AND ASSORTED APARTMENT-MATES: ================================== From: IN%"STOREYR@Venus.YCC.Yale.Edu" It was mentioned that Chris Squire and Robert Fripp once shared an apartment. I'm not sure about that, but in the interview I will quote later, Chris says he shared an apartment with Greg Lake around the time of the making of Time and A Word. I guess that would be '69 or '70. Ross Storey * * * * * * * * * * CHRIS THE FISH: ============== From: IN%"jd2o+@andrew.cmu.EDU" "Jack C. Deem" To the person that wrote the review of Chris Squire's Fish Out Of Water; I've heard that his nickname 'Fish' comes less from his zodiac sign and more from his drinking style. * * * * * * * * * * CHRIS SQUIRE: ============ From: STOREYR@Venus.YCC.Yale.Edu The following are excerpts from an interview with Chris Squire in the May 1988 issue of GUITAR For the Practicing Musician. The interview was conducted by John Stix. INTRODUCTION As a founding member of Yes, Chris Squire molded his background in classical church music with a fascination for R&B into a juggernaut of high end sound on a low end instrument, with a sound capable af carrying a vocal-like melody as strongly as any lead instrument, including the voice. {Nice run-on. -R.S.} Admired and respected by bassists as divergent as Geddy Lee and Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, Squire stands as one of the original pioneers of rock bass playing and certainly a monument to the early days of Art Rock. "Around the time of the first King Crimson album, Greg Lake and I used to share an apartment. We were working on our second album. When he used to play at the Marquee, Phil Collins would come backstage at every Yes gig and rap to Bill Bruford." Musically, Chris still likes sounds that the echoes of those early days. However, on BIG GENERATOR, he has deliberately changed his sound, a self re-evaluation proving that one of the instrument's most eloquent voices is still one of its most progressive. If there is a line that would sum up Chris Squire,it might be from the song "I'm Running:" "The challenge is to chase the sound just to break away." Chris smiles modestly, "That's a typical Jon Anderson line." JOHN: Has your role as a bass player changed over the years? CHRIS: I've never thought of myself as a bass player. Whenever I went to see bands, apart from John Entwistle's or Jack Bruce's, I usually stood on the guitarist's side of the stage. So I developed a bass playing style with a guitarist's attitude. JOHN: Did anybody rap your knuckles because you thought of the bass as a guitar? CHRIS: Yes, but I didn't stay in those bands. I've been lucky to the extent that I've always been able to contribute my art to generally left-field thinking people like Bill Bruford and Jon Anderson. Even prior to Yes I tended to work with people who were either very musical or weren't brought up on Elvis Presley. I was not a Presley fan. I was never a rock fan. JOHN: What happened to your band Cinema? CHRIS: Cinema happened. It just changed its name back to Yes before 90125 came out. Trevor Rabin and I had done all the singing, but Trevor Horn said we needed a bit more magic from a vocal point of view. I said, 'Why don't we get Jon in?' Everything was done before Jon even came around; he just replaced the lead vocals. {Why then does he receive extensive writing credits on 90125? - R.S.} JOHN: Did you view the writing of Cinema's 90125 as any different from a Yes album? CHRIS: It wasn't supposed to be a Yes album. It was this complete other direction. We were making an album for a completely unknown entity called Cinema. Therefore, we had tons of freedom. The weight of it would have been different if it had been Yes from the beginning. JOHN: So the comeback album for Yes was really BIG GENERATOR? CHRIS: BIG GENERATOR was written as a Yes album. But we learned an important lesson on 90125. We don't have to think about what Yes is anymore. It's no longer that Yes doesn't do heavy metal or Yes doesn't do South American music. I say, from now on, Yes can do anything. That's what you find in BIG GENERATOR. JOHN: You once said that "Heart of the Sunrise" was the best Yes song for getting all of the elements of the band into a compact structure. CHRIS: I still think that. What I remember about putting that song together was that Steve Howe and I worked quite closely on that melodic bass line. To be honest, I think it came from an idea of his. We were being very friendly and cooperative at that time; that's why it ended up like that. JOHN: How different is the band with Trevor Rabin as opposed to Steve Howe? CHRIS: Steve is very much a guitarist from guitar-land. He's into that eat, sleep, and breathe guitar attitude. Trevor has a much broader under- standing of bass and pop lines and of production. Trevor is more of an oddity in that way. He does care to understand a lot more than most guitarists care to. It doesn't mean that one is better than the other, they just have different styles. JOHN: What's the difference between drummers Bill Bruford and Alan White? CHRIS: A hell of a lot. They are almost opposites. I am very fortunate to have experienced both of their styles over the past 15 years. Bill is more of a top kit player with a great love for left-field jazz. Alan comes from a more basic, English rock feel. His is a simple approach with lots of space. Bill is always kind of busy. It was good with Bill being so busy up top, I could be busy down below. Alan is more relaxed and has this general attitude of calmness. In a way, it was good after playing with Mr. Technique to play with Mr. Feel. Of course, at the end of the day, Alan White became much of a technique player himself. I guess I helped pull him in that direction. Some- times, on the last couple of albums, it almost seems like we've exchanged roles. It's progress in a way. JOHN: Now that Yes has a larger pop following, could you allow yourself the indulgence of a TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS or really long songs? CHRIS: I'm not against the idea of doing another long form piece. Side two of BIG GENERATOR was supposed to be that. It was supposed to be "Holy Lamb", "I'm Running", "Love Will Find a Way", and "Final Eyes" with each track having some kind of linking between them. In reality, we never quite got it to where everyone was satisfied. Well, that's the meat of it. I don't think Chris' direction differs much from Jon's. I think he just likes to work more slowly, for whatever reason. I'm quite sure we'll see them in the same band again within five years (or much sooner! -ed.). -Ross Storey * * * * * * * * * * LYRICS ON LINE: ============== AVAILABLE YES (AND RELATED) LYRICS: -Yes Albums- The Yes Album Fragile Close To The Edge Tales From Topographic Oceans 90125 Big Generator -Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe Albums- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe -Jon Anderson solo albums- 3 Ships In The City Of Angels -Jon And Vangelis albums- Private Collection -Other Miscellaneous Songs- Loved By The Sun (Jon with Tangerine Dream - from "Legends" soundtrack) So Long Ago, So Clear (Jon Anderson with Vangelis) Prince Rupert Awakes (Jon Anderson with King Crimson) Pre-Drama Songs (Written for Yes before Jon and Rick quit. Never recorded by Yes, but some appear on Jon's solo works) We Can Fly From Here (Written by Yes (Drama lineup) but never recorded in the studio. Bootlegs exist of a live performance) If you would like a copy of any of these lyrics, you can request them from either of the following addresses. And, if you have lyrics for any albums not mentioned and would be willing to transcribe them, that would be great. Just send them to either address. Lyric requests to: Cwalters@ducvax.auburn.edu Peter.S.Vosshall@mac.dartmouth.edu * * * * * * * * * * UNCLE JOE'S ADDRESS: =================== Last issue a book called _Uncle_Joe's_Record_Guide_To_Progressive_Rock_, by LA DJ Joe Benson, was mentioned. Several of you contacted me for the address for mail-ordering the book, so I decided to make a point of including it in this issue. If you are interested in this collection of record reviews, covering all albums by groups such as Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Yes (+ others), you can order it for $9.95 + $2.05 S/H from: Uncle Joe's Record Guides P.O. Box 12464 Glendale, CA 91224-9948 ***Please note that due to the recent postal hikes, charges for shipping and handling may have increased. Also, note that this is the cost for ordering within the United States. For other rates you will need to contact them directly. -Ed. * * * * * * * * * * BASS-PLAYER'S MAILING LIST: ========================== Well, I'm not going to make a habit of this, but I think this bit of information will be relevant to a lot of you out there. Today I received a letter from Kevin Tipple who has organized a "digest oriented toward discussion of the acoustic and electric bass". Please read on if you are at all interested: ATTENTION ALL BASS PLAYERS! There now exists a mailing list specifically oriented towards the electric and acoustic bass, and those who play them: The Bass Players' Digest. Digest discussion might span topics from equipment and technique, to successful players and personal styles. Nearly anything goes, as long as the general topic is adhered to, and flaming does not take place. Subscriptions are open to any Internet or Bitnet mailing address, and all levels of players and musical tastes are welcome. The Bass Players' Digest is distributed daily during the work week from the University of Wisconsin- Platteville; Kevin Tipple, editor. To subscribe, send mail to: ucskrt@uwplatt.edu Thank you! * * * * * * * * * * IT'S PARTY TIME =============== Happy birthday to: February March -------- ----- 2-2 Jamie Lantzy 3-4 Chris Squire 2-5 Andy Bates 3-6 Andrew Mack 2-6 Scott McDaniel 3-14 Elliot Selsley 2-11 Valentino Herrera 3-17 Mike Borella 2-18 Furman O'Dell 3-20 Jim Demes 2-22 Victor Kan 3-29 Chris Ambler 2-27 Jeff Hunnicutt * * * * * * * * * * IN CLOSING... ============= There are now in excess of 175 members on our mailing list! My recent posting to news pulled in about 50 new interested people. (Thanks for the shove, Mike B.) Welcome again, everyone. Don't hesitate to write! You probably noticed the addition of a table of contents for the newsletter. This has been added at the request of several readers who thought it'd make things easier for those who are looking for a specific subject. And I think it probably will! They also pointed out that "all the other newsletters do it", so of course we just have to conform...:-) +++ +++ +++ +++ Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Time to impose DEADLINES. So consider February 20th the DEADLINE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS for the next newsletter. Please do not send any contributions between the 20th and the day you receive #8. (Unless, of course, you have important late-breaking news!) One further request: when sending contributions please send them in the form they would appear in the newsletter, and as separate mailings. Sometimes it can be a pain extracting stuff from personal letters! This will make things a helluva lot easier for me! Thanks! * * * * * * * * * * CONTRIBUTORS: ============ Thanks to: Chris Foster, Brian Potter, Dave Markfield, Mike Borella, Ross Storey, David Halm, Jack Deem, Mike Scheinberg, Mike Swiston, Niko Makila, Dave Scidmore, Rick Meyer, Rick Tony, Christian Walters and Pete Vosshall for all your help, input and information! * * * * * * * * * * ADDRESSES: ========= For New Subscribers, Contributions, Questions/Comments/Criticisms: Cathy Leak V111PBXX@UBVMS.CC.BUFFALO.EDU For Back Issues: Mike Borella CURADIO@CLUTX.CLARKSON.EDU For the Discography (Additions, Corrections and Requests): Mike Borella CURADIO@CLUTX.CLARKSON.EDU For the Rarities List (Additions and Requests): Dave Markfield ILWN500@INDYCMS For Lyrics (Additions and Requests) Christian Walters CWALTERS@DUCVAX.AUBURN.EDU or Pete Vosshall PETER.S.VOSSHALL@MAC.DARTMOUTH.EDU For Import CD's (last resort): Joe Pizzirusso JOEP@CBMVAX.CBM.COMMODORE.COM ********************************************************************************