* * * * * * * * * * ______ ______ ____________ _________ / \ | \ __/ \ __/ \__ _________ | \| \ / |/ _ \ _________ / | // _____ || / \_/ \ |NOTES \ // / \ \\_ \_ | |FROM \ || _____ ___\ \ \_ \_ | |THE \ || / ---/______| \ \_ | |EDGE ___\ || | | /______ __/ \ | |#30 ___/ \ \\ \_ \_ // | | \_____ / ___\ _/ \_ \ \_ _// | ______/ \__ \__/ ___/ \_ \____ | \_/ \__ ___/ \___ _/ \__ \__/ \ \_________/ \_____/ \_ \_____/ \ \_ | \_ | \__ __/ \_____________/ Notes From the Edge #30 January 22, 1992 * * * * * * * * * * IN THIS ISSUE... ================ Notes From The Editor --a final note from this one... probably. :-) ... :-( NFTE Backissues --available via FTP!!! Transcriptions --want to help? Here's how! Questioning the Future of Yes --some thoughts and premonitions YesYears Video --commentary Rick Wakeman --caught in the act --thoughts and more thoughts (and some support for Jonathan Elias!) Bill Bruford's Earthworks --also caught live Roger Dean --a correction for the title of a painting --thoughts on the compass hole Kinetic Discs --a new e-mail address for them Birthdays --cash is good...plane tickets even better...:-) Contributors --that'd be those of you who were suddenly inspired by your sense of belonging to NFTE! :-) Addresses --sadly, mine must be removed...:-( * * * * * * * * * * A FINAL WORD FROM YOUR FAITHFUL EDITOR... ========================================= Well, I think this is going to (definitely, I swear!! :-) be my last NFTE issue for a long time...some of you may have noticed before you got my little note in the mail regarding my account that I was suddenly out of touch! Well, Buffalo decided it was time to get rid of me. It was only the good nature of the user manager that allowed me to reaccess my account. Of course, all good things must come to an end, and will as of February 1st. My account through a friend at Syracuse University is also in jeopardy because she also graduated this semester! (some friend, huh? :-). So, as you can see, I have no reliable net access. Therefore Mike Borella will now be taking over editorial rights to NFTE. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING Notes related should go through him at his account at: Please take it easy on him (but not too easy, make him work for this! :-), since, unlike me, who is currently an unemployed college graduate just counting the days until she hears from grad schools, with nothing better to do with her time, Mike *is* one of those grad students who has no time for anything but grad school. :-) Or so he likes people to believe ;-) Don't worry, he'll have the time for NFTE. You might see me making a few cameo appearances over the next few months, but I know it will be at least until late August or early September before I have serious net access again (unless of course I make some better friends who go to school at Syracuse :-) But until then, I bid you all a very fond farewell. You're all such a great bunch of people, and it's a pleasure to share this with you. Warmest wishes, Cath P.S. If you want to keep in touch, that would be great! You can reach me at: 4193 Coye Road Jamesville, NY 13078 phone: 315-492-2266 * * * * * * * * * * NFTE BACKISSUES VIA FTP: ======================== 21-JAN-1992 Good news. Dave Datta has agreed to put NFTE backissues at the music ftp archive. This will make the people who want ftp access to Notes stuff a little happier and it will take some of the strain off the Yes Server. So, if you can ftp, the address is cs.uwp.edu. You can find the file in the /pub/music/lists/yes subdirectory. An old copy of the discography is also available in the /pub/music/discog directory but it's about 6 months out of date. -Mike Borella borella@cs.ucdavis.edu * * * * * * * * * * THE LATEST WORD ON TRANSCRIPTIONS: ================================== "Gregory Utas" 12-JAN-1992 As Mike Borella mentioned in the last NFTE, I've volunteered to put the following transcriptions together (quixotic fool that I am): Heart of the Sunrise Close to the Edge And You And I Siberian Khatru Turn of the Century Awaken Please let me know if you're interested in helping out, in which case I will add your name to a distribution list. I'll take the published sheet music as a starting point, and work from there. However, I need help! I'm not that good at doing transcriptions, although I'm competent at standard notation. What I'm looking for are any fragments that you've transcribed. For the first four pieces, please indicate whether you used the original version or the one on Yessongs, because there are differences. Go for it! 100% accuracy is hardly expected--especially when it comes to rhythmic notation, which is utterly alien to many guitarists who prefer tab. :-) (I will keep tab versions of anything I receive in tab, but will also try to convert it to standard notation.) I will piece together your contributions, in whatever format, and let you know how things are progressing. This will probably be a rather lengthy exercise. The main problem is what notation package to use. I hope to buy a Mac package that produces PostScript output. There are a number of good music publishing packages available, ones which are light-years ahead of MuTeX (in which, apparently, everything must --get this--be *manually* positioned). For now, we're stuck with ASCII format. This is OK for tab. As far as standard notation goes, try the following: 1. Put the key signature, time signature, and harmony on the top line. 2. For each part, show a. pitch, using upper case if above the last note lower case if below the last note "=' for a repeated note "-" for a tied note b. accidentals (if needed) x = double sharp # = sharp, n = natural b = flat; c. duration, relative to a quarter note To show a part polyphonically, just stack pitch, accidental, and duration lines as required. With this notation, the first bridge in And You And I (on Yessongs) can be notated something like this (quarter note = 8): _______ Harmony|_#_4/4_ D G |F G |F C ||## Guitar | A B d EF G|= fA gB aB C|b ag eC bg e|| acc | | n | || dur |_______ 12 4 6 26 2|6 26 26 26 2|6 26 26 26 2|| Bass | D G |f G |f c || dur. |_______ 16 16 |16 16 |16 16 || _______ Harmony|_##____ A D |C D |C G ||### Guitar | = F a BC D|= cE dF eF G|f ed bG fd b|| acc | | n | || dur |_______ 12 4 6 26 2|6 26 26 26 2|6 26 26 26 2|| Bass | a D |c D |c g || dur |_______ 16 16 |16 16 |16 16 || _______ Harmony|_###___ E Bmin |C#min Emin |G D ||#### Guitar | B eGB = = |EdE-- G e b g|BaB-- aBfeF-- || acc | | n n| || dur | 8 444 12 4 |11248 4 4 4 4|11244 2211248 || |_______ 3=2 | | || Bass | E d |c E |G d || dur |_______ 16 16 |16 16 |16 16 || _______ Harmony|_####__ B E |G Bmin |D A ||3/4 Guitar | = bDF b CD E|BaB-- D b f d|FeF--eFecbC--a || acc | | n n| || dur | 8 444 6 26 2|11248 4 4 4 4|11242222112444 || |_______ 3=2 | | || Bass | b E |G b |D a || dur |_______ 16 16 |16 16 |16 16 || __________ Harmony|_####_3/4_ E B7 |B7 A |E B7 | Guitar | B (followed by some bent guitar stuff that| dur |__________ | | | Bass | e F |b C |E F | dur |__________ 16 8 |16 8 |16 8 | ________ Harmony|_####___ E A |E F#min7|B7 |E Vocals | | | A = |B dur | | | 4 4 | Lyrics |________ | | com-ing |quick-ly Synth. | | | Fdbfdbfd|E dur |________ | | 11111111| Guitar | a keyboard player like me can't transcribe) | dur |________ | | | Bass | G A |e F |B = |= dur |________ 16 8 |16 8 |16 8 | Regards, Greg Utas UTAS@BNR.CA * * * * * * * * * * PLANNING THE FUTURE FOR YES: ============================ 6-JAN-1992 I agree wholeheartedly with the person who suggested that a Going for the One type of lineup offered the best possibility of another good Yes album being made. Why? - As much as I love Bruford's playing, he has too many other interests to be a fulltime member of Yes. So does Rick, I suppose, but Bill's in a whole other band! - Rabin is a good player but not the type of person who'd make the sort of album most of us want. He also is a very dominating type (as he admits in the video) and would likely do everything his way and upset the rest. Besides, who do you really prefer to see playing? Rabin or Howe? - Tony Kaye may actually hang around. The implications that I got from "Keyboard" and from the video is that the two keyboardists actually get along surprisingly well. And now... it's time for my FEARLESS PREDICTION. Of course, I could well be wrong, but if so, I want you all to give me lots of really good arguments! So here it is: Yes is nearing THE END. "Union" was the last Big Bang, and once everyone stops touring ( pray that they DO get to Australia first- I rate it a 50:1 bet) that will be IT. The combined pressures of all those managers, all those lawyers, all the personal problems of people within the band, all the egos, blah blah blah.... will result in the final end of Yes as we know it. The "Close to the Edge of the 90's" will never happen. Depressing? Maybe. But pause and ask yourself: we've all been speculating a lot on what Yes' next step would be. What is the most likely outcome? That's all for now. I have felt lately that "Notes from the Edge" has been too short recently. This is my response. I always enjoy the ramblings of the other writers in this group; I hope that this has been at least half as entertaining. AS * * * * * * * * * * "WHAT I THINK ABOUT..." ======================= 21-JAN-1992 >Well, the call has gone out to ask some of those lurking, archetypal Yes >questions that we've all been waiting to ask... and after a long thought, I >think I've come up with some. > > 1. What is there left for Yes to accomplish? And who needs to be in > the band to do this? > 2. How much, percentagewise, of Yes' material is really that good? > And what makes that stuff good? > 3. Why is Yes your favorite band (or one of your favorites)? Well, it's probably a really bad idea to do this but here I go. You asked for opinions, you got 'em! 1) There's one thing left for Yes to do. Break up. Call it quits... forget it. If they can't do better than Union, I'd rather have them produce nothing instead of something that's not up to what I've come to expect. Ok, ok...so if they had to stay together here's what I think: - If they get rid of Wakeman they're screwed. He's been the most productive of the bunch and the only one that still challenges himself. - Dump Rabin and Kaye. Rabin writes formula music and Tony's just dead weight. - Howe and White can stay but they're both past their prime. Steve is probably still my favorite guitarist but he's still reveling in music he wrote 20 years ago. His technical ability is superb but he needs to break new ground. Same with White. Listen to the drums on Relayer then listen to Big Generator. Snare-bass beats is like thrash metal slowed down. If he's got the ability to shine, why doesn't he use it? - Squire should get his act together. Compare the bass lines of Drama with the (practically nonexistent) bass lines of Union. See what I mean? I think he can do better. - Bruford doesn't like being in Yes so he shouldn't be. He claims that his other work has been more innovative. Earthworks is nice but not *that* innovative. Let's see how King Crimson III pans out. - And Jon Anderson. UGH! Don't get me started! He's done more to hurt Yes recently than he has to help them. I really can't say I like much about him at all. (Easy Cath...stop foaming at the mouth! :-)) It's well past time to turn the reins over to the younger generation of musicians out there who've taken Yes music and expanded upon it while including various influences from all over the world (and I'm not talking about Yes clones like Starcastle here!) I just can't appreciate music that fits patterns and falls into cliches and ruts. What happened to the Yes that MADE the patterns? 2 & 3) This sort of goes together. I like the 70-75 material best, with various solo projects and the 76-80 stuff coming in second. The only album that I *really* like from that period is Drama. So I guess about 50% of their material is worthwhile. With the exception of ABWH I don't think anything past Drama is terribly interesting. The main reason I like the band so much is that they came out with so many good albums. It's rare for a band to produce more than 3-5 albums before going stale and running out of ideas. Yes is the backbone of a family tree of very good music. Specifically I like their instrumentation the most. Though they did very little in counterpoint, many of the pieces are technically superb, as any musician who's tried to play them can tell you. Sure, they lack tone in places but sheer complication makes up for it. I can listen to Gates of Delirium over and over and hear something new every time. I've never liked the lyrics that much and the vocals were kind of incidental at times. I love the three part harmony but individually none of them are *great* singers. They made very powerful music for a long time. Nowadays I like the bands that Yes influenced more than the original product. Oh well. The more things change... -Mike Borella borella@cs.ucdavis.edu * * * * * * * * * * ...THE FUTURE OF YES: ===================== 4-JAN-1992 Responding to some of Robert Talbert's questions: 1 - Yes need to evolve - after all, that's what PROGRESSIVE rock is all about. Personally I think they got stuck in a rut doing all the variations of the same theme after Close to the Edge (when they finally captured the sound(s) that they wanted) - and the lineup with Rabin somehow went off to hitland... While rock and roll is evolving, the "Classic" Yes is still doing their stuff without really pushing it all the way to the limits (I mean after Close to the Edge) so now you have all the different types of rock (i.e. speed metal, funk rock, corporate rock (yuck!) etc) but Yes is still Yes: Classic rock, 70s rock (I'm still talking about the 70s lineup without Rabin guys) so I guess new blood will always change the direction of the band (I wonder what would happen if Metallica's James Hetfield joins Yes?!) but the Edge lineup really needs a radical change of approach in order for them to conquer the 90s... I think the Rabin group already went downhill ever after 90125, like they say in country music, Sad but True... 2 - I don't have the entire Yes catalog, but judging from the Yesyears boxset, I'd say over 50% of their music is good. I can't stand stuff before Fragile, maybe just because the production sounds too old for me. Don't get me wrong, Starship Trooper and Yours Is No Disgrace are good songs, but for me they pale when compared with songs like Awaken or Roundabout. After Relayer the band seems exhausted until Going for the One, when Rick returned. But in the late 70s things went down the drain again as people start leaving the band. Really makes you wonder what keeps them breaking up and coming back together! 3 - I guess their strength in instrumental abilities and songwriting was what attracted me... Edward * * * * * * * * * * IS THERE MUCH OF A FUTURE? ========================== 22-JAN-1992 Hi Yesheads! Here are my answers to Robert Talbert's questions: 1) What is there left for Yes to accomplish? Who needs to be in the band to do this? A) What is there left? What is there LEFT??? My God! There is INFINITE room for musical development among all of us! Yes can and should continue to create as long as they want to! I certainly don't know what they should do next, but that's the thrill isn't it? Who needs to be in the band? Weeeeeeellllll, I'd say Anderson is CRUCIAL (IMHO), Squire for as long as he can possibly keep his shit together, Howe, Wakeman or Moraz or...or...Vangelis, maybe even Paul Schafer (Sp?), but I wouldn't include Tony Kaye. Alan White or Carl Palmer...NOT NOT NOT Bill Bruford until he can learn the meaning of 'Commitment'. He should at LEAST be mature enough to finish a tour f'godsakes. Anyone with a creative ability and technical expertise would complement Anderson/Squire/Howe's songwriting. 2) How much of Yes' material is really good? What makes it good? A) I figure that about 2/3 of Yes' songs really ring my bell. What I love most are the more melodic Anderson vocals, coupled with dynamic rhythms and Chris' melodic bass lines. Yes, the older Yes stuff where songs kind of 'built themselves out of an idear' (jon a.) seem more innovative than the newer straight ahead rock-n-roll, but there are plenty of real treats on all the post Tormato albums for me. 3) Why is Yes my favorite band? A) Simply put, Yes is an ongoing experience for me. Ever since I first sat down in a friend's basement in 1971 and listened to Fragile thru a good set of headphones, I have looked forward to each new Yes release, suffered thru the breakups, experienced the emotional highs of the most incredible live performances, and had great fun with other young musicians trying to perform the simpler Yes songs. I idolize Rick Wakeman's keyboard ability and creativity, and I believe Jon Anderson's musical excursions supported by the rest of the band to be some of the most emotionally brilliant music of my generation. I still get as excited now (I'm 34) as when I was a teenager when I hear they are coming on tour or recording a new album. I simply hope that they DO pass the torch and keep the Yes idea alive. I would be a fan 'til the day I die. Jimmy Jones * * * * * * * * * * THE YES YEARS VIDEO: ==================== 6-JAN-1992 Someone asked for a review of YesYears: although others have talked about it before, I'll present my views (and those of my friends who watched it with me) about it. Firstly, there's a surprising amount of emphasis on the older Yes material, with snippets of performances on TV and the like. I felt that the balance between old and new was appropriate. Secondly, don't expect this video to really expose any dirt. It's rather sanitized, and a lot of the obvious stuff- musicians being kicked out- is glossed over. Buy the book (the one with the YesShows cover- darn, what's it called...) for a (probably) more accurate and thorough description. Let's see, a few other points... Rick Wakeman's description of how he and Jon parted ways and came back together on "going for the One" is, as a friend said, "VERY Spinal Tap". Rick also gets very deep at the end with a very weird "there will always be a Yes" spiel. Bill Bruford looks pissed off with the whole deal. There's one scene where he looks as though he's reading off a script and is very angry about it (The bit where he talks about being a "multi this multi that multi ethnic band"). All in all, I'd say it's a good buy (if you ignore the propaganda), but then, I watched a mate's copy, so what would I know? * * * * * * * * * * WAKEMAN LIVE, NOVEMBER 1991: ============================ "Ronald L Chrisley" 5-JAN-1992 Rick Wakeman: Classical Connections II Live The Playhouse, Oxford (300 yards from my place, and second row seats!) 11/7/91 120 minutes Pieces: Catherine of Aragon Summertime Phantom of the Opera Birdman Of Alcatraz After The Ball extract from "1984" ? Elgin Mansions Seahorses Catherine Howard Gone But Not Forgotten Eleanor Rigby Merlin The last two times I've seen Wakeman, it was with a band: the British Rock Ensemble. But this time, it was just Rick and a guitarist /bassist (Alan Thomas? NOT Dave Paton). Not a very exciting show. Musical highlights were Gershwin's Summertime and Eleanor Rigby. The latter was announced as being in the style of Prokofiev; I had my doubts, but I was wrong: it was! An excellent version (Prok. my favourite composer, as well as Rick's). Rick once again had his inter-song banter, much improved by being less offensive. I missed the band, though. I actually wanted to hear Ashley Holt's vocals on Merlin! And many of the synth parts were done using a piano voice, which lessened their effect and made the concert seem uniform. Definitely a night out for the whole family, including grandma. Ronald L. Chrisley New College chrisley@csli.stanford.edu Oxford OX1 3BN Tel: +44 865 279555 (messages) United Kingdom Yes, that's my complete address! If I never replied to your message, I probably didn't receive it... * * * * * * * * * * BACK WITH RICK AND JONATHAN ELIAS: ================================== 6-JAN-1992 I was intrigued to read the reader response in "Keyboard" magazine over Elias' comments on Rick's playing. Now I'm a big Rick fan (well, fairly big), so I am only tentatively going to do something which will provoke the ire of many. I'm going to take Elias' side. To me, the production on "Union"- from the purely "how does it sound" point of view- is very good. The mix is nice and even, the guitar sounds great, the only complaint is that the keyboards aren't very prominent. Compare with "ABWH", in which the keyboards are dominant and the guitar is buried away. I much prefer the "sound" of Union- it's more balanced. Secondly, compare the song writing between the two albums (remembering Elias had a hand in the second one). To me, the writing on arranging on ABWH just isn't up to scratch. "Union", for all its ups and downs, has a few genuine high points. Finally, just because there's the strong belief out there that Rick Is Indeed God doesn't mean that his opinions are 100% accurate. As others have said, there will only be a true Yes album when all the musicians sit in the same room at the same time and actually write and play some songs together. In the meantime, I'll give Elias the benefit of the doubt. * * * * * * * * * * CATCHING EARTHWORKS LIVE: ========================= "Ronald L Chrisley" 5-JAN-1992 Earthworks: Shaw Theatre, London, 11/15/91 100 minutes Pieces: Dancing on Frith Street Libreville A Stone's Throw My Heart Declares A Holiday keyboard solo Hairshirt Candles Still Flicker In Romania's Dark Nerve All Heaven Broke Loose Hotel Splendour Pigalle Pilgrim's Way peck horn solo Bridge Of Inhibition (including drum solo) (slow one from Earthworks) This was my third time seeing Earthworks, and was pretty much the same as the other two. Iain and Django did not go out into the audience to re-appear with the theme at the end of Bruford's solo in "Bridge of Inhibition", however. Also, there were about 1/10th of the people in the audience compared to the last time I saw Earthworks, in the large Royal Festival Hall. And it wasn't because the tiny Shaw Theatre was sold out: it wasn't even close to being full. No support act. Ronald L. Chrisley New College chrisley@csli.stanford.edu Oxford OX1 3BN Tel: +44 865 279555 (messages) United Kingdom Yes, that's my complete address! If I never replied to your message, I probably didn't receive it... * * * * * * * * * * FLOATING WATERS? ================ 4-JAN-1992 I am sure that you have heard from others by now, but Michelle must have made a mistake about calling the wizard painting _floating waters_. Waters is a painting of the bridge over the water like island, and that is what the poster is of as well. The other piece is called _Demons and Wizards_ from the album by Uriah Heep. He also did another cover for them. The name of the painting is written on the back of it. take care, Michael ***It puzzled me that she would call that painting Floating Waters when I knew what the actual Floating Waters looks like (I mean, it *was* right there, anyway), but it really, honestly, didn't occur to me to question someone that was obviously much more of an expert than I am! :-) I suppose I have a problem questioning authority figures...:-) The title Demons and Wizards makes a little more sense, but had I known it at the time I would have searched it for the demons! I don't remember any in it or suggested by it...--Ed. * * * * * * * * * * COMPASS HOLES IN ART: ===================== "Ashok Gupta" 6-JAN-1992 I read your comments on the exhibition. Very interesting. It is only a "few hours journey" for me but the cost is prohibitive so I won't be seeing it ! I was interested in your noting the compass hole in the _Asia_ painting. Last summer I "did" Greece and remember seeing a few vases from 700 BC !! that had a compass hole embedded in them. I was really excited by seeing the holes because it emphasized the care with which the artist created the vase. I could almost picture the person pricking the vase with a needle, tying a string round it, drawing a circle and removing the needle - 2700 years ago. Wow ! Ashok Gupta Philips Research Labs, Crossoak Lane, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 5HA, U.K. * * * * * * * * * * A NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR KINETIC DISCS: ======================================= "Lawrence M. Kolota" 7-JAN-1992 To anyone needing to reach Kinetic Discs about Castanarc or anything else, I'm changing jobs 1/10/92 and losing net access. Messages sent to Prof. Walter K. Daniel at: daniel@usna.navy.mil will eventually get to me. If you've sent email after the above date, please resend it to the above address. Thanks, Larry Kolota * * * * * * * * * * IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOO, YEAH... ============================= January ------- 22 Jim Wilson 25 Michael Hall 27 Cathy Leak 30 Andy Perng February -------- 2 Jamie Lantzy 3 Doug Morack 4 Gene Levine 4 Adam Thorne 5 Andy Bates 6 Scott McDaniel 7 Jon Harley * * * * * * * * * * CONTRIBUTORS: ============= Mike Borella, Greg Utas, Andrew Studer, Edward, Jimmy Jones, Ron Chrisley, Mike Maddock, Ashok Gupta, and Larry Kolota * * * * * * * * * * THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: ============================== New Subscribers, Contributions, Questions/Comments/Criticism: Mike Borella BORELLA@SNOWBALL.CS.UCDAVIS.EDU NFTE Server (Lyrics, Backissues, Discography, Rarities, Surveys): Automated. For help send subject line "send main help", or refer to NFTE #21 YES-ARCHIVE@MEIKO.COM NFTE Server problems: Mike Borella BORELLA@TOADFLAX.EECS.UCDAVIS.EDU Mike Stok MIKE@MEIKO.COM NFTE Backissues via FTP: anonymous login via ftp to: CS.UWP.EDU and look for them in this directory: /pub/music/lists/yes Additions/Corrections to the Rarities List: Mike Stok MIKE@MEIKO.COM Additions/Corrections to the Discography, Lyrics, & GIFs: Mike Borella BORELLA@TOADFLAX.EECS.UCDAVIS.EDU Contact for helping out with transcriptions: Greg Utas UTAS@BNR.CA For Import CD's (last resort): Joe Pizzirusso JOEP@CBMVAX.CBM.COMMODORE.COM ******************************************************************************** --< END OF NOTES FROM THE EDGE #30 >-- ********************************************************************************