* * * * * * * * * * ______ ______ ____________ _________ / \ | \ __/ \ __/ \__ _________ | \| \ / |/ _ \ _________ / | // _____ || / \_/ \ |NOTES \ // / \ \\_ \_ | |FROM \ || _____ ___\ \ \_ \_ | |THE \ || / ---/______| \ \_ | |EDGE ___\ || | | /______ __/ \ | |#32 ___/ \ \\ \_ \_ // | | \_____ / ___\ _/ \_ \ \_ _// | ______/ \__ \__/ ___/ \_ \____ | \_/ \__ ___/ \___ _/ \__ \__/ \ \_________/ \_____/ \_ \_____/ \ \_ | \_ | \__ __/ \_____________/ Notes From the Edge #32 February 16, 1992 * * * * * * * * * * IN THIS ISSUE... ================ Editorial Notes --Up and running... Notes From Yes Magazine --Tour dates and more! Some Reader Response --About Notes #31 The Gift of Tongues --Some mystifying lyrics In Search Of... --Readers' wants Questions, Questions --Where's Pat Moraz? --New ABWH??? --Rick solo --Guitar tab Trapped in Wax --Nixon on "Six Wives..." Castles in the Clouds --Dreams of Yes Defending Union --A fan speaks out Reviews --The Boxed Set and YesYears --A Bruce Wooley Project and Asia in Asia Thoughts on Yet Another "Supergroup" --Rabin and Walsh? Endnotes --See you in 14 * * * * * * * * * * EDITORIAL NOTES: ================ Well, here we go again! I'm back for my second issue in the editor's chair. This one has gone much smoother than the last, hopefully a sign of things to come. First off, Mike Stok warned me that incoming mail to his site has been damaged, so please DON'T use the Yes Archive Server for the next few days. To be on the safe side, don't use it for the rest of this week. If you want a file real bad, write me and I'll try to help out. There's been very little debate on my removing the birthdays and contributor's lists from the newsletter so I'm assuming few people mind or care. At least one contributor liked the idea of birthdays (after all we do have a reputation of being one of the friendliest newsletters around) but until further notice I won't include them (though I'm sure Cath will when she takes over again). This issue was made more interesting for me by several people. First of all, Cathy (our once and future editor) typed in the entire article from the special Goldmine issue on Yes. I haven't included it because it's bigger than all the contributions combined! I have archived copies at the Yes Archive and at cs.uwp.edu (in the backissue directory) so anyone who wants a copy can take a look at it. It's a pretty good, yet somewhat incomplete history of Yes. And the most amazing thing is that I never directly asked Cath to type it in...she just dropped me a line, "it's done!" So be sure to flood her mailbox with appreciation! :-) Frank Woolf sent me copies of a real nice Relayer GIF and an IBM PC executable file which displays an ad. So far I haven't been able to get the executable to run for more than a few seconds, but I've archived the GIF at the Yes Archive and it will be at cs.uwp.edu soon. And finally I'd like to thank the handful of people who sent me comments and criticism on the last newsletter. Responses were luke warm to hot, which made me happy. I was thrilled with the deluge of submissions for this newsletter. I got more than the entire bulk of #31 in the first 24 hours after I mailed it! Keep up the enthusiasm! -Mike Borella Editor of Notes From the Edge borella@snowball.cs.ucdavis.edu * * * * * * * * * * NOTES FROM YES MAGAZINE ======================= Date: 08 Feb 92 02:27:22 EST From: "Douglas Gottlieb" <73477.3435@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: Notes From the Edge #31 Glad to see that NOTES is carrying on. Regarding the Bruford controversy, Yes he still is in the band, and YES he IS doing the dates in Japan. For those of you with frequent flyer miles to spend, and plenty of cash, the Japanese tour dates are as follows: 2/29 Tokyo 3/2 Osaka 3/3 Nagoya 3/4 Yokohama 3/5 Tokyo The Steve Howe solo tour has been postponed. No more U.S. UNION dates are currently planned. YES MAGAZINE subscribers: volume 4 number 1 has been delayed (because it keeps growing in size & quality). Despite its sizable girth, it will only count as a single issue. An UPDATE is on the way... We are closing down the ROGER DEAN poster sales for TALES, FLOATING and WATER very soon. Anyone interested in obtaining these prints should get us a check for $20 each, plus $5 postage no later than March 15. After that date, we will not be able to fill the order. Hope to see you all at an Earthworks show this spring! Best, Doug Gottlieb, YES MAGAZINE * * * * * * * * * * SOME READER RESPONSE: ===================== Date: Mon, 3 Feb 1992 03:52 EST From: Ed Lovell Subject: NFTE comments Looking good! Congratulations on your editorship, sounds like you needed a hobby for your mass amounts of free time... ;) The NFTE digest is one of my favorites (next to the National Midnight Star). I was really psyched when I learned of it's existence. I agree that the birthdays and "contributers" was kinda dead weight, and that it is certainly not worth the manual effort necessary. I always thought that it was an automatic thing...it seems that it would be quite easy to have a time-periods birthday's spit out (short of typing all of them into what ever kinda of database you'd use). Anyway, I can't believe that Cathy used to include them all manually! Also, a "contributor" list would be easily extracted from some sort of digesting software (I would think). Anyway, keep up the good work, your efforts are appreciated!!!! [ Thanks! This really helps me to justify not studying! :-) Remember, all comments (even negative ones) are welcome. -Mike ] * * * * * * * * * * THE GIFT OF TONGUES: ==================== Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1992 20:21:45 -0800 (PST) From: TGRAVES@UPS.EDU Subject: yes If anybody out there can possibly tell me what is being said (mumbled) at the end of _to be over_ I would be extremely grateful. You see, I got my friend into that album this last summer and he said he'd kill me if I didn't find out what is being said. (Jokingly, of course) I thought it might be in a foreign language, like the stuff on _topographic_, but my friend who speaks French nixed that idea. Swiss?(ha ha) because Moraz is on that Album? Keep up the good work NFTE! +++ +++ +++ +++ Date: Thu, 6 Feb 92 00:34 CST From: KURT MILLER Subject: Angkor Wat I was wondering if anyones knows what the words are that are spoken by the voice of (I presume) a child at the end of the track "Angkor Wat" on the Union disc? Along the same lines, what is the translation of the title? I was also wondering if you've heard the other solo releases by Steve Howe besides Turbulence. I would like to know if they contain any acoustic tracks, because I love acoustic guitar and saw Yes on the Union tour this past summer at Alpine Valley. During the concert, Steve did an excellent solo performance, some of which was acoustic. (Trevor Rabin also did some solo stuff, but I prefer Howe's work.) I've heard about Steve Howe's other discs, but since they are only available as imports (at high prices) I'd kinda like to know how they are. [ The Steve Howe Album contains several excellent acoustic pieces. - Mike ] +++ +++ +++ +++ From: Boldric Date: Tue, 11 Feb 92 16:16:29 EST Subject: NFTE Article Does anybody know ALL of the words in "We Have Heaven" from Fragile? "We have Heaven", "Yes!", "He is here", and "Here is here" is all I can clearly make out. I'd really like to find out everything he's saying... David Talley dtalley@wam.umd.edu [ Unfortunately our lyrics file is missing the words. I can make out "Tell the Moon Dog, Tell the March Hare" at the beginning. - Mike ] * * * * * * * * * * IN SEARCH OF: ============= Date: Mon, 03 Feb 92 14:25:58 CST From: "David Drum" Subject: Looking for the A Cappella "Leave It," anyone, anyone? Umpteen years ago when 90125 was released, I heard an A Cappella version of "Leave It" ONCE. It made such a big impression on me that I have always wanted to find it, with no luck. Can anyone help? David [ It's out of print, so the chance of finding the single for a reasonable amount of money is low. Try the rarities list. Maybe someone will make you a copy... - Mike ] +++ +++ +++ +++ Date: 7 Feb 92 20:09:00 EST From: "Karl W. Oberjohn" Subject: Song list from Yesshows '91? Hello everyone. I saw Yes in concert for the first (and, it's probably safe to say, the last) time at The Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio last April. Needless to say, it was a fantastic show. But at the time, I wasn't familiar with much of Yes' music, and I was wondering if anybody could post (or e-mail) a song list from their tour. I remember "Yours Is No Disgrace", "I've Seen All Good People", "Roundabout", "Long Distance Runaround", "Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Rhythm of Love", "Lift Me Up", "Awaken", "And You And I", "Shock to The System", and "Amazing Grace," but that's about it. I am especially interested in finding out what songs or parts-of-songs were played during each member's solo performance (especially Howe and Wakeman--great stuff). Sorry if this has been brought up before; thanks for your help! Other comments: I think it's time for Yes to hang their hats. If they do decide to make one last album, then they should shut out all outside distractions, get their heads out of their asses, sit down, and write some good music *as a band*. I agree that the "Going For The One" lineup is probably ideal. Whatever they decide to do, I'm sure they still have one last surprise in store for us... Karl Oberjohn oberjokw@udavxb.oca.udayton.edu +++ +++ +++ +++ Date: Sun, 16 Feb 92 18:04:08 PST From: borella@toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (Mike Borella) Subject: Rick's solo albums I'm looking for somebody (or several somebodies) who have any of the following Wakeman albums: Lisztomania, No Earthly Connection, White Rock, Best Known Works, or any of the more recent ones. If you're willing to trade, drop me a line. I have quite a bit of Wakeman and other Yes and non-Yes rarities. -Mike Borella borella@cs.ucdavis.edu * * * * * * * * * * QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS: ===================== From: David Halm Subject: NFTE Contribution Date: Tue, 4 Feb 92 09:05:15 EST from a recent NFTE... > > MORAZ: He's happy floundering with the Moody Blues. Not that happy, I guess, since he quit the band several months ago! :-) The last I heard he was trying to get a record deal for a new solo album he had been working on. He was also planning a solo piano tour of the US last year, but I never heard any more about it. Does anyone know if Switzerland's 700th birthday bash happened last year? Moraz was the musical coordinator, and it was supposed to be a huge, multi- media extravaganza. I wondered if was ever able to pull it off. David +++ +++ +++ +++ Subject: New ABWH From: wilkinso@darkside.com (Sean Flanegan) Date: Mon, 03 Feb 92 13:33:55 PST Has anyone heard of a release by ABWH in the near future? I have heard that while recording the tracks that ended up on UNION, about an albums worth were left out, slated for release on a new ABWH. Any truth to this. Saw Rush in Sacramento and Oakland last week... my response to the question "How does it compare to the Yes Union shows?" "Who are Yes?" sean +++ +++ +++ +++ Date: Tue, 4 Feb 92 13:44:29 EST From: david@shadow.ait.com (David Kuznick) Subject: Wakeman solo, Rabin solo Is Time Machine a "new-age" type work, or more of a progressive rock disc? Is the Hammersmith disc worth getting? Finally picked up Rabin's Can't Look Away cause it was cheap. Wow! This is really a good album. Much better than his other solo stuff and better than most of Big Generator as well. Too bad I waited this long... David Kuznick david@ait.com [ Time Machine is New-agey (newagey?) at times but more in the "mainstream". But of course mainstream for Wakeman is still not what you'll hear on the radio. It's not really progressive, but worth a listen. - Mike ] +++ +++ +++ +++ Date: Thu, 13 Feb 92 14:52 EST From: Subject: lyrics&transcriptions Anyone know where i can get a guitar transcription to siberian khatru? any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, ACC@ASB [ As far as I know, no tablature exists though there are the cryptic transcriptions in Yes Complete. Currently, Greg Utas & Co. are working on supplying us with material like this in ASCII format. - Mike ] * * * * * * * * * * TRAPPED IN WAX: =============== Date: Mon, 10 Feb 92 15:57:15 EST From: Jeff Tucker Subject: NFTE submission. I ran into a fellow Rick Wakeman fan in a record store the other day and he pointed out something interesting. I pass it on to you as Yes trivia. At the photo shoot for the cover of Wakeman's "Six Wives..." album in the wax museum, they cleared an area of all the wax figures except Henry VIII and the six wives, but they missed one. In the background, toward the upper left corner, you can see the head of the wax figure of Richard Nixon. It's much easier to see on the record than the CD. Jeff Tucker * * * * * * * * * * CASTLES IN THE CLOUDS: ====================== From: wcsanil@ccs.carleton.ca (Anil Prasad) Subject: In the big dream... Date: Mon, 3 Feb 92 0:52:36 EST My mind's been wandering lately, and I've been thinking about a dream band that could someday form..... Wouldn't it be really, really cool if Jon Anderson left "union" Yes (again) and started a new band? Maybe he'd call in a few of his old friends for support... maybe Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe. Maybe he'd even add the greatest bass player on the planet, Tony Levin, to the lineup? Wouldn't it be really, really cool if this band recorded a new album? Wouldn't it be really, really cool if this band hopped in a bulldozer and ploughed over a studio where Chris Squire, Trevor Rabin, Alan White and Tony Kaye were rehearsing so there'd never be the temptation for future Yes "unions"? Wouldn't that be really, really cool? I knew you'd think so. Anil Prasad wcsanil@ccs.carleton.ca P.S. anyone know what's going on with this Stu Hamm/Jon Anderson band? * * * * * * * * * * DEFENDING UNION: ================ Date: 3 Feb 92 11:31:00 EST From: "OAK::ARTROCKER" Subject: Unified Yes Hey all, It seems that whenever I read NFTE, someone is always talking about how _Union_ is such a weak album. I find this hard to believe that people so much into Yes don't like what they've released. Now granted, _Union_ is not one of those cds that can be labeled as "great," "classic," or anything like that. But when I first got the disc, I listened to it very often, as I continue to do. I do agree with the fact that the album definitely lacks continuity. This is, as we all know, because we basically had two Yes bands putting some songs on a single album. Another reason, perhaps equally important, was the fact that the album was recorded by the individual members of Yes and Jonathan "the loser" Elias **separately**. What I read was that Elias worked with each of Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, and Levin separately because of their conflicting schedules. Now what I have a hard time believing, especially after listening to Howe's _Turbulence_ album, is that all of these guys we admire so much were very concerned about putting out a good Yes album. If they were so concerned, why didn't they simply get together, screw the producers, and just write songs the way they used to. Obviously each had other priorities at the time (unfortunately). However, I really liked the work that Howe and Anderson did with "I Would Have Waited Forever" and "Shock to the System" is one of the best songs I have heard in a while (Yes is finally improving their lyrics). As far as the Cinema portion of the album, I am thrilled with all four tracks, "Lift Me Up" being an instant classic as far as I'm concerned. One thing that really bugs me, though, about _Union_, and perhaps this is what most people are complaining about, is the complete lack of Rick Wakeman. That I can understand completely. But other than the things mentioned, doesn't anyone besides myself put aside the trash that interfered with _Union_ and simply enjoy the finished product? Gregg Brown artrocker@maple.circa.ufl.edu P.S. Does anyone know what "Miracle of Life" is about? My suspicion is that is a pro-life song. Just a thought. * * * * * * * * * * REVIEWS: ======== From: marshall@emavp04.webo.dg.com (Marshall Wood) Subject: NFTE contribution Date: Mon, 3 Feb 92 12:27:15 EST It's been a while since I've posted anything, but after getting both the boxed set and the video as late Christmas presents, I feel inspired to write a bit of a review. I wasn't expecting much from the boxed set after reading so many negative reviews, but I really like it. Plenty of songs that weren't previously available, some live stuff, and (IMHO) a great selection of other tunes from the band's history. I'm especially glad that they didn't ignore _Tales_ and _Tormato_, 2 albums that seem to get forgotten about a lot. Of course, there's always going to be a few songs that people will say should have been included (my personal change would've been to substitute "The Remembering" for "Ritual"), but that's going to happen with every collection, I suppose. The booklet that was included is great: lots of cool photos and a great family tree. Perhaps I wouldn't give _Yesyears_ such a high my mark if I had spent my own money on it, but since it was a gift, I have no problem giving this a B+. :-) Not quite as good as the _20 Years of Jethro Tull_ set (a must for all JT fans), but not as bad as the Zeppelin box (not enough new stuff). The _Yesyears: A Retrospective_ video was even better than the boxed set, IMO. Two hours of interviews and rare footage. I was glued to the TV for the duration. Someone asked if it focussed too much on the Rabin-era stuff; I'd say that Rabin was given a fair amount of time considering when he joined the band and the role he's played. There is a bit of footage from one of his solo videos, and some interview footage with him, but if you're anti-Rabin, I don't think it's enough to make you lose your lunch or anything. The highlight of the video for me was the footage of Squire's "Hold Out Your Hand" from his solo album. There is plenty of rare stuff like that to keep fans of that era interested. None of the solo stuff that was released after _Going for the One_ is mentioned. A lot of time is devoted to _Close to the Edge_ and _90125_, fittingly, I think. There is a little overlap with some of the other Yes video releases, but those are kept down to short excerpts of songs (warning: I've never seen the _Yessongs_ video). There really aren't many (if any) complete songs on this tape, typically there are only excerpts, preceded by comments made by one or more of the musicians involved. All of the interviews were from the Union tour, so you don't hear anything from Patrick Moraz, Geoff Downes, and the rest. It was kind of disheartening to hear some of the band members saying how much they didn't like _Tales from Topographic Oceans_, that was always a favorite of mine. And it's difficult to believe that Bill Bruford really has any artistic interest in Yes music anymore, judging from his comments. Nothing blatant was said, just his attitude seemed to convey that he didn't much care for what he was doing. He did seem to enjoy describing his electronic drum kit, though. And as for Tony Kaye, well, I think this group has pretty much said what most of us think of him. (Can anyone post a review of the Badger albums, nevertheless?) A few other random questions: What the heck _is_ that drawing on the inner sleeve of _Tales_, anyway? You know, the one just below Jon's liner notes and before the lyrics. The review of the Roger Dean artwork was great, but I don't think I'll make the trip from Boston to SF to see it. Is this stuff permanently on display in SF, or is it likely to travel to other cities? [ I think it's there until it gets auctioned off. - Mike ] Any thoughts as to the theme of the _Relayer_ album? We know from Jon that "The Gates of Delirium" is about the ultimate battle between Good and Evil, but I can't grasp the connection (if any) between that and the poem on the inner sleeve. Back in my more pensive days, I used to think that the poem recalled the influence that future generations experiences can have upon the present, a theme used in some sci-fi novels (esp. Clarke's _Childhood's End_), but after re-reading the poem last night, I don't know how I ever reached that conclusion. I get the feeling that I'm missing something here. Any thoughts? For ELP fans: I just noticed that the guitar solo from "Something's Coming" (from the boxed set) is the same as the guitar part in ELP's "I Believe in Father Christmas" - listen carefully from about 4:28 to 4:45 into the song. This song certainly pre-dates IBiFC. I assume that this music is from original Sondheim/Bernstein piece? Wouldn't be the first time ELP lifted something from a classic... I've rambled on long enough for one issue, I suppose. Keep up the good work, whoever the editor of the week is! --MWood [ Of the week??????? Geez! :-) - Mike, Editor Until September (EUS) ] +++ +++ +++ +++ From: mke@kaberd.rain.com (Michael J. Miller Jr.) Subject: Article submision Date: Sun, 2 Feb 92 21:36:16 PST While looking through the vinyl section of one of the local used record stores I came across an interesting disk. Its called _Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club_. As many of you know, Bruce Woolley co-wrote many of the Buggles songs, including _Video killed the radio star_. This album came out in 1979, about the same time that The Buggles _Age of Plastic_ did. It features two tracks that appeared on _Age_. _Video killed the radio star_ and _Clean/Clean_. After listening a couple of times, I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the Buggles versions. Woolley seems to take a more irreverent attitude towards _Video_, and I don't believe it works very well. The rest of the album is very similar to the sort of stuff the Buggles did. The Camera Club (Cameras just seem to be an obsession with this bunch.) consisted of Guitar-David Birch Drums- Rod Johnson Bass- Matheww Seligman Vocal- Bruce Woolley Keyboards- Tom Dolby. (Of _She blinded me with science fame_?) Another recent purchase was the _Asia in Asia_ Laser Disc. I've been looking for this show for a very long time. I recently purchased a LD player, and this was the first disk I bought. Its 59 minutes long, and features most of Asias 'hits' up till that time. A notable exception is _Don't Cry_. This disc seems to be fairly common BTW. Greg Lake had replaced John Wetton just a few weeks before this concert came off. As far as I know, this is the only recording of Asia sans Wetton. Lake does OK, but his voice just doesn't seem quite right to me in the context of some of these songs. The rest of the band sounds great. Note, the Analog sound track is much better than the digital on this disk. The Digital sound track is way to tinny. The Steve Howe solo on this concert is a somewhat different version of _Sketches in the Sun_, which appeared later on GTR's album. I really wish they'd kept Lake, I suspect the longevity of the band would have been greatly increased. [ Rumor has it that Lake quit because Downes wanted to continue making commercial music. - Mike ] mke@kaberd.rain.com * * * * * * * * * * THOUGHTS ON YET ANOTHER "SUPERGROUP": ===================================== Date: Mon, 03 Feb 92 14:23:09 EST From: Rob Petrone Subject: Yestory To answer Robert's question about the voices in the background of the instrumental interlude in "It Can Happen," that is an interview of the band that was recorded. The guys just decided to put it in "just because." Hey, how can you argue with that logic? As for Rabin joining up with Steve Walsh of Kansas, it better not happen. Kansas are very ambivalent about their future, and I think that a project between Rabin and Walsh would not only be a staggering blow to Kansas, but assuming Walsh decides to make the Rabin/Walsh thing a long-term project, Rabin may decide to leave Yes. If what everyone on the list is saying is true (about Yes nearing its end), Rabin may decide to look for a project with more future. Rabin's departure from Yes would certainly destroy Yes. Let's face it, although there are those out there who despise Rabin (like Joe P. and his legion of Rabin bashers), you must admit that Trevor has been providing the enthusiasm that has been sustaining Yes since /Drama/. Bruford certainly doesn't care about Yes. Howe is just going through the motions at this point. Chris is too drunk to know what year it is. Kaye... 'nuff said. Anderson's got the enthusiasm, but it seems to take Rabin to spark it--case in point: /Union/. What does that leave us with? Alan. And you can't play "Heart of the Sunrise" with just a set of drums. Besides, it's all speculation anyway. There won't be a Rabin/Walsh collaboration in the near future cos Walsh is working on the new Kansas album. (And you all better buy it when it comes out!--Plug plug!) As for Scott's question about a band history, find someone who ownes the YesYears boxed set (if there is such a person in Asheville :-) and borrow the booklet. Isn't there a band history in there? It's been a long time since I looked. Regards from the City of (Brotherly) Love, Rob Petrone * * * * * * * * * * ENDNOTES: ========= Ok, that's a wrap. Just a couple more things before I let you go: I'm still looking for someone to make a glossary of backissues and/or a FAQ list. If you have some time and are interested, let me know. Some of the lyrics files have some incorrect or missing words (like "We Have Heaven"...) If you'd like to help fix some of them, drop me a line. Later! -Mike * * * * * * * * * * THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: ============================== New subscribers, contributions, questions/comments/criticism, and additions/corrections to the discography: Mike Borella (Editor) borella@snowball.cs.ucdavis.edu NFTE Server (lyrics, backissues, discography, rarities, surveys, GIFs): ** PLEASE DON'T USE DURING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 17TH! ** Automated. For help send mail with subject line yes-archive@meiko.com "send main help" to NFTE Server problems, additions/corrections to the lyrics & GIFs, and additions/corrections to the rarities list: Mike Stok mike@meiko.com NFTE backissues and lyrics via anonymous FTP from cs.uwp.edu (131.210.1.4): Backissues: Directory: /pub/music/lists/yes Lyrics: Directory: /pub/music/lyrics/files/yes GIFs: Directory: /pub/music/gifs/yes 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 #32 >-- ********************************************************************************