* * * * * * * * * * ______ ______ ____________ _________ / \ | \ __/ \ __/ \__ | \| \ / |/ _ \ | // _____ || / \_/ \ // / \ \\_ \___ \ || _____ ___\ \ \_ \ \ || / --/ ______| \ \ ___\ || | | - /______ __/ \ ___/ \ \\ \_ \_ // | / ___\ _/ \_ \ \_ _// | \__ \__/ ___/ \_ \____ | \_/ \__ ___/ \___ _/ \__ \__/ \ \_________/ \_____/ \_ \_____/ \ \_ | \_ | \__ __/ \_____________/ N o t e s F r o m T h e E d g e # 59 January 7, 1993 THE Electronic Magazine For YES Fans * * * * * * * * * * IN THIS ISSUE ============= Asia Comments - - More On Howe, Next Album, Etc. More On Asia - - A Reader's Opinions Yet More Asia - - More Information Asia Live - - With A NFTE Reader! Jon and Kitaro - - Looking For Tapes Jon Anderson - - Bio Inforamation >From The Editor - - Administrivia, Coming Features, A Request. * * * * * * * * * * ASIA COMMENTS ============= From: IN%"71221.2364@CompuServe.COM" "Damien DeSimone" Hello again: Jeff asked me if I would like to elaborate on my prior Asia comments, so I'll try. Steve Howe is not to blame for all of Asia's problems at the moment. Another major problem that Asia has here in the US is (surprise!) lack of promotion. There have been three singles released off of "Aqua" at this point: "Who Will Stop The Rain," "Lay Down Your Arms," and the most recent, "Heaven On Earth." Has anybody heard any of these tracks on the radio? None of the major radio stations in New York play them. I must say that there is a rock station in New Jersey that has been playing these tracks once in a while though!! Steve Howe basically has nothing to do with the band except for the two hours they spend on stage each night. He travels separately and doesn't soundcheck either. Both Vinny Burns and John Payne told me that he is very moody, and they are never quite sure what kind of mood he'll be in. Vinny actually told me that he doesn't care for Howe at all, and said "I'm not going to take any shit from him." :-> He also said that he's tired of being Steve's rhythm guitarist. During the first show of the US tour in New Jersey, John Payne at one point said "How about a hand for two great guitarists, Steve Howe and Vinny Burns!" Well, Steve had a problem with that, and let John know backstage, so it was never said again. During his acoustic set at one of the recent shows, at one point Steve said "Am I talking or are you talking?" to the audience, which I thought was a bit rude. In terms of why Steve is touring with Asia, I would think one of the main reasons is as a favor to Geoff. Obviously, by having "special guest" Steve Howe along, more people are going to flock to see Asia, and that is Geoff's purpose at this point in time, to get the Asia name back out there again. Also, perhaps it is good fun for him to jam to some of the old tunes. Regarding him touring with Asia for the money, Vinny told me that Howe doesn't have as much money as you might think. I had trouble believing that, but he said "You get used to a certain lifestyle, and you try to keep it up." I doubt Steve really has to worry about money though!! At the New Haven, CT show last week, I was in the hotel lobby when Steve was there, and he was really kinda rude to some of the staff. He went into an elevator, and a poor little waiter tried to get in there with a tray of food, and Steve said "Why are you trying to make my day so difficult?" !! These are just little examples, but you get the idea. So I think that's enough for now. :-> To sum up, there is tension in the band due to Steve Howe, which I think is really stupid. Granted, Steve Howe is obviously an amazing guitarist, but that is no reason to have a rock star ego. As Vinny Burns said: "I got into the music business to play music, not to be involved in band politics." Now for a few random tidbits: -According to Geoff, "Vox Humana" will be released in the US, and he has remixed the first four tracks. -Although Steve Howe is credited in the Japanese CD booklet of "Vox Humana" for playing guitar on "Concerto," he didn't in fact play on it! He said Geoff used a synclavier. One other funny thing is none of the members of Asia (except Geoff, of course) had seen or heard "Vox Humana" yet, and Trevor Thornton, who plays drums on all tracks, asked me if the drumming was any good! :-> -Rodney Matthews will do the cover art for the next Asia album. Recording starts in a month or so, and they will mix the album in the US around July. They will also do some shows around that time, presum- ably on the West Coast since they never made it out there. No word on whether Howe will be with them then. There is a lot of material already written for the album, and newest members Vinny Burns and Trevor Thornton are contributing. -Steve's new album, "The Grand Scheme Of Things," is finished, and he'll mix it when he gets home. He played a track from it at two shows last week (I forget the title), but it was acoustic and featured him on vocals! Uh-oh, another "Beginnings?" :-> Well, I guess that's it. I can't really remember anything else at this point. Hope this made for interesting reading! -Damien- * * * * * * * * * * YET MORE ASIA ============= From: IN%"AACUNZO@ccmail.sunysb.edu" "FISHBOY" Hey Hey Hey, In the last NFTE, Daniel DeSimone made some complaints about fans who go to see Asia solely to see Steve Howe. Being such a person, :), I felt a need to reply. Daniel made the point that Downes has brought in 3 great new musicians, and it's a shame to hear people rudely yelling for Steve while the rest of the band is on stage without him. I have to agree. I'm not a big Asia fan, to me they're just a mainstream rock group which has had some of my favorite musicians in it, but I must admit that I was quite impressed when I saw them in November. And yes, John Payne did a great job. However, how can Asia establish a name for themselves when they announce their concerts as "Asia with special guest Steve Howe"? Since they promote their shows in such a manner, they are obviously trying to cash in on fans like myself who woudln't normally want to pay to see them, but wouldn't pass up the opporunity to see one of their favorite guitarists up close. Because of this, it shouldn't surprise them when people go to the show and begin yelling for Steve while they're playing. (Not to say that it isn't rude, just that it should be expected). I guess they should hope that some of the people who come into the concert yelling "Steve! Steve!" go home saying "Wow, that was a great band!" This seems like a reasonable goal. Daniel also mentioned people going to the show and asking if Palmer and Wetton were still with the band. I can see how this would be insulting to a well informed fan, but I think this is totally excusable considering the band's frequent lineup changes. For a person without something like email or NFTE at their fingertips, following a band such as Asia, who doesn't get much press, can be pretty difficult, especially since the lineup featured on Aqua differs considerably from the touring band. Well, I just had to get that off my chest. Later, all. Oh yeah, before I go, and while I'm on the subject, does anyone know what tracks Howe plays on on Aqua? I can only pick him out on 5 songs, and I didn't hear him on any of the British-only tracks Heart of Gold, Obsession, and Little Rich Boy. Thanks. * * * * * * * * * * ASIA TIDBITS ============ From: IN%"LPR100@PSUVM.PSU.EDU" Greetings Earthlings, I just wanted to offer a few notes of interest about the Philadelphia Asia show on the 24th. (Hi, Rob!) Needless to say, Steve Howe's performance was marvellous, and he seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit. If you get the chance to see this tour, DON'T miss it. Regardless of what you think of Asia. :) News: Steve said that this summer he will be touring with his son Dylan! At the show he played and sang one song from the album that wasn't bad at all, though it sounded like it wasn't meant to be just an acoustic/ vocal piece. Does anyone know much about Dylan's talents ... has he recorded before? Where? Usenet's Recent and Upcoming Releases has the album pushed back to April. I'm sure most of you have seen this. After the Asia show I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the band. Steve is, as per the legend, very reserved, but he was in a cheery mood. I asked him about the writing he had done with Jon, and if he planned to do anything with it soon. He replied that "Jon is quite busy at the moment" so I would assume he isn't going to do anything without him, and I also assume that they won't be working together soon. But then again, we knew that. :) And, fortunately, I didn't hear anyone ask him when the next Yes album would be out. :) Geoff Downes, for the record, is quite a nice guy! He wasn't over talkative, but he seemed very happy to sign my Drama album and he was very down-to-earth. Despite his star-spangled shorts. * * * * * * * * * * ASIA, STARRING A NFTE MEMBER ============================ From: IN%"V1180G@VM.TEMPLE.EDU" "Rob Petrone" They say everyone has their moment in the spotlight. Well I had mine when when I went to see Asia at the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia. I PLAYED KEYBOARDS WITH GEOFF DOWNES!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO KIDDING! On the last song of the set, Heat of the Moment, Geoff left his keyboard station and picked up his portable Korg (you know, the kind he slings over his shoulder like a guitar) and he was running around the stage and eventually came over to where I was standing (I was right at the foot of the stage!). I reached up and he saw me and leaned down...and then I started playing on the lower octave of his Korg while he was jamming on the upper octave! This went on for about 30 seconds until a security guard in the audience grabbed me by the collar and pulled me away! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! The show was incredible--and Payne sounds more like Wetton on stage than he does on the album. His voice isn't as gritty live and sounds more like Wetton's crooning voice. Howe was in his own little world and his contributions were minimal, but he did do Clap and The Ancient. And he did a vocal song from his upcoming album "The Grand Scheme of Things." His voice wasn't as bad as I've been told, although you can tell that the song is tailored for someone with weak vocalist capabilities. But I think the ONLY reason Howe was touring with Asia was to promote his GSoThings tour (which will hit Philly in August). He will be touring with his son Dylan (sp?) who, I presume will be on drums. I remember hearing last year that the keyboardist will be the guy from Ultravox, although I don't know if that will still be the case. Anyway, the crowd was surprisingly young (there were some *teenagers* there!) and consequently very lively. I had a great time, even though I left early and missed my opportunity to talk to the band. Regards from the City of (Brotherly) Love, Rob "Geoff-Downes'-Keyboard-Partner" Petrone * * * * * * * * * * JON AND KITARO REQUEST ====================== From: IN%"wcsanil@ccs.carleton.ca" "Anil Prasad" If any of you fine yesfolk have high quality tapes of any Jon & Kitaro shows, please get in touch with me. Thanks. * * * * * * * * * * JON ANDERSON INFO ================= From: IN%"KJH4OSBALDL@CLUSTER.NORTH-LONDON.AC.UK" "Am I who's grandma ?" I believe that some guy who is now living in America but originally comes from the North of England, (where I originally hail from) was wondering, in issue no 56/7 I think, where exactly Jon Anderson comes from.Well, he comes from Accrington, actually a district within Accrington called Hyndburn as far as I can remember. I have his full address (both of the house where he was born there, which I visited a couple of times in 1989... a very humble beginning indeed) and also of the house he now uses in London, just off the Kings Road. I actually have some pictures of these residences if anyone is interested, and am planning to re-visit Accrington during my Easter vacation. So there you are. Pity I can't remember the guys name though who wanted to know. Oh, I am from near Wigan originally, just out of interest. Accrington is approx. 40 miles from where I used to live. Right, well I have bored you enuff. Hope that this is of some use to the guy who wanted to know. Thanks a lot, Luke. * * * * * * * * * * FROM THE EDITOR =============== Hmmmmm, I really must check the header on this newsletter, I'd swear it said YES. It seems that lately this is becoming the Asia forum ;-) I guess this is due to the fact that Asia's out there and Yes isn't. I'm all for Asia commentary, but I hope to see more Yes content in the next issues. As you may or may not have noticed, NFTE #58 had enormous address headers. This was caused by a software "enhancement" at vxc.uncwil, Resolution did not appear forthcoming, so starting this issue I'm using an alternative mail solution. It should make the headers a little cleaner than they were before. All submissions should still come to me at hunnicutt@vxc.uncwil.edu. Please don't send mail to the address you see in the header as of today. If you do, there's a good chance it will be lost. If for some reason you didn't receive NFTE #58, drop me a line. If looks like a lot of you missed it, I'll resend it to the net. Those of you who did get it, please bear with me. I've been told by Mike Borella that he's still getting a fair number of NFTE administrative mailings. PLEASE don't send him NFTE mail! He has enough to do without having to forward me misdirected posts and the like. Let him enjoy his NFTE retirement, he deserves it. ;-) If anyone has, or knows, where I can get my hands on a Yes "live" cd titled Rehearsal Tales, please drop me a line. Thanks. I'm in the process of trying to arrange an interview with a member of Yes. I've been in touch with their management and publicist. A written request for an interview has been faxed to them. If they agree to our request, our own Anil Prasad, famous music journalist, (Hi Anil!) has agreed to do it. All we can do now is wait. One thing's for sure..if they didn't know about us before, they do now. * * * * * * * * * * THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT ADDRESSES: ============================== New subscribers, contributions, questions/comments/criticism: Jeff Hunnicutt (Editor) hunnicutt@vxc.uncwil.edu NFTE Server (lyrics, backissues, discography, rarities, surveys, GIFs): 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, lyrics, etc, via anonymous FTP: cs.uwp.edu Directory: /pub/music/lists/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 The Yesoteric Tape(s): Jeremy Weissenburger 07822@brahms.udel.edu ******************************************************************************** --< END OF NOTES FROM THE EDGE #59 >-- ********************************************************************************