|
Yes tickets for Birmingham Required In-Depth Trevor Rabin Interview Online Concert Review - Mandelay Bay, Las Vegas 4/21/04 Wakeman Writes Intro to New Wooding Book Yamaha Baby Grand Electric Organ or Piano?! BIG GENERATOR: Not Enough Bonus Material? A Thought to Bill Burchell (NFTE #287) What is That Instrument on CTTE? More About Remasters and Collector's Items
[If you have tickets to sell (at face value--no scalping here), want to interface with other Yes fans, or make other requests regarding the shows visit the Yesshows Hub in the Reviews section of YesNet.] Yes tickets for Birmingham Required From: Peter Freeman innasfreeyes@hotmail.com If there is any unfortunate person out there who cannot
get to the concert I would love 2 good tickets - stalls - for my American
friends who are coming over for the concerts. Full price paid and I will
collect. From: Thomas Sera tsera@wanadoo.nl I am a Japanese die-hard Yes fan for over 30 years. I have been working in Netherlands since this January. I am looking for z CD shop that sells Yes albums and the same type of progressive rock albums such as Iona and Trace but I can't find it in Amsterdam (I want to get the ones that I can't get in Japan because I already have all the albums sold in Japan). Can anyone inform me the appropriate shop in
Netherlands or a near country? The cheaper, the better. Thank you. In-Depth Trevor Rabin Interview Online From: Anil Prasad aprasad@innerviews.org An in-depth interview with film composer and ex-Yes
member Trevor Rabin is now available on Innerviews. The piece looks at all
facets of his career, including a lot of discussion about his years with Yes.
He From: Juan Sebastian enchant7@aol.com I recently bought all of the rhino reissues/remasterings but can't come to the conclusion that the Rhino's are any better than the previous issues, except for the bonus tracks which are recorded more superior. Comparing to the previous reissues such as Gastwirt, I
find that Rhino's versions are nothing more than a reverbed version. I say
this because, the reverberation is audible in the whole spectrum of the
music: from the drums, to the guitar, to the keys, and most especially worst with
Jon's vocals. This is true when a music is played through a reverb system -
all parts of the music are time delayed. The fact the Jon Anderson's vocals
in all the programs are reverbed is very telling of the kind of tweaking done
to make it sound like some kind of mastering had been done. Jon's voice is by
itself sublime and should be left untouched by any form of tweaking. It is a
disgrace and insult to a great voice to be presented in a manner that
defile's its beauty. From: Kent Daniel Bentkowski kentdb741@adelphia.net I must confess that I was a little behind in my Yes fan
duties; only hearing recently about Trevor Rabin's wonderful 90124 demo CD. I
just received my copy of this today, and I have to say that I am very pleased
with the purchase. Concert Review - Mandelay Bay, Las Vegas 4/21/04 From: dale nickey NickDa251@aol.com Another year, another Yes incarnation. One of the few
bands from '60s that has all members and alumni alive and remarkably good
health. Not by luck, but that elusive force Karma, because Yes music was and
remains stubbornly and unfashionably positive and spiritually nourishing to
performer and listener. After watching the steep decline of the "Trevor
Years", Las Vegas would have been the projected sight of Yes's final
death throws into parody and last gasps, the groups Chicago and Air Supply
providing the template. However, Yes' twilight years have been their most
heroic and fascinating. The KEYS reunion with Rick Wakeman was to be their
realife firebird suite. A resurrection from the ashes of punk. Wakeman Writes Intro to New Wooding Book From: Dan Wooding danjuma1@aol.com Rick Wakeman writes introduction to new Dan Wooding
book, "From Tabloid to Truth" (To purchase a copy of the book, go
to www.assistnews.net
and to to the picture of the cover, and then "Click to order Dan's
book"): From: Paul Bishop paul.bishop@pgs.com Could be this has already been said by others, but I
for one would love Yes to bring out a collection of acoustic versions of
their songs, and I'm hoping this acoustic set on the current tour might be an
indicator that they are thinking this way. I love the acoustic version of
"Roundabout", and have always loved the acoustic version of
"Long Distance Runaround" since I heard it on a bootleg years and
years ago. I think they could easily fill an album with fresh new variations
of classic old songs. From: Raymond Carroll yesfan2001@yahoo.com I have to chime in to say I agree with Gary Titone's
posting in NFTE #287. I was SOOOO excited to see Yes was considering playing
"Machine Messiah" for this tour. If they were going to do that song
I didn't care what else they played. That would have been the high point for
me. From: Dave Schlom shindleriapraematurus@yahoo.com A long time ago in a lifetime far, far away, my high school chums and I in Southern California (ca. 1970-77) collaborated in an artistic enterprise we called "Siberian Khatru". It was composed of three of us interested in photography, water colors and the new field called "multimedia". I remember we did a slide show set to (of all things!) "The Gates of Delirium" for our high school (Cleveland High School, home of the Caveliers) Fine Arts Festival. Back then, I had visions of becoming a photographic artist inspired by the progressive rock movement: Roger Dean meets Ansel Adams if you will. Life's changes moved out and inside me and I eventually
strayed from that path but never deviated in my love of our favorite band and
its music. Older and wiser (?) I went back to my roots and started back into
serious photography. I'd like to share my work with other fans and you can
visit my galleries at www.pbase.com/lassendave Please leave a comment if you
like and let me know that you are one of the Total Mass Retain. From: Harrison Leonard blackbird68@earthlink.net Why, when Rhino so wonderfully remastered the classic GFTO, did they cut the transition between "TOTC" and "Parallels" incorrectly? On the original album, as well as the Atlantic Remaster, there is some quiet music at the beginning of "Parallels" which I understand is Rick working the church organ pedals...this is at the END of "TOTC" on the Rhino remasters. Nice one. [Sounds more like a vibraphone to me, but would agree that it
should have been at the start of track 3 instead of at the end of track 2.
--MOT] From: John Koch jobiedee@aol.com The soundboard mix seems to be a chronic problem with
Yesshows the last couple of tours and it never seems to go away. The whole
show is pointless if the sound is muffled, muted, or mixed poorly. From: Mark Gibson christine.m.gibson@noaa.gov In 1978 I was part of the drumline for the University of Southern Mississippi marching band. We began practicing an ensemble piece someone called "Ritual". When I asked if anyone knew where it came from, some of the guys said yeh, the percussion instructor for the Phantom Regiment drum corp. Uh, no, I mean do you know where it originated from? Duh expressions, of course. So we gathered in my dorm room and I let the percussion
passage from "Ritual" blast thru the stereo. It was a pleasure to
watch them react to the fact that this complex drumline solo came from a
"rock" drummer. I was just wondering if anyone has other examples of
this happening? From: Wendy Bridgehouse dizilizi55@hotmail.com.au I have loved the music of Yes since I first heard them as a 17 year old girl living in Oldham Lancashire UK. I will never forget seeing them live in Manchester in the Summer of 1972--a magical Experience! I have always been "a lone listener" & have never known anyone to share my appreciation of the music I still love and feel is a reflection of my individuality. 35 years later and now living in Perth, West Australia on our small farm and a bit out of touch with the what is going on, I found out that Yes were currently visiting our sleepy corner of the World on their Full Circle tour! I only found out by listening to an interview with Rick Wakeman on the local radio the day after the concert. At the time I was busy mucking out the stables and almost cried with disappointment at missing out on going to the concert. As I listened, Rick was saying that they would be leaving Perth for Singapore that afternoon. I made a crazy decision to try to catch them at the airport. I cancelled my plans of going horse riding with a dear friend (who had never heard of Yes!) who also thought I was potty but offered to come with me for a bit of moral support and to give me a push if I wimped out! So there we were, a couple of 40 something groupies, me clutching my original CLOSE TO THE EDGE LP and my friend who didn't even know who she was supposed to be looking for! We sat by the "Departure Check in" and even I hoped I would recognise them after all these years! I needn't have worried. A bus drew up outside and I instantly recognised the long flowing locks of Rick Wakeman as he got out of the bus. I got up leaving my friend and shouted "Mr. Wakeman" (poor man must have thought I was going to arrest him or something). I asked him to autograph my tatty, well played LP and said how disappointed I was to have missed their show. The other band members followed and my friend got the rest of them to autograph my record. I found Jon who was with his lovely wife and we found that we were both ex-pat Lacashire--I never knew he was from Acrington--instantly my nerves melted; he has that effect on you, and I put my hand on his arm and told him that he had the most beautiful voice, the words just came from my heart and he seemed really touched. It means so much to me that I have had the chance of telling someone whose music I have enjoyed and loved for all this time, thank you. The rest of the band members were also charming and Alan White's wife was really nice to us saying that us being there meant a lot to them (I think though in all honesty they would have preferred a couple of younger chicks!). Last week I bought the "YESSPEAK DVD so now I can
watch what I missed as much as I like! Long Live YES!!!!! From: André Matos asamatos@hotmail.com About Steve Wightman's post in the last NFTE and for
the benefit of Yesologists: Steve Howe's TURBULENCE was definitely released
on vinyl LP in Portugal. Unfortunately, I only own the original CD version. Yamaha Baby Grand Electric Organ or Piano?! From: James Warren jamesjwarren@yahoo.com I was intrigued when I heard that Rick is apparently
using something like this on the current tour. Can someone please provide me
with some relevant details? (model number, price range, specs, review, etc.)
Didn't Yamaha already produce a REAL baby grand piano that also had some
additional electronics capabilities? (Headphone output, for instance.) BIG GENERATOR: Not Enough Bonus Material? From: Graeme Stewart graemestewart@supanet.com I cannot accept the Rhino statement about not having enough bonus material for Gig Generator. In addition to the remixes others have mentioned, I'm
sitting here looking at a CD titled "ALTERNATE GENERATOR", made up
of demos & alternate takes of almost the whole album! From: James Durst jdurst@provide.net I have to disagree with Lewis Pickett's comments about
the spoken intro [in NFTE #287]. Steve Howe remembers this correctly. During
their first tour of America in '71, Jon always very clearly introduced it as
"The Clap". Listen to bootlegs from the July 1971 show at Yale Bowl
in New Have, CT, where they opened for Grand Funk, or the Gaelic Park show in
NYC the day before Yale Bowl... A Thought to Bill Burchell (NFTE #287) From: Simon Gilman sigil@tiscali.co.uk Maybe you don't like how Jon's singing those bits of
"Close to the Edge" now; maybe I don't like it that Steve doesn't
bend the E any more in bars 7 and 8 of "Clap". I think they're
entitled, really, to remodel and keep these played-for-30yrs-plus pieces in
any way that'll keep them fresh for us to enjoy live. I bet there are plenty
of live takes that you prefer to studio versions. With any luck there will be
plenty more for us all to look forward to. What is That Instrument on CTTE? From: David Goodwin david-g@freeuk.com Can anyone with more experience of keyboard instruments
tell me what Rick is playing during the intro section? You can hear it best
at the start of "Total Mass Retain (single version)" on the Rhino
release. Hammond? Minimoog? I'm trying to home-record on my pc my own effort
at playing this piece of music, and getting the right instrument sounds is
kind of important to me! I've already searched high and low for this
information, including the RWCC site. I'd be really grateful for any help
offered. From: Simon Gilman sigil@tiscali.co.uk Back in late 1978, on the TORMATO tour, some of you may
remember the band playing a medley of hits in honour of their 10th
anniversary. This resurrected some stuff that hadn't been on the playlist in
years, such as "Survival". And blow me down, the medley also
included not only the accented octave stabs that were the principal theme of
"The Ancient" (which found their way into "Ritual" when
that was the only TFTO song they played, in order to marry it back to the
whole album), but also the main opening D minor (ish) jam. Chris' bass was
less wah-ed, and Rick's keys were more harmonically clear. As well as this,
in more recent years, Steve has soloed the acoustic guitar part that framed
the "Do the leaves of green stay greener" section. From: Rob Jones robdevonshirehouse@yahoo.co.uk Like many Yes fans in the UK I am really looking forward to watching the greatest band in the world again, and each day I check the reviews of the Yes shows over in the good old USA. Although most reviews are good there seems to be fans moaning, complaining about the sound, the stage show various members of the band etc. Stop moaning and be grateful that this great band is still going, still touring, still wowing the audiences. I personally don't care if Yes did a gig with no stage show, no lights and poor sound its just a great pleasure and joy to know that these guys are still with us. Many thanks Jon, Steve, Alan, Rick, Chris. Now, if what Rick said is true in "YesYears", that "music won out over personalities", then I hope someone IN Yes reads this, drops the ego, and stops whining, and PLAYS THE FUCKING MUSIC. Sorry for the rant, but this is silly, from my point of
view. I love Yes; I love their music...but I'm sure there are LOTS of FANS
who want to hear this stuff live. They've bought the album--Yes ought to pay
those fans back by playing at least one song from each album occasionally. From: Kent Daniel Bentkowski kentdb741@adelphia.net After attending the Yes show in Toronto on May 7, 2004,
I was beside myself when they performed "Mind Drive" --- my
absolute favorite Yes song of the past decade. This band has been a part of
my life for the past 35 years, and of all the shows I have seen on all the
tours, this one was one of the greats, to be sure. From: Mark Reed MREED45540@carolina.rr.com Please, please could there be a concert near NC? I went
to Greensboro, and want to take my 3 children this time! From: Tom Blank tmblank1@yahoo.com I am a big Yes fan. From their creative music composition to the spiritual/love/peace themes I have enjoyed them from the beginning. This tour (USA) has been difficult for me & many people from my region to attend a concert. In years past I could catch them if not in the nearest city somewhere pretty close. I live in northern Kentucky just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Driving by car I live 20 minutes from Cincinnati, 2 hours from Indianapolis, Indiana, 1.5 hours from Dayton, Ohio, 1.5 hours from Columbus, Ohio, 2 hours from Louisville, Kentucky, 1.3 hours from Lexington, Kentucky, and 4.5 hours from Cleveland, Ohio. As you can see there are many cities included in a small geographical area yet none of these cities are included on the tour. In 1984 for example, Yes was in the Cincinnati area 3 times. The closest now was a 6 hr. drive to Illinois and a 6 hr. drive to Michigan. With 4 small children I cant just up and go to see a show. I know if there was any way possible for a show to be
scheduled somewhere in this region it would do very well. I know there is not
much power in one voice but if I didn't send this there would be no chance at
all. knowing also that the band has been around for 35 years, for all anybody
knows this could be the last time they are together. especially the 5 they
are now The most talented Yes. More About Remasters and Collector's Items From: John White anthrak@yahoo.com There were some great comments brought up about the new
set of Rhino remasters in last month's Notes From the Edge--especially about
the fade in at the beginning of "Your Song" from 90125 and the end
keyboard fade in on "Does It Really Happen?" from DRAMA. Notes From the Editor Mike Tiano
The first is a concerted effort to help get Yes nominated, and ultimately inducted, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the HOF site, the following describes induction for performers: "Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll." Yes has been around longer than 25 years, so that requirement is met. The issue then is with the criteria. Obviously the determination of what is significant and influential (as well as how contributions develop and perpetuate rock and roll) is largely subjective, if not a bit fuzzy. Exactly what is the "development and perpetuation of rock and roll", anyway--and what has Yes not done to contribute here? It's baffling that anyone can disregard Yes' impact on rock music, rock musicians, and even popular culture (by that last item I'm referring to items such as Yes artwork t-shirt worn by popular artists, the use of their songs to advertise major films, etc.). One would assume that it can't be ignored that the Yes tribute issue of Billboard--considered THE music industry data source--was not only their largest selling issue in 2003, but that its sellout resulted in an unprecedented reprint, which they had never done before. It's discouraging that the HOF "rock experts" (as they are termed on the HOF site) seem to dispell prog rock in general--outside of Pink Floyd, we've yet to see any major prog band be nominated, let alone inducted. The HOF site features a "Timeline" that includes progressive rock, so they at least acknowledge it. However only HOF inducted bands are included, and they are Floyd, Frank Zappa, and the Who (!): Floyd were huge (and therefore hard to ignore), Zappa was an icon, and the Who--well, the Who may have influenced the prog contingent (i.e., TOMMY and QUADROPHENIA, Enwistle's melodic bass playing) but they really don't belong in this category. Seems that the HOF is muddying the water here. But we're hoping that the HOF "experts" can be persuaded to rethink Yes' contributions, hence the petition. A sizeable turnout is needed to make any kind of impact, so please spread the word that this petition is in progress. We will attempt to get it to the influential parties and include a fact sheet of notable Yes facts including what was listed above. The second petition is an attempt to convince Rhino management that there is indeed enough material for a remastered and expanded BIG GENERATOR. As Graeme Stewart noted in his post above there are alternate takes available. Signing this petition may demonstrate that there is indeed wide-spread interest in a re-release of BG that is given the same treatment as the other remasters (which, BTW, would make an even dozen). Please check out these petitions and if you agree with them then sign them right away. Thanks. MOT
|
You may have noticed the
banner on the NFTE home page for this issue touting the two petitions we now
have in progress. If you're in agreement with what these petitions are
attempting to achieve then we encourage you to sign one or both before June
15.