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Iechyd Dda, Jon. (Good Health,
Jon.) I Make the Best Pizzas - Stop By Rick Wakeman Video Vault Released
at Last! Interview with Tony Kaye and Billy
Sherwood DVD Review - A Yes By Any Other
Name Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Do We
Really Care? Snub the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Comments regarding tribute bands Cover version of “Long Distance
Runaround' Jon Anderson & Glass Hammer visit
the south Side of the Sky
From: Dave Braun cosmic.rocker@hotmail.com Thank you for everything in my lifetime. You are my
biggest inspiration. My prayers and hope are with you, get better soon!! From: Ron Kerr retrugger1@gmail.com Best wishes for your recovery. Hang in there, brother.
When you're ready so are we! Iechyd Dda, Jon. (Good Health, Jon.) From: Bryan Cokely nesaf@aapt.net,au Dear Jon, thanks for the wonderful show in Sydney 2003. Great memories. Never mind us , the fans, just get better for your own sake. You deserve good health at this time for the benefit of you and your family. Thinking of you. Bryan and Emily (aged 7). From: Brian Lynch brialynch@aol.com I wish God's blessing on you and your family that you
return to good health. Thank you for all of your wonderful music with one of
the greatest bands ever. Take care. God bless you. From: Danny Amantea yesfiend1204@aol.com Wishing you all my best for a speedy recovery, Jon. We
all love and miss you. I have enjoyed over 150 live yes shows as well as
over 15 of your solo projects as far back as 1975. From: Brian O'Keefe btokeefe@sbcglobal.net Jon, sorry to hear about your recent illness. Take some
time off and get better so that you can be back giving us many years of
great music. From: Christopher Winsor tarheel93chris@hotmail.com You are an amazing ray of light. Thank you for your
wonderful music. I love you voice and lyrics. You are such and inspiration. From: Grant Baynham grant@jazzyb2.demon.co.uk We are all getting older together. You have contributed
so much to this world by your music, keep well, get strong, we need you! I Make the Best Pizzas - Stop By From: John Randazzo enigma757@verizon.net Jon, no matter how many years pass, you and your music,
both inside Yes and solo, are something I feel lucky to have. I cannot
imagine the feelings from enjoying musical artistry, recording, touring,
fame and the bonding with friends from youth who are clearly more than
brothers. From: Joe Ward josephw@joswardpaintingco.com After reading of Jon's health issue I pray & send good
vibes his way. He has been an inspiration for many years in my life. His
music has brought peace to my soul and now, hopefully I can send some back
to his. Peace on you Jon. Get well soon. Rick Wakeman Video Vault Released at Last! From: Rob Ayling voiceprintpr@googlemail.com Rick Wakeman Video Vault Released at Last!!! Interview with Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood From: Jon Dawson jdawson@freedomenc.com I recently interviewed Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood of
Yes and CIRCA. The idea was to ask questions that hadn't been asked a
thousand times already, and I think it turned out well. DVD Review - A Yes By Any Other Name From: Dale Nickey maemaeman@aol.com “An Evening Of Yes Music Plus” performed by Anderson
Bruford Wakeman Howe. Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame From: Michael Smerconish kmedia09@aol.com Please come visit my "office." Check out my new website
at From: Mark Egerton magma_magma4@hotmail.com IMHO the whole idea of a rock and roll hall of fame is
so cabaret and camp that we really shouldn't want Yes to be in it - please
can anyone tell me why they think the so-called Hall of Fame is a good idea?
Would love to get my head around it, rather than just thinking that the
whole concept is sooooooo silly. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Do We Really Care? From: Barry Garner barry.garner@yahoo.com Music like art in general is highly subjective and the debate raging for centuries has been the evaluation of art which has become especially problematic since the 20th century. At a minimum there are three approaches: the Realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view; the Objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience; and the Relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human experience of different humans. I'd like to think we are mostly Relativists or at the least Objectivists. Caring about the RRHOF makes us Realists and legitimizes the RRHOF as the absolute arbiter of musical taste. Year in and out there is an outcry by Yes fans expressing the gamut of emotions from dismay to anger at Yes” continued omission on the yearly inductee list. Folks, come on! do we really care? Do we need someone else's confirmation of our beliefs to legitimize how we feel about Yes and Yes music? At this point, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been
so thoroughly diluted that, it would be embarrassing to have Yes inducted to
stand along side the throngs of mediocrity and drivel that has been inducted
over the years. (Yes, that is my subjective opinion too). I can honestly say
that it never once has crossed my mind while laying on my floor with head
phones, or listening in my car to Gates of Delirium, why yes hasn't been
inducted. Yes music is precious to me it has been from day one when I was 12
and is to this day at 43. Like most organized institutions, the RRHOF is
about politics not music. Need I say more? From: William E. Surdi wsurdi@msn.com Thank You Mike for your humble thoughts of the Rock in
Roll Hall of Fame. Yes does belong there without a doubt. The band members
have given so much to humanity that the lawyers in the industry do not care. Snub the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame From: Joe Delia jldelia@hotmail.com The time will come in the not too distant future when
the folks at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame come knocking on Yes's door. I can
only hope they reply with an emphatic "Thanks, but no thanks!” Yes is
obviously a band that should have been enshrined long before several of the
more recent inductees, and I would love to see the look on the faces of
those in Cleveland with egg on their face. Comments regarding tribute bands From: Brad DeWitt bdewitt@insightbb.com Just wanted to send you a note regarding the subject of
tribute bands. From: Jean-François PENICHOUX jean.penichoux@wanadoo.fr To add a few words to the cover band topic, I don’t
think this is worthwhile. A band without at least Howe, Anderson or Squire
would not be Yes. Whatever the skills of the musicians. If, in the sixties,
very few musicians were able to play these complex parts, it is not the case
today. Players have improved so much. Listening to these kids just out of
the music schools is amazing. They can play anything. But what do they do
with this technique? Yes has never been only a question of technique, but to
be good enough on your stool to be totally free and able to play whatever
you feel at the very moment. From: Frank List franzstuka@yahoo.com I dunno if this is the proper venue for such a proposal,
but I would dearly LOVE to help create a yes-trib band for Nashville. From: Chris Ravndal cravndal@comcast.net At the time it first became available, I bought a copy
of Jon's "Indigenous Journey" VHS. I've watched it about 2-3x max. I just
don't need to hang onto it. I also have "9012Live" and "Yes” Greatest Video
Hits" on VHS. The 90121Live box is closed on all sides and I'm pretty sure
I've never watched that since I bought it. From: Newton Suwe njsuwe@sbcglobal.net In these bleak days of the Dark Ages we live in,
where... From: Gary Kowalchuk TServo137@msn.com Does anyone know if "The UNION Tour" is still available
on Laserdisc. Mine got ruined before I had a chance to play it. I won an
eBay auction for the DVD but when it arrived it was a bootleg. I know
Laserdisc aren't even manufactured any longer but if there is a Yesfan with
a "connection" please email me. From: Danny McCabe danthemangcc@hotmail.com It occurs to me, now that Yes have released Live at Montreaux as an HD-DVD, how about getting the film onto IMAX screens across the country? It could even be done in a similar way to the Yes Acoustic/Yesspeak event of a few years ago. Members of the band have intimated in interviews that the 40th anniversary is coming up and that they would like to organise some kind of musical event. If the band recorded some new material and did some kind of live performance, supplemented by some classic material, they could have, say, a screening of the Montreaux gig, followed by the live performance, broadcast using hi-def cameras. Obviously, there aren't that many IMAX theatres around, so it could be supplemented by screenings in other cinemas. This could, then be followed by a slightly shorter than usual tour to keep the band from getting too knackered! It's a possibility, and one they could maybe find ways to elaborate upon for even greater impact - 3-D Montreaux, anyone?!? I really think this idea warrants some merit and I'd
like to think the band would consider it a possibility. Cover version of “Long Distance Runaround' From: Bjørn Clasen misiumail@gmail.com Crazy but wide-spanning Danish rock band A Kid Hereafter
have released a cover version of “Long Distance Runaround”. You can listen
to it on the band's MySpace:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=57510878
Jon Anderson & Glass Hammer visit the south Side of the Sky From: Rick Kadello rick@kadellolarsen.com I’ve been to the other side and back and I’m here to say progressive music is live and well! I’m not sure if most Yes fans are aware of the collaboration of Jon Anderson with GLASS HAMMER. Their new album “Culture of Ascent” is a fine effort from start to finish. Having Jon’s input on a couple of the tracks surely didn’t hurt either. It is obvious why Jon would choose to work with this band as they exemplify all of what has made Yes great and little, if any, of what has had Yes fans bemoaning the past few years. Jon’s efforts are on tracks one and three. The first just happens to be a cover of “South Side of the Sky”. The beginning of the song is nicely reworked with Jon providing vocalizations at the intro and periodically throughout. Curiously he doesn’t do the lead vocal but fades in and out - a nice reminder of whose song this really is - and yet GH makes it their own. Nicely done as it is a fresh spin, but respectfully keeps the integrity of the original version. Amusingly, the track ends with the “walking footsteps” effect - an obvious tip of the hat to Yes” early works. I realize any cover of a Yes song by another band may take time to digest and appreciate, but IMHO it works. Track three, “Life by Light”, Jon’s second work on the album also only uses vocalizations but to great effect. Again, he fades in and out of the piece. The opening sequence of the song is absolutely hypnotic. You can almost close your eyes and see Yes playing this song. One might envision this being a work that would have fallen somewhere between TFTO and GFTO in the Yes catalogue. From this point the rest of the album is all GH, but the
Yes influence is still quite noticeable. However, it should be noted they
are not a Yes cover band (as so heatedly discussed in recent issues) nor are
they a knock-off band either. They are definitely bringing something fresh
and lively to the progressive music world. Momentarily I will share how I
think the bands are similar and how they differ, but first I think it is
worth spending a moment or two on the other songs on the album. So, all that being said, wherein do the similarities of
the bands lie? Clearly GH has been influenced by Yes - working with Jon
being an obvious indicator of that. Lyrically they are interesting, somewhat
enigmatic as the best of Jon’s lyrics have been. Yet they are not so out
there as to be nonsensical. Like Yes, I think the lyrics come off generally
uplifting, subject to interpretation, and are not adolescent - this final
aspect being something I can’t take at my age. (Yes fan for over 30 years -
you figure it out! Hint - I still use the word “album‘) Additionally, the album is a concept work based loosely on mountain climbing. The pieces don’t directly interrelate, but the general theme comes up directly or indirectly in all of the songs. No doubt this made “South Side of the Sky” the appropriate song for them to cover. The shortest song on the album clocks in at 6:36. That has to remind us of when no yes song seemed to be under nine minutes or so, and yet we were always left wanting the songs to go on a little longer. Same general feeling with these songs. So how are they different, and is it good or bad? One particular way is the use of violin in this album. As a Yes fan our first reaction might be MAGNIFICATION. The use of orchestra by Yes was a logical outgrowth of their progression and yet many of us were left wondering if it really worked or not. However, this is not the case here, but the primary reason is that the violins do not come off classical but much more as progressive jazz. Rather then, we should think “RELAYER” in this respect. In short, an interesting blend of ideas well integrated together. At this point in the area of differences, I am inclined to digress some and comment on what seemed an interesting contradiction involving Jon’s work on this album. IMHO his vocalizations have the “world music” feel that he has brought to a number of the more recent Yes albums. The contradiction is that it works marvelously on this album and blends in seamlessly, a real compliment to the progressive nature of the album. However, I feel this very same element in Yes music has become too prominent and has overshadowed the progressive aspect of the band. As such I can’t help feel this is a big part of why Yes has stalled, and seemingly doesn’t know where to go, and maybe doesn‘t even want to try. They have lost their identity. And yet I, like so many others, think that if the balance between the music and the lyrical style can be re-balanced there may be another classic Yes album or two left to be made. It’s high time to go back to the essence of their roots but not forget we‘re in a new century. In conclusion (I certainly have rambled on long enough now) I do recommend that Yes fans check GH out if you’ve not heard any of their music. I have only heard this one album - one of those “if Jon’s contributing to it, it must be good” purchases. In looking at various progressive music sites they are not a new band and they have several critically acclaimed albums. The ultimate praise to any band is the influence they
leave on the bands that follow them in their genre. Yes has certainly had
that effect here on GH and yet it’s important to emphasize that GH is not a
mere copy cat cover act but is truly building on what Yes (and other prog.
Bands) have established to make fresh and creative new progressive music.
Give it a listen - you won’t be disappointed. Progressive music is live and
well... From: Jason Engstrom inturmoil@msn.com The future of Yes should be more music from Conspiracy. We don't need any more "greatest hits" tours. Just my opinion. If yes is going to tour, it should be to support a new
album and Billy Sherwood should be part of the band. Once again, just my
opinion. From: David Carlin david.j.carlin@verizon.net I want to wish Jon the best of health. I appreciate the
chance of having my voice heard. What I am about to say may be blunt, but I
feel it is needed for the future of my favorite band and I have followed Yes
for over 28 years. From: Pete Roche pmroche@roadrunner.com Future times will stand and clearly smile! From: Alan Kelly akelly_98446@yahoo.com More of a suggestion here than a prediction: Each member
of Yes should interview/audition a musician to take his place. If each
member found a suitable musician to replace him, the incoming Yes member
could be coached and trained personally by the exiting Yes member. From: Doug Roogler undercraigs@talktalk.net It simply isn't Yes. If there is a new singer being
brought in then call it something else. We can then all judge what we think
and let it stand on its own merits, not claim it is something it isn't. From: Mark Weber mweber@vlcpa.com Unfortunately father time is marching on. I fear we may
have seen the boys in their glory for the last time. with the advancing ages
and related health issues that have bit the band I can't see them coming
back with the energy we are all use to. I hope I'm wrong. From: Andy Wells Andywells2008@comcast.net It's time for Yes to starting training the next
generation to take over the farm... Seeing as they have given up on creating
new music... And have decided to become a ghost of themselves... I suppose
the reason these old guys have been burning themselves out on greatest hits
tours for the last 7 years is for the money... Thanks, Yes, for killing my
interest in you... From: Frank List franzstuka@yahoo.com There was a lengthy entry in the Tour Program from the
RELAYER tour, that was penned either by Jon or Don Lehmkuhl. From: Bill Wynne wjwynne@hotmail.com With 42 shows since 1972 from Europe and all over the USA and Canada, Yes has been a part of my life and has allowed me to meet and mingle with some of the best people on this planet. The news of Jon's illness saddened many. With tickets to the Tampa, Orlando and Boston shows, many of us Yes Fans were meeting in Tampa as we do someplace on the tour. Also, a decision to cancel was not taken lightly by Jon, the band and management and likely costly as well. As I grow older I personally realize that not only my
time will come to a close but we all know that the time for Yes live
performances will come to a close as well. For me there will be memories for
family, and for Yes Fans there will always be music of Yes in our minds and
available to play and enjoy as well. I have my plans, a Yes sticker affixed
from the show in Belgium and three Yes tunes that will be played when I
leave this world. Hopefully the band will return and in good health and
hopefully I will be here to enjoy some travel and see some shows and great
people. |
