Denver, Colorado Yes Newspaper Review
From: RojonThod@aol.com - August 4It's something Yes fans have dreamed of for years
Rocky Mountain News, Saturday, August 4, 2001
by Mark Brown, Popular Music Column:The classic core of Yes - singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, and drummer Alan White - is paired with a 45-piece orchestra for the Yessymphonic Tour, hitting Fiddler's Green on Sunday.
Despite the band's volatile history, "we're very committed to each other in more ways than one," Anderson says from band rehearsals in Reno, Nev. "It's getting more like group therapy every day. We've known each other for so long that (the focus is on) just the musical thing now."
The band has broken up, reformed, and lost and added members along the way, but Anderson says there's little animosity in those changes.
"There's always going to be an element of frustration, any business you're in, whether you're an artist or dancer or a builder or a bank manager," he says, "You're never going to get on with everybody. There's always time for change."
The band's evolving membership "is a natural event, and unfortunately, people would get very upset because someone would leave the band and someone else would join," he says, "To us it was natural. If the music inspired and the drummer wants to leave like Bill Bruford did, he wants to leave. If Rick Wakeman wants to move on, he does it. Me and Chris are really the yin and yang of the band."
A new studio album, Magnification, is due out this month. "That was just the four of us jamming," Anderson says of the album's genesis. "Everyone comes in with at least a dozen songs and you get down to the best parts of four songs and jam them together with Super Glue. That's called Yes music."
The band is always writing. "It's a constant flow of energy, something we've all learned to work with. Alan White has come to the forefront with his compositions," Anderson says, "The four of us wrote all the music, and I tend to be the lyricist. Steve comes up with great chorus ideas, Chris comes up with great bridge parts. It's a big hat in the middle, where everyone throws stuff in and we keep picking stuff out."
For this tour, the band's first with a symphony, composer Larry Groupe made the arrangements based on the band's music.
"He doesn't jump all over them, just performs along with them, to give them that extra color," Anderson says. "They were actually written with Rick Wakeman as the orchestrator. He'd play strings and flutes and brass on keyboards; now we have the joy of working with 45 people every night, performing that music with us."
The band has always tried to remain adventurous, even if some fans were dismayed that they went techno for a while.
"We were trying to have fun with modern technology in that period," he says of the early-'80s era that brought the very un-Yes-like hit Owner of a Lonely Heart. "There was a lot more to the music than just songwriting elements. But that kind of thinking, from an artistic point of view, can only last a certain amount of time."
The band has been best-known for its longer excursions and instrumental dexterity, producing classic hits such as Roundabout and Your Move. Fans love them; critics often find them pretentious.
"Long-form pieces are very adventurous," Anderson says. "that's basically why we do them. We don't do them to (tick) people off. They're exciting to do, and sometimes you can bring music out that's very subconscious, very spiritual. So why not try? (People will say) at least they did it, you know? At lest they tried to do something a little bit other than the norm."
And Yes finds that the influence is far and wide.
"Seventy percent of the orchestra wanted autographs because they're Yes fans," Anderson says. "A lot of them would say, 'We wouldn't be in music if not for you and groups like you.'"
Indeed, while many jam bands point to the Grateful Dead as an inspiration, they also cite Yes and the band's willingness to put out long, free-form album tracks.
"What they're doing is, they want to rebel against the pop format. That's what we wanted to do," Anderson says. "We're still rebelling in a way. The new album has three 12-minute pieces and three eight-minute pieces."
Interestingly, in his spare time, Anderson listens to three-minute modern punk songs.
"I love the X-games and that kind of music - that slash/bang/wallop type of music. It's wild and wonderful," he says. "The music that surrounds it is punk, but fun punk, not anarchy punk. It's just good, flat-out energy."
Steve Howe Chat Transcript
From: Nick Zales [zales@execpc.com] - August 5http://www.canoe.ca/cgi-bin/hchat/hchat?Room=steveHowe.
The link above is to Steve's internet chat on Thursday, August 2nd. He comments on many interesting things like the new album, wanting Rick back in Yes and why Roger Dean was not involved in the Magnification artwork or tour t-shits.
T.O.P.B.M.L. Update
From: GBrown8287@aol.com - August 8Hey Gang, We just sent out our fourth "pre launch announcement" through the mailing list. So far, so good. Thanks to all on here for showing interest / support.
I had another phone chat with Peter a few days ago. He's really wonderful to talk to. And time goes by so fast. We were on the phone for about a half hour. I would hate to pay his phone bill.
For the ones not subscribed yet.....here's a copy of the latest announcement. Besides news on Peter, theirs a few YesRelated things mentioned:
Jon Kirkman: As most of you I'm sure know, Jon has interviewed many Yes members.
Oliver Wakeman: Besides being son of Rick, Steve Howe appears on his new release.
Enjoy the read.
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Good news - Pre Launch Announcement # 4
From: GBrown8287 - August 8Hey Gang, With an expected launch date in the very near future, it's a real pleasure to announce that construction has begun on an official website about Peter. Let me follow up this wonderful announcement with a question. Can we give you a sneak peak?
Looking ahead, we plan on keeping you informed with news and special segments covering the website. Please bookmark, and check back often.
Friends of PB:
Our webkeeper Dwight Fry just put up a guest book on our mailing list website. Peter's good friend George Mizer was the first one to sign in. The second one to sign the guest book is a really cool guy name Jon Kirkman. I found out about Jon's work in radio from doing trades with Yes fans. Received a copy of an interview that he did with Peter in 1997 around the time when the Something Coming's CD was released.
This is what the website www.rockahead.com says about Jon:
JON KIRKMAN lives and breathes rock music. He presents regular programmes on Marcher Gold and Coast FM, commercial radio stations serving thousands of listeners in the North West of England and North Wales. Jon's knowledge of all-things-rock is unrivalled, and he also lends his talents to a wide range of related activity, from CD sleeve liner notes to internet radio. Jon easily communicates his enthusiasm to a wide audience. Now on the website, Jon brings you news, reviews and exclusive interviews. Regularly updated. From August, Jon will be presenting a weekly show on the Internet.
Jon put in the guest book:
From: Liverpool/England
Web Site: http://www.rockahead.com - rockahead
E-mail: jon.kirkman@musicradio.comJon Kirkman Monday, 7/30/01, 6:10 PM
Good to see the site up with some good photos. Can't wait for the book. I've found Peter to be articulate and a witty raconteur so the book should be a good read. He'll probably hate me for saying this but he's an incredibly talented musician and all round nice guy. All the best mate. Jon K.
Mailing List Website: The plan is for our webkeeper Dwight Fry to take over the site on a full time basic. Odds are it will receive a face lift, leading the way for new "P.B. Fan Sites" to start appearing.
Believe it or not, Dwight's a new fan of Peters. Got into his music this year. Hearing first the music he did with Yes, Dwight got officially hooked after just one listen of "Instinct" and "Self-Contained".
I enjoy hearing stories about people getting turned on to Peter via his solo music. My wife Sandra got into Peter listening to "Instinct". Later on came the music he did with Yes and Flash. Her favorite Yes tune that Peter does is actually the one Peter re-recorded with Robert Berry for the Yes Tribute CD Tales From Yesterday, "Astral Traveler". Maybe in the future we can run stories from subscribers as to how they became fans of Peter. More news about the mailing list website in the near future.
Oliver Wakeman: Oliver's label Voiceprint have announced details of the US release of 'The 3 Ages of Magick' - it will be released in the States via distributor DNA, who supply all the major stores - with a release date of 14th August. The CD can already be found in other parts of the world. From us here at T.O.P.B.M.L.....best wishes and much success with the new release.
The Oliver Wakeman Website:
http://www.soft.net.uk/whitecottage/oliverwakeman/index.htmAnd while I got your attention I would also like to take this moment to say thanks again for all the support that you subscribers have given us so far. News of T.O.P.B.M.L. is getting around. Please keep helping to spread the word.
Till later,
Gary Brown
Coordinator of The Official Peter Banks Mailing List
Assistants to T.O.P.B.M.L. - George Mizer, and Dwight Fry (THANKS).
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TOPBML
Return pictures
From: Bruce [epeters2@maine.rr.com] - August 10I added 4 more pictures from the Return experience! I'll provide the links here to expedite finding them. They were donated by "Mr X" who wants to remain anonymous - Obrigado!
The rehearsal pictures were taken inside the rehearsal hall behind the stage in Parc Champlain.
Cleveland Newspaper review
From: futuremike2001@yahoo.com - August 11Band uses orchestra in encore of classics
August 11, 2001
by Anastasia Pantsios
Special to "The Plain Dealer"
Radiohead, this is your future!A crowd of about 4,000 diehards, almost all middle-age, came out to Blossom Music Center last night to hear Yes, a band that could be considered the Radiohead of the early '70s.
Like Radiohead, it created a distinctive sound that was technically intricate and compositionally complex, yet strong on pop values. It too was esteemed by musicians and critics and hence vastly influential - probably more so than 50 percent of the rock hall's inductees.
Yet it was also a huge commercial success without (in its original guise anyway) adapting to commercial trends. Its current tour is called the Yessymphonic tour, indicating that it is per forming with orchestras of local musicians at each stop.
The orchestra is filling some of the functions of Yes' departed former keyboardmen Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks and Patrick Moraz, yet adding something of its own. Yes currently consists of two of its founders, vocalist Jon Anderson (also playing guitar, keyboards and percussion) and bassist Chris Squire, along with two musicians from its early '70s heyday, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White. It also has an anonymous hired keyboardist to fill things out.
What Yes does with all that firepower is impressive. For 2 hours without a break, it plumbed its classic albums such as "The Yes Album," "Tales from Topographic Oceans" and "Fragile" for tunes like "Perpetual Change," "And You and I" and "I've Seen All Good People." It played some tunes from its upcoming release, "Magnification," as well. Yes set its parameters with its first two songs: an epic 20-minute "Close to the Edge," followed by a brisk, three-minute "Long Distance Runaround," displaying both its arty and its pop sides and its ability to balance the two.
The 56-year-old Anderson still has the beautiful voice that made Yes distinctive - high and clear without any shrill ness. In fact, it has a soft, translucent quality. Howe and Squire both displayed their much- vaunted virtuosity without showboating. Howe switched instruments nonstop, at one point even playing a lute. Surprisingly, Yes has played with an orchestra only once before, in a single 1970 performance. Its music is ideal for orchestral augmentation.
Pantsios is a free-lance writer from Cleveland Heights.
Chicago Images
From: Tim B. - Stupid Frog [stupidfrog1@hotmail.com] - August 12I had a really wonderful time at the Chicago concert, sure there was YES.....but it was the SouthSide family that made it all worthwhile!!
I didn't get the images I had hoped for since Arie Crown Security nipped me in the bud! They said my camera was "too good" to allow me to take pictures at the concert. Next time I will take the point-and-shoot as a backup. Also, I need to figure out who to blow to get a photo pass.... ;-)
Anyway, here is what I came up with image wise....
http://www.stupidfrog.com/Chicago_Yes/index.htm.
Yes Webcase
From: [soaringtalons@yahoo.com] - August 14
I'm sure you all know about the Yes webcast concert that can be found at sun7.liveonline.net/sfx, right. They play CTTE, GOD, Ritual, Starship, among others. ... It is apparently not from their recent tour since there is no orchestra. ...
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From: Rayzilla99@yahoo.com
That show was recorded on July 19th 2000 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel NJ.A new Yes website...Topographic Yes!
From: extremebliss101@yahoo.com - August 14
Hi everyone,I've just created a new fansite for Yes, and I'd really like you guys to check it out. I also have included a link to this club inside it (if that's okay.) The website is still in it's early stages, but there will be a lot more to come!
It's located at: http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/topographicyes
Peace!
Josh@TopographicYes
Steve Howe Jam! music chat transcript
From: Mike [deanlaw@yahoo.com] - August 15
The transcript from Steve's recent online chat is posted at http://www.canoe.ca/cgi-bin/hchat/hchat?Room=steveHowe (at least for a while).
Magnification Art
From: David [mr_zog@yahoo.com] August 15
On Yesworld (www.yesworld.com) they have posted a collection - 3 to be specific - of Magnification art that is available for download.
Also there is a great interview added with Alan about his work with John Lennon.
Review from an orchestra member
From: dreg_head@yahoo.com - August 15
Hello fellow Yes heads.
I was reading the fan reviews of shows on Yes Net. Most were the usual blathering of "Its the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life. Its better than sex" kind of stuff, then I found this one, which was really interesting. Since its like finding a needle in a haystack over there, I thought I'd reproduce here so you can read it too. Its from the point of view of a Yes fan/ cellist who was in the orchestra. Quite interesting and real. Check it out:
Venue: Englewood, CO, August 5
Posted by: Greg Marget [gmarget@mac.com)]I played with Yes!
What a great night. When I heard that Yes was going to perform with an orchestra I called around and got myself on the gig (I'm a cellist), and it will be a lifetime memory for me.
I've been reading about the criticisms of the orchestral setting with this tour, and I admit to being skeptical regarding whether it was a good idea at all. And there were certainly some problems with the orchestra I played in last night. But overall, I think the we added some extra richness to an already great sound.
The band was great, and in excellent form throughout. Occasionally they would skip ahead or miss entrances, and our conductor would inform us through our earphone system and get us on to the correct measure number. But overall I was extremely amazed at how tight and consistent YES was the entire night.
I can't say the same for us. First off, the conductor was generally weak and noticeably frazzled. I don't think he was ever a YES fan, prior to being hired to conduct this show, and our performance was the his first on the tour. I don't know who conducted the shows earlier in the tour, but it would have been better to have continuity and experience on the podium. This guy was totally lost through much of "Ritual," and missed important cues throughout the show. Also, his rehearsal time was poorly managed and he didn't work us nearly as hard as he could have during the 2&1/2 hour rehearsal we had in the afternoon. A lot of the time his conducting technique was a problem, and I found I could follow things much more easily if I ignored him and clued into what Alan was doing in most sections. That was easy since I sat right behind Alan's set, and because I knew all of the music
really well. I don't know that it was as easy on my colleagues who were less familiar with all the tunes (and I did know EVERY tune well, except the unreleased ones).
Most of the orchestral arrangements were pretty good. There are some weird harmonies in the overture that make things sound flat out wrong. I loved playing "Close to the Edge," although it took a while to adjust to the sound of everything, as our afternoon rehearsal didn't include the band. The "Long Distance Runaround" arrangement worked really well. The two new songs were well arranged and easy to play. GoD had some
great writing in it that I think really added to the show. "And You and I" was probably the best orchestrally of the night, and "Ritual" was great, but it was hard to enjoy due to the conductor's repeated gaffs.
Bloated Dinosaurs in Milwaukee
From: Coral & Thomas Mosbo - August 17
Hi, Check this out. Should we be surprised?
http://www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/music/aug01/yes16081601.aspAtlanta Show--CD EP--New Keyboard Player
From: billysbassplace - August 18Forgot to mention, 3 song ep sold out before the show here in Atlanta even started Saturday night. EP was $10.00.
I don't really know if everyone knows or not, but for those that can't wait for the new album to come out, you can go to http://www.getmusic.com/track/YES.html and pre order the album & download the tracks to listen to until the new cd is out.
This info is from the inside of the 3 song EP that's from the Atlanta show. Offer ends Sept 11th/downloads will time out within 20 days of purchase & are not shareable.
The new Keyboard player is great. Reminded me of Moraz in '75 & and handles the Wakeman stuff very well.
"Forgotten Yesterdays" is back online
From: petermwhipple - August 24Updates won't be as frequent as they were in the past but I've finally have access to the new server and have updated the site with the last 6 months worth of updates. Enjoy.
Pete Whipple
Forgotten Yesterdays - A Comprehensive Guide To Yes Shows
http://nfte.org/fy/
YESCAPADE - new URL and website
From: Bob [relayer2001] August 25Yescapade has moved!!!
Yescapade has become master of its own domain, and can now be reached at: http://www.yescapade.com or >a href="http://yescapade.com">http://yescapade.com or http://www.progedge.com/yescapade.We have a complete review of the Yescapade event at Konocti, links to photos taken at the event and Yes concert that evening, and many other features.
We are also setting up a store for purchasing items from Yescapade tee-shirts to David Watkinsons new book "Perpetual Change". We'll be adding things regularly, and will turning it into "Progressive Edge" as a web site promoting up and coming Prog Bands and progressive music in general. Keep watching!
AND, we *are* planning future Yescapades !!!! Please come by, check us out, and book mark the site, as we will be adding a lot of information to the site in the future.
Peace and Walk in Beauty/Blessed Be!
Bob and Cherokee
Webmastering by CheRelayer Productions
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