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Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman
CD Reviews
The Living Tree
Review by Gary Hill
Going into this album it’s pretty easy to know what you are going to get.

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The Living Tree In Concert: Part One
Review by Gary Hill
Whenever a live album (or any album from that matter) comes out featuring two of the most charismatic and popular former members of a band like Yes comparisons to that group are obvious.

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Concert Reviews
Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman - Live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October, 2011
Review by Gary Hill

Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman might be best known for their work in Yes, but that’s just part of the picture.


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Related Articles
Jon Anderson
Review by Scott Montgomery
Interview with Jon Anderson from 2010

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Jon Anderson
Review by Gary Hill
Interview With Jon Anderson of Yes from 2001

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Jon Anderson
Review by Lorraine Kay
Interview with Jon Anderson from 2006



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Rick Wakeman
Review by Gary Hill and Josh Turner
Interview with Rick Wakeman from 2005

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Rick Wakeman
Review by Gary Hill and Steve Alspach
Interview With Rick Wakeman from 2003

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Jon Anderson
Review by Gary Hill

Interview with Jon Anderson from 2018


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Jon Anderson
Review by Gary Hill

Interview with Jon Anderson from 2020


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Rick Wakeman - & Tony Ashton Present GasTank
Review by G. W. Hill
Perhaps this three CD should go under "various artists" instead of "Rick Wakeman." Still, I think Wakeman plays on almost everything here.

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Rick Wakeman - 1984
Review by Gary Hill
This concept album is Rick Wakeman’s interpretation of George Orwell’s classic book.
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Jon Anderson - 3 Ships
Review by Gary Hill
This Christmas disc by Yesman Jon Anderson features some traditional and some original holiday music. The songs vary from fairly traditional (but modernized) to quite modern.
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Yes - 90125
Review by Gary Hill
After Yes broke up following the Drama tour, Chris Squire and Alan White (first trying to put together a group with Led Zep's Jimmy Page) hooked up with South African Trevor Rabin to begin putting together a band. They recruited original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, and started working on material for the debut album of this new band, Cinema.
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Yes - 90125 Remastered and Expanded
Review by Greg Olma
Yes needed to do something new to attract the music buying public. Punk and new Wave were trying their hardest to bury the classic rock sound and the older fans were moving on with their lives.
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Yes - 90125 Vinyl Picture Disc (Record Store Day 2017)
Review by Gary Hill
The break-out album for the Rabin era of Yes has gotten a special release for Record Store Day 2017. 

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Yes - 9012Live DVD
Review by Greg Olma
This is the visual counterpart to the 9012Live album. Even though both share the same title, they are quite different. While the CD focuses on the solo spots of the 90125 show, the DVD contains more of the songs.
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Yes - 9012Live: The Solos
Review by G. W. Hill

I remember when the original version of this came out wondering why a full live album wasn’t done.


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Rick Wakeman - A Gallery of the Imagination
Review by Gary Hill
This new album from Rick Wakeman is considered a concept album. That's because he considers it a gallery of art work, but represented as music.

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Jon Anderson - A review of Jon Anderson's Earthmotherearth ballet presented as a poem
Review by Wendy Vig
Poem for Jon's ballet
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Nektar - A Spoonful of Time
Review by G. W. Hill

The whole “do an album of covers” concept is a popular approach these days.


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Various Artists - Abbey Road Reimagined - A Tribute To The Beatles
Review by Gary Hill
The whole get a bunch of musicians together and record covers of an entire album thing is something I really like.

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Rick Wakeman - Almost Live In Europe
Review by Gary Hill
While you can debate as to what music should or should not have been included to make this a better disc, there’s one thing you probably won’t quibble about. That’s the sound quality of the recording.


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Yes - America (single) (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill

Lately I’ve been breaking our old rule at Music Street Journal.


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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus
Review by Gary Hill
Before the Union album, Jon Anderson, frustrated with the musical direction of the Rabin era Yes, left the group and reunited with former classic Yes-mates Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford. Although, they were four fifths of the same lineup that brought such albums as Fragile and Close To The Edge to life, Chris Squire owned the rights to the name "Yes", and wasn't interested in letting them use it.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus
Review by Gary Hill
Voiceprint has just reissued this live set from the classic Yes spin off band. For those looking for the history of this release, please check out the review I did of the earlier version of the set.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus DVD
Review by Gary Hill
  As someone who saw this tour live (twice, I believe) and owned the VHS of this for years, it’s a pleasure to finally have it on DVD. For those who don’t remember, Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe spun off of Yes during the Trevor Rabin era (between the Big Generator and Union albums).
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Jon Anderson - and Matt Malley – The Family Circle (digital single)
Review by G. W. Hill

The first thing to mention here is that this is a collaborative effort between former Yes singer Jon Anderson and former Counting Crows bassist Matt Malley.


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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe
Review by Gary Hill
In the late 1980’s Jon Anderson broke away from the Trevor Rabin dominated version of Yes to reunite with his former band mates, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe to produce Yes type music.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe Brother of Mine / Vultures in the City CD single
Review by G. W. Hill

This single from Anderson, Bruford Wakeman and Howe is out of print, of course, but these days, it’s not that hard (or sometimes expensive) to get your hands on something like this.


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Jon Anderson - Angels Embrace
Review by Gary Hill
This 1995 release is an unusual one in Jon Anderson's solo catalog. Then again, he has never been one to shy away from stretching beyond expectations.

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Various Artists - Animals Reimagined - A Tribute To Pink Floyd
Review by Gary Hill
Animals is, without question, my favorite Pink Floyd album. it's actually pretty high up on my list of best albums of all-time, too.

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Jon Anderson - Animation
Review by G. W. Hill

I bought this on vinyl when it first came out. Since the onset of the CD era this has been in and out of print for a while. This is the first time I’ve owned it on CD.


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Jon Anderson - Animation: Remastered & Expanded Edition
Review by Gary Hill
This new edition of Jon Anderson's Animation album is so much better than the version I first bought. That one was apparently just created by copying a vinyl copy of the album.

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Rick Wakeman - Aspirant Sunrise
Review by Gary Hill
There was a time when a lot of musicians were jumping on the “new age” bandwagon. As this recently reissued release from Rick Wakeman shows, he was definitely one of them. In fact, this was the first of a trilogy of new age albums.


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Rick Wakeman - Aspirant Sunset
Review by Gary Hill
This is one of a series of three discs Rick Wakeman did in 1990 as a restful relaxing type of experience. Remember, this was the era of New Age music.
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Rick Wakeman - Aspirant Sunshadows
Review by Gary Hill
The third CD in a trilogy of “new age” discs from Rick Wakeman, this might be the best of the bunch. 

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Various Artists - Back Against the Wall
Review by Gary Hill
There are few people who haven't at least heard of Pink Floyd's The Wall. I would hazard to say that those who have never heard the album are in the minority as well.
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Anderson Ponty Band - Better Late than Never
Review by G. W. Hill

Jon Anderson and Jean-Luc Ponty have talked about doing a project together for a long time.


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Oakes and Smith - Between the Earth and Sky
Review by G. W. Hill

I’ve put this EP in the prog section of Music Street Journal. I suppose you could say that it’s more of a folk release.


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Yes - Beyond and Before: The Formative Years of Yes - written by Peter Banks with Billy James
Review by Gary Hill

This is an excellent book in many ways. First, it’s a quick read – partly because it’s not all that long and partly because it’s written in such a way that it flows really well.


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Yes - Big Generator
Review by Gary Hill
Talk about contrasts - for my money, this album opens with the worst piece of drivel the band have ever produced in "Rhythm of Love". I truly despise the song and cringe when I hear it.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - Brother of Mine / Vultures in the City (vinyl single)
Review by G. W. Hill

This single from Anderson, Bruford Wakeman and Howe is out of print, of course, but these days, it’s not that hard (or sometimes expensive) to get your hands on something like this.


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Jon Anderson - Change We Must
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a newly remastered version of the Jon Anderson Change We Must album.


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Rick Wakeman - Christmas Variations
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of an older Rick Wakeman album (from 2000). This edition, released in 2020, has two bonus tracks and a different cover.

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Billy Sherwood - Citizen
Review by G. W. Hill

A contender for best of the year, this is arguably Sherwood’s best solo album ever.


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Yes - Classic Artists DVD
Review by Gary Hill

Yes seldom do anything in a small way when it can be done in an epic manner. 


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Yes - Classic Yes
Review by Gary Hill
This compilation of Yes material came out at the same time as Yesshows, shortly after the break up of the band following the Drama tour. This truly does feature some classic Yes material and would represent a great first look at the band.
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Nolan & Wakeman - Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman - Dark Fables
Review by Gary Hill

This is a new release as a single disc. I previously reviewed it as the third disc of a Nolan and Wakeman box set.


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Yes - Close To The Edge
Review by Gary Hill
This is the first Yes album that I ever heard, and although it took me several listenings to get into it (I actually hated it first time through) it completely won me over. It is truly my favorite Yes album and the disc that got me interested in the band, and in progressive rock.
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Yes - Close to the Edge – Hybrid SACD Special Edition
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a review of the special edition audiophile release of Close to the Edge. This is a great limited edition, numbered CD release.


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Yes - Close to the Edge – Remastered and Expanded
Review by Gary Hill
I absolutely love Yes’ Close to the Edge and I’ve reviewed the main album before.
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C2THype - Close To The Hype
Review by Gary Hill
OK, OK, this is definitely not progressive rock. However, it does include work by Jon Anderson, which in itself would get it listed in the prog section of MSJ.
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Rick Wakeman - Cost of Living
Review by Gary Hill
This is an uneven, but interesting solo album from Rick Wakeman. I think there are at least a couple throwaway songs here, but there are some that work so well.

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Rick Wakeman - Crimes of Passion
Review by Gary Hill

This is a new release of Rick Wakeman's 1984 soundtrack album. There are two songs here with vocals (one is a bonus track) serving as book-ends to the release.


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Glass Hammer - Culture of Ascent
Review by Gary Hill
Let me just say that this is pretty much without question one of the best progressive rock releases of the year. It’s not perfect, but comes pretty close


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Yes - Don’t Kill the Whale (Single) (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill

Our old rule at Music Street Journal was, if it’s out of print, we don’t review it.


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Jon Anderson - Earth Mother Earth Ballet by Jon Anderson
Review by Anne Corbin
The Center for Performing Arts in SLO is very pretty - it reminds me of the one in San Jose. Our seats were in the Orchestra 4th row (which was actually about 10th or 11th row). We looked around the audience for familiar faces, but saw none. Most of the attendees must have been local people.
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The Prog Collective - Epilogue
Review by G. W. Hill

This is quite a cool set. The main man behind this is Billy Sherwood, and I always like the stuff he does.


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Yes - Extended Versions - The Encore Collection
Review by Gary Hill
So, you've probably seen this set around and wondered what it is and if you should pick it up. Well, I have saved you the trouble and will reveal what is in store for you here.
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Rick Wakeman - Fields of Green
Review by Gary Hill
Another in the series of Rick Wakeman reissues, this disc originally came out in 1997. It opens with a couple of intriguing pieces that, by themselves, make this a must have for Wakeman fans


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Rick Wakeman - Fields of Green (Remastered Edition)
Review by G. W. Hill

This remastered version just came out now. 


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Various Artists - Fly Like an Eagle - An All-Star Tribute to Steve Miller Band
Review by G. W. Hill

Cleopatra Records loves doing these tribute albums, typically with Billy Sherwood in charge.


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Yes - Fragile - Remastered And Expanded
Review by Gary Hill
Rhino has begun a series of remasters of Yes albums, restoring the original artwork and adding bonus cuts to the discs. This is their version of one of the more classic Yes recordings, Fragile.
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Yes - Friends and Relatives
Review by Gary Hill
Friends and Relatives is a two CD set that is a compilation of two Yes tracks from the KTA albums with solo works from the various artists. Other than the two stellar group performances, the Rick Wakeman pieces and Steve Howe`s take on Tales From Topographic Oceans stand out the most.
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Rick Wakeman - G’olé Soundtrack
Review by Gary Hill
Originally recorded and released for a documentary film on the 1982 World Cup, this has been out of print for years and is seen here in its first ever release on CD. I’d have to say that this one is considerably stronger than the Burning soundtrack – also just now reissued – and has a lot wider ranging appeal.
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Yes - Going For The One
Review by Gary Hill
Being an album that had Rick Wakeman rejoining the fold, this one was looked upon as a very strong and welcome release to Yes fans. Indeed, it still ranks among the favorites of many of them.
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Yes - Greatest Hits
Review by Gary Hill
With this Yes compilation recently reissued, it seems a good time to have a look at it. It always seems a bit odd when you get a “Greatest Hits” compilation from a band that isn’t known for hit singles, but such is the case here.
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Yes - Greatest Video Hits DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Originally released on VHS, this collection was put out on DVD in 2005. This video is a collection of videos (many of which have not often been seen) interspersed with interview clips from band members (recorded during the Union tour).
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One World Project - Grief Never Grows Old
Review by Josh Turner
Out of all the progressive rock relief projects, this one features the biggest names: Barry and Robin Gibb (The Bee Gees), Paul Von Merten, Randell Kirsch and Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Boy George (Culture Club), Steve Winwood (Traffic), Rick Wakeman & Jon Anderson (Yes), Dewey Bunnell & Gerald Beckley (America), and a handful of others.
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Vangelis - Heaven and Hell
Review by G. W. Hill
I like Vangelis' blend of electronic and symphonic music. This album features vocals from Jon Anderson on one song, a real bonus to me.

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Yes - House of Yes Live DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This DVD is a pretty darn good live show collection. The picture and sound quality are awesome and it includes lots of great bonuses.
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Yes - House of Yes-Live From The House of Blues
Review by Gary Hill
This two-disc set is the companion soundtrack to the new DVD of this live show recorded on Yes' The Ladder tour. There are a lot of really good performances here, but also a few complaints.
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Jon And Vangelis - I Hear You Now / I’ll Find My Way Home (7 inch vinyl single)
Review by G. W. Hill

I’ve been going through some of my old vinyl and getting things reviewed.


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Yes - In A Word: Yes 1969-
Review by Gary Hill

This box set is a class act. The whole thing comes in something that resembles a book. 


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Jon Anderson - In the City of Angels
Review by Gary Hill
I don’t know what it is but I’ve always loved this CD. Sure, a lot of the music here really borders on pop – OK, maybe more than borders on it.
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Rick Wakeman - In the Nick of Time: Live in 2003 (Remastered Edition)
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a brand new “Remastered Edition” of this live Rick Wakeman album.


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Anderson/Stolt - Invention of Knowledge
Review by G. W. Hill
The “Anderson” in the name is Yes co-founder Jon Anderson. The “Stolt” is Flower Kings leader Roine Stolt.
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Yes - It Can Happen (Single) Vinyl
Review by G. W. Hill

Lately we’ve been moving away from our long-held rule that in order to reviewed an item had to be in print.


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Rick Wakeman - Journey To the Centre of the Earth
Review by Gary Hill
Another concept album from Rick Wakeman, this one focuses on the famous novel by Jules Verne.
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Yes - Keys To Ascension
Review by Gary Hill
The majority of this 2 disc set is a series of live recordings from the three SLO concerts that Yes did in 1996. The live material is augmented by two new studio cuts.
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Yes - Keys to Ascension 2
Review by Gary Hill
Keys to Ascension 2 contains live tracks from the San Luis Obispo concerts, recorded March of 1996(disc one), and 5 new studio songs(disc two). The lineup for the album is Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White.
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Yes - Keys To Ascension DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Recorded in 1996, this one is the one that almost makes it in the quest for ultimate live Yesshow video. Those who were there say that the video includes a lot of overdubs, but for the uninitiated, you really can't tell.
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Yes - Keystudio
Review by Gary Hill
Talking about the album that should have been! When these songs were originally released it was as bonus new studio recordings at the end of the two Keys to Ascension sets.
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Yes - Leave It – 12-inch Single (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill

Although this is out of print, I’ve decided to review it at Music Street Journal.


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The Spaces Between - Let’s Leave It at This for Now
Review by G. W. Hill

Certainly fans of Yes and specifically Jon Anderson will be drawn to this disc.


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Various Artists - Light My Fire - A Classic Rock Salute To the Doors
Review by G. W. Hill

I’ve always been a big fan of the Doors.


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Rick Wakeman - Lisztomania
Review by G. W. Hill

Have you ever seen this movie? I have seen it a couple times. It's definitely strange.


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Rick Wakeman - Live at Hammersmith
Review by Gary Hill
This live album from 1985 captures Rick Wakeman and his band performing tracks from his Six Wives of Henry the VIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur albums. The live sound here is solid, but I have always felt that those particular studio albums felt a bit flat.
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Yes - Live at Montreux 2003
Review by Gary Hill
Yes is a band that has no shortage of live albums. For this reason, the next statement I’m going to make is all the more profound. This may well be the best live CD they have ever released.
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Yes - Live At Montreux 2003 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Another in the Live at Montreux series, this DVD is one of the best of the bunch. Mind you, a good deal of that is about the performance that was captured here.
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Yes - Live at Taste of Chicago, July 8th, 2000
Review by Gary Hill
A true dream come true for Yes fans, the Masterworks Yes tour featured three, count 'em, three epics. They included two seldom played gems.
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Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman - Live at the Apollo
Review by Gary Hill

It seems that a common occurrence these days is for different factions within a classic band to form versions of the band and go out and tour. Well, it has now become a thing with Yes.


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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - Live at the NEC October 24th, 1989
Review by G. W. Hill

I saw Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe on this tour and it was purely magical.


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Yes - Live at the World Music Theater-July 9th, 1998
Review by Gary Hill
The magic is back. There is seemingly a growing underground progressive rock movement.
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Jon Anderson - Live From La La Land
Review by Gary Hill
When Jon Anderson embarked on his fully solo tour in 2005 it was presented as the DVD Tour of the Universe. It was also recorded and produced as this CD that, until now, was available only at live shows.
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Yes - Live In Chicago, 2002
Review by Gary Hill
First things first, a warning since the tour is still underway, if you are one of the people who is going to see one of the shows, and if you like to be surprised, don't read this review until after you see them - because there are spoilers in the review.


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Yes - Live in Chicago, Illinois, March, 2011
Review by Greg Olma

This is my first time seeing Yes with the Benoit David and Oliver Wakeman line-up.


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Yes - Live in Chicago, November 21, 2002
Review by Steve Alspach
Only four months after previously playing in Chicago, Yes returned and put on an superb show that showcased some of the highlights of the band's 33-year career. With Rick Wakeman back into the fold, the band showed that it still hasn't lost any of its chops.


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Yes - Live In Milwaukee, November 13, 1999
Review by Gary Hill
This band just keeps getting better. Yes gave a wonderful performance on a Saturday night in Milwaukee. The stage show, featuring a screen behind the band that most of the night featured computer graphics, rivaled the light shows of Hawkwind.
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Yes - Live in Milwaukee-November 15th, 1997
Review by Gary Hill
For me, this Yes tour was the best that I have ever seen. I should explain that statement by saying that, although I have been an avid Yes fan since 1975, I did not get the opportunity to see them until the 90125 tour. Therefore, I did miss many of what diehard Yes fans consider to be their best outings.
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Yes - Live In Nottingham, England, June 6, 2003
Review by Bruce Stringer
Firebird Suite / Siberian Khatru was not the smashing introduction to the set that I had hoped, but none-the-less quite strong. The crowd had been stamping and yelling and were quite worked up over the 65 minute wait for Yes to arrive on stage.
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Rick Wakeman - Live in Nottingham, UK, 2003
Review by Bruce Stringer
I was very excited when I heard that Rick Wakeman was to be appearing at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham and, being my first time ever seeing any member of Yes perform live, I didn't know quite what to expect. Originally, I had tried to arrange a brief interview with Rick however that fell through at the last minute.
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Yes - Live In Philadelphia 1979 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This DVD really seems to be an official release of a bootleg video. For one thing the audio is in mono, rather than stereo.
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Yes - Live in Rosemont, IL, May 4th, 2004
Review by Gary Hill
The last couple Yes shows it seemed that the band was just getting better and better live. Probably a lot of this was due to heightened excitement and energy from the return of Rick Wakeman.
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Jon Anderson - Live in Sheffield 1980
Review by
This is part of a series of Jon Anderson releases that originated as bootlegs or forgotten demos, outtakes and the like. In this instance, the first half (OK, actually a bit more) of the set is a bootleg live show from 1980. As bootlegs go, once it gets past the first track, the sound is not bad. You won’t find yourself wondering if it’s a boot, but on the other hand, you won’t be tempted to shut it off because of the poor recording.
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Yes - Live in Toronto, August, 2001
Review by G. W. Hill
Yes brought its symphonic show to Toronto on the 28th of August.
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King Crimson - Lizard
Review by Bill Knispel
Lizard is one of two “lost” King Crimson albums. Generally overlooked in favor of either the megalithic debut release or the embryonic prog metal that made up the band’s mid-1970’s output, Lizard shows the band moving more toward Robert Fripp’s musical ideals and concepts.
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King Crimson - Lizard – 40th Anniversary Series
Review by Gary Hill
The third King Crimson album, this version is part of the 40th Anniversary series of reissues. It is presented here in a few ways.

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Dennis Haklar - Lizard’s Tale
Review by G. W. Hill

Featuring a guest list that includes Jon Anderson, this is a great piece of modern progressive rock with plenty of nods to the old school variety.


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Yes - Love Will Find a Way / Holy Lamb (Song for Harmonic Convergence) (vinyl single)
Review by G. W. Hill
If you are looking for a sampling of flavors of Yes' Big Generator album in a vinyl single, you can't do much better than this. 

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Rick Wakeman - Made in Cuba DVD
Review by Gary Hill

Fans of Rick Wakeman don’t often get to see him performing solo live.


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Steve Hillage - Madison Square Garden 1977
Review by G. W. Hill

I really love this album.


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Yes - Magnification
Review by Gary Hill
Yes' brand of progressive rock has often been dubbed "symphonic rock." The term refers to the group producing arrangements in the vein of a symphony using typical rock instrumentation.
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Yes - Magnification (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill
I’ve always liked the Magnification album quite a bit, and since the recent reissue of Open Your Eyes on vinyl was amazing, I was really looking forward to this.
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Various Artists - Meddle Reimagined: A Tribute to Pink Floyd
Review by Gary Hill
Tribute albums like this are always interesting, but also often disappointing.

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Yes - Musikladen Live DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This DVD is rather a mixed bag. I t does contain some considerably rare footage of the group, and therefore scores points on that basis.
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Rick Wakeman - No Earthly Connection
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a great album, no question about it. It's the classic example of how Rick Wakeman works with the combination of rock and symphonic music.


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Badfinger - No Matter What - Revisiting The Hits
Review by Gary Hill
Badfinger were always a cool pop rock band. This new album collects a lot of their hits.

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Vangelis - Odyssey: The Definitive Collection
Review by Gary Hill
The whole compilation concept is tricky.
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Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow
Review by Gary Hill
When the members of Yes all went off to do solo albums after Relayer, Jon Anderson delivered Olias of Sunhillow. In so many ways it was the most ambitious of the discs.
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Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow (Limited Edition Hybrid SACD version)
Review by G. W. Hill

I reviewed the original release of this album before, and the songs are unchanged here.


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Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow: 2 Disc Remastered & Expanded Edition
Review by Gary Hill
Olias of Sunhillow was Jon Anderson's first solo album. It's gotten several releases over the years, but this might be the real deal - the best of the bunch.

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Jon Anderson - Open
Review by G. W. Hill

At Music Street Journal we’ve joined a number of publications in a ban on reviews of digital only products.


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Yes - Open Your Eyes
Review by Gary Hill
Yes fans are pretty well divided on this album, many find it to be a sell out of Yes` musical principles, while many others find it good, but not great. There are still others who find it to be a very fine effort.
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Yes - Open Your Eyes – Double LP
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a reissue of the Yes album Open Your Eyes on 180 gram vinyl.


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Yes - Open Your Eyes (Surround Sound Version)
Review by Gary Hill
This is in many ways a reprint of my earlier review of Open Your Eyes. As reviewed here, it does, however, reflect the changes made when the CD was remastered as the first album ever mixed for Surround Sound systems.
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Vangelis - Opéra sauvage
Review by G. W. Hill
Vangelis is an artist who always does a great job of working within electronic elements to create something unique and rather symphonic. This album is no exception.

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Rick Wakeman - Out of the Blue
Review by Gary Hill
This live album from the most recent incarnation of Wakeman’s band – The New English Rock Ensemble is a killer. While the sound might possibly be just below that of Almost Live in Europe – and that’s iffy – I’d have to say that I like the setlist here better.


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Rick Wakeman - Out of the Blue: Official Remastered Version
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a newly remastered version of a Rick Wakeman live album. 


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Rick Wakeman - Out There
Review by Bruce Stringer
The first thing I noticed about this CD is the bizarre spaceship on the front red-coloured cover booklet, which looks like a weird marriage between V8 engine and mechanical fish with a protruding golf putter to add to its other-worldly imagery.
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Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart – 12-inch Single (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill

It used to be that at Music Street Journal we didn’t cover things that were out of print.


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Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart (7 inch Vinyl Single)
Review by G. W. Hill

Going back and catching up on some vinyl releases, this one should be pretty easy to find online.


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Jon And Vangelis - Page of Life
Review by Gary Hill
This album never got the publicity that some of the other Jon and Vangelis discs did.
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Various Artists - Poetry of the Air: A Collection of Love Letters to Music from Musicians written by Gary Hill
Review by Greg Olma
I have known Gary Hill for a while now and the one thing that I can say with complete certainty about him is that he takes his music seriously. 


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Various Artists - Poetry of the Air: A Collection of Love Letters to Music from Musicians written by Gary Hill
Review by Greg Olma
I have known Gary Hill for a while now and the one thing that I can say with complete certainty about him is that he takes his music seriously. 


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William Shatner - Ponder the Mystery
Review by G. W. Hill

The last couple albums from William Shatner have landed in my “best of” lists for those two years.


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William Shatner - Ponder the Mystery Revisited
Review by Gary Hill
This is a remix version of an album that was released in 2013. I really love that original album.

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Jon And Vangelis - Private Collection
Review by Gary Hill
Looking back at these Jon and Vangelis albums is an interesting experience. I’ve always enjoyed the music but have to admit to not having dug the discs out in quite some time.
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Yes - Progeny: Seven Shows from Seventy-Two
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a new, massive box set from Yes. It includes seven complete concerts from 1972.


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Yes - Re (Union)
Review by Gary Hill
When Yes released Union it was a hodgepodge sort of album.
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Yes - Relayer
Review by Gary Hill
At first glance, Relayer resembles Close To The Edge in that it is composed of three cuts, one in the twenty-minute range, and the other two taking up about the same length of time between them. However, while there are some strong moments here, this is arguably Yes at their most self-indulgent and least cohesive.
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Jonathan Elias - Requiem For the Americas
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve wanted to review this CD for a while. The problem is, it’s been out of print.
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Rick Wakeman - Return To The Centre of The Earth
Review by Gary Hill
By going back to his past, Rick Wakeman has created an album that is nearly a masterpiece. A sequel to his Journey to the Centre of the Earth disc, Return to the Centre of the Earth is a very potent progressive rock concept album.
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Rick Wakeman - Rhapsodies
Review by G. W. Hill
As you might guess from the layout in the track by track, I've done this retro review from the vinyl version of this album.

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Yes - Rhythm of Love (Maxi Single) (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill

The old rule at Music Street Journal was that we didn’t cover items that weren’t in print.


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Yes - Rhythm of Love / City of Love (live) (vinyl single)
Review by G. W. Hill

If you want to get this song on vinyl and have a cool B-side, this might be the answer.


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Rick Wakeman - Rick Wakeman’s Grumpy Old Picture Show DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Those looking for a smoking live concert video of Rick Wakeman probably should turn their attention elsewhere. This is in many ways so much more.
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Rick Wakeman - Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record
Review by G. W. Hill
I remember that when I first heard this album years ago I wasn't all that impressed. Listening to it now, I'm not sure why I didn't love it. 

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Rick Wakeman - Rock N Roll Prophet
Review by G. W. Hill
This is a rather odd entry into the Rick Wakeman catalog. Wakeman has said that he intended it as a spoof of music like The Buggles.

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Rick Wakeman - Romance of the Victorian Age
Review by Gary Hill
This might not be one of the better known Wakeman solo releases, but it’s actually one of the strongest.
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Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Review by Gary Hill

It has to be tough to invent a musical style like Black Sabbath did. There’s no one around to tell you what does and doesn’t constitute heavy metal.


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Jon Anderson - Searching for the Songs
Review by
This is a collection of tracks that Anderson never finished. As he explains in the liner notes these were from a period where he was working hard at writing pop music. The thing is, this is still quite a powerful disc.


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Rick Wakeman - Sixty Minutes with Rick Wakeman
Review by Gary Hill
This new compilation of songs from Rick Wakeman includes a nice cross section of his solo career. It’s really hard to encapsulate what he’s done over the years into one CD minute set, so certainly fans will come up with something they think is missing.


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Rick Wakeman - Softsword
Review by G. W. Hill

Let me just start this review to say that I like this album a lot.


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Graham Bonnet - Solo Albums 1974-1992
Review by Gary Hill
Even if all you know from Graham Bonnet is his two best-known bands, Rainbow and Alcatrazz, you have to know that there is a wide range of sounds in his repertoire.

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Jon Anderson - Some Are Born / Days (UK vinyl single)
Review by Gary Hill
This UK single showcases a couple songs from the Song of Seven album.

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Yes - Something`s Coming
Review by Gary Hill
This album is actually a compilation of Yes performances on various television and radio programs from the 1969-1970 era. The personnel on this album are Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Peter Banks, Bill Bruford and Tony Kaye.
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Jon Anderson - Song of Seven
Review by Gary Hill
There was a time when this album from Yes man Jon Anderson was my all time favorite disc by anyone. Mind you times have changed somewhat.
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Jon Anderson - Song of Seven - Remastered & Expanded
Review by Gary Hill
This new edition of Jon Anderson's Song of Seven album is all class. First you get the remastered set.

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Yes - Songs from Tsongas 35th Anniversary Concert BluRay
Review by G. W. Hill

This is just getting released on BluRay and with an extra concert.


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Yes - Songs From Tsongas DVD
Review by Gary Hill

This DVD is one of the best from Yes.


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Various Artists - Songs of the Century: An All-Star Tribute To Supertramp
Review by G. W. Hill

I am a big fan of pretty much anything Billy Sherwood is involved with and I love Supertramp, so when I heard Sherwood was in charge of assembling an all star tribute to Supertramp, I was excited.


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Alan Simon - Songwriter
Review by Gary Hill

I don't think I had heard of Alan Simon until recently. This double disc set captures a lot of his previous work.


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Hawkestrel - SpaceXmas
Review by Gary Hill
This was released last year, but I got it too late to review it in our December issue. So, I've been holding it until this one.

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Rick Wakeman - Starship Trooper
Review by G. W. Hill

This new Rick Wakeman album is actually a compilation. That said, it features a couple tracks that have never before been released.


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Various Artists - Steinway To Heaven
Review by Gary Hill
It seems like a rather novel, but still somewhat obvious concept. Take various keyboardists, mostly from the world of progressive rock and have them record various classical piano pieces.
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Various Artists - Still Wish You Were Here: A Tribute to Pink Floyd
Review by Gary Hill
I generally like things like this where an album is created by taking the track list of a famous album and having different artists reproduce the songs.

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Jon Anderson - Survival and Other Stories
Review by Gary Hill

This album, featuring collaborations Jon Anderson made with various independent musicians, was originally released last year, in a very limited release. 


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Yes - Symphonic Live
Review by Gary Hill
This was released on DVD before, but they have just now chosen to let it lose in CD format.
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Yes - Symphonic Live BluRay
Review by Gary Hill

Since we’ve already reviewed the DVD version of this set, this review will focus on the difference between this new BluRay release and that original one.


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Yes - Symphonic Live DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Alright, alright, so Yes seems to be coming out with a live album or video (or both) every time they tour these days. This one is a bit special in some ways, though.
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Nolan & Wakeman - Tales by Gaslight
Review by Gary Hill
This new set collects three albums by Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman into one impressive box set.

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Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans
Review by Gary Hill
This is quite possibly the most derisive Yes album of the entire catalog. Certainly many critics panned it, but that wasn't all that unusual.
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Yes - Talk
Review by Gary Hill
After the Union tour, the Rabin (or Yes West as many dubbed it) incarnation of the band reformed to record Talk. The promo hype at the time said that it was proof positive that this lineup was capable of the more complex and powerful progressive rock creations that had been the meat and potatoes of the earlier band.
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Jon And Vangelis - The Best of Jon and Vangelis
Review by Gary Hill
Best Of releases are always an iffy scenario. As opposed to “Greatest Hits,” which are fairly cut and dry, “Best Of” indicates a “quality question.”
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Rick Wakeman - The Burning
Review by Gary Hill
Long out of print, this soundtrack album is now available on CD. With all the music written and performed by Rick Wakeman, it’s a foregone conclusion that Wakeman fanatics will be all over this.
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Yes - The Definitive Rock Collection
Review by Gary Hill

Here is another compilation of Yes music. It is the first two CDs from The Ultimate Yes, repackaged.


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Yes - The Extraordinary World of Yes written by Alan Farley
Review by Gary Hill
On the one hand you have to ask, "do we really need another book about Yes?" Still, one of the charms/downsides to books is that they represent a static point in time.
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Jon And Vangelis - The Friends of Mr. Cairo
Review by Gary Hill
Jon Anderson and Vangelis released several albums over the years. Their merging of musical styles and ideas has always worked quite well from my point of view.
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The Fusion Syndicate - The Fusion Syndicate
Review by G. W. Hill

What an amazing set this is.


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Leon Alvarado - The Future Left Behind
Review by G. W. Hill

This newest set from Leon Alvarado is quite a tasty one. It has a number of nearly vocal only spoken bits that tell the story of the album.


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Yes - The Ladder
Review by Gary Hill
For some bands, the music industry seems to cause a paradox. In order to survive as an artist, one must have a certain degree of commercial success, but to the hardcore fans, doing so can bring forth cries of "too poppy".
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Yes - The Lost Broadcasts DVD
Review by Gary Hill

For hardcore Yes fans, this is a real treasure.


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Jon Anderson - The Mother's Day Concert
Review by
Originally available only as a bootleg, VoicePrint has teamed up with Jon Anderson to bring this magical event to the general public. It should be said that since it was a bootleg, the sound quality is not what you might expect from a Jon Anderson release.
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Rick Wakeman - The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Review by Rick Damigella
Who so pulleth out the sword from the stone is the trueborn king of all of Britain. While this greatest of tales of heroism and chivalry has been told numerous times in written and filmed form, only a handful of music based tellings have been done.
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Yes - The New Director’s Cut DVD
Review by Gary Hill
In some ways you can say, “we’ve seen it before.” Of course, isn’t that par for the course whenever you see “Director’s Cut” anywhere in the title or subtitle of a DVD?
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Rick Wakeman - The Other Side of Rick Wakeman DVD
Review by Gary Hill
For those who are Wakeman fanatics, myself included, this DVD is great. Like his CD of Yes songs, this DVD is strictly solo piano, and Wakeman shows that he needs neither fancy Moog synthesizers nor other musicians to make great sounds.
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Rick Wakeman - The Phantom of the Opera
Review by G. W. Hill
I'm a big fan of progressive rock, and especially Yes (and by extension Rick Wakeman). I'm also a fan of horror movies, including the old classic ones.

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Rick Wakeman - The Red Planet
Review by Gary Hill
The argument could be made that the Rick Wakeman solo releases of the 1970s were the golden era of his career outside of Yes. Surely they set the bar next to which his later releases would be judged.

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Various Artists - The Rift - Dark Side of the Moon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Review by Gary Hill
This new soundtrack album features some killer music. It leans on the space rock, trippy side of the equation.

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Various Artists - The Show That Never Ends
Review by Gary Hill

This album is a compilation of various progressive rock performances that were presented on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. All of the outings are quite good, and the selection of artists is also. 


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Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Review by G. W. Hill

There are many who would consider this Rick Wakeman's strongest solo album. That argument has merit.


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Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live At Hampton Court Palace
Review by Gary Hill
Rick Wakeman’s Six Wives of Henry VIII album was his first solo release and many would argue his best.
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Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives Of Henry VIII:Live at Hampton Court Palace DVD
Review by Gary Hill
There can be a perception, when an artist releases a number of live DVD’s, that they are going to the well a bit too often and running out of water.
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Yes - The Ultimate Yes
Review by Gary Hill

This 35th Anniversary collection of Yes shares a lot of material with other compilations of theirs.


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Yes - The Yes Album
Review by Josh Turner
This marks the third album from this first class group. Its recording predates the membership of the legendary Rick Wakeman, who ultimately joined late in the tour of this album. While this might appear to be a huge drawback in the studio, the album is quite strong.
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Yes - The Yes Album (Expanded and Remastered)
Review by Gary Hill

The third album from Yes, The Yes Album was a transitional disc. 


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Yes - Time and A Word
Review by Gary Hill
When Yes went into the studio to record their second album, the producer decided that they could benefit from an orchestral string arrangement on much of the material. This works extremely well on some of the songs here, while falling rather flat in other places
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Yes - Time And A Word: The Yes Story written by Martin Popoff
Review by Greg Olma

There have been a few books written about the band, Yes but this one really includes the involvement of many of the members of the group through extensive interviews. 


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Rick Wakeman - Time Machine
Review by Gary Hill
This was a 1988 release from Rick Wakeman. It features multiple vocalists.

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Jon Anderson - Toltec
Review by Gary Hill
Based on Carlos Castenada’s work, this album has a mellow motif. It’s far from the most hard rocking thing we’ve ever gotten from Jon Anderson, but it’s quite deep from a philosophical point of view and quite beautiful from a musical one.
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Yes - Tormato
Review by Gary Hill

An album that is rather maligned in fan circles, Tormato is a bit pop oriented, but really has some wonderous moments. The bass sound on this one is a bit experimental, having a very processed approach, and although the majority of the songs are more accessible, there is a spirit of prog rock jamming that creates an openness and spirit of virtuosity throughout.


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Yes - Tormato (Expanded and Remastered)
Review by Greg Olma
Back in the late 1970's, Yes must have been a bit scared of the changing musical landscape. Punk was trying it's hardest to kill off bands like Yes; calling them dinosaurs.
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Yes - Tormato Vinyl Picture Disc (Record Store Day 2018)
Review by Gary Hill

Like last year, there is a new Yes picture disc released for Record Store Day. Last year it was 90125. This year they turned their attention to Tormato.


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Jon Anderson - Tour of the Universe DVD
Review by Lorraine Kay
Released simultaneously with the CD single "State of Independence," the debut solo DVD from legendary "Yes" lead singer and songwriter, Jon Anderson, Tour of the Universe is a musical passage through life, time and the world beyond, featuring many new songs as well as classic hits from his work with Yes and collaborations with Vangelis.
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Rick Wakeman - Tribute
Review by Gary Hill
Keyboard great Rick Wakeman turns his attention on this disc to the music of The Beatles. It has to be said that for musicians of a certain generation (and Wakeman is certainly in that group) The Beatles were a groundbreaking influence.


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Rick Wakeman - Two Sides of Yes, Vol. 2
Review by Gary Hill
I've read where people have been disappointed by this album because it was not full Yes versions of these songs. All I have to say is, if you want the original version, buy the original disc.
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Yes - Union
Review by Gary Hill
The great experiment - at the time of this album's recording there were essentially two versions of Yes out and making music. The first was the Trevor Rabin "Yes West" lineup (consisting of Rabin, Chris Squire, Alan White and Tony Kaye - Jon Anderson had left the group, but been working his way back into the fold) and Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe (the splinter group of one of the most classic lineups).
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Yes - Union: Live
Review by G. W. Hill

I remember seeing Yes on the Union tour. It was an amazing show.


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Vangelis - Vangelis and the Journey to Ithaka DVD
Review by G. W. Hill
I don’t think I can pile enough praise onto this DVD.
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Jerry Goodman - Violin Fantasy
Review by G. W. Hill

This album is fully instrumental. It’s a great disc, too. Some of the music here has appeared elsewhere (although most of the time in different arrangements)


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Jon Anderson - Watching The Flags That Fly
Review by
Another disc of demos from Jon Anderson, these songs were originally written to be used on the second Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe album. Most of them wound up shelved, but have now been released on Watching The Flags That Fly.


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Rick Wakeman - White Rock
Review by G. W. Hill
This album was composed for the 1976 winter Olympics. The music is essentially instrumental, but there are chorale vocals in places.

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Rick Wakeman - White Rock II
Review by Gary Hill
If anyone out there remembers White Rock (the first disc), you’ll know that it was music that Wakeman composed for the Olympics film. Well, when they set about to redo some of the film footage they wanted some additional music and White Rock II ensued.


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Various Artists - Who Are You - An All-Star Tribute to the Who
Review by G. W. Hill

I like The Who quite a bit. I mean, they aren’t one of my favorite bands, but I do really like them.


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Yes - Wonderous Stories: The Best of Yes
Review by G. W. Hill

I’m sure some would make the argument that we don’t need another Yes compilation album.


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Yes - Yes
Review by Gary Hill
The self-titled debut by Yes, this 1969 album was full of psychedelic wandering and experimentation. It had some definite strong points, and did, in fact show off signs of the band that would later develop.
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Yes - Yes (Expanded and Remastered)
Review by Gary Hill
One of the releases in the series of discs that showcase remastered Yes albums with additional material added, this one focuses on the first album.
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Yes - Yesshows
Review by Gary Hill
When Yes broke up after the aborted Drama tour, their label released two "new" albums, Classic Yes (a compilation) and Yesshows (a live album recorded before Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman chose to take their leave of the band).
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Yes - Yessongs
Review by Gary Hill
At the time that Yessongs was released, the critics were calling Yes a studio phenomenon, and saying that they could not reproduce their complex arrangements live. This release, at least partially, was meant to dispel that rumour -- and it worked.
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Yes - Yessongs BluRay
Review by Gary Hill

This is a new reissue of the original Yes concert film. While the main film remains unchanged from older editions, there is quite a bit of added material here.


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Yes - Yessongs DVD
Review by Gary Hill
The only true Yes concert film (as in it was shown in theaters as a motion picture) this movie suffers a lot from the time period in which it was made. Granted, this classic performance from December of 1972 is a great time capsule, but filmmaking has come a long way since then.
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Yes - Yesstories-Yes In Their Own Words written by Tim Morse
Review by Gary Hill
Tim Morse created an intriguing book with this one. There is nothing unique about conducting interviews with artists when doing a book about them.
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Yes - Yesterdays
Review by Gary Hill
This compilation is composed almost entirely of material from the first two Yes releases (Yes and Time and a Word) - the majority from the second album. As such the lineup consists of Jon Anderson, Peter Banks, Bill Bruford, Tony Kaye and Chris Squire.
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Yes - Yesyears Box Set
Review by Gary Hill
Released during the flurry of activity surrounding the Union tour, this four CD set is a pricey, but fairly solid addition to the Yes catalog. While any compilation will undoubtedly bring up complaints as to what was included and what was not, this album presents a fairly accurate representation of the chronology of the band.
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Yes - Yesyears DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Before there was Yesspeak, there was Yesyears. In some ways this documentary is superior to the more recent one.
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