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GTR
CD Reviews
GTR: 2CD Deluxe Expanded Edition
Review by Gary Hill
I remember when I got this album originally, I was unimpressed with it. I think part of that was expectations.

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Related Articles
Steve Howe
Review by Steve Alspach
Interview with Steve Howe, 2004


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Steve Howe
Review by Gary Hill
Interview With Steve Howe from 2002



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Steve Hackett
Review by Josh Turner
Interview with Steve Hackett, 2005
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Steve Hackett
Review by Steve Alspach
Interview With Steve Hackett from 2002
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Steve Hackett
Review by Gary Hill

Interview with Steve Hackett from 2017


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Djabe - & Steve Hackett - Life is a Journey, The Budapest Live Tapes
Review by Gary Hill

When Life Is a Journey, the studio album released by Djabe and Steve Hackett came out recently, it made my best of the year list. So, I was anxious to hear this live set.


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Djabe - & Steve Hackett - The Journey Continues
Review by Gary Hill
This new live album continues the trend of quality stuff from Djabe. Their music generally tends to land in the fusion zone, sometimes with healthy helpings of world music.

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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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Various Artists - 108 Rock Star Guitars written by Lisa S. Johnson
Review by G. W. Hill

This is the quintessential coffee table book. That’s particularly true for those who love guitars.


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Dream Theater - 5 Years In A Livetime (Video)
Review by Gary Hill
 This video, the companion to the Once In A Livetime CD, chronicles the recent history of the band through assorted video clips.
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Yes - 50 Live
Review by Gary Hill
I am always upfront about the fact that I am a Yes fanatic. They've been my favorite band for more than 45 years now.

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Steve Hackett - A Genesis in My Bed; Steve Hackett - The Autobiography
Review by Gary Hill

This book is such a classy product. In fact, it's so impressive in terms of the presentation that I felt compelled to do one of our YouTube bonus feature videos about it.


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Various Artists - A Life in Yes: The Chris Squire Tribute
Review by Gary Hill
I grew up as a Yes fanatic from the age of 12. As a bass player myself, Chris Squire was a huge part of my own growth as a musician.
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Squackett - A Life Within A Day
Review by Alison Henderson

If ever there was a perfect dream team then it would have to be the bassist with one of the legendary bands joining forces with the guitarist from another of the bands in the prog pantheon, namely Yes and Genesis.


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Squackett - A Life Within a Day - Special Edition
Review by Gary Hill
This new edition of the album created by the collaborative project led by Steve Hackett and Chris Squire includes a bonus Blu-Ray.

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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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Genesis - A Trick of the Tail
Review by Josh Turner
There are substantial differences between the old and new Genesis. Some prefer one style to the other.
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Explorer's Club - Age of Impact
Review by Gary Hill
This album could well be the most important progressive disc of the decade for two reasons. Firstly, by the sheer magnitude of performers on this CD.
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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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Steve Hackett - and Djabe - Summer Storms and Rocking Rivers
Review by G. W. Hill
Those expecting Genesis styled prog rock here are likely to be disappointed. This is much more of a fusion set with some world music built into it.

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Steve Hackett - and Evelyn Glennie With Roger King and Phillip Smith, London, 2002
Review by Steve Alspach
London's Queen Elizabeth Hall was the site for the world premiere performance of Steve Hackett's composition "The City in the Sea." This conceptual piece, based on a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, combined Hackett's guitar work with the brilliant percussive work of Glennie.
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Steve Howe - and Paul Sutin – Seraphim
Review by Gary Hill
I’m including this release under the Steve Howe heading. Why? Because that’s how it’s listed.
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Djabe - and Steve Hackett - Life Is A Journey: The Sardinia Tapes
Review by Gary Hill

I previously reviewed an album with these two artists. On that one Hackett got the first billing.


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Djabe - and Steve Hackett - Live in Gyor
Review by Gary Hill
Djabe and Steve Hackett have worked together quite a bit over the years. The world jazz act and former Genesis guitarist who has pursued a brilliant solo career for a long time work really well together.

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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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Asia - Aqua
Review by Gary Hill
I’d consider this to be a middle of the road Asia album.
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Asia - Archiva 1
Review by Gary Hill
This album really is a very pop oriented album. It is included in the progressive section of the reviews because both Geoff Downes and Steve Howe are on the album.
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Asia - Asia
Review by Gary Hill
When this group rose from the ashes of a dying Yes it seemed like a dream come true for progressive rock fans. Take two parts Yes (OK – one and a half maybe since Geoff Downes was only on one Yes album) in the persons of Geoff Downes and Steve Howe, one third of Emerson Lake and Palmer (Carl Palmer) and add in John Wetton (King Crimson, UK) and make a band.
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Asia - Aura
Review by G. W. Hill

This is an unusual album for Asia.


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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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Steve Howe - Beginnings
Review by Gary Hill
Steve Howe’s first solo release, this is a strong album that’s not perfect.
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Kompendium - Beneath the Waves
Review by Alison Henderson

Kompendium is a huge musical project masterminded by Rob Reed, main-man of the very classy British prog band Magenta.


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Various Artists - Beyond and Before: Progressive Rock Since The 1960s written By Paul Hegarty and Martin Halliwell
Review by Alison Henderson
New insightful books about progressive rock come along as frequently as a Leap Year.
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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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Steve Hackett - Beyond the Shrouded Horizon
Review by Alison Henderson

With a career spanning some 40 years, Steve Hackett has continued to blaze a trail across the prog firmament of which most other musicians can only dream.


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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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Various Artists - Citizens of Hope and Glory. The Story of Progressive Rock written by Stephen Lambe
Review by Scott Montgomery

This is an enjoyable read that saunters through the chronology and culture of progressive rock.


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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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Steve Howe - Classic Rock Legends DVD
Review by Bruce Stringer
Classic Rock Legends has released a series of 1980-90's concerts on video (and now DVD) for fans to enjoy over and over again. Some of their catalogue simply smells like old rockers trying to cash in on reunion gigs, yet thankfully there have been a few notable quality releases.
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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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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 - 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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Yes - Drama
Review by Gary Hill
In 1980 when Yes found themselves without their keyboardist (Rick Wakeman) and vocalist (Jon Anderson), they turned to their manager Brian Lane to see if he had any suggestions. As it was, he was also managing a group called "The Buggles".
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Yes - Drama - Remastered and Expanded
Review by Greg Olma
This is the bastard child of the Yes family. Many Yes purists don't acknowledge its existence with even Jon Anderson refusing to play any of the material live.
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Steve Howe's Remedy - Elements
Review by Steve Alspach
After all these years Steve Howe is still exploring new territories or, at least, foraging in styles that interest him. Needless to say, this covers a lot of ground, but Steve, along with sons Virgil on keyboards and Dylan on drums, and with Gilad Atzmon on woodwinds and Derrick Taylor on bass, have joined together for a formidable ensemble that are willing to tackle any style that comes their way.
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Alan Simon - Excalibur V – Move, Cry Act, Clash!
Review by Gary Hill
Alan Simon consistently creates compelling music. It's generally of the prog rock variety, but lands more along the lines of rock opera or even musical theater.

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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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Asia - Fantasia – Live In Tokyo
Review by Gary Hill
Yes fanatic and general prog head that I’ve always been, when Asia released their debut disc, I was all over it. They were the progressive rock supergroup of the time and they delivered with a killer disc.
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Asia - Fantasia - Live in Tokyo DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Asia fans rejoice, the reunion tour is now presented in DVD. I covered the CD release in detail, so you might want to check that out for the specifics about the music. Let’s just say that we get treated to a killer performance of Asia classics, King Crimson, ELP and Yes songs.


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Yes - Fly From Here
Review by Gary Hill

Only the second album in the history of Yes to be recorded without Jon Anderson, this one, particularly since it’s the only other Yes disc with Geoff Downes on keyboards, is obviously compared to Drama.


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Yes - Fly From Here – Deluxe Edition
Review by Gary Hill
This review addresses the Deluxe Edition of Yes’ latest album, Fly From Here.
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Yes - Fly From Here (Vinyl)
Review by G. W. Hill
I’m a huge Yes fan and Yes collector. For that reason I tend to buy various configurations of Yes albums.
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Yes - Fly from Here: Return Trip
Review by Gary Hill
This is an unusual release. In 2011 Yes released the album Fly From Here.

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Genesis - Foxtrot
Review by Gary Hill

Foxtrot might not get the attention that is afforded to Genesis works like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but it is really an incredible piece of work that should be in the collection of any Genesis fan or progressive rock fan in general.


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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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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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Yes - Heaven and Earth
Review by G. W. Hill

Where do I begin on this review? I guess I should start by saying that I’m a Yes fanatic and I have been since I was twelve years old – and for those keeping track, that’s a long time ago.


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Steve Howe - Homebrew
Review by G. W. Hill

This collection is a lot of literally “homebrewed” pieces by Steve Howe.


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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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Various Artists - Howe White Squire - The More Drama Tour Limited Edition CD
Review by Gary Hill
This is a compilation album that was made to promote the Yes related More Drama Tour that wound up not happening. While it's not available for sale, any time you purchase a CD from Syn's official site, they include this puppy for free - now that makes it a great value.
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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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Yes - In the Present: Live from Lyon
Review by G. W. Hill

While any Yes album is better than the music of a lot of other bands, this is probably the group’s weakest live album.


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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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Lifesigns - Lifesigns
Review by Alison Henderson
Lifesigns is a music project spearheaded by John Young, composer, keyboards player and vocalist, aided by bass player Nick Beggs (Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson), drummer Martin “Frosty” Beedle (Cutting Crew) and producer Steve Rispin.
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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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Yes - Like It Is - Yes At the Bristol Hippodrome
Review by G. W. Hill

This new live album from Yes is quite good.


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Yes - Like It Is: Live at the Mesa Arts Center
Review by G. W. Hill

Yes recently did a couple of tours where they performed some of their studio albums in their entirety. This live recording comes from one of those shows.


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Genesis - Live
Review by Steve Alspach
An import for a number of years, Genesis Live is a rather good document of the band during its heyday in the early 1970s. Recorded in some small town halls, the sound may not be all that great, but there's no denying the talent displayed by Messrs. Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, and Rutherford in their early days.
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Genesis - Live
Review by Steve Alspach
An import for a number of years, Genesis Live is a rather good document of the band during its heyday in the early 1970s. Recorded in some small town halls, the sound may not be all that great, but there's no denying the talent displayed by Messrs. Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, and Rutherford in their early days.
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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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Steve Hackett - Live at NEARfest, 2002
Review by Stephen Ellis
What can I say that has not already been said about this man and his music? I've loved his guitar work and sound since his days in Genesis.
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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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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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Steve Hackett - Live in Bethlehem, PA (NEARFest 2010), June 2010
Review by Bill Knispel
Steve Hackett headlined NEARfest alumni night, Friday 18 June 2010.  This would be his second appearance at the prestigious progressive and art rock festival, following a headlining set in 2002 at the festival’s second venue, the Patriot Theatre in Trenton NJ.

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Yes - Live in Birmingham, England, November, 2011
Review by Alison Henderson

There was something ominous about the date of this concert -11.11.11 so it was very much a case of going for the one on the night.


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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, August 2015
Review by G. W. Hill

There seem to be some Yes fans deriding the recent incarnations of Yes.


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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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Asia - Live In Osaka
Review by Greg Olma

This double CD set is a nice live show from the Aqua tour in Japan.  


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Asia - Live In Philadelphia
Review by Greg Olma

Asia has been around for quite some time, and I think they are one of the few bands that has more live releases than studio albums.  


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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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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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Yes - Live on Cruise to the Edge, November 2015
Review by Brenda Bradley

 I knew it would be hard to see Yes without Chris Squire! As "Onward" played, with a white Rickenbacker on stage with a spotlight, I felt myself tearing up.


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Steve Hackett - Live Rails
Review by Larry Toering

What can be said about Steve Hackett that hasn't already been said?


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Various Artists - Love, Poetry and Revolution: A Journey through the British Psychedelic and Underground Scenes 1966-72
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a massive set. It’s also quite an interesting one.


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Djabe - Magic Stag
Review by Gary Hill
There is always something special about the music Djabe makes. They have previously made my "best of the year" list, and they just might land on my "best of 2020" list with this new release.

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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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Steve Howe - Mothballs
Review by Gary Hill
This disc is included in the progressive rock section because of it being Steve Howe – not because the music fits that category.
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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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Steve Howe - Natural Timbre
Review by G. W. Hill

This is Steve Howe’s first fully acoustic studio album.


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Steve Howe - Not Necessarily Acoustic
Review by Gary Hill
This album was recorded on Howe`s first solo tour, and is, not necessarily acoustic, but strictly acoustic, nonetheless. The performances show the many sides of this Yes guitarist, and just how much variety can be found in acoustic guitar music when it comes from the right source.
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Genesis - Nursery Cryme
Review by Gary Hill

This disc is one of my favorites from Genesis.


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Asia - Omega
Review by Greg Olma
Now this is more like it!  I enjoyed the Payne fronted version of Asia also but if you are a purist, then Omega will certainly satisfy those cravings for original Asia material.  

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Steve Hackett - Once Above A Time DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This new live DVD from Steve Hackett shows a vital and powerful progressive rock band creating an awesome musical landscape on the live stage. The film was recorded in April of 2994 in Budapest, and it find the former Genesis guitarist and his band making their way through songs from his solo repertoire and old Genesis material.
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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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Steve Hackett - Out of the Tunnel's Mouth
Review by Gary Hill

This is the two CD edition of Steve Hackett’s Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth.


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Phenomena - Phenomena II - Dream Runner
Review by Gary Hill

Given the scope of musicians on this set, I'm shocked I've never heard of these guys before. This is a reissue of an album released in 1987.


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Asia - Phoenix
Review by Gary Hill
Unless you’ve been living in the proverbial cave for the last few years you probably know that the original lineup of Asia (Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton has reunited). This is their first studio CD of the 21st Century.
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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 - Popoff Archive 2: Progressive Rock written by Martin Popoff
Review by Greg Olma
The music world has many characters who work behind the scenes, from producers to engineers to marketing people (and many more). 

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Billy Sheehan - Prime Cuts
Review by Steve Alspach
Ever play a bass guitar? "Strings" are a misnomer - they use great big, fat, wires. You have to work up some muscle in your fingers to aptly play a bass.
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Steve Howe - Pulling Strings
Review by Gary Hill
Without a doubt one of Steve Howe's biggest claims to fame is as the guitarist on the majority of Yes' albums. He has also had an intriguing solo career.
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Steve Howe - Quantum Guitar
Review by Gary Hill
Steve Howe`s solo albums seem to hold a wide variety of music within. Generally, one can find acoustic guitar solos, progressive rock compositions, country tinged songs and more.
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John Wetton - Raised in Captivity
Review by Gary Hill

The latest solo release from John Wetton finds him with a lot of great guest appearances. 


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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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Yes - Revolution: The Music Roots Of Yes (vinyl)
Review by Gary Hill
This gets placed under progressive rock strictly because of the Yes connections.

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Various Artists - Rockin' the City of Angels written by Douglas Harr
Review by G. W. Hill
This book is something very special. A good tag-line for this would be "come for the pictures, stay for the stories."

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William Shatner - Seeking Major Tom
Review by G. W. Hill

What an interesting ride I’ve had leading into this album.


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Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
Review by Greg Olma
This record from 1973 is the predecessor to the behemoth The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.  
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Paul Sutin - Seraphim
Review by Gary Hill
This disc is a new age album that has a lot of keyboards and atmospheric textures. It’s quite pretty and relaxing.
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Steve Howe - Skyline
Review by Gary Hill
Skyline is a different sort of album for Steve Howe. The disc shares far more with his new age type performances in conjunction with Paul Sutin than it does with any of the rest of his catalog.
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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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Steve Hackett - Spectral Mornings
Review by Steve Alspach
Two years after Steve Hackett's departure from Genesis, he released Spectral Mornings. For this album he organized a band that played full-time with him on tour and on this album.
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Steve Howe - Spectrum
Review by Gary Hill
Steve Howe never seems to be content to stay with one style or another for his solo albums. That means that every disc he does represents a bit of a surprise.
More...
Various Artists - Stay Tuned – Bernhard Welz - All Stars Charity Album
Review by Larry Toering
Stay Tuned is the third album in a charity series by Bernhard Welz.

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Steve Howe's Remedy - Steve Howe's Remedy Live DVD
Review by G. W. Hill

I really enjoyed the Steve Howe’s Remedy album.


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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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Dylan Howe - Subterranean - New Designs on Bowie's Berlin
Review by G. W. Hill

First off, this is arguably a jazz rather than progressive rock release


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Genesis - Sum of the Parts DVD
Review by G. W. Hill

I guess how you feel about this documentary will have a lot to do with which period of Genesis’ career you like the best.


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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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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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Various Artists - Tales From Yesterday
Review by Gary Hill
A tribute to the music of Yes, Tales From Yesterday, features some very fine renditions of Yessongs performed by a variety of artists (including several past and present members of Yes). This is a mixed bag. Some of the tracks are quite faithful to the original, while others represent major reworkings.
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Steve Hackett - The Bremen Broadcast: Musikladen 8th November 1978 DVD
Review by G. W. Hill
I’ve always liked Steve Hackett, going back to his Genesis days and well beyond. 
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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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Steve Howe - The Grand Scheme of Things
Review by G. W. Hill

This is a pretty intriguing set.


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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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Yes - The Music Roots of Yes
Review by Gary Hill
Let me say that I'm a Yes fanatic. I collect everything from the band, and in various formats.

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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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Genesis - The Platinum Collection
Review by G. W. Hill

This year Genesis released a career spanning box set. I don’t have that one yet, but I figured that this would be a good time to take a look at this one that came out several years ago.


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Yes - The Royal Affair Tour: Live From Las Vegas
Review by Gary Hill
This live album from Yes is a couple years old. It has some interesting songs that aren't often performed by the band.

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Alan Parsons - The Secret
Review by Larry Toering
The Secret by Alan Parsons is an album you don’t want to pass up, as it has everything there is to be expected by any fan and more.

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Steve Howe - The Steve Howe Album
Review by Gary Hill

This was Steve Howe’s second solo album. Like its predecessor, the music here runs a nice cross section of musical styles.


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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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Steve Hackett - There Are Many Sides to the Night
Review by Steve Alspach
While reviewing this on my PC, Windows Media Player listed this album as "There Are Many Sides to Steve Hackett." And who can argue?
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Steve Hackett - To Watch the Storms
Review by Steve Alspach
Steve Hackett's first studio in four years shows that he hasn't lost a step in creating albums that go in different directions yet still manage to maintain a sense of coherence. To Watch The Storms is typical Steve Hackett - exploring as many moods as possible, from rock to folk to classical.
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Steve Hackett - Tokyo Tapes
Review by Steve Alspach
1999 was a busy year for Steve Hackett. He saw the Original Masters releases of "Guitar Noir," "There Are Many Sides to the Night," and this CD, a 2 disc set recorded from a 1996 concert in Tokyo.
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Steve Hackett - Tokyo Tapes
Review by G. W. Hill

I like this set a lot. It’s classy. First we get the two CD set.


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Yes - Topographic Drama: Live Across America
Review by Gary Hill

This brand new live album from Yes is cool stuff. For one thing, it's great to get live recordings of all the Drama songs. There are also two epics from Tales from Topographic Oceans and the "Leaves of Green" part from "The Ancient" on that album. They round the section out with a few other Yes classics. The live sound is great.

 

I've seen Yes close to twenty times (more times than I've seen any other band), and I can tell you that despite the technicality of their music and instrumental prowess, no two Yes shows are the same. That's true even when you see them on multiple nights in a row. Each performance is a little different because the music tends to take on a life of its own in live gigs. So, don't expect to hear the studio versions exactly covered here. For one thing, the line-up is different. For another thing, I don't think I've ever heard a live Yes song sound exactly like the studio version. I mean, why would you want that? You can listen to the studio version any time. I think these renditions are very faithful, and bring a new life to the songs at times. I highly recommend this, especially for those (like myself) who really love Drama.


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Yes - Tormato
Review by G. W. Hill

An album that is rather maligned in fan circles, Tormato is a bit pop oriented, but really has some wonderous moments.


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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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Franck Carducci - Torn Apart
Review by G. W. Hill

The latest set from Franck Carducci should please progressive rock fans.


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Bodast - Towards Utopia
Review by Gary Hill
Before Steve Howe joined Yes he had played in a number of bands. Bodast was one of those groups.

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Various Artists - Trevor Horn and Friends – Slave to the Rhythm DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This is an interesting DVD.
More...
Steve Howe - Turbulence
Review by G. W. Hill

Although this album is strictly instrumental, it’s one of the most “Yes-like” of Steve Howe’s solo catalog.


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Genesis - Turn It On Again – The Hits
Review by Gary Hill

This Genesis compilation, as the second part of the title says, focuses on the band’s hits.


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Peter Banks - Two Sides of Peter Banks
Review by G. W. Hill

So, this solo album from Peter Banks was released on CD in 2009.


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Peter Banks - Two Sides of Peter Banks
Review by Steve Alspach
The initial string-slinger in Yes, Peter Banks appears to have been overlooked in progressive rock annals in favor of his successor, but his work in Flash has stood up quite well to the years. On this album, Peter assembles an extremely strong group of progressive rock musicians, and the CD explores a wide range of musical styles.
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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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Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte
Review by Steve Alspach
After the sprawl of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the subsequent 102-date tour, and Peter Gabriel's departure from Genesis, one could understand the band's willingness to go on a prolonged vacation and take stock of their future. Fortunately, they didn't exactly sit still all that time.
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Steve Hackett - Watcher of the Skies
Review by Gary Hill
Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has assembled a wide variety of musicians to rework many classic Genesis songs. The end result is quite interesting.
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Steve Hackett - Wild Orchids
Review by Steve Alspach
While Messrs. Banks, Rutherford, Collins and Gabriel release albums at a snail's pace, leave it to Genesis' no. 2 ex-guitarist to take the lion's share of post-Genesis releases. Wild Orchids finds Steve mining the same fertile grounds that he did for To Watch the Storms.
More...
Genesis - Wind and Wuthering
Review by Gary Hill
The second album from Genesis after Peter Gabriel left the fold, this one is rather maligned by a lot of prog fans. That's a shame because this one is really very good.
More...
Bodast - With Steve Howe – The Early Years
Review by Gary Hill
Before Steve Howe joined Yes, he recorded with several other bands. Bodast was one of them.
More...
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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The Prog Collective - Worlds on Hold
Review by Gary Hill
The Prog Collective always puts out interesting music. It's a project that has Billy Sherwood at its core.

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Steve Hackett - Wuthering Nights: Live in Birmingham
Review by Gary Hill

While I generally don't include live albums in my "best of the year" lists, I might make an exception for this. It's just such a powerful live set.


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Asia - XXX
Review by Larry Toering

Asia return with their classic line-up for an out of this world 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.
More...
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 - Yesspeak DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This DVD is documentary (remember when these things were called "rockumentaries") on Yes. It focuses on interview segments with each of the current members of the band (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White) but focuses on the entire history of the band.
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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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Various Artists - Yesterday and Today: 50th Anniversary Tribute To Yes
Review by Gary Hill

This new various artists collection, as you would imagine, pays tribute to the music of Yes. It's an intriguing set.


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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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Fish - Yin
Review by Gary Hill
Along with the companion CD "Yang", this album contains many rarities, reworkings ad other items of interest from Fish's career. This one is especially noteable because of the appearance of Steve Howe (Fish's take on "Time and a Word") and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band ("Boston Tea Party").
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