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.
Jon Anderson - 3 Ships Review by G. W. 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. More...
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.
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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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.
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.
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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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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.
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.
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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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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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.
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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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
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. More...
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. More...
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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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. More...
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. More...
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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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. More...
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. More...
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. More...
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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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.
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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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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.
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.
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. More...
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 Gary Hill 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.
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King Crimson - Lizard Review by Julie 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.
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. More...
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.
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. More...
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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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. More...
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. More...
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.
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.
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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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 - Re (Union) Review by Gary Hill When Yes released Union it was a hodgepodge sort of album. More...
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.
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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. More...
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. More...
Jon Anderson - Searching for the Songs Review by Gary Hill 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.
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. More...
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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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.
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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This album, featuring collaborations Jon Anderson made with various independent musicians, was originally released last year, in a very limited release.
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.
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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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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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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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". More...
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.
Jon Anderson - The Mother's Day Concert Review by Gary Hill 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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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? More...
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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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.
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.
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 - 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.
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.
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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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.
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.
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.
Trevor Rabin’s first solo album (after leaving Rabbit and well before joining Yes), this is really (with one or two exceptions) not a progressive rock album.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Jon Anderson - Watching The Flags That Fly Review by Gary Hill 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 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.
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. More...
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.
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. More...
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 - 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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