What does it sound like?:
When Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe got together in the late 80’s it seemed like a Yes fans dream – a recreation of the classic line up, albeit minus the vital ingredient of Squire who was otherwise engaged in the Rabin version of the band that had huge success with the 90125 album. An album duly appeared, and this live set was recorded on the US leg of the supporting tour in 1989, although bassist supreme Tony Levin was ill and is replaced by Jeff Berlin. I always thought it an odd idea to start the show off with four solo slots, which means things take a little while to kick into gear. The studio album is of course well represented, but I think the longer pieces such as Brother of Mine and Order of the Universe work rather better than the shorter ones which for me are not the band’s forte. The playing is as good as you would anticipate, although the electronic drums Bruford was using at the time make things sound a little dated to my ears. As the title suggests, there’s a good sprinkling of classic Yes material to sweeten the deal, with fine versions of Close To The Edge, And You and I and Heart of the Sunrise to pick out a few particular highlights, and somewhat inevitably the show closes with Roundabout and Starship Trooper. The first of the dvds has the full show, supplemented by an extra song, The Meeting, which didn’t appear on the cd version, while the second disc is the In The Big Dream video that appeared around the same time, mixing promo videos with band interviews and in the studio footage – I hadn’t seen this for years so it was good to catch up with it once more, although again the visuals give it a rather ‘of its time’ look. Overall though, a very good package that captures the band in top form during their all too brief existence. It’s a shame we never got the promised second album, although some of the material ended up on the subsequent Yes set Union, and a number of Anderson’s demos can be heard on his Watching The Flags That Fly album.
What does it all *mean*?
The line up certainly delivered the best of both worlds with its mix of golden era Yes and contemporary material, a formula currently being successfully replicated by Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks.
Goes well with…
Marveling how Jon Anderson doesn’t appear to have aged in the last 35 years!
Release Date:
Out now
Might suit people who like…
Yes.
When I saw them at Wembley Arena (my first big gig) I was shocked at what a big echoey barn the place was. It took quite a while for my ears to attune to the ‘extra reverb’ the arena added and I’ve avoided arena shows ever since. My gig was recorded for Radio 1, which makes me feel even older than I am. Looking back I’m glad I got see at least four members of the classic Yes lineup (plus Tony Levin) but I also reflect that the AWBH album is absolute pish.
Yes I would agree the studio album is quite disappointing. I went to and used to have the live concert on Video. I can’t say that I am in any hurry to see it again.
However if Jon and The Band Geeks play in the UK I’ll be there like a shot.