why late at night in the u.s. does ilm get all yessed out

Hah, totally had a mental picture of frogbs having some sort of R Crumb/Zap Comix freakout, astral rabbit-hole moment whilst balancing his copy of YesSongs on his knee.

yessongs is probably their single best recording, and yeah the "total mass retain" section of "close to the edge" has a totally impossible groove, no idea how they pull it off

Only a seasoned witch could pull off such a groove.

I actually don't think I've listened to Yessongs since the early 90s, maybe I should give it a spin. Lack of Bill Bruford always ticked me off.

Oooh whatta ride! Jealous!!

alan white does a pretty good job for a guy who had to learn all these crazy difficult songs with limited-to-zero rehearsals

It was definitely a tough situation to be thrown into

Yessongs was the first Yes album I bought; I wasn't sure where to start with their catalog so I figured "Live album? Sure, OK." Definitely the right choice. When I went back for the studio albums, I knew what I was looking for. (I was still totally unprpeared for Relayer, of course.)

Bruford does actually play drums on bits of Yessongs - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yessongs#Personnel

the version of "The Fish" on here is also quite insane

have a new level of respect for these guys now, even stuff like Howe having to play that same twisting riff for like six minutes straight on "Siberian Khatru" just seems incredibly difficult

Oh wow, I have these LPs. I haven't spun them in a little while but I remember really liking them, esp the version of "Close to the Edge". I'm excited to listen again.

I guess tonight I'll have to put on its companion, Welcome Back My Friends, To the Show That Never Ends, Ladies and Gentlemen, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

Bruford does actually play drums on bits of Yessongs - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yessongs#Personnel

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true, but that still leaves wild drum parts like "siberian khatru," "heart of the sunrise," and the aforementioned "total mass retain" for alan white

Yeah the lad did a good job at short notice, he gets unfairly maligned imo.

Finally got them out. Man, that version of "Perpetual Change" is everything I love about these guys.

“Sharp!”

It’s a boring pick for best live prog album (I usually go with GGs Playing the Fool) but it’s the right choice

for sheer listening pleasure i'll take the three record run from the yes album - close to the edge over just about anything. to have been in the audience for that close to the edge tour on mushrooms must have been a peak aesthetic experience, like hanging out in bach's church back in the day drunk on communion wine. just imagine! the motherlode they released in progeny of all the shows that went into yessongs is a sweet consolation though

I'll say it again: their debut is painfully underrated. Probably in my top 5.

My choice for best live prog album might be USA by King Crimson or Concerts by Henry Cow. I love Yes but the live albums don't tell me anything I didn't already know about their music. The Yessongs movie is worthwhile though.

I only heard the debut years after I'd heard most of the other albums - it was a lot heavier than I had been led to expect, but Peter Banks doesn't particularly distinguish himself and the covers on it and Time and a Word are pretty weak and ill-conceived. I remember reading somewhere that, in this era, they would play a version of the Young Rascals' Good Lovin' with a 20 minute bass solo in the middle.

Listened to Vol. III this morning. I'd forgotten how great that version of "Close to the Edge" is, jeez. It's actually the first I ever heard. The live version of "Yours Is No Disgrace" really grooves too

holy shit i heard Mr Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow for the first time this week and it is SO good. bits of it hit the same pleasure centres for me that tangerine dream / early animal collective do. big recommend for those haven't heard it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRHC-nTufaQ

to have been in the audience for that close to the edge tour on mushrooms

<<raises hand>>
well, except for the mushrooms part. my second ever concert. late '72, nassau coliseum, sadly not w/bruford.

damn! lucky you. the first time i ever got to see them was way later, when i was really young, the ABWH tour, then the second time, in the round on the union tour. they ruled as much as i was hoping. can't begin to imagine what those songs sounded like fresh

the first yes binge is always a gratifying relief after months of OCD musical exploration

all i remember (i was 14, i guess?) was how cool they looked with the hair and that cape and the super high boots, all seen through the scary smoky adult haze that was the nassau coliseum in 1972.

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/10/archives/coliseum-in-nassau-scene-of-53-arrests-in-2-days-for-drugs.html

I saw the Big Generator tour and they absolutely smoked

SCHIN

Saw them in 2003 in NYC and it was one of the most intense concert experiences I’ve had for both good and bad reasons. And I’ve been to plenty of intense shows,

What were the bad reasons?

Holy shit. I did not ever need to hear Yes covering "Imagine", what a train wreck.

xpost Drunken upstate NY redneck audience ( seemed to be a big part of the turnout) booing Jon Anderson’s guru when she came out to give NYC a blessing. Just a nasty loutish crowd when they weren’t getting that glorious music. And it *was* glorious. I think the show is on YT.

I say “Upstate NY” but those hicks probably came from all over the Tri-State ( NY, NJ, Connecticut).

Yeah I saw them around 2005 and it was really good. I remember Jon talking about a new Tales-type album coming out. Sucks it never happened. I think after Magnification they could’ve mounted a nice late career comeback but as always interband drama derailed it

I think I'm gonna get Yessed out right now

the record store in Green Bay that I bought a lot of shit from was a total Yeshead. one day I walked in and he was playing "Yours is No Disgrace" at max volume and that was the moment I decided I needed an expensive soundsystem

also the first and only time I've bought a record directly off the turntable. just put it on in fact

wow I never noticed the instrumental part 5 minutes into "Perpetual Change" coalesces into all parts of the song playing at once

:D

YES epiphanies are always a pleasure to read!

My show was 2004, actually. And here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez07S8hoE3g

Jump to “South Side Of The Sky” on that video for a good sample of what was in store for the audience that night. That’s when it really took off.

Serious Yes confessions: I saw them twice on the Union tour (the only times I've seen them).

another thing I noticed last night - Howe sneaks that weird up n' down riff in a few places on "Yours is no Disgrace"...I don't know how to describe this exactly but it's close to the riff that kicks off "Close to the Edge"

so I think the middle section in "Sound Chaser" and the ending of "Gates of Delirium" (the part before "Soon") are probably the two greatest prog instrumental jams of all time

not sure i agree but i love that you are thinking about it

**taps on wristwatch**

been jamming "heart of the sunrise" lately

been drinking water lately

to have been in the audience for that close to the edge tour on mushrooms must have been a peak aesthetic experience, Was not on shrooms just then alas but a security guard opened the side door and motioned Tall Paul and me in---down a little hallway to the wings, where we heard bass & drums up front, though no prob w guitar, keys, helium vocals. Pretty great, and not to be anywhere near-replicated at home unless somebody trusted me w the EQ, and it would have to be a really good EQ. Even then, still not an impact equiv to live of course: nobody had speakers that good at home.

so I think the middle section in "Sound Chaser" and the ending of "Gates of Delirium" (the part before "Soon") are probably the two greatest prog instrumental jams of all time

I tend to agree, even though some shorter Van der Graaf Generator passages might come close. (I'm not counting post '72 King Crimson, as their instrumental jams, which are the greatest, don't register to me as "proggy".