Tried listening to Yes today.....

[Oopsdabassist]

Just now, Franticsmurf said:

Just an hour? Oh wait, radio edit. 😀

Nah, don't do edits.  I did say ...or three though

 

[wateroftyne]

If anyone is still on the fence about the Yes, watch this stratospheric performance from Howe and Bruford. Sublime.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by wateroftyne

[Quilly]

I like some of the really early stuff, like the eponymous Yes LP from 1969 and 'The Yes Album' . I actually went to see them in Dublin once when Chris Squire was still alive. I met a mate at the gig who came straight there after work. He was so hungry he left for a fish and chips at the start of a song, when he returned the same song was playing 😂.

I just think they seem a bit humorless and take themselves way too seriously (except Rick Wakeman).  At least other prog bands like Jethro Tull and Rush can poke fun at themselves.

Edited August 5, 2022 by Quilly

[Franticsmurf]

14 minutes ago, Quilly said:

I just think they seem a bit humorless and take themselves way too seriously (except Rick Wakeman

I agree with that to a certain extent - one of the things I love about watching any band is the interaction between band members and with the audience. A band having fun is far more entertaining than a band taking themselves too seriously and I've seen Yes in full blown 'serious' mode several times, usually at bigger venues. But I saw them in a smaller venue in Cardiff at the end of one of their tours and they were all having fun on stage. I'd count it as the best Yes gig I've seen for sheer entertainment, particularly with Rick in good form and Chris joining in the onstage ribbing. 

[wateroftyne]

Part of my eventual enjoyment of Yes was accepting that Jon is a complete space cadet who takes himself a little too seriously.

[Woodinblack]

59 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

If anyone is still on the fence about the Yes, watch this stratospheric performance from Howe and Bruford. Sublime.

 

Certainly pretty unique there, not quite up to the level that me and a couple of friends managed!

 

Maybe you can say one of the great things about yes is that Howe didn't do much singing! (and also there was a really wierd edit near the beginning).

[Daz39]

30 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

Part of my eventual enjoyment of Yes was accepting that Jon is a complete space cadet who takes himself a little too seriously.

At least its not a phase he later regretted. He is totally committed to all that sort of thing, and Yes were far too pop clinical for my liking when he wasn't the singist.

Sure they can be a bit serious - but it must be hard work remembering what bit comes next halfway through Close to the Edge - all of their long songs refuse to fit any sort of decent structure. It's just crackers. You can't listen to Tales from Topographic Oceans the same way you listen to an album of a dozen 3 minute songs. It requires dedication and a suspension of musical disbelief  

[Beedster]

2 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

If anyone is still on the fence about the Yes, watch this stratospheric performance from Howe and Bruford. Sublime.

 

 

 

interesting.......... 🤔

 

Who's on bass?

[BassTractor]

1 hour ago, Daz39 said:

It's just crackers.

 

You are soooooo wrong!
I can say that with great confidence, coz I knows a guy on the innerwebz who found a few notes on side 4 (Tantras: "Ritual") that were a repercussion of some notes on side 1 (Shrutis: "The Revealing Science of God").
Notes straight from Shrutis to Tantras, I tell ya! That's not crackers, that's compositional density, and, as said guy professed, people who can't appreciate that are lured by "the mating call of the short-time attention span". 
😁

(Yeah, I love that guy. 😉 )

[4000]

I love Yes. Love them. That is all. 😁

[meterman]

I’m going to give Yes a full go this weekend. In chronological order too. I love OG British psychedelic music so I reckon their 1st album might be a good starting point. My “way in” if you like. If I can “get” Yes, then Genesis and Gentle Giant and stuff like that might be accessible to me. 
 

Would love to “get” Prog and I  am determined to overcome my caveman tendencies when it comes to music. 
 

FWIW I’ve always loved the artwork on their albums, and I know the musicians are amazing. Hoping I can unlock the music and finally fully enjoy the kind of 20 minute epic side-long musical odysseys that have been off- limits to me so far. Wish me luck, prog lovers 😎

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 06/08/2022 at 09:45, meterman said:

I’m going to give Yes a full go this weekend. In chronological order too. I love OG British psychedelic music so I reckon their 1st album might be a good starting point. My “way in” if you like. If I can “get” Yes, then Genesis and Gentle Giant and stuff like that might be accessible to me. 
 

Would love to “get” Prog and I  am determined to overcome my caveman tendencies when it comes to music. 
 

FWIW I’ve always loved the artwork on their albums, and I know the musicians are amazing. Hoping I can unlock the music and finally fully enjoy the kind of 20 minute epic side-long musical odysseys that have been off- limits to me so far. Wish me luck, prog lovers 😎

 

My guess is that managing to de-program your brain from the 4/4, and to a much lesser degree 3/4, unnatural straightjacket dictatorship brainwash of the Western music tradition will likely be the main hurdle to overcome.

 

Once you get there a whole new world, quite literally, of musical experiences awaits you.

 

I was lucky being called to arms to serve as the second "lead" bass player in a couple of my old friends and jam partners's math rock project, which eventually set me rhythmically free. 

 

One day rehearsing with that band I, quite physically, felt the oppressive bond of the rhythmical norm's restrains in my brain snap.

 

Almost as if I had finally managed to solve some kind of Zen koan.

 

And to this day I navigate fluently in shifting odd meter rhythmical patterns.

 

 

This is an amazing guide to odd meters:

 

"Time signatures 1/1, 2/2, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/4, 8/8, 9/8, 10/4, 11/2, 12/8, 13/16 & 14/8 exposed"

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[mikel]

23 hours ago, Daz39 said:

At least its not a phase he later regretted. He is totally committed to all that sort of thing, and Yes were far too pop clinical for my liking when he wasn't the singist.

Sure they can be a bit serious - but it must be hard work remembering what bit comes next halfway through Close to the Edge - all of their long songs refuse to fit any sort of decent structure. It's just crackers. You can't listen to Tales from Topographic Oceans the same way you listen to an album of a dozen 3 minute songs. It requires dedication and a suspension of musical disbelief  

That's what I loved about 70s prog. You had to commit to listening to an album. Songs, and sometimes whole albums, were a musical journey, not the predictable trope of a 3 minute pop song. 

[meterman]

1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

 

My guess is that managing to de-program your brain from the 4/4, and to a much lesser degree 3/4, straightjacket dictatorship brainwash of the Western music tradition will likely be the main hurdle to overcome.

 

Once you get there a whole new world, quite literally, of musical experiences awaits you.

 

I was lucky being called to arms to serve as the second "lead" bass player in a couple of my old friends and jam partners's math rock project, which eventually set me rhythmically free. 

 

One day rehearsing with that band I, quite physically, felt the oppressive bond of the rhythmical norm's restrains in my brain snap.

 

Almost as if I had finally managed to solve some kind of Zen koan.

 

And to this day I navigate fluently in shifting odd meter rhythmical patterns.

 

 

I just released a single this week (vinyl and everything!) where the bass and drums are in 7/4, the percussion is in 3/4 and 5/4 and there’s a solo Minimoog passage. Prog might not be too far off for me!

 

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, meterman said:

I’m going to give Yes a full go this weekend...

 

I can see the 'logic' of starting in chronological order. Please bear in mind, however, an important element that is, sadly, now missing from the equation. My first contact with Genesis was an Eeel Pie Island multi-band concert; Genesis were one of many bands on, and played, at the time, acoustic guitars (I don't remember them having drums, at that time...). I saw them very often since, over a few years; each time with a 'live' performance made absolutely unique , and truly magical, by the theatrical presence of Peter Gabriel. Not only for the costumes (increasingly sophisticated and spectacular...), but mainly for the 'downtime' between songs, giving the group time to get their elaborate preparations in order. PG would, often under a lone narrow spot, spin a story line, ostensibly to announce the number to follow. Each would be (apparently...) improvised, drawing the attention of the audience into a close complicity (in one, there was supposedly a tight-rope walker, suspended in the air above the theatre seats, and who advanced, step by step, towards the stage area. Everyone turned their gaze upwards, to follow his progression, and, at a signal, Genesis started playing again, and we all realised that it had been an illusion, a distraction, a feat of mesmerising that explained nothing whatever of the song now playing...). Every time, without fail, PG wove his magic. This cannot be heard in the studio recordings, and I don't know if any of these wonderful concerts were filmed with this interludes fully exploited. To me, at the time (and 'clean', I hasten to add...), they were what made a splendid musical evening a truly magical spectacle. Thanks, PG, for the enchantements. 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Dad3353

[Franticsmurf]

2 hours ago, meterman said:

I’m going to give Yes a full go this weekend.

One thing to remember is the range of styles of music contained within their history. I'd be surprised if you didn't find something in there you could get in to, but equally I'd be surprised if there were tracks or even whole albums that defy entry (as it were) on first listening. Try the albums 'Yes' and 'Fragile' for a taste of their moving forward, 'Close to the Edge' for their longer, more involved stuff, 'Going for the One' for some classy classic rock, 'Drama' for their quirky Buggles era stuff, then 90125 for the reinvented 80's Yes. If you can get some of the later live albums ('Keys to Ascension' or 'Live from the House of Blues'), you'll get a compilation of modern takes on the older stuff. I'm not familiar enough with the post Anderson line up to recommend albums but I am currently listening to the Anderson Rabin Wakeman live album ('Live at the Apollo') and I like the new arrangements they've brought to the classic tracks, too.

 

I'm not saying these are the best albums (everyone will have their own opinion) or my personal favourites. But they'll give you a fair representation of Yes output over 45 years.

[Franticsmurf]

10 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

To me, at the time (and 'clean', I hasten to add...), they were what made a splendid musical evening a truly magical spectacle. Thanks, PG, for the enchantements. 

One of the reasons I love live music is the atmosphere that a combination of great performer and receptive audience bring. I used to see Hawkwind quite a lot - 'clean' of course 😉 - and their live shows were an audio visual event that went far beyond the music itself. But their studio albums? Meh. Even the live albums lack that element that you're talking about. 

[meterman]

11 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:My first contact with Genesis was an Eeel Pie Island multi-band concert; Genesis were one of many bands on, and played, at the time, acoustic guitars (I don't remember them having drums, at that time...). 

Oh I would have loved to have seen that period of Genesis. Acoustic guitars, that sounds good to me. I love other acoustic stuff from that era like Pentangle, Incredible String Band, Tim Buckley, Joni Mitchell... 

 

Oddly enough I enjoy the 80’s incarnation of Genesis if I hear it on the radio but never really got them otherwise. Will give them a go after Yes 👍

[Dad3353]

16 minutes ago, Franticsmurf said:

One of the reasons I love live music is the atmosphere that a combination of great performer and receptive audience bring. I used to see Hawkwind quite a lot - 'clean' of course 😉 - and their live shows were an audio visual event that went far beyond the music itself. But their studio albums? Meh. Even the live albums lack that element that you're talking about. 

 

The group... Hawkwind. The venue... Kingston Polytechnic. Stardate : early '70s. I left, despite the excellent 'show', when the pyro started to be let off around the stage. A nervous glace at the long drapes occulting the high windows all around the hall brought on visions of an inferno with no escape, so I made my way outside. To be fair, we could hear just as well outside as in, and, by chance, the curtains didn't ignite. Hawkwind, eh..? 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Dad3353

[Franticsmurf]

7 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Hawkwind, eh..?

We had a 'fight' with one of the HW roadies who was setting up at Newport, many years ago. He had a plastic pellet gun (Nerf?) and as we'd blagged our way in early (to use the toilets, where I 'met' Dave Brock in a perfectly respectable and innocent way) he was shooting at us and we were hurling the pellets back at him. Hawkwind's road crew, eh?  🙄

[visog]

Even though the thread's now dying with off-topics, I'll just chime in with the observation that the Fragile/CTtE edge line up had five unique voices, including for this forum, a killer bass player, who each took from their own preferred style and managed to mix it successfully with diminishing returns thereafter. But very glad they did.

[FinnDave]

I haven't 'tried' listening to Yes since the mid-70s. I'd like to be able to say that the music doesn't move me, but it does. I move rapidly to get as far away as possible from it.

 

Too clever by more than half, I just don't derive any pleasure from listening to them. 

 

To save time retyping this in the parallel Genesis thread, the same applies there.

 

Obviously, they have many followers, but I suspect I am wired differently to them and do not respond well to their music. 'Orses for courses.

[4000]

7 minutes ago, FinnDave said:

I haven't 'tried' listening to Yes since the mid-70s. I'd like to be able to say that the music doesn't move me, but it does. I move rapidly to get as far away as possible from it.

 

Too clever by more than half, I just don't derive any pleasure from listening to them. 

 

To save time retyping this in the parallel Genesis thread, the same applies there.

 

Obviously, they have many followers, but I suspect I am wired differently to them and do not respond well to their music. 'Orses for courses.

Genuinely interested, what does float your boat? 

[FinnDave]

41 minutes ago, 4000 said:

Genuinely interested, what does float your boat? 

Most blues bands, about 75% of the Grateful Dead's output, anything well played that has warmth and passion behind it. My introduction to music that wasn't on the radio was back in about 1973/4 when Virgin released Gong's Camembert Electrique album for about 50p. I have loved Gong and their offshoots ever since, though stopped buying anything after Daevid Allen left though I still see them when they are on tour. I have a ticket tp see them with the Ozrics in Oxford in November.

[Dad3353]

On 06/08/2022 at 12:19, meterman said:

Oh I would have loved to have seen that period of Genesis. Acoustic guitars, that sounds good to me. I love other acoustic stuff from that era like Pentangle, Incredible String Band, Tim Buckley, Joni Mitchell... 

 

Oddly enough I enjoy the 80’s incarnation of Genesis if I hear it on the radio but never really got them otherwise. Will give them a go after Yes 👍

 

This may be a taste of what the shows could be; it helps, then, when listening to the disks to better make the connections between the music, the lyrics, the ambience and the visuals...

 

 

Edited August 7, 2022 by Dad3353