I know I've been neglecting this list, mainly just due to having way too much going on all at the same time and also fighting various fires. I'll try to get back into the groove again because I do think this blog is fairly important on some level.
Ah, the band called Yes... You knew I'd mention them sooner or later, no?! Talk about a band that can conjure up all kinds of feelings, from pure elation to absolute disgust, and so on. A friend of mine's wife has a very classic comment about why she can't stand Yes and the reason is apparently "every note with them has to be perfect". It's certainly a strange thing to hold against a band, mind you, but it is a decent example of how the feelings on the band run the gamut including the mildly bizarre.
Personally, I've always loved them although it certainly took me a bit of time when I was young to be able to get my head around their music in general. Being a child of the 80's, like many in my age group, I was introduced to them via the "90125" album, something that many fans would argue has nothing to do with the actual band Yes' origins. I don't really disagree at this point but I also straggle the line because I do think that the Rabin influenced 80's band was the last good/great material that the band name Yes would ever create, and nothing that's been done since really even nudges in the direction of significant. But, again, like many prog bands from the 70's, if you get a group of Yes fans from various eras into the same room, I'm sure an all out brawl would start within a matter of minutes since the fan bases don't really agree whatsoever.
In any event, "90125" was enough for my (older) sister to suddenly pick up "Yessongs", of which she played nightly for a time very loudly when I was kid, lying in bed trying to get to sleep. Now, mind you, I was probably 11 years old, and yet still through the walls there was something about the music that seemed quite intriguing. I think it was partly because I couldn't really get my head around it at all and it instead posed as a bit of a challenge, however it just buried itself inside of me only to come out at a later date.
I first crossed what I'd call the "prog boundary" by listening all the way through and fully getting into Genesis' "Abacab". Now, I know that sounds funny today...but that's the truth. Having crossed that boundary, I kept pushing myself and eventually, a few years later, I ventured into Yes territory.
"Relayer" is my personal favorite album and the one that really took me somewhere initially. I'm not saying it's their greatest album; I'm also not saying that it isn't. In fact, I think Yes is one of the tougher bands to navigate what their best work is...because most of their early work is simply phenomenal. Is their best album "Close the Edge"? "Fragile"? "The Yes Album"?? "Going for the One"??! Yeah, I don't know either, to be honest.
The way this happened for me, though, had to do with a trip to Zia Records back in, well, 1988? I don't know, somewhere around then, back when I was 17-ish or so. I happened to purchase "Big Generator" at the time, an underrated album, in my opinion, and saw that tour...and was completely blown away, especially considering I didn't know the bands work that well at the time apart from the newer material. And so, as was so often the case back then, I found myself in the used record bins and found "Relayer" for a whopping $2.99 (yes, kids, ALL used vinyl was that price back then). I had never even heard of the album at that point because Yes was just barely on my radar. Since it took little cash to dive into, I bought it, brought it home, and promptly copied it onto a blank tape so I could play it in my car (something else that was common place back in the dark ages).
I think it sat around for awhile, or maybe I listened to it once while driving around town and couldn't really focus on it, and so it wasn't until I took a road trip that I again pulled the album out and voila...magic. In fact, the landscape of norther Arizona mixed with the sounds of "The Gates of Delirium" was pure bliss. I was in love. The next thing I knew, I simply kept playing this album over and over. To this day, I would still say that the epic "The Gates of Delirium" is my favorite song of theirs, and that's saying a lot since again they have so many masterpiece tracks.
"Relayer" is a 3 song album, mind you. "The Gates of Delirium" takes up all of side 1, clocking in around 20 minutes in length, and then side 2 is two mini epic tunes, both around 10 minutes. All three songs have a certain magic that I can only say reminds me of a mythical journey through an almost enchanted landscape. The visuals are amazing with this album and of course the incredible "Soon" portion of the end of "...Delirium" is famous for being one of the most angelic vocals that Jon Anderson ever did.
Love 'em or hate 'em, Yes was a band like no other. For anyone interested in 70's prog, they're an absolute must and will definitely provide countless hours of studying, listening, and inspiration. I was lucky enough to hear the real Yes band perform "The Gates of Delirium" once on one of their last tours as an entire band (meaning pre-firing Anderson, Squire's passing, and so on) and I was personally amazed along with probably 5 other middle aged men. The rest of the audience sat their dumbfounded and bored out of their minds, clearly there only to hear "Roundabout". It was both a triumphant and very sad moment for me. The era had finally really ended.
As a bonus, if interested, seek out the video "Yes at Q.P.R" which is the "Relayer" Tour. The video has sound issues unfortunately through the first half but seeing the tour on screen is quite worth it.
Comments
Post a Comment