Yes - Word Is Live CD

Word Is Live songs When Jon Anderson rejoined Yes after DRAMA, he was inserting himself into an unusual situation. Keyboardist Geoff Downes and longtime guitarist Steve Howe had left to form Asia with prog rock vets John Wetton (King Crimson, Roxy Music etc.) and Carl Palmer (ELP). Chris Squire and Alan White brought original Yes keysman Tony Kaye back and recruited vibrant young Australian guitarist/vocalist/composer Trevor Rabin. The quartet had already begun writing and recording, but Anderson was able to insert himself into the proceedings with such ease that the new combination sounds completely natural on 90125. Mostly, the band was concerned with trimming the musical fat to keep pace with the onslaught of the 1980s. Thus, tracks like "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "City of Love" are full of samples, splices and almost funky beats and riffs. The unusual time changes and complex riffs of tunes like "Changes" and "Cinema" leave little doubt that this is still a Yes album, but the band succeeds in giving their sound a contemporary overhaul on 90125. Includes 6 bonus tracks. Additional Tracks Recorded at Sarm Studio, London, England. Originally released on Atco (90125). Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals); Trevor Rabin (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Tony Kaye (keyboards); Chris Squire (bass, background vocals); Alan White (drums, percussion, background vocals). Personnel: Trevor Rabin (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Chris Squire (vocals, bass guitar); Jon Anderson (vocals); Tony Kaye (keyboards); Johnathon J. Jeczalik (keyboard programming). Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch. Audio Remixer: Steve Lipson. Recording information: Air Studios, London, England (1983); Sarm Studios, London, England (1983); Sunpark Studios, London, England (1983). Additional personnel: Jonathan Jeczalik, Dave Lawson (programming).

Word Is Live CD music One of the high-water marks of progressive rock (and thus of 1970s rock in general), CLOSE TO THE EDGE found British prog godfathers Yes firing on all cylinders. Throughout their history, they've undergone numerous lineup changes, but this album featured the "classic" formation responsible for their absolute finest achievements. Here Rick Wakeman is at his Moog-goes-Baroque best behind the keyboards, Steve Howe sounds like a blues guitarist from Mars, Chris Squire delivers confoundingly contrapuntal bass lines, and Bill Bruford seemingly solves complex mathematical equations from his drum stool. The lion's share of the album is occupied by the title track, a complex piece that moves through numerous modes and moods. In latter decades, the extended song-suite has been denigrated as indicative of the worst rock pretensions, but, on CLOSE TO THE EDGE, it was a fascinating new concept, and Yes made it work more convincingly than anyone else before or since. 2003 remastered, reissue of 1972 album with redesigned booklet (digipak/slipcase), restored LP art, archival photos and new liner notes. Includes 4 bonus tracks 'America' (single version), 'Total Mass Retain' (single version), 'And You And I' (alternate version) & 'Siberia' (studio run-through of 'Siberian Khatru'). Elektra. Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Authors: Mike Tiano; Mike Tilano. Photographers: Michael Putland; Pieter Mazél; Neal Preston; Roger Dean ; Martin Adelman. Yes: Chris Squire (bass instrument, background vocals); Bill Bruford (drums); Steve Howe (background vocals); Jon Anderson , Rick Wakeman. Personnel: Steve Howe (vocals, guitar); Chris Squire , Jon Anderson (vocals); Rick Wakeman (keyboards); Bill Bruford (percussion).

Word Is Live buy CD music It was widely assumed that when vocalist/songwriter Jon Anderson left Yes at the end of the '70s, the band was doomed. Most folks forgot that bassist/composer Chris Squire was the other founding member of the band, and he had as much to do with their sound as Anderson. It was surprising enough when the band decided to continue with a new vocalist and keyboardist. It was even more surprising when the new members turned out to be Trevor Horn (later a famed pop producer) and Geoff Downes (who would soon depart with Steve Howe for Asia). And it was downright shocking when the resultant album DRAMA turned out to be a great one. While Horn's voice is in the same general range as Anderson's, he tends to blend more with the vocals of Howe and Squire for a distinctive three-part harmony sound. Similarly, the individual instrumental statements of Howe and Downes avoid grandstanding in favor of the group dynamic. Consequently, DRAMA is one of Yes' most direct, concise offerings, full of relatively short songs that still maintain all the Yes hallmarks. Anderson diehards should leave their inhibitions at the door. No Wakeman or Anderson on this 1980 LP, which still hit #18! This hard-rocker featuring Tempus Fugit now has 10 bonus cuts including unissued single versions and tracking sessions. Includes ten bonus tracks. Recorded at the Town House, London, England. Originally released on Atlantic (16019). Yes: Trevor Horn (vocals, bass); Steve Howe (guitar, background vocals); Chris Squire (piano, bass, background vocals); Geoff Downes (keyboards, sound effects); Alan White (drums, background vocals). Personnel: Steve Howe (vocals, guitar); Chris Squire (vocals, piano); Trevor Horn (vocals); Geoffrey Downes (keyboards, vocoder). Audio Mixer: Brian Kehew. Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch. Liner Note Author: Brian Ives. Recording information: Town House, London, England (04/15/1980-05/??/1980). Photographers: Michael N. Marks; David Clarke ; Michael Putlan. Arranger: Yes.

Word Is Live album for sale Four decades after its release, this is still the most controversial record in Yes' output. Tales from Topographic Oceans was the place where Yes either fulfilled all of the promise shown on their previous five albums or slid off the rails in a fit of artistic hubris, especially on the part of lead singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe, who dominated the composition credits here. Actually, the group probably did a bit of both here across 80 minutes of music on a fully packed double-LP set; the group's musical ambitions were obvious on its face, as it consisted of four long songs (really suites) each taking up a side of an album, and each longer than the previous album's side-long "Close to the Edge." And Tales had a jumping-off point that was as far advanced in complexity and density as Close to the Edge had been out in front of its predecessor, Fragile, -- and all of it made The Yes Album seem like basic rock & roll. Anderson, by virtue of his voice and lyrics, is the dominant personality on Tales, and his fascination with Eastern religion is fully manifest, as never before (or since). Confronted by song titles such as "The Revealing Science of God," and a concept derived from the Buddhist Shastric scriptures, the casual listener might have felt in need of both a running start and a sheet of footnotes: Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman clearly felt something along those lines, as it was while making this record that he decided to exit the group. And, yet, Tales contains some of the most sublimely beautiful musical passages ever to come from the group, and develops a major chunk of that music in depth and degrees in ways that one can only marvel at, though there's a big leap from marvel to enjoy. If one can grab onto it, Tales is a long, sometimes glorious musical ride across landscapes strange and wonderful, thick with enticing musical textures; it offers the Yes fan the chance to be a true "astral traveler." Apart from one percussion break by Alan White that doesn't come off (if there had to be a Yes album with a percussion solo, why couldn't it have come along when Bill Bruford was in the band?), the music never falls flat, and it's a pity that Wakeman couldn't appreciate the richness and vitality he brought to the album. And Anderson and Howe get to work in an extraordinarily wide range of musical voices. In another reality, perhaps the gorgeous, folk-like passages on Tales would have spawned songs of four or five minutes, but here they are, woven into these long-form pieces, and if one can take the plunge into these particular sonic oceans, and comfortably stay under long enough, it's a journey that will reward. But it's not a trip for everyone -- or even every Yes fan -- to take, especially not too soon after discovering the album. ~ Bruce Eder Full title - Tales From The Topographic Oceans. 2003 remastered, reissue of 1973 album with redesigned booklet (digipak/slipcase), restored LP art, archival photos and new liner notes. Includes 2 bonus tracks 'Dance Of The Dawn' (studio run through) & 'Giants Under The Sun' (studio run through). Elektra. Digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt. Recorded at Morgan Studios, London, England. Yes: Rick Wakeman (keyboards); Chris Squire (bass instrument); Alan White (percussion); Jon Anderson , Steve Howe. Personnel: Jon Anderson (vocals); Steve Howe (guitar); Rick Wakeman (Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, timpani); Chris Squire (fretless bass, timpani); Alan White (drums); Guy Bidmead (tapes). Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Mike Tiano. Recording information: Morgan Studio, London, England (1973). Photographers: Ira Blacker; David Gahr; Roger Dean . Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals); Steve Howe (vocals, guitar); Chris Squire (vocals, bass); Rick Wakeman (keyboards); Alan White (drums).

Word Is Live CD music There's no ignoring the fact that TORMATO was Yes' most roundly (and unjustly) ignored recording. For reasons unknown, the album languished in bargain bins for years, despite being substantially less pretentious than some earlier work and much more "progressive" than Yes' later pop crossovers. On many tracks, there seems to be a concerted effort to cut back on the bombast. "Onward" is a simple, piano-based ballad, effectively rendered. "Future Times," "Don't Kill the Whale" and others find Steve Howe delivering some of his most visceral, biting guitar work, interacting nicely with Chris Squire's upper register bass lines. There's lots of carnival-like keyboard work and fanciful imagery (see the striking, harpsichord-driven "Madrigal" and the poignant "Circus of Heaven"), but hell, this is a Yes album. And it all works. Includes nine bonus tracks. Additional Tracks Recorded at Advision Studios, London, England. Originally released on Atlantic (19202). Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals, 10-string guitar); Steve Howe (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Rick Wakeman (Hammond B-3 organ, Polymoog synthesizer; keyboards); Chris Squire (bass, background vocals); Alan White (vibraphone, drums, crotales, percussion, background vocals). Personnel: Steve Howe (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin); Chris Squire (vocals, piano); Rick Wakeman (harpsichord). Audio Mixer: Brian Kehew. Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Tim Jones. Recording information: Rak Studios, London, England. Photographers: Hipgnosis; Glenn A. Baker; Neil Zlozower. Arrangers: Andrew Pryce Jackman; Rick Wakeman; Yes.

Word Is Live buy CD music After issuing three consecutive studio double LPs, Chicago topped themselves with this four-album live box set. As the title suggests, At Carnegie Hall, Vols. 1-4 (Chicago IV) (1971) finds the band at the venerable New York City venue during a five-night stand (April 5-April 10) in the spring of 1971. The septet -- which includes the respective talents of Terry Kath (lead guitar/vocals), Robert Lamm (keyboards/vocals), Peter Cetera (bass/vocals), Danny Seraphine (drums), Lee Loughnane (trumpet/vocals), James Pankow (trombone), and Walter Parazaider (woodwinds/vocals) -- were at their unquestionable peak of initial popularity. Their previous three double LPs continued extended runs on the pop album chart and likewise spawned a number of hit singles. So by the time the group hit the Big Apple for these shows, they were among the hottest things happening. Chicago's set list is wholly representative of the material from Chicago Transit Authority (1969), Chicago II (1970), and Chicago III (1971) and includes several extended multi-song medleys from each. The band winds its way through muscular versions of the epic "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon," "Travel Suite," as well as lengthy renderings of deeper cuts such as "South California Purples," "Fancy Colours," and the ten-minute-plus opening "In the Country." One of the set's most notable highlights is the politically charged "For Richard and His Friends." The lengthy and well-jammed-out cut is both groovy and propulsive. However, the acoustics at Carnegie Hall are quite frankly not (and really never have been) properly suited for heavily amplified music. While the percussion and electric guitars are clearly audible, the woodwind and brass section come off sounding extremely thin and devoid of any real timbre. This is unfortunate, as a primary component of the band is the contrasting textures between the two. Enthusiasts seeking a much more sonically accurate portrait should by whatever means necessary locate the Live in Japan 1972 two-CD set -- which also includes tracks from Chicago's fifth effort. ~ Lindsay Planer Includes a bonus disc of previously unreleased tracks. Chicago: Lee Loughnane (vocals, guitar, trumpet, percussion); Terry Kath (vocals, guitar); Walter Parazaider (vocals, woodwinds, percussion); Robert Lamm (vocals, keyboards); Peter Cetera (vocals, bass guitar); James Pankow (trombone, percussion); Daniel Seraphine (drums).