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3-LockBox
05-27-2004, 09:56 PM
Does anyone here have this album?

Good things about this album other websites post, but as always, I value this board's opinion most.
Surely, its been a topic of discussion before, but please indulge me with a comment or two or three or four.


Ahhh...rhyming with tequila.

3LB

Troy
05-28-2004, 06:29 AM
I don't actually have this album, but I have all the songs from it on the "Keys to Ascension" live albums. I recall thinking att he time that the band's management should have been fired over burying all this great new studio work at the end of a couple of live releases. Idiots.

Most Yes fans consider these songs to be the best things the band has done since the 70s. Me too. There are some really sharp sonic moments and some big sprawling epic tracks as well. Excellent production values (the undervalued Billy Sherwood) and Wakey and his capey make all the difference.

If I had to buy them over again, I would definitely forgo the live stuff and just buy the single disc Keystudio release.

ForeverAutumn
05-28-2004, 06:59 AM
..but I'm pretty sure that BarryL has it. I haven't seen him around here much lately though. So, you might want to try contacting him directly. PM me if you need his email address.

newtrix1
05-28-2004, 08:59 AM
Does anyone here have this album?

Good things about this album other websites post, but as always, I value this board's opinion most.
Surely, its been a topic of discussion before, but please indulge me with a comment or two or three or four.


Ahhh...rhyming with tequila.

3LB
If you're a big fan, I'd easily rec Keystudio. However if you're a casual Yes fan (big 3 only), KS might be a tough listen. I asked about this album awhile back, and ended up buying it based on fairly unanimous positive comments. Since getting it, I'd say I've only listened to it 2-3 times, but that's basically due to large volumes of other stuff, not because I didn't like it.

BarryL
05-28-2004, 11:35 AM
Does anyone here have this album?

Good things about this album other websites post, but as always, I value this board's opinion most.
Surely, its been a topic of discussion before, but please indulge me with a comment or two or three or four.


Ahhh...rhyming with tequila.

3LB

I have the content of this album on the two Keys to Ascension disks. There's some good stuff here, but not unless you're a Yes fan. It is far far better than any of their other disks post 90215 with the exception of Talk and perhaps Union (I think that while Union is a mess as far as Yes being a band goes, there are some strong individual tracks), prior to The Ladder. I would recommend The Ladder before KeyStudio, but I think there is some good stuff on KeyStudio. I just saw them and they played most of Mind Drive during the concert, which was a big shocker to me, given they played nothing from The Ladder or 90215. If you like Yes, you should like it, but you won't LOVE it.

3-LockBox
05-28-2004, 01:58 PM
[QUOTE=newtrix1]If you're a big fan, I'd easily rec Keystudio. However if you're a casual Yes fan (big 3 only), KS might be a tough listen. [QUOTE]


I'd have to say that up until a few years ago, I was a casual fan, owning only the <b>Classic Yes</b> CD. But then I got this comp from Hyfi, and it had some older <i>Yes</i> stuff on it and I loved the songs, finding them to be just as essential as the 'classic' stuff. Then I got a comp from PPG, with the song 'Going For The One' on it, and I liked it as well, so much so that I purchased the remastered CD <i>Going For The One</i>, and I listen to it constantly. I also own and love <i>Drama</i>.

I'd say that I have graduated to 'real fan' status, thanks to this board. I even like <i>Talk</i>. (no... really)

BarryL
05-28-2004, 05:48 PM
[QUOTE=newtrix1]If you're a big fan, I'd easily rec Keystudio. However if you're a casual Yes fan (big 3 only), KS might be a tough listen. [QUOTE]


I'd have to say that up until a few years ago, I was a casual fan, owning only the <b>Classic Yes</b> CD. But then I got this comp from Hyfi, and it had some older <i>Yes</i> stuff on it and I loved the songs, finding them to be just as essential as the 'classic' stuff. Then I got a comp from PPG, with the song 'Going For The One' on it, and I liked it as well, so much so that I purchased the remastered CD <i>Going For The One</i>, and I listen to it constantly. I also own and love <i>Drama</i>.

I'd say that I have graduated to 'real fan' status, thanks to this board. I even like <i>Talk</i>. (no... really)


Might as well go for it. I think you'll be happy you did. It's not clunker like Open Your Eyes.

BradH
05-30-2004, 06:15 AM
Gawd, I hate RR on dial-up. I might be back as a regular when my band gets broad but until then...I'm having an unexpected lull in the insane world of live CDR/boot trading-downloading-whatever.

I don't think Yes has done anything even approaching the studio/KTA tracks since then. A lot of the songs on the following albums are really good but there was something about the KTA tracks that was so reminiscent of their 70's output. And not just in the music, either. You could really hear the individual instruments. The other day I read an interview where Howe said he didn't like ANY of the 3 albums after KTA because they were overproduced. I wish I could find the interview but, basically, he said when you overproduce a song it takes the emotion out of it. The sad songs, the joyous songs, all the different types of songs end up having the same emotion because they all have that same sheen - what I would call the Chris Squire/Billy Sherwood/L.A. music machine processed-to-the-hilt quality. (Yeah, I know Billy was behind the boards on KTA but so was Howe after everyone split. I think they were in a cheaper studio, too.) Anyway, just think how good the last track on Magnification sounds compared to the rest of the disc. All of the sudden, it sounds like a band! Think how many power pop cd's would have more punch if they weren't so freakin' smoothed out in the mix. Conspiracy's version of "Comfortably Numb" on the PF tribute is so overproduced it doesn't seem to serve any purpose whatsoever. Just think how crystal clear everything sounds on The Yes Album as if the purpose were to perfectly capture the instruments rather than show off the latest XR-281b Mullet Pro Processer.

Another thing about KTA is they had to make room for Wakeman, not just another session player or a subtle Tony Kaye-type. Ironically, instead of making things more cluttered, this made them more serious and linear, more focused and stripped down in what each was doing. I also like Mind Drive because it reminds me a lot of Drama. Not surprising since it originated in the 1981 XYZ sessions.

Yeah, get KeyStudio. Also, it has some extra Wakey stuff that got stripped from the original cd's.

Gotta run. I'm gonna hit the button now. Hope this works....

Troy
05-30-2004, 08:20 AM
Nice to see you here again Brad.

I understand and agree with most of your coments except the one about this place being too slow for dial up, but downloading music isn't? Ya lost me there.

Get your Broadband and come back!

BradH
05-30-2004, 10:49 AM
Nice to see you here again Brad.

I understand and agree with most of your coments except the one about this place being too slow for dial up, but downloading music isn't? Ya lost me there.

Get your Broadband and come back!

Downloading music on dial-up is a matter of firing it up and walking away. But I'll sit and wait for this site. It's torture.

Here's another problem: I'm typing this and my son is squeezing my face and talking about food.

Gotta run again.

Dave_G
06-01-2004, 05:31 AM
Been wonderin where ya been.

To me these Yestoons are typical B side stuff, okay but nothing to write home about.

I have heard that that remixed Yes disc is a lot better than Keysstudio, but I've never heard it myself.

I'd buy Yessymphonic DVD before I would buy Keysstudio!

Dave