Yes:Keystudio//a gushing review [Archive]

3-LockBox

06-02-2004, 07:39 PM

My oh my. Not since I bought Kansas' Masque 2 or 3 years ago have I played a CD eight or nine times in less than a week. This is may well be my best buy of the year.

First off, this is about as close to a successful merger of the Classic Yes sound and the '80s pop/rock style as I think these guys can get. Songs like 'Foot Steps' and 'Be The One' sound like they could have come from the Talk album (not that that's a bad thing), but the two 18 and 19 minute epics are stunning and right outta the '70s, albeit with a modern production. These songs are luscious in both arrangement and musicianship. Most notable improvement in sound to my ears is the keyboard playing. All past Yes keyboard players must bow to Rick Wakeman. He really should be given a lot of credit for the classic sound. I wonder what this album would have sounded like without him.

Anyhoo, I know most of you probably already have both Keys To Ascension sets, if there is anyone out there who says they wish Yes would make music like they used to and hasn't heard this collection yet, go out and buy it. The whole CD just soars.

BarryL

06-03-2004, 04:42 AM

My oh my. Not since I bought Kansas' Masque 2 or 3 years ago have I played a CD eight or nine times in less than a week. This is may well be my best buy of the year.

First off, this is about as close to a successful merger of the Classic Yes sound and the '80s pop/rock style as I think these guys can get. Songs like 'Foot Steps' and 'Be The One' sound like they could have come from the Talk album (not that that's a bad thing), but the two 18 and 19 minute epics are stunning and right outta the '70s, albeit with a modern production. These songs are luscious in both arrangement and musicianship. Most notable improvement in sound to my ears is the keyboard playing. All past Yes keyboard players must bow to Rick Wakeman. He really should be given a lot of credit for the classic sound. I wonder what this album would have sounded like without him.

Anyhoo, I know most of you probably already have both Keys To Ascension sets, if there is anyone out there who says they wish Yes would make music like they used to and hasn't heard this collection yet, go out and buy it. The whole CD just soars.

I was listening to Mind Drive on the weekend on an old prog comp I made. It rocks hard. The transformation to the Anderson soft spot is a bit sudden, and the melody is a bit sparse, but that makes what comes after even more enjoyable, especially the great Wakeman synethesizer work that comes near the climax. I hope that now that the classic line-up is back, and Yes has once again become cool (the Rolling Stones of prog?), that the classic lineup will concentrate on making good music, rather than just pumping out albums to justify touring, as they did with Open Your Eyes and to some extent, Magnification (hey, let's record with an orchestra and do an orchestra tour).

My only wish is that Anderson would take lyric writing seriously. Apparently he does a stream of consciousness thing, often writing the lyrics in the studio. You can hear that on songs like Mind Drive, IMO.

Dave_G

06-03-2004, 05:40 AM

I think Jon is a stoner and lights up a big ganja spliff and goes into his little pyramid/tent thing he hauls around with him to come up with his bizarro lyrics.

Rick is excellent.

Dave

Troy

06-03-2004, 07:57 AM

Yeah, it's a fiercely underrated rekkid.

That Wakey guy can really play.

Dave, do you know of anything online about Anderson's ganja/pyramid tent thing?

Dusty Chalk

06-03-2004, 08:28 AM

I think he's just in permanent hippy/flower-child mode. Not that there's anything wrong with that. His lyrics have always been like that.

Dave_G

06-03-2004, 08:29 AM

No Troy, but I inferred that from the Shoreline gig video where he has his pyramid thingy and he comes out of it looking baked.

Dave

Troy

06-03-2004, 09:53 AM

Shoreline gig video where he has his pyramid thingy and he comes out of it looking baked.

Yeah, I remember thinking that it was more than a little silly when I saw that.

I'd like to know more about it because it seems like something great to make fun of him about.

Dave_G

06-03-2004, 10:14 AM

In the new 2 dvd Yes release there is significant interview time with Jon, and he's all about peace/love/cool/farout but in a very respectable way.

I'd love to meet him but I would hate to be thought of as a fanboy or worse...

But yes you could see him being an ideal subject for a pyramid/spiritual/far out kind of things abuse or make fun of, big time.

I haven't the skill set to do that tho, at least as far as generating any visual output...

Dave