Yesstories

[MasterCylinder]

Just read this book on the plane to and from Oregon last week -- very good read.

The author takes each YES album and interviews the members of the band (at the time THAT ALBUM was recorded) and picks their brain as to what were you thinking here......or there.......how did this come about ?

All very interesting.

At the end of the book he asks each and every band member (like what - 14 guys or so ?) which is the best YES album. The answers received were amazing to me.
If I remember correctly, the album receiving the most votes was CLOSE TO THE EDGE.
This made sense to me because there is not a weak moment on that release and it is the "definitive lineup" of all bands YES. I actually think I agree with this selection.....the band was most surely at one of their high points at this time.

However -- 2 or 3 of them chose TALK.......can you believe that ???

It had been ages since I listened to that...............So when I got home, I went to get my TALK CD to hear it again and I can't find it. It is not with all my other YES stuff. I finally find it in a stack of Japanese remastered mini-LPs and I had forgotten I had traded UP to this quality disc.

After listening to it again, I must admit......there is some really good shyte on there.
It totally sounds Trevor.......all the way.
How amazing is it that Trevor Rabin was able to use a supergroup like YES to make an album of his own material and produce (very well) the sonics in DDD format as well ?
Tip of the hat to TR !!!

And one more thing -- I recommend the book too.

[richmon]

Perfect timing on that recomend, I'm looking for a new read, just finished Tommy Franks 'An american soldier'. I enjoy all them music biography's especially insight into the creative process.

Interested in trading for either Neil Youngs 'Shakey' or Keith Emersons 'Pictures of a exhibitionist' ?

[3-LockBox]

I think its better than Big Generator. And yes, it is a Rabin vehicle all the way. But there is some good shtuff on that album. The songs 'I Am Waiting' and 'Endless Dream' are as good as any of the 'new' songs from Keys To Ascension. There are a few clunkers on it though; 'State Of Play' was just too plastic and robotic...too Rabin.

[BradH]

Yesstories is required reading for any Yes fan. It's the same format as those books Miles did. You know, The Beatles In Their Own Words, Dylan In His Own Words. It's the same format. They took sources from tons of interviews over the years, different rags, etc.

BTW, Talk was essentially a co-production between Rabin and Tony Kaye with Billy Sherwood lending a hand. Anderson & Rabin collaborated closely in the demo phase of the songs so it's hardly a totally Rabin project. But it was his finest hour.

[Troy]

I read that a few years ago. I agree 100% that it's an entertaining read for ANY Yes fan.

Talk is the best Yes album from the Rabin years by a mile. It's one of the cleanest sounding albums I own. It would make a really good reference disc, if you were into that sorta thing.

[MasterCylinder]

Richmon......
I'd like to read the Keith Emerson book and I'm willing to trade. E-mail me at richardw@arkleg.state.ar.us
I used to have a book on Zappa but I sent that one to Troy.
I also own "Saucerful of Secrets" ( a decent Pink Floyd bio ) but it is currently in the hands of my daughter's boyfriend -- the kid is 17 years old and is consumed with all things Floyd ( therefore, I allow him to date my daughter.....LOL ! ).


3-Lock......
90125; Big Generator; Talk.....and even Union to some extent are all TR vehicles and I agree that there are a few clunkers here and there. But, all the clunkers from YES certainly don't belong to Rabin........think TORMATO.


Brad H......
Correct you are.........in fact, when I saw the TALK Tour live (in 1994) Mr. Sherwood was an unintroduced background player/member. When I saw tham again in the fall of 1997, Sherwood was an announced member of Yes (but Khoroshev wasn't......weird).
I think just like 90125, Big Generator and Talk are all Yes vehicles for Rabin, Open Your Eyes is a Yes vehicle for Squire/Sherwood.


Troy......
I agree exactly -- TALK could be utilized as a reference disc. Rabin recorded & produced that CD on his computer and he gets an amazing range of sonics.......Squire's Taurus bass pedals sound magnificent (but, only if you have the quality sub required to reproduce those notes). It literally takes a nice home or car rig to capture all that TALK has to offer as far as the sonic range goes.

[Troy]

I used to have a book on Zappa but I sent that one to Troy.

Which I finally read! I recall you didn't dig it very much, but I found it a pretty entertaining and interesting read.

I found it much better than the nearly incomprehensible "Poodle Variations" book.

Unfortunately, I can't recall the title and it has disappeared into the morass of quicksand that my office currently resembles. I am in the process of remodeling that rooim and it may yet turn up . . .

[Dave_G]

Hey,

Don't diss Tormato fellas, it is an EXCELLENT Yes release, one of my favorites!

Plus I like Talk a lot too, some excellent stuff on there.

OYE is the Yesstinker, to me.

Sounds like I need to get ahold of that book, eh?

Dave

[BradH]

).
I think just like 90125, Big Generator and Talk are all Yes vehicles for Rabin, Open Your Eyes is a Yes vehicle for Squire/Sherwood.

Actually, Sherwood's involvement goes all the way back to Big Generator.

I guess I'm sceptical of the whole "vehicle" theory of those albums. I think there's a lot more collaboration that goes on than people realize. But OYE was heaily Squire/Sherwood. It wasn't planned that way but Squire/White is like a big ship. It's slow moving but when it starts to move you'd better be on board quick or you'll get left behind. That's what happened to Howe who was thousands of miles away at the beginning of OYE. Squire decided "screw it, the new managemnet wants a record to take on the road, we'll do it." Now Squire is in England running Umbrello and doing Syn w/ Nardelli but they're still spread all over the map. Check this recent quote from Wakeman:

"W]e had [a conference call] at the beginning of this year [...] to decide when we were going to have the conference call, we couldn't actually all agree on a date to have the conference call. So we had that conference call to decide that we couldn't have a conference call for the conference call of when to have one."

I posted in a Yes trading group that these guys should quit messing around, go into the studio and do their Abbey Road finale because time is of the essence at their age.

BTW, MoFi is back online with their gold discs. They've got Zappa's We're Only In If For The Money on deck. It's the original mix, too.

[Dave_G]

Ya, I've seen some of the new MFSL stuff out there.

I have the Squire/Sherwood releases and I have a hard time digging them.

Dave

[Dusty Chalk]

BTW, MoFi is back online with their gold discs. They've got Zappa's We're Only In If For The Money on deck. It's the original mix, too.

Saw Edgar Winter Group's They Only Come Out At Night. Didn't get it, because I only remember liking the two big songs on it, but that can't possibly be right, so now I need to revisit it.

[Dave_G]

Wonder how they decide what titles to release?

Dave

[BradH]

Wonder how they decide what titles to release?

Dave

I remember reading something about that in the 80's. First, of course, they have to get the original master. So, you can probably forget about half theYes titles like CttE. (Yes inhaled.) Second, it has to have been well recorded and engineered. Third, it had to have been music that made some kind of artistic impact. Something along those lines.

I'm not entirely sure how strict they are with the "original master" part of it. My first cd of XTC's Skylarking was a Virgin import w/ "Mermaid Smiled" instead of "Dear God". So, how can the MoFi version be the "original master"? I just assumed Virgin re-arranged songs on the production master when "Dear God" went big on college radio, then sent it to Geffen for U.S. release. But maybe not, maybe they jacked with the original master.

MoFi's Tommy is certainly the original master. It was supposedly under Townshend's bed and is somewhat different in places than the the other labels.

As for the new batch, I had the same reaction to Edgar Winter as Dusty. I'm sure it sounds good but I'd rather have that Earth, Wind & Fire. I'll bet "Shining Star" sounds fantastic. Been getting into Parliament/Funkadelic, too.

[Dave_G]

For the most part I frikking love all my MFSL titles.

I tell ya tho, people on ebay are making a fortune on the stuff, that is for sure.

I have a small amount ot them, maybe 20-25 pieces, wish I had more.

Dave

[BradH]

For the most part I frikking love all my MFSL titles.

I tell ya tho, people on ebay are making a fortune on the stuff, that is for sure.

I have a small amount ot them, maybe 20-25 pieces, wish I had more.

Dave

That's crazy to pay so much for them on E-bay. I've got about 20 and it seems like half of that was downloaded from Usenet. They'll occasionally have a MoFi flood. I'll downlaod it if it's got the cover art and the cue sheet. The gold plating was a load of crap. They had higher error rates than average aluminum discs. But the difference was in the mastering. I still see 'em in used stores for $15 bucks.

I can't wait to see what they come up with in this new batch.

[3-LockBox]

That's crazy to pay so much for them on E-bay. I've got about 20 and it seems like half of that was downloaded from Usenet. They'll occasionally have a MoFi flood. I'll downlaod it if it's got the cover art and the cue sheet. The gold plating was a load of crap. They had higher error rates than average aluminum discs. But the difference was in the mastering. I still see 'em in used stores for $15 bucks.

I can't wait to see what they come up with in this new batch.

I never was blown away by the MoFi's I heard. They didn't sound much better the newest crop of remasters. And how will they top DVD-A?

BTW: Are there any audiophile labels intending to do super high-rez stereo remasters on the DVD format?

[Dusty Chalk]

Some of the MoFi's are SACD.