Beyond & Before: BBC Recordings 1969-70 [Live]

Yes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 28, 1998)
• Original Release Date: April 28, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Label: Cleopatra
• ASIN: B0000061AP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,544 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Something's Coming

2. Everydays

3. Sweetness

4. Dear Father

5. Every Little Thing

6. Looking Around

7. Sweet Dreams

8. Then

9. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Required

Disc: 2

1. Astral Traveller

2. Then

3. Every Little Thing

4. Everydays

5. For Everyone

6. Sweetness (Intro) [*]

7. Something's Coming [*]

8. Sweet Dreams [*]

9. Beyond and Before [*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you like early Yes, a must have, December 20, 1999

By 

Tom Test (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond & Before: BBC Recordings 1969-70 (Audio CD)

I was surprised to see no reviews yet of this CD, so I guess I'll be the first. This is really strong stuff, the band sounds really tight. The sound quality is variable, but their are some hidden gems here that you've never heard before. Remember that the YES of their first two albums was very different than the mid-70's classic stuff--more "pop" or even "folk" at times. "Something's Happening" (from West Side Story) is an example--and it's great. If you like very early YES, if you have the YesYears box set and liked disc one, by all means you should buy this!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BBC YES PUSHES THE ENVELOPE OF SHORT-FORM PSYCHEDELIA, May 31, 2001

By 

Johann Cat "Grauer Kater" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond & Before: BBC Recordings 1969-70 (Audio CD)

This is a darned interesting record, not just for fans of traditional YES wanting to hear the band's sonic roots, but for folks like me who come at this set as a fan of the Beatles and the Nice etc. On these BBC recordings, YES is energetic and propulsive in their performances; several songs, especially "Beyond and Before," give me the feeling of being yanked about on a short hang-glider ride--later YES is less likely to be as concise, fast, and skittish. The longest song here is
about seven minutes. It is exceptionally neat to hear YES take an early Buffalo Springfield song ("Everyday"), put a rocket under it, and take it through smart, well-defined breaks (including some killer unison accent bits) all in less than five minutes, ending in a ferocious Squire/Bruford "buh-blam"! That track is what this record is about: YES reworking 60's pop-psychedelia and figuring out what they can do with it. Elsewhere on the web someone says of these YES BBC performances, "they play their asses off"--I agree. The rhythm section, especially Bruford at the drums, is superb. The vocals are rough on a few tracks, but fine on others. This band features Tony Kaye on a Hammond organ and the band's original guitarist, Peter Banks. No, he's not Steve Howe, but he's quite fine being who he is. His style is often angular and aggressive; he's not as interested in sounding lyrical or pretty as Howe is, but Banks also does some neat volume pedal work and some lacy effects influenced by jazz guitarists. But the bottom line: Banks is a fine, loud rock'n'roll guitar player, and he's key in giving the early version of YES a raunchier sound than fans of AOR radio might associate with this group. The playing on this record is frankly more in a 60's idiom than the 70's idiom the later band helped define. And that may actually appeal to people who are more fans of sixties' pop and psychedelia (YES work out on a 1965 Beatle song here) than of the seventies' 17-minute arty excursions the band is famous (or infamous) for.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great snapshot of the early Yes era, January 12, 2007

By 

Rushead 2112-Hemispheres (Los Angeles, CA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond & Before: BBC Recordings 1969-70 (Audio CD)

This two disc set gives us a great snapshot of the early FM radio era of Yes. The audio quality is not so great at times, but it sounds authentic. Did someone say this sounds like early Pink Floyd? What are you smoking? This is great early prog rock. Gotta love it. I would only recommend this to the hardcore Yes fan - like myself.