Customer Reviews

Essentially Yes (Spec)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The box itself is really slick - glossy black with nice colourful logo (same kind of package as Stereolab's set and Porcupine Tree's Stars Die set). That's as good as it gets. Opening the box reveals each of the 5 disks in paper sleeves with album cover art - however, the album liner notes are nowhere to be found! Not even compilation notes! So what about the Live cd. Well, I've listened to it once and it really doesn't stand up to the Keys to Ascension material in terms of sound quality and playing performance. Sounds lackluster. Sorry - only reason to buy is if you want these disks in a neat consolidated package.

That's right folks, order this now at Amazon and you'll get the 4 least successful Yes albums. But wait... order this set now and obtain a bunch of live tracks from a 2003 show with unknown sound quality. Songs that are probably already on the Yes Symphonic DVD in 5.1 digital quality (different concert, of course). This just rubs me the wrong way, the way recording industries are trying to fleece music group fans with extras by having to spend oodles of money in order to get them. Selling the 4 least successful albums by Yes, that most Yes fans already have, in order to get an unreleased live disc? This practice seems to be spreading in the industry.

Granted, Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, Magnification are nice albums (Magnification being the best one), Talk has it's moments but is certainly the black sheep of the Yes Discography. You can get these albums used (or even new if you know where to shop) for a fraction of the price per disc in this set. Then you can get the Yes Symphonic DVD of there performances in Amsterdam (an absolutely solid DVD). Save the money. This set is waste of money. Especially when the quality of the 2003 concert tracks is unknown (and at this price, will remain unknown).

I'll give 2 stars merely because the albums are worth having, but not by purchasing this set.

YES is any band Chris Squire decides to call as such. He owns the name. Without Squire, there is no YES--ergo ANDERSON BRUFORD WAKEMAN HOWE, a band that includes two of the band's original members (Jon Anderson and Bill Bruford, or "Blufrog" as he is affectionately known in the jazz community) and two members that most people consider part of the classic lineup (Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman). In fact, it would be a classic lineup if Squire had participated instead of Tony Levin and Jeff Berlin. Despite being the lead singer for all of the band's many albums but one ("Drama"), Anderson has no rights to the name, so that one album is still a YES album.

"Essential" doesn't mean "necessary" or even "good"; it just means that the name is officially sanctioned, like a trademark.

For the record, the band members consistently on these five albums are Squire, Anderson, and Alan White, White having been with the group since the tour that produced "Yessongs."

There is no mention whatsoever of anything being remastered in this box. As an earlier reviewer noted, the packaging is spartan: you get a hard box (roughly 5" x 5") and the discs in glossy single-LP-style sleeves. That's it--no notes, no recording information, nothing else. It's as if you get only the CD booklet cover and the backside of the tray for each of the disks.

The version of "Talk" does include an eighth track, the 8:08 "special version" of 'The Calling.' Trevor Rabin may not have been involved with or even OK'd the release of this additional track, but I like it though the song didn't need to be extended. To my ears, it can stand tall with 'Roundabout,' 'Owner of a Lonely Heart,' and 'Lift Me Up' as the best of their singles.

The Montreux set has since been released with more tracks as a two-disk set. Either way, the sound and performance are excellent and, to my ears, livelier and more authentic than anything since "Yessongs" (1973)--I suspect there was little to no overdubbing. While "Live at Montreux 2003" may lack the mythic power of that originally-three-record set, it certainly was better recorded and may be more appealing to younger or more recent listeners.

By the way, I have yet to hear a poor release in the Montreux series. The DEEP PURPLE and JETHRO TULL sets are also among their best live releases. They were mixed by David Richards (QUEEN) and mastered by Ray Staff, both of them pros.

These aren't Yes' best or best known works to be sure, but there are a few reasons to own this set. Number one is the limited edition of Talk with the bonus track, the extended version of The Calling. This disc by itself is being put up for sale for very unreasonble prices here on Amazon and is not worth what they're asking, but as a part of this package, it's worth getting.
Bottom line, the music here is very good if you're a Yes fan, especially The Ladder and Talk.Essentially Yes

If you want any or all of the albums in this set, buy them separately. This set has no notes, while the individual releases have liner notes and lyrics in some cases. The only one that is relatively hard to find cheap is "Open Your Eyes", but that is their worst release ever, so it is easy to sacrifice. This version of "Montreaux" is only ONE disc, whereas the separate release is TWO CDs. If you pick up the other four albums (including the two-disc Montreaux) separately, using third-party sellers, you will pay about the same, maybe marginally more than you would for this rip-off of a box set! The single star is for the box presentation, the music itself averages three-and-a-half or four stars.

but if you don't have any of it, sure.. get it & if you do, burn me & everyone else who has the other discs a copy so that we don't have to shell out the $$ for it. I don't think the 4 albums aren't their best work (I thought Magnification was the best of them), but they are accessible. It took me some time & effort to finally get them. Check out CDUNIVERSE--this might be cheaper on their site.

The albums are all remastered and sould great. The live album is killer and I do not think available any other way but in this box set. Really great packaging and presentation.

"Yes",...four of the discs have been released before but the Live In Montreux disc to me is worth the price. This is a well recorded very clean recording (although slightly lacking in bass)which to me sounds better than most of "The Word Is Live".

It's a set of CD's I already have. I thought it was just a colection of a bunch of different songs & music on CD's. "I felt mislead."