In a Word [Import]

Yes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 29, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Import
• Label: Rhino/Wea UK
• ASIN: B001FBWVD2
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,710 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like the prog-rock movement that spawned them, the band name Yes was only supposed to be temporary. But Yes have long outlived prog, spanning five decades, some 14 members, and, at one point, essentially two separate outfits on opposite sides of the Atlantic. This five-disc box set chronicles the musical high points of one of the most successful, if unlikely, careers in all of rock. While contemporaries like ELP and King Crimson often distilled their jazz, classical, or avant-garde influences into potent, often jagged sonic shards, Yes thrived by infusing influences as diverse as Stravinsky, Lennon and McCartney, traditional jazz, the Fifth Dimension, and Paul Simon with their own restless, endlessly ambitious musicianship, then letting them simmer into musical landscapes often as vast as they were lyrically impenetrable. All the band's early staples are here ("Yours Is No Disgrace," "Starship Trooper," "I've Seen All Good People," "Roundabout") along with intact swatches of the epics Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans and Relayer. But the later chapters are equally rewarding: the improbable 1980 replacement of departed Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman by the Buggles' Trevor Horn and Geoff Downs on Drama; the return of Anderson (with Horn and and new guitarist Trevor Rabin sharing producer's duties) for the surprising, megaplatinum success of 90125 and its chart-topping "Owner of a Lonely Heart"; rewarding, diverse '90s outings like Talk and The Ladder. It's a compelling musical vision that's almost utopian, sprinkled with a half-dozen previously unreleased tracks and the epic 1972 reworking of Paul Simon's "America." Chris Welch and Bill Martin's comprehensive and insightful notes are introduced by film director and longtime Yes fan Cameron Crowe, who reminisces about his early days writing about the band. –Jerry McCulley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

The most comprehensive Yes collection ever assembled. 55 tracks on 5 CDs including 'Roundabout', 'Long Distance Runaround', 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart', 'Love Will Find A Way' plus 6 previously unreleased tracks! Features impeccable new mastering, rare phot --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars YESFLEECE: Don't bother!, January 9, 2003

By 

Ben B (Hummelstown, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In a Word: Yes (1969 - ) (Audio CD)

Yes..In a Word.....

What's wrong with this picture, Box set number two released approximately 10 years after the first, including 55 tracks of which 5 are previously unreleased, one is an alternate mix (not far removed from the original) and one song with the original extended beginning re-attached. Besides the seven tracks mentioned are 40 odd songs that if you have all, if not most of the catalog, and the three Greatest Hits packages (Including Yesterdays) you HAVE them all?!?!?! Were they even re-mastered?

Now fast forward a few months and the announcement of re-released albums with EXTRA CUTS! Talk about fleecing the fans and collectors!

The opportunity to include these cuts in the box was missed! As well as the 3 live cuts from the Magnification releases that were conveniently distributed amongst three separate releases (that were in different stores to share the wealth!) Also missing in action is the NOT YET SEEN ON CD acapella version of Leave It (not to mention the "dance-mix versions" which were extremely popular in the 80's, BUT part of the 90125 "mystique") The alternate (and much better) mix of Quartet: I'm Alive from the In The Big Dream Video and Vultures which was an extra cut off of the ABWH album that surfaced on a cd single (which is long out of print)
ALSO missing in action are the cuts from the proposed Dialogue album, and the "XYZ" session material from when Jimmy Page worked with Chris Squire and Alan White to form the "eX Yes Zeppelin" project!

As a collector of rarities and oddities, (i.e. bootlegs and recordings of indeterminate origin) I know that these recordings exist in one form or another, and should have been released in this box as opposed to the 48 studio cuts that most people that would be interested in this set would want!

Who is this box set for, you may ask? People that do NOT own any more than one Yes album, People wanting an EXTREME greatest hits package, "Complete-ists" that need it to complete their collection, or people that are going to buy it, copy the rare tracks, and sell the set to a used CD outlet. (which would be the best way to obtain this) Is it a must have? NO! Just like the KeysStudio disc which puts all of the studio cuts from the two Keys to Ascension releases on one CD. (easier to copy and burn them off of the discs you already own)

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For The Most Part, I'm Happy With It, August 2, 2002

By 

TOL (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In a Word: Yes (1969 - ) (Audio CD)

The first reason for buying a box set is to have a collection of music from your favorite band, all in one place. From this particular box set, I was expecting to get a well thought-out, chronologically ordered collection of my favorite Yes songs from 1969 up to the present. In that respect, it really delivers. I have to say that I am a bit dissapointed in the exclusion of such masterpieces as "And You And I" and "Awaken". But this is MORE than made up for by including ABWH and Keys To Ascension material. A sampling from literally every Yes line-up is included. We get Anderson, Squire, Banks, Kaye, Bruford, Howe, Wakeman, Moraz, Horn, Downes, Rabin, Sherwood, Khoroshev, and even Groupe. How can we complain about that?

The second reason for buying a box set like this is to have a great colorful book on the band. In this respect, this collection really delivers as well. The book is authored, in two distinctly separate sections, by two classic Yes authors. The first section is by Chris Welch who is famous for his excellent Yes biography entitled "Close To The Edge". The second section is authored by Bill Martin who is known for his philosophical analysis of Yes music entitled "Music of Yes: Structure and Vision in Progressive Rock". Both authors do an excellent job with the text, providing two very different perspectives - one which is more biographical, and the other which is more analytical. The book summarizes the history of the band and includes a very nice discography of the albums from which the box set songs were taken. We also get an excellent introduction from Cameron Crowe who references his film "Almost Famous" and tempts us into watching for the scene which was based on his experiences with Yes.

The third reason that people buy a box set is for new material. In this respect, "In a Word..." is a little weak. We are presented with 6 previously unreleased songs. Four of these (Tango, Never Done Before, Crossfire, and Last Train) are little more than uncoordinated jam sessions which, in my opinion, should have remained unreleased. These only bring the band down. Also included is a remixed version of "Fist of Fire" from the ABWH album. All that has been done is that the guitar was brought up in the mix (undoubtedly at the hand of Steve Howe). I personally think this is a better mix than the original, but hardly worth calling a "new" song. The last bit of new material is, by far, the best. It is entitled "Richard" and is apparently an outake from the Tormato sessions. This song is, in a word, fantastic. It suffers from a bad mix, but I can only hope that this song will, someday, be re-made by the now re-united core group of Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, and White. It is literally that good.

Any complaints? Well, I have a few. The first is that the packaging, although beautifully designed, is very stiff. That is to say, the book is very difficult to get out of its designated storage pouch, and the CD's are very hard to remove as well. This is a small, but annoying pet peeve. Secondly, the origin of the new material is not intuitively obvious. For example, I could not easily discern the year or line-up of the new songs because the information was not presented in an obvious place. After much searching, I finally found what I was looking for in the discography section. But it is truly hidden in the notes. The last flaw that I can see is that no live material is inlcluded. Live performance albums have been so much a part of the history of this band that I would have liked to have seen a sixth disc with a compilation of live material. But, this is a very minor point and might be best left for a future collection.

Comparing this set to YesYears is pointless because it is meant to cover a different range of songs and appeal to a new generation of fans. With that said, this set is, for the most part, well-done. And it should be purchased and enjoyed as an accurate representation of a truly unique and amazing band.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In A Word Great Introduction To New Fans, August 11, 2002

By 

J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In a Word: Yes (1969 - ) (Audio CD)

Yes formed in the late sixties, became one of the most important practitioners of progressive or art rock. While the band at times has been both acclaimed and disparaged. They have however, continued to produce albums and stick to their musical ideals. This set is a 5 disk set with 5 unissued tracks and an alternate take. It also contains the full length version on their 1972 cover of Paul Simon's "America". The set features material from 1969-2002. This set is meant as more of an introduction to casual Yes fans. It provides remastered versions of some of their best songs. This is especially helpful to those upgrading from lp and who can not afford to convert every lp to cd. The "classic" line up of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford/Alan White is well represented. Classic cuts include "Starship Trooper", "I've Seen All Good People", "Roundabout", "Long Distance Runaround", "Close To The Edge" and "Wonderous Stories". The set also includes more commercial material like "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", "Hold On", "Leave It" and "The Calling" from later editions of the band. In addition it contains forgotten favorites like "Sweet Dreams", "Time And A Word", "Perpetual Change", "South Side Of The Sky", "Siberian Khatru" and "Don't Kill The Whale". The music has an ethereal quality due to Jon Anderson's vocals and the mixture of acoustic and electric guitars from Steve Howe while keyboardists Wakeman, Kaye and Moraz provide interesting textures. Along with Emerson Lake and Palmer the use of keyboards by Yes became somewhat standard among progressive bands. Chris Squire was the bass hero of many a player while the complex time changes never seem to bother Bill Bruford and Alan White. I have some Yes albums but not all of them so this provides a means of aquiring some great cuts from some otherwise mediocre albums.

However, the set despite its length and remastering is still not perfect. It omits such tracks as "The Fish", "And You And I", "Ritual", "Sound Chaser", "Parallels", "Awaken", and "On The Silent Wings Of Freedom". It might have been interesting to include a live disk or two of material from throughout their career to trace the development and personnel changes within the band. These criticisms aside the set does provide a great sounding introduction to one the most influential progressive bands in rock music.