Customer Reviews

Yes 9012 Live

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am a casual Yes fan and I really enjoyed the live performances of 90125 (one of my favorite Yes albums on audio CD) which marked a great revival for the band during the mid-80's. Although some Yes purists prefer Steve Howe to Trevor Rabin, I really liked Rabin -- he shows a lot more enthusiasm & enjoyment in his guitar playing than Howe and he plays all the older Yes numbers with great skill. When Howe plays, he seems very morose and he rarely ever smiles, even though he is a great musician.

I really liked the "Director's Cut" because it features the entire live concert performance without the annoying visual effects, which really disrupted the flow with its nonsensical imagery of the 50's family in the living room and the other weird effects. My favorite songs that were performed on this DVD are the 90125 numbers, "Owner of a Lonely Heart," "It Can Happen," "Changes," and "Leave It". Trevor Rabin also does a commendable job on the Steve Howe Yes songs "Roundabout" (which he plays on electric guitar), "I've Seen All Good People" (which is done on a faster tempo than Howe's version) and "Starship Trooper". I wished the band could have played more classic Yes pieces.

The bonus features include an interesting interview with the band members and the song "Roundabout". It is interesting that this DVD was made by Steven Soderbergh before his work on the big screen. I deleted one star for this DVD because of the annoying visual effects which marred the feature film, and the mediocre sound quality of the DVD. However, this is the only live performance of Yes during the Rabin era, and the 90125 numbers bring back good memories of the past.

If you like the Trevor Rabin era of Yes, you'd really enjoy this DVD. Watch the Director's cut.

Unlike most of the reviews here.....I have actually seen this DVD and can comment with an informed view!
This show rocks!
First, there is a small paragraph in the credits that mentions the fact that the original masters for this concert had been lost and much time and effort was placed in reworking the sound.
Well, indeed they have, and perfectly; as the 5.1 sound is absolutely fantastic! The picture is clear and sharp. And best of all, - the viewer can watch the 'non charlex' version with the push of the DVD remote button.
Incidently, the very dated 'charlex' effects which were the result of Steven Soderburg's authorship have been labelled by many as the low point of the original video. To actually have the option of removing those dated, black-and-white and colourised movie clips from an otherwise outstanding concert is a god-send. In actual fact, the viewer is subsequently able to see even more camera angles and shots than were available even when the charlex features weren't running.
Like many, for some years, I had to make do with that horrible Brazillian DVD which had both mono sound and a lousy, fuzzy picture. This release has been like a breath of fresh air and has given me a greater appreciation of this particular part in YES history. Some folk have never warmed to YES-West. Too bad! They have missed some brilliant, high energy and furious tempo playing. This DVD brings out the raw impact of a special group of musicians, set amongst the popularity of the world stage for the first time.
Extras include 'Roundabout' performed on the same night and for whatever reason, left off the original video. Also included are interviews and behind-the-scenes views of the men whilst back-stage and in transit between venues. Again, this is a look at a part of YES history and is worth it to see them again, as they were in 1984.
My only complaint would be that this DVD wasn't released in such high quality, many years ago.
However, it was worth the wait!
When you purchase this DVD, (as you should) you won't bother with the old video and charlex effects. You'll be like me and opt for the full concert and enjoy the clear view; time after time.

I have to admit a couple of things first. I am probably one of six or seven YES fans who appreciate both Trevor Rabin and Steve Howe as YES guitarists. This is primarily because my introduction to YES was backwards compared to most. As a guitarist myself, I became familiar with YES during the hey day of MTV when this video was originally released. At the time I thought this was the most incredible music ever produced and Trevor Rabin became an instant guitar hero. Over the years I became familiar with the Classic YES lineup and I will now confess that I do sort of understand the disapproval of the Howe fans. Still I defend Trevor Rabin because he did not set out to join YES and replace Steve Howe. He joined up with Chris Squire and Alan White when is appeared YES was NO more -- a regular event in YES's impressive history. When Tony Kaye and Jon Anderson joined up the band became a new incarnation of YES, and different or not, they did stay around until the mid 90's and produced some pretty good stuff of their own along the way. And since they kept throwing in new versions of Classic YES standards, they managed to introduce a whole new generation to the vintage material.

So trying to put my personal feelings aside, this DVD holds up pretty well on its own. While not as crisp as the newer YES shows, the video is still clean and the audio is not bad. There seems to be a lot of people out there really liking the straight concert footage without the graphics. To me one's just as good as the other. I think I prefer the graphics left in. After all, this was a 1984 concert/movie made back when, as that new song out there says, when there were videos on MTV, so there is nothing wrong with it looking "so 80's."

The concert is a bit on the short side, especially for a YES concert which can typically run for well over 2 hours. When this DVD was delayed so many times I was hoping that they were going to add the instrument solo footage from the "9012-LIVE The Solos" album that was released in 1984. I think that the songs from 90125 come off between pretty well and excellent, except for Leave It. An earlier reviewer observed that it consists mostly of tracks from the album and that is correct. Makes for a C- concert song. Still with all the overdubbing they did on the original song, what else could they have done?

"Hold On", "Changes", "All Good People", and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" are probably the best songs of the show. "City of Love" works pretty well. "It Can Happen" is OK, but sounds a little off in a few places. Again, "Leave It" is mostly tracked. "Cinema" gets things off in the beginning and its a pretty good start. Sadly, "Starship Trooper" at the end is probably the weakest songs. It starts off sounding OK but frequently sounds hollow in places. While I have always loved Trevor as a guitarist it seems that he is struggling with covering some of Howe's parts. The solo at the end is way too cluttered and over the top. I much preferred his playing on "All Good People" where, even though he took some liberties, he contained himself within the song and stayed true to its spirit.

Finally, the extras -- Quite good and plenty of them. I very much enjoyed the before and after backstage moments. Gives one a true since of life out there on the road. The band member interview were great although they left me a feeling a bit odd. All the band members then are younger that I am now -- but when I saw this film they were considered to be an "older band", ahh!! The cut of Roundabout is not all that great and answers all questions regarding why it was left off of the final version of the film.

So the final vote -- 4 out of 5 stars. Good clean cut from the 80's, several well done cuts (although they really should have included the solos), and some great memories from the better MTV years.

The folks at Image Entertainment and the Yes organization did a very nice job on this long-awaited DVD. "9012Live" is definitely a memento of the 80's, as the music, stage clothes and special effects prove. I must admit that I always enjoyed the Trevor Rabin-era Yes line-up, as well as the (now dated) Charlex effects employed by director Stephen Soderbergh. But I have read on various Yes websites and publications that many fans had been hoping for a "Charlex-free" print of the film. It's nice to know that the powers-that-be actually listened to the fans and included an effects-free director's cut of the film in addition to the original, giving the viewer a choice.

The other extras included here are a backstage documentary entitled "Access All Areas", and a half-hour's worth of period interviews with the band members. These segments are especially interesting when viewed in the context of the band's history, both before and after this period in their career. Also, "Roundabout", which was filmed but never included in the finished product, is here as an added bonus. Overall, the picture is crisp and vivid...a marked improvement over the Brazilian disc issued some years back.

My one complaint, and the reason I'm only giving it four stars, is with the audio choices. I'm one of those fossils who haven't yet acquired a 5.1 surround system. On virtually all of the other Yes DVD's (the exception being "Philadelphia 1979"), one may choose between 5.1 surround or a (usually) pretty good stereo mix. Interestingly, the audio options offered on the on-screen menu of this DVD are 5.1 surround or Dolby 2.0. However, on the DVD case (in very tiny letters on the back) are the choices - surround 5.1 or mono 1.0. If the technology exists for a good 5.1 mix to be extracted from the stereo masters, I have to believe that a good stereo remix could have easily been created for this disc. Listening through headphones or speakers, the "Dolby 2.0" option is very obviously mono.

Other than that gripe, I'd have to say that this is a disc worth owning whether you are a long-time Yes fanatic, or a casual fan. It is an interesting document of a time when Yes became more of a "pop" band than a "prog" band, and pulled it off with great aplomb.

I saw this show live back in high school. It's still one of the best shows I've ever seen. This dvd really brings me back.

I will, however, agree with many of the posters in pointing out that the sound is not as good as it could be. I'm not sure that it could be helped, though, since the dvd points out that the masters were lost, and the producers had to do the best they could with the audio.

I really like the Director's Cut, which gives you the option to watch without the old film segments mixed in. The only place where I felt like I enjoyed the original film more was during "Changes". I think the scenes with the colorized girl in the black-and-white world were a nice fit for it. Otherwise, it was good to be able to watch the band playing straight throughout. Anyway, I appreciate having the choice between the two.

The documentary extras were interesting and fun. Who knew Trevor Rabin could curse like a drunken sailor? Excellent! Seriously, though, it was a treat to see the guys laid back and enjoying themselves. As for the interviews, I could listen to Chris Squire all day - he is charismatic with a bass in his hands or without!

For the price, this disc is certainly worth the purchase. (Now if only they would put out the entire concert...)

This is in response to the reviewer that claims "bootleggers get the last laugh". There were a number of legal reasons Yes had a difficult time getting this released. Plus, they wanted to get original director Steven Soderberg involved (no easy task). Well, we can all rejoice because this has all fallen into place, and "Yes 9012-LIVE" is finally on dvd, in a fabulous new version. According to yesworld.com, here's the skinny on the new dvd:
- Special director's cut of the film (non-chalex: no visual effects)
- Bonus track: "Roundabout" (Cut from the original film)
- "Access All Areas" documentary: Photographed, Directed and Edited by Steven Soderbergh
- Band Interviews: Directed by John B. House

So, there you have it. For all of you who spent way too much on the unofficial release, it's time to upgrade. For everyone else, you can rejoice because a great concert video is finally available once again. The downside is the short length. The original film was just barely over an hour (barely half of the set from that tour). So, this is really mostly a highlights of the 90125 album, with a few classic tracks (All Good People, Startship Trooper and now Roundabout) thrown in. But, that aside, this was a great time for the band, when they were tighter than ever, and at their most popular. A good document of a great time.

It is indeed appalling that this DVD only offers only a choice of a rather phony sounding 5.1 surround or really unimpressive 2.0 (at least not 1.0) mono - because there was a truly superb stereo mix on the original HiFi VHS. The stereo soundtrack is what has made the VHS so enjoyable to watch time and again over the years.

Another big problem is that the 5.1 track is much too quiet when compared to the mono alternative - and that's just poor engineering on someone's part. I usually only adjust my PC surround system volume by using the PC's mixer, but for this DVD I had to manually crank up the master volume in order to get enough punch to feel impressed (and then remember to turn it back down to suit any other DVD with an average volume output).

An A-B comparison shows that the video quality of the DVD is a distinct improvement on the VHS - and it is good to have the optional version without the Charlex Digital video effects. Somehow, though, I feel that they added a positive kitsch appeal (being state of the art at the time) - and the powerful performance of the band is what shines through in any event.

The "Starship Trooper" finale is worth the purchase price on it's own - but has the best effect if you've travelled through the preceding tracks.

All round though I'd suggest that owners of the HiFi stereo VHS might be better off doing a transfer to DVD-R and saving their pennies for some other Yes DVD offering.

I'm one of those people who like this line-up of Yes the best, even after hearing all the albums. I also consider the 1994 Yes album TALK, which was this line-up's last, to be a flat-out masterpiece.. too bad the record buying public didn't catch on, although it still out-sold anything Yes put out after it. So I was of course very excited in this DVD release, and it definatly does not disappoint. You get loads of interviews and back-stage shinanigans, and lots of candid moments, such as Rabin discussing "City Of Love" with White and Kaye, complaining that the soloing goes on for too long: Rabin- "I don't wanna play that!" White- "Then don't." The concert, as others have stated, isn't presented here in its true length, but you do get Roundabout as an extra. And if you don't want to watch the 80's video effects, you don't have to: watch the alternate version of the concert in the Special Features section. All in all, extremely well done all the way around. Hears hoping this line-up can reform someday soon.

I've been a Yes fan for many years now. I have studied Yes' music for years as a professional musician and fully hail them as one of the greatest and most amazing bands in music today. Yes has always been at the forefront of pushing technology in music and video production, however this one seems to have slipped through the cracks. The video track is barely improved from the original VHS release. The only improvement in the video that was made was removing that CGI crap that took away from some great moments of seeing the band, but hey thats production, what can I say? I'm a television producer myself, sometimes people like all that fluff and nonsense. Since film is generally almost always 16:9, if the film was shot in 16:9 then it should be released as such. That alone preserves a lot of resolution and integrity. For all that Yes has given us over the years this should be a next project for a blu-ray re-master/transfer. There are a lot of adjustments needed for the video track.

As for the sound, I have been doing surround mixes for years now. This is one of the poorest excuses for a 5.1 soundtrack ever. Its really a phantom 5.1 mix. If you listen closely on a good home theater system you will notice that nothing is virtually discreet or assigned to a specific channel. The levels are just panned and alternate-level mixed into 6 channels. If you listen to the release of 35th Anniversary Concert or Live at Montreux you will hear a drastic difference. The way a typical 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS mix is this:

Center: Lead Vocals, Misc Instrument Pans
Left Front, Right Front: Percussion, Back Vocals, Keyboards, Audience
LFE: All low frequency bass and effects
Left Surround/Right Surround; For Effect Pans and Audience

None of this is evident in the 9012Live dvd. As great of a band as Yes is and as great a video as that was it should have not been released and thrown together so quick just to suit demands.

Take this back to the studio, re-master it to high definition and completely re-master the soundtrack. If no one wants to do this, then I will lol. YES DESERVES THE BEST IN MY EYES! I THINK THATS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE!

I'm tired of some fans bashing the Yes West lineup! This is a great video, particularly with the Charlex effects off. The funny thing is, this show doesn't even capture YesWest at their best. I've heard better performances from 1988 and 1994, but 9012Live is still amazing. Yes ROCKS! Like most Yes fans, I like the Yes music of the 70's the best, but... lately I'm nostalgic for the 90125 lineup. In the 80's and early 90's the band played the songs with fire and energy, just like they did in the 70's. Now Yes plays carefully and slow - great in person but sometimes painful to listen to at home. Since 1996, the performances I've seen on DVD just seem lackluster and tired, with the exception of House Of Blues, the best modern recording of Yes. I suspect the reason for this, tho I hate to admit it, is Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman. Rick is great for his personality and sense of humor, but I always prefered Tony Kaye's simple playing and much more enegetic stage performance. Trevor Rabin also seems to have a lot more fun on stage when compared to Steve Howe*. As for Jon and Chris, well, they always seem to have fun! Bottom line - if you want to LISTEN to great live Yes, get a bootleg from the late 70's. But if you want to WATCH great live Yes, get this DVD or House of Blues.

* Retraction after seeing In The Present Tour: Steve has been bursting with energy since Yes reformed in 2008, and must be considered THE Yes guitarist!