Customer Reviews

Yesshows

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'd like to start out with a complaint. For reasons beyond my understanding, Yesshows is presented here on *2* CDs (disregard what Amazon says about this- you get a two-disc set) despite the fact that they both add up to less than 80 minutes of music, thus being able to fit on one disc. A real waste of space and CDs. At least it's not reflected in the price.

On to the actual content of the album. The opener Parallels is great, and surpasses its lackluster studio counterpart. The early Yes classic Time And A Word is well-performed too, and Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman, who were not in the band for the studio version, add flair. Steve Howe flubs the opening to Going For The One, but instead of detracting from it, adds an element of charm.

The Gates Of Delirium. Beautiful. Powerful. Passionate. Perfect. That's all I need to say about it. It easily surpasses the studio version (which is still near-perfect).

Don't Kill The Whale is nearly identical to the studio version, but that's not a bad thing, because it's a jam song at heart. The band then gets into a "soul" groove (Jon Anderson's words, not mine) before launching into the daunting Ritual. It may be seven minutes longer than the Tales From Topographic Oceans studio version, but it easily surpasses it. Ritual is divided up into two seperate tracks here to allow for easier digestion. And as a "sound chaser" of sorts (sorry for the pun) to help you catch your breath, the album closes with the pithy and gentle Wonderous Stories.

Yesshows also has a good sound quality throughout, especially on The Gates Of Delirium.

This is an essential live album if you enjoy this era of Yes.

I like the way Yes jams along with Stravinsky's "The Firebird Suite" before opening the show with "Parallels" (one of Chris Squire's finest songs ever). Patrick Moaz does a great job on "The Gates of Delirium" and even on "Ritual". However, this version of "Ritual" is too long and Jon Anderson's tribal noises over Alan White's cymbal-bashing are plenty annoying! You wish Alan would be allowed to solo unadulterated. "Wonderous Stories" and "Going for the One" hold up well. "Don't Kill The Whale" shows Anderson at his most politically correct, but Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe both add a new dimension to an early standard "Time & a Word".

This is Yes' second live album, and focuses on songs from the three studio albums preceding it. All the tracks here are played beautifully and powerfully; the versions of "Time and a Word", "Gates of Delerium", and "Ritual" are especially brilliant. What I like about Yes in a live context is how they can make a subtle change in a song (like the organ solo on "Parallels" being given to the synthesizer instead) and that change gives the song a completely new flavor. The same effect is achieved in "Ritual" when they move the bass into a more prominent role for the solo.
I'd like to comment on that bass solo - I think it's the best live bass solo I've heard. The way Squire plays at an unusual range (most of this solo is played in the same range as a guitar's low E string) has always fascinated me. Another thing about this solo is how the rest of the band just lets go and lets Squire take over - in particular listen to Moraz: he's just tinkling along, playing the same triplet pattern.
Listen closely to "Gates" and you'll hear some apalling mistakes made by Howe - in the beginning of the song he enters too slowly, throwing everyone off track for a moment, and at 13:45 he starts his solo in the wrong octave, and has to add half a measure and cram some notes together to get back on track. But in spite of these errors, the group remains solid, and ends up playing "Gates" better than they did in the studio. Anderson's voice on this track is at its harshest, and in perfect form (as usual).

Released in 1980, this excellent live set would be the last "official" album to capture Yes during the 1976-1978 timeframe and was released during a time when Yes had disbanded (at least until 1983) following the release of Drama (1980). The lineup on this live set included Jon Anderson (lead vocals, acoustic guitar); Steve Howe (electric and acoustic guitars); Rick Wakeman (mini moog, Hammond organ, piano, mellotron on all tracks except for Ritual and Gates of Delirium); Patrick Moraz (synthesizers, organ, piano, mellotron on Ritual and Gates of Delirium); Chris Squire (Rickenbacker bass; eight string bass); and Alan White (drums and percussion).

As I recall, in the early 1980s this album hit my turntable very frequently along with other live prog albums from the period including Seconds Out (Genesis, 1977) and Bursting Out (Jethro Tull, 1978). I think that of all of those albums, Yesshows struck me as the most wild and imaginative of the lot, and features some simply unbelievable performances by the band, especially the bass tour de force on the 28'22" version of Ritual and the searing version of Gates of Delirium. Speaking of Ritual, this lengthy piece was split on the original vinyl version, which was a little irritating - having the piece here in its entirety is quite nice.

The album was produced by bassist Chris Squire and consisted of a series of demo mixes collected from various world tours conducted during 1976-1978. Upon its release, reactions from the band members were a bit mixed (Rick thought it was disgraceful), although Chris liked it. As a fan of the band, I have to confess that I love the album, and although it is a lot more polished than Yessongs (1973), does not lose any of the ferocious energy that characterized live Yes during their peak. I suppose that my only complaint is that Yesshows could very well have been released as a triple album and include (at the time) recently released masterworks like Awaken (from Going for the One, 1977). Although I do not mind the shorter tunes Don't Kill the Whale, Going for the One, Parallels, Wondrous Stories and Time and a Word, the shorter pieces just do not convey the sense of adventure and virtuosity that made Yes one of my favorite bands.

All in all, this is an excellent and extremely well recorded live album by Yes that features great versions of their studio works, especially Gates of Delirium and Ritual, and more or less forms a bookend to their definitive works from the 1970s. Although this version of the CD was remastered by Atlantic in 1994, it is of low quality in comparison with the recently remastered Yes albums by Rhino. My hope is that someday Rhino will properly remaster Yesshows - maybe then other tracks could be added, making this great live album even better.

This is my favorite Yes album. It just captures late 70's Yes perfectly. I find it inspiring and very rewarding. The remastered version sounds alot better and lets you in on some amazing musical moments of five great musicians. A must!

This review is only for those interested in sound quality. For reviews regarding content, please see other posts in this forum, or go to All Music Guide (dot com). Also, due to Amazon's unfortunate programming policy of cross-pollinating reviews across different versions of the same CD title, this review may appear elsewhere.

The primary Yes catalog has been through at least five different sonic revisions since the debut of those horrid-sounding domestic Atlantic CD's in the late 1980's. Domestically, in 2003, Rhino released a full set of new remasters with added bonus tracks. In 2009, Japan issued a complete set of fifteen new SHM-CD's, non-HDCD-encoded titles with exactly the same bonus material as their U.S. Rhino counterparts, but audio-wise, they are all now slightly better than the Rhino's, due to new `09 remastering.

In my personal preference, the 1998 HDCD-encoded Japan mini-sleeves are my favorites. The HDCD editions had a superior clarity to the mid and high range that no other standard-CD remaster, including the 2003 Rhinos, came close to. However, the HDCD's had no bonus material. The same mid-upper clarity is also resident on these new `09 remasters, and when A/B'd against the HDCD's, there is virtually no difference in the mid to high frequencies. There are other subtle, audible differences between the two editions, but nothing being a showstopper in either, and neither series has any loudness compression or insidious remixing, like the recent, terrible, bastardized Genesis "remasters".

The major difference between the two Japan releases is the HDCD's very distinctly heightened bass. So from a audiophile-purist standpoint, the SHM's are probably the more sonically acceptable of the two releases. However, I find the HDCD's more enjoyable for that very dichotomy. Yes is renowned for it's fabulously inventive and adventurous rhythm section, and the HDCD's are literally thunderous in the lower frequencies, while still remaining faithful to the dynamic range of the original recordings. You can, of course, try pushing the SHM's by attenuating the bass on your pre-amp, but it's just not exactly the same. You also notice a little extra oomph in harmonics when the HDCD's are fed thru an HDCD-capable DAC (mine is a Camelot Uther). No doubt, a Horde Of Hoffman denizen will take issue with my preference, but you have to actually listen to both versions to understand why I lean to the HDCD's; to me, they're just more fun to listen to. I should also mention I have never been able to discern any sonic benefit on ANY SHM release from the incorporation of the supposedly magical LCD-material substrate.

So, if you're lucky enough to own the HDCD's, acquisition of the 2009 SHM's should still be considered, to obtain the best audio versions of the bonus material. I certainly would never divest either set for the other.

Then there's mini-sleeves themselves. As glorious as the audio is on these releases, the immaculately detailed replication of each miniature LP album jacket, especially of the Roger Dean-art titles, are just downright fabulous... THIS is why Japan `sleeves are so great.

The 1998 `sleeves were based on the U.S. LP designs, but the `09 SHM's are reproductions of the U.K. albums, and there are stark differences between the two series in several of the titles. Examples: The HDCD Yessongs had the U.S. accordian-jacket design, while the SHM has the U.K.'s booklet-type package (I prefer the SHM), and Close To The Edge has the U.K.'s cool textured finish to the exterior cover, which is much nicer than the photo matte-finish of the original Atlantic LP and the HDCD `sleeve.

It should also be noted the expanded booklets from the Rhino releases are included in each SHM title. Unfortunately, while many non-Yes SHM-CD mini-sleeve releases have contained neat one-page replications of the original LP's A&B-side labels, Warner Japan has chosen not to participate in those.

These new SHM-Yes mini-sleeves sold out when they streeted in Japan in July 2009, but were re-issued in 2010. That wasn't entirely a surprise, as the older Yes HDCD's, in addition to the 1999 Genesis and 2001 Pink Floyd 'sleeve catalogs, were among the most highly prized and sought-after collectable mini-sleeves ever produced by Japan. Indeed, when the SHM's were announced for pre-order, I had reservations about making the additional investment. However, swayed by the 2009 remastering, the bonus material, the U.K. jackets, and being a long time ardent Yes fanatic, the acquisition proved to be an albeit expensive but perfect complement to the HDCD versions. If you are a true Yes fan, these are the benchmark of any standard CD versions available worldwide, and short of also owning the HDCD's, this is the Yes catalog you need to acquire.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, everything included in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and die cuts, are is precisely replicated and included, An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

Before reading this, please note that I am really 16 years old, not 13. I couldn't use my real name on my Amazon account, so I just wrote a 13-under review. I'm 16, not under 13. Being a long-time Yes fan, I absolutely couldn't help being constantly thrilled and amazed by what Yes Shows has to offer. It's appropriate compilation of classic songs will satisfy any Yes fan. The album opens with "Parallels," an outstanding and classic Yes thriller that will get you in the mood you need to enjoy the rest of the outstanding songs on this CD. "Time and a Word" and "Going for the One" are expertly performed and live up to their original studio recordings. However, the main reason to buy Yes Shows is for "Gates of Delirium." Powerful, intense, and soothing, Gates will satisfy any Yes fan. It's my favorite song on this album that no fan of the band should go without listening to. Disk 2 then opens with "Don't Kill the Whale," yet another example of the band's extreme level of talent. From there, Yes Shows goes into Tales from Topographic Oceans's "Ritual." A rather lengthy song, but a definite mind blowing tune. The album then closes with the moving "Wonderous Stories." Basically, you simply cannot consider yourself a true Yes fan until you've heard Yes Shows. It's really that good.

The 2 CD set I received was the 2010 Japanese reissue, with obi strip and the 2 additional bonus tracks on CD 2 as hidden tracks. A really nice package, if you can find it. The sound quality is far superior to my original lp, which couldn't come close to the low end of this remaster.

I remember being very disappointed at the sound quality of this album when it came out. Compared to Yessongs, which is one of the great live recordings, it is a very dry soundboard recording. I assume these songs were plucked as being the best performances for all three years and songs represented, which they very well may be. But at the time of taping, they were simply not intended for release. They are unattended board recordings used for reference.

I believe what we get here is a greater show than YESSONGS (I don't really like the live liberties they took with those older pieces).

"The Gates of Delirium" here is simply a crusher of a number. It retools the stilted, metallic, proto-Industrial studio cut from 1974 and sweeps you away with the jamming intensity of a dinosaur prog-rock powerhouse. Both versions are fine, but this is my favorite. It'll rock the house like nothing you've ever heard; it leaves me breathless every time. The BEST version of "Soon" to be found: not too short, not too long and fanciful. As for some other reviews, I'm astonished: I've never heard an out-of-place note on this one. Kudos also to Chris Squire for having the heart to make this album in 1980 (he did the mixing) -- we get an unsloppy version of each song!

"Time and a Word" on the original album of that name was BADLY in need of a face-lift, which it really gets here, making it a sweet joy and a place to gather energy for the next tracks.

All the songs from GOING FOR THE ONE are as good or better than the studio tracks. The version of "Going" here is when Jon could hit those high and sustained notes repeatedly within the whole song (before his voice started breaking on this very song). Let's be thankful for this record!

"Ritual" does NOT outdo the studio version, but the liberties it takes haven't aged so badly. Alan's savage, vociferous vocal tricks on the middle section ("the battle of good and evil"?) are pretty scary at first, and you won't know what the hell it is or who's doing it.

Overall, no Yes fan should be without this set. Don't even think of Keys to Ascension...get this! The classic lineup of Yes after the first ABWH album ceases to be of any importance except that they occasionally rise to a very respectful level in playing the Old Stuff.