The Ultimate Yes [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Yes

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 27, 2004)
• Original Release Date: January 27, 2004
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B00016XNZM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,676 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
In its day, the British prog-rock band Yes's three-letter name was a four-letter word to many diehard rock & roll fans. In time, though, its musical hallmarks have become intrinsic to college radio, that arbiter of cool. Its epic instrumental suites foretold jam bands, and its rapturously twee vocals were echoed in later groups like the Flaming Lips and the Polyphonic Spree. Packed into this three-CD set are tracks dating from Yes's origin as a uniquely virtuosic folk-rock act, covering Simon & Garfunkel's "America" of all things, to its resurrection in the mid-1980s in the hands of producer Trevor Horn, who would later gain renown with Art of Noise and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In between are its cornerstone hits, the suite-like "I've Seen All Good People," "Long Distance Runaround," and "Yours Is No Disgrace." Inevitably, the later work, from the early 1990s on, fails to match the joy and rawness of the earlier recordings (sounds amplified thanks to remastering), but there are some new treats, including a spirited acoustic rendition of the band's signature "Roundabout." --Marc Weidenbaum

Product Description
Full title. The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection. Limited US version includes a bonus disc that features, Roundabout - (previously unreleased, acoustic), Show Me - (previously unreleased), South Side Of The Sky - (previously unreleased, acoustic), Australia - (previously unreleased, solo acoustic) and New World Symphony - (previously unreleased). Three CD's, 31 tracks in total, packaged in gatefold digipak. Warner. 2004.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

216 of 226 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This True Yes Fan Is Getting Tired..., February 26, 2004

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

Before I begin, let me say to all the true die-hard Yes fans out there, "I am one of you". So please don't think that I am just some bitter newbie who joined up with the band in the 80's. Nope, I've been around - buying every album, compilation, box set, and remastered recording that Yes has released, as well as attending every tour for the last 15-20 years. And it is because I have been such a true fan that I am getting so frustrated.

Let's look at the facts. Since 1991, Yes has released 4 complete albums of new material (5 if you count Keystudio). In that same time, they have released 6 box sets or compilations which re-hash already released material. And with each new compilation comes a little sampling of new material that forces us to buy the entire catalog of songs that we have already purchased. To make matters worse, Rhino has, over the last year, re-released 11 Yes albums, each with another sampling of new material. So we are forced, yet again, to re-buy all of the same albums we already own. And then, just when we thought we had enough, they give us 2 box sets in as many years and include, once again, samplings of new material. Now, they could have just as easily taken ALL of the new material and put out a disc of completely unreleased material. But then they wouldn't get as much of our money that way, now would they? Of course, it's not all Rhino's fault because this seems to be an old Yes trick (see the 2 live Keys To Ascension albums that had new bonus material thrown on the end or the 3 Magnification releases that each had a different bonus disc of previously unreleased live material).

So, aside from feeling completely cheated and ripped off, what is this latest 3-disc compilation really like? Well, the first disc consists of the classic era songs - great of course, but definitely nothing new. The second disc contains the later era songs - right up through Maginification. Now, I love the fact that I have one disc that contains more recent material because I happen to love the 80's and 90's versions of this band. However, the choice of tracks is questionable at best. I don't mean that they chose the wrong songs, but, rather, the wrong versions. For example, they included edited versions of It Can Happen, Big Generator, The Calling, and Homeworld. But, unfortunately, they are terrible edits - cutting where they shouldn't cut and fading out in all the wrong places. And after being treated to butchered versions of these great songs, the disc closes with the full version of Maginfication which, in my opinion, is one of their weaker songs.

But the greatest dissapointment, contrary to what other reviewers have said, is Disc 3. This disc includes acoustic versions of Roundabout and South Side Of The sky as well as some other acoustic pieces that were clearly just thrown on to get us to buy "new material". The pieces, in my opinion, show very little creativity and come off as more of an impromptu jam session than as well-thought out pieces of music that the fans of this band have come to expect - and might I add, deserve. And to add insult to injury, the disc is only about 20 minutes long. So it hardly qualifies as a "3-Disc" set. Once again - the fans are cheated.

So, in conclusion, I do not mind the occassional marketing trick to get people to buy new albums. But, enough is enough. Again, just do the math: Yes has released 27 albums since Union in 1991, and, including KeyStudio only 5 of them have been new. C'mon guys. We're getting fed up. And we deserve better.

So, if anyone associated with Yes cares to listen, let me just say that I will always be a Yes fan, but I am done being a Yes customer.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Umpteenth Repackaging of "Roundabout" and Others, February 7, 2004

By	Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Don't get me wrong. I've been a huge fan of Yes since the beginning. I eagerly snatched up YESYEARS in 1992, and with nearly an hour's worth of rarities it was a box set worth adding to my collection. When the 5-CD IN A WORD came out in 2002, I bought it, too. It not only broadened the scope of the earlier box, it brought it up do date covering the previous ten years. Now, however, Rhino/Elektra is asking me to shell out more money for essentially a condensed version of IN A WORD? I don't think so.

Other than the third disc of previously unreleased versions--mostly acoustic, there are only four tracks from the first two discs not found on IN A WORD. Obviously the third disc was meant to entice the die-hard fan, but it strikes me as nothing short of extortion by the record company and I'm not buying. If you're a casual fan and don't own either of their previous box sets, I'd say go for it. ULTIMATE YES probably includes everything you really need. For the serious fan, it depends on how deep your pockets are.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the money for the bonus disc alone!, January 27, 2004

By	Evil Lincoln (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

There's not much to say about the quality of the music contained within The Ultimate Yes- it's great, of course. The song selection is very good, with every Yes studio album except their eponymous debut, Tales From Topographic Oceans, and Keystudio represented. Of course we can nitpick about what songs deserved to be on this collection and weren't (cough, cough, Beyond And Before, cough), but this is the best attempt thus far at a Yes best-of.

I applaud Yes for putting some lesser-known material on here. Their 2001 Magnification album, which sold like a lead balloon, was still hailed as wonderful by those who did buy it (including myself), and putting the title track on here might help to boost its profile. And just when I'm beginning to wonder if Yes will ever acknowledge the existence of their 1980 masterpiece Drama- which singer Jon Anderson did not perform on- they put "Tempus Fugit" on this collection. Great move. That song had the potential to be *huge* when it came out, and it is a real gem in the Yes catalogue.

And I must add, the sound quality on all of these songs is amazing.

There are a few edited tracks on the album. "Soon," the finale of "The Gates Of Delirium," is edited to include a minute and a half more of the song that the previous single edit version. It's an improvement, but "Soon" doesn't really work out of the context of the song from which it comes. I think Yes would've done better to include something else from Relayer, like an unedited "Sound Chaser." Oh well. The single edit of "The Calling-" which I've never heard before- doesn't sound right with its reworked intro. I loved the vocal harmonies in the beginning of the song, and this version does away with them. The radio edit of "Homeworld (The Ladder)," I have to admit, is sloppy. I'm not opposed to the idea of the song being edited down to 4:40 from it's full length 9+ minutes, but it's just so poorly edited that even if you've never heard the song before, you can tell exactly where the cuts were made. On the plus side, my favorite Trevor Rabin-era Yes tune, "It Can Happen," is flawlessly edited. The remix of "Big Generator" is good as well, although I would have just preferred a remastered version of the original.

And then there's the matter of the bonus disc. Any die-hard Yes fans who are not planning on buying this collection might want to reconsider- it's worth the price of this collection for this disc alone. Leading off is a jazzy acoustic interpretation of "Roundabout" which will have you clapping your hands along with the band. It's great. Keyboardist- or should I say pianist- Rick Wakeman is front and center on the acoustic version of "South Side Of The Sky." It's drastically different that the studio version, but excellent nonetheless. "Show Me" is a gentle and emotional ballad, which is reminiscent of "Let's Pretend" from the Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album, only- well, better. Concluding the disc are two solo spots, including Steve Howe's reworked acoustic guitar showcase "Australia." The other is Chris Squire's take on "New World Symphony," a bass solo which puts you in the mind of his "Amazing Grace."

All in all, this is a wonderful collection. Anyone remotely interested in Yes should pick it up, as well as longtime fans who will be amazed by the material on the bonus disc.