YESSONGS

This was recorded largely on the post-Close to the Edge tour (in which Alan White took over the drums, after Bruford quit right before the tour), although some tracks were recorded earlier with Bruford. On the whole, Yes didn't play too many of their songs differently than on their albums, and most of the songs here keep close to the studio versions. However, there are some exceptions. The important ones are "Long Distance Runaround" and "The Fish". These begin with a different intro, and The Fish of course would change shape with each tour. Notably, Bruford is the drummer on these tracks, which is a very nice gift to those of us who love listening to his drumming, since there would be no more opportunities (at least until Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe in the 1980s) to hear Bruford interpret this music. These are the two best tracks on this album. Other notable tracks here are Wakeman's solo section (excerpts from his solo album 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII'), and the last two tracks ("Yours is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper") for the Steve Howe solos. I wish that Yes would take more liberties with their own music - a critique that has continued throughout their multi-decade career. But at least we have this on Long Distance Runaround/The Fish. An important document, and of course the music is excellent, this being a collection of some of Yes' best compositions. But the sound quality is not so hot - it takes away somewhat from the performances. I give this 8.5 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to 4 PA stars.

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