I Talk To The Wind: Prog Blog and Reviews

Aw, micky, been developing your use of the edit button?

micky wrote: jimmy_row wrote: re: Tony Kaye & The Yes Album     I get the feeling I'm the only one here that really likes...loves that one.  I think that if they would have kept going with Kaye they would still have made it "big", perhaps not the way they did with Wakeman, but we'd be talking about them nonetheless.  Now, I'm a huge fan of all kinds of vintage keys, so Wakeman is like the king of '70s English prog, but there's something about Kaye's style that I really like (...and I'm usually not into the more "one-dimensional" players, ie. those guys that relied solely on hammond organ in the early 70s).  That big blocky sound that you talked about Rob, I love it...maybe my favorite tone of all the hammond players (IMO it trounces all over many of the better musicians).  I would probably give The Yes Album 4 stars whereas Fragile would be 4.5 and CttE 5, so in the end I think that Kaye could've stretched out more as the music demanded but it doesn't hut, overall, that much. check my review of it You aren't the only one hahha and agree 100% with that

okay...I was a little bit surprised on that one Actually I think we have very similar preferences with music (or at least prog) the only big diversion of course being Genesis, and also that yucky Krautrock stuff (I'm going to ignore Duran Duran...damnit I shouldn't even mention them here, sincere apologies to Rob - I didn't mean to ruin your thread).  My intro to Yes outside radio was several years ago when they were repackaging the classic albums.  They started getting heavy FM airplay because of this and I remember falling in love with Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, and South Side.  I started with that 3 cd anniversery set, and needless to say the second track (Yours is No Disgrace) absolutely blew my mind; the intro is still one of my top  prog moments period.  As a newbie, I couldn't really notice any difference between the blonde dude with funny capes and the original guy, so I agree with your review Mick, the player probably didn't matter that much at that point (Moraz was a different story) because the other trademarks were in place with Howe on board.

jimmy_row wrote: : Tony Kaye & The Yes Album  I get the feeling I'm the only one here that really likes...loves that one.  I think that if they would have kept going with Kaye they would still have made it "big", perhaps not the way they did with Wakeman, but we'd be talking about them nonetheless.  Now, I'm a huge fan of all kinds of vintage keys, so Wakeman is like the king of '70s English prog, but there's something about Kaye's style that I really like (...and I'm usually not into the more "one-dimensional" players, ie. those guys that relied solely on hammond organ in the early 70s).  That big blocky sound that you talked about Rob, I love it...maybe my favorite tone of all the hammond players (IMO it trounces all over many of the better musicians).  I would probably give The Yes Album 4 stars whereas Fragile would be 4.5 and CttE 5, so in the end I think that Kaye could've stretched out more as the music demanded but it doesn't hut, overall, that much.

I've always found Kaye's style likeable, but I think it wasn't *able* to do what Wakeman's range of every keyed instrument known to man could. Even on the organ parts, Wakeman's style has seemed more sophisticated and versatile (to me, and I don't know much about keyboards, despite learning to play them). Basically, I think that if Kaye'd continued with them, he'd really have had to make more use of the moog and develop his piano stylings somewhat. I think they'd have improved from TYA, certainly, but I don't think they'd have become the masterly group they did.

okay...I was a little bit surprised on that one Actually I think we have very similar preferences with music (or at least prog) the only big diversion of course being Genesis, and also that yucky Krautrock stuff (I'm going to ignore Duran Duran...damnit I shouldn't even mention them here, sincere apologies to Rob - I didn't mean to ruin your thread).  My intro to Yes outside radio was several years ago when they were repackaging the classic albums.  They started getting heavy FM airplay because of this and I remember falling in love with Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround, and South Side.  I started with that 3 cd anniversery set, and needless to say the second track (Yours is No Disgrace) absolutely blew my mind; the intro is still one of my top  prog moments period.  As a newbie, I couldn't really notice any difference between the blonde dude with funny capes and the original guy, so I agree with your review Mick, the player probably didn't matter that much at that point (Moraz was a different story) because the other trademarks were in place with Howe on board.

I was introduced to them with CTTE and The Yes Album, and then got Fragile-Relayer-GFTO. Just got Drama recently. I did instantly notice the drastic difference in style between TYA and the rest as far as keys went. I've always seen the Caped One's appearance as developing the band from a psychy unit with some good-great moments to a massively sophisticated and polished band. Before Wakeman, the building blocks were there, but the cement wasn't.

jimmy_row wrote: I agree that Kaye ultimatly wasn't versatile enough, and Jon & Chris certainly knew that, hence the solution.

it wasn't that he wasn't versatile...  he could play the hell out of a Moog. I have an album on which he plays that.. a Jazz album none the less




Edited by micky - May 24 2008 at 19:31

Album: In the U.K./Is It In
Artist: Eddie Harris
1999 Collectables Records Corp.
CD: COL-CD-6241

Eddie Harris: electric sax (all), electric trumpet (1, 6), singing (through his horn) (1), acoustic piano (6-13), electric piano (7-13), vocals (7-13)
Albert Lee: guitars (1-6)—solos on (1, 4)
Neil Hubbard: guitars (1, 2)
Jeff Beck: guitars (3, 4)—solo on (4)
Zoot Money: electric piano (1, 2)
Stevie Winwood: electric piano (3-6)
Tony Kaye: Moog synthesizer (5, 6)
Raymond ("Boz") Burrell: bass (1-3)
Rick Grech: bass (4)
Chris Squire: bass (5, 6)
Alan White: drums (1, 2, 5, 6)
Ian Paice: drums (3, 4)
Lofy Amao: congas (3, 4)
Ronald Muldrow: guitar (7-13), guitorgan (7-13)
Rufus Reid: electirc bass (7-13), string bass (7-13)
William James: drums (7-13), electric bongos (7-13)
 

Produced by Geoffrey Haslam
Executive producer: Nesuhi Ertegun (1-6)
 

Tracks:
In the U.K.
1. Baby [E. Harris] (6:45)
2. Wait a Little Longer [E. Harris] (4:12)
3. He's Island Man [E. Harris] (2:25)
4. I've Tried Everything [E. Harris] (8:13)
5. I Waited for You [Charles Stepney] (5:48)
6. Conversations of Everything and Nothing [E. Harris] (15:54)

Is It In
7. Funkaroma [E. Harris/Muldrow/Reid/James] (5:00)
8. Is It In [Muldrow] (3:35)
9. It's War [E. Harris/Muldrow/James] (6:20)
10. Space Commercial [E. Harris/Muldrow/James] (5:28)
11. Look Ahere [Sara E. Harris] (3:48)
12. These Lonely Nights [S. E. Harris] (5:46)
13. Tranquility & Antagonistic [S. E. Harris] (4:15)

jimmy_row wrote: micky wrote: jimmy_row wrote: I agree that Kaye ultimatly wasn't versatile enough, and Jon & Chris certainly knew that, hence the solution. it wasn't that he wasn't versatile...  he could play the hell out of a Moog. I have an album on which he plays that.. a Jazz album none the less yea, I meant that he didn't WANT to play anything other than ol' reliable and who can blame him with the sound he got out of it...but for the band he was in, it's obvious that they needed more.  I haven't heard that jazz album, or the Badger one but I bet they're interesting.   Actually now that I think about it, Kaye did a pretty good job with a bigger setup for Drama (I tend to forget that was him)

Drama? Wasn't that Geoff Downes?

Rob.. something I want you to take a listen to ..and tell me what you think.

the TOP album on my wish list...  the sample absolutely was .. well.. what I love prog for.

Tuz recomended this to me.. tell me what you think of the sample

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=12729

It does.. good ear 

it is a hard one to find.. Tuz gave me some links to find it.. I'll pass them on to you

oh btw.. that other classical piece .. the William Tell Overture hahahha

here you go.. expensive... which honestly.. is why I have not got it yet... 

however I found a copy for half that just this week.. but that link is mine ...  plus I talked to Tuz.. it may not be a legal copy. Thus I will probably get it.. and if it's legit.. I'll share the link.  For $9... I can afford to be 'taken' on one purchase..

it is a Russian issue...  and he's not sure if it ever was officially released on a Russian label. So not sure the story there. or quality.. for all I know I'll get a CD-R of Olga and her grandson getting freaky in a wood hut

anyway.. the link Tuz gave me..

http://www.polishmusic.ca/skok/cds/polskie/grupy/s/skaldowi/skaldowi.html