A MOONLIT NIGHT IN BUDAPEST

Less than a year after the release of their highly successful concept album, Yesterdays is back, this time with a live concert recording. In a somewhat unconventional fashion, the recording was made during their inaugural tour, featuring material from their debut album, "Moonlit Garden."

Unfortunately, at the time, I was not yet familiar with the band, so this release promised to be a true treat for me, and it did not disappoint. It maintains the high-quality, audiophile sound, and comes in a beautiful digipack package that I've come to expect from them.

What makes this concert special is the presence of Peter Banks, the former guitarist of Yes, who was a special guest for the evening. He performed with his Harmony in Diversity improvisational program. The third act of the evening was Flamborough Head, who had released their Budapest concert album several years prior. Peter Banks surprised Yesterdays at the end of their performance, took the microphone, and spoke very admiringly of them. You can hear this at the end of their YES-inspired song "Seven."

I consider Yesterdays' album "Moonlit Garden" a very strong debut. They stand out as an intriguing Eastern European progressive presence, offering distinctly Hungarian-flavored atmospheres, even though they briefly sing in English on two tracks. The original album has a very acoustic sound, so it's quite interesting that the live recording features hardly any acoustic guitar; instead, a brilliant-sounding Fender Stratocaster and a double-necked guitar enhance the sound.

The beautiful vocals, along with the enchanting flute, make the instrumentation particularly special. Everything falls into place seamlessly, despite this being the fourth concert in the young career of Yesterdays.

The epic-length track "Seven" from the "Moonlit Garden" album is the true highlight of the concert, but I also have a strong fondness for the songs "Hol vagy?" and "Várj még." In comparison to the original version of "So Divine (like Cherrypie)," we get a longer version with a jazzy virtuoso minimoog solo, paying tribute to the band's late keyboardist, Zsolt Enyedi.

Following prog rock traditions, the live concert recording also includes instrumental solo pieces, such as Bogáti- Bokor Ákos's guitar virtuoso performance ("Willow") and Zsolt Enyedi's melancholic and beautiful piano solo ("Memories of Light").

I was delighted to hear the news of Yesterdays releasing this live album, and I'm pleased to see on social media that the band is actively performing again. I hope to have the chance to see Yesterdays live in concert.

I recommend this release to symphonic prog enthusiasts and those who are not deterred by jazzy elements, moods, and even folk-inspired references. A real prog-delight with 4 stars.

Festival in the Netherlands by the hosting musicians from Flamborough Head. It was therefore no surprise that this time, the Dutch band was invited to Hungary. The third act on the bill was Harmony in Diversity, the trio led by original Yes guitarist Peter Banks.

In 2022, Yesterdays' mastermind Ákos Bogáti-Bokor rediscovered the recordings and prepared them for a live CD, which was released in the fall of 2023. The band lineup is almost identical to that of the debut album, with the only change being a new drummer. An interesting side note: all three female musicians apparently got married in the meantime, as their last names have changed, as reflected in the booklets and liner notes.

The Music Just like the musicians, the music played is almost identical to that of the debut, only in a different order. Ákos's acoustic guitar solo piece Ha majd egyszer is now titled Willow. It is followed by Memories of Light, a keyboard solo by the late Zsolt Enyedi, which was not included on Holdfénykert. The only track missing is the title piece Holdfénykert, an acoustic guitar composition accompanied by nightingale song. Perhaps for this reason, the CD is not called Holdfénykert Live but rather A Moonlit Night in Budapest?which, interestingly, means the same in translation.

However, I said earlier that the music is identical to the debut, which is only partly true. While the arrangements have largely remained the same, the performance feels quite different. It's like a pair of twins with contrasting temperaments. Whereas Holdfénykert was a beautifully flowing, lyrically dreamy album?one that evoked the image of wandering through a moonlit garden?this live recording transports the listener to sun-drenched gardens brimming with life. There are still plenty of quiet, shaded spots inviting moments of contemplation before the music picks up again.

The brief opening track, Napfénykert (Sun Garden), starts with a powerful drum intro and an orchestral keyboard fanfare from Zsolt Enyedi's extensive arsenal, soon joined by Ákos Bogáti-Bokor's electric guitar and then the flute. Despite the prominence of keyboards and electric guitar, Yesterdays never lose the unique atmosphere of their compositions. When Emese Fazakas's flute enters, it's as if the waters part to make space for its brilliance. Kinga Molnár's vocals, perfectly suited to the songs, also shine through effortlessly?likely thanks to skillful studio mixing. The only downside is that Dávid Kósa's delicate percussion work is often overshadowed by the drums.

The eight-minute Ne félj! (Do Not Be Afraid) culminates in a spectacular guitar storm by Ákos Bogáti-Bokor.

If one were to compare Yesterdays to another band, Quidam with Emilia Derkowska might come to mind. Like their Polish counterparts, Yesterdays sing primarily in their native language (Hungarian), except for two tracks. This adds to the music's charm and shouldn't be a deterrent?after all, there are two English songs as well. Ultimately, comparisons feel unnecessary, as Yesterdays have a distinctive enough sound of their own.

That said, if I had to find something to criticize, it would be the programmed rhythm that runs through Valahol a térben (Somewhere in Space). However, this is balanced out by the beautiful vocal harmonies later in the track, which also highlight the presence of another strong singer, Tímea Fülöp-Gergely, in the background.

The closing English-language epic, Seven, showcases the full range of guitar and keyboard sounds Ákos and Zsolt bring to the table. The keyboard selection alone includes Hammond, Moog, Mellotron, piano, and organ. After this ten-minute track, which concludes the concert, Peter Banks took to the stage?full of praise for the band and his characteristic humor. Here are a few lines from his speech:

"I just want to say: This band is absolutely fantastic, they really are... I am just another boy and guitar player, but these guys are just so good... such beautiful women... the guys, well, they're okay... I've never heard a band like this before. I think they have a really nice, colorful spirit of the sixties, amazingly good, and they treated us so well, with such courtesy, and... I just... it's good!"

Coming from the founding Yes guitarist, these words alone are praise enough?I might as well have skipped writing this review altogether!

For anyone curious about how Moonlit Garden sounds under the bright sunlight, this live recording is a must-listen. The album is available on the band's Bandcamp page. The CD comes in an elegantly designed digipak with a richly illustrated 20-page booklet, featuring liner notes from the event organizer, the singer, and Ákos himself.

Peter Banks passed away in 2013; Zsolt Enyedi in 2020. This album is dedicated to both of them.

I am a sucker for Eastern European prog. Here, I said it. I've been following Yesterdays for a few years now so I jumped on their new live CD release.

It's easy to research the background info since the band is very active on social media. The presence of Peter Banks of YES makes this live album even more special, you can even hear Peter's voice at the end. So cool.

A Moonlit Night in Budapest is a well documented live version of the band's debut album Moonlit Garden or Holdfénykert in Hungarian. Always liked this album, it has a unique acoustic atmosphere, lots of acoustic guitars, piano, mellotron, flutes and even some analog synths.

What we are witnessing here is a young band searching for their musical style and I must say, they were on the right path. This live version of their first album got them even closer to their biggest influence: YES!

I suggest starting with their very well written epic called Seven. This tune has everything a prog fan needs. A powerful symphonic prog intro with ultra virtuoso moog solos, calming flute passages, great multiple vocals, polyrhythms, great dynamics. I think this song might be one of the best Yesterdays songs ever!

Várj még is another high point of this live CD with its beautiful minimoog solo at its ending. Beautiful flute and vocal work in this one.

Hol vagy is one of the deeper cuts from the Moonlit Garden album and it really shines in this live version. Intimate, vulnerable and the ending part is beautiful... the piano's crazy rhythm, the jazzy chords, the dreamy, creamy moog melody over it before the ending vocal are stepping in. I love this song.

The to solo numbers are fantastic. Akos Bogati-Bokor is a big fan of Mr. Steve Howe. No surprise here. Zsolt Enyedi played a beautiful piano piece too. So much beauty and sadness in this one.

All in all A Moonlit Night in Budapest is a nice addition to any symphonic prog fan's collection. It plays on repeat in my car for a few days, and now I know all the words of Seven. Highly recommended!

A live concert album truly shows how much a band is worth. In the studio, anything can be achieved, but the real measure is the stage performance. I was eagerly anticipating how Yesterdays' first album, 'Holdfénykert,' would sound on this CD, performed live. The studio album's intimate acoustic sound fortunately translates very excitingly in an electric version as well. Apart from the acoustic solo guitar piece, they do not use an acoustic guitar, but the Stratocaster and the 12-string guitar solve the sound with beautiful tones. I really like it!

The first song, 'Napfénykert,' (also the opening tune on the studio album) is a great little instrumental prog rock song with interesting rhythmic patterns, soaring flute, and a virtuoso guitar solo, during which the mellotron sounds wonderfully.

'Várj még' is a long-building lyrical composition with delicate female vocals, soft flute, and, at the end of the song, an energetic MiniMoog solo. In my opinion, this version sounds better than the studio original.

'So Divine' again surpasses the studio version, longer and more exciting, more dynamic. The Moog solo in the middle is crazy and fantastic at the same time!

'Végtelen' showcases Yesterdays' jazzier side, with a playful rhythm that turned out very well.

'Ne félj' is also much stronger here than the studio version was. The interesting thing about this song is that instead of a guitar solo, we hear singing through a microphone plugged into a guitar effect with a lot of distortion, resembling an analog synthesizer sound but even more interesting. I really like this solution, and I would love to see more of it live. Completely crazy!

The next two songs follow the tradition of progressive rock concerts: a guitar solo piece and a piano piece with genuine Yesterdays vibes.

'Hol vagy' is one of my favorites from the 'Holdfénykert' album; the flute sounds even more beautiful here than in the original, and the rhythm that closes the song also sounds more dynamic live.

'Valahol a térben' was the band's first success and hit in Romania and Hungary, occasionally appearing on the radio, and they even made a music video for it.

The concert album ends with 'Seven,' which is still a true Yesterdays classic. They reshaped the beginning, just like Yes did with the 'And You And I' in the 'Yessongs' version... it doesn't start acoustically but borrows chords from the song's chorus and features a lot of Moog. The effect is stunning. In the middle of the song, they brought in 'Yes's 'Time and a Word' (because Peter Banks was present...) which, of course, had to be cut from the official album release for copyright reasons, but the edit was done well, and you can hardly notice. In my opinion, this song is still one of the best Yesterdays creations to this day, a true symphonic prog gem. I always recommend this one to those who are not familiar with Yesterdays.

All in all, this is a very successful live concert album; it well documents the great musical potential that Yesterdays had from the beginning of their career. I enjoy listening to it very much, and I warmly recommend this concert album to everyone. I could also say that this is Yesterdays' 'Yesterdayssongs' album. I rate it a strong four stars.

Step by step I started discovering the music of Yesterdays, indeed, going back in time. Following their Saint-Exupéry álma CD the first album, "Holdfénykert" followed, as well as the concert version, "A Moonlit Night in Budapest", which although released this year, takes the listener back to 2007.

The MiniProg Festival was hosted by three bands: Yesterdays, Flamborough Head and Peter Banks' Harmony in Diversity. This was one of Peter Banks' last concerts... in Budapest on February 25, 2007.

The charm of Yesterdays' first album was that it was presented to the prog audience with very acoustic, intimate music, while it was delivered live with an electric version. Anyone who is familiar with the studio version is expected to have a lot of exciting surprises, not only are the songs stronger in sound, but there are also structural changes, extra speakers, strange sounds (like the guitarist's "MouthMoog" solo at the end of Ne félj, is something unheard in progressive rock).

In the concert recording we hear a young band, which is also interesting because today Yesterdays has grown into a very mature, strong band. However, it is exciting to see, to hear, where they came from, what their initial musical influences were. The influences by Yes, Genesis, Camel were felt in 2006, 2007, but there were also a lot of folk and jazz elements in their music. Now they are moving on the sophisticated music line of symphonic progressive rock, a bit like hearing Yes using a female singer :).

The highlight of the concert CD - for me - was the epic song Seven. It contained everything that is now so Yesterdays branded: virtuoso analog synthesizer solos, mellotrons, great drumming, Steve Howe-inspired guitar playing and a lot of flute melodies. And in this song's structure there are the many exciting rhythm-changes, polyrhythm, and despite the long song structure, it does not contain empty, boring parts, but immediately grabbing the attention of the listener with melodic vocals, catchy choruses, recurring themes and an ending comparable to Starship Trooper, just like the Würm part, only - of course - in 7/8, which is also indicated by the title of the song.

Fantastic concert album by a talented young band that is at the beginning of their career. I also recommend it to those who only got in touch with the music of Yesterdays' concept album from 2022.

It appears that Yesterdays is making a comeback. Beginning with their concept album "Saint-Exupéry álma" and the unfortunate loss of their keyboard player, the band has now assembled a new live line-up and is set to hit the road in 2024. In homage to their history, they have released a live CD from 2007, a performance where they shared the stage with YES founding guitarist Peter Banks.

Yesterdays' debut, "Holdfénykert," was an intimate and predominantly acoustic album released in 2006. During the tour for that album, the songs truly came to life, and this live CD is a fantastic way to showcase the band's ability to elevate their music, pushing boundaries and improvising new solos. At that time, the band was quite youthful, with most members being new to the prog scene. Only the guitarist and keyboard player were prog enthusiasts, proudly wearing their influences on their sleeves. Ákos demonstrated clear Steve Howe influences, while Zsolt's virtuoso Moog melodies paid direct tribute to Rick Wakeman. They even kicked off the concert with a few chords from YES' "Parallels."

"A Moonlit Night in Budapest" can be considered Yesterdays' Yes(terdays)songs. All the tracks gained power and energy in their live versions. As a fan of their debut album, I found these changes to be truly captivating and intriguing. One of the most fascinating parts, for me, is the crazy "MouthMoog" solo at the end of "Ne félj." Essentially, it involves a microphone plugged directly into a fuzz box with a significant amount of gain and delay, resulting in an unbelievably good sound. Such creativity is refreshing, and I look forward to similar experiments in the future.

"A Moonlit Night in Budapest" stands out as a well-produced live album, serving as a beautiful tribute to Peter Banks and Zsolt Enyedi, capturing a memorable show from 2007. Highly recommended for fans of Yesterdays, and if you appreciate symphonic prog from Hungary, this live CD is a must-listen for you!