Solo Yes better off as Yes albums? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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BaldJean

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Posted: July 30 2016 at 12:17

"Olias of Sunhilliow" is the only Jon Anderson album I like, but that one is a 5 star album

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Manuel

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Posted: July 30 2016 at 08:51

The classical YES period would have indeed help some solo albums by it's members, like Rick Wakeman's King Arthur, or Jon Anderson's Olias, etc, but these albums also helped them develop their skills as composers, and allowed them to experiment and grow outside of the band, thus helping the YES sound all over.

moshkito

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Posted: July 30 2016 at 08:36

omphaloskepsis wrote:

"It's all talk" I see what you did there.

I prefer the sterling musicianship of classic YES. But without Jon the threadbare YES lacks compositional skills.

I would rather suggest they lack compositional ideas and concepts ... to get their work put together. Skills, they have, but making those skills "make sense" in a way that is not just a show off of your abilities, is another story!

I always thought, though not the actual case, that "Olias of Sunhillow" should have been the next YES album and with Vangelis replacing Rick Wakeman, which would have made it all ... really different and quite interesting. I played "Olias" as much as "TFTO" at the time when it came out, when no one else was listening to it, and the radio station in Santa Barbara (with one exception) thought the album was just noisy crap, when in actuality it even hinted at a lot of stuff that became "world music".

You wanna talk about experimental and creative?

Edited by moshkito - July 30 2016 at 08:39

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Progosopher View Drop Down

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Posted: July 29 2016 at 23:42

I think much of Jon Anderson's later music would benefit from the bigger sound of Yes as a whole. The other solo works stand on their own merits (or lack thereof). Yet Anderson has done some stellar work; Olias of Sunhillow is one of my favorite albums ever. I appreciate him as an artist who has experimented with different styles and sounds. Not all have worked out equally, but is that not the nature of artistry?

The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"

twosteves

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Posted: July 29 2016 at 22:40

Classic Yes was great because it was a collaboration---sum of it's parts. Yes solo stuff is overall not great---of course there are a few moments here and there---other than Bruford who had a long stellar career.

Dellinger

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Posted: July 29 2016 at 20:59

The Living Tree would have benefited a lot from the rest of the band doing their thing. At least "Morning Star" and "Anyway and Always".

uduwudu

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Posted: July 29 2016 at 20:40

omphaloskepsis wrote:

"It's all talk" I see what you did there.

I prefer the sterling musicianship of classic YES. But without Jon the threadbare YES lacks compositional skills.

So it would seem. A lot falls on Steve Howe's poor old shoulders. ARW seem to have an abundance of writing skills. Time for a union. Eventually.

The sterling musician ship is what might have elevated some solo albums from the doldrums...

omphaloskepsis View Drop Down

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Posted: July 29 2016 at 19:32

"It's all talk" I see what you did there.

I prefer the sterling musicianship of classic YES. But without Jon the threadbare YES lacks compositional skills.

uduwudu

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Posted: July 29 2016 at 18:51

Idle speculation time I suppose but what the hell. I've a CD (free) from Jon Anderson containing selections from his solo album outtakes. Did anyone ever get that box set? To me it was blindingly obvious that his fine songs and workman like backing were crying out for the instrumental splendour of Yes to bring them into fruition.

Anyway. What I wondered and based on the ideas sketched out on his outtake CD is what solo Yes member albums would have been better off as Yes albums? Do they have that potential? The sum being the greater than the parts and all that. Any solo album or even parallel career albums e.g Richard Wakeman's material which may have been (even) better as a Yes album. Of course these might be very long albums...

This "idea" was aided by reading (Master Group's debut thread) how certain primo type guitarists (Latimer) may not be entirely the best, or even a good singer. But while that is sadly true, at least he never sank to the worst level of prog vocal (Steve Howe singing "Australia" on Beginnings. Yikes). However, would Beginnings have been made a better Yes album? Olias? How about Ramshackled? Not heard that in such a long time and recall being somewhat appalled at the content. Still some like it and I am prepared to be mistaken and corrected. I like Squire's album and even shelled out for the remaster though I still think JA would have been the (my) first choice of singer. Really good singers are few.

So... Yes albums that could've been? Or not. Heaven knows there may be Yes albums that should not be (just the last one for me anyway).

I suppose this might stimulate ideas for fictional rearrangements. It's all talk. Wink