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lazland 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 28 2008
Location: Wales
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Points: 13795
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 Posted: June 29 2011 at 12:26 |
 Epignosis wrote:
DavetheSlave wrote:
However it isn't really comparible to the Relayer, CTTE era of Yes - anyone expecting a return to those heights will be sorely disappointed.
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Has anybody ever reasonably thought Yes would return to 1972 since Tormato? If Yes hasn't done so yet, why would anyone think they would now?
I mean come on- people here get disgusted when bands emulate the 70s, and now people want Yes- with a new lead singer, no less- to "return" to CTTE or Relayer in 2011.
Get over it, I say, and enjoy the music on its own terms.
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Absolutely. The bizarre thing is that some of the people harking back to these days also profess a hatred of neo-prog for being exactly that.
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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org
Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time!
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MillsLayne
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Joined: September 14 2010
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Posted: June 29 2011 at 21:16 |
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I just got A Dying Man's Hymn in the mail today and have listened to it all the through just once. My initial impressions are very favorable, but I want to be able to listen to the whole thing all the way through without interruption which I didn't get today. I'll just say this: It's not nearly as ambitious as Excavations, but they also aren't trying to duplicate the sound either, which I can appreciate. This is a different album almost entirely and in a good way! :)
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cstack3
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Posted: June 29 2011 at 23:12 |
verslibre wrote:
cstack3 wrote:
What about Yes & "Fly From Here"? I've read PA reviews posted, but I get tired of the "Drama, Part 2" theme over & over.
I haven't heard the entire disc yet, and the samples aren't BAD...however, Howe and Squire really sound mixed down to near irrelevance.
I wasn't much of a Drama fan anyway, will FFH make 2011 a success, or just "meh"? |
I listened to the entirety of Fly From Here, and rather than Drama II, the feeling I got was Asia with Squire and Benoit David replacing Wetton. And you are correct about Howe and Squire. Howe's guitar sounds borderline neutered, and while you can hear Squire's bass, it isn't prominent enough. Too bad because he does have some good basslines (and some ordinary ones).
The material after the title epic is lighter, softer. "Hour Of Need" is very sedate and what might have been a nice Moog synthesizer solo by Oliver Wakeman is mixed so that it sounds irrelevant. The last track is called "Into The Storm" and I felt it may be the best song on the album. While I do consider Fly From Here much better than something like Talk, it's still a bit underwhelming. |
Thanks, that was an excellent review! I intend to give it a good listen, but the antics of the band to this point, including sacking Oliver, leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Then again, thus shall it ever be Yes! "Perpetual Change" & all that.
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DavetheSlave
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Joined: May 23 2007
Location: South Africa
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Posted: June 30 2011 at 03:45 |
Epignosis wrote:
DavetheSlave wrote:
However it isn't really comparible to the Relayer, CTTE era of Yes - anyone expecting a return to those heights will be sorely disappointed.
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Has anybody ever reasonably thought Yes would return to 1972 since Tormato? If Yes hasn't done so yet, why would anyone think they would now?
I mean come on- people here get disgusted when bands emulate the 70s, and now people want Yes- with a new lead singer, no less- to "return" to CTTE or Relayer in 2011.
Get over it, I say, and enjoy the music on its own terms.
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 Note that I said return to those heights - not return to that style or method.
The album is a nice enough album but it just does not blow me away like those earlier Yes albums did upon first hearing them.
In fact - aside from Dream Theater I can't remember being blown away by by almost any new releases over the past few years. Maybe the age of the top rated albums here tells a story.
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infocat
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Joined: June 10 2011
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Posted: June 30 2011 at 20:31 |
DavetheSlave wrote:
Epignosis wrote:
DavetheSlave wrote:
However it isn't really comparible to the Relayer, CTTE era of Yes - anyone expecting a return to those heights will be sorely disappointed.
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Has anybody ever reasonably thought Yes would return to 1972 since Tormato? If Yes hasn't done so yet, why would anyone think they would now?
I mean come on- people here get disgusted when bands emulate the 70s, and now people want Yes- with a new lead singer, no less- to "return" to CTTE or Relayer in 2011.
Get over it, I say, and enjoy the music on its own terms.
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Note that I said return to those heights - not return to that style or method.
The album is a nice enough album but it just does not blow me away like those earlier Yes albums did upon first hearing them.
In fact - aside from Dream Theater I can't remember being blown away by by almost any new releases over the past few years. Maybe the age of the top rated albums here tells a story.
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Releases in the past few years I've been immediately "blown away" by: Diagonal Diagonal [2008] Sky Architect Excavations Of The Mind [2010] Anathema We're Here Because We're Here [2010]
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--
Frank Swarbrick
Belief is not Truth.
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The_Jester
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Joined: September 29 2010
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Posted: June 30 2011 at 20:39 |
Fly From Here is really disapointing, I thought it would have some newer sound to it but it sounds old! WHY! Why can't they make good old prog again! And for the rest of the year it's good but not too much for me. It's not incredible but not that disapointing. Actually I had not felt this year as good for prog. The Luyas made a new album and after that I did not follow the year in prog that much.
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La victoire est éphémère mais la gloire est éternelle!
- Napoléon Bonaparte
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cstack3
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Posted: July 02 2011 at 12:25 |
The_Jester wrote:
Fly From Here is really disapointing, I thought it would have some newer sound to it but it sounds old! WHY! Why can't they make good old prog again! And for the rest of the year it's good but not too much for me. It's not incredible but not that disapointing. Actually I had not felt this year as good for prog. The Luyas made a new album and after that I did not follow the year in prog that much. |
I have to agree, although I haven't heard the album in its entirety yet. Yes (aka Squire) seems to be grasping at straws here, either trying to revisit the Drama era (which, if we recall, was rejected by fans and trashed by crits at the time, although much-adored on PA).
Squire, feh! Really, what has he done, outside of Yes? One decent solo LP back in the '70's (made better by all the Yes-Men on board), a couple of so-so Conspiracy CDs with Sherwood, and what else?
At least Howe participated in Asia and GTR, which managed some really good radio airplay and generated some very good music. From what I can tell, old-school Yes fans are avoiding this version of Yes in droves. Bringing in the Buggles impresses nobody from what I can tell, and the guitar/bass is so far back in the mix, I expect to buy this CD when they clog the specials-bin at the used CD shop!
But, there will be good news in 2011! I just read that both John Wetton AND Brian Eno have new CDs to be issued in days to weeks! I tip my hat to John, perhaps the single most successful prog bassist, ever! And Eno sure is a war-horse!
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MagnumOpus
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Joined: July 03 2011
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Posted: July 05 2011 at 04:19 |
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2011 has been a little disapointing this far, though there are a few albums I enjoy, like the New Beardfish' "Mammoth", Magic Pie's "Suffering Joy" and the new Yes album.
I know a lot of people are disapointed about the new Yes record, but I find it to be a good album, the title suite especially..
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MarkOne
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Joined: August 18 2006
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Posted: July 05 2011 at 06:35 |
I'm obviously going to fall into the minority that like the new Yes album.
Listened through for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed it (A few grand's worth of audio gear really highlight Horn's producer skills. Sound-wise they have a lovely album) But I also enjoyed the songs too. I reckon there are a couple of real 'growers' in there too.
Love the new Neal Morse album.
I hear there's a new Arena album ' The Seventh Degree of Separation' due later in the year. Looking forward to that.
Rob Reed of Magenta is working on a major prog project called Kompendium, with some interesting names from the prog world, with choirs, orchestras and Abbey Road involved.
I'm happy with a year if there are a handful of great albums I enjoy added to my long term playlist.
And of course personally speaking releasing a debut album has made 2011 pretty special for me :)
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cstack3
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Posted: July 05 2011 at 09:36 |
MarkOne wrote:
I'm obviously going to fall into the minority that like the new Yes album.
Listened through for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed it (A few grand's worth of audio gear really highlight Horn's producer skills. Sound-wise they have a lovely album) But I also enjoyed the songs too. I reckon there are a couple of real 'growers' in there too.
Love the new Neal Morse album.
I hear there's a new Arena album ' The Seventh Degree of Separation' due later in the year. Looking forward to that.
Rob Reed of Magenta is working on a major prog project called Kompendium, with some interesting names from the prog world, with choirs, orchestras and Abbey Road involved.
I'm happy with a year if there are a handful of great albums I enjoy added to my long term playlist.
And of course personally speaking releasing a debut album has made 2011 pretty special for me :)
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Very nice, upbeat post, in contrast to mine! I will have to give FFH a good listen with headphones! Please let us know more about your own debut album!! And congratulations! 
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lazland
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 28 2008
Location: Wales
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Points: 13795
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Posted: July 05 2011 at 14:19 |
Okay - Fly From Here downloaded from Amazon this evening for an exceptionally cheap £3.99. First listen now, and the feet are tapping relentlessly, with the head nodding in time.
Review will follow after a few more listens, but my first impression is this. I have insisted to myself that I must put aside my inherent bias just because Anderson (one of my all time heroes) is not here. Having achieved an almost Zen like state doing this, I have to say that the main suite is excellent (rider to this - it is only the first listen), and the new boy sounds far better in the studio than he does in the live clips I've seen of him (the wonders of modern technology  ). overall, therefore, first impressions are favourable. Not a masterpiece by any means, but neither is it awful.
I am, BTW, editing my Drama rating now. One star is unfair, so I will double it.
Edited by lazland - July 05 2011 at 14:22
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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org
Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time!
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MarkOne
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Posted: July 05 2011 at 14:44 |
cstack3 wrote:
Please let us know more about your own debut album!! And congratulations!
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Check out the link in my sig. I won't say too much, don't want to fall foul of any self-promotion limitations that might exist hereabouts. Other than I'm hoping it might find favour with the submission team and make its way into the archive :)
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MillsLayne
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Posted: July 05 2011 at 21:31 |
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I'm listening to Riverside's Memories In My Head as we speak, and this is going to be yet another strong 2011 release. Granted, it's only an EP, so it can't really be album of the year, but it should definitely hold up as a strong release of the year. These guys just keep getting better!
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keiser willhelm
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Posted: July 06 2011 at 23:24 |
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not disappointing because this came out.
[img]http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2011/06/20/bon_iver_bon_iver.jpg?1308586494[img/]
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iluvmarillion
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Joined: February 09 2010
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Posted: July 06 2011 at 23:56 |
lazland wrote:
Okay - Fly From Here downloaded from Amazon this evening for an exceptionally cheap £3.99. First listen now, and the feet are tapping relentlessly, with the head nodding in time.
Review will follow after a few more listens, but my first impression is this. I have insisted to myself that I must put aside my inherent bias just because Anderson (one of my all time heroes) is not here. Having achieved an almost Zen like state doing this, I have to say that the main suite is excellent (rider to this - it is only the first listen), and the new boy sounds far better in the studio than he does in the live clips I've seen of him (the wonders of modern technology ). overall, therefore, first impressions are favourable. Not a masterpiece by any means, but neither is it awful.
I am, BTW, editing my Drama rating now. One star is unfair, so I will double it.
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In Australia, we aren't allowed to download mp3 files from Amazon, so are forced to pay inflated prices on i-Tunes for the pleasure of getting the album early (for Fly From Here the price is Aus $16.99). Otherwise we can pre-order the album on Amazon for US $11.88 which is available from July 12th and wait another month to get the album physically in the hand. The samples of the album have not impressed me so far, so I'm still to make a decision on whether to order the album or not (might wait for it to turn up in the record store - expect that to take a further 2 months).
Your comments regarding Drama, I think the album is better than you make out. It has some great base lines running through it - if it was a Chris Squire solo album I think it would rate more highly. It does run out of ideas by the last track though and the lyrics are awful in parts (Jon Anderson is underrated as a lyricist IMO).
With regard to 2011 so far I think its been a good year. If I'm happy with half a dozen releases in any one year then I'd say its been a good year. Both Mammoth and Testimony 2 to me are 5 star albums and I'm very much looking forward to the new Dream Theater album. Samples so far with the new drummer are very impressive. There's also the new John Wetton album to look forward to.
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TheClosing
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Posted: July 08 2011 at 13:35 |
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Yes, 2011 has been disappointing, but less so in the context that last year was also disappointing.
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Kashmir75
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Posted: July 08 2011 at 19:38 |
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New Opeth, Dream Theater, and solo Steven Wilson coming out in September...looking forward to those.
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Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...
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Garden of Dreams
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Posted: July 08 2011 at 21:57 |
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A new Steve Hackett solo album and live DVD should potentially be out in autumn.
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Just give it all an hour by the concrete lake.
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harmonium.ro
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Posted: July 09 2011 at 04:17 |
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Well, it's starting to get disappointing now. It started out good, better than 2010, but exceptional albums still don't show up. By this time last year we already had all the albums I ended up rating *****. Hopefully the planned albums for Opeth, Mars Volta, Steven Wilson, DorDeDuh, Hella and others will change things.
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silverpot
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Posted: July 09 2011 at 11:37 |
MarkOne wrote:
I'm obviously going to fall into the minority that like the new Yes album.
Listened through for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed it (A few grand's worth of audio gear really highlight Horn's producer skills. Sound-wise they have a lovely album) But I also enjoyed the songs too. I reckon there are a couple of real 'growers' in there too.
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Me too. I've now listened to it a couple of times and it does grow. And I actually really like the new singer, but then I've never been a fan of Jon's voice, quite the contrary in fact.
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2011 - Very disapointing so far?
