for YES fans in preparation of new album
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Topic: for YES fans in preparation of new album
Posted By: Michael678
Subject: for YES fans in preparation of new album
Date Posted: May 15 2014 at 14:49
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all YES fans who are waiting for the new album "Heaven & Earth", long-time and new ones alike, these articles are for you!! http://www.progrockmag.com/news/2014-05-15/yes-detail-heaven-earth-release" rel="nofollow - http://www.progrockmag.com/news/2014-05-15/yes
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Replies:
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 15 2014 at 21:43
| I'm a bit aprehensive about the way albums are recorded now. Because of what Davison said that they even were more than one of them working in the studio at the same time, while Downes and White were sending their recordings from other cities, etc. I still feel that something must be lost if they don't make the music together, something of the interaction between the musicians, I feel it makes the end result more plastic, lifeless. But of course this is more the norm than the exception this days, we'll just have to see how this comes out. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 16 2014 at 00:24
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^ I agree with Dellinger's sentiments here. I'm not a big fan of these projects where the musicians involved are 'working from home and submitting their parts in' . There is a degree of unity and teamwork lost in this process. I think Ayreon works like this, and most of the 'star studded' projects Billy Sherwood is involved in.
One thing I have to say, Roger Dean hasn't lost his edge, and I loved the previous Fly From Here album so I have faith in this new release with Davison now. |
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: May 16 2014 at 06:48
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Its a must to get hold of this when it arrives - though I am not as excited these days. They are not passed their used by date but its just not the same now sadly. ------------- 
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Posted By: Clepsydra
Date Posted: May 16 2014 at 06:54
I agree 100%  |
Dellinger wrote:Posted By: LakeGlade12
Date Posted: May 16 2014 at 15:42
There are three songs in the 9-10 min range so it should have some Prog in it for sure. I have a feeling this will be like another The Ladder. Competent Yes but not amazing. But then again Magnification and Keystudio were great so I'm hopeful 
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Posted By: raeloneq
Date Posted: May 16 2014 at 16:07
I think they lost something when Anderson left. Yes is not Yes without Jon.
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 16 2014 at 20:59
| Well, of course they lost something when Anderson left... or rather was kicked out. However, I still hope this album will come out interesting enough. Also, I'm expecting/hoping it will come out better than the Sherwood albums, somehow I have the impression that Davison's capabilities as a writer will be more rewarding than Sherwood's, but we'll see. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 17 2014 at 06:49
| Also Davison has not forgotten what symphonic prog is. |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 17 2014 at 10:25
Looking forward to the album---liked FFH a lot---unfortunately not crazy about Davidson's voice--especially in the live YouTube from the recent tour--hope his voice sounds better and more nuanced on record---as live, all I can say about it is it is very high ---almost too high---
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Posted By: Clepsydra
Date Posted: May 17 2014 at 19:33
My only hope is that is nothing like The Ladder! 
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 17 2014 at 19:53
| ^ The Ladder was respectable, Magnification a whole lot better, Fly From Here almost as good, this up and coming release with Davison, well, I have faith in this one. Surely the band would've learnt what NOT to do on an album by now.....?? |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 18 2014 at 04:44
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Hopefully the album will be as good as this |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 18 2014 at 09:45
 hate to disagree but that Glass Hammer song is cliche ridden prog drivel---and hope that Yes can come up with something with a fresher sound---people criticize Tales but nearly any 10 minute section of that album is more interesting to me musically than the 11 minutes of Beyond, Within----but thats just my opinion.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 19 2014 at 01:17
 Modern Yes is just so 'Bleh'. FFH is no better than than recent Asia albums imo. In fact I would rather listen to Asia.
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Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: May 19 2014 at 05:07
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Amazing we nearly all differ with opinions as usual :-) FFH was excellent so I am really looking forward to the new album ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 19 2014 at 15:33
| I'll get it as well but I don't have massively high expectations. I hope I'm not coming off as a 'Yes hater' by my last few posts its just that I feel strongly about Davison and GH and wanted to put that over.Yes are the greatest prog band just based on their 70's material and more recent stuff like Keystudio and The Ladder is also very decent. Their last album however is a just a bit average to these ears and a million miles away from their classic material but then so is most music (inc Glass Hammer). |
Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: May 19 2014 at 15:54
I agree. I would rather listen to Yes, the originators, any of the week over copycats like Glass Hammer or Starcastle. ------------- “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 21 2014 at 01:59
Are you talking just classic Yes or all Yes releases?
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Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 21 2014 at 08:33
| For me ---the classics of course---the musicians matter for great Yes---after that anything with Howe playing, with the exception of OYE and Ladder----liked ABWH--thought Mind Drive and That, that is were pretty good---Mag is important album---and enjoyed FFH. After the classic period---there were no perfect albums ---some great songs was the best they could do. |
Posted By: Evolver
Date Posted: May 21 2014 at 13:20
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It's nice to know that clairvoyants are already posting ratings for an album that's not due out for almost a month and a half. ------------- Trust me. I know what I'm doing. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 21 2014 at 15:00
Mind drive yep
. Magnification is interesting as a keyboardless version of Yes and also lead to that wonderfull DVD that I can happily devote a whole afternoon to occasionally. |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 21 2014 at 22:32
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Posted By: Ixtlan
Date Posted: May 28 2014 at 20:09
| Been listening to FFH. "Bumpy Ride" is a useless piece of dreck. I do not think it is as clever as it thinks it is. What do you think? |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 28 2014 at 20:47
As someone who thinks Howe is a guitar god---I thought the same thing the first several times I heard it---I've gotten into it a little but still think it should have been expanded and flesh out considering Howe's endless guitar talents.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 28 2014 at 23:58
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Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 00:53
That whole Fly From Here `prog epic' is more or less a total sham! With the exception of the reprise at the end, it's just a collection of unrelated tracks placed together...and why on earth there's mostly fade-outs between the sections when it's trying to be sold as as an extended `epic' is beyond me. And yes, `Bumpy Ride' is garbage, not even strong enough to make it as a Flower Kings filler piece!
Sigh...of course I'll buy this new album and likely enjoy it for what it is, but is anyone else REALLY expecting this new Yes album will be anything other than slightly fancy pleasant Dad-rock?
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 01:32
I'm hoping for something that is at least ''symphonic'' which FFH is not ( it is dressed up AOR which I alluded to earlier). I suppose it will depend on whether Davison can have a significant influence on the writing side. Undortunately the presence of Downes never bodes well. Pity they couldn't have Oliver Wakeman in the band assuming Rick is no longer interested.
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Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 03:49
------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 09:24
Yeah, I have such mixed feelings about Downes---I know he brings something to the table--but Moraz would be so exciting and they could tour with Relayer---which would bring a freshness to the live performances, even thought I know it won't happen
 ---I just hope on the new one there will be lot's of playing (instrumental parts) because that is what they can do---and not just singing all over the place--- |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 16:20
Ha! Billy Sherwood is intimately involved in Heaven & Earth, he's doing the vocal mixing (at least). I'm willing to keep an open mind with this one....I quite like Davison's vocals on the Glass Hammer CD "Perilous," and he has a real love & respect for Jon Anderson's craft. I'm a bit pensive about the lyrics....really bad prog results when songwriters "push it," as Starcastle did all too often! Their album "Fountains of Light" sounded like one long Hallmark greeting card of prog! (and I knew Starcastle personally, loved 'em). We may start to see Yes morph towards a younger permanent lineup which may include Davison & Sherwood (Davison is an accomplished bassist). I wish they would dump Downes and bring Ollie Wakeman back in!! We shall see! |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 18:23
| SHerwood is the worse thing that ever happened to Yes ---so why anyone would want him to take over an amazing group like Yes is beyond me---I think they call sherwood in because they can get him at a premium when they are running out of money---I mean there was no reason to let him in the band to begin with except that he had a studio lol--and his time with the band was uneventful to say the least---(OYE was a train wreak as most have said) Yes should throw in the towel when Howe, Squire and White want to throw in the towel---I mean I miss Anderson and Wakeman deeply---and suppose they could have called it quits---but as long as Howe is there it has some credibility with me---but the problem with Yes-- and Genesis never made this mistake---they allowed too much second rate talent into the group over the years---and to no good, artistic end. I seriously doubt the owners of the Yes name are going to pass it on to second rate talent--at least I hope not. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 22:16
About the Bumpy Ride thing, I also rather dislike it. Well, after repeated listenings, I have come to dislike it a bit less, but still I wouldn't say I like it. About the Fly From Here being an epic... I completley agree. It doesn't feel like an epic at all, and there's just about no relation between the 3 main songs to make them part of an epic... that was just a very lame excuse for an epic indeed (and I actually like those 3 songs very much). They did include an intro and a reprise to "connect" the songs somehow, but then they would have needed not to fade the songs among them, instead they should have been more cleverly connected between them (as was done in Supper's Ready, which even if they are somewhat different songs within it, they were so well connected that no part of the song would sound right if it were taken apart), and "Bumpy Ride" itself might have played an important role in connecting the whole piece together, but once again, it would need to have been done better. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 22:24
Yeah, I also hope that Davison might actually bring something that has been missing from Yes for a time now, I guess we'll just have to wait. About Oliver, they could have had him, but they prefered to fire him in favor of Downes (greatly at the recomendation of Trevor Horn, because as the band was going to bring back some take-outs from the Drama days he said it would be better those were done with Downes on board). However, I do feel that Oliver was a better keyboard player for the band, and was better able to play the different keyboards from all the keyboard players before him... including Rick himself (I believe he played Rick's parts much better than Downes). And also, I feel he would be better suited for this line-up with Davison. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 29 2014 at 22:33
Yeah, I know about Sherwood. And one of the main things I have disliked about his contributions to Yes, and his writing of his own songs, are the way the vocals sound... kind of tired and, I don't know, there's just something that puts me off... I mean, he actually managed to make Annie Haslam sound terrible and generic on his Prog Collective album. So I hope his duties on this album won't enable him to ruin it too. I had also thought that Davison and Sherwood (and Oliver if they would have him back and he was willing to do so too) might make for a nice base for the continuation of Yes (which some of it's members themselves have expressed of as a possibility, or a dream, or something)... but because of the songwriting thing with Sherwood I'm not so sure about him. I would mainly like him in the band as a bass player, since I heard some nice things on some CIRCA songs I searched on YouTube (I don't think he would make a good enough guitar player for the band, either), but if you say that Davison is a good bass player himself, then perhaps it would be better that he took those responsabilites instead (though Yes doesn't need a good bass player, but an excellent one, at the very least). |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: May 30 2014 at 06:42
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 30 2014 at 21:19
Oh no, we are talking about the very hipothetical assumption that Yes may carry on even after all the original or classic members of the band have gone (which even some of them have hinted as having thought about the possibility - at least Wakeman as Squire). And indeed Yes has one of the best bass players around in rock... or at least he was, but I guess he remains reasonably excellent. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 30 2014 at 22:35
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Sherwood, although rather commercially-minded, is quite a decent bass player. His playing on the recent Nektar album is superb. I haven't heard any of the Prog Collective albums yet, but I intend to change that real soon.
And Downes is excellent on the keys, I don't get why many folks diss him ?? |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 31 2014 at 03:17
For me its nothing to do with lacking ability but more his influence on the direction of the music.
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Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 01:09
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Here's one of the songs from the new Yes album: https://soundcloud.com/thecheezmusic/01-believe-again-radio-rip" rel="nofollow - https://soundcloud.com/thecheezmusic/01-believe-again-radio-rip I'm not sure of the source, but I like what I hear thus far, although Downes' synth solo reeks of Styx-like cheese! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 02:15
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 02:18
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Posted By: Kazza3
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 05:47
| Well Yes have always been pretty positive, but the name of the channel - CheezMusic- says it all. The chorus in particular is very weak, there are some cool enough bits, but really overall exactly as schmultzy as I expected it to be. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 06:11
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If only you knew ........
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Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 07:24
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The tune is a little sickly sweet (wow, real shocker there , and it's not got the most memorable of melodies, sort of just plods along. Sounds better when Chris joins Jon on the chorus. The instrumental section in the middle and finale are nice, if simple. To it's credit, there's quite a lot of keyboard variety
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Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 09:27
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sort of like it after one listen---although I wish instrumental parts would have ripped a little more.
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Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 12:18
I agree! I like this quite a bit more than anything on FFH, and Davison's vocals are a nice contribution. Wish Howe had ripped into a solo, maybe his fingertips are shredded from all the touring they are doing? I'm remaining positive about this....Downes is my least-favorite Yes keyboardist, and his contributions are underwhelming, but at least they are still moving at nearly 70 years old. Here are a few more interviews & notes on the upcoming Yes album "Heaven and Earth" http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/05/31/something-else-speak-peek-yes-believe-again-from-heaven-and-earth-2014/" rel="nofollow - http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/05/31/something-else-speak-peek-yes-believe-again-from-heaven-and-earth-2014/ "In the end, Yes had more material than could fit on the upcoming eight-track album, which Davison says will also have a special-edition bonus track." Cool! Return of the 8-track!!  |
Posted By: Zitro
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 16:02
| Not feeling it =( It limps along for 8 minutes with no energy. I hate those keyboards too. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 20:04
| I'm not so sure about that track. It's got something that kind of puts me off at the beginning, and then the intrumental parts aren't really so beautiful, but I might just need to give it more listens to sink it in. So far, I liked many of the songs from the previous album better, even if they were mostly even poppier, and I actually felt Benoit's voice was more beautiful, even if Davison's actually sounds closer to Anderson's. But I guess it's just to early to form an opinion on the album, however, this song just lowered my expectations one step. |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 20:21
| I know what Dellinger means about the voice--Think Benoits voice was not an exact clone of JA but had it's own nice tones which distinguished it----JD voice is high and actually sounds better recorded than live---where his voice sounds too high and almost shrill---JA never sounded shrill to me---well almost never. lol |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: June 01 2014 at 22:54
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Pass. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 02 2014 at 01:11
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Posted By: Kazza3
Date Posted: June 02 2014 at 01:35
| Agreed, it lacks the power, especially at the top, and can take on a whiny quality. And he has a strange habit of slowly sliding between notes which doesn't help that whiny quality. That said, I don't think the vocals are the problem here, Anderson singing on this wouldn't have made it a good song, to me. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: June 02 2014 at 21:22
I hope you're right and this is among the weaker tracks. However, I would expect the first track to slip to the public should have been a stronger one... and if this is one of the longer songs on the album, that would be something to expect more of the song. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: June 03 2014 at 00:32
| ^ I hope so, too. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: June 03 2014 at 01:34
| Appears to have been removed. I wonder why?! |
Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: June 03 2014 at 02:38
Hmmmmm, was it the rather lukewarm reaction we Archivers mostly gave it?! I think so! 
We're being watched, people! |