LIKE IT IS: YES AT THE BRISTOL HIPPODROME

A live album recorded by YES during their "Three Albums Tour" in 2014, on which they played all the songs from their "The Yes Album", "Close to the Edge" and "Going for the One" studio albums, with a line-up which still consists of Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes and Jon Davison. The songs from their "Close to the Edge" album were not released in this album, so only they released the songs from "The Yes Album" and "Going for the One".

They previously released another live album in 2011 which was recorded in late 2009 by Squire, Howe, White, with Oliver Wakeman on keyboards and Benoit David on lead vocals. But that album has other songs from other albums, not only from the three albums which I mentioned above. So, until now, the band have released two live albums without lead singer Jon Anderson, who had to leave the band in 2008 due to health problems. Rick Wakeman also left the band before Anderson also due to health problems, with both of them not doing long tours for the same reasons. So, Squire, Howe and White since 2008 have to tour without them.

I think that the idea to play full albums on tour is good, and despite the absences of both Anderson and R. Wakeman, the band still sounds well, but different. It is clear for a listener like me that both are not in the band anymore, a thing which is clearer from listening to both live albums. But I think that lead singer Jon Davison`s vocals are more close to Anderson`s vocals in comparison to Benoit David`s , who also is a good singer, but he sounded like he maybe had some problems reaching some high notes in concert. Davison`s vocals sound more "natural" to YES` music, and he even gives with his singing his own "musical personality" to the songs, doing a very good job as lead singer in YES. He seems to not have many problems reaching those very high notes that Anderson sang.

Geoff Downes is also a very good keyboard player, and he also brings his own "musical personality" to these old songs. He sometimes seems to have some problems to find the right sounds of the keyboards to the songs, and some problems in trying to reproduce some parts of the songs from the "Going for the One" album (this is particularly clear to me in "Awaken"), but his playing in these songs is very good. He also includes some new arrangements to some songs (in "Wonderous Stories", and an organ part in the song "Going for the One", an instrument which R. Wakeman did not use in that song) which bring some variety to the music. It is good to listen to some variety in the arrangements in comparison to the original studio versions. But for the most part the band as a whole tended to play the songs more close to the original studio versions, more particularly in the case of the songs from "The Yes Album".

This live album also includes "A Venture", a song which was never before included in a live album from the band. The song is played very well, with a good piano solo by Downes at the end of the song.

Chris Squire still plays very well and he also sings very good backing vocals. Steve Howe is also a very good guitarist, and Alan White still is a very good drummer. But White sounds a bit "restrained" in most songs, playing them in a very professional way, but maybe lacking some "power" in his playing.

Anyway, the band still sounds well, but different. The change of lead singer, particularly, is the more clear element for me in the change of their sound, like in other bands.Maybe it is inevitable. But for listeners like me it is also inevitable to think that they sound a bit like a "tribute band" for their own music. But it is also good that bands like YES are still playing on tour and recording albums, even with some new musicians in the line-up. They still play very well...even with the absence of some former members like Anderson and R. Wakeman.