Have you heard about this yet?

[haroldthebarrel]

Wakeman has said this in an interview very recently for a magazine:

"In an interview with Brazilian newspaper O Globo in Apr, Wakeman said: "Two weeks ago they called me to record and tour with them again. It seems Igor is out of the band. Unfortunately, my schedule is full and I couldn't return, but some time we will be playing together again, for sure." (translated from the Portuguese)"

What do you think of that?

Joe C:cool:

[Mike Park]

I think that simply demonstrates what a noble and gallant fellow Rick really is, especially after seeing this at the RWCC site yesterday:

Hello and Happy Easter !

I guess every Easter will cause special memories to come flooding back.
It was four years ago that me and my family (along with Tim and Kim
Rice) spent a whole week with Rick for the New Gospels performances in
Southern California, the week of Easter 1997.

We stayed at a beautiful hotel, the Newporter in Newport Beach. We were
treated to five different performances of The New Gospels. The best
performance was probably the first, at Downey California's Calvary
Chapel. I believe this was the best because this was the first time I
had the good fortune to see this music live. Also, Ramon was in top form
and healthy.

Later, as we came to the conclusion of the week, Ramon developed a
horrible throat infection which threatened the remaining two dates at
Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. For the last date, Easter night, Ramon
couldn't even speak, it was that painful for him. He hardly could
whisper.

Ramon tried a few ideas to help his throat, but nothing was working. We
suggested a herbal tea called "Throat Coat", which I use when I have a
sore throat. Ramon didn't want to try anything foreign to him because it
might make things worse. Despite that we still went and found some to
purchase at a store and gave it to him. Printed on the box it said "Used
worldwide by vocalists with sore throats". That convinced him! It did
help and Ramon was prepared to sing. He even had a warm thermos with the
tea on stage and kept sipping on the tea between tunes.

However, Ramon was clearly still in pain, occasionally popping notes
that he couldn't hit. But it didn't matter. The audience seemed to know
that something was wrong for Ramon. Many had seen the previous
performances and wanted to see a repeat show, especially this Easter
evening. At the end of the night Ramon received a terrific round of
applause, great appreciation from the audience for what he managed to
accomplish.

That Easter morning, before the show, there was a certain sense of
sadness, partly because of how Ramon was feeling and also that this
marked the end of the week. Rick treated me and my wife Colleen and Tim
& Kim Rice to a nice breakfast, which was where we would hear of more
disappointment and further sadness. Rick explained there to us that Yes
were pulling certain stunts that would mean that Rick would not do the
summer tour that they announced without his knowledge and even put on
sale to the public. That was one of only many reasons that Rick would
not participate with the band for the next tour.

For the purpose of clarification, I believe it wasn't Rick's desire to
actually leave the band entirely, he simply couldn't agree to this
summer USA tour due to oral surgery and that they didn't even include
him in the discussions about the timing of the tour. It was later, after
a few occasions that fellow members reared their ugly egos towards him
that Rick decided shortly after to leave.

But, going back to that Easter breakfast, there was so much sadness the
rest of the day. Ramon was worried and we were also upset about the Yes
situation. This week was going great, until Easter day. But then I was
thinking that *THIS* is exactly where Rick should be, doing {{{{"The New
Gospels"}}}}...... for this is now the greatest work of Rick's musical
life. It is a masterpiece.
*****

I'd like nothing more than to see Rick with Yes again as I don't think anyone can replace him - I'm uneasy with other people talented or not, playing his contributions to classic masterpieces. After learning the above though, I'd really be surprised to see him with them again.

mp

[1yesfan]

I often wonder if all this changing of Members has killed the band as much as the WEST era has?

[haroldthebarrel]

Is the story posted by Mike park dated from the KNOW tour? Or the Symphonic one?

By the way here's some bad news:

Yes is in the process of adding overdubs to their next album. The members are pleased with the progression of the project, where the traditional keyboard role will be replaced with a full orchestra both on the album and on the tour. Tim Wiedner, who has worked with Seal, is assisting the band with production duties, and Emmy-award winning television and motion picture composer Larry Groupé ("The Contender") is conducting the orchestra and handling the arrangements.

Additional dates are almost finalized for the upcoming Yessymphonic tour. The tour begins in July, and includes stops at the Hollywood Bowl (with the Hollywood Bowl orchestra), San Diego (with the San Diego Symphony orchestra), and Atlanta (with the Atlanta Symphony orchestra). The itinerary can be found on the Tour page. This will be the first time the band will have played live with an orchestra since the performance on March 21, 1970, at Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Looks like there's no keyboards, that means that even if the encores ARE without an orchestra, they'll have to be Clap and Mood for a day, and a Chris Squire solo. What song can tey do with absolutely NO keys?
And one that would still be an encore-like number?

Joe

[Mike Park]

this e-mail was posted by a member of the RWCC BB on April 15 at 12:24 pm.

Since I have to be in Indianapolis on July 28, I'm beginning to wonder if I might be better off catching Rick in Quebec instead of trying for the Yesymphony gig at Woodinville on 8/3.....:confused:

[1yesfan]

Common folks. Seems to me many fans are selling Yes short on this tour. I have to think it will work out just fine. :cheers:

[Mike Park]

Well, I've been to the Chateau Ste. Michelle and I'm wondering where they're gonna stick an orchestra...

any of you Washingtonians have a clue?

(I mean, do you know how an orchestra could fit on that stage?) :D :D :D

[sheaterry]

This really seems to be a desperate half-baked idea. What are we gonna have next? Orchestra, Lake and Palmer? Actually, the next obvious step would be for Jon Anderson to dump the rest of the band and perform with an orchestra and call it Yes. An orchestra may work for a band like the Moody Blues because they've already incorporated orchestras into a lot of their works. And they almost have to use an orchestra because either they really aren't the most talented musicians to begin with, or they've just lost it. I don't believe Yes has lost it yet, but this is the first step in that direction I'm afraid. I just can't see most of their songs coming off well at all with an orchestra. While it could certainly add depth to some songs, I think it would mostly just be a distraction. I want to hear Yes play their music, not Yes music being played by strings and horns. How's Steve Howe gonna handle this? He can't stand to share the stage with another guitarist. What's he gonna think about sharing the stage with another 70-80 musicians? That brings up another question. Is an orchetra going to tour with them or will each venue have it's own orchestra?

[Mike Park]

Been givin' it some thought lately...

Listened to Fragile all the way through (I have a 45-60 minute commute) the other night (something I haven't done in a long, long time), and I think I know what the deal is on this "West " thing.

There's balance on Fragile. Balance between the band members AND no sound at all, which is to Eddie Offord's credit.

The new stuff is simply TMJ: Too Much Jon. That's why the boys in the band have become the accompanyists. There's no outstanding leads on either guitar or keyboards, and no pronounced bass ala HOTS or Silent Wings. I don't get why Chis and Steve let him call all the shots, esp. since Chris and Jon fought over use of the name during ABWH.

BTW, I've seen some criticism lately re: the KTA DVD and I kinda like all the visuals. I'm savoring this experience, by only watching one or two songs at a time. I've had it for a month but I just watched RSOG last night. The visuals remind me of when I'd study the jackets and verses while listening to the albums right after purchase - can't believe that I still know and can sing along with these epics and realize I've been doing it for thirty years, "chased amid fusions of wonder..."

[Olias of NYC]

I always find the hypercritical aspect of Yes fans amusing. The way the supporters of Yes speak sometimes you would think they were the critics trying to bury them. I suppose it might be because Yes has had so many different phases that people tend to latch on to one and mourn the loss of it when these musicians decide to go another way. I say rather than disparaging it before anyone has even seen or heard their new venture, that we remain open-minded about it, see it and then judge it for what it is and not what it wasn't. It could be great or it could be something other than you thought it would be.

The fact is that these are a group of musicians who have been playing together on and off for some 30 years now, who can blame them for trying different formats. The music isn't about what we want but rather what the performers who are there at the time feel inspired to play. You might not like it but somebody else might. The whole thing might be a failed attempt. But I'll tell you this I would rather see Yes play less than spectacular with an orchestra than most of the concerts out there these days!

[sheaterry]

I totally disagree with that last post. We are the fans-we have made Yes what they are today-without us they would be nothing! They conducted a poll and then they ignored the results. OK, so the voting was close, but what does that say? It says that by going ahead with this they are dividing the fans and possibly alienating a segment. I'll bet if they had conducted a poll to put Wakeman back in the band the votes would have been overwhelmingly in favor. I'd rather they waited a year for Wakeman to come back than to go ahead with the orchetra. The music will certainly suffer. The setlist will probably take on a "light" flavor. Yuck!

[haroldthebarrel]

Don't get me wrong, i think Yes will do this in a spectacular way, but let's face it, this whole tour was half-assed, and that's a fact.

Yes obviously WANTED a keyboardist on the album, and the tour, but ended up not being able to get one, so they SETTLED for just letting the orchestra make up for the parts they WOULD have written for keys, which is what Yes sounds like, it WOULD have been neccessary for the "Yes-sound".

This is the first signal that things aren't what Yes planned and are not what they expected to happen, Keys are an important part of Yes, and the fact that they know that too, but couldn't get a player, but went ahead with it anyways, shows that this could DEFINITELY be "the symphonic music of Yes Part II". So really Yes has been shafted and they are producing a makeshift method of getting through the album and tour, why even bother? I think they should wait until they have the group ready for this type of stuff, especially if it's going to be even as good as the Ladder.(which no one wants to admit sucks)

This is the second time ever that Yes has played with an orchestra. Why do it without the whole group? They had a plan, it got screwed up and now the band is trying to just go ahead and hopefully all the fans that bought tickets won't get pissed off that they were tricked. I mean that's not totally true, but in a way it really is.

There's just something shady about this tour and album. Like something has gone wrong internally and with all these clues about what yes is doing about it, we can be assured that Yes is doing nothing but carrying out a plan that got spoiled but couldn't be abandoned for ticket sales & financial reasons. Anyone who thinks Yes planned to do this whole thing without a keyboardist, and that this isn't a setback, is blind to the obvious.

Yes will pull this off, and I am sure the new album will be much better than The Ladder, but I just can't fight the urge to speak what is secretly going through my mind about this whole deal. My conclusion is that I have no idea what to expect, but I KNOW we can expect less than we could have expected if everything would have went as planned, therefore I think they should drop the Orchestra idea, and playing the new album, and just do Masterworks 2 with some new hotshot keyboardist, at least I could assure myself that this tour is worth traveling for then!

joe C:cheers:

[tonilynn]

I totally agree with Olias of NYC. Why not give Yes the benefit of the doubt and appreciate them for the fantastic musicians they are? I'm also thinking that maybe Yes feels "pressured" to get a product out to the fans. I wonder if those who don't like the orchestra idea would complain just as much if they didn't do anything for a couple of years and wait on Rick. Yes is probably feeling, "****ed if we do, ****ed if we don't." Go for it Yes! Push the envelope!

[Mike Park]

How about some reviews of the Masterworks tour?

I've only heard a Starship Trooper and Perpetual Change from the House of Blues CD, and both were weak efforts IMHO.

While we're at it, anybody know anything about the purported 2nd ABWH CD which was abandoned when the Union thing occurred? There's some tracks floating around under the heading We Make Believe, and I'm not sure some of those aren't from an earlier era (late '70's, just before Drama). Two cuts have someone besides Jon singing (maybe SH??).

mp

[Olias of NYC]

In response to the Masterworks Tour, I would say it was a big success. I saw them at Jones Beach and it was just incredible. Even the weather seemed to be in tune with them. To see the full moon rising behind Steve as he was playing "Leaves of Green" was incredible and something I won't soon forget. Jon was coming back from laryngitis but you wouldn't know. He and the rest were spot on and on fire. There was a good feeling coming from all involved. Certainly, the best overall show I've seen them play--ABWH being my first. However, as much as I would love to see another tour such as this, I think it would be a mistake. The band would seem to be looking back on their career rather than doing something new and then they would be rightly labeled "dinosaurs." It was a great time, in the ends of the millenium, to have a retrospective of some of the band's best songs to see how those pieces would sound today.

In response to the critics of what I said above I stand by what I wrote. As the audience we have the choice of not attending or not purchasing a concert or album. I would like to think that even if there were no fans at all, the members of Yes would still be playing music, maybe the venues would be smaller but it would still be a part of their lives. So I don't think they should compromise their current plans based on what "the fans" might like, I think we all know what happens to an artist when that happens.

So why the poll then? Obviously, it was a way to test the waters. They were going to do the orchestra thing and they wanted something of a focus group to see how it would play among potential concert goers. Although the results were split--I admit I voted against the orchestra--half was enough to support their convictions. As this is a thread about Wakeman, the current is going to be against me in stating that there is no reason the members of Yes should wait around for Wakeman to do a tour, an album or anything else. Rick has his own priorities and Yes fit in somewhere down the line from the top of those and that is fine. But don't expect four other of his former band mates to wait around for him to return when he hasn't played with them in a decade!

I'm not saying I'm above every other Yes fan in open-mindedness to each direction they go in, my point is that I can't fault them for being less than what I think is perfection. Even if this tour is "half-baked," the members of this band have decided to make a go of it. They have made the decision to try something different that is perhaps quite a challenge. Whether they succeed or fail is not the point, as an artist it is more important to create and produce. I might direct you to the Japanese proverb quoted in Joe C.'s signature line. This new show may be a real mistake, but at least we will have the experience of seeing four musicians that we love to see/hear play working with an orchestra. It could have some very good moments. However, if they don't book a show in the NYC area, I guess I'll be watching this one online.

[Green Knight]

I have to agree with theory on this thread that says, if you want to find a REALLY harsh critic of Yes, ask one of the fans.

Firstly:
a) 'The fans made Yes what they are today. Without us, they would be nothing'. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. The best Yes music exists and is marvellous irrespective of anyone listening to it or not. Maybe we paid the bills for it to happen... but that's like saying Mozart's patron is really responsible for Mozart's genius.

b) All this panic over the orchestra is entirely unfounded. Listen to some classic studio tracks like And You and I. There are BAGS of room for an orchestra. The 'Eclipse' section for one never sounds as good live as on the album, as that section has real strings on it in the studio version. Same with much of TFTO. Hey, you could do Wakeman's hammond solos on a trio of saxophones and/or clarinets. Do not underestimate the sonic potential of an orchestra... that after all is what the Moog et al were trying to emulate for so many years (and have they succeed yet? Nope).

c) There are problems with Rick as there are with any keys man... In Rick's case, he won't play Relayer material and only one TFTO piece.

d) The Ladder was a fantastic album... it makes my Top Ten comfortably (see other thread).

e) Peace!

[wolfehollow]

1) The tour is not half-baked, I have heard about them playing with an orchestra for almost 5 years now.

2) It is not just Jon pushing all of this stuff on, the other members have played with more orchestras than Jon has, i.e. fish out of water and Steves solo records.

3) I am a proffesional violinist and have always enjoyed Yes music because of its similarities to classical music. Some of Yes' best stuff is taken straight from classical composers.

4) Why in the world would you have a keyboard playing fake string patches when you have an orchestra behind you?

5) Do you realize how much money an orchestra costs? How much do you think Rick "I am strapped for cash" Wakeman would want to tour?

Yes is great because they always push the envelope and now you want to complain because they are not going to do the same old crap they have been doing?

[haroldthebarrel]

Wow, is all i have to say.

It's almost looking like a fight is about to break out here.
I might have started this whole thing (sorry), a week or two back, and I admit, I have a new outlook on the whole deal.:smksml:

After reading various posts and getting many different views and opinions, I think I have to agree that this just might be a breath-taking event. That we will leave regretting every negative thing we ever said about it. I do have a feeling that the new album is going to blow the Ladder away, and not just because the Ladder wasn't up to Yesfan standards. This album will be the first album that is Yes-like since KTA 1 and 2's studio tracks, which still will be outdone in my opinion. I think Rick's conservative musicianship might have been the reason for that, but that's another thread....

If this album isn't better than KTA, OYE, or the Ladder, I think: "why do it?"

I think Yes thinks that too, "why do it". They know that their last efforts have been nothing compared to the music they can make, and the Orchestra thig has been kicked around for years. Maybe Yes know that this is the event that Yes has been saving, preserving, conjuring up into a bigger matter of uncontrolled creative greatness!:)

Yes has created music in the past that will stand the test of time for many times to come. We could all be like Gentle Giant fans, or genesis fans, who have no great music coming from their faves, since the 70's. But that music is good enough to still draw fans that weren't even born when it came out for the first time. And look, we have CTTE, RELAYER, TALES..., FRAGILE, TYA, GFT1, TORMATO, and there's more, that's the scary part, there's MORE F-KING GREAT MUSIC FROM THIS BAND Even scarier, the listed albums are more than one could expect and way more than enough to captivate myself with.:smksml:

I don't even know what my point was anymore, :crazy: so I'll leave it at this:

I'd rather see yes do Roundabout with an Orchestra than see:

1. Kansas play any track they ever wrote with any member, orchestra or not.

2. Greenslade do a comeback tour of all their best.

3. Genesis doing the whole "duke" album live.

4. The Rolling stones live in my livingroom.

5. Marrillion with a Fish reunion live

6. Chris Squire and Billy Sherwood touring Conspiracy

7. A Weather Report reunion tour

8. King Crimson touring their new album

Etc......



:bncsmls
joe

[Mike Park]

Got an e-mail today from Tizwin of GB who is somewhat "close to the band":

The late-July till mid-September Yes shows in the U.S. and Canada are
apparently to include a keyboard player (not Rick Wakeman) to play the
classic Moog and B-3 Hammond organ parts.
***

That's all she wrote in that regard -

mp

[haroldthebarrel]

Yes,
there are a few articles out there floating around that state this. There will be a keyboard player that will actually tour with the band, so our 'no keyboardist' rants are totally in vein.:cool:

So that means there will be a keyboardist just as good as anyone, I mean hey, we all knew Igor wasn't going to be there for this tour. Too bad. But I expected a new replacement that would be just as good. When I saw there was no keyboardist, I got skeptical.

But Hey!
We got the replacemement we needed to see Yes get!

Happy day, happy day!

And i am sure the person will be just fine.
Know what would be cool? If it's a woman. It would be a double whammy of historical 1st time yesevents going on at once.

To anyone who is learning all this stuff late, you can learn it all as it unflods at:
http://www.bondegezou.demon.co.uk/wnyesm.htm#kiy

here's what they are saying:

ome months

Who will be the keyboardist with Yes this year?
The orchestra will be replacing the usual keyboard role on the album. The same is reported to apply to the tour, but there will also be a keyboardist touring with the band: in a recent interview, Groupé said: "On tour there will be some kind of keyboard person to play the classic Moog and B-3 [Hammond organ] parts." Who this touring keyboardist will be remains unknown.

Igor Khoroshev has not been working with Yes for some time

New album
The four band members are currently recording Yes's still untitled, 12-track, new album in Santa Barbara, Calif. The album will be using an orchestra (and the band will be playing with orchestras on tour too—see below). They are working with Larry Groupé, who describes himself as a "temporary mascot member". He is writing the orchestral arrangements and conducting; he will also be conducting local orchestras on tour. The band are nearing the end of recording their parts for the album, with the orchestral parts being recorded in May. It is not yet known when the album will be released: rumours last year pointed to the autumn, although there is presumably an incentive to release it sooner to tie in with touring this summer.

:cheers: