Demo's With Rick And Jon on Drama remaster?!

[SonicDeath10]

i heard that the aborted paris sessions (part of them) are going to be on the rhino remaster. is this true, or am i confusing this with the tormato remaster?

[fragile34]

when is the new batch of remasters coming out anyway?

[Faceintheplace]

Tentativley, the 24th of Feburary but these things tend to get shuffled around a bit. The real exciting bit is that once they hit stores the next details we get will probably be about the live boxed set (ie potential release date and track listing.)

As for the demos with Jon and Rick, these are the 1979 Paris sessions. As some Yes fans know, Yes demoed an album's worth of material as a follow up to "Tormato" but the project was abandoned for various reasons. I've heard some of the material, and IMO its better than the weaker parts of "Tormato" but not as good as any of GFTO or Drama. Anyway, we're getting the complete (or at least nearly complete) session split across two remasters, "Tormato" and "Drama." Then with a cd burner you could create your own 1979 album.

I'm really intrigued by some of the material included on "Tormato." There's a few tracks I've never heard of before and I also never knew there was an early version of "Does it Really Happen" with Jon and Rick as well as a version of "Run Thru the Light." And I'm hoping that the tracking sessions on "Drama" are the instrumentals cut before the Buggles came in.

[SonicDeath10]

i heard about the run thru the light at the paris sessions but i never heard any of it. interesting that they're putting it on the two remasters. a nice way to get a lost album.

[Rick N Backer]

i heard about the run thru the light at the paris sessions but i never heard any of it. interesting that they're putting it on the two remasters. a nice way to get a lost album.

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!!

These aborted Paris session songs are not very good. That's probably why the band fragmented. They are now merely curios,never destined to become long lost 'classics.'

You have been warned!!!!!

[BrianD]

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!!

These aborted Paris session songs are not very good. That's probably why the band fragmented. They are now merely curios,never destined to become long lost 'classics.'

You have been warned!!!!!
As they stand in their early demo state, I agree. But I suspect many Yes classics in this level of development would sound quite ordinary. If the final versions were to be little changed from these versions (and we'll never know about that) it would have been easily their worst album. But clearly these demos were Jon & Rick failing to impress Steve, Chris and Alan with their endeavours.

[Faceintheplace]

I agree these sessions are far from Classic Yes, but I think a few songs show potential, namely 'The Golden Age' and 'In The Tower,' but as I said before what I really want is more of the instrumentals with Yes as a trio. They're really good.

[Rick N Backer]

what I really want is more of the instrumentals with Yes as a trio.

Me too. I have always loved Drama. Chris Squire did consider making YES a trio round about then so it would be very interesting indeed to hear what they could have done.

Tarted up or not, I still think the Paris session stuff I've heard is weak by Yes standards. There are one or two exceptions, and these were later recorded anyway by Jon Anderson and the Yeggles, but mainly..........not good.

I support the idea of bonus tracks in general, but so far, the ones I've heard on the reissues won't demand repeated play. I think they're intended to be, and will remain, curios. There's usually a very good reason why a band drops a song before committing it to a final take, and one of the few bands I listen to who manage to release outakes and demos that can match the original releases is XTC - and I think that's just because they were such prolific writers and vinyl releases couldn't cope with the volume of recorded material first time round.

Steve Howe's Homebrew series is interesting to listen to embryonic music performed by the original writer, and it's also interesting to listen to some of the ideas that ended up on Union, performed on Turbulence.

Now when the live box set comes out, that should be a whole different thing! I hope! I don't want to hear too many more versions of AYAI on there (love it though I do) so we have to wait and see how adventurous the compiler is prepared to be.

[TTT]

I, for one, am always interested in the genesis of song ideas. It's interesting to see the progression from early demos to completed form. Bring on the demos!

[Thoughtbecontact]

Ditto to what Brian and Rick N Backer have already osted. I've heard the lost Paris alaubm, and was not very impressed with it, even as an initial state. The ABWH unreleased second album is much more interesting material.

[brismike]

All this stuff, 1980 Drama Demo's, 1979 Paris Sessions, 1978 Digital Reels Sessions has been out there for quite some time.

There are four unauthorised CD's that I have that include it all. They are....

"The Golden Age" which includes the following tracks
1) Dance Through The Light, 2) The Golden Age, 3) In The Tower, 4) Friend of a Friend, 5) To Let You Know, 6) Everybody Loves You, 7) Flower Girl, 8) Hold Out Your Hand, 9) The Clap, 10) Beginnings.

"On Digital Reels" which includes the following tracks
1) Picasso, 2) Picasso, 3) Amazing Grace, 4) Amazing Grace, 5) Money, 6) Money, 7) Celestial Seasons, 8) Richard, 9) Richard, 10) Jon's Song, 11) Jon's Song, 12) Some Are Born, 13) Rail Fourteen, 14) Run Thru the Light, 15) Tempus Fugit, 16) Untitled inst. 1, 17) Does It Really Happen?, 18) Untitled inst. 2

"Golden Age" which includes the following tracks
1) Everybody Loves You, 2) Flower Girl, 3) Awaken, 4) Dance Thru Lights, 5) Golden Age, 6) Tango, 7) In The Tower, 8) Friends of a Friend

"Digital Reels & Master Reels" which includes the following tracks
1) Picasso I, 2) Picasso II, 3) Amazing Grace, 4) Money, 5) Money, 6) Celestial Seasons, 7) Richard, 8) Richard, 9) Days, 10) Days, 11) Some Are Born, 12) Rail Fourteen, 13) Dance Thru the Light, 14) The Golden Age, 15) In The Tower, 16) Friend of a Friend, 17) To Let You know, 18) Everybody Loves You, 19) Flower Girl.

There are lots of overlaps & double ups between these four CD's as you can see.

It will be interesting to compare the same tracks on the official release to the ones on these unauthorised CD's.

And finaly I will be actually contributing some cash to Yes to hear these songs after all this time. :))

Mike

[Faceintheplace]

I have a lot of tracks from those releases but I still want the Rhino versions because the unofficial release versions are far removed from the original source so they are drenched in tape hiss.

[Paul D]

I am very interested in the Paris sessions, having not heard any of it before. Having heard "studio run-throughs" and "alternate versions" of other songs included on reissues that went on to become YES classics, I think the pre-Drama work with Jon and Rick is certainly worth hearing, even if we just wonder "what would this have become?"

I have to admit that Drama was the very first YES album I ever purchased not long after its release in 1980, and have since been a fan of ALL of YES' work, particularly the work of the "classic line-up" we have today. The story as to why I didn't become a YES fan until Drama (making me a relative latecomer to YES' music, I was 17 at the time) is a personal story to be told at another time if anyone wants to know (it was a humbling experience).

[BrianD]

I am very interested in the Paris sessions, having not heard any of it before. Having heard "studio run-throughs" and "alternate versions" of other songs included on reissues that went on to become YES classics, I think the pre-Drama work with Jon and Rick is certainly worth hearing, even if we just wonder "what would this have become?"

I have to admit that Drama was the very first YES album I ever purchased not long after its release in 1980, and have since been a fan of ALL of YES' work, particularly the work of the "classic line-up" we have today. The story as to why I didn't become a YES fan until Drama (making me a relative latecomer to YES' music, I was 17 at the time) is a personal story to be told at another time if anyone wants to know (it was a humbling experience).

Welcome Paul D - there are threads on the board devoted to the topic of how we fans became interested in Yes - why not post your story there? Can't recall if they are in the Yesmusic forum or 'A little bit about me' forum

[Paul D]

Welcome Paul D - there are threads on the board devoted to the topic of how we fans became interested in Yes - why not post your story there? Can't recall if they are in the Yesmusic forum or 'A little bit about me' forum

Thanks Brian. I'll put it in the 'about me' area.

[bondegezou]

I'm hoping that the tracking sessions on "Drama" are the instrumentals cut before the Buggles came in.

I suspect not. I presume the tracking session cuts are with the full Drama quintet. However, I am guessing that "Song No. 4 (satellite)" is one of the Squire/Howe/White instrumentals that we've heard on boots. (There are two pieces on boots that didn't make it to Drama, one was released, in an edited form, as "Crossfire" on In a Word, so it would make sense if the other was this.)

"Have We Really Got to Go Through This" is an instrumental and also looks as though it's Squire/Howe/White only.

Henry

[Full Tilt Boogie]

Tentativley, the 24th of Feburary but these things tend to get shuffled around a bit. The real exciting bit is that once they hit stores the next details we get will probably be about the live boxed set (ie potential release date and track listing.)

As for the demos with Jon and Rick, these are the 1979 Paris sessions. As some Yes fans know, Yes demoed an album's worth of material as a follow up to "Tormato" but the project was abandoned for various reasons. I've heard some of the material, and IMO its better than the weaker parts of "Tormato" but not as good as any of GFTO or Drama. Anyway, we're getting the complete (or at least nearly complete) session split across two remasters, "Tormato" and "Drama." Then with a cd burner you could create your own 1979 album.

I'm really intrigued by some of the material included on "Tormato." There's a few tracks I've never heard of before and I also never knew there was an early version of "Does it Really Happen" with Jon and Rick as well as a version of "Run Thru the Light." And I'm hoping that the tracking sessions on "Drama" are the instrumentals cut before the Buggles came in.


Is this what you mean? See below:

** TORMATO RHINO REREASE:

ABILENE [3:56]
Atlantic [UK] single #K11184 (8/78)
B-side of “Don’t Kill The Whale” in the UK

MONEY [3:12]
Recorded at RAK Studios, London (3/31/78)
First issued on YesYears, Atco #91644 (8/6/91)

PICASSO [2:13]
[Previously Unissued]

SOME ARE BORN [5:50]
[Previously Unissued]

YOU CAN BE SAVED [4:18]
Previously Unissued]

HIGH [4:30]
[Previously Unissued]

DAYS (Demo) [1:00]
[Previously Unissued]

COUNTRYSIDE [3:12]
[Previously Unissued]

EVERYBODY’S SONG (Early demo of “Does It Really Happen”) [6:38]
[Previously Unissued]

ONWARD (Backing Track) [4:00]
Hidden Track

----------------------------------------------------------------------


** DRAMA RHINO RELEASE:


INTO THE LENS (I AM A CAMERA) (Single Version) [3:44]
Atlantic single #3767 (10/80)

RUN THROUGH THE LIGHT (Single Version) [4:26]
Atlantic single #3801 (01/81)

HAVE WE REALLY GOT TO GO THROUGH THIS* [3:43]

SONG NO. 4 (SATELLITE)* [7:41]

*Recorded at the TOWN HOUSE, London (4/15-16/80)
[Previously Unissued]

TEMPUS FUGIT (Tracking Session) [5:02]
Recorded at the TOWN HOUSE, London (5/25/80)
[Previously Unissued]

WHITE CAR (Tracking Session) [1:12]
Recorded at the TOWN HOUSE, London (5/80)
[Previously Unissued]

DANCING THROUGH THE LIGHT** [3:27]

GOLDEN AGE** [5:55]

IN THE TOWER** [2:52]

FRIEND OF A FRIEND** [3:50]

**From the “Paris Sessions” (11/79)
Produced by Roy Thomas Baker
Performed by Jon, Steve, Chris, Rick & Alan


--------------------------------------------------------------------


** 90125 RERELEASE:



LEAVE IT (Single Remix) [3:52]
Remixed by Steve Lipson
Atco single #7-99787 (2/84)

MAKE IT EASY [6:08]
First issued on YesYears, Atco #91644 (8/6/91)

IT CAN HAPPEN (Cinema Version) [6:01]
First issued on YesYears, Atco #91644 (8/6/91)

IT’S OVER [5:39]
[Previously Unissued]

Above tracks:
Performed by Tony Kaye, Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire & Alan White
Recorded at Sunpark Studios, London (1/81)
Engineered by Nigel Luby & Trevor Rabin
Produced by Yes

OWNER OF A LONELY HEART (Extended Remix) [7:03]
[Previously Unissued]

LEAVE IT (“A Capella” Version) [3:19]
Mixed by Steve Lipson
Atco single #7-99787 (2/84)

[Faceintheplace]

exactly.

[Bo Locks]

I think it's worth noting that we'll have 6 official releases out of 7 from the Paris Sessions once the Rhino Drama comes out:

1) Dance Through The Light (DRAMA)
2) The Golden Age (DRAMA)
3) Tango (IN A WORD) (mis-titled on some bootlegs as In The Tower)
4) In The Tower (DRAMA) (mis-titled on some bootlegs as Friend Of A Friend)
5) Friend Of A Friend (DRAMA) (mis-titled on some bootlegs as To Let You Know)
6) Everybody Loves You (BOOTLEG ONLY)
7) Flower Girl (re-titled on IN A WORD as Never Done Before)

Now, while the Drama versions appear uncut in terms of length, CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHY the In A Word versions have been edited to death???

Tango, apart from trimming both of the (lengthy) verses, has 50 seconds of instrumental cut out from the middle and about 2 minutes of coda are lost!

Never Done Before has become 1 verse and 1 chorus - a copy of the same chorus - repeated 3 times! Where's the recorded beginning and end?

What was the point of that??? They were only demos anyway!!!

As interesting as these are to goofs like me, I don't think a Paris Sessions album - 'The Lost Album' - would have stood up in between Tormato and Drama (I'm a big fan of both those albums). There's all sorts of ifs and buts and maybes, BUT the material as it stands is a record of Yes in m e t a m o r p h o s i s . . .

BTW: all the Paris Sessions bootlegs that I've heard have very poor sound quality. Congratulations to Yes and Rhino for beating the bootleggers. I am delighted at the prospect of hearing this stuff at max fidelity. It does sound far more credible without the hiss and distortion. I have a hilarious cassette version that runs about 10% too fast.

[Koko]

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!!

These aborted Paris session songs are not very good. That's probably why the band fragmented. They are now merely curios,never destined to become long lost 'classics.'

You have been warned!!!!!R 'N' B IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT - I paid a right wack o money for them when they were first available - and they're 'Dire'

sorry peeps!...I'm not one to criticise Yes...EVER!...but unless these are NOT the paris demo's ..then DO BE WARNED!!


What we could do with is Jon getting hold of the master tapes and re-doing all the Trev vocals - Machine Messiah & Into The Lens & Tempus Fugit are Great Songs...with Jon on lead Vocals they could be Dman near Awesome!..

Koko.

[Bo Locks]

Yes sir Koko, the Paris Sessions (for it will be they upon the Rhino remaster) are indeed dire but they are fixed in time and space and sound and content and will forever remain a record of which material to dump on your way to making a good album, i.e. Drama.

Drama needs no improvement (it's fixed in time and space and...) and it's very unlikely that we'll hear Jon's voice upon those songs so why wish???

Yes has always been a band greater than the sum of the parts. It's not the individuals that make Yes (some of the solo albums over the years have had unholyfied cringemongous moments on 'em!), it's Yes, the composite - judged by output alone, album or live. There's no point in sticking someone on an album they weren't directly involved with. Howe on Time And A Word? What would be the point?

I want a Yes Mk. I reunion but I'm not going to get it, am I...?

[Melissa]

I think it's worth noting that we'll have 6 official releases out of 7 from the Paris Sessions once the Rhino Drama comes out:

1) Dance Through The Light (DRAMA)
2) The Golden Age (DRAMA)
3) Tango (IN A WORD) (mis-titled on some bootlegs as In The Tower)
4) In The Tower (DRAMA) (mis-titled on some bootlegs as Friend Of A Friend)
5) Friend Of A Friend (DRAMA) (mis-titled on some bootlegs as To Let You Know)
6) Everybody Loves You (BOOTLEG ONLY)
7) Flower Girl (re-titled on IN A WORD as Never Done Before)

Now, while the Drama versions appear uncut in terms of length, CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHY the In A Word versions have been edited to death???

Tango, apart from trimming both of the (lengthy) verses, has 50 seconds of instrumental cut out from the middle and about 2 minutes of coda are lost!

Never Done Before has become 1 verse and 1 chorus - a copy of the same chorus - repeated 3 times! Where's the recorded beginning and end?

What was the point of that??? They were only demos anyway!!!

As interesting as these are to goofs like me, I don't think a Paris Sessions album - 'The Lost Album' - would have stood up in between Tormato and Drama (I'm a big fan of both those albums). There's all sorts of ifs and buts and maybes, BUT the material as it stands is a record of Yes in m e t a m o r p h o s i s . . .

BTW: all the Paris Sessions bootlegs that I've heard have very poor sound quality. Congratulations to Yes and Rhino for beating the bootleggers. I am delighted at the prospect of hearing this stuff at max fidelity. It does sound far more credible without the hiss and distortion. I have a hilarious cassette version that runs about 10% too fast.


Thank you so much for this post! I pulled out my Golden Age, which I'd never ripped and labeled the songs on, and lo and behold, it matched to a freedb listing with the wrong track names as you describe. I was able to fix it and up the correction to CDDB!!!! :D

Everybody Loves You is on Song Of Seven, btw. Somewhat changed, but recognizable nonetheless.

[Melissa]

Well, I finally pulled out my copy of Golden Age and ripped the tracks to hard drive and labeled them.
The tracks on my copy are:

Dance Through The Light
Golden Age
Tango [which was mislabeled]
In The Tower [also mislabeled]
Friend Of A Friend [mislabeled]
Everybody Loves You
Flower Girl

and it also had three live tracks from the Solo Albums Tour, probably from Roanoke, VA

Hold Out Your Hand
Ram [mislabeled as The Clap]
Beginnings

What a thing!

I'm so glad for this thread because it enabled me to correctly identify the tracks on the disc I have AND to up the correct information to freedb for people in the future! :D

[Bo Locks]

And that made the original post worthwhile! ;)

[Melissa]

And that made the original post worthwhile! ;)

Oh, my goodness!

I was so confused just now.

I didn't realize that your quoted post in the thread "What do you think of the songs taken from the Paris sessions" linked back to this thread! I thought I'd posted in that thread!

Well, to keep the cross-posting going, I'm going to cross post in that thread!!! :lmao:

[90125yes]

the thing to point out

if all these demos had put put properly through the yesmill they would have been masterpieces


and if yes had not got roy thomas baker he of takeypoos fame then things might have turned out differently

[harty]

I question my YES-fan status when I read about all these diddy's, that I don't know about or don't have in my collection.
DAMN

[rphheather]

I question my YES-fan status when I read about all these diddy's, that I don't know about or don't have in my collection.
DAMN

Well, I question my taste because I like the bonus tracks on Drama except In the Tower and everyone else seems to feel the exact opposite way :shrug:

( Of course the rough demos of the Yeggles are hard to listen to as well)

[rememberer]

the thing to point out

if all these demos had put put properly through the yesmill they would have been masterpieces

Oh yeah. "Satellite No.4" was my least favorite when I got Rhino Drama. I decided it was just awful. Then I heard a version where Chris does vocals ("Telephone Secrets") and it's (to borrow a phrase) f'n brilliant.

[Write a punch line]

Telephone secrets is brilliant?


huh...

on point isn't that xyz stuff?

[rememberer]

Telephone secrets is brilliant?

huh...

on point isn't that xyz stuff?

Yeah. The XYZ sessions yeilded Mind Drive, The Firm's Fortune Hunter, Can You Imagine on Magnification, and Telephone Secrets aka Satellite No.4 on Rhino Drama.

I think I have a Zeppelin b**t with those, that may be where I heard Telephone Secrets with vocals / lyrics.

Just my opinion, but I was just totally floored when I heard it, how Chris whipped that into shape. Genius!

[Rabin105]

Telephone secrets is brilliant?


huh...

on point isn't that xyz stuff?

it's on of my fave unreleased tracks along with the classic yet never released "You know something i don't know" from the cinima sessions also "Open the door" is kinda funky would love for that to finnaly get released.

[profusion]

the thing to point out

if all these demos had put put properly through the yesmill they would have been masterpieces

Doubtful. The underlying songs aren't that great, IMHO, and the Yes Mill was pretty much a busted machine by that point.

[90125yes]

Doubtful. The underlying songs aren't that great, IMHO, and the Yes Mill was pretty much a busted machine by that point.

----

but the " busted machine " somehow created drama - which we all love

YES is never a busted machine - it is creative genius

[90125yes]

Oh yeah. "Satellite No.4" was my least favorite when I got Rhino Drama. I decided it was just awful. Then I heard a version where Chris does vocals ("Telephone Secrets") and it's (to borrow a phrase) f'n brilliant.

----

thanks

[profusion]

----

but the " busted machine " somehow created drama - which we all love

YES is never a busted machine - it is creative genius

No, it was a different machine with Horn and Downes in the band. The creative conflicts appear to have vanished with Jon and Rick leaving the band. Drama was a union of the 'power trio' material that HSW were working on following the split and some songs that Horn brought to the band. A very different beast.

[tumnus]

the thing to point out

if all these demos had put put properly through the yesmill they would have been masterpieces


and if yes had not got roy thomas baker he of takeypoos fame then things might have turned out differently


Aye, ironically the top producer they needed they hired as a singer for the next album! Funny how life turns out sometimes :)

the sound quality of Drama is still rather breathtaking to me, particularly that muscular drum sound. Of course it helps that Alan is playing out of his skin (as usual)...