Hmmmm...9012live

[PO]

A girl I know had this video, so I borrowed it. I finally gave it a spin and I wasn't surprised. Embarrassing. So, so, soooo '80s.

Squire - looked like an idiot. His Billy Squire (ha!) hairdo and the silly prancing/dancing. His clothing has always been a subjective matter, so I'll just drop it. He even played some power chords during All Good People !! (ouch)

Rabin - Eddy Van Halen wannabe with the EVH shirt (with less tears), EVH askew-striped leather pants and the wild '80s paint-job guitar. And hammer-on's too! He shredded like the rest (not best) of them. Plus, a solid body Fender on Starship Trooper is not a good choice. The tone needs some air and mahogany. The acoustic playing on Your Move was near identical to a high school friend of mine with an Epiphone flattop.

Anderson - I guess he seemed okay, but the feathered hair and makeup was just too much.

White - A cute Olivia Newton John "Let's get Physical" headband. Yikes. Most everything was played too fast.

Kaye - Boy he works hard playing those chords. I did actually enjoy him on Your Move as he originally recorded it, but the piano glisses were 25 too many.

Overall, it was a cross between Journey and Van Halen. The Classic Yes tunes were not good. Too fast. I've never cared for Wurm too much, but this was way too much. 3 chords for what, 15 minutes? Exactly the kind of thing Zappa would justifiably ridicule to no end.

I also noticed on the liner notes that Starship Trooper and Your Move-ISAGP were credited to Anderson and Squire. They didn't want to officially release anything with residuals going to the nee-former members? That's a good way to pick songs.

Excesses of the 70's? These are excesses. It's too bad. I kind of like the song Leave it, bit most of this was lipsynched vocals. I don't recall if that's what happened at the (only 80's Yes) concert I went to.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. If you like this kind of thing, go for it.

Otherwise -

"To be forwarned is to have four arms" - Kelly Bundy

[BrianD]

Paul,

I've just moved this across to the correct forum.

I also looked at this video again a month or two ago. It was a shock when comparing it with their DVDs of the last decade.

[Sonoacustico]

Well, the most annoying thing IMHO of this video are the "special visual effects"....
the clothes???? Well, all of the yesmen have had questionable clothing style, lol!

greetings!

Claudio

[BrianD]

Well, the most annoying thing IMHO of this video are the "special visual effects"....
the clothes???? Well, all of the yesmen have had questionable clothing style, lol!

greetings!

Claudio

Yeah...those effects are not too special!

[Sonoacustico]

"specially" designed for the trash can! lol

[jimmygtr]

Yes, the special effects were a bit over the top, but as for their clothes I think of many of us were some character in the 'Wedding Singer"....

[altaeria]

I've always been a big fan of the 90125 studio album. The "futuristic ambience" of Trevor Horn's production kinda works for me ... and I think that it's THAT overall sound that makes me still feel that YES MYSTIQUE in the tracks.

However ... after recently seeing 9012LIVE for the first time...
I have to concede the fact that much of the raw material does not leave me with the impression that I was actually listening to YES (for whatever reason).

[WOLFman]

I must say that I cannot understand the criticism of this superb video at all. Directed (in a courageous manner which would later prove a hallmark) by Soderberg, the film features stunning cinematography and editing. This is exemplified by the fact that, unlike almost every other concert film (esp. other Yes videos) you are rewarded with a close up exactly when you want it - when Squire dips towards the crowd in the classic fashion, you see it, when Anderson exchanges a glance with Rabin, you see it, when White or Kay come to the fore, you see that, too. With the imaginative use of colour and light (aided by an intelligent wardrobe) no YesShow, before or since, has looked better - neither, for that matter, have the band.

Admittedly, the digital effects have dated, although not to anything like the same extent to those of, say, McCartney's 'Tripping the Live Fantastic' from 1990 - a fitting testament to the fact that they were way ahead of their time - and, anyway, they are used far more sensitively than in, for example, Keys To Ascension. The ability of Soderberg to place the concert in 'another world' (YesWorld?), far removed from the confines of the arena and the stage itself, foreshadows the work of Isham with Pink Floyd five years later and serves to immortalise the show to a large extent - Yes could be playing anywhere at any time - surely the desired effect in what were, in the early 80s, turbulent times for the band.

Sonically, the video serves as a feast, with the 90125 material (particularly Hold On, which is a joy) superbly showcased and a sensible selection of classic tracks given a fresh impetus. White's sound is powerful, without being overly synthetic, as was the downfall of so many drummers at the time (including, notably, Bruford). Anyway, I could go on, but the point is - 9012Live is the best visual documentation of the band Yes ever created, as acknowledged by both Chris Squire and the bestowers of the Grammys. Simply wonderful.

[brismike]

What i would like to know is what has happened to the re-release of this video on DVD that was promised on YesWorld over a year ago now?

Supposedly to be re-mastered in 5.1 Dolby Surround sound and not only that, the full concert without the distracting special effects.

Come on Yes .. get your act together for once and put the bloody thing out so we can buy it!!

[Rick N Backer]

You need to put 9012Live in perspective. It was released back in 1985 when all things video were VERY different. At the time it certainly wasn't at all dated and it was also all there was available from Yes in terms of video.

I thought the filming was very good and the concert sound was good for its time, bearing in mind the limitations of the format. There was no Dolby 5.1 or Pro Logic etc back then, just good old stereo.

It doesn't stand up too well to Symphonic in my opinion, but as a record of that era, it's pretty good. My only real criticism is that it's way too short!

[Q]

I have long held the opinion that 9012Live is largely responsible for the constant hazing of Rabin. If one examines the actual tour setlist, or hears a complete live boot, it is easy to see that there was far more classic Yes in the mix than is apparent on the 9012Live video, which focuses on material from the album, including only "All Good People" and "Starship Trooper" from the classic canon. This is misleading.

What would be best for Yes history overall is to re-release 9012Live on DVD and include more footage that features classic material. The myth that Rabin didn't respect the canon is just that - myth.

I agree with RNB, the video must (like all Yes video product) be placed in the proper context. Yes was noteworthy in the early '70s for pushing studio technology to its creative limits. Horn did the same thing in the studio a decade later. And Soderberg was doing the same. The effects seem passe today, but they were the cutting edge at the time (as the Grammy folks acknowledged).

Remember also that when this video came out, the Yes video history amounted to the film Yessongs (which was technically dreadful), QPR (better but not much), and the In The Round film (not visually impressive but a spirited and aurally inspiring performance).

Imagine how 9012Live must have seemed 20 years ago, in those years before the superb visual technology employed for HOY and Symphonic ...

[1yesfan]

I have to agree with many that for the time the video was rather good, wans;t it even up for a grammy????? Yes changed with the times then. I still say that if they had rolled out there and played as they did in the decades before the band would not not lasted long at all. I think they did a GREAT job in moving to a a new sound. I all ways have had the impression that the long timer Yes fans wanted them back then to keep on going as they were 10 years previous.

[Q]

In fact, I'd go so far as to say it would be great to see the band try to break new ground once again, to find a new and different sound in a more contemporary/less nostalgic vein, and to create something as different as 9012Live was at the time.

The uncomfortable truth is that even if this Yes line-up were so inclined (unlikely, to say the least), the remaining fan base would never accept it ...

[podo]

In my humble opinion, this video is superb. When it first came out I played almost continuoisly for about 3 months. Ok, the hair is bad (Squire) but thats just a sign of the times.

The effects can be distracting but Ive noticed over time that there is a lot of effects in the first few songs and then hardly any later. Perhaps they just ran out of ideas.

I love the way the lighting rig drops down at the end and shows the 90125 logo.

[RJE]

I am a die-hard 70's YES fan....but I think this DVD is great. True, the special effects are hoaky beyond belief. But...the music I think is the best representation of 80's YES. Given the line-up I wish they would have put more of this period in and leave the classics to the line-up that does that best. There is a time and place for everything........

[Starship Trooper]

You need to put 9012Live in perspective. It was released back in 1985 when all things video were VERY different.

That's what no one seems to remember to do: PUT THINGS IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE TIMES IN WHICH THEY WERE MADE.


It doesn't stand up too well to Symphonic in my opinion, but as a record of that era, it's pretty good. My only real criticism is that it's way too short!

We should all be pretty upset if it DID stand up to Symphonic considering it's been almost 20 years since 9012Live was made! Anything made now should definitely blow those old films away.

In my opinion, when it was made it was the best Yes film (picture and sound quality - not setlist) up to that time.

Too bad the picture and sound sucks so badly on the In The Round film, now called Yes Live in Philadelphia 1979. That could have been amazing, but as usual Yes management butchered the job and didn't get that historic tour properly chronicled with a great live film. How come so many other famous bands get it right with live recordings/films and Yes doesn't? What an irony considering how dedicated Yes is to touring and playing live!

[Rick N Backer]

I have a video recorded from BBC2's "In Concert" TV series introduced by Anne Nightingale, which was about a 1 hour portion of another show from the 90125 tour, filmed in Dortmund. It's a better representation of the concert experience since it has none of the special effects from the official release. I think it crops up for sale occasionally and it's worth having a look at.

This era is still crying out for a longer cut of one of the shows to come out on DVD though in my opinion

[cinderella]

Rabin - Eddy Van Halen wannabe with the EVH shirt (with less tears), EVH askew-striped leather pants and the wild '80s paint-job guitar. And hammer-on's too! He shredded like the rest (not best) of them.



http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/begood.gifTrevor's not an EVH wannabe!!! Behave and go stand in the corner!!!

I loved that video!