the "METHOD"

[stip]

I'm a big Yes-fan. But I like mostly the old work:
Fragile, The Yes album, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer, Going for the one. There it ends.
I hate Tormato. And I don't like the newer work.
I think the older work has some agressive attitude I can't see anymore nowadays. I allways loved the Steve Howe "spicey" arrangements in combination with Wakeman's classical showoffs, the polyrhythms and the allmost "avant-garde"-pieces from the seventies. I've allways been a big Zappa-fan, that's why, I guess.
I think the works today are overproduced and much too perfect. Modern music today has that similar character. I allways look for a "rebellian" feel in music. (like: "My God, what was that? It chocks me!"). I refer here to Close to the Edge, Awaken, where Steve Howe gave us amazing Chilipepper-guitarpieces.

What I wonder is: How did they usually get to work? What was their "method"? How did Rocksymphonies like "Close to the Edge" evolve? Does anyone know?

[haroldthebarrel]

Well, ya' see it all started in 1974....

Just kiding I am not sure i have all the info you'd need, but I can tell you a few things.

I know that CTTE was a fusion of different songs put together, that each had written. I guess they all happened to fit together great.

I know they'd write each part by section, and peice them together by splicing the tape together. I've read that they woud then listen to the song in it's entirety and rearrange things and what not. Next they learned how to play it. Then they recorded it.

I am not sure this is the way all of the peices came together, but I read once that this was the CTTE process.

I also remember reading a comment from Bill Bruford about Yes. He said that he never liked the way they wrote because he preferred to write the song from the beginning and play it through from then on. That's probably wy he went ot King Crimson. They weren't as much of a piece 10 songs together band.

Sorry, I am trying to write this fast, so I can't remember what else that book said. i think it was all in Tim Morse's Yestories.

more later...:yesbird:

[stip]

thanks for the quick answer

What wonders me then, if you put all pieces together, how about the logical build-up. How did they glued those pieces together without losing a (sort of) logical line (i refer to the transitions between those pieces)

[haroldthebarrel]

That's where the mastery of Yes comes in. That is whay they are the greats and we are talking about them. I cannot tell you how they bridge those parts into one flawless song.

My guesses can be that they change the pitches and tunes of the different melodies, so that they fit together. But there is something that happens that only happens when certain chemistry is found, and Yes has that. That is how the melodies and songs that came together to form epics like CTTE and Gates of Delirium are still remembered today, the chemistry and the talent, the genious that is Yes.

Joe C:cheers: