Yes and Computers

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

Let me point out that this is the last Yes album before the full emergence of the internet through the medium of a graphical user interface on home PCs. (The mosaic browser was developed in 1993 at Univ. of IL. 1994-5 was the time of the establishment of 3 million plus hosts on as the standard Internet backbone and the elimination of the National Science Foundation internet backbone...)

It always struck me that Yes was among the pionoeers of the rock world to incoporate computers into their cover art. As with 90125. There's also a strong 'techno' element in Talk. Everyone used high tech mixing, I know, but what I'm talking about here was that Yes has looked at personal computing with favor since the early 80s (1983, the year of 90125, was the year the ARPANET first began using TCP/IP exclusively). And guess who were lots of the collegiate Yes fans? Computer science students!

I think that music is a strong motivator for college students, especially for the number crunchers. Anyone is welcome to correct me out there but Yes has a strong 'high brow' element that I think played a large part in many a computer scientist's college years. And the Homeworld project at the time of the Ladder was a major factor in bringing back to attention since I was programming in C++ at that time. I was fascinated by Yes visiting a Sierra programming team for a project! And in the world of PC gaming this was a bigger landslide success than 90125 in the music industry.

That being said: I know we have lots of musicians here I'd love to hear about computer use during the years from 90125 to Talk and any comments about how musicians helped shape the emerging internet.

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

Ooops big typo here.... I meant to say that the Homeworld project (by Relic by the way) was what made me pay close attention to Yes all over again....

[Dr.Bass]

What an intersting thread. Although I know relatively little about what you're talking about I can see your point, Yes is more cerebral than alot of music.

The Talk active CD-ROM is amazingly dated, but at the time, well, it must have been a first.

What about the use of the inovative and new Fairlight synthesizer on 90125, that was pretty new in 83 wasn't it?

[Steve St Thomas]

Well along with Yes, who were pioneers in the hard disk recording format (TALK), and one of the first to do something like YES ACTIVE (which I'd love to redo in Flash), you have Peter Gabriel. And that's a major one. Stuff he was integrating for the PC market from his music was ahead of its time, and he actually makes it still available for users today. Todd Rundgren also did some stuff, but I think he let technology (or the PC aspect) kind of wane a bit. Maybe not enough notoriety for it.

[pianozach]

Yep. Todd was and still is at the forefront of incorporating and innovating new technology into his music (and vice versa).

Early on, he began a course through uncharted musical territory, becoming a pioneer not only in electronic music and prog rock, but in music video, computer software, interactive CD-rom, enhanced CD and Internet music delivery as well (Rundgren founded PatroNet, an innovative device that lets users subscribe to music offered directly from his site -- with no record company middlemen at all).

Trivia: Todd Rundgren was the SECOND video played on MTV when it debuted ("Time Heals" - Todd singing and dancing around in front of computer generated Dali-esque landscapes). (Some sources, however, list "You Better Run" by Pat Benatar, as the second video played, probably in some grand cosmic denial.)

The first video, of course, was the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star." (Can you say, "Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes?")

. . . And here's a link to a sample of the original Buggles' version of "I am a Camera:" http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/buggles/artist.jhtml

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

The first video, of course, was the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star." (Can you say, "Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes?")


TREVOR . HORN . GEOFF . DOWNES

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

Well along with Yes, who were pioneers in the hard disk recording format (TALK), and one of the first to do something like YES ACTIVE (which I'd love to redo in Flash), you have Peter Gabriel. And that's a major one. Stuff he was integrating for the PC market from his music was ahead of its time, and he actually makes it still available for users today. Todd Rundgren also did some stuff, but I think he let technology (or the PC aspect) kind of wane a bit. Maybe not enough notoriety for it.

You're kidding me. TALK is an acronym for what? Well since this is in the Talk thread this validates my point entirely. Tell me more about that... and what is YES ACTIVE. Spell it out for me while I do some searching on it...

[Steve St Thomas]

You're kidding me. TALK is an acronym for what? Well since this is in the Talk thread this validates my point entirely. Tell me more about that... and what is YES ACTIVE. Spell it out for me while I do some searching on it...

Oh no sorry, I just got it what you were asking. No, TALK isn't the acronym for that, I was just referencing it, because it was one of the first, if not the first albums to be recorded directly to hard disk, though in a very time consuming (and now) technologically '''primitive'' way. Trevor had to use 4 MAC computers all hooked up to one another to do what you can do on 1 today.

YES ACTIVE was the PC ready CD-ROM that Yes issued when the TALK album was released. It was interactive so much as that it provided (through Quicktime software) interviews, discussions about songs, some demo and live recordings of TALK tracks, and lyrics. It basically served as liner notes for the TALK album. Considering what it was, it was quite ahead of its time. Considering what I know on FLASH, and if I had access to more material, I could make that PC CD ROM something of what it truly could be.

One thing that bites about it is that on a modern PC, it insists on installing Quicktime 2, whether you have the latest version of Q or not. It also SHOULD have included the whole performances of Walls and I Am Waiting. A live performance of The Calling would have been wonderful as well.

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

OK I just saw YES ACTIVE. Never saw that one. Yes multimedia is good. Looks like it got a few complaints, but hey, it was pretty much ahead of the game.

But this information about TALK is pretty cool.

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

... Trevor had to use 4 MAC computers all hooked up to one another to do what you can do on 1 today.

...Considering what I know on FLASH, and if I had access to more material, I could make that PC CD ROM something of what it truly could be.

One thing that bites about it is that on a modern PC, it insists on installing Quicktime 2, whether you have the latest version of Q or not. It also SHOULD have included the whole performances of Walls and I Am Waiting. A live performance of The Calling would have been wonderful as well.

Seems to me that Trevor had more than a musical influence on yes. His guitar 'feel' is on the whole much more electric feeling than Steve. I will always see Steve as the master of acoustic and melody, but Trevor has such a tremendous IMPACT. This is due in part to electric modulation. But what you tell me about his use of MACs is impressive. Mac networking is such a pain! ... there's little support. LOL. But listen to the song Talk. Such a heavy ominous sound. Very nice contribution from Mr. Squire here!

So you are good at Flash? That is very time consuming. It really takes a good graphic artist. What material do you need access to? I know someone that designs FLASH sites for a living.

I like The Calling. :theband: The review I read about YES ACTIVE was that it spent lots of time calling hardware that didn't exist and slowed down the program. Looks like it was made to hunt for Mac hardware and media players before it tested whether it was Mac- or Intel-based. Sounds like a design problem.

[Steve St Thomas]

OK I just saw YES ACTIVE. Never saw that one. Yes multimedia is good. Looks like it got a few complaints, but hey, it was pretty much ahead of the game.

But this information about TALK is pretty cool.

Definitely check out this Trevor Rabin interview at Notes From The Edge then
Trevor Rabin (http://nfte.org/back-issues/0270.html)

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

Great interview with Trevor... thought its hard to really tell what Trevor's relationship to anyone in the band is. LOL. Sounds like a blow-by-blow account of the decisions made while he was in the band.

Here's what Steve Howe has to say about the Homeworld project:
With the track "Homeworld," Yes has entered the arena of the computer games. At first glance it looks like pure manipulation to enter a territory strictly reserved for the younger generation. "Call it cross-marketing," says Steve Howe. "Billy is obsessed with PC-games and Jon thought that we should approach this medium from an ethical point of view.

[Steve St Thomas]

Great interview with Trevor... thought its hard to really tell what Trevor's relationship to anyone in the band is. LOL. Sounds like a blow-by-blow account of the decisions made while he was in the band.



You'll find in interview that Trevor Rabin is a very diplomatic person.

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

Yea he makes a great point: he hopes he revitalised Yes. I think he was a shot of Prozac to a band that was getting a little too complacent, too stoned, too married or something... He says bad things about Union, but as a fan its Tormato that makes me squeamish everytime I even try to think of a song that's catchy.