YES in LA Sunday Times 'letters' column...

[Earl Grey]

Would have been nice if it had been an actual story: but I've given up on the press......

Anyway, was a nice letter in the CALENDAR section: wish I'd written it!
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Say YES to Artistry (Los Angeles Times: Sunday, April 28th).

I found it ironic that Robert Hillburn should write an article on hype in the music industry ("When You Can Believe the Hype," April 21). The pop/rock industry has been artistically gutted by profit-driven hype perpetrated by record companies, radio stations and publications like yours.

For example, how could you possibly allow an article on Brittany Spears or N'SYNC to appear on anything other than the children's page?
I understand the profit motive; however, what is inexcusable is the total lack of hype for the few artists whose talent and bodies of work deserve it.

A prime case in point is YES- by all artistic and musical measuring sticks the greatest rock band of all time. No band can match the quality and quantity of their compositions, their musical talents, and certainly only a few performers can even approach the incredible live performances of YES. And I'm speaking of what they have done recently.
They have been touring brilliantly, producing new studio music and have released groundbreaking DVDs.

None of this covered by your paper nor other mainstream media.

Rick Wakeman has rejoined YES, and they are touring this summer. YES is, as they always have been, a cutting-edge band. And they have sold over 40 million records without the hype.

DEAN PAULOS
Pasadena.

A friend there, Mr Paulos.... The e-mail address to repond to The LA Times is:

Calendar.letters@latimes.com

Maybe we can respond with letters to support our fellow YES Head out there!

Earl Grey :yesbird:

[Earl Grey]

The Times makes it a bit equivocal on how to post letters to be published in later issues on their website: maybe one of you guys who are a bit more savvy on these matters (Pat?!) can figure out how to e-mail the Times with more letters on this subject... ...Would be fun to deluge them with YES requests... The Times might do an actual article on YES! You never know.

Anyway, I was impressed that someone was able to get a nice YES letter in there: the only decent band mentioned in the Calendar's pages this week (Any week!): and just a letter, mind you! But read by much of LA.

Earl

[YesNY]

Three cheers for Mr. Paulos!!!

By the way, the link to his letter:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/printedition/suncalendar/la-000030013apr28.story

[YYY]

WOW that's really great and very rare to see. Major props to Dean. I just sent word of my appreciation

Originally posted by Earl Grey
The Times makes it a bit equivocal on how to post letters to be published in later issues on their website: maybe one of you guys who are a bit more savvy on these matters (Pat?!) can figure out how to e-mail the Times with more letters on this subject...

Earl, I don't think I'm the one to figure this one out as I'm not even sure what you are asking me to figure out! Surely we have some media people here. Hey, I know, nooscam9 is a media person. He should have some ideas for us!

Come on nooscam9, give us your thoughts!

[Earl Grey]

Originally posted by illusion
Earl, your real name isn't DEAN PAULOS is it?
Only joking.
40 million records sold with only one hit single (in the US) and none in the UK. Thats some achievement.

Well, my 'stage name' anyway (I'm a singer-songwriter and a working guitarist: come see me at Pasedena's Freemont Theatre on May 6th!), even my kids call me Earl Grey.

...It's actually Earl Anderson: the 'Grey' bit started as a joke 12 years ago, dealing with a box of tea.
...well, it caught on and I answer to the 'Grey' name more frequently than my christian name nowdays.... careful with your jokes, they may become reality!

YES has had a few hits in the US: Roundabout/Long Distance Runaround being a double-headed single: both songs hit the charts and were played quite frequently in their heyday...

I remember 'America' being released as a single, with an edit of CTTE on the B-side (I get Up/I get Down). Was played fairly frequently, but I'm not sure to what position on the Top 40 it reached, if at all...

Wonderous Stories was a single, and was played over and over till I became sick of it when released...

Dont Kill The Whale was a single, and played a lot on FM radio...
Again, I'm not sure what position it finally reached on the charts.

Hard to imagine YES getting on the contemporary charts at this late date: good thing. Everything on the radio sucks right now, ...so as long as they don't get a massive hit they are probably being true to their craftsmanship.
You never know though: stranger things have happened and YES could have a hit again without suckering-up to the modern drivel which passes for hit music. Passed like a kidneystone into the pop charts!

Earl Grey ;)

[Earl Grey]

YES? NO!

Dean Paulos appearently participated in the excesses of the '70's, as little else could allow him to assert that YES' ascention to the top of the rock universe was daone without hype and record label-generated publicity.
Granted the band still survives on it's signature sound, but there were plently of magazine covers, meaningless chronicalling of the band's road-warrior exploits, and the de riguer testosterone-filled quotes during the band's hey-day. Or did Paulos write merely to remind us that another group of rock gods has returned to it's roots? Performing at the local pub instead of a nearby stadium?
Adam M. Sandler
Calabasas CA.

Isn't that special?
Adam Sandler: I wonder....? Could it be? Probably not. And excuse me, but the Universal isn't exactly a local pub: neither was the Hollywood Bowl: silly man.

I saw the trailer for Big Daddy Two. "Your Move" was playing in the foreground for most of the trailer...
Adam Who??? Must be a coincidence.

Earl

[Jeffrae]

Its cool they do the small Venues...

I mean I saw U2 in a Arena and the sound was not that great.. Echoed and everything.. I could hardly see the band without Binoculars because $80 got me into the nose bleed section..

Jeff

[Earl Grey]

WHAP! In the nose! that's all! Haha!

[Ridvan]

Good job Mr. Grey! Mr. Hilburn and the rest of the L.A. Times have always ignored anything that wasn't flash, glam or corprate pop. It's a shame that your letter will be the only mention of Yes in the times this year.
Will Page
Altadena

[Earl Grey]

Twas not I who wrote the great letter: was only noticed by 'yours truely'...

Bye the way, welcome to the site! I'm a musician and played the Pasedena Freemont Theatre tonight: where were you? Haha!

Good to see more LA locals here, and welcome to the party Will!

Earl Grey:yesbird:

[Ridvan]

Earl,
Sorry I missed you last night. I had to wait for a customer who HAD to have his amp repaired and couldn't wait. I'm a musician as well (guitars and keys). Nice to see there are other Yes fans in the area.
William Grey Page (yes that's my middle name)

[Earl Grey]

How are your keyboard chops? I might be looking for a good keys player in the near future... someone who can double on electric (I do a lot of busy steel string acoustic lead work in my stuff: sort of Bruce Cockburn/Richard Thompson sounding stuff).

Anyhow: I shouldn't go off topic (Who the hell made me a moderator anyway? Moderate thyself oh Earl!).

Wonder how we could get the LA Times to do a proper article on YES???
Suggestions anyone?

Earl Grey :ele:

[dhpdhp]

There is and I am the real Dean Paulos from Pasadena. Just joined this forum and 1st time here. Thanks for all the kind comments and support for my letter to LA Times. It was edited but most of it was there and I was amazed they printed it. The irony about all this media coverage, is that does the LA Times really believe that rap, N'SYNC, et. al. fans actually ever read the newspaper? The are clueless on so many levels. The thread continues in the Sunday LA Times as yesterday Wendell Wiggins' pro-Yes leter was printed. Very good to see. I submitted a response to the Adam Sandler letter last week but it was not printed. Here it is:

Like most of the mainstream pop/rock music media, Adam Sandler (Letters May 5th) is not going to let facts get in the way of writing an uninformed, cliché riddled opinion in a major publication. His suggestion that Yes has benefited from the media hype machine is baseless. In the last 20 years where are the “plenty of magazine covers” he speaks of, I’m sure Yes and their fans would love to see them. Yes rarely even gets a new record or concert reviewed. Because they are world-class musicians the members are frequently covered by the music trade publications; but this discussion is about mainstream media. As they are one of the most musically diverse and innovative bands of all-time, I wonder what “signature sound” he means. Some of the “local pubs” Yes played last year and upcoming are Hollywood Bowl, Radio City Music Hall, Universal Amphitheater, and Blossom. To compare Yes to the media hyped major acts is like comparing a Woody Allen movie to an Adam Sandler movie. One is timeless brilliance, the other mildly entertaining, hugely hyped and very lucrative.

Dean Paulos

[Earl Grey]

I wondered if you'd happen upon us here... And here you are!

An amazing thing, the internet!

Did you just find us by chance, or did a YESHEAD friend tell you that your letter was being talked about? Just curious.

Kudos to you Captain My Captain... A well written expressive letter, and refreshing in this world of diss-YES. It made my day actually.

So, Do you think that was THE Adam Sandler, or someone with the same name? I just kind of assumed that it was the actor, and was surprised to hear 'Your Move' played in the trailer for his new movie, "Mr. Deeds". Bit of a contradiction there...

Anyway Dean, welcome to YESFANS: you express yourself well, I hope we'll see a lot of you here friend!

Yours,
Earl Grey:yesbird:

[YesNY]

If I've got my facts straight, the entertainer Adam Sandler's middle name is Richard. So unless he changed his middle name or there was a typo, the Adam M. Sandler who wrote the letter lambasting Yes was NOT the one and the same person as the famous star of the upcoming "Mr Deeds" movie.

[Insane Teacher]

Hey Dean, great letter to the LA Times and welcome to Yesfans. In your original letter you mentioned that they have sold over 40 million records. I have prepared a letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and I would love to include that statistic if there is reliable authority to back it up. Do you have a source or citation for that information or is that your own estimate. My estimate is that they have sold somewhere in the range of 25 to 35 records based on their Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum statistics.

In your second letter, you mentioned "Blossom" as a Yes venue. I live 10 minutes away from Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Was this the Blossom you were talking about. If it was, it is the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra. It is one of the major concert venues in the Greater Cleveland area. It holds approximately 20,000 in the covered pavillion and in the surrounding grass ampitheater. As you mentioned, it is hardly a pub.

[dhpdhp]

Thanks for the welcome! I've been checking into the YesWorld site for a few years for updates, but never ventured over here.

Teach- My number for unit sales is a swag (scientific wild ass guess) but Edna Gunnersen(of all people) in USA Today stated over 30 million worldwide.

There is only one Blossom! Clearly one of the top concert venues in the world. I am lucky to have seen several shows there; awesome setting, great accoustics. I'm a Barberton and OSU grad.

[Earl Grey]

(Sung to the tune of 'The Marriage Of Figaro...)

Love my Yes, they are best like a rose-oh...
40 mill what a guess, on the nose-oh..
Middle name not the same: I'm not Bozo...
Operaman is a fan of the band-oh....

'Adam's Middle name isn't M': As another old SNL player would have said: "Nevermind!"
Guess I didn't know the guy from Adam!

Soon-oh,
Earl Grey:ele:

[Insane Teacher]

Thanks for the reply, Dean. Were you grew up in a Magical town. I live in Hudson now. Despite living so close to Blossom, I missed there shows there over the past few years due to lack of publicity. I didn't even know they were playing. I hope to make it this year.

Blossom truly is a beautiful place. My fantasy would be for Yes and the Cleveland Orchestra to play together there some day.

[YesNY]

Originally posted by Earl Grey
(Sung to the tune of 'The Marriage Of Figaro...)

Love my Yes, they are best like a rose-oh...
40 mill what a guess, on the nose-oh..
Middle name not the same: I'm not Bozo...
Operaman is a fan of the band-oh....

'Adam's Middle name isn't M': As another old SNL player would have said: "Nevermind!"
Guess I didn't know the guy from Adam!

Soon-oh,
Earl Grey:ele:

Good job! Next you must tackle Adam Sandler's "The Channukah Song". Call it "The Yes Song" and make it about famous Yes fans (and a certain non fan):

Adam M. Sandler,
Not a Yes fan.
[a grateful audience applauds wildly]

[jcostello]

Welcome, Dean, welcome! Now that you've advanced and been recognized, I wonder if we can get either Adam Sandler the letter writer or Adam Sandler the, er, actor to hop in here and put in his or his two cents about Yes. The other burning question: Will Adam Sandler (movie dude) ever do a movie with a soundtrack by Trevor Rabin?

Peace, Love, and Stay Tuned,

John C.

[Earl Grey]

Here's a couple more letters that were in the Times a couple of weeks ago: I've been busy being distracted so haven't had time to post them till now...

One nice one:

The Final Word On YES
I have been a longtime fan of YES and other progressive rock bands mostly because of the creative force that guides them. Not the 3 1/2-minute commercial hit the record companies demand. How many bands have had the intestinal fortitude to release a double album with just four tracks?
You can say what you want about YES, the good and the bad, but I thank them for honoring their art, not the lowest common denominator. There is just too much of that.
JORDAN GOODMAN/Studio City

One not so nice, but funny anyway:

Enough already with the ridiculous debate about the questionable credibility and talent (or lack thereof) regarding YES (Letters, April 28, May 5, May 12, May 19).
Do we really care that much about a bunch of aging rockers who experienced their heyday more than 20 years ago?
Come on. Let's get on to more important matters. Like, can anyone find me a reasonably priced ticket to the Rolling Stones' Wiltern Theatre show in November?
BENJAMIN KREPACK/Los Angeles

Both Letters Reprinted from the Los Angeles Sunday Times: May 25th. Calander section).

:ele:

[Q]

Great stuff, Earl ... whatever one might not like about Yes, I wonder how lack-of-talent can ever be leveled as a serious criticism???

[Earl Grey]

His idea of a coveted show to attend was The Rolling Stones...
I guess he has a different idea of waht 'talented' means!

Hey, I love the album 'Sticky Fingers', and enjoyed the stones when they had at least one decent guitarist (Mick Taylor).
Ron Wood just leaves me cold...
And it seems quite the stretch to mention Mick&Keif' in the same breath as YES...

But i don't think he was really being serious: I Think he was trying to make a joke, be ironic... something.

Doesn't matter: the letters column in the Times was brewing over with YES for a few weeks due to all the varying opinions: more publicity than the guys have seen in the times EVER!
*sigh*

Bye the way...
Welcome non-YES fan Adam M Sandler!
How the hell did you find us? (You must have SOME search engine there buddy!).

This thread is FUN!
Earlie:ele: