What is your rating of the DVD/Video Yessongs - the film? [Archive]

BrianD

08-05-2005, 06:52 PM

Well we have done the albums, now the DVD/videos. Lets see what we think about the quality of all these Yes visual offerings. Just give it your rating out of ten and eventually we'll be able to give our Yesfans combined opinion.

relayeire

08-24-2005, 04:18 PM

why this was so short I have never understood... so many tracks are missing: SK, HOTS, etc...

it's still great to have a Yes film from those days...

Vic W.

08-24-2005, 06:06 PM

Altres

08-24-2005, 07:00 PM

I'd love to see it sometime, I haven't watched it since 1976 or so when I went to see it in Dundee's ABC cinema. It was doubled up with Fairport Convention and Mathew Southern Comfort live at some festival. Richard Thompson is all I can remember from that, but I loved Yessongs. Chris squire was pretty much inspiring, Howe was his amazing self, John Anderson was soaring and Wakeman had a cloak on. I mean, what do you want in life? Oh yes, they sang Yes Songs.

Brian

Brian

BrianD

08-25-2005, 07:14 AM

How does one rate this? The video and audio are inferior, songs are missing (Perpetual Change!) and it's marred by stupid graphics hiding the band. Yet it is Yes at their absolute peak.

I cannot vote on this one...

Perpetual Change wasn't missing - they didn't play it on the CTTE tour. The version on the Yessongs album was from the Fragile tour.

Joe

08-25-2005, 08:18 AM

why this was so short I have never understood... so many tracks are missing: SK, HOTS, etc...

it's still great to have a Yes film from those days...

I agree with this. But I gotta tell you,.....
watching that DVD brings me back to the old days.
GOD! DO I MISS THOSE DAYS!
Great DVD! :thumbup:

Vic W.

08-25-2005, 02:54 PM

Perpetual Change wasn't missing - they didn't play it on the CTTE tour. The version on the Yessongs album was from the Fragile tour.

Interesting. I didn't realize that. That tour being my first Yes concert, I now realize that I have never seen Perpetual Change played live... :(

Well they could have at least included Siberian Khatru in the movie... and a full version of Starship Trooper, too...

Whitefish

08-26-2005, 03:39 AM

I gave it a 7.

It is great, but should have been much longer.

Whitefish

08-26-2005, 03:39 AM

I gave it a 7.

It is great, but it should have been much longer.

brotherofmine

08-26-2005, 04:05 AM

When this first came out it was fantastic. I don't mean the DVD but the film back in the 70's. Much thanks to Bob Harris for showing the film on 'Old Grey Whistle Test' for the first time.
What a lot of newer Yesfans will not realise that after CTTE had come out there were no live albums and no significant live footage of the band. So this film was amazing the first chance to see Yes play an entire live concert. Of course Yessongs triple live album come out shortly after with loads and loads of Roger Dean images.
I have not seen the DVD version but I think Yessongs was an importnat point in Yes history but now is looking a bit dated, you realise how much sound quality has moved on since then. A friend still had a vinyl copy of the album, and I winced when I heard it, but at that time of course we knew no different.

BrianD

08-26-2005, 04:27 AM

Interesting. I didn't realize that. That tour being my first Yes concert, I now realize that I have never seen Perpetual Change played live... :(

Well they could have at least included Siberian Khatru in the movie... and a full version of Starship Trooper, too...

Agree with you there Vic.

The three songs with Bill Bruford on them - PC, LDR and The Fish were from the Fragile tour and weren't generally in the CTTE tour setlist.

Dr Yes

08-26-2005, 04:48 AM

Despite all the 'faults' - poor sound, dodgy visuals, short length - I gave it a resounding 10. The energy is just fantastic and top marks are justified if only to see Yes in their angry young men heyday.

Vic W.

08-26-2005, 05:08 PM

Agree with you there Vic.

The three songs with Bill Bruford on them - PC, LDR and The Fish were from the Fragile tour and weren't generally in the CTTE tour setlist.

Which might have been obvious, had I questioned a bit more why Bruford made it onto the album at all.

I'm sure glad they did that - went out of their way to include those 3 cuts on their live album. They're true gems.

Vic W.

08-26-2005, 05:09 PM

yessongs72

08-26-2005, 05:47 PM

I give it a four. It's a shame, just like Philadelphia so much of the show left out. Just think if we had the complete show, what a awesome DVD that would make. Remaster the sound and video that would be one hot show! They must have the footage somewhere.

BrianD

09-02-2005, 09:13 PM

I wonder if they do? So much of early Yes footage that was pro shot has mysteriously disappeared.

BrianD

01-06-2006, 05:57 PM

After 11 votes it averages 7.91

Yes2Yes

01-06-2006, 06:11 PM

I thought it could have been better. Then again it came out in the 70's and that was how they did it back then.

Altres

01-08-2006, 03:30 PM

Is there a chance it will ever be remastered and restored to its fullest potential?

Brian

Hed G.

01-08-2006, 03:39 PM

Is there a chance it will ever be remastered and restored to its fullest potential?

Brian

I've written Alan White an e-mail regarding the visual archive, not just Yessongs but QPR 75, Philly 79, and the unreleased stuff as well.
I'll let you know if I get any answers.

Altres

01-08-2006, 03:42 PM

podo

01-08-2006, 06:02 PM

Its good and I like it, but due to the poor quality of both audio and video I find it hard to watch. Plus its too short.

True Believer

05-07-2006, 03:09 AM

I've written Alan White an e-mail regarding the visual archive, not just Yessongs but QPR 75, Philly 79, and the unreleased stuff as well.
I'll let you know if I get any answers.
Any response, Hed?

YesJen357

07-02-2006, 10:56 PM

Thanks, when I was in Singapore the other year I saw DVD's of Yessongs, QPR Vol I and QPR Vol II. I always wish I'd have bought them but I was on my way out to Aus and didn't want to cart them around. It would be great if a box set of these were all released digitally enhanced with loads of extra's.

Brian
When you see what a brilliant job has been done with 9012Live, where the original masters had been lost; it surely cannot be a vain hope to believe it is possible to re-release these as you suggest.

crackedactor

10-19-2006, 01:33 PM

I dont mind...the old stuff most was filmed in poor quality so you never expect to much....:git[1]:

hailhail

04-09-2007, 01:48 PM

Knew the biggest majority would give it 10
but I have to confess to being disappointed in it.
When I went to see it in the movies in the 70`s
it was amazing,they even had two short films highlighting
Steve Howe and Chris Squire`s solo albums.
This DVD was a let down,not enough on it and surely
they could have done something with the visual effects
with the technology they now have at their disposal.
Still great to see YES in "the day" but I expected a bit more
than just a 70`s film with 70`s effects

Orbert

06-11-2007, 04:55 PM

This is a clear case of memories being better than reality. I remembered an amazing concert video with great performances and cool effects. It's been on my Christmas list for a few years now, and hasn't shown up yet, so I recently rented the DVD in preparation for possibly buying it myself, and was really, really disappointed.

The quality of the video is nearly as bad as the quality of the audio. The effects were cool the first few times, then became distracting and I sure would not want to have to watch them every time, especially when I'd rather be watching the guys play.

And I hate the closing credits thing where Rick's solo is perfectly fine as background, but it cuts immediately to Steve and the band as soon as Steve's solo starts. Obviously no one wants to see a keyboard solo, but guitar solos must be shown. Bleah! I fart in your general direction, mister editore!

I gave it a 6 out of 10.

John Khatru

07-25-2007, 05:47 PM

After owning an old VHS edition for at least a decade, I finally got a copy of this on DVD recently... I know it's been available for sometime but simply way overpriced (close to $30) Amazon has it for $15 now...

It is what is is... a lowly budgeted film of Yes in concert in 1972 that simply looks its age

The quality of the video and audio certainly isn't up to snuff of today's technology but all considering they did a decent job of mastering it to DVD.

Who knows where the original film prints are and if they're in any shape to be restored and remastered. It would also cost mucho mucho dollars to restore to 2007 standards. It may very be lost for the ages.

This is likely the best we'll ever see of Yessongs in video form

Wakey's #1 Fan

01-09-2008, 02:22 PM

The only thing I complain about this great DVD is...it's too short! But I love it! What a great concert...and they are all so handsome, especially Rick with his silver sparkling cape and his very long blonde hair...wow...
did you know that all the clothes which I've given my five boys are inspired by this concert?

relayeire

01-09-2008, 02:27 PM

I'm glad there is a document of Yes at that time, but where's the rest of the show??? The most recent presentation I have seen of the film was a disc with a scratched print. The scratch ran through YIND and ST, the closing credits. Annoying.

acidfrank

05-14-2008, 10:13 PM

I saw the film in a movie theater in Miami in Nov 1975 and it was a LOT longer than the original vhs release that seems to have been used for the disappointing DVD.
I am not convinced that someplace somewhere there is not a print or safety copy or backup movie reels of the full movie version someplace. there just has to be 1 copy that survived.

mageestout

06-13-2008, 10:52 AM

Being a kid in the early 1980's -prior to MTV, DVD's, internet, YOUTUBE, etc.- having my hard sought after VHS (not Beta) copy of YESSONGS was like having the holy grail. Today we can say it's too short, poor sound, grainy, why the hell is Starship Trooper cut, the effects are cheezy, etc... but then that's all you had then so it was quite cool.

bjlevine

07-01-2008, 03:11 PM

Umm...you're talking about the Steve Howe show, right?

Back in 1976 when I was at the University of Texas, I walked 90 minutes to go see this movie (no car). It was really short and only had Wurm from Starship Trooper during the credits (ST was my favorite Yes tune at the time).

Of course, I got to see them live the following year in Houston.