Memories of Yesshows

[Pathways]

After reading the great fan memories in the Word is Live book....

On a wintry February day in 1984 I remember looking at the sleeve of Yesshows - the first Yes album I bought - in my local record shop Owl Records (long since gone), which also stocked a bin of Roger Dean posters.

I loved all the sleeves in the Yes rack, and was interested in the band because of their lengthy tracks and possibility of hearing some strange & improvised keyboards. At 15 after being into heavy metal then Rush, along with a sideline interest in classical music, this looked like the stuff I was looking for.

The song titles were intriguing as I'd never heard - or heard of - any of them, which the exception of Wonderous Stories which may have played on radio. Which album was Gates of Delirium from? I had no idea. Took me a while to find out, Relayer was quite rare & even then the song titles were inside! I had to make the pilgrimage to the big city lights of Peterborough to see Topographic Oceans & Relayer in the racks.

The titles 'Ritual' and 'Gates' really appealed to me, what would they sound like, stretching out over a whole side of vinyl?
I remember on first playing them thinking that they were mainly improvised (!! how wrong can you get?!)

Then the inside photos & attention to detail in listing the exact date each track was recorded along with names of the band on each date. Wonderful all-important stuff - these had to be the guys!

I listened to Gates again this morning - Patrick's keyboards in Soon, especially where he follows behind Steve's pedal steel phrases, are just an all time favourite for me. 21 years later it's still on my turntable - not many records I bought in 1984 I can say that about.

Thanks Yes - I hope to hear you perform Gates one day.

[yesyadda]

That's a neat story. Maybe we will hear Gates performed again. I sure hope so.

[RABARKS]

I have a similar connection with Yesshows. I bought it before I got GFTO and TFTO so that was how I got to know these songs.
Now I prefer the studio versions, except for TAAW. I really love the Tormato treatment they gave it live.
:headset:

[ANTIOCH]

This was the 'in the round' period and was (for me) the highlight of YES performing 'live'. So-o many GREAT shows before, but by this time; YES really had it together from the spectators point of view.

[Silent_wings]

Cool story Pathways
you should post more often
Hearing Gate preformed live again would be wonderful.

[chungiemunchin]

I have seen Yes perform a number of times. When they were just breaking into this market (that would the US of A of course), they would appear in nice theatre settings where the acoustics would enhance their work (I saw them twice in a nice theatre in Atlanta, Ga....once as pre-show to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and the other as headliners with none other than Humble Pie as their opening act - yes.....with Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott - rest his soul). I particularly enjoyed those shows because you could really hear how great they are....individually and as a band. Later on in life, as their popularity grew, they began appearing in larger arenas only. I don't have to tell you real fans of music just how much those arenas work against a band's sound. Most of the arena shows I enjoyed. However, there were occasions when the sound was so bad that even the band members could not mask their displeasure, giving a mediocre performance at best. One such show I remember was in Roanoke, VA. Their attitudes were more like.....F' Sweathog (Sweathog was this rock band - consisting of Frosty, the drummer from Lee Michaels, and various other musicians playing pretty simple rock in 4/4 time...uninteresting 4/4 time I might add. By the time Yes appeared, their attitudes already seemed blown.....because the sound was just terrible...so much echo everywhere.

Anway, more recently I have seen Yes in a big arena (the Capital Center in Maryland) and it is obvious that technology has allowed them to transcend that booming, echoing sound in such rooms as the performance could not have been better. This was the tour they did in the round with all of the members of Yes....from all of the eras.....so you had Tony Kaye and Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford and Alan White, Trevor Rabin and Steve Howe (although I don't thing Peter Banks was with them...though I could be wrong..anybody else out there saw the concert who wishes to differ, please be my guest.....). There was never nor never will be another Yes.....long live the kings of prog rock! :theband:

[georgiakhatru]

My first show (and only one until the 35th anniversary concert) was in 1972 at the University of Georgia Coliseum. I was astounded, awed even, and became a lifelong fan.

A few memories (though fuzzy):

-- I remember Jon Anderson commenting on the arched or dome shaped ceiling of the coliseum, saying it was like being inside a giant mushroom.

-- I was next to the stage and someone beside me pointed to the black equipment cases stenciled with "Yes Fragile" in white and saying, "Hey, that's an album!"

-- Someone apologizing for the delay in the showing getting started, explaining it was being recorded and there was some problem with the recording equipment.

-- A photographer, wearing a tweed jacket, puffing on a bent pipe and with Leicas and Nikons slung around his neck and shoulders was shooting the band, sometimes from a ladder behind White's drums. Jon even introduced him.

-- Thinking Wakeman looked like a wizard with his long hair and cape/coat that was green with gold stars (I think). He sure played like one.

-- Someone poked me in the side and I thought, for a brief instant, I was going to be shot or stabbed when I saw they were holding something big and shiney. Turned out to be a very large adjustable wrench that was being used as a roach clip.

And of course, there was the music. Yes set a standard by which I began to judge other bands. Even today, not too many measure up.