The Word Is Live--Now That We've Had A While To Consider It

[JL]

I've been hitting The Word Is Live pretty hard recently. I'm on a Yes kick on the heels of a six week Jethro Tull kick, and TWIL and TYA have been the main albums I've been enjoying.

Anyway, I was wondering what people have to say about this album now that we've had a few months to get used to it. There is a lot to love.

I'm most pleased about the fact that 1978 and 79 are so heavily represented. Tormato may not have been one of the best Yes albums, but the Tormato tour rates up there with the best in rock history. For me, the Chicago 79 Awaken is one of the best cuts in my entire CD collection.

Disc two is a non-stop reminder of how great a Yes concert can be. When I first got the set, disc two was glued to the inside of my CD player for quite a while. However, over the last week, I've been sticking mainly to discs one and three. Since I grew up on Grateful Dead audience tapes, I have a higher tolerance for less than stellar sound quality than many people. Therefore, that hasn't been nearly as much of an issue for me as it has for some on this board. I'm overjoyed to have the 1971 performances on an official release.

Now that I've had a few months to digest it, I believe that Yes has a major triumph on their hands with The Word Is Live. What do you guys think?

[Albedo]

I've listened to Sound Chaser about a million times now and it's still exciting. That version of Awaken is killer. For Everyone is cool and I like Steve on Astral Traveller. Overall this is holding up well for me.

[KPatrick]

I've stated elsewhere and will restate here that I think it's the best Yes product that has been released in Years. I listened to it cover-to-cover the night I got it. I love the rawness of it. And the pre-YESSONGS stuff is a revelation; Rick Wakeman may have been instrumental in creating the YES we all really know and love, but Tony Kaye was no deadweight. And Bruford... I'm not one who laments him -- he didn't exactly disppear after CLOSE TO THE EDGE, and Alan was and has been the right man at the right time -- but, wow.

I wish the late 70s stuff sounded a little better. People are pretty much universally rapturous about the 78-79 tours, so it's a shame that the stuff on CLASSIC YES is the best sounding thing we have. But the "Big Medley" rocks. And the live "Shoot High Aim Low"... I love BG anyway, but wow, marvelous.

I think what I like the most is the energy. The sound quality is iffy on much of this material, but that is trumped by the undeniable enthusiasm for the music that comes through on every track. Chris' solo on "It's Love" is just the most extreme example. It's a great memento of band that had more than just flash technique: they had heart, soul and stones.

[Hacman]

It has been in heavy rotation recently. That version of Soundchaser is the best I've heard. Disc 1 is full of gems, Tony Kaye was very prominent on those early tracks. The only ones I skip over are the Drama ones - the sound quality on those are just God-awful. I love Drama, but yeesh!

Shoot High is my favorite Yeswest live recording (so far).

This is an excellent collection.

[RobAdams]

I've grown to love TWIL. I loved it from the beginning, in spite of its' poor quality Drama tour tracks. This has grown upon me more and more. Disc one is amazing for its' 1971 tracks. Very nice to have more Bruford era live Yes. AMERICA in its' full blown form absolutely floors me. Disc 2 has a fantastic SOUND CHASER. Actually, I've never heard a bad SOUND CHASER, and I have 2 other live versions to compare. THE BIG MEDLEY is absolutely wonderful. It's great to finally see this on an official release. Disc 3 has one of my favorite AWAKEN's of all time. TEMPUS FUGIT is the only 1980 tour track I can handle. I love it! And SHOOT HIGH AIM LOW is stellar!


The booklet is nice. It almost justifies the price of the package! I'm glad I got it on sale when it first came out.

After digesting TWIL for a few months, I can say that I consider this one of their most important live albums next to YESSONGS and YESSHOWS.

[Hed G.]

I just got this for my birthday and it's absolutely FANTASTIC!!!

[marklovesyes]

One of the best things about "The Word Is Live" is Tony Kaye. He's on most of the songs. Starts and finishes the box set as the kayeboard player. And is really showcased. The stuff he does on disc 1 is awesome.

[Orbert]

Ha, good point! Tony then and then Tony.

I especially like the peek into the early years. Actually, the whole thing is really a look at some of the lesser-heralded lineups, isn't it? Yes with Tony and Bill, we have some Patrick, some Buggles, and The Other Trevor as well.

"Loneliness is a power that we possess to give or take away, forever." That was interesting. Unexpected. As big of a Yesfan as I consider myself, I know I'm not as up on the histories of some of these songs as many of you are. I know Wurm came from another tune that Steve did with another band, but I never remember the name, though I've heard it many times. But this was unexpected.

I love the live version of "America"! Bill's opening riff really emphasizes how the Yes arrangement seemed to grow out of Bernstein's "America" - a connection I never made. I did notice Chris' quote during the intro on the studio version, but it seemed more of a wink and a nod than anything else. I didn't even think about the main rhythm as alternating measures of 6/8 (as 3+3/8) and 6/8 (as 2+2+2/8). And there are more verses! So... is the "extended studio version" we know and love itself an edit? There are some rather abrupt changes in the studio version that are "smoothed out" in the live version with extra licks. Perhaps Atlantic indulged Yes enough to allow them what they did, but it was still the result of some cutting?

Finally, a live version of "Awaken" that doesn't suck! I'm sorry, but this is my favorite Yessong, if not my favorite song by anyone, and I just haven't heard a live recording of it that captured the atmosphere, the mood, properly. Playing the notes is not enough. "Awaken" is a trip, a journey, an experience, and I really don't get that from any other live version. This version comes pretty doggone close.

Interesting intro to "Rhythm of Love". It sure shows the difference in, shall we say, "attitude" between Cinema and Yes. The groovy, funky vamp with the synth (is that Tony channeling Bernie Worrell? Hooray!) is something I would never expect from Jon, Rick, and company, but hey, it works for me. I've never disliked CinemaYes, I just have a number of other lineups I prefer, sometimes rather strongly. But good music is good music. This is the Yes that that audience came for, and they got it. Listen to the crowd. CinemaYes put on a good show. Maybe it's my own penchant for live music that helps me appreciate it, but heck, I've been to concerts of bands I didn't even like and ended up enjoying myself (though the female company I had at the time may have had more to do with that than the music).

The sound quality is an issue with me, for sure. But the intensity of the performances shines through and, as I'd hoped would happen, usually makes me forget about the recording quality itself. This is good. I've been to concerts with pretty good sound, and pretty crappy sound, but I don't think I've ever heard "perfect" sound in a live setting, and that's okay. So it's a given that the sound won't be studio perfect. Sure, I would've liked it better, and it seems that there were places where they could've done something, but I'm not a sound engineer, so what do I know?

Overall, a great set. A better set than I'd expected.

:keyboard: :theband:

[Hed G.]

Finally, a live version of "Awaken" that doesn't suck! I'm sorry, but this is my favorite Yessong, if not my favorite song by anyone, and I just haven't heard a live recording of it that captured the atmosphere, the mood, properly. Playing the notes is not enough. "Awaken" is a trip, a journey, an experience, and I really don't get that from any other live version. This version comes pretty doggone close.


I agree that this is the best official live release of Awaken. BUT:try and get
your hands on a copy of the Wembley arena show in 1978 (this was an FM
radio broadcast, so the boots of this have excellent sound!). It's the best
Awaken, IMHO!

[lindil]

I was most impressed w/ the bruford material and how poorly masteref\d future times/rejoice [one of my favorite yes tunes] was.

The Drama material was as has n\been noted poor excepting tempus fugit. Why those lame outtakes and no to be over?

But over all a pretty good three discs. THe 76 soundchaser was a nice suprise as well. But why the HotS?


GE G thatnks for prompting me to look at wemblety again,,,,

[JB86]

This was my first exposure to Yeslive and it started something. I really liked the 2 minute keyboard extension on Rhythm of Love....and Shoot High, Aim Low.

A welcome addition to my collection- the booklet inside the cd case is a nice touch.

[tsardaniel]

I think the version of Awaken on this set is superb...one of my fave live versions ever! (of course I have only heard a handfull so... could be wrong)

[CybrKhatru]

TWIL is one of the many collections loaded onto the iPod. Whenever ANYTHING comes up on the shuffle from it, I always give the volume a push.

I agree that this is the best Yes collection to be released in many years. Is it too much to wish for full versions of these concerts? ;)

--Matt

[Dr.Bass]

The 'intro' on Rhythm of Love is from one of the 12" Remixes, er, 'Rhythm of Dub' I think, I guess they played the pre-recorded stuff and then joined in.

My only gripe is that everything Rhino does suddenly stops mid eighties. (NO BG reissue!!??)

I would love to have had stuff from the Union and Talk tours on here, as post 96 Yes is well represented on other CDs.

It seems to me that 88-95 is a bit of a lost era, for no obvious reason, and I must say that Talk is one of my favourite albums. Union (the tour) and ABWH heralded some great moments, so why are we denied them?

Grr.

[luislg]

I've just purchased TWIL and what a nice surprise I got!!! I'm really thrilled because of the excellent stuff I found there, completely unexpected to me. One of the best Yes albums ever released.

I didn't know "America" studio version at "Yesterdays" was an edit until I heard this complete live version (it lasts 16 minutes!!!!) in disc one. This version is much better and all of the guys are just cool. And one has to hear "Everydays" if interested in Steve's and Chris's virtuosism alive.
I was also very pleased to see that all the tracks in disc one were played by Bill Brudford. Even though I'm a young fan (23 y.o.), I grew up worshipping Close to the Edge and Fragile, loving Bill's very particular style (I love Alan's, but Bill has something very special in the way he plays) Well, I wasn't disappointed at the quality of all his performances in every track. In the past I had to be happy with the few tracks in Yessongs in which he performs.
I agree in the comments made regarding the poor quality of sound in Drama tracks, and also about "Tempus Fugit". That would be the only lousy thing about this awesome collection.

Soundchaser is superb, one of the best versions I've ever heard, and in my opinion this version of "Awaken" is the best live one I've ever heard (well, I would need to hear the Wembley Arena version that Hed G recommended).
Personally I prefer "Rythm of love" version with Wakeman and Steve Howe, played in their 35th Anniversary tour (I saw them here in Mexico City two years ago), and "Shoot High Aim Low" is another great precious gem from the Rabin era. Very nice and powerful version in my opinion.

TWIL was expensive, but it's really worth it. It's one of the best live albums Yes has ever released, since it contains rarities like "Everydays" (at least to me... I'd never heard that song), some of the best live versions they ever made, and excellent quality performances. Really recommendable. A must for a Yes fan and also for Rock fans.

Luis

[YESOLA]

It's great - I just wish there was some Fragile tour material and some from later concerts.

Did the band not play live from 1972- 1975? Well yes they did..why no material form then?

[Orbert]

It's great - I just wish there was some Fragile tour material and some from later concerts.

Did the band not play live from 1972- 1975? Well yes they did..why no material form then?
That period is pretty well represented already in other official live albums. I think the idea with The Word is Live was to check in on "lesser known" tours and such.

[OldRelayer]

I agree that this is the best official live release of Awaken. BUT:try and get
your hands on a copy of the Wembley arena show in 1978 (this was an FM
radio broadcast, so the boots of this have excellent sound!). It's the best
Awaken, IMHO!

I just listened to both versions and they are undoubtably both great. I have to give the nod to the one on TWIL, it seems to capture all the little things the fine details a little better. But I'll take either as a fine example of Yes at their awesome best.

So others can make a comparison that don't have the Wembley, I uploaded Awaken from that show, it is huge and if everyone that wanted it downloaded it, I would blow out my bandwidth. So I am going to leave it up for a day or so and the first few that contact me will get that address.

In general TWIL is great and very much worth having, if one doesn't already.

bbm1@verizon.net

Thanks
Barry

[Moon Theme]

I love this set.. I wish they would do Part 2.......

[RobAdams]

I still love this album, a lot! I hope this is just the beginning of Yes opening the vaults.

[neilius]

A great collection. Superb.

[inside_out]

A word on Disc One. I have to say hearing Yes Live from the very begining speaks volumes.

[crackedactor]

I think this collection is excellent when you think back to the sort of tape etc that it all was recorded on.....

[tommyhawk]

Where can I get this on mail order for cheap? Some of the prices I've seen for this set have made me gun shy.