First Ever Listen

[Altres]

http://i1.tinypic.com/s1rp0h.jpg

It seems to me I have been missing out on a whole album of classic Yes. It sounds on some level like a Yes album that could have been issued anytime in the last twenty years if the whole Tormato/Drama/90125 thing hadn't happened. What a great organic beast of a thing it is; it genuinely sounds like classic Yes. It even has a nod to the past in certain areas whilst remaining in the eternal present. The organics are green and blue, the music dynamic, the melodies are sweet and they seem in love with being in Yes again; it is quite a revelation.

This is only the first listen. I'm high. Bye.

Brian

[True Believer]

Wow, Brian! I'm glad you're finally discovering The Ladder. I hope you really enjoy it - it's one of my "recent" Yes faves.

Any others you haven't heard yet?

[pedro skychaser]

ladder is uplifting stuff-always my soundtrack when i walk 25 mins to inlaws--to pickup sammy mac the rock kid+puts me in good mood--daresay HOMEWORLD is in top5 songs ever...enjoyed the studio scenes extras on euro version--fish is very happy!!

[Altres]

I've yet to hear Talk fully, and I have only heard half of Big Generator. I have only heard Union once, years back. I lost it about a week after I bought it, I went over to see some relatives in New York and New Jersey and on return discovered I'd been broken in to.

All the rest I know pretty well. I even caught Open Your Thighs beacause of the Glasgow gig in '98 at the Armadillo, I bought it to get a bit of insight into the set. I loved the two Keys to Suspension CD sets too in the mid ninties. I remember seeing a documetary on the release of these situated on the Channel Tunnel between England and France.

When asked "what would you like to play Rick?" by the interviewer, Wakeman said "Rolling Stones songs, but we don't do those," Chris was pissing himself laughing at the side.

Brian

[pedro skychaser]

http://i1.tinypic.com/s1rp0h.jpg...
Brian

btw the cover of The Ladder is meant to be of a city of glass-acc to roger--hmmm-they don't look transparent enough...golden forest,golden lake,sanctuary,state of grace....pure jon+its all ok-c'min old chap the waters fine!!!

[Altres]

I just found a quote I posted on Roger Dean's website a few years back describing this image.

"In the immortal words of Ivor Cutler; "gravity begins at home" It must be 25 years since I first came to witness some of these paintings and I still get dreams set inside some of these multiverse alternities." (http://www.rogerdean.com/upclose/yesladder.htm)

Roger himself emailed me afterwards thanking me for mentioning Ivor Cutler. Incidentally Ivor died a couple of weeks back.

Brian

[Scooty]

The Ladder saved my life..
Plain and simple.
1999 was an amazing year of comeback from the brink for me.

I'm so very glad you have discovered this album Brian!!

[tsardaniel]

I have always really enjoyed this cd and would recommend it as quality latter period Yes!

[Orbert]

I have to give this one another try, I guess. I got it for Christmas a few years ago, and spun it a few times, but it just didn't grab me. It didn't seem to have that classic sound that people talk about, but maybe I was listening too hard (whatever that means).

[cinderella]

If Only You Knew is one of my favorite Yes songs ever.

[Mostly Harmless]

For me, The Ladder is one of Yes' weakest releases (along with OYE). I'm glad you're enjoying it though. To each his/her own!

[yes_angel]

I took to it fast "New Language"

[RABARKS]

It's a great album. Good blend of old style and new style Yes. As much as I like Magnification, this album is just a little better.

Good songs, well performed, everybody sounding eager to "make the best Yes album they could" as Bruce Fairbairn had instructed them.
Whatever his personality may be, listening to Igor makes you miss his musical strengths. He sounds like a "best of" all previous Yes keyboard players.
New Language is one of those underestimated (new) classics.

I bought the album on good faith, without having heard any song previously, as I've done with every album since OYE (now that one was a bit of a dissapointment). What I enjoyed most on the first listen, was how well produced it was. Lots of things going on (unlike the sparse KTA), but never overcrowded or compressed. (like OYE and Talk)
If they (ever) make another album, it should be like The Ladder, only maybe with a few more darker shades and themes.

The only things that really dissapointed me were yet another Dean cover, looking a bit too sparse and samey to all his other work, and the lyrics, which I found not very original.

:headset:

[heishere]

i just discovered it a couple months ago and i just had to keep playing day and night until i finally put it away as ya would a precious jewel...
Oh -- does it get much much better than this!

[Canonsong]

Glad you found it Brian what kept you away for so long?????.....
I'm jealous of your first listen.....its great hearing any Yes song let alone a whole recording, for the first time. Don't over play it....I always do this and then regret it.
Give us a review.

[neilius]

I bought this album when it first came out and on my way home, reading the sleeve-case i thought 'Is there 6 yes men now? Who's this Igor guy?' I realised Igor played on OYE (which i had and liked better then than i do now) and was a bit disappointed that Wakey wasnt on there.

I fell in love with this album from the first play. I totally understand what Scooty has said; in some respects, this album is the soundtrack to my life during 1999/2000; i went through some major (good) changes at this time.

I gave this album a play last saturday after about a year of not listening to it (all the way through) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I recommend this album to anyone that hasnt heard it yet.

[gathernear]

Cool, Brian! I'm glad you like it. I think that The Ladder is a great album, at a time when Yes wasn't making great albums.


Larry

[Scottie]

I received this album on cassette as a Christmas gift sometime around when it was released. I listened to it multiple times while stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on a local infamous road that is always in this state no matter what time it is day or night. It was the quickest time spent in any traffic jam I was ever in. It was a great discovery for me as well.

[Amy]

Wow Brian, how cool. This is one of my favorites. My best moments on first listen, Homeworld and when New Languages started, I was absolutely floored. Still am every time I hear it, but the whole album is great! Enjoy!

[heishere]

Wow Brian, how cool. This is one of my favorites. My best moments on first listen, Homeworld and when New Languages started, I was absolutely floored. Still am every time I hear it, but the whole album is great! Enjoy!

yeah what amy says is so true... and i would add "nine voices"... such an amazing, entrancing track... i'm surprised we don't hear more talk about it lately here... especially in the yesphilosophy thread...

[robin chun]

Great album.I find I'm drawn to CAN I more and more, and one of my all time YES favs is NINE VOICES..just amazing
Robin

[illusion]

It's a good album and it grabs you instantly, but it does get a bit boring after a while. Doesn't have the repeated listening value of CTTE etc.

[Faceintheplace]

My sister was nice enough to buy this album for me while I was recovering from wisdom tooth surgery. I had several days off and it was nice to let a new Yes album sink in a bit. As soon as I heard the first few seconds I was thinking "Yes are back," and that making me very happy. "Homeworld" remains one of my all time favorite later period Yes songs. I wish I could experience hearing "Homeworld" for the first time again, I remember being over-joyed. I went off Yes for a bit after Open Your Eyes, "Homeworld" made me a fan all over again. I can't get into "If Only You Knew", it seems too much like an 80's ballad to me, to me it's a lesser remake of "I Am Waiting." The keyboard part in the middle I espcially don't like. I also find "New Languages" a little bit disjointed, I like the beginning and ending but the bit in the middle with the when Jon first comes in was too much of a shift of mood for me, a very psychadellic and brooding intro into a light airy poppy bit, it feels like it doesn't belong with the rest of the song. Apart from that I enjoy this album alot. Other than "Homeworld" I also really like "It Will Be a Good Day," "The Messenger", "To Be Alive" and "Finally." "Finally" is a really under-rated Yes song IMO. The outro especially gets to me. This was a big improvement over OYE and I also think Magnification for the most part took the best elements of The Ladder and improved upon them.

[Bugeyes]

I love the first notes and the first word is one of my favorite words: Nothing.

Lightning Strikes, Face to Face and The Messenger, oh yeah, this is the YES I fell in love with.

[simon oakey]

This is a great album with no weak tracks on it

[Doktor Rokster]

Superb album, although I tend to miss out If Only You Knew. But then again, I'm not so fond of Yes doing ballads...I mean, I don't even like Onward very much and I know that's a favourite of many. I find If Only You Knew separates the CD very nicely into two distinct halves, just like an old vinyl album, with that song being the point where I would have had to get up and turn the record over. The Ladder is a traditional Yes album and its obvious their producer, Bruce Fairburn, had a big impact on the direction of the music. It was a terrific tour as well, but as with the Magnification tour, I feel the band made a big mistake by not concentrating enough on the new music, instead relying on the tried and tested classics which we've all heard so many times before.

[TNyesfan]

For me, The Ladder is one of Yes' weakest releases (along with OYE). I'm glad you're enjoying it though. To each his/her own!
Oh man... CONVERSION!!!!
Marge, we need to get together, I'll ply you with brewski's and get you thinking straight. ;)

I call The Ladder Yes's happiest album!
I love all of it except, "If You Only Knew."

[Yesed]

If only you knew is a nice pop song , a refreshing break. The middle section of the song is actually a cleverly orchestrated move. My favorites are To be alive and nine voices.
Does anyone know how to burn individual tracks from this cd, it seems to be protected or compliled as one file with the video promo. Ed