30 years of Wondrous Stories - let us celebrate!

[Bo Locks]

30 years since the summer of 1977 when that guitar and Jon's voice first squirted out of my gloriously monophonic cassette-radio and Wondrous Stories took me on a journey not yet over.

Images of vast plains under never-ending skies, calm seas dotted with islands, apprentices listening to the master. I've never forgotten the images or the impact of the song.

Anyone have any memories...?

[DREAMER]

...and 30 years since I discovered Yes. I remember seeing the Wonderous Stores video on tv, and was filled with wonder - they looked so cool and 'God-like' to my 14 year old eyes ! Shortly after I saved up my pocket money and bought Going For The One - still my fave album of all time.

[Andrea YouAndI]

Lisa (mmmYes) did an awesome version of Stories during the informal jam Friday night at the Gathering. She graciously let me, Dom, and a few others join in on singing, and it turned out great. I wish we could've had more time to do more songs like that!



As he spoke my spirit climbed into the sky...

[allpurechance]

Say what you will, this is one of music's great moments.

And, could there possibly be any better intro to Awaken?

The two pieces fit together at least as well as Horizons does before Supper's Ready.

They belong together.

[yesyadda]

"it is no lie, I see deeply into the future.."
My favorite line. Gets the peepers weepin' every time.

[allpurechance]

"it is no lie, I see deeply into the future.."
My favorite line. Gets the peepers weepin' every time.

Jon rounding with Chris, Gar...

Yep.

Read hereabouts that Chris hates this song.He's in a distinct minority!LOL...

[Simon Woodhouse]

Is it the best of all their shorter songs? It's got to be right up there. GFTO really does have everything – radio friendly stuff (Wondrous Stories), power (Parallels) and an epic (Awaken). And none of it sounds thirty years old to me.

[lindil]

I first heard this song in what must have been 77 right after a typical episode of casey casems top 40...It was like having been a rude rustic hobbit stumbling on elves. Even Zep did not have light like this. I was 11 and Star Wars had come out, the whole world for me was changing. Tolkien was also started that year.

I would venture to guess that WS was the first of all those events.

Too bad it has had such a hard time live.

[wolfhound]

Wondrous Stories reminds me that the stories can change and so does life. This song came out at a pivotal time in my life. I'd thought I'd heard and lived all of life's stories by then - but it turns out that they're endless - a stream that's constantly replenished.

[luvyesmusic]

One of my favorites of course. The most beautiful time I heard Wonderous Stories was when Rick played it on his "Grand Paino" tour and continued by playing "the Meeting". Both of these songs are very important to me.I took my future wife to a Yes show on our second date. We made love in my van with the windows down enough where Alan Parson's Project flowed into the van. We had front row regular seats (not the radio giveaway ones) and were embracing when "Wonderous Stories" was being played. Life was perfect. Jon spotted us and waved, I didn't think he was waving at us(he's been known to wave or shake his hand during this song), but he waved at us again. I waved back and he smiled. Suffice to say, that during this song I knew this was the woman I was going to marry.5 years later after she finished family commitments and school we were married; "Wonderous Story" was our wedding theme and on the announcements. We played part of "Homeworld"(Jon and piano) before saying our vows. When my daughter was born, her first song to hear was "Piano Piece"(the meeting). "When life is good, life is good".