Wonderlove is soooooooo bad.

[The Whale]

Wow I must admit I just got Open Your Eyes two days ago.. the last album I needed to complete the whole library. And man I must say it is dreadfully week. But Wonderlove is beyond week. I don't think I'v ever heard a yes song and thought wow.... this song is just embarissing! untill now that is.

I guess thats all I can say. I was so eager to hear "new Yes music" but this album really let me down.

[Steve Mahoney]

Wow I must admit I just got Open Your Eyes two days ago.. the last album I needed to complete the whole library. And man I must say it is dreadfully week. But Wonderlove is beyond week. I don't think I'v ever heard a yes song and thought wow.... this song is just embarissing! untill now that is.

I guess thats all I can say. I was so eager to hear "new Yes music" but this album really let me down.

Bummer , I enjoy this one.

[ANTIOCH]

You're not alone 'The Whale'. Of all the YES releases, this is one I often skip right over. It just doesn't feel like YES.
Nice Pop . . weak Prog !

[Enlighten]

I don't think I'v ever heard a yes song and thought wow.... this song is just embarissing! untill now that is.



What about "Walls", "Saving My Heart", and "Soft as a Dove"?
Those are pretty embarassing Yes moments.

[tardistraveler]

Nice Pop . . weak Prog !


I think this pretty much sums up the album, but as "pop", I like hearing some of my favorite musicians perform it . . . :D

[BlankReg]

OYE was never meant to be a Yes project, and probably should have stayed that way. Still, as with all Yes ablums, had good moments. Funny thing, I kinda liked Wonderlove. To each their own, I suppose.

[somissound]

I like the intro and the bass line a lot!

It is not Relayer... But OYE has some enjoyable songs on it...imo

[CybrKhatru]

Wow... LOL.

Different strokes, eh? It happens!

"Wonderlove" is actually one of my more favorite tracks on OYE.

I too think a lot of what is on the OYE album is really good/great pop/prog/hybrid/whatever.

[neilius]

The first three tracks are pretty good and the ambient 'hidden' track at the end are the only bits i listen to on this album.

[nitrus]

What about "Walls", "Saving My Heart", and "Soft as a Dove"?
Those are pretty embarassing Yes moments.

Hey, these are all great songs!

And yeah, there are some worse moments on OYE than Wonderlove, IMO. I absolutely adore the acoustic intro.

If there's one Yes song I really can't stand (apart from the obvious grumpings about Union and OYE), then it's definitely Don't Go. If anyone disagrees, please see you in an appropriate thread, but the guy who decided putting this song on the beautiful album Magnification is was a good idea, should be convicted of a very serious crime...:-D :-D

[Enlighten]

If there's one Yes song I really can't stand (apart from the obvious grumpings about Union and OYE), then it's definitely Don't Go. If anyone disagrees, please see you in an appropriate thread, but the guy who decided putting this song on the beautiful album Magnification is was a good idea, should be convicted of a very serious crime...:-D :-D

I think it was Yes still reaching for that elusive "hit single", which is pretty ridiculous given the state of radio formats since 1994.
Sometimes I wonder who advises these guys and sometimes I wonder about the guys in Yes as well. They really appear to be out of touch in some areas.

[The Whale]

I guess I owe wonderlove another listen but the few times I'v heard it it just seemed all over the place and it just sounded like musicians recording sepreat parts with total disregard for what other musicians were going to lay down with it. Just sounded like a train wreck.

And for the record I love Soft as a Dove.

[maninthemoon]

well, it's just a matter of time before someone starts dissing my screen name :(

[yeskat]

well, it's just a matter of time before someone starts dissing my screen name :(

wink
Actually, I kinda like the song! When I first heard it, I hated it! But after a few listens, it grew on me.

[Steve Mahoney]

Universal Garden is a stormbringer , I love that one.

[Dramato]

Methinks it says it all when Steve, who had been itching to rejoin Yes, says of Open Your Eyes that he had very little, belated, creative input on that album (do we still say album or just digital file collection?), in other words close to a disavowal of a project that perhaps should never have happened.

It was supposed to be a Conspiracy disc, right, and they "Yessed" it up at the last minute with Jon's vocal magic? Bad Idea... oh no, wait that's kind of what they did with the Cinema album that became 90125.

I guess we'll call it a well-intentioned Wonderblunder. But the OYE title track, particularly Steve's opening guitar-sitar salvo, is still lethal ear candy for me, as is, truth be told, "Don't Go" on Magnification. I honestly do not want to like either of those songs, but in the privacy of my own car...

[BigGeneratorBoy]

Personally, I think 'Man In The Moon' is the stinker.

[astral_stardust]

OYE is definitely not my favorite Yes album, but I still think it was a major improvement from Talk, my least favorite. I like to think that even though there aren't any songs that I like fully on OYE, most of them did have small redeeming moments that make it worth an occasional listen.

[Vic Anderson]

i love wonderlove

man in the moon is the worst i think

[Ron Drummond]

well, it's just a matter of time before someone starts dissing my screen name :(Not me! I like "Man in the Moon"! I find it playful and goofy in a fun way, full of good energy -- one of my faves on the album.

[big generator]

I enjoy Open Your Eyes and the Ladder equally, despite the fancy producer on the Ladder and the rush job that was Open Your Eyes.

Maybe it's because both have the Billy Sherwood touch. Maybe a part of me just loves Jon's voice on any style of music, or possibly the Toto fan in me likes a bit of pop music with my prog.

Ultimately, I don't mind Wonderlove, but I understand everyone's complaints about Open Your Eyes in general. It's not exactly Close to the Edge.

[coinsandcrosses]

The one song I can't stand is "No Way We Can Lose." I do all I can to avoid the opening strains of this song. It is beyond embarrassing... chris :-)


Wow I must admit I just got Open Your Eyes two days ago.. the last album I needed to complete the whole library. And man I must say it is dreadfully week. But Wonderlove is beyond week. I don't think I'v ever heard a yes song and thought wow.... this song is just embarissing! untill now that is.

I guess thats all I can say. I was so eager to hear "new Yes music" but this album really let me down.

[Enlighten]

The one song I can't stand is "No Way We Can Lose." I do all I can to avoid the opening strains of this song. It is beyond embarrassing... chris :-)

I forgot about that one, probably no surprise that I did. Thumbs up on the thumbs down assessment of that clunker.

[edarnold]

Hey, these are all great songs!

And yeah, there are some worse moments on OYE than Wonderlove, IMO. I absolutely adore the acoustic intro.

If there's one Yes song I really can't stand (apart from the obvious grumpings about Union and OYE), then it's definitely Don't Go. If anyone disagrees, please see you in an appropriate thread, but the guy who decided putting this song on the beautiful album Magnification is was a good idea, should be convicted of a very serious crime...:-D :-D

Hit and run, huh? :)

Yes must have written that song for me. I just adore Don't Go.
It came out at a time when my marriage was beginning to break down and it helped me through some tough times.

"Don't take love for granted"

[gitsy]

I just love the opening track and I quite like wonderlove. But boy oh boy Man on the Moon is the low point in Yes history. To add insult to injury I have it as a bonus track on a conspiracy CD

[GLee2112]

The first three tracks are pretty good and the ambient 'hidden' track at the end are the only bits i listen to on this album.

your a much better fan than i am :Wow:. i can stomach the title track and the ambient stuff. the rest feels cheap and totally slapped together. the same guys did a much better job on The Ladder.

[Doctor Flang]

What about "Walls", "Saving My Heart", and "Soft as a Dove"?
Those are pretty embarassing Yes moments.

I agree. I didn't like Loveshine, Love Will Find a Way or If Only You Knew either.

But i do like some of OYE. Universal garden, New State of Mind, Fortune Teller and title track are pretty good tunes IMO.

[CybrKhatru]

Both of us LOVE "New State of Mind". I sure wish they'd have played that on tour!

[Faceintheplace]

I actually don't mind Wonderlove that much. The only thing that kind of irks me about it is to me it's like it took the I Get Up I Get Down part of Close to the Edge and turned it into a silly love song pop ditty.

For me the real problem songs on OYE are No Way We Can Lose, Love Shine (may be the all time worst Yes song) and Somehow Someday (good song, horrible execution.)

[coinsandcrosses]

I actually don't mind Wonderlove that much. The only thing that kind of irks me about it is to me it's like it took the I Get Up I Get Down part of Close to the Edge and turned it into a silly love song pop ditty.

For me the real problem songs on OYE are No Way We Can Lose, Love Shine (may be the all time worst Yes song) and Somehow Someday (good song, horrible execution.)


Somehow Someday goes nowhere, Now Way we Can Lose is just plain unlistenable and Loveshine gets stuck in your head for days...chris :-)

[daniel sylvain]

Hey, these are all great songs!

And yeah, there are some worse moments on OYE than Wonderlove, IMO. I absolutely adore the acoustic intro.

If there's one Yes song I really can't stand (apart from the obvious grumpings about Union and OYE), then it's definitely Don't Go. If anyone disagrees, please see you in an appropriate thread, but the guy who decided putting this song on the beautiful album Magnification is was a good idea, should be convicted of a very serious crime...:-D :-D

I would have said the same thing about Don't go....even worst live..

[somissound]

Both of us LOVE "New State of Mind". I sure wish they'd have played that on tour!

The song Rocks!:git[1]:

I think it was Yes still reaching for that elusive "hit single", which is pretty ridiculous given the state of radio formats since 1994.
Sometimes I wonder who advises these guys and sometimes I wonder about the guys in Yes as well. They really appear to be out of touch in some areas.

It surprises me too the whole single thing... Especially in the state of the music-biz and major label stuff (which they have not seen since the BG/Union period)... Talk was the last real chance and the Label dropped the ball on promoting the album well...

What would stoke the fans and all the new jam-band kids would be another Relayer/TFTO type record pushing the envelope. NOT the 4:00 mark... lol

[Enlighten]

What would stoke the fans and all the new jam-band kids would be another Relayer/TFTO type record pushing the envelope. NOT the 4:00 mark... lol

Pushing the envelope would be most welcome indeed, Yes haven't done this for quite some time.

[islandsofarabia]

I wonder why you don't love wonderlove. I love wonderlove and find it to be a wonderfully wonderous, lovely and lovable song about wondering about love and lovingly wondering.

[HOTsunrise]

Wonderlove is one of the 3 or 4 songs off OYE that I can tolerate. I'd probably give it about a 5/10.

[Wakey's #1 Fan]

ah come on, I like this album! Even though Rick isn't on it...it's much better than their 80s stuff ;)

[Billy Sherwood HQ]

Wow I must admit I just got Open Your Eyes two days ago.. the last album I needed to complete the whole library. And man I must say it is dreadfully week. But Wonderlove is beyond week. I don't think I'v ever heard a yes song and thought wow.... this song is just embarissing! untill now that is.

I guess thats all I can say. I was so eager to hear "new Yes music" but this album really let me down.

For me "Wonderlove" is "Awaken" compared to "If Only You Knew" from The Ladder lol... Just goes to show individual taste differ.

When I first sent JA the rough idea for the song.... Jon Anderson thought Wonderlove was a huge hit... I still have the letters from when he wrote to me expressing his deep love for the song. Interesting how the singer can be so in love with the music and for some listeners it's the {in your case} extreme opposite, what can you do, nature of art. Win some, lose some...

[Billy Sherwood HQ]

The song Rocks!:git[1]:



It surprises me too the whole single thing... Especially in the state of the music-biz and major label stuff (which they have not seen since the BG/Union period)... Talk was the last real chance and the Label dropped the ball on promoting the album well...

What would stoke the fans and all the new jam-band kids would be another Relayer/TFTO type record pushing the envelope. NOT the 4:00 mark... lol

For as much heat as the OYE record takes no one ever gives the credit it deserves for the simple fact it brought YES back into the light. I know as a result the touring was intense, there would have been no tour or anything for goodness knows how long had I not jumped in and created the OYE records with YES.

Radio play in late 90's did still exist for YES although it was nearing it's end days for a "new YES" song to break at radio... That being said "Open Your Eyes" did just that with over 16k plays. My idea of geting a "radio" song for YES again was simple... Get the band back on the radar so YES could survive {a noble cause meet with contempt by some}. I know for the diehards the idea of trying to get a "single" for YES is silly... but on a biz level it's what launched our world wide YES touring cycle so, say what ya like about "singles"... but if you dug seeing YES on tour from 96-2000 you can attribute in large part to the single OYE and the subsequent record with the same name http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/icon10.gif. FYI "The Ladder" did not reach the airplay levels of OYE, which shocked me since producer Bruce Fairbairn was radio king at the time. That didn't matter because OYE pushed the door open so wide that we had momentum to coast. {OYE out sold it too}.

I would never want to tell anyone what to like or dislike, but context is important... Life is funny, I grow up worshipping YES, end up joining, thinking I am doing the right thing the whole time and in essence I created a YES that thrived and in the process created a wave of fans lining up to take the piss out of me for my methods of survival lol. Go figure...

Given the current state of affairs I'd say YES did the right thing, new YES music {which is what all YES fans want, perhaps until they hear it in my case lol...}, new YES tour and a REAL band intact. Perhaps a similar remedy could bring it back for a whole new cycle... But someone else will have to carry that flag lol, I don't need the aggravation from the fallout lol. http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/usa.gif

[JoEy YeS]

Thanks Billy, is all I can think of at the moment, because the Yes tours during that period were the best times of my life, and hey, my brothers and me rocked out hard to OYE and the Ladder in the backseat of dad's car!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLUS those albums were how I introduced many friends at the time to Yes...the un-Relayer-ness is what drew them in, and now they have graduated to Relayer and Close to the Edge. So in that sense, they were important albums to me because it brought my friends in too! Billy is the man.

[CybrKhatru]

Billy, you are such a class act man. My hat's off to ya!


Pete Townshend once wrote "The Music Must Change" after all.... :D

[nitrus]

I had a huge and veeeery endorsing reply for your post in my mind, Billy-o, but then... this just pretty much sums it up:

:appl[1]::appl[1]::appl[1]:

[islandsofarabia]

For as much heat as the OYE record takes no one ever gives the credit it deserves for the simple fact it brought YES back into the light.

I really like OYE and I commend you for it, in hindsight I can see that that album was absolutely necessary to keep Yes in the public eye/ears and in the marketplace.

On the Conspiracy CD, which I bought back when it was first available in the stores, I hadn't listened to all the bonus tracks until recently. That was a revelation to me in my understanding of OYE and how it came to be.

[CybrKhatru]

Billy,

Wonderul job bringing Yes back to the airwaves. I remember how great it was to hear a new Yes song on the radio back in 1997.

The OYE album is dense....and that has turned out to be one of the things I like about it. IMO it rewards repeated listening. :D

Just goes to show how there is a place for many different types of Yes music in the universe.

[kirk]

For as much heat as the OYE record takes no one ever gives the credit it deserves for the simple fact it brought YES back into the light. I know as a result the touring was intense, there would have been no tour or anything for goodness knows how long had I not jumped in and created the OYE records with YES.

Radio play in late 90's did still exist for YES although it was nearing it's end days for a "new YES" song to break at radio... That being said "Open Your Eyes" did just that with over 16k plays. My idea of geting a "radio" song for YES again was simple... Get the band back on the radar so YES could survive {a noble cause meet with contempt by some}. I know for the diehards the idea of trying to get a "single" for YES is silly... but on a biz level it's what launched our world wide YES touring cycle so, say what ya like about "singles"... but if you dug seeing YES on tour from 96-2000 you can attribute in large part to the single OYE and the subsequent record with the same name http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/icon10.gif. FYI "The Ladder" did not reach the airplay levels of OYE, which shocked me since producer Bruce Fairbairn was radio king at the time. That didn't matter because OYE pushed the door open so wide that we had momentum to coast. {OYE out sold it too}.

I would never want to tell anyone what to like or dislike, but context is important... Life is funny, I grow up worshipping YES, end up joining, thinking I am doing the right thing the whole time and in essence I created a YES that thrived and in the process created a wave of fans lining up to take the piss out of me for my methods of survival lol. Go figure...

Given the current state of affairs I'd say YES did the right thing, new YES music {which is what all YES fans want, perhaps until they hear it in my case lol...}, new YES tour and a REAL band intact. Perhaps a similar remedy could bring it back for a whole new cycle... But someone else will have to carry that flag lol, I don't need the aggravation from the fallout lol. http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/usa.gif

Hey Billy-

I think Jon's....can we say "obsession" (?) with obtaining
a radio "hit" was akin to tilting at windmills.
The hardcore fans were clamoring for another Relayer,
not looking for Yes to go in a pop direction.

The moment that gelled it for me, was hearing "If only
You Knew" on the overhead at Albertson's.
I remember looking at my wife, and just saying "ouch"...
she knew exactly what i meant.

I can't imagine the pressure you felt to stay within
the parameters of a classic band's writing, to bring
that "Trevor-ish youthfulness" to the band...
It was a great gig, you would've been crazy to
turn it down, but i don't envy you stepping into
that maelstrom.

Keep doing what you're doing. :beerchugr:

K

[coinsandcrosses]

For as much heat as the OYE record takes no one ever gives the credit it deserves for the simple fact it brought YES back into the light. I know as a result the touring was intense, there would have been no tour or anything for goodness knows how long had I not jumped in and created the OYE records with YES.

Radio play in late 90's did still exist for YES although it was nearing it's end days for a "new YES" song to break at radio... That being said "Open Your Eyes" did just that with over 16k plays. My idea of geting a "radio" song for YES again was simple... Get the band back on the radar so YES could survive {a noble cause meet with contempt by some}. I know for the diehards the idea of trying to get a "single" for YES is silly... but on a biz level it's what launched our world wide YES touring cycle so, say what ya like about "singles"... but if you dug seeing YES on tour from 96-2000 you can attribute in large part to the single OYE and the subsequent record with the same name http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/icon10.gif. FYI "The Ladder" did not reach the airplay levels of OYE, which shocked me since producer Bruce Fairbairn was radio king at the time. That didn't matter because OYE pushed the door open so wide that we had momentum to coast. {OYE out sold it too}.

I would never want to tell anyone what to like or dislike, but context is important... Life is funny, I grow up worshipping YES, end up joining, thinking I am doing the right thing the whole time and in essence I created a YES that thrived and in the process created a wave of fans lining up to take the piss out of me for my methods of survival lol. Go figure...

Given the current state of affairs I'd say YES did the right thing, new YES music {which is what all YES fans want, perhaps until they hear it in my case lol...}, new YES tour and a REAL band intact. Perhaps a similar remedy could bring it back for a whole new cycle... But someone else will have to carry that flag lol, I don't need the aggravation from the fallout lol. http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/usa.gif

Billy,
"If only you knew" how much we appreciate you. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I know you were a mediating source during your tenure with Yes. If you weren't in the mix (pardon the pun) we probably wouldn't have Yes in any form right now. Have you offered any advice to Benoit David who's taking over Jon's vocals for the time being? He might need a sympathetic ear... chris :-)

[coinsandcrosses]

Hey Billy-

I think Jon's....can we say "obsession" (?) with obtaining
a radio "hit" was akin to tilting at windmills.
The hardcore fans were clamoring for another Relayer,
not looking for Yes to go in a pop direction.

The moment that gelled it for me, was hearing "If only
You Knew" on the overhead at Albertson's.
I remember looking at my wife, and just saying "ouch"...
she knew exactly what i meant.

I can't imagine the pressure you felt to stay within
the parameters of a classic band's writing, to bring
that "Trevor-ish youthfulness" to the band...
It was a great gig, you would've been crazy to
turn it down, but i don't envy you stepping into
that maelstrom.

Keep doing what you're doing. :beerchugr:

K

I actually heard Genesis "Cuckoo Cocoon" at the grocery store the other day. I was like "now that's more like it." Prog in the produce section!!! I got quite a few stares picking out bananas and grapes while singing about being "wrapped up in some powdered wool"...chris :-)

[Billy Sherwood HQ]

Hey Billy-

I think Jon's....can we say "obsession" (?) with obtaining
a radio "hit" was akin to tilting at windmills.
The hardcore fans were clamoring for another Relayer,
not looking for Yes to go in a pop direction.

The moment that gelled it for me, was hearing "If only
You Knew" on the overhead at Albertson's.
I remember looking at my wife, and just saying "ouch"...
she knew exactly what i meant.

I can't imagine the pressure you felt to stay within
the parameters of a classic band's writing, to bring
that "Trevor-ish youthfulness" to the band...
It was a great gig, you would've been crazy to
turn it down, but i don't envy you stepping into
that maelstrom.

Keep doing what you're doing. :beerchugr:

K

Having just finished Keys 1 and 2 including the epic "Mind Drive" I felt at the time we had delivered that "relayer-ish" thing and trying to repeat it would be redundant and also counter productive to the end game... that being to re-igniting YES for global conquest once more lol http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/icon10.gif For that we needed radio...

"As long as you survive"

[animation7]

but if you dug seeing YES on tour from 96-2000 you can attribute in large part to the single OYE and the subsequent record with the same name


I dug it, I dug it (dig it!)!!! I was lucky to be able to travel to many US shows, meeting new Yes friends and catching up with old friends too. Those years of touring cemented many friendships and the memories are something I'll always treasure. So Billy, thanks for that too!

I haven't pulled out OYE in a loong time. Guess today's the day!

[YESOLA]

Radio play in late 90's did still exist for YES although it was nearing it's end days for a "new YES" song to break at radio... T like about "singles"... .

FYI "The Ladder" did not reach the airplay levels of OYE, which shocked me since producer Bruce Fairbairn was radio king at the time.


Yeah, I still remember where I was when I heard the OYE track for the first time, it was on the Radio, I was driving, and I knew it was Yes immediately. it was the last time I had heard new Yes on the radio before I already had a copy. Homeworld was played on the radio as well ( single edit) but for a much shorter time. ( I think the Radio Stations should of given Children of Light a Chance. I saw the band do that at the Beacon in NY before I had the CD) .

I remember wearing out OYE and Keys 2 during those days. I like the first five tracks of OYE just fine. The rest not as much, but it's cool.

Of course the problem with OYE, as well as Keys, and Magnification was that they seemingly did not believe in the material too much as it was hardly played live. So the fans follow.

A good chunk of the Ladder was played on tour, and it was worthwhile to do that.

[shortexchanges]

man on the moon is the nadir of yes

[Scooty]

For me "Wonderlove" is "Awaken" compared to "If Only You Knew" from The Ladder.


:lmao: Now there's a quote!!

I like Wonderlove, I also am a big fan of Love Shine...(Especially the "give me hope, give me peace, give me light, give me dreams) section...

[pedro skychaser]

ARGHH 1996----the year sam was born and due to circumstances i was a stay -at-home dad for awhile----OYE + KTA1+2
were listened to muchly____________________________________________ ___________________________________________


i remember slipping in OYE onto my brother-in-laws hifi unheard....and thinking opening track was LED ZEPPELIN...crunching grooverama...title track was so melodic, the harmonies, verses, ...UNIVERSAL GARDEN simply took off into the skies,the stars...the rest all polished short gems....nothing overstayed it's welcome....there were "dit-dit-dit dits"....there were strong choruses and different tempos and styles....so opposed to the extended instrumentation we got short,dynamic songs with strong choruses (ASIA like?)

must play OYE again_________________________________________

thanks billy!

[Doctor Flang]

:lmao: Now there's a quote!!

I like Wonderlove, I also am a big fan of Love Shine...(Especially the "give me hope, give me peace, give me light, give me dreams) section...

The part you mentioned is great! But the opening line puts me off.

Soundwise OYE was very good album, i wish Keys were as well produced.

[Billy Sherwood HQ]

The part you mentioned is great! But the opening line puts me off.

Soundwise OYE was very good album, i wish Keys were as well produced.

Keys 1 was tracked/produced by someone else and I mixed it, there is a certain level of compromise one has to deal with when you are mixing someone else's stuff... I did what I could lol.

Keys 2 I take full responsibilty for sonically speaking from tip to tail. One of the last records i made "analog" 24 track tape, no computer...

As for the opening lyric, sorry man, it does get a bit lovey and mushy lol ... but that's what ya get when you write love songs to your wife http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/icon7.gif

[Doctor Flang]

Keys 1 was tracked/produced by someone else and I mixed it, there is a certain level of compromise one has to deal with when you are mixing someone else's stuff... I did what I could lol.

Keys 2 I take full responsibilty for sonically speaking from tip to tail. One of the last records i made "analog" 24 track tape, no computer...

I didn't know that. Mixing and editing the Mind Drive must have been hell.


As for the opening lyric, sorry man, it does get a bit lovey and mushy lol ... but that's what ya get when you write love songs to your wife http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/icon7.gif


And of course there is nothing with that. And fans can't tell an artist how to write songs, anyway. Fans can write their own music if they will. :rightG:

[somissound]

For as much heat as the OYE record takes no one ever gives the credit it deserves for the simple fact it brought YES back into the light. I know as a result the touring was intense, there would have been no tour or anything for goodness knows how long had I not jumped in and created the OYE records with YES.

Radio play in late 90's did still exist for YES although it was nearing it's end days for a "new YES" song to break at radio... That being said "Open Your Eyes" did just that with over 16k plays. My idea of geting a "radio" song for YES again was simple... Get the band back on the radar so YES could survive {a noble cause meet with contempt by some}. I know for the diehards the idea of trying to get a "single" for YES is silly... but on a biz level it's what launched our world wide YES touring cycle so, say what ya like about "singles"... but if you dug seeing YES on tour from 96-2000 you can attribute in large part to the single OYE and the subsequent record with the same name http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/icon10.gif. FYI "The Ladder" did not reach the airplay levels of OYE, which shocked me since producer Bruce Fairbairn was radio king at the time. That didn't matter because OYE pushed the door open so wide that we had momentum to coast. {OYE out sold it too}.

I would never want to tell anyone what to like or dislike, but context is important... Life is funny, I grow up worshipping YES, end up joining, thinking I am doing the right thing the whole time and in essence I created a YES that thrived and in the process created a wave of fans lining up to take the piss out of me for my methods of survival lol. Go figure...

Given the current state of affairs I'd say YES did the right thing, new YES music {which is what all YES fans want, perhaps until they hear it in my case lol...}, new YES tour and a REAL band intact. Perhaps a similar remedy could bring it back for a whole new cycle... But someone else will have to carry that flag lol, I don't need the aggravation from the fallout lol. http://www.yesfans.com/gfx_Halloween/icons/usa.gif

I like a lot of OYE, as I said earlier in the thread, New state of Mind ROCKS... It did give Yes a new push, and from what it sounds like billy was the only one pushing :appl[1]:

Especially with the big game-plan change when Rick left after Keys.....

As far as radio play, I hear old/80's Yes songs all the time on radio... When OYE came out, I never heard anything on the radio... I did hear To Be Alive on KLOS once, it was the radio debut actually....and never after.

I believe the constant touring and new recordings, starting with Keys 1 up to Magnification, built Yes up to their 2004 height... bravo

I look forward to any new Yes music, whoever is involved ;):headset:

[Dramato]

For me "Wonderlove" is "Awaken" compared to "If Only You Knew" from The Ladder lol... Just goes to show individual taste differ.


Parries and thrusts and--ow! Brilliant.

{I feel outed on that one: IOYK is the only song I hit the > button on when I'm listening to The Ladder in the car.}

[oliasdoug]

I'm not a big fan of Wonderlove or Man in the Moon, either. But for me Yes's ultimate moment of embarrassment will always be Don't Kill the Whale. The whole concept of "saving the whales" had become such a cliche' by that time, and when they added the "Dig it! Dig it!" lines, I about blew chunks. (Please don't interpret what I just said as "saving the whales" ITSELF being a cliche', OK? I was then and am now still a supporter of efforts to curtail whaling.)

The greatest thing about Yes's catalog is--thank God--they've never made a TOTALLY BAD album. I understand why OYE has been blasted by a lot of Yesfans, but I can tell you this for a fact: Every time I hear New State of Mind, I have to turn my stereo or headphones UP. The majesty and the harmony vocals of that song never fail to thrill me to the bone. Universal Garden's another one--both the OYE version and the one on Billy & Jim's HEADSETS disc. It's sad that there seem to be so few of us in here who recognize OYE to be the great CD it is, warts and all.

And I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who likes the hidden ambient track at the end of the CD!

[Meng]

A thread about embarrassing Yes songs and no-one's mentioned Teakbois yet?

Ok, not strictly speaking Yes as such, but still ...

[Doctor Flang]

I remember Phil Carson saying that he didn't like the post-Talk albums and that Yes had "completely lost the plot".

I disagree with him, but i think Yes albums from Keys onward had too many filler songs. Don't get me wrong, there is lots of good songs on those four albums, but IMO there was enough GREAT material on Keys, OYE, Ladder and Magnification to fill two great albums.

[sam]

I've still yet to hear some of Yes' later albums, so I'll reserve judgement for this particular piece. However, having heard Jon Anderson's "Hold on to Love" I feel that I can cope with anything. "Anything" Yes music related that is- I don't think that just because I've listened to and watched the video for this song that I can cope with plague, earthquakes and other horrors of life. I don't know though...

[Doctor Flang]

I've still yet to hear some of Yes' later albums, so I'll reserve judgement for this particular piece. However, having heard Jon Anderson's "Hold on to Love" I feel that I can cope with anything. "Anything" Yes music related that is- I don't think that just because I've listened to and watched the video for this song that I can cope with plague, earthquakes and other horrors of life. I don't know though...

I haven't seen the video (No big loss, since i usually loathe music videos anyway!), but i actually like "Hold On to Love".

[Jackaranda]

I like OYE....not all of it, but most of it I really enjoy. It's a diffent kind of Yes album, but it's Yes and the quality is there. Only Jon's song near the end of the album, and Man in the Moon, are real low points for me.

That said, I wish Steve had just stayed off completely. His parts are overdubbed and they only really work on Universal Garden, and I wish Jon sang solo more than having stacks of overdubbed vocals all over the place. But still, I like the album a lot.

[marklovesyes]

What about "Walls", "Saving My Heart", and "Soft as a Dove"?
Those are pretty embarassing Yes moments.

'Soft As A Dove'? That's one of Yes's strongest moments in my opinion. Almost as if they lifted it right off of something from 1972 to 1974.

'Wonderlove' I actually like. Funky beat and evrything.
'Love Shine', on the other hand, is one of those things that when they completed the recording should have looked at each other and said "OK, now that we got that out of our system, let's erase it from the face of the earth to make sure it never sees the light of day. Now, who wants to go vomit first?"

[marklovesyes]

A thread about embarrassing Yes songs and no-one's mentioned Teakbois yet?

Ok, not strictly speaking Yes as such, but still ...

Man, oh man. Another great song that gets lambasted. Very surprising to me. Very hooky, great beat, and I love Bruford's work on it.
It really always shocked me after this whole internet thing started to see so much discussion on the dislike of 'Teakbois'. I lived for about 6 years thinking everybody liked it, like me, being the progressive music fans that we are.

Incidentally, I like the "Open Your Eyes" album and have very fond memories of the whole holiday season of 1997 listening to it along with KTA2. The only song I don't care for on it is 'Love Shine'. I know I reem that song pretty bad, but it's all in good fun, too. But then, I really dislike the song. ;)

[Meng]

Man, oh man. Another great song that gets lambasted. Very surprising to me. Very hooky, great beat, and I love Bruford's work on it.
It really always shocked me after this whole internet thing started to see so much discussion on the dislike of 'Teakbois'. I lived for about 6 years thinking everybody liked it, like me, being the progressive music fans that we are.
If you like it, fair enough, although it doesn't sound particularly progressive to me. One man's meat etc.

IMO the album would have been far better if Vultures was on there and Teakbois was hidden away as the Brother B-side.

[sam]

I haven't seen the video (No big loss, since i usually loathe music videos anyway!), but i actually like "Hold On to Love".
I suppose it isn't that bad as a pop song in itself and I'm guilty of comparing it to the magnificent Yes music I know and love, which is not right to do as Jon Anderson is part of the band and not all of it. It's just strange to think (well amazing really) that the same person who performed "Gates of Delirium" and "Close to the Edge" did this lightweight piece of OK but not great pop music.

[michael]

it's not THAT bad...is it? I think that the intro and "I believe...that one day love would cast a line... etc" is in the grand YES tradition. OYE has some GREAT moments!

[90125yes]

OYE is my least favourite YES album because it contains some melody ideas from billy sherwood and i just can't get with his style at all

sorry

and i think YES needed to get back to the classic YES sound and as a result out went Billy

[Lifeseeker66]

Wonderlove and Love Shine are two of my favorite tracks on OYE. And I enjoy OYE for what it is... something different from Yes!