I think I found a transcription!

[Nautilus]

http://134.241.121.66/ipac-cgi/ipac?tm=bib&db=mvlc&lb=mvlc&cl=3&cs=919717908&sf=p&fd=1&dc=12&cd=6&sm=d&so=d&ft=c&df=a&sl=l&se=%2EauYes%28%2EauMusical+%2Eaugroup%29&de=Yes+%28Musical+group%29&uk=&st=a&sn=15&ls=1&ts=eric&mc=use&bc=mvc&ut=&sw=&sd=mvlc&bd=mvlc&pt=sum

This address shows the entry in my library system for what is apparently a transcription of Relayer for piano, guitar and/or bass! (Of course the Andersonian lyrics are also reprinted.)

I haven't looked at it yet but I intend to check it out at some point, if only to see what it is they play. It's 95 pages long, which seems about right.
Does anyone know if this is official? Even if it is I doubt Yes themselves had anything to do with it. The author is listed as "Yes (musical group)," which is how the library classifies the copies of Fragile, Big Generator, Talk, and Live from the House of Blues they have in the system. But that doesn't mean it wasn't transcribed by someone else.
The book was supposedly published by Topographic Music in 1975, so if that's correct it probably was official.
I just hope there are other books like this floating around, especially for CttE and Tales (the two other albums that need it the most).

[Kevin Still]

95 pages???? Have fun playing it.

[Nautilus]

Well I got the book today from the library.

It has the relayer album cover on it, a couple of relayer-era pictures of the band in it, as well as the picture of the band that was in the cd sleeve (I haven't seen the inside of the lp), but not the other dean paintings that were in the album when I got it.

More importantly, the transcription is a stripped down version of the actual songs on the album. They have separate piano/voice and guitar/bass/voice transcriptions of each song (with lyrics in between) and just about nothing else. Moreover, they did nothing with the war section except for a few measures (which may have been the keyboard part for when howe does frantic lines, although I haven't read them closely enough).

Not that I really expected them to have transcribed Howe's solo in Sound Chaser, but... in Gates, it went from "the hour approaches pounding out the devil's sermon" to "soon... oh soon the light" on the same page! There are at least 4 instrumental patterns in between that were just skipped.

Of all the albums to release stripped down versions of in song book form, I'm surprised Relayer was picked. I shouldn't really say that, as none of Yes's albums from this period would have lended themselves to this treatment. But Relayer's strength was from the intense drumming (there is no drum score), the frantic time signatures (the weirdest one in this book was 5/4 although maybe that's how you'd transcribe Relayer anyway if you don't like big numbers), and the guitar/keyboard duels (which are pretty much not here, although I shouldn't have expected them to be). A lot of the guitar seems to be for rhythm guitar...

I think this was just released to make money for Yes or satisfy particularly geeky fans. (hey, don't look at me, I took it out of the library :))

Except for Soon, this book really just shows a proggish druggy album, which is not quite what Relayer was.
I should have realized 95 pages was a bit short. Oh well.
It was free though. And it seems as though I may be the only person who's ever taken it out. :slap:

[Erdy1]

Sounds like my "Complete Yes" book - I'm not home right now so I can't look at it, but it's several hundred pages (I think about 1.5-2" thick) and has lots of songs, but all the good instrumental parts are just cut. Really lame.

[caP'n Jazz]

Originally posted by Erdy1


HAHA! you have the best icon i've ever seen, ever!

[ranyart]

Hey Nautilus,

Hey if your trying to do Relayer good luck with that!

If you need someone to sing I can do that except for that one part "Set into the rhyme" talk about grabbing your left nut and going for it yikes!

Best of luck to you your going to have to get a pedal steel guitar though one that has wheels on it. Ha Ha

w/r Ranyart

[yarstruly]

What you are describing is a typical "Lead Sheet" songbook...It has the vocal melodies and chords arranged for piano with guitar chords...I don't think the books with full guitar transcripions appeared until the 80s (I have one of the GTR album of all things)...

[doctor_how]

I don't think it's humanly possible to transcribe every single squeak of sound in a song like GOD. I have the Complete Yes piano book, and whenever I get to the war part on GOD, I just freak out and improvise! I think it's funner than trying to follow a squashed copy of the recording-like they expect someone to play a guitar, bass, and keyboard part all at once on the piano!

[Dances w/PURPLE]

Erdyl I love your avatars.

[Jeremy Bender]

I have the the songbook that Nautilus mentions. It's one of my prized posessions. I consider it a starting point to the learning the songs.

I know that Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix all have transcription books of their complete works that are done like a classical score. All the parts--even if there's 6 guitar overdubs--including the drum parts, are notated on their own staff, along with the tab version.

It wouldn't be impossible to transcribe GOD or any other Yessong. You should see some of the Gentle Giant transcriptions I have--6/8 and 7/8 are almost as common as 4/4! All the major prog bands certainly deserve to have their classic albums transcribed properly. Some of the tabs I've seen are so bad, I wonder if they were just doing it from memory.

For bass players and just those interested, here's a link to a site that has great transcriptions of certain Yessongs, done in traditional notation. I found it while looking for GG music; he also has Rush transcriptions for you Geddyheads.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/gibau/Score_FR.htm

[upbgirl]

i have bought many a tull book trying to jam on my flute, and it's the same thing..
the basic structure is there, but when it comes to the parts i REALLY need, it says 'ad lib solo'..lol!!
now, if i could 'ad lib' a damn solo, i surely would NOT need that book, would i?? :stick:

my guitar buddy does fine, but for ME? books dont do it..i need MORE!!
[my own fault, of course-i never should have put her down for so many years]

i have an old yesbook for music too-but i am afraid it's lost for now along with my bird and tree book..
but i bet it's the same thing-only the 'bare bones'..
when i find it [soon-we are getting a dumpster and purging this house..;)] i will see what it says..

dont give up, guys..
[95 pages? yikes!]
ya know, there was a group with a guy named jamison smeltz called 'saxlife' that played for one of bob & cherokees gatherings a couple of years ago [yescapade].. a sax quartet with a few odd instruments-trombone-baritone-that did some yestunes VERY well. [once ya got over hearing saxophones playing yes music, that is]
he transposed [trnscribed?] ALL that music into notation so they could perform them..
i sure would like a copy of THAT! [sax are in the same range as a flute] but he hasnt been around here lately..[i doubt he'd give away his 'baby' anyway] but it'd be interesting to SEE written down..
i, personally, admire the guy for his tenacity and dedication to actually DO something like that!