Head to Head Sunday 6/29/03: OYE (vei)

[yarstruly]

OYE VEI Indeed!

How about the 2 opening cuts from Open Your Eyes:

New State of Mind

vs.

Open Your Eyes

[Martin Riley]

Well I figure somebody better vote on this one. It's only the opening 3 tracks that I really like on this album but I'll go for the title track

[Dragonfly]

The opening track to this album is one of my favorite tracks of anything Yes released in the 90's. IT JUST ROCKS!!!

I absolutely LOVE the complex vocal harmonies. Brilliant! I was sorry that the only two songs that got played on that tour were two of the lesser ones. "From The Balcony"s O.K., and it did offer a nice acoustic interlude for Steve and Jon, but as far as the album goes, it quickly went from being my favorite track (when I first bought it) to one of my least favorite (when I actually gave the album time to sink in.)

I guess I'd like the title cut, "Open Your Eyes", a lot more if it didn't start with Jon being his airy-fairy self what with the "You've got a great imagination..." line. Starting the song with that lyric is a sure-fire guarantee that no self-respecting (if somewhat narrow-minded) rocker would ever purchase it. True, those aren't types that Yes necessarily go for, but come on. Why not open another hard rock tune with, "I just changed the baby's dirty nappies..."

Anyway, back to the opening of OPEN... Great track. I wouldn't change a thing.

Dragonfly: :fly:

[Dantalion Rides Again]

I say "Open Your Eyes" - it has that nice "change is gonna come/change is gonna come/change is gonna come" overlapping background vocal at the end. For the longest time I didn't notice that. But once I did it quickly became one of my favorites on the album. Love that track.

[YesfanAndy]

is a great opener, for the album. It actually gets your hopes up for what you think is going to be an awesome album. The vocals and acapella that is done on that song is great..

Can you actually believe Chris Welch, on the back of his book, "And YES are back with a powerful album "Open Your Eyes." I read that all the time and laugh, because "The Ladder' was 10X more a YES album than OYE was...

I got some love for OYE though.

[yarstruly]

Good Comments! I have to say I prefer "New State of Mind." I would have preferred that it was on the Boxset. I think it is a great song...

[Mr. Holland]

This was easy for me........New State of Mind is my favorite track of OYE, so......

[Robert Shupe]

I put a vote in for "New State Of Mind". I think it more interesting. Instrumentally I do think more is going on and it moves. Steve varies his guitar sounds and styles more than in Open Your Eyes. It is hard to desribe but the instumental sounds are a bit more complex than in Open Your Eyes.

Opening Guitar has a doppler like effect.
appr. 1:00 - Has the sound of roller coaster wheels going down hill.
appr. 1:10 - Steve's guitar sound dances like light in an upward harmonic progression.
appr. 2:10 - Slightly varied roller coaster going down hill again.
appr. 2:29 - a smooth time change with nice vocals.
appr. 3:30 - The bass and guitar lines moves as if they are dancing together.
appr. 3:47 - almost an Arabic music type of feel.
appr. 3:58 - the keys are intersting here.
appr. 4:30 - the guitar sound like an echo in a loop very enhancing at this point.
Ends - Sounds like the music movesd into the distance.

It as if the bass and drums move the song while the guitar and keys fill in various enhancements. Listen and Steve's work has moments that could have worked in the Relayer and Drama years.

New State Of Mind it is.

Open Your Eyes moves more like a pop song to me and is the only song from this album I ever saw live.

Cheers

Robert Shupe

[SallyKhatru]

I like it it´s not so hard. It´s more postive and I like the message more. It´s possitive and makes you think abuot the future.
neway I like both