Are you a Yes West Defender or Detractor?

[YesNY]

State where you stand. THIS POLL IS PUBLIC (people will see how you voted.) The four options are:

Strongly Yes West Defender - I almost always will either post defending Yes West against other posts detracting them, or am a reader agreeing with the defender position.

Lean Yes West Defender - Not almost always, but more often than not I do tend to agree with the Yes West Defenders.

Strongly Yes West Detractor - I almost always will either post to put Yes West's work in perspective (as their Defenders tend to overstate its importance), or am a reader agreeing with the detractor position.

Lean Yes West Detractor - Not almost always, but more often than not I do tend to agree with the Yes West Detractors.

I purposely left out a None of the above option, as that one is too easy (and no fun!)

[JL]

Wow. What a totally original, dare I say groundbreaking, thread topic.

[YesNY]

Wow. What a totally original, dare I say groundbreaking, thread topic.

Or riot inducing!

I better put my money where my mouth is. I voted Lean Yes West Defender.

[Apollo 77]

This thread is exactly what this board does not need.

Hugh

[luvyesmusic]

When they play on the East coast, they are East YES. When they play on the West coast, they are West YES. ;-)

Personally, I don't like them playing out West. It's too far of a drive for me. I vote I hate YES West!

[Rabin105]

talk is my favorite album by yes so hmmm... what should i vote lol.

Yes Talk beats out close to the edge and relayer largely because it was the last album i listened to with the orignal astreal traveller my father. But it is what it is.

[yeskat]

I like ALL the Yes eras. I honestly don't think one is better than the other. They are all great, and that is one of the reasons I love this band so much. They have always had some of the best musicians on the planet. So I will always defend Yeswest, and 60's Yes, 70's Yes and on and on.

[luna65]

Obviously I'm a YesWest defender, although I also enjoy Classic Yes on a regular basis. But Trevor makes anything better!

[SunshipVoyager]

I am not crazy about all of the material YesWest came up with, but I think the 1983-1994 period was vital, absolutely the only way the band could have "come back" and survived, and feel that Trevor Rabin is a remarkably talented musician, singer and producer.

[sam]

Goodness no. I liked the music from days when the songs went on for 10 days straight. When Anderson stood on stage and announced with broad Lancastrian tones: 'This is the Gates of Delirium' when they were English (i.e. non-glamorous with bad teeth!) and didn't have highlighted hair. When the audience all smoked pipes and wore great big overcoats and looked as if they were all from a Liberal Democrat convention (or whatever they were called back then).

[Punj Lizard]

I voted Lean Yes West Detractor. Primarily because I prefer the non-Yes West material (especially from the 70s, of course). Furthermore the worst Yes gig I went to was a Yes West one. Having said that, I like 90125 and parts of BG and Talk - I just think they kind of don't fit with what I think of as the core Yes sound that I got turned onto in the first place. But then again, nor does OYE, which is worse than anything Yes West ever did.

[enoesque]

Neither a detractor or a defender. Every lineup had something going for it. Yes West is not my preferred lineup, but they had some great tunes.

[RelayerI]

I voted Lean Yes West Detractor. Primarily because I prefer the non-Yes West material (especially from the 70s, of course). Furthermore the worst Yes gig I went to was a Yes West one. Having said that, I like 90125 and parts of BG and Talk - I just think they kind of don't fit with what I think of as the core Yes sound that I got turned onto in the first place. But then again, nor does OYE, which is worse than anything Yes West ever did.

And Punj is correct on nearly all accounts...although the Drama tour was certainly worse than when I saw Yeswest.

I don't think I've seen a Yes gig that I didn't enjoy to some extent though. Even Drama.

[Punj Lizard]

And Punj is correct on nearly all accounts...although the Drama tour was certainly worse than when I saw Yeswest.

I don't think I've seen a Yes gig that I didn't enjoy to some extent though. Even Drama.

The Drama gigs I saw certainly had their dreadful moments, but the BG gig I saw in Montreal was made worse by a) the Yes West-heavy setlist and b) the rock fans who just would not shut the f*ck up (not that Yes West were responsible for that, but I do think the style of music was more likely to attract and encourage the casual rock fan who would have less respect for the music). Most of the North America gigs I have recordings of are ruined in places by the shrieking, hollering and yahooing of the ignorant gits who obviously think decent music is to be shouted and screamed over rather than listened to. Unlike at the UK Drama gigs where we had good reason to boo and shout "w*nker!"

[Frumious B]

The best of the classic era music hits me on a deeper, more primal level, but I definitely get a great deal of enjoyment from the three full length Rabin era albums. Big Generator was the first Yes album I ever bought. I really hope Trevor Rabin keeps putting out non-soundtrack music after the awesomeness of Jacaranda.

[Punj Lizard]

I actually wouldn't mind seeing them tackle one or two Yes West tracks, but they'd have to be ones that (at least to my ears) fit better with the material they're already playing. When Yes West toured they Yes-Westified the classic tracks they played. SLO returned the songs to their classic sound and I think that with different members the song sounds have changed. With Downes and now JD, a slight change has taken place in the overall sound, which I think would make it possible for them to embrace a couple of Yes West tracks - It Can Happen, Changes, Shoot High Aim Low and I'm Running. But I definitely think they should stay well clear of the less subtle, more commercial material like Rhythm of Love, Love Will Find a Way, OOALH. Having said that, I'd much rather hear them tackle To Be Over, On the Silent Wings of Freedom, Birthright, Homeworld, Nine Voices, Mind Drive, Footprints, Children of Light, Spirit of Survival, Can You Imagine, In the Presence of.

[cinderella]

I'm a Rabid Rabinite and a definite Yes West Defender.

[RelayerI]

Most of the North America gigs I have recordings of are ruined in places by the shrieking, hollering and yahooing of the ignorant gits who obviously think decent music is to be shouted and screamed over rather than listened to.

American audiences are prone to that. Especially the FM radio rock crowd that the Yeswest attracted.

Unfortunately, it's starting to get like that over here - I saw The Wall recently and whilst my group watched in reverent awe, large parts of the crowd spent the two hours going to the bar and shouting to each other. I shouldn't have picked the Manchester gig I suppose...

[jimjacksonjim]

But Trevor makes anything better!

Except Yes. Other than 90125, the guy was just not right for Yes.

In.
My.
Opinion.

[luna65]

I'm a Rabid Rabinite and a definite Yes West Defender.

That's my girl!