Yours is no Disgrace with Doug Helvering

[Ash Armstrong]

[Yesed]

Always great to see Yes win out. YIND really is a monumental breakthrough song, especially because of it introducing Steve Howe.

[patrickq]

Always great to see Yes win out. YIND really is a monumental breakthrough song, especially because of it introducing Steve Howe.

Even among Yes songs it’s a classic. I can only think of three that are better

[soundchaser09]

Doug is a cool reactor, I wonder what he'd make of more recent Yes material also? I do know that he enjoyed Homeworld!

[Enlighten]

Doug is a good dude, good energy. My only complaint of him is that he sometimes talks too much and sometimes during the best moments of songs he’s reacting to. I like when his wife joins him for some of the reaction videos and she shushes him when he starts to do this.

[Yesed]

Even among Yes songs it’s a classic. I can only think of three that are better

I’m sure they’re not Starship Trooper, Roundabout and Siberian Khatru.

[pianozach]

Doug is a good dude, good energy. My only complaint of him is that he sometimes talks too much and sometimes during the best moments of songs he’s reacting to. I like when his wife joins him for some of the reaction videos and she shushes him when he starts to do this.

Doug's commentary is educated, from a music theory perspective, but I've found he often talks through some of the most interesting and innovative passages, completely missing them.

And that music theory perspective is often centered around the harmonic progressions, that is, the chords and keys signatures. He likes to point out that he can "hear" those chord changes and key changes.

[Khatrooper]

Doug's commentary is educated, from a music theory perspective, but I've found he often talks through some of the most interesting and innovative passages, completely missing them….

Yes! & quoting the lyrics while the music plays on, missing parts as you said. I do wish he’d spend a little time talking about the time signatures, and arrangements, both integral parts of Yesness. For example the intro to YIND, most of the band does the obvious ‘ba ba BA ba ‘ & repeat while Tony takes the same theme and stretches it to become counterpoint as ‘ba……ba BA ba’. And Doug notices via the lyrics that the verses are repeated but doesn’t note that the instrumental arrangements are quite different each time giving the listener a different impression from the same words. Maybe too much to expect from a first listen, I know my 1st impressions of Yes music were / would’ve been , “What?” “Holy f!” “How did they get to there from here?” And other inarticulate expressions of amazement.

[patrickq]

Even among Yes songs it’s a classic. I can only think of three that are better

I’m sure they’re not Starship Trooper, Roundabout and Siberian Khatru.

. I’m thinking of “Gates of Delirium,” “Close to the Edge,” and “Heart of the Sunrise.” But “Starship Trooper” and “Siberian Khatru” are also in my top 10. All I can say about “Roundabout” is that there are 10-15 Yes songs I like even more!

[Yesed]

. I’m thinking of “Gates of Delirium,” “Close to the Edge,” and “Heart of the Sunrise.” But “Starship Trooper” and “Siberian Khatru” are also in my top 10. All I can say about “Roundabout” is that there are 10-15 Yes songs I like even more!

No doubt, those are somewhat superior. YIND is a brilliant beginning to what Yes were capable of going further with Wakeman for one. But you can’t beat Tony’s work on The Yes Album. Rick would have been premature in the progression.
I won’t guess the better 15 songs you have in mind😉

[Gary Betts]

I know we must have all had this experience once but imagine again being able to hear YIND for the first time.

[Yesed]

I know we must have all had this experience once but imagine again being able to hear YIND for the first time.

So true. I try to imagine that, but the fact that it’s still enjoyable, especially after a hiatus of listening, is a testament to its legacy. Only good, new Yes music will recreate that experience.