Yessongs: the Motion Picture

[Ash Armstrong]

Yessongs is now available on Netflix UK.

[alex peters]

Five of us slept outside Wembley overnight for 1977 tickets. One mate brought along a camp bed and sleeping bag. we took the piss - of course - but he was the only one who got any sleep. i remember policemen waking us up, a local cafe giving us milk bottles of tea, and getting in serious trouble at school for being 2 hours late that day. But i did get front row tickets for every night of their concerts!

Yes! Those were the days! 😁

[madbear]

I saw Yes numerous times in the 1970's. Slept overnight on the sidewalk once in 1972 ? to get great seats. They sold out a 16000 seat basketball stadium in just 5 hours in those days.

Five of us slept outside Wembley overnight for 1977 tickets. One mate brought along a camp bed and sleeping bag. we took the piss - of course - but he was the only one who got any sleep. i remember policemen waking us up, a local cafe giving us milk bottles of tea, and getting in serious trouble at school for being 2 hours late that day. But i did get front row tickets for every night of their concerts!

[Spiritual Architect]

if anyone knows of others that played on big screen may jar my brain again

Saw quite a few in the theaters;
My favorites were Gimmie Shelter, Ladies And Gentlemen The Rolling Stones, Ziggy Stardust, Let It Be and Cream Live At The Albert Hall.
But Yessongs was my Favorite favorite.

[Spiritual Architect]

One night my friends wanted me to go to a dance with them. I told them No.
Half-hour later they came back and said that Yessongs was playing and asked if I wanted to go with them.
I said YES!

Next thing I knew we were at a dance.

[BrunoSamppa]

[Art Vandaley]

Agreed! I remember playing the VHS so much of this concert that the already not-so-great sound quality got worse and worse! It sure was fun to watch though!! I still watch the DVD….Jon’s weird vocal solo…. Nah nuh nuh nahhhh nuh nuh nahhhhh kisses microphone….”Mr. Rick Wakeman!!” 😜

Oh, those bass-pedals on And You And I

I can remember a lot of pieces in the weekly music press about the Yessongs film at the time (Melody Maker, Sounds, even the NME), how within a certain time-frame it did better business than Jaws and such like.
It's not a reach to admit that it's not of the best visual quality or sound quality, which is unfortunate. Even the remastered BluRay edition doesn't improve on the VHS that much, although I'm currently watching it, for the fourth or fifth time this year, on Prime Video in 'HD'.
However, as an artefact of its day, it's precious and special. And it's 'my' Yes! And they rock and swing like a rocking, swinging mad thing!
I was lucky enough to see it in the cinema several times in the 70s, including on one occasion just a few days before the Going For The One shows at Wembley in 1977.

Along with Pink Floyd at Pompeii, I unhesitatingly hold it up as a favourite concert film, certainly of its day, and for me it's visual and aural shortcomings don't detract one jot from it. If only it were the full show.....

[alex peters]

I saw Yes numerous times in the 1970's. Slept overnight on the sidewalk once in 1972 ? to get great seats. They sold out a 16000 seat basketball stadium in just 5 hours in those days.

[alex peters]

Oh, those bass-pedals on And You And I

I can remember a lot of pieces in the weekly music press about the Yessongs film at the time (Melody Maker, Sounds, even the NME), how within a certain time-frame it did better business than Jaws and such like.
It's not a reach to admit that it's not of the best visual quality or sound quality, which is unfortunate. Even the remastered BluRay edition doesn't improve on the VHS that much, although I'm currently watching it, for the fourth or fifth time this year, on Prime Video in 'HD'.
However, as an artefact of its day, it's precious and special. And it's 'my' Yes! And they rock and swing like a rocking, swinging mad thing!
I was lucky enough to see it in the cinema several times in the 70s, including on one occasion just a few days before the Going For The One shows at Wembley in 1977.

Along with Pink Floyd at Pompeii, I unhesitatingly hold it up as a favourite concert film, certainly of its day, and for me it's visual and aural shortcomings don't detract one jot from it. If only it were the full show.....

Yes. Yessongs and Floyd's Pompeii for me also. The thing you notice is the absolutely incredible energy and incredible musicianship of the players. White, Howe , and Squire are at their best in the 1970's when they were in their 20's.

The music was played with an intensity and quickness that was amazing. The slow motion playing of these great songs this century illustrated to me at least the decline of the players talent due to age.

Rush I believe was able to keep their fan base intact IMO because they never lost that energy and intensity. N. Peart called it a day when he knew it was time and you have to respect him and Rush for going out at the top

[Soundwaveseeker]

First saw Yessongs on VHS in a music class in 10th grade. Not sure if the teacher threw it on or she let a student bring it in. I remember someone saying that Chris Squire kinda looked like Eddie van Halen. We also watched Song Remains The Same on different day.

[madbear]

I saw it at Hammersmith Odeon with a friend from school and my girlfriend of the time. There were just the three of us in the place for the late afternoon showing. It was awesome. I've never understood why people moaned about the quality, it seems fine to me on the VHS I have. [On a separate note, in the second half of the 70s Shepherds Bush Odeon used to show 2 films late night Saturday evening: often a pair of music films, sometimes sci-fi. I saw The Song Remains the Same, Crystal Voyager, Soylent Green, the awful Bolan film, and a whole bunch of other stuff. They never showed Yessongs tho.]

[Gtkgasman]

Question - for anyone who has the Blu-ray? Is it significantly better, and are the extras something not available elsewhere?

[kkleinschmidt]

Like others said above my first YesSongs theater experience was at a midnight movie showing at a theater by our local mall, and there were plenty of other movies we would go see and they were generally packed. And it was always A PARTY. People were hammered when they got there and continued imbibing in the theater. I remember one time a sheriff deputy went to the front and started lecturing about not smoking or drinking and he was literally booed loudly and pelted with crap. I'm surprised they let the show go on that night but they did.

The first time I saw Yes live was seeing YesSongs and all I can say is I have been looking for tickets to future shows ever since.

[Gary Betts]

And Born to Boogie was not long after that... A somewhat different kind of concert film, but I was a big Marc Bolan fan at the time.

Off on a slight tangent here…

I saw Born to Boogie multiple times at the cinema (I was also a big Marc Bolan fan and still ‘keep a little Marc in my heart’). This was at a time when the cinemas just kept playing the films over and over without clearing out the audience at the end of each screening. Consequently, one summer holiday, I just sat in the cinema watching the film multiple times as it came around again and again, unfortunately for me, it was shown with Cliff Richards ‘Take me high’ film so I have also seen that many many times also!

[Gtkgasman]

Woodstock was probably one of the first films I saw on a Friday evening at the cinema on my own, I was at highschool, so probably 12 or 13. Before that I was only allowed to go to Saturday matinees. It was a revelation! All that nudity....

And Born to Boogie was not long after that... A somewhat different kind of concert film, but I was a big Marc Bolan fan at the time.

That is so funny! And I have such a similar recollection- same age about and The LED Zep was my first time allowed out for a late show with older kids. Good old days for sure. 😆