Yesshows original cover design

[Ash Armstrong]

According to author Dave Watkinson the cover for the proposed live album that subsequently became Yesshows in 1980 was probably going to be by Jeff Cummins. He's a commercial artist, very successful in his chosen field. Lots of magazine covers, pictures of TV and film characters (Bruce Lee, Six Million Dollar Man, Doctor Who), and an assortment of album covers. He draws from photographs mostly, in a sort of photo-realistic cartoon-ey style.
He did the cover for Whitesnake's Live in the Heart of the City, and a Ted Nugent album where his guitar was doubling as a machine gun. He also did the Wings Over America cover. Apparently there's one of his photo-realistic paintings on the inner cover. I don't know the album and I've not seen it.
I for one am heartily glad that the Yesshows 1978 project didn't come together with a cover by trashy commercial artist Jeff Cummins. No colour painting is known to still exist, just the pencil drawing. That's bad enough. Dave thinks it's great and is going to interview him about it.

[Yorkshire Square]

Er, why is the Roger Dean lettering on the pencil sketches? Are we saying that this guy designed it originally and then Roger copied it? Or did he copy it from Roger?

Francis Monkman needs to know... 😉

[Ash Armstrong]

Er, why is the Roger Dean lettering on the pencil sketches? Are we saying that this guy designed it originally and then Roger copied it? Or did he copy it from Roger?

Francis Monkman needs to know... 😉

Dunno about that, but the Dean logo/lettering is on the covers of Tormato and Going For the One as well so I guess deals were done and money changed hands somewhere along the line.
Looking at the Whitesnake cover, with Coverdale's rolled-sock pelvis thrusting forward, I have an image of Jon Anderson in a similar pose which I'd like removed from my brain as soon as possible....

[Gilly Goodness]

Remember realizing one day that Roger's snowy landscape was in fact inside a snow cave and there was a bigger world "outside". Or is it my imagination? Look at the total painting. Top left has a hole with an outer atmosphere.

Yesshows came out before Drama? One of my fave Roger. Love how he does snow drifts. Also why I dig the cover for Live in Las Vegas and the cover for One Live Badger.

[Yorkshire Square]

Dunno about that, but the Dean logo/lettering is on the covers of Tormato and Going For the One as well so I guess deals were done and money changed hands somewhere along the line.

Yeah, but GFTO and Tormato have the Yes logo with just typeface for the album title. No input required from Dean, just his sign off on the logo being used.

Yesshows is clearly an album title logo. He'd do that to appear with another artist's cover design? Why would they employ two artists? Why not get new lettering from the new guy (a la Peter Max)?

My guess is that this chap has done his "artwork" after the fact and incorporated Dean's title logo, quite possibly without permission. All I'm seeing here is a pencil sketch based on photo which seems to be contemporary with the photos that appear on the actual album cover.

[Ash Armstrong]

Yeah, but GFTO and Tormato have the Yes logo with just typeface for the album title. No input required from Dean, just his sign off on the logo being used.

Yesshows is clearly an album title logo. He'd do that to appear with another artist's cover design? Why would they employ two artists? Why not get new lettering from the new guy (a la Peter Max)?

My guess is that this chap has done his "artwork" after the fact and incorporated Dean's title logo, quite possibly without permission. All I'm seeing here is a pencil sketch based on photo which seems to be contemporary with the photos that appear on the actual album cover.

Who knows how it would have turned out if they'd gone ahead with the original project and design?
I'd still love a fully-realised live set from 1978/9, but not with with this awful 'art'.
Jeff Cummins was, it's said, the go-to artist for Radio Times covers....

[gbh90125]

Deans Yesshows cover is my fav Dean Yes cover so I'm glad they didnt go for the above. The only thing id have changed with Yeshsows is to make it a triple album with the third LP having Silent Wings of Freedom and Starship Trouper from 78 on side 1 and on side 2 Future Times/Rejoice and Awaken on side 2.

[Ceasar’s Palace]

I wouldn’t mind if they’d used a drawing for the inside. I never much cared for the pictures.

[Khatrooper]

Remember realizing one day that Roger's snowy landscape was in fact inside a snow cave and there was a bigger world "outside". Or is it my imagination? Look at the total painting. Top left has a hole with an outer atmosphere…

Interesting. The hole area of the whole painting is on the front cover of Yesshows but the hole is not. The front cover was edited quite a bit from the painting (not to mention that clunky hummingbird), besides the hole, 2 floating landscapes and light coloured streaks in the sky were removed.

[Sharp On Attack]

This guy also did the Alan White portrait on Ramshackled and the Anderson family portrait in the interior of the Olias artworK. So he does have some YESsy connections...

[kkleinschmidt]

This guy also did the Alan White portrait on Ramshackled and the Anderson family portrait in the interior of the Olias artworK. So he does have some YESsy connections...

Very interesting and yes I do see the similarities but I'll take Roger's effort for this cover every single time.

[Somis Sound]

Thank God they didn't use that. I love the album cover and Yesbird

I'ts definitely one of my favorite Yes covers along with Drama, Classic Yes, Relayer, and ABWH.

[patrickq]

I love Roger Dean’s art. He has a lock on the backgrounds and lock screens of all of my devices.

However, I actually like the cover of Tormato. The blue tones are fantastic, and the orange from the tomato is a perfect compliment. It’s the best non-Dean cover imo.

[Twinarchers]

The thing that bothers me about the cover was that they did not show any images from the tours other than in the round and they are small and too many and boring. Let's show off some of the great set from 73,4,5 and six. Oh well. Thanks for alt cover. Never heard about there being one.