I attended my first Yesshow on July 24, 1975, near Washington D.C., where they played the entire Relayer album. I wish I had paid closer attention. At 62, it is getting harder and harder to remember that show! I have come to the conclusion over the last 10+ years, that Yes has missed some golden opportunities to keep themselves relevant as something other than a legacy band. Fly From Here was serviceable, but the Benoit David firing was a debacle of bad PR, not to mention the advent of ARW and the subsequent fight/discourse about which band was the “real” Yes. Even ARW was unable to release new material, which was a major letdown, considering the players involved. The disappointment (for me) of Heaven and Earth (2014) as well as the more recent The Quest (2021) albums, has just cemented this evaluation in my mind.
Case in point; as a fan of both Yes and Kansas, it has been very interesting to see the exact opposite happening with Kansas. Both bands currently only have 2 long term members (Kansas has 2 original members). Both bands have released two albums of new material within the past eight years. For Kansas, the infusion of newer members, most recently, Tom Brislin, has actually invigorated their new material, while staying true to the overall milieu of the band, being immediately recognizable as Kansas music, creating a desire for continued and repeated listening. This is not the case at all for me with the most two recent Yes albums. Similar to recent Yes tours, Kansas has recognized the 40th anniversaries of the Leftoverture and The Point of Know Return albums, by playing them in order, in their entirety, over the last two tours. The difference from Yes is that they have included cuts from the new albums that the fans have had very positive responses to, in addition to taking some deep dives by performing tracks that long time fans can appreciate.
Unfortunately, the newer Yes material is not what I had hoped new Yes music would be. It seems, in my view, very sedate, lacking the challenging musicianship and vocals that I have come to expect from my favorite band (not to mention another PR nightmare regarding the Ice Bridge's origins). This is quite evident if you happen to peruse music reaction videos of the band’s music on YouTube. It is all very much from the heyday of the band with not much past songs from the Going for the One album. This all fine of course, as this music is what brought me to Yes, and kept me coming back for more. Unfortunately, the recent “more” has only further affirmed for me that the current lineup is nothing more than a legacy band.
Case in point; as a fan of both Yes and Kansas, it has been very interesting to see the exact opposite happening with Kansas. Both bands currently only have 2 long term members (Kansas has 2 original members). Both bands have released two albums of new material within the past eight years. For Kansas, the infusion of newer members, most recently, Tom Brislin, has actually invigorated their new material, while staying true to the overall milieu of the band, being immediately recognizable as Kansas music, creating a desire for continued and repeated listening. This is not the case at all for me with the most two recent Yes albums. Similar to recent Yes tours, Kansas has recognized the 40th anniversaries of the Leftoverture and The Point of Know Return albums, by playing them in order, in their entirety, over the last two tours. The difference from Yes is that they have included cuts from the new albums that the fans have had very positive responses to, in addition to taking some deep dives by performing tracks that long time fans can appreciate.
Unfortunately, the newer Yes material is not what I had hoped new Yes music would be. It seems, in my view, very sedate, lacking the challenging musicianship and vocals that I have come to expect from my favorite band (not to mention another PR nightmare regarding the Ice Bridge's origins). This is quite evident if you happen to peruse music reaction videos of the band’s music on YouTube. It is all very much from the heyday of the band with not much past songs from the Going for the One album. This all fine of course, as this music is what brought me to Yes, and kept me coming back for more. Unfortunately, the recent “more” has only further affirmed for me that the current lineup is nothing more than a legacy band.
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