New Album recording “well advanced”

[soundchaser09]

I agree, I love the singing on Dare To Know.

I think the combo works well there, not so much on the other tracks sadly, (Leave Well Alone is fine enough I suppose vocally).

[Dantalion Rides Again]

+1 for Dare To Know, totally dig what that vocal blend is doin there. That's the one I hope they'll play live, and my favorite on the album.

[Frumious B]

The Dowe Index ( Davison and Howe close harmony singin') works for me. Hypnotic. Billy could be more employed to make it 3 part though. As well as Chris Braide. 😉

It doesn’t sound like Howe and Davison are singing harmonies to me. There are some places where Davison is overdubbed and harmonizing with himself, but Howe is just doubling the main melody, not harmonizing. And because they recorded Howe’s tunes straight up without tweaking them, they aren’t especially interesting or engaging tunes. Howe wrote and sang them in his own limited vocal range so the songs just plod along.

[YesWill]

The only track on The Quest that extensively features anything really along those lines is “The Western Edge” which is probably why I rate it as the album’s only keeper. So I guess I would want more Sherwood singing in the “Squire” role with Howe in his traditional “third background singer” slot.

I love TWE and I agree it is one of the best on the album (along with TIB). It is both typical Yes-sounding and very catchy at the same time. I think it would have made a good single.

And I agree that they should have used more of Sherwood in harmony. His voice has this natural 'hoarseness' (for lack of a better term?) that is kinda similar to Squire's, and I think it works well in a Davison/Howe/Sherwood 3-part harmony

[YesWill]

The Dowe Index ( Davison and Howe close harmony singin') works for me.

The Sherwood/Howe duets took some time to grow on me. At first I was asking myself why he had to stick his nose into the vocals, but then I got used to it and feel now that it has developed into its own signature Yes sound. Still miss Squire though...

That said, I think the Howe solo vocals on Damaged World are pretty poor. For parts of it there is this Grandpa Simpson after three flights of stairs sort of quality. He really should try to avoid using his lower register.

[YesWill]

+1 for Dare To Know, totally dig what that vocal blend is doin there. That's the one I hope they'll play live, and my favorite on the album.

yeah, the vocals on DTK are nice, but I actually prefer the doubled chanting on The Western Edge. I like it when YES tries new things.

[Soundwaveseeker]

One issue I have with The Quest, though I do love the album, is the Howe vocals. They're not horrific or anything, I just don't think they should be as prominent, regardless of whether he's running the show or not. To me, Howe is great as the third vocalist, but never the second-in-command singer. And never lead on a Yes song. Chris was second in command vocals on a Yes album. It's acceptable for Chris Squire to do an occasional lead, his background vocals were an anchor in Yes music. Billy is the new Chris. I think Billy Sherwood should be more prominent - move him up in the mix, and Steve, get back! Sherwood is closer to Chris in b-vox sound than Howe, Utilize him.

[Chris2210]

I don't think either Squire or Howe were particularly good on lead. Chris's lead became more tolerable later on [autotune?] I find Fish Out of Water virtually unlistenable and that's a contributing factor. While Howe's vocals on Beginnings are more pitchy, they have an interesting quality, albeit clearly strained. But I find the material on that album far more compelling than Squire's songs.

At the present time I think regrettably the vocals in Yes are at their weakest overall, with Horn's stuff coming close runner-up.

[ragtime]

I don't think either Squire or Howe were particularly good on lead. Chris's lead became more tolerable later on [autotune?] I find Fish Out of Water virtually unlistenable and that's a contributing factor. While Howe's vocals on Beginnings are more pitchy, they have an interesting quality, albeit clearly strained. But I find the material on that album far more compelling than Squire's songs.

At the present time I think regrettably the vocals in Yes are at their weakest overall, with Horn's stuff coming close runner-up.

I agree with your second paragraph, but not at all with your first.

[Chris2210]

I agree with your second paragraph, but not at all with your first.

It’s at least as much a statement of taste as fact (ok probably more). Everyone thinks they have great taste don’t they? Everyone else is wrong about that obviously, but I try to be magnanimous

[TommyTopographic]

The Sherwood/Howe duets took some time to grow on me. At first I was asking myself why he had to stick his nose into the vocals, but then I got used to it and feel now that it has developed into its own signature Yes sound. Still miss Squire though...

That said, I think the Howe solo vocals on Damaged World are pretty poor. For parts of it there is this Grandpa Simpson after three flights of stairs sort of quality. He really should try to avoid using his lower register.

Lol well you've ruined that for me now!
I don't mind it at all, he stays within his limits at least and not trying to push it too much, and the song has grown on me as well.
Agree with soundwaveseeker that they could have utilised Billys backing vox more on The Quest, when he is used he sounds great. Steves vocals are definitely better in a mix of 3 and not too prominent, adding the lower register to then blend works well imo.

[Somis Sound]

I would say that the producer should hide the guitar player’s vocal mic, but I’m not quite sure how that would be possible here.

I hope the band is now called Steve, Alan, and the Yes Pals.

In the vocal department, from favorite to least favorite singers would go like this:
Squire/Anderson
Horn
Rabin
Benoit
Davison
Sherwood
Howe

So you can see why I'm so excited about The Quest or any other Steve and The Boyz albums.... LOL

But happy for those who dig it !

[Gilly Goodness]

OK. Not bein'a musicologist. Have googled close harmony singin'. Singin' the same things but an octave apart. Is that the Dowe Index?

For once and for all can musicologists chime in?

[ragtime]

It’s at least as much a statement of taste as fact (ok probably more). Everyone thinks they have great taste don’t they? Everyone else is wrong about that obviously, but I try to be magnanimous

I agree with that 🙂. Actually, I can understand how Chris's solo voice might not appeal to all, but it"s texture and delivery is not off-putting to me and suits his material, which I like, especially on FOOW. Although later things like Aliens (the live Yes version) are pretty awful. Billy Sherwood's lead vocals, on the other hand, really grate on my ears for the most part. Steve just isn't a lead singer and shouldn't try IMO. I love the guitar work on Beginnings, but the vocals are an embarrassment. He has improved a bit recently, but not enough to take the lead or co-lead. Great vocal harmonies were always one of the key ingredients of Yes, but that is no longer true on TQ

[ragtime]

OK. Not bein'a musicologist. Have googled close harmony singin'. Singin' the same things but an octave apart. Is that the Dowe Index?

For once and for all can musicologists chime in?

Singing an octave apart isn't really considered harmony. On TQ it just sounds like they left the guide vocal in by mistake. Harmony is at least two different notes from a chord, and harmony vocal parts move against each other to create a chord sequence. That was Chris Squire's great skill from his choir training as a boy. Choirs typically have four or more distinct vocal ranges working in harmony: from soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone to bass. Close harmony is voices in the same range but still singing different melodic lines that create harmonic patterns and sequences. Classic Yes had Squire on falsetto top lines, Anderson on high tenor lead, and Howe on a kind of bass/ baritone underpinning (parts presumably composed by Squire).