Could the 5 solo albums (1975-76) be branded under a YES umbrella?

[Bill M]

Continuing with the rebranding theme with a slight twist.


I would imagine a package that perceives these 5 albums collectively as a YES project between Relayer and Going For The One.

[downbyariver]

No.

Or, at least, they shouldn't be.

You never know what the label/marketing people will try to pull to make a few extra bucks.

[Soundwaveseeker]

All 5 of the Yessolos albums were released on Atlantic between 1975-76. There was even a promo compilation called Yessolos with white label. I suppose I could imagine a box set containing all 5 with any extras being released under the name Yessolos with a dean cover and having a Yes logo on it - but that would be the box itself, the albums would still be listed as solo albums but the box with the Yes logo would have a sticker on it saying : "First 5 solo albums from then-current Yes lineup of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Patrick Moraz and Alan White, recorded in 1975 & 1976 and available together for the first time" or something like that. They could use the Beginnings cover for the box and put a Yes logo over it, but the individual albums would come in their original covers including Howe's Beginnings. Or use a new or unused Dean painting for the box. So the box itself would appear rebranded as Yes - the first solo albums, but the albums remain solo albums. No, The 6 Wives of Henry The 8 etc. was not a Yessolos as Wakeman was not in Yes at the time and was a separate solo artist, just in case anyone wanted to go there,..

So the box would be under Yes, but the contents would be the Yessolos albums.

Isn't it time somebody rereleased the Yessolos promo sampler too? Maybe.

[Ash Armstrong]

I've got Story of I, Olias and Fish. No interest in the others.

[Soundwaveseeker]

Beginnings is decent if one can take Howe's vocals. Nice guitars of all shapes 'n sizes. Ramshackled is an acquired taste for some.

[Ash Armstrong]

Beginnings is decent if one can take Howe's vocals. Nice guitars of all shapes 'n sizes. Ramshackled is an acquired taste for some.

Bought it at the same time as Fish. They may have been released together? I couldn't find anything in it that I liked hearing. I'm the same with all of his solo stuff.
I remember I had to take my copy of Fish back to the record shop. The hole was off-centre. It wowed and fluttered like a mad thing.

[downbyariver]

remember I had to take my copy of Fish back to the record shop. The hole was off-centre. It wowed and fluttered like a mad thing.

Did it arrive late?

[pianozach]

I've got Story of I, Olias and Fish. No interest in the others.

Beginnings is decent if one can take Howe's vocals. Nice guitars of all shapes 'n sizes. Ramshackled is an acquired taste for some.

Flash (Feb 1972)
6 Wives (Jan 1973)
Tales (Dec 1973)
Relayer (Nov 1974)
Fish (Nov 1975)
i (June 1976)
Beginnings (Oct 1975)
Ramshackled (June 1976)
Olias (July 1976)
Beginnings (Rabin) (1977)
GFtO (Jul 1977)
End of Innocence (Sep 2021)


The Six Wives of Henry VIII was released while Wakeman was in Yes (1973). Alan White is on three tracks, Bill Bruford is on two tracks, Steve Howe and Chris Squire both played on Catherine of Aragon.

Flash (1972) featured both Peter Banks and Tony Kaye.

Fish Out of Water featured Bill Bruford on all tracks, and Pat Moraz on one. Andrew Pryce Jackman is credited for acoustic and electric pianos, orchestration, conducting: Jackman was in The Syn with Squire, and supplied the orchestrations for Onward on Tormato, Squire & White's Run With The Fox, and Howe's second solo album The Steve Howe Album.

Beginnings had contributions from Pat Moraz on three tracks, Alan White on five tracks, and Bill Bruford on three tracks.

Ramshackled feature both Howe and Anderson on one track.

The Story of i has a roundabout Yes connection. Jeff Berlin played bass, the earliest entry on his discography. Since then he's also played on five Bruford albums, as well as touring with ABWH when Tony Levin fell ill.

Olias of Sunhillow had all instruments played by Jon Anderson, although given the scope of the project it's been widely speculated that he may have had some help, with the name of Vangelis being brought up frequently. Naturally, we all know Vangelis was floated as a possible replacement keyboardist when Wakeman left for the first time.

Tony Kaye's only real "solo" album was End Of Innocence, released in 2021, but he was a founding member of Badger, with two albums released in 1973 and 1974. The other founding member of Badger was guitarist David Foster, who was in the Warriors with Jon Anderson, and gets co-writing credit on two songs on Yes' second album, Time and a Word.

And then there's Tony Levin, who appeared on ABWH and Union, and ought to be an honorary Yes member. His credits are legendary.

[madbear]

Olias is great, Fish pretty good, Ramshackled fun, Beginning ok, story of i not good. Nope, they are not yes albums.
A new version of Olias played by Yes would have been fun, but not the current line up.

[Soundwaveseeker]

Flash (Feb 1972)
6 Wives (Jan 1973)
Tales (Dec 1973)
Relayer (Nov 1974)
Fish (Nov 1975)
i (June 1976)
Beginnings (Oct 1975)
Ramshackled (June 1976)
Olias (July 1976)
Beginnings (Rabin) (1977)
GFtO (Jul 1977)
End of Innocence (Sep 2021)


The Six Wives of Henry VIII was released while Wakeman was in Yes (1973). Alan White is on three tracks, Bill Bruford is on two tracks, Steve Howe and Chris Squire both played on Catherine of Aragon.

Flash (1972) featured both Peter Banks and Tony Kaye.

Fish Out of Water featured Bill Bruford on all tracks, and Pat Moraz on one. Andrew Pryce Jackman is credited for acoustic and electric pianos, orchestration, conducting: Jackman was in The Syn with Squire, and supplied the orchestrations for Onward on Tormato, Squire & White's Run With The Fox, and Howe's second solo album The Steve Howe Album.

Beginnings had contributions from Pat Moraz on three tracks, Alan White on five tracks, and Bill Bruford on three tracks.

Ramshackled feature both Howe and Anderson on one track.

The Story of i has a roundabout Yes connection. Jeff Berlin played bass, the earliest entry on his discography. Since then he's also played on five Bruford albums, as well as touring with ABWH when Tony Levin fell ill.

Olias of Sunhillow had all instruments played by Jon Anderson, although given the scope of the project it's been widely speculated that he may have had some help, with the name of Vangelis being brought up frequently. Naturally, we all know Vangelis was floated as a possible replacement keyboardist when Wakeman left for the first time.

Tony Kaye's only real "solo" album was End Of Innocence, released in 2021, but he was a founding member of Badger, with two albums released in 1973 and 1974. The other founding member of Badger was guitarist David Foster, who was in the Warriors with Jon Anderson, and gets co-writing credit on two songs on Yes' second album, Time and a Word.

And then there's Tony Levin, who appeared on ABWH and Union, and ought to be an honorary Yes member. His credits are legendary.

True, all of this. There is a lot of Yessification with a lot of solo albums/projects/bands to this day. Makes you wonder how much of this solo stuff was intended for Yes, hence being worked on a by multiple Yes guys. Or how much was "I'll get so-and-so from the band to play on this solo track(s), because I know his work ethic and what he can bring to it" or "I'll use so-and-so from when I/he was in the band because I know it'l be on the quality of when we worked within the band format" or even "hey, you're still here! I thought you went off to the pub. Hey, while you're here could you play on this bit here? I'm doing a solo album."

As for Rick Wakeman, he kinda was always a separate entity even while in Yes. It was almost Yes with Rick Wakeman, since he had a lot of recognition and clout. But even on his first album while still a member and with other Yes guys playing on it, it was on a different label (A&M) and seemed a separate thing - whereas the 5 Yessolos were on Atlantic and seemed to be of a set released during the same hiatus between Yes albums and tours. This involved all 5 members participating in making a solo album and most of them even playing on each others album. I suppose if everybody had done a solo album at the time of 6 wives, that would have been Yessolos.

[Soundchaser413]

Fish Out Of Water and Six Wives were almost Yes albums imo but other than those two I would have to say no. However, I always thought Yes should have done their solo album thing later (maybe after Tormato or even instead of Tormato). Yes were on a roll and they lost momentum. Maybe having Patrick sort of messed things up in some ways but if they could have held it together to do one more album with him in late 75 or 76 then that would have been great. It could be the missing link between Relayer and GFTO. GFTO seems like a noticeble step down from what came before it imo even though I still like it a lot.

[pianozach]

Fish Out Of Water and Six Wives were almost Yes albums imo but other than those two I would have to say no. However, I always thought Yes should have done their solo album thing later (maybe after Tormato or even instead of Tormato). Yes were on a roll and they lost momentum. Maybe having Patrick sort of messed things up in some ways but if they could have held it together to do one more album with him in late 75 or 76 then that would have been great. It could be the missing link between Relayer and GFTO. GFTO seems like a noticeble step down from what came before it imo even though I still like it a lot.

Yeah, coming off of three Prog epic masterpieces (CTtE, TfTO, and Relayer) GFtO left me a tad disappointed.

[Bill M]

These particular albums are unique in that they are part of the YES timeline. The group collectively put off recording a YES album to do this. It doesn't matter if the individual albums sound like YES or not.

So the box would be under Yes, but the contents would be the Yessolos albums.

This is what I was thinking too.

[Gilly Goodness]

So the obvious.

If all these albums were rebranded into one YES album which songs would make the cut?

YESSOLOS


1. Moorglade
2. Look over my shoulder
3. Silently Fallin'
4. Akatak
5. Somethin' by Pat
6. Lucky 7
7 Pleasure stole the night
8 another Jon

(off the top of my head)

[Soundwaveseeker]

Well, you got four of the songs right. Just looked it up - the original Yessolos promo album (Atlantic records 1976) was:

side one:

1) Flight Of The Moorglade (Anderson)
2) Hold Out Your Hand (Squire)
3) Break Away From It All (Howe)
4) Best Years Of Our Lives (Moraz)
5) Spring (Song Of Innocence) (White)

side two:

1) OOH Baby (Goin' To Pieces) (White)
2) Dancing Now (Moraz)
3) Lost Symphony (Howe)
4) Lucky Seven (Squire) - edited shorter version
5) Meeting/Sound Out The Galleon (Anderson)

This was a promo LP sent to radio stations and never released to the general public from what I understand.
I'm surprised nobody has released it officially by now. Probably better just to get each individual album or the imaginary box set.

I remember hearing some old interviews from youtube with Alison Steele the Night Bird from the Yessolos days, there's one with Squire and I think one with Patrick Moraz, talking about their solo albums. I'll have to dig those up and listen to them again. She had this ridiculously soothing and sultry voice, I can see why she was on the air in the middle of the night. In one interview, she forgot about Moraz when listing the Yes members, then corrected herself "Oh, of course, how can I forget Moraz? Patrick would have my head" or something like that. Anybody remember any of those interviews? The show was called the Night Bird.