Will YES survive the eventual retirement of Alan White and Steve Howe?

[downbyariver]

We don't know. My understanding is that this isn't just vague talk. It's serious progress with the intent to release a new album sooner rather than later... but the first step of that is passing ideas around.

My guess would be that they are planning for a 2023 album, but there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip. But I don't think 2022 is impossible either.

Some excellent news if it comes to fruition. I'd love to see Yes become a creative powerhouse with regular new studio releases.

[Homemade Parachute]

They might use some backlog pieces, but of course Howe, Downes and Sherwood are all very capable of writing an album's worth of new material each in a few months. If they want to, they can motor quickly. They are all prolific writers.

But they will work at the pace they want to.

They *are* prolific, but not for Yes, for whatever reasons. I don't pretend to understand the process, but clearly when writing they have ideas of the outlet for the music: solo, or Arc of Life, or Downes Braide, or any number of other projects (since rejoining Yes in 2011, Downes has contributed, what, three songs to Yes, and four *albums* with Braide). And who can say what would have happened if they'd had these multiple outlets back in 72/74, what might have been different, or how maybe they're finely tuned now, and both re-energized by playing in other contexts, and exploring different ranges of sound, some of which they may bring back…

Great quip from Jakko Jakszyk on his recent solo album, where he says “we had this bit of an in joke where I would start to play Robert Fripp something. And he would go, ‘I love this, this is marvellous. It would be an ideal track for your next solo album’, which is code for ‘we’re not playing this mate’.” Obviously Fripp and Jakszyk were hearing different things there, but so it goes.

[bondegezou]

Are they still restricted to wherever they are presently living? Presumably they'll meet up to rehearse for next year's shows, and that'll probably be in the UK?

Current UK restrictions, which have just been tightened with the emergence of Omicron, would still allow them all to meet up and record. Travel to the UK from the US is fiddly with lots of testing required, but possible. What they're actually doing, I don't know.

European shows begin in May in Portugal. I'd guess they'll rehearse in the UK, but Portugal is lovely in May, so maybe they'll rehearse there? But there's been chatter of North American dates in March before then, although it's getting a bit late to announce anything if those are going to happen.

[Ash Armstrong]

They might use some backlog pieces, but of course Howe, Downes and Sherwood are all very capable of writing an album's worth of new material each in a few months. If they want to, they can motor quickly. They are all prolific writers.

But they will work at the pace they want to.

Are they still restricted to wherever they are presently living? Presumably they'll meet up to rehearse for next year's shows, and that'll probably be in the UK?

[John Vehadija]

I really hope we get another album with this line-up in a couple of years

[bondegezou]

As I said in another interview

Howe said The Quest started with Davison/Howe writing sessions ye only 1 song is credited to them..


my guess Is there is likely 2-3 Davison Howe tunes that will start off the new album

there Is archival pieces like Horizons a squire keyboard piece from Heaven & Earth Go through this etc.

I know Yes has 4 strong writers in Howe Downes Davison and Sherwood

I also know Alan said he wrote some new piano pieces that were not used for The Quest

OK so while this is incredible wildly assumptions


but

4 White Piano pieces
3 Howe/Davison pieces
will say 6 archival pieces they would want to do


we could get music from White/Davison similar to the song To ascend
We could get some Howe/davison pieces like Sister Sleeping soul or believe again
and Horizons...


it could work

They might use some backlog pieces, but of course Howe, Downes and Sherwood are all very capable of writing an album's worth of new material each in a few months. If they want to, they can motor quickly. They are all prolific writers.

But they will work at the pace they want to.

[rabin105]

No way a new album next year unless a continuation of the B sides on The Quest. If there is an album in 2023 with the same line-up, I bet it will be mostly written by Sherwood and Davison with probably an outsider again - or two.

As I said in another interview

Howe said The Quest started with Davison/Howe writing sessions ye only 1 song is credited to them..


my guess Is there is likely 2-3 Davison Howe tunes that will start off the new album

there Is archival pieces like Horizons a squire keyboard piece from Heaven & Earth Go through this etc.

I know Yes has 4 strong writers in Howe Downes Davison and Sherwood

I also know Alan said he wrote some new piano pieces that were not used for The Quest

OK so while this is incredible wildly assumptions


but

4 White Piano pieces
3 Howe/Davison pieces
will say 6 archival pieces they would want to do


we could get music from White/Davison similar to the song To ascend
We could get some Howe/davison pieces like Sister Sleeping soul or believe again
and Horizons...


it could work

[luna65]

You do realize promoters want a yes to play all of 90125 right? so at the very least it can last one more tour

Well yeah, of course they do. That's the trend for legacy artists these days. But I don't see it happening with any permutation of the line-up.

[yamishogun]

If you're right Henry, thats fantastic news!

No way a new album next year unless a continuation of the B sides on The Quest. If there is an album in 2023 with the same line-up, I bet it will be mostly written by Sherwood and Davison with probably an outsider again - or two.

[soundchaser09]

We don't know. My understanding is that this isn't just vague talk. It's serious progress with the intent to release a new album sooner rather than later... but the first step of that is passing ideas around.

My guess would be that they are planning for a 2023 album, but there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip. But I don't think 2022 is impossible either.

If you're right Henry, thats fantastic news!

[bondegezou]

Working sounds like we could expect one next year. Isn’t it more like sending tapes back and forth?

We don't know. My understanding is that this isn't just vague talk. It's serious progress with the intent to release a new album sooner rather than later... but the first step of that is passing ideas around.

My guess would be that they are planning for a 2023 album, but there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip. But I don't think 2022 is impossible either.

[rabin105]

Well, no need to speculate around hypothetical futures for that. The current line-up are working on a new album.

like seriously... must.... not... get..... hyped!!!!!

[Ceasar’s Palace]

Well, no need to speculate around hypothetical futures for that. The current line-up are working on a new album.

Working sounds like we could expect one next year. Isn’t it more like sending tapes back and forth?

[bondegezou]

I'd also love to see a quick studio album or two out of the box to establish the lineup. It'd be great to have a next era of Yes with albums on a regular basis.

Well, no need to speculate around hypothetical futures for that. The current line-up are working on a new album.

[bondegezou]

I wonder if playing some of [Rabin's] film music live might appeal to him? Who knows? It's not something he needs to do, I wouldn't have thought? It's down to whether he wants to, it seems to me.

Pre-COVID, there was talk of plans for some orchestra+rock shows, one for Joe Bonamassa, one seemingly of his film score work.