Benoit David to replace Anderson in Yes
An official announcement has yet to be seen from Yes’ management (as of 10Sep08) but some members of the YesFans forums firmly believe that a changeover in the legendary prog-rock group has taken place. Change is nothing new to Yes but replacing lead singer Jon Anderson is a *major* one to say the least. Issues with Anderson’s health has restricted his ability to actively tour with the group so bassist Chris Squire was forced to look elsewhere to keep YES alive. I’m not sure how this will all go down, having an “Anderson-less” Yes out on the road. You may remember the last time Yes went out without Anderson (the Trevor Horn led Drama
So, here’s the NEW Yes lineup:
Chris Squire – Bass
Alan White – Drums
Steve Howe – Guitar
Oliver Wakeman – Keyboards
Benoit David – Lead Vocals
check out Benoit David performing with Yes Tribute band – Close to the Edge on youtube:
—
update 11Sep08: I guess it’s official now!
BBC News: Yes relaunch tour with understudy
Associated Press: Rock band Yes to tour with replacement singer
—
Purchase Yes Music on Amazon:
—
Change changing places root yourself to the ground
Capitalize on this good fortune
One word can bring you round – Changes
- download Changes – performed live at the Shoreline Amphitheater August 8, 1991, Mountain View, California (Yes Union Tour)
—
Related posts:
man, I didn’t know anything about this! wow. I can’t imagine Yes without Jon Anderson. His voice is just SO unique!
I guess replacing lead singers is becoming more acceptable especially after the success of Arnel Pineda and Journey. I think as long as Benoit David can deliver the goods (vocally, stage presence, etc), it’ll be alright. I’m definitely willing to give this new incarnation of Yes a try when they come over to my neck of the woods! we’ll see…
It would be acceptable to replace Jon Anderson, if the guy had his own style and knew the words!!!! This guy makes Travor Horn sound like a Saint.
What on Earth is that? If they seriously think that this is going to be accepted by Yes fans then they are totally deluded. The man doesn’t even get the words right! Some 2nd rate copy from Canada is simply not good enough. If Jon is unable to continue then Yes DOES NOT EXIST! How dare you sully the name by trying to fob us off with an “understudy”. I don’t care how you package it, you’re just trying to pass off a fake as the real thing. This is NOT and NEVER will be Yes. I for one will not go anywhere near a future Yes product without Jon Anderson’s involvement. Shame on you all for this despicable treachery!
I have watched the YouTube vids of Mr. B. David and the CTTE tribute band, and while I applaude his efforts at covering the vocals in a Yes cover band, having this guy join the band for a tour “honoring the music of Yes” is an insult to all true Yes fans. Simply put, Yes does not exist without Jon. This is a cynical play by Squire, Howe and White, in a last ditch effort to keep the Yes fire burning. I am as big a fan of Yes as exists, but I wouldn’t go see the “In the Present” lineup if they were playing in my backyard and handing out $100 bills to all comers.
To Chris, Steve and Alan: Let it go, guys, please. For the sake of the memories of your truest fans, let it die gracefully.
hhhmmm.. as always, there’s always more DRAMA. Here’s Jon Anderson’s response concerning the “new” Yes from his myspace blog.
“Not Yes”
September 18, 2008
Disappointed, and very Disrespected
Disappointed that, with the exception of one phone call from Alan, none of the guys have been in touch since my illness, just to find out how I am doing, and how we will foresee the future for YES. And disappointed that they were not willing to wait till 2009 when I’m fully recovered.
And I feel very disrespected, having spent most of this year creating songs and constant ideas for the band, spending time with Roger Dean creating a stage design, also working with VH1 and Sirius and XM Radio to help promote the welfare of YES.
Getting sick was not “on my radar”, and I thank my own angel Janeee and my family for helping me through this difficult time, and the many well wishers, friends and fans alike, for understanding that ”things happen”.
Of course I wish the guys all the best in their ‘solo’ work, but I just wish this could have been done in a more gentlemanly fashion. After all YES is a precious musical band.
This is not YES on tour…
I send best wishes to one and all,
Jon Anderson
September 2008
YES without Jon Anderson is NO!!!!!!!
[...] for the upcoming Yes tour have finally surfaced. As I mentioned previously, the band won’t be led by Jon Anderson who is still recuperating from a respiratory illness. [...]
I have been a fan of Benoit David and his work with Mystery. He is a fine singer with a range that is close to Jon Anderson’s. Benoit does have a style of his own and a quality to his voice that was applied to the unique sounds of the band Mystery. Listen to the Sailor and the Mermaid off “Behind the Veil” by Mystery and you will appreciate that he can do prog rock in his own right and sing with his own angelic tone.
http://www.unicornrecords.com/mystery/
However, I think this venture to the front of Yes is a career mistake for him. Jon Anderson cannot be duplicated or replaced and this attempt to continue will sully the latter days of YES. B. David will suffer the inevitable comparisons to a master and will have to back away from the negativity. Sad because this vein of prog rock has a positive spiritual energy that deserves its fame.
Though they were recorded before I was born, I’ve great admiration for the musical inventiveness that Yes displayed in their first five records. For that reason, I’ve investigated the band’s history and have learnt about the remarkable drive, determination, and sheer musical genius of the band’s chief architect and founder, Jon Anderson.
So it is very sad to learn how, as the band approached its 40th anniversary, and Jon developed health problems that prevented him form touring to celebrate that anniversary, Msrs. Squire, Howe and Allen made the decision not to wait for Jon to recover from his illness but replace him, instead, with a karaoke-singing-croissant – all without so much as bothering to inquire about Jon’s health, much less consult with him about their plans to tour without him!
Thus, the sheer disrespect that they have shown towards the man whose creative energy and vision has been the guiding light behind the band’s entire history, simply reflects the extent to which Squire and Howe, in particular, put their own monetary interests ahead of the band’s musical and personal integrity.
Simply put, it is very clear that Squire and Howe’s decision to tour without Jon is motivated by nothing more than sheer greed and utter stupidity!
How despicable!
Sometimes it is not pure greed…it is a survival thing. Hard to think of these guys as needing a buck but it happens. Also, the sheer joy of performing has to be considered. I remember a radio host asking John Lodge of the Moody Blues if they were going to retire and his answer was revealing…”Did Duke Ellington ever retire? As long as we enjoy playing and people come to listen I think we will perform for them”
These guys want to play, at a minimum and some lifestyles require a constant influx of cash.
However, clearing this with Jon would be a minimum consideration one should think. Many ego’s involved and Jon has no problem teaming up with others when he wants to but when the main players get up and do their stuff, YES is magic!
I think all these hardhead Yes “fans” who are so vitriolic towards the band are being ridiculous and really dumb. The main point of Yes is the *music*, not the personalities in it. As the constant revolving-door personnel changes of the band have solidly proven, *no one* in Yes is irreplaceable – not even Jon Anderson.
Does nobody recall that Yes has recorded and gigged without Anderson before? Their 1980 “Drama” album, done without Anderson, is actually one of their best ones. This year fans will finally be able to hear some of the songs from “Drama” done onstage, and we are in for a real treat.
I can understand that Anderson would be rightly pissed of at the way he’s been treated by the band, if in fact the rumours are true. Nonetheless, this kind of thing is all a part of being in Yes. Nearly every member and ex-member of Yes has suffered some shoddy treatment in the past, some of it meted out by Jon Anderson. So this latest thing is just karma revisiting him really, and nobody should be especially surprised or hurt by it. Nearly every ex-member of Yes knows that he can return to play with Yes in the future, and several have done.
Anderson will certainly be back with Yes too. However if his voice never recovers and he no longer sings well, I hope he will have the sense and grace to recognize that the band will be better off keeping Benoit David. Because with Yes, the music must always come first.
Rik makes a great point…all these guys can play and have crossed over into other bands at times. Even without Jon they still sound like Yes. Their catalog is very deep and they could be an interesting band with Benoit handling the vocals. He has the chops to cover Jon’s vocals and style to do some stuff is own way. He is not just a tribute band guy, he is the current lead singer of a prog rock band – Mystery and has done a lot of tribute and creative work. He can do the job and the rest of the guys will make Yes —well….YES. When Rabin was on board the sound was a bit more pop-oriented but no one said it was not YES….
Still, we miss Jon.
I’m looking forward to seeing Benoît David performing with the band. I’ve seen some more videos on YouTube and he can nail these songs. The fans still come.
On second thought there is no way B. David is making a career mistake in pursuing his dream with YES. He just becomes the latest member of the YES community of performers…probably 20-25 by now. The key will be the quality of the Music. I have seen Jon Anderson with YES, with Wakeman, With other people and he always shines. Here is a chance for B. David to make his mark. If he stays within his game and give the rest what they need…he will have success. And it will be YES music.
I’m a bit surprised myself but it’s good to see some positive reviews from fans about the tour. lots of feedback on the yesfans forum.
some folks have also posted some quick reviews on my other post about the tour:
http://www.retroblog.net/2008/09/29/yes-in-the-present-tour-dates/