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Yes – In the Present – Live From Lyon – CD/DVD to be released

retroDan — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:08:52 +0000

hhhmmmm, not sure why Yes isn’t releasing a recording from their most recent “Fly From Here” tour which includes keyboardist Geoff Downes in the lineup but this isn’t the *first* time Yes and their management has gone and done something screwy. Anyway, this new 2CD/DVD set features Benoit David on vocals and Oliver Wakeman in keys.

Here’s the official announcement:

YES TO RELEASE NEW LIVE 2CD/DVD PACKAGE ON FRONTIERS RECORDS
Frontiers Records proudly announces the latest live release from the most influential and ground-breaking progressive rock ‘n’ roll band in history, Yes. New album In The Present – Live from Lyon will be available on 2CD/DVD package from November 29 in North America and December 2 in Europe.
Recorded in Lyon, France, on December 1st 2009, In The Present – Live from Lyon is an outstanding collection of hidden gems and unforgettable classics, with new singer Benoit David breathing new life into each of the evergreen tracks. The package comes with a 55 minute DVD containing excerpts from the live performance, candid interviews and behind the scenes footage. The cover art features an original design by Roger Dean, author of most Yes album covers including classics ‘Fragile’, ‘Close To The Edge’ and ‘Drama’.
Yes’ powerful compositions influenced a generation of musicians. They have a hugely successful and indelible catalogue of masterpieces; songs like “Roundabout,” a seminal hit which consistently appears on “the best songs of all-time” lists, and the group’s #1 hit “Owner of a Lonely Heart”, taken from the Yes album ’90125′, saw Yes top the UK and US album charts simultaneously.
Yes are the pioneers for the use of synthesizers and sound effects in modern music and produced a multitude of timeless, symphonic-rock masterworks; they continued to push the cutting edge of art-rock music to their limits, selling over 30 million albums and reaching platinum status multiple times worldwide. Yes latest studio album ‘Fly From Here’ – the first in ten years – hit the Top 10 on the Rock Charts and was declared as their “best work since the ’70s” (Paste Magazine)

“In the Present – Live From Lyon” will be released in a gloss digipak edition. The final tracklisting includes:
CD1: Siberian Khatru, I’ve Seen All Good People, Tempus Fugit, Onward, Astral Traveller, And You And I, Corkscrew (Acoustic Solo).
CD2: Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Southside Of The Sky, Machine Messiah, Heart Of The Sunrise, Roundabout, Starship Trooper.
DVD: Interviews, Excerpts from the Live Show, Roundabout, Machine Messiah (running time approx 55 mins.)

A limited edition gatefold sleeve 3 LP vinyl release (only including the audio portion of the album) will be exclusively available in the European markets.

“In the Present – Live From Lyon” lineup features:
Benoit David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitar
Chris Squire: bass
Alan White: drums
Oliver Wakeman: keyboards

Catch Yes On Tour In Europe 2011
Thu 11/03/11 Lisbon, Portugal Coliseu Lisboa
Fri 11/04/11 Madrid, Spain La Riviera
Sat 11/05/11 Barcelona, Spain Palau Sant Jordi
Tue 11/08/11 Cambridge, United Kingdom Cambridge Corn Exchange
Wed 11/09/11 Sheffield, United Kingdom Sheffield City Hall
Fri 11/11/11 Birmingham, United Kingdom Symphony Hall
Sat 11/12/11 Glasgow, United Kingdom Clyde Auditorium
Sun 11/13/11 Manchester, United Kingdom O2 Apollo Manchester
Tue 11/15/11 Brighton, United Kingdom Brighton Dome
Wed 11/16/11 Bristol, United Kingdom Colston Hall
Thu 11/17/11 London, United Kingdom HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Sat 11/19/11 Paris, France Olympia
Sun 11/20/11 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique
Mon 11/21/11 Nijmegen, Netherlands Concertgebouw De Vereeniging
Wed 11/23/11 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshaus
Thu 11/24/11 Milan, Italy Teatro Smeraldo
Fri 11/25/11 Trieste, Italy Palatrieste
Sun 11/27/11 Vienna, Austria Wiener Konzerthaus
Tue 11/29/11 Dresden, Germany Kulturpalast
Wed 11/30/11 Stuttgart, Germany Hegel Hall
Thu 12/01/11 Oberhausen, Germany Konig – Pilsener Arena
Sat 12/03/11 Munich, Germany Tonhalle
Sun 12/04/11 Bielefeld, Germany Ringlokschuppen
Tue 12/06/11 Copenhagen, Denmark Amager Bio
Wed 12/07/11 Oslo, Norway Sentrum Scene
Fri 12/09/11 Stockholm, Sweden Solnahallen
Sun 12/11/11 Helsinki, Finland Circus
Mon 12/12/11 Tallinn, Estonia Nokia Concert Hall
Thu 12/15/11 Moscow, Russia Crocus City

Yes – Fly From Here – 2011 – CD review

retroDan — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:11:45 +0000

You’ve probably already seen a diverse range of opinions concerning Yes’ brand new studio album, Fly From Here. As far as I can recall, Yes has always had a polarized fan base. But now without Jon Anderson in the band, the naysayers are out in full force. As for me, I’m still not totally convinced that Benoit David has the chops and/or talent to completely fill Anderson’s shoes BUT bringing in Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn to record the new album was a GENIUS move. I was pleasantly surprised by Fly From Here. It’s probably the strongest batch of songs I’ve heard from the band since 1994′s Talk.

First off, with Horn at the helm, the recording sounds impeccable. No complaints about the way it sounds. Another nice touch is the return of the “epic” twenty-minute track (although it’s more like a song suite). “Fly From Here” is well done but I have to say that the transition into “Bumpy Ride” is a bit odd.

Surprisingly, the standout track for me is “The man You Always Wanted Me to Be”. It’s not proggy at all and is more 70′s “yacht-rock” to tell you the truth. But the Chris Squire-led track features a great melodic hook that just won’t leave my brain! someone please help!

I like the direction the band took with this, dialing down the prog and focusing more on memorable melodies. The only track that I’ve found myself skipping is “Life On a Film Set”. For some reason, the song doesn’t do anything for me. But other than that, the album as a whole is very listenable and very enjoyable. It’s definitely worth checking out especially for those that enjoyed Drama, 90125, and Big Generator.

retroGrade: B+

Fly From Here tracklist:
1 Fly from Here – Overture 1:53
2 Fly from Here – Pt I – We Can Fly 6:00
3 Fly from Here – Pt II – Sad Night at the Airfield 6:41
4 Fly from Here – Pt III – Madman at the Screens 5:16
5 Fly from Here – Pt IV – Bumpy Ride 2:15
6 Fly from Here – Pt V – We Can Fly (Reprise) 1:44
7 The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be 5:07
8 Life on a Film Set 5:01
9 Hour of Need 3:07
10 Solitaire 3:30
11 Into the Storm 6:54

Produced by Trevor Horn
Engineered and mixed by Tim Weidner

for more information, check out Frontiers Records and YesWorld

current lineup:
Benoit David, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Geoff Downes and Alan White

here are the remaining tour dates for the year:

Wed 07/20/11 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Fri 07/22/11 Thackerville, OK Winstar World Casino
Sat 07/23/11 Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre
Sun 07/24/11 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amph. St. Louis
Tue 07/26/11 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Fri 07/29/11 Woodinville, WA Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
Sat 07/30/11 Goldendale, WA Maryhill Winery Amphitheater
Tue 08/02/11 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Wed 08/03/11 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Thu 08/04/11 San Diego, CA Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay
Tue 11/08/11 Cambridge, United Kingdom Cambridge Corn Exchange
Wed 11/09/11 Sheffield, United Kingdom Sheffield City Hall
Fri 11/11/11 Birmingham, United Kingdom Symphony Hall
Sun 11/13/11 Manchester, United Kingdom O2 Apollo Manchester
Tue 11/15/11 Brighton, United Kingdom Brighton Dome
Wed 11/16/11 Bristol, United Kingdom Colston Hall
Thu 11/17/11 London, United Kingdom HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Sat 11/19/11 Paris, France Olympia
Sun 11/20/11 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique
Tue 11/29/11 Dresden, Germany Kulturpalast
Wed 11/30/11 Stuttgart, Germany Hegel Hall
Thu 12/01/11 Oberhausen, Germany Konig – Pilsener Arena
Sat 12/03/11 Munich, Germany Tonhalle
Sun 12/04/11 Bielefeld, Germany Ringlokschuppen

expect a new Trevor Rabin solo instrumental album sometime this year

retroDan — Fri, 06 May 2011 00:41:08 +0000

Billboard recently posted a short article stating that a new Trevor Rabin album is on the way. Yes, Rabin’s been talking about a new solo album for years. But since the news is from “Billboard”, maybe it’ll actually happen. who knows.

As a long time fan, I’ve been waiting for new Rabin material since 1994. Sure, Rabin has been prolific as a motion picture soundtrack composer but I’d rather hear some proper “rock” songs from the man.

I’m sure working on all those Jerry Bruckheimer films has been very lucrative but I can’t imagine the work being creatively satisfying. But with the music industry the way it is, you can’t blame Rabin for going where the money is.

Here’s the info from the article:

Yes Guitarist Trevor Rabin Working on First Solo Album in 22 Years
by Phil Gallo, L.A. | May 03, 2011 5:17 EDT

Film composer and former Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin is mixing his first solo album since 1989, a collection of instrumentals that Voiceprint Records will release in September.

Rabin, whose credits include “Race to Witch Mountain,” “Armageddon” and the NCAA basketball tournament theme, recorded all the instruments himself except for the drums. For percussion he brought in Vinnie Colaiuta, Louis Molino and his son Ryan Rabin of the band Grouplove.

“It’s time to let this baby go,” he says. “In every project I have done, there has been (a deadline and a goal). With (my first band) Rabbit, it was a single and then albums; with Yes you had to make a strong, viable album, and with film you’ve got a schedule to keep. Here, I was able to do what I wanted. It’s not necessarily easy on the ears.”

The composer of “Owner of a Lonely Heart” went with the independent Voiceprint label after they impressed him with the job they did on the Yes demo recordings, released as “90214″ and “Live in L.A.” On May 2, Voiceprint’s Gonzo imprint released “Union Live,” a 1991 concert recording by Yes.

The new album is Rabin’s first of instrumentals. His last solo album, 1989′s “Can’t Look Away,” was created in a similar fashion with Rabin playing guitar, bass and keyboards and guests, Molino among them, on drums.

“I felt such freedom doing this,” Rabin says, his May schedule intentionally clear of movie scoring — the first time in 15 years — so he can return home to South Africa to see his mother. “I wasn’t restricted in any way. It worked out like a painting. You leave it on the easel and return to it when you’re ready.”

Yes 2011 – The Drama Continues…

retroDan — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:26:08 +0000

I guess as a Yes fan, “changing lineups” is just business as usual. So it should come as no surprise then to see that keyboardist Oliver Wakeman (who’s been with the group for 3 years) is being replaced by “Drama” alumni, Geoff Downes. Yes, that’s right, the keytar-ist from Asia.

If I had to guess, I’m thinking that Downes saw how Steve Howe was getting “double pay” by playing in both Yes and Asia and wanted in on the action. hey, ya can’t blame the guy for wanting to get paid especially in this economy.

Anyway, Oliver Wakeman posted an official statement on his facebook page about what happened:
Oliver would firstly like to thank all the people who have taken the trouble to write to him with their concerns over the current YES rumours and press releases that have been circulating around the web.
An official statement will be forthcoming but we would like to at least put some facts forward.
Oliver is not voluntarily leaving YES and, as of this moment in time, we do not know which of Oliver’s many contributions to the recording will exist on the new YES record.
Oliver wanted to stay focused on the music for the ‘Rite of Spring’ tour and felt his primary role was to put on the best possible show for the fans who have paid to see the band.
As soon as the position becomes clear we will be posting more information on the new Facebook page and the official website (oliverwakeman.co.uk).
Thanks again for all the support that has been made for Oliver either through direct emails to the website, via Facebook and MySpace, forums or the web in general. Oliver has been very touched by the support shown for him through this unsettling period.

The band will be releasing their latest album (produced by Trevor Horn), Fly From Here, on July 12th. The new lineup of Yes recently posted a photo with producer Trevor Horn. Check it out.

They will also be on tour to support the new release beginning in July (with two special dates with Asia in May). Here are the dates:

Sat 05/28/11 Monterrey, Mexico Arena Monterrey
Mon 05/30/11 Mexico City, Mexico Auditorio Nacional
Tue 07/05/11 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Thu 07/07/11 Canandaigua, NY Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands PAC (CMAC)
Fri 07/08/11 Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand At Foxwoods
Sat 07/09/11 Gilford, NH Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion
Mon 07/11/11 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
Tue 07/12/11 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
Thu 07/14/11 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park
Fri 07/15/11 Orange Beach, AL Amphitheater At The Wharf
Sat 07/16/11 Whites Creek, TN The Woods At Fontanel
Mon 07/18/11 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
Tue 07/19/11 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
Wed 07/20/11 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Fri 07/22/11 Thackerville, OK Winstar World Casino
Sat 07/23/11 Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre
Sun 07/24/11 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amph. St. Louis
Tue 07/26/11 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Thu 07/28/11 Boise, ID Eagle River Pavilion
Fri 07/29/11 Woodinville, WA Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
Sat 07/30/11 Goldendale, WA Maryhill Winery Amphitheater
Tue 08/02/11 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Wed 08/03/11 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Tue 11/08/11 Cambridge, United Kingdom Cambridge Corn Exchange
Wed 11/09/11 Sheffield, United Kingdom Sheffield City Hall
Fri 11/11/11 Birmingham, United Kingdom Symphony Hall
Sun 11/13/11 Manchester, United Kingdom O2 Apollo Manchester
Tue 11/15/11 Brighton, United Kingdom Brighton Dome
Wed 11/16/11 Bristol, United Kingdom Colston Hall
Thu 11/17/11 London, United Kingdom HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Sat 11/19/11 Paris, France Olympia
Sun 11/20/11 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique
Tue 11/29/11 Dresden, Germany Kulturpalast
Wed 11/30/11 Stuttgart, Germany Hegel Hall
Thu 12/01/11 Oberhausen, Germany Konig – Pilsener Arena
Sat 12/03/11 Munich, Germany Tonhalle
Sun 12/04/11 Bielefeld, Germany Ringlokschuppen

I’m still a bit surprised that Yes (with Trevor Horn) will be featuring “We Can Fly From Here” as the main track on their new album. Come on, it’s a pretty lame track from the “Buggles” days. I don’t know, maybe it’s totally re-vamped. anyway, you can check out the original Buggles’ version via youtube:

Yes Union Live 1991 Concert deluxe 2-DVD 2-CD set now available

retroDan — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:39:27 +0000

Huzzah! After 20 long years, we’re finally getting an official release of Yes Union Live on DVD. Other than a brief release on Laser Disc in Japan years ago, fans had to settle for inferior bootleg copies of either the Mountain View show or the Denver show, both of which were professionally taped. We get both shows here on the new 2-DVD/2-CD set from Voiceprint/Gonzo. The Mountain View show is the main attraction here since it was taken from the master tapes. The Denver show on the second disc appears to be of lesser quality, video-wise. But still good to have since the Denver show was in the round.

Here’s what’s on the two DVDs:
DVD 1: Firebird Suite, Yours Is No Disgrace, Rhythm of Love, Heart of the Sunrise, Clap, Owner of a Lonely Heart, I’ve Seen All Good People, Solly’s Beard, Saving My Heart, The Fish/Amazing Grace, Awaken, Roundabout
DVD 2: Denver – Firebird Suite, Yours Is No Disgrace, Shock to the System, Heart of the Sunrise, Clap/Mood For A Day, Owner of a Lonely Heart, And You And I, Drum Solo, Hold On, I’ve Seen All Good People, Changes, Solly’s Beard, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish/Amazing Grace, Lift Me Up, Rick Wakeman Solo, Awaken, Roundabout. Pensacola, FL- Firebird Suite, Yours Is No Disgrace, Rhythm of Love, City of Love, Heart of the Sunrise, Leaves of Green, Clap, Owner of a Lonely Heart, And You And I, Hold On, Shock to the System, Solly’s Beard, Changes, Take the Water to the Mountain, Soon, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish, Lift Me Up, Rick Wakeman Solo, Awaken, Roundabout, Starship Trooper. 5.1 Audio – Shock to the System, And You And I, Lift Me Up. Bonus audio – Shock to the System, And You And I, Drum Duet, Changes

Kudos to Voiceprint/Gonzo for going through all the red tape to get this thing released. I’m sure it wasn’t easy!!

Here’s the info from Gonzo:
Gonzo are proud to announce the release of Yes UNION in a Special Limited Edition Deluxe Package.
This concert film of the band was made on August 8th 1991 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. It was subsequently only released in Japan on video and then on the briefly new format of Laser Disc. This fantastic film however, was not widely available for a long time and has since become a much sought after artifact amongst Yes fans.
This exclusive deluxe package includes the original film from the Shoreline Amphitheatre (taken directly from the master tapes), reproduction tour program, deluxe “digi-pak” packaging, replica tour passes, along with a debut release of the soundtrack from the Shoreline Amphitheatre show, as a two CD set. If that wasn’t enough, there also a bonus DVD featuring some bootleg footage of the band. It must be stressed however that the bootleg footage is raw and the sound and picture quality is not to the standard of normal commercial releases, but has been included for collectors and completists.
This disc also includes some bonus audio tracks, three of which are 5.1 and four are stereo mixes. The whole package comes housed in a slipcase with artwork approved by Roger Dean and is an official Yes release.
This deluxe package is strictly only available as a Limited Edition via this web site, no shops (not even Amazon) will be carrying this deluxe edition and as such will be sold on a first come, first served basis. There is stock in our warehouse waiting to be shipped the same day orders are received. Get yours now or be disappointed later!

The musicians:
Jon Anderson: lead vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Trevor Rabin: guitar, vocals
Tony Kaye: keyboards
Rick Wakeman: keyboards
Chris Squire: bass / vocals
Alan White: drums
Bill Bruford: drums / percussion

a new album from Yes scheduled for 2011 on Frontiers Records

retroDan — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:18:42 +0000

Frontiers Records has officially confirmed that a new YES album is on the way. It’s not mentioned in the press release but I’ve heard that Trevor Horn is slated as producer of the album. It’s a bit sad that Jon Anderson isn’t involved with this but I won’t judge until I hear the finished product.

YES Signs New Worldwide Recording Deal with Frontiers Records
New Studio CD, First In Nearly A Decade, Slated For 2011
HOLLYWOOD, CA – Grammy Award winners YES, one of the most influential and ground-breaking progressive rock ‘n roll bands, today announced the signing of a new worldwide recording deal with the Italian-based record label, Frontiers Records. Songs such as “Roundabout”, “I’ve Seen All Good People”, “Owner Of A Lonely Heart”, and countless others, have served to place the group upon the pantheon of rock ‘n roll history. But history is still yet to be written, because Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White, along with Oliver Wakeman (Rick Wakeman’s son) and new lead singer Benoit David, will enter the studio to record the group’s first new CD in a decade. It is anticipated for release before Summer 2011.

Frontiers Records President Serafino Perugino said: “I am truly honored and excited to have these Rock and Roll pioneers on the label. YES have written some fabulous pages in the history of this music and I look forward to keep on writing new exciting chapters with them!”

“Having the two new guys in the line-up has inspired the impetus behind the need for YES to return to the studio,” explains Chris Squire, while Steve Howe adds, “The new lineup has shown that we can operate well as a touring band, so now to expand that to recording would broaden our repertoire and the inclusion of Oliver and Benoit on new recordings will show a new leaf in YES music’s continuing development.”

One of the most popular concert attractions of all-time YES’s remarkable career has served to re-define the boundaries of rock. Proving to be a dominant force for more than four decades, YES has sold over 33 million albums worldwide. Their symphonic use of sound and innovative musical style has made each of the group’s players are virtuosos in their own right.

The Buggles – Adventures in Modern Recording – review

retroDan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:09:55 +0000

Even though I’m a long time fan of Trevor Horn’s work, I never took the time to seek out the second album by The Buggles, Adventures in Modern Recording. I guess I assumed that it was simply a throwaway album filled with leftover tracks after keyboardist Geoff Downes left the band in 1981. Well, recently I had the chance to listen to the new re-issue put out by Salvo/ZTT and I have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the material on the album. It’s actually very good. In fact, I prefer this Buggles album over their more well known debut, Age of Plastic.

It’s got Trevor Horn’s signature production touches all over it. The sounds and production techniques that Horn achieved here on this album obviously carried over to his subsequent production work with ABC, Yes (90125) and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. There are also precursors to his work with the Art Of Noise in the song “Vermillion Sands”. Just listen for the samples of a car crashing and the car engine turning over. very AON. Horn also does a “left turn” at the end of “Vermillion Sands” with an upbeat pseudo-big-band like instrumental which would fit right in on an AON album. definitely fun to view all of this in hindsight knowing what he achieved as a producer after his start in the Buggles.

10 bonus tracks are also included here on this release. Notables include “We Can Fly From Here” (which was considered for Yes’ Drama album), the 12″ mix of “I Am a Camera”

Yes, there isn’t another song as catchy as “Video Killed a Radio Star” here but taken as a whole, this album is far more satisfying than their first album. Definitely worth seeking out. Highlights include: Adventures in Modern Recording, Vermillion Sands, I Am A Camera, Lenny.

retroGrade: A

Adventures of Modern Recording by The Buggles
remastered reissue by Salvo/ZTT
released: Feb 2010

tracklist:
1. Adventures In Modern Recording
2. Beatnik
3. Vermillion Sands
4. I Am A Camera
5. On TV
6. Inner City
7. Lenny
8. Rainbow Warrior
9. Adventures in Modern Recording (Reprise)
Bonus Tracks
1. Fade Away
2. Blue Nylon
3. I Am A Camera (12” mix)
4. We Can Fly From Here – part 1
5. Dion
6. Videotheque
7. On TV
8. Walking On Glass (original version of Lenny)
9. Riding A Tide
10. We Can Fly From Here – part 2

—

Frontiers Records to release YOSO debut album Elements

retroDan — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:35:43 +0000

After overcoming various roadblocks, Billy Sherwood’s Yes/Toto hybrid project will finally see the light of day. Frontiers Records just announced that YOSO’s debut album, Elements will be released in July. If you haven’t heard, YOSO is comprised of ex-YES and Toto members, namely – Tony Kaye, Billy Sherwood and Bobby Kimball.

Rounding out the lineup are – Johnny Bruhns on guitar and Scott Conner on drums. I’m a bit disappointed to learn that guitarist Jimmy Haun will no longer be involved with the project. But his guitar work might still end up on the album since he just recently decided to step down from the group to concentrate solely on the lucrative ad/jingle world.

Here’s the official press release about the upcoming YOSO album:

Napoli, May, 2010 – The term “Super-Group” can only describe the band arising out of two of the most creative bands of the past 30 years: YOSO is formed out of TOTO’s brilliant lead vocalist Bobby Kimball and the creative force of former YES members, Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood, thus equalling the magic of YES with the voice of TOTO. However, YOSO is much more than a combination of two classic rock groups. The band’s debut album “Elements” – which comes together with a bonus live CD where the band plays some old and new classics – presents a fascinating combination of the sound of YES (“90125″/”Big Generator” era) and TOTO, with a very interesting and original sound that truly encompasses the styles.

“Elements” will see the light of day on July 2nd in Europe and July 27th in the USA, where the band has already scheduled a number of tour dates in support of the album’s release, on Frontiers Records.

Even though the band’s heritage is from 2 classic bands, YOSO intends to become its own identifiable entity in a very short time, YOSO’s collective mission is to make the next decade one where YOSO’s music will be held up alongside their classic rock backgrounds as a band as important as TOTO and YES.

Billy Sherwood recalls: “YOSO was started when I suggested to Bobby Kimball we should write some new music and form a band, we had been working together on various tribute projects I was producing and one thing lead to another, before too long we had 5 songs in the can and were well on our way to making a record and thinking seriously about taking it to the next level. Once there was a few songs underway the concept grew into the band we now have, YOSO.”

YOSO line-up was later rounded out with two amazingly gifted musicians: Johnny Bruhns as the guitarist and background vocalist and Scott Conner on drums, percussion and background vocals.

YOSO does indeed have the magic of YES and the voice of TOTO. However, in 2010 the band intends to convince fans of both bands that the brilliance of YOSO will be just as celebrated in the years to come.

“Elements” tracklisting includes:
Yoso
Path To Your Heart
Where You’ll Stay
Walk Away
The New Revolution
To Seek The Truth
Only One
Close The Curtain
Won’t End Tonight
Come This Far
Time To Get Up
Return To Yesterday

Bonus live CD:
Yoso
Rosanna
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Walk Away
Good For You
Yes Medley (Yours Is No Disgrace/Heart of the Sunrise/South Side of the Sky/Starship Trooper/I’ve Seen All Good People)
To Seek the Truth
Hold The Line
Cinema
Gift With a Golden Gun
White Sister

YOSO – August Tour dates
11 August 2010 – Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA
12 August 2010 – The State Theatre, Falls Church, VA
15 August 2010 – Ramshead Tavern (Ramshead Onstage), Annapolis, MD
17 August 2010 – B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grill, New York, NY
19 August 2010 – Kent Stage, Kent, OH
20 August 2010 – Syndicate Dinner Theatre, Newport, Ky
21 August 2010 – Lake Clementia Amphitheatre, Rancho Murieta, CA

—

Yes – Madison Square Garden – 1994 – NYC – Talk tour

retroDan — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:55:33 +0000

The neat thing about Yes‘ 1994 Talk Tour was the implementation of “ConcertSonics” at all their U.S. shows. ConcertSonics was an experimental way to transmit the audio mix for the live audience to listen to simply by using their own personal FM receiver and headphones. Ultimately the technology didn’t catch on primarily due to the fact that the actual live sound in the venue overpowered any audio coming from the lil’ headphones. BUT it was an absolute boon for tapers!! Just attach a recorder of some kind to the FM receiver and voila, easy access/recording of a FM quality feed of the soundboard mix of the show. So as you can imagine, the whole U.S. tour was well documented with boots and fan-made tapes of practically every show.

One of my favorite recordings from this tour is the 9/10/94 show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I’m not sure if it was due to it being in New York or because it was the last U.S. date of the Talk Tour or a bit of both but the band was tight and firing on all cylinders. You can definitely hear the difference in the performance when you compare it to one of the shows at the start of the tour (… but I guess you can say that about pretty much any tour. heh.) Anyway, Trevor Rabin particularly seems to be at his “A” game here. Amazing guitar solos throughout especially on the epic song “Endless Dream”. Yes, Rabin gets a bit self-indulgent with his needless piano solo before “And You and I” but he’s truly mindblowing on guitar.

As for the recording, it’s “FM radio quality” with a bit of static reception at a couple points around the beginning of the recording but still very good overall. Also the audio is heavily limited/compressed just like a radio broadcast so a lot of the big dynamics are missing. In other words, the drum sounds are “squashed” and Chris Squire’s bass isn’t deep and low like it should. But that’s just the audiophile in me talking. In any case, this boot is still a favorite in my collection.

retroGrade: A (performance), B (sound quality: FM quality)

Yes – Madison Square Garden NYC 1994
date: September 10, 1994
recording: from the FM transmitted ConcertSonics broadcast (soundboard mix)

band lineup:
Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Alan White, Billy Sherwood

TrackList:
CD 1 -
Perpetual Change
the Calling
I Am Waiting
Rhythm of Love
Hearts
Real Love
Tony Kaye Solo
Changes
Heart Of The Sunrise

CD 2 -
Make It Easy/Owner of a Lonely Heart
Trevor Rabin piano solo
And You And I
All Good People
Walls
Endless Dream
Roundabout (with Purple Haze)

—

Here are two mp3s from the MSG boot. enjoy.

- Endless Dream (the highlight of the show. a favorite off of the album Talk)

- Changes

—

Promises by Trevor Rabin

retroDan — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:50:54 +0000

While my kids were watching Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs the other day, I was in the kitchen doing some cleaning when I heard a vaguely familiar intro during one of the scenes. I went over to the family room to listen more closely and I immediately recognized the artist – Trevor Rabin. For some reason, the music editors of the film chose to include the intro to a old song of his titled “Promises”. I’m not sure why but perhaps it’s a nod and a wink to Rabin since he does soundtrack work for big-time movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer. In any case, hearing that lil’ snippet of Rabin’s song made me pull out his 1989 album Can’t Look Away for a quick listen. It’s a phenomenal album by the way. I wish Rabin would take a timeout from the lucrative work in movie soundtracks and get back to rockin’ out on the guitar a bit more. It has been way too long Trevor!!

It looks so easy to be walking close behind
And I found it easy to be near you all the time
I’m looking at you now as if you knew the way
But I can’t reach you, you’re far away
It doesn’t seem so easy like the river that flows upstream

Promises! Don’t give me promises
Don’t give me promises when all you do is lie
No promises when all I do is cry

Look for the questions from the minds of those who care
You’ll find them waiting and you’ll learn that we can share
Losing the love been looking out for freedom
Been losing our love along the way …
- Promises by Trevor Rabin

download the mp3 [for a limited time via mediafire]

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