Yes Rocks Pier Six in Baltimore

Yes is a band that has always embodied paradox.  For 47 years they’ve maintained a signature sound while coping with multiple line-up shifts.  The personnel on albums like “Time and Word,” Close to the Edge,” the under-rated “Drama,” “90125” and the rejuvenated “Fly From Here” vary widely, but the music bears the unmistakable stamp of Yes.  When Chris Squire -- the sole thread stitching these diverse efforts together – passed away it seemed not only the end of an era, but very likely the finish of Yes too.

However, if the performance that I saw at Pier Six in Baltimore, Maryland on August 12^th is any indication, then reports of the group’s demise appear to be greatly exaggerated.  Put simply, the band I witnessed was crisp, spirited and clearly on top of its game despite the grievous loss it suffered just months ago.

There was a celebratory atmosphere that evening -- musicians giving it their all to honor a fallen comrade and fans eager to applaud the music and life of the inimitable man who revolutionized the role of the bass guitar and stretched the boundaries of progressive rock.

But this was not just some obligatory tribute – let alone a tribute band as some cynics might suggest – but rather a genuine exhibition and affirmation of the musical positivity and chemistry Squire dedicated his life to.  It started with the set list, which contained a welcome mix of overlooked gems (“Don’t Kill the Whale” and “Time and a Word,”) progressive workouts (“America” and “Siberian Khatru”) and the inevitable greatest hits.  But it was the spot-on performances, which conveyed more than a hint of the power and majesty of Yesteryear, that sealed the deal as far as this Yes fan was concerned.

To begin with, Steve Howe’s fretwork was a mixture of ferociousness and grace.  His climatic solo during the coda of “Siberian Khatru” was blistering and inspired.  The rest of the band seemed equal to the challenge.  For instance, Billy Sherwood handled his mentor’s parts with a mixture of aplomb and deference.  He maintained a low-key stage presence but his deft handling of the supporting vocals and bass duties had me thinking that Squire would be winking with approval.  He seemed locked in with Alan White, who was nothing less than authoritative on the drums.

Geoff Downes and Jon Davison rounded out a configuration that seemed to hitting all the right notes – musical and otherwise -- while nailing the spirit of the music too.  I have a feeling Chris Squire was saying Yes to this lineup on Aug 12^th . . . I know I was.  

Tales from Sunset Days: Review of "Like it Is: Live at the Mesa Arts Center" by Yes

The recent passing of Chris Squire represents a sad turn of events in the story of Yes.  His inimitable bass and distinctive backup vocals were a signature element in the band’s mix.

The respectable performances that make up the “Like it Is” series do not capture the group at its glorious peak, but there may rewarding moments nonetheless.  Squire’s hypnotic bass and heavenly singing during “The Fish” still manage to send a shudder down my spine.  “Heart of the Sunrise” may not have the urgency and dynamic range it once had, but Steve Howe's limpid phrasing shines within the slower tempo.

In “Close to the Edge” Geoff Downes seems to be approximating Rick Wakeman during the climatic solo, but he acquits himself quite nicely on “Cans and Brahms” and also the scintillating finale to “South Side of the Sky.”

Jon Davison sounds fresh and involved throughout, an important element in this concert document of “Fragile” and “Close to the Edge” performed by a supernova of a group entering its twilight phase.  There are sparks and shimmers of greatness, mixed along with mere adequacy too.  But Squire’s thunderous bass and heavenly vocals generate more than enough lightning on this outing to make it all worthwhile.

RIP Chris Squire

Yes is a band that shouldn’t have worked, but it did.  They were composed from contradictory elements that somehow managed to complement one another.  Chris Squire’s thunderous bass and earthy personality were the perfect counterpoint to Jon Anderson’s heavenly tenor and cosmic outlook.  These guys were the foundation upon which Roundabout, Close to the Edge, Awaken, and The Gates of Delirium were built.

Chris, the central pillar in of the House of Yes, is now gone.   Jon has not been a part of the group for more than a decade.  It feels like the end of an era.  No doubt, Yes music will continue in some form or another.  But Chris’ signature sound and sublime harmonic instinct – whether on bass or as supporting vocalist – will be sorely missed.  Rest in Peace, Chris, you have had a hand in creating some of the greatest music of our age . . . and for the ages as well.  And peace be with your family too.  

God Speed Chris Squire

Recently, Yes fans learned that Chris Squire, co-founder of the most influential progressive rock band ever, has a rare form of leukemia.  This is sobering news indeed and a reminder that brilliant, timeless and heavenly music is created by fragile and mortal creatures.

For about forty-seven years, Chris has been the only constant in the band’s ever changing line-up.  If Jon Anderson is the voice of Yes, then surely Squire has been its torch bearer.

It’s a shame that group’s two founding members find themselves estranged.  Both have endured serious health issues, but undoubtedly past business matters and personal friction have created a rift that extends into the fan base as well.  Yet, both Chris’s version of Yes and Jon’s solo career have created positive, upbeat and rewarding music.

What made Yes’ best music work was a peculiar mix of incongruous elements.  Squire’s down-to-earth personality and pop-sensibility complemented Anderson’s ethereal and cryptic tendencies.  Jon could soar so high, both vocally and in terms of musical ambitions, in no small measure because Chris anchored everything with his rock-solid but innately melodic bass.

It’s hard to contemplate Yes without Chris Squire.  I appreciate his friend, Billy Sherwood, stepping in Chris’s large boots to keep the flame alight.  God speed Chris, we are all hoping for a full recovery and the day when your thunderous bass will roar again. 

Walking Out of Darkness and Living Fully

Yes at Radio City Music Hall Review (July 9th 2014)

Yes is a band renowned for its longevity and its internal instability.  Recently, the dissension that has always been part and parcel of the group has spilled over into the Yes fan-base, which is rabidly at odds over the musical merits of the band’s 21^st studio album, Heaven & Earth.  Some die-hard Yes fans are so disgruntled by the new material that their fulminating reviews convey more distemper than Dick Cheney would if he had his hunting license revoked.

The online reaction to new album has been so intense that I had no idea what to expect when Yes was due to perform a song from Heaven & Earth on Wednesday evening at Radio City Musical Hall in New York City.  Surprisingly, the new single, “Believe Again” came off quite well.   As the set order had it, the new track was sandwiched between “Close to the Edge” and “Roundabout,” two of Yes’ most beloved masterworks.  Yet, “Believe Again” managed to hold up reasonably well; not exactly music for the ages, but a song with some graceful touches and inspired moments nonetheless.   Incidentally, singer Jon Davison sounded slightly tentative at first but seemed to gain confidence as the song progressed.  Surveying the crowd's reaction I’d say the song went down quite well.

The rest of the evening was devoted to the music of yesteryear.  The audience was treated to two classic albums – Close to the Edge and Fragile – and a side’s worth of greatest hits.  On this evening, the band sounded tight, energetic, and confident.  Steve Howe came across best on the soaring coda to “Siberian Khatru” and his signature acoustic piece, the ever tasteful “Mood for a Day.”   Also of note, was a brief but wicked guitar/keyboard duel during the finale of “South Side of the Sky.”  Chris Squire’s mesmerizing bass workout, “The Fish,” wisely preserved the economy of the studio version.

The latest configuration of Yes has emerged as a formidable live force.  Several years ago, it seemed that Steve Howe was supplying most of the musical sparks on stage.  Today, Geoff Downes seems well-integrated within the band and Jon Davison appears to have found a comfortable niche as well.  The Squire/ White rhythm section sounds rock solid too.  Whether this line-up will prove more stable than past lineups is anybody’s guess.  However, this configuration has me believing again in Yes, at least live.  

Yes "Heaven & Earth" . . . Yes in Limbo?

Yes is a band that has had more ups and down than an elevator operator.   However, since their 70’s heyday, and brief resurgence in the early 80’s, Yes has released a string of albums that have left many Yes fans heading to used-CD shops to trade in their copies of “Union “ and “Open Your Eyes” for grass (I mean gas) money.   “Fly From Here,” released in 2011, hinted at the kind of cohesiveness, vitality, and sense of adventure that Yes conjured up so effortlessly in days past.  However, the absence of the inimitable Jon Anderson on that record left many die-hard Yes fans feeling more disgruntled than Judge Judy.  Nevertheless, for most critics and fans “FFH” was viewed as a return to form.

Yes’ follow-up, “Heaven & Earth” is proving to be a much more controversial affair.  Some reviews have been so caustic that I fully expected the new Yes material might sound like an acapella duet featuring Ted Nugent and Yoko Ono.  Mercifully, the new music sounds better than it really is.

Yes used to make music with “structure and vision,” to borrow a phrase from the philosopher Bill Martin.  They created epics like “Close to the Edge,” a four piece movement (“Tales From Topographic Oceans,”) and multi-part suites like “And You and I.”  Scholars and music aficionados commended Yes for “painting pictures with sound,” utilizing the sonata form, and for being pioneers in using rock instruments to create an orchestral impact.

The guiding force behind this brash, visionary, and musical artistry was that Napoleon of music, Jon Anderson.  Yes contained many important elements, but it was Anderson who steered the band towards its most ambitious, unified, and genuinely aesthetic creations, works like “Close to the Edge,”  “The Gates of Delirium,” “Tales From Topographic Oceans,” and “Awaken.”  Not since 1977 has the band created a true masterpiece.

In 1980, Anderson departed Yes and was replaced -- to the horror of most Yes fans -- by the one-hit pop wonder, Trevor Horn.  Horn’s true talent would lie as a producer, not a front man, but the resulting “Drama” album turned out to be a cohesive, adventuresome, and musically impressive affair.  To be sure, Anderson’s absence hovered over the album like a ghost.  But in retrospect Trevor Horn (and band mate Geoff Downes) supplied some much need spunk after the lackluster “Tormato” from 1978.

Fast forward to 2011.  Following a mixture of illness and acrimony, Jon Anderson finds himself replaced by the Buggles once again.  This time, Horn is in the producer’s chair.  The intent is to salvage a few demo songs that never made it onto “Drama” and expand them to epic proportions.  The result is “Fly From Here,” with a multi-suite title track that is refreshing and nostalgic all at the same time.  Newcomer Benoit David is in fact largely replicating material originally performed by Horn, but as the new lead singer of Yes he is encroaching on territory once staked out by Jon Anderson.  Despite a beautiful voice and a strong performance on “FFH,” Beniot David was viewed by many die-hard Yes fans as a vocal lightweight whose talents were probably best suited for a Broadway touring company making the rounds in dinner theatres throughout the Catskills.

Benoit David left the band following vocal difficulties and was subsequently replaced by yet another tribute singer, Jon Davison.  Davison has deservedly earned high marks for capably handling vocal duties with Yes on tour.  However, reaction to the new album, “Heaven & Earth,” has ranged from lukewarm support to scathing contempt.  Without a doubt, the direction charted by the latest configuration of Yes can best be described as progressive pop.   The album begins, promisingly enough, with the upbeat, catchy, and narcoleptically melodic “Believe Again.”  Davison, makes a strong entrance and sounds great paired with Chris Squire on backing vocals.  The song meanders, but there is a nifty instrumental interlude with Geoff Downes on keyboards channeling his inner Rick Wakeman.  Like many songs on “Heaven & Earth,” “Believe Again” sounds familiar, unchallenging, but appealingly quirky.  Indeed, the feeling throughout the album is laidback, but there are fleeting moments of inspiration too.

“Heaven & Earth” is not the mind-expanding and soul-stirring Yes music of yore.   However, the songs are accessible and melodic; imagine the Phil Collins era Genesis on Xanax and you’ll have an idea of what I mean.  Jon Anderson had a gift for crafting melodies that encapsulate contradictory emotions; think of the hopeful, but mournful Soon.  Davison has a melodic gift too, but his melodies are all bubbly and soothing whereas Anderson’s melodies can touch us to the core.  Still, I find myself liking and enjoying the new material, probably for the same reason I enjoy an old-timers game at the ballpark.

If there is one element consistently missing from “Heaven & Earth” it is friction.  The music is cheery and optimistic, but there is very little edge or tension.   The signature elements that constitute Yes music break through and shine from time to time, most notably Steve Howe’s fretwork.  But most of the time this configuration of Yes adds up to less than the sum of its parts.  Nevertheless, there is some good music to be found on “Heaven & Earth.”  In particular, I find “Subway Walls” to be one of the more interesting and rewarding tracks.  Geoff Downes ignites some sparks with a slow-combustion keyboard solo that leads into some haunting fretwork from maestro Howe.  Not quite the kinetic outburst of yesteryear Yes.  No, Yes doesn’t achieve the heavenly heights this time out, but the music is not exactly mundane either.