Aidan Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Just finished listening to their latest live album, ironically entitled 'Like It Is'. If it had been a vinyl copy, I'd now be busy examining the drive belt of my turntable, but as it is, I can only take the tempi at face value. And Lord, are they slow. Going For The One is perhaps the worst victim it sounds like a rehearsal. I don't know who was driving this reduction in speeds across the board on the last tour (I understand Howe has suffered from arthritis for some time but White's drumming seems utterly lacklustre too). Then, to top it all off, Downes chooses to play Parallels with what sounds like fairground organ patch. Truly, truly sad. Yamaha: P515, CP88, Genos 1, HX1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Perhaps it's time for retirement. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonysounds Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 No..I mean...Yes. Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Their last studio album put me to sleep. Korg Kronos 61 (2); Roland Fantom-06, 2015 Macbook Pro and 2012 Mac Mini (Logic Pro X and Mainstage), GigPerformer 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Downes chooses to play Parallels with what sounds like fairground organ patch. Truly, truly sad. Greg Rolie probably told him that it sounded just like a Hammond so that made it Ok.... 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotiDave Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Yessongs was such an influential album in my youth, Fragile and Close to the Edge compositions were probably the most influential of the prog rock I ever heard. I saw then once in 75 with Tull and Santana, barely a teen, and I was awestruck by Rick. amazing. brilliant. its a shame to hear your report. they more than earned infinite respect, its too bad. The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillNeverPost Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Perhaps it's time for retirement. Retirement. It's not just for the 9-to-5 crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I just scanned through the YouTube of this show. I've got a 20 lb Maine Coon cat. One day he threw up a hairball that measured 9 inches from end to end. It was far more exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorayM Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Just finished listening to their latest live album, ironically entitled 'Like It Is'. If it had been a vinyl copy, I'd now be busy examining the drive belt of my turntable, but as it is, I can only take the tempi at face value. And Lord, are they slow. Going For The One is perhaps the worst victim it sounds like a rehearsal. I don't know who was driving this reduction in speeds across the board on the last tour (I understand Howe has suffered from arthritis for some time but White's drumming seems utterly lacklustre too). Then, to top it all off, Downes chooses to play Parallels with what sounds like fairground organ patch. Truly, truly sad. I was at that gig. It was the first time I'd seen them so I was loving it during the gig (except Parallels!), but I went home feeling flat. I didn't realise why until I saw the footage on YT and, like you, realised why. Cephid - Progressive Electro Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 On the video, Davison is the only one who looks remotely engaged (and as he's the hired hand, one might expect that). White looks easily the most bored he has the air of a builder estimating a job he's not really that bothered about doing... Yamaha: P515, CP88, Genos 1, HX1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Downes chooses to play Parallels with what sounds like fairground organ patch. Truly, truly sad. Greg Rolie probably told him that it sounded just like a Hammond so that made it Ok.... The irony is he had a Hammond SK1 in that rig which would have delivered a very good pipe organ sound. Yamaha: P515, CP88, Genos 1, HX1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I just scanned through the YouTube of this show. I've got a 20 lb Maine Coon cat. One day he threw up a hairball that measured 9 inches from end to end. It was far more exciting. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorayM Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Downes chooses to play Parallels with what sounds like fairground organ patch. Truly, truly sad. Greg Rolie probably told him that it sounded just like a Hammond so that made it Ok.... The irony is he had a Hammond SK1 in that rig which would have delivered a very good pipe organ sound. Wait, he had a whole TWO non-Roland boards in that rig? Cephid - Progressive Electro Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 I know don't know if his sponsors realised! Yamaha: P515, CP88, Genos 1, HX1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Free Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I saw them a few years ago on tour with Peter Frampton. I expected to enjoy Frampton (who was one of my first shows in '77, and also a neighbor then), and be blown away by Yes (who I'd last seen on Big Generator tour). Frampton and crew played with a great passion and energy, like it was all new and fresh. Yes, I felt like I was watching a Vegas revue show that had being doing 2 shows a day for the last 33 years. It sounded like they were just going thru the motions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I saw a rig walkthrough and was amazed at the number of low end Rolands in his rig. Maybe they make good controllers or something. It seems like you could cover that gig with 2-3 good boards, but I guess part of being in Yes is you need a dozen boards to make 1 sound each. Live: Nord Stage 3 Compact, Nord Wave 2, Viscount Legend Toys: Korg Kronos 2 88, Roland Fantom 08, Nord Lead A1,Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP www.echoesrocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Tonewheel Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I absolutely love the older Yes. They were phenomenal, and a huge influence on me, but watching Steve Howe is like watching a zombie film without any thrills. I know we're all getting older, but it is sad to see your heroes like this (musically and physically). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomkeen Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I saw a rig walkthrough and was amazed at the number of low end Rolands in his rig. Maybe they make good controllers or something. It seems like you could cover that gig with 2-3 good boards, but I guess part of being in Yes is you need a dozen boards to make 1 sound each. Nah, Tom Brislin did an excellent job with "just" four boards. In fact, I liked his sounds and playing far more than anything any of the original keyboardists played since the 70's. I totally love Rick Wakeman, but I'll never understand why he uses sampled organs for B3 parts when he has a Korg BX3 with him on stage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzzz Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I think Steve Howe is having the most difficulty with tempo- no surprise as he played like a madman back in the day. Squire seems like he can still keep up. In the meantime, Jon Anderson hasn't lost a thing: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 In the meantime, Jon Anderson hasn't lost a thing: Well, they did lower the key. ;-) I saw two Yes shows with Jon Davison. I thought the one in March 2013 seemed fine to me, but the one in April 2014 felt noticeably sluggish. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Well great, another year and Toto touring with an act they are going to blow completely off the stage. How bout a tour with a band they can compete with like Flying Colors? Or Journey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U.Honey Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 That's right, Toto will do a tour together with Yes starting in August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I used to be a massive Yes fan back in the early days but after maybe 40 years (and a few viewings of This Is Spinal Tap) the more they seem like a bunch of old ladies up there. And Steve Howe's playing like a "shreds" video. Someone pass the Peek Freans. ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Heslop Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I am a massive Yes fan and have been since the seventies. I generally agree retirement or at least cutting back might be a good thing for them. The Yes fan community is a mess though with half being totally pro current line up if it means more tours and new music, and half feeling that they are more or less an old tribute band now. Sadly I am in the latter group. I'm sort of in the "no Jon no Yes" camp but I"m not militant about it. Keyboard wise, I think for Wakeman having a zillion keyboards and a cape is part of his schtick. I remember Downes having a massive rig in Asia and it being quite controversial at the time, so maybe he feels it is part of his image too. I haven't seen them in person, but on youtube Downes seems to pretty much stick to one stack of three per song, so I don't think he really needs three stacks of three. I think it would be pretty manageable to do a Yes gig with 4...even three in a pinch. I have to say I am not very impressed with Downes playing on live youtube clips either, but you never know if they caught him on a bad day. I know there was one floating around of "Cans and Brahms" (I find it odd of them to do all of Fragile, which featured solo peices from a singer, keyboardist, and drummer not in the current line up rather than say Drama which except for the singer is the current line up...but I digress) and he was playing to tracks. Now this is understandable given the peice has so many layers of keyboards in it, but who ever shot the video zoomed in on his hands so we could see which track was him live....it was the simplest possible part, and played quite poorly. Again, maybe a bad day. (he might show up to berate me on this forum now.....he does tend to do that sort of thing!) Could I do better? Probably not, but certainly I've seen clips of Wakeman, and also Oliver Wakeman (who was fired to make room for Downes when his buddy Trevor Horn was signed on to produce "Fly From Here") currently demonstrating a they are far more up to the task imho. For me, I don't care about new music from Yes. I'd love to see the classic line up one more time, even if it is slower or transposed down. For me it would be more about sort of seeing old friends again more than them needing to blow me away. However when it is not the classic line up and it sounds slow and tired....I'm just not interested. The Anderson Ponty Band holds far far more interest for me right now than Yes. Stage: Korg Krome 88. Home: Korg Kross 61, Yamaha reface CS, Korg SP250, Korg mono/poly Kawai ep 608, Korg m1, Yamaha KX-5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 I have to say I am not very impressed with Downes playing on live youtube clips either, but you never know if they caught him on a bad day. I know there was one floating around of "Cans and Brahms"... You think that was bad? How about this? [video:youtube] Yamaha: P515, CP88, Genos 1, HX1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I have to say I am not very impressed with Downes playing on live youtube clips either, but you never know if they caught him on a bad day. I know there was one floating around of "Cans and Brahms"... 6 You think that was bad? How about this? [video:youtube] Yes shreds. Live: Nord Stage 3 Compact, Nord Wave 2, Viscount Legend Toys: Korg Kronos 2 88, Roland Fantom 08, Nord Lead A1,Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP www.echoesrocks.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joegerardi Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 More like shreds of Yes! ..Joe Setup: Korg Kronos 61, Roland XV-88, Korg Triton-Rack, Motif-Rack, Korg N1r, Alesis QSR, Roland M-GS64 Yamaha KX-88, KX76, Roland Super-JX, E-Mu Longboard 61, Kawai K1II, Kawai K4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotiDave Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I have to say I am not very impressed with Downes playing on live youtube clips either, but you never know if they caught him on a bad day. I know there was one floating around of "Cans and Brahms"... You think that was bad? How about this? [video:youtube] wow, that was painful. My first, only Yes Album was Yessongs, which was mostly The Yes Album + Fragile. one of the most important albums of my young teenage yrs, I wore out several turntable needles on that album, it was mesmerizingly brilliant imo. But they left me long long ago as they transformed musically. I saw them, in '75, amazing is an understatement. Rick will forever be a god and one of my Four Horseman of Rock Keys. I hated their 80s and beyond compositions. maybe i subconsciously felt betrayed they left their 71/72 era prog roots lol. i sort of have issues The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I know there was one floating around of "Cans and Brahms" I've seen Yes more than any other band, I think. I saw the Fragile show last summer, and I'll probably never see them again - especially if Geoff Downes is "playing". I was pretty sure that most of Cans and Brahms was sequenced. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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