90125 Review by Gary Hill After Yes broke up following the Drama tour, Chris Squire and Alan White (first trying to put together a group with Led Zep's Jimmy Page) hooked up with South African Trevor Rabin to begin putting together a band. They recruited original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, and started working on material for the debut album of this new band, Cinema. More...
90125 Remastered and Expanded Review by Greg Olma Yes needed to do something new to attract the music buying public. Punk and new Wave were trying their hardest to bury the classic rock sound and the older fans were moving on with their lives. More...
Big Generator Review by Gary Hill Talk about contrasts - for my money, this album opens with the worst piece of drivel the band have ever produced in "Rhythm of Love". I truly despise the song and cringe when I hear it. More...
Classic Yes Review by Gary Hill This compilation of Yes material came out at the same time as Yesshows, shortly after the break up of the band following the Drama tour. This truly does feature some classic Yes material and would represent a great first look at the band. More...
Close To The Edge Review by Gary Hill This is the first Yes album that I ever heard, and although it took me several listenings to get into it (I actually hated it first time through) it completely won me over. It is truly my favorite Yes album and the disc that got me interested in the band, and in progressive rock. More...
Drama Review by Gary Hill In 1980 when Yes found themselves without their keyboardist (Rick Wakeman) and vocalist (Jon Anderson), they turned to their manager Brian Lane to see if he had any suggestions. As it was, he was also managing a group called "The Buggles". More...
Drama - Remastered and Expanded Review by Greg Olma This is the bastard child of the Yes family. Many Yes purists don't acknowledge its existence with even Jon Anderson refusing to play any of the material live. More...
Extended Versions - The Encore Collection Review by Gary Hill So, you've probably seen this set around and wondered what it is and if you should pick it up. Well, I have saved you the trouble and will reveal what is in store for you here.
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Only the second album in the history of Yes to be recorded without Jon Anderson, this one, particularly since it’s the only other Yes disc with Geoff Downes on keyboards, is obviously compared to Drama.
Fly From Here (Vinyl) Review by G. W. Hill I’m a huge Yes fan and Yes collector. For that reason I tend to buy various configurations of Yes albums.
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Fragile - Remastered And Expanded Review by Gary Hill Rhino has begun a series of remasters of Yes albums, restoring the original artwork and adding bonus cuts to the discs. This is their version of one of the more classic Yes recordings, Fragile. More...
Friends and Relatives Review by Gary Hill Friends and Relatives is a two CD set that is a compilation of two Yes tracks from the KTA albums with solo works from the various artists. Other than the two stellar group performances, the Rick Wakeman pieces and Steve Howe`s take on Tales From Topographic Oceans stand out the most. More...
Going For The One Review by Gary Hill Being an album that had Rick Wakeman rejoining the fold, this one was looked upon as a very strong and welcome release to Yes fans. Indeed, it still ranks among the favorites of many of them. More...
Greatest Hits Review by Gary Hill With this Yes compilation recently reissued, it seems a good time to have a look at it. It always seems a bit odd when you get a “Greatest Hits” compilation from a band that isn’t known for hit singles, but such is the case here. More...
House of Yes-Live From The House of Blues Review by Gary Hill This two-disc set is the companion soundtrack to the new DVD of this live show recorded on Yes' The Ladder tour. There are a lot of really good performances here, but also a few complaints. More...
Keys To Ascension Review by Gary Hill The majority of this 2 disc set is a series of live recordings from the three SLO concerts that Yes did in 1996. The live material is augmented by two new studio cuts. More...
Keys to Ascension 2 Review by Gary Hill Keys to Ascension 2 contains live tracks from the San Luis Obispo concerts, recorded March of 1996(disc one), and 5 new studio songs(disc two). The lineup for the album is Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White. More...
Keystudio Review by Gary Hill Talking about the album that should have been! When these songs were originally released it was as bonus new studio recordings at the end of the two Keys to Ascensionsets. More...
Live at Montreux 2003 Review by Gary Hill Yes is a band that has no shortage of live albums. For this reason, the next statement I’m going to make is all the more profound. This may well be the best live CD they have ever released. More...
Magnification Review by Gary Hill Yes' brand of progressive rock has often been dubbed "symphonic rock." The term refers to the group producing arrangements in the vein of a symphony using typical rock instrumentation. More...
Magnification (Vinyl) Review by G. W. Hill I’ve always liked the Magnification album quite a bit, and since the recent reissue of Open Your Eyes on vinyl was amazing, I was really looking forward to this.
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Open Your Eyes Review by Gary Hill Yes fans are pretty well divided on this album, many find it to be a sell out of Yes` musical principles, while many others find it good, but not great. There are still others who find it to be a very fine effort. More...
Open Your Eyes (Surround Sound Version) Review by Gary Hill This is in many ways a reprint of my earlier review of Open Your Eyes. As reviewed here, it does, however, reflect the changes made when the CD was remastered as the first album ever mixed for Surround Sound systems. More...
Re (Union) Review by Gary Hill When Yes released Union it was a hodgepodge sort of album. More...
Relayer Review by Gary Hill At first glance, Relayer resembles Close To The Edge in that it is composed of three cuts, one in the twenty-minute range, and the other two taking up about the same length of time between them. However, while there are some strong moments here, this is arguably Yes at their most self-indulgent and least cohesive. More...
Something`s Coming Review by Gary Hill This album is actually a compilation of Yes performances on various television and radio programs from the 1969-1970 era. The personnel on this album are Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Peter Banks, Bill Bruford and Tony Kaye. More...
Symphonic Live Review by Gary Hill This was released on DVD before, but they have just now chosen to let it lose in CD format.
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Tales From Topographic Oceans Review by Gary Hill This is quite possibly the most derisive Yes album of the entire catalog. Certainly many critics panned it, but that wasn't all that unusual. More...
Talk Review by Gary Hill After the Union tour, the Rabin (or Yes West as many dubbed it) incarnation of the band reformed to record Talk. The promo hype at the time said that it was proof positive that this lineup was capable of the more complex and powerful progressive rock creations that had been the meat and potatoes of the earlier band. More...
The Ladder Review by Gary Hill For some bands, the music industry seems to cause a paradox. In order to survive as an artist, one must have a certain degree of commercial success, but to the hardcore fans, doing so can bring forth cries of "too poppy". More...
The Yes Album Review by Josh Turner This marks the third album from this first class group. Its recording predates the membership of the legendary Rick Wakeman, who ultimately joined late in the tour of this album. While this might appear to be a huge drawback in the studio, the album is quite strong. More...
Time and A Word Review by Gary Hill When Yes went into the studio to record their second album, the producer decided that they could benefit from an orchestral string arrangement on much of the material. This works extremely well on some of the songs here, while falling rather flat in other places More...
Tormato (Expanded and Remastered) Review by Greg Olma Back in the late 1970's, Yes must have been a bit scared of the changing musical landscape. Punk was trying it's hardest to kill off bands like Yes; calling them dinosaurs. More...
Union Review by Gary Hill The great experiment - at the time of this album's recording there were essentially two versions of Yes out and making music. The first was the Trevor Rabin "Yes West" lineup (consisting of Rabin, Chris Squire, Alan White and Tony Kaye - Jon Anderson had left the group, but been working his way back into the fold) and Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe (the splinter group of one of the most classic lineups). More...
Yes Review by Gary Hill The self-titled debut by Yes, this 1969 album was full of psychedelic wandering and experimentation. It had some definite strong points, and did, in fact show off signs of the band that would later develop. More...
Yes (Expanded and Remastered) Review by Gary Hill One of the releases in the series of discs that showcase remastered Yes albums with additional material added, this one focuses on the first album.
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Yesshows Review by Gary Hill When Yes broke up after the aborted Drama tour, their label released two "new" albums, Classic Yes (a compilation) and Yesshows (a live album recorded before Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman chose to take their leave of the band). More...
Yessongs Review by Gary Hill At the time that Yessongs was released, the critics were calling Yes a studio phenomenon, and saying that they could not reproduce their complex arrangements live. This release, at least partially, was meant to dispel that rumour -- and it worked. More...
Yesterdays Review by Gary Hill This compilation is composed almost entirely of material from the first two Yes releases (Yes and Time and a Word) - the majority from the second album. As such the lineup consists of Jon Anderson, Peter Banks, Bill Bruford, Tony Kaye and Chris Squire. More...
Yesyears Box Set Review by Gary Hill Released during the flurry of activity surrounding the Union tour, this four CD set is a pricey, but fairly solid addition to the Yes catalog. While any compilation will undoubtedly bring up complaints as to what was included and what was not, this album presents a fairly accurate representation of the chronology of the band. More...
DVD Reviews
Yes - 9012Live DVD Review by Greg Olma This is the visual counterpart to the 9012Live album. Even though both share the same title, they are quite different. While the CD focuses on the solo spots of the 90125 show, the DVD contains more of the songs. More...
Yes - Greatest Video Hits DVD Review by Gary Hill Originally released on VHS, this collection was put out on DVD in 2005. This video is a collection of videos (many of which have not often been seen) interspersed with interview clips from band members (recorded during the Union tour). More...
Yes - House of Yes Live DVD Review by Gary Hill This DVD is a pretty darn good live show collection. The picture and sound quality are awesome and it includes lots of great bonuses. More...
Yes - Keys To Ascension DVD Review by Gary Hill Recorded in 1996, this one is the one that almost makes it in the quest for ultimate live Yesshow video. Those who were there say that the video includes a lot of overdubs, but for the uninitiated, you really can't tell. More...
Yes - Live At Montreux 2003 DVD Review by Gary Hill Another in the Live at Montreux series, this DVD is one of the best of the bunch. Mind you, a good deal of that is about the performance that was captured here. More...
Yes - Live In Philadelphia 1979 DVD Review by Gary Hill This DVD really seems to be an official release of a bootleg video. For one thing the audio is in mono, rather than stereo. More...
Yes - Musikladen Live DVD Review by Gary Hill This DVD is rather a mixed bag. I t does contain some considerably rare footage of the group, and therefore scores points on that basis. More...
Since we’ve already reviewed the DVD version of this set, this review will focus on the difference between this new BluRay release and that original one.
Yes - Symphonic Live DVD Review by Gary Hill Alright, alright, so Yes seems to be coming out with a live album or video (or both) every time they tour these days. This one is a bit special in some ways, though. More...
Yes - The New Director’s Cut DVD Review by Gary Hill In some ways you can say, “we’ve seen it before.” Of course, isn’t that par for the course whenever you see “Director’s Cut” anywhere in the title or subtitle of a DVD? More...
Yes - Yessongs DVD Review by Gary Hill The only true Yes concert film (as in it was shown in theaters as a motion picture) this movie suffers a lot from the time period in which it was made. Granted, this classic performance from December of 1972 is a great time capsule, but filmmaking has come a long way since then. More...
Yes - Yesspeak DVD Review by Gary Hill This DVD is documentary (remember when these things were called "rockumentaries") on Yes. It focuses on interview segments with each of the current members of the band (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White) but focuses on the entire history of the band. More...
Yes - Yesyears DVD Review by Gary Hill Before there was Yesspeak, there was Yesyears. In some ways this documentary is superior to the more recent one. More...
Concert Reviews
Yes - Live at Taste of Chicago, July 8th, 2000 Review by Gary Hill A true dream come true for Yes fans, the Masterworks Yes tour featured three, count 'em, three epics. They included two seldom played gems.
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Yes - Live In Chicago, 2002 Review by Gary Hill First things first, a warning since the tour is still underway, if you are one of the people who is going to see one of the shows, and if you like to be surprised, don't read this review until after you see them - because there are spoilers in the review.
Yes - Live in Chicago, November 21, 2002 Review by Steve Alspach Only four months after previously playing in Chicago, Yes returned and put on an superb show that showcased some of the highlights of the band's 33-year career. With Rick Wakeman back into the fold, the band showed that it still hasn't lost any of its chops.
Yes - Live In Milwaukee, November 13, 1999 Review by Gary Hill This band just keeps getting better. Yes gave a wonderful performance on a Saturday night in Milwaukee. The stage show, featuring a screen behind the band that most of the night featured computer graphics, rivaled the light shows of Hawkwind.
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Yes - Live in Milwaukee-November 15th, 1997 Review by Gary Hill For me, this Yes tour was the best that I have ever seen. I should explain that statement by saying that, although I have been an avid Yes fan since 1975, I did not get the opportunity to see them until the 90125 tour. Therefore, I did miss many of what diehard Yes fans consider to be their best outings.
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Yes - Live In Nottingham, England, June 6, 2003 Review by Bruce Stringer Firebird Suite / Siberian Khatru was not the smashing introduction to the set that I had hoped, but none-the-less quite strong. The crowd had been stamping and yelling and were quite worked up over the 65 minute wait for Yes to arrive on stage.
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Yes - Live in Rosemont, IL, May 4th, 2004 Review by Gary Hill The last couple Yes shows it seemed that the band was just getting better and better live. Probably a lot of this was due to heightened excitement and energy from the return of Rick Wakeman.
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This is an excellent book in many ways. First, it’s a quick read – partly because it’s not all that long and partly because it’s written in such a way that it flows really well.
Rick Wakeman - 1984 Review by Gary Hill This concept album is Rick Wakeman’s interpretation of George Orwell’s classic book. More...
Circa: - 2007 Review by Gary Hill Well, since I’m a huge Yes fanatic, it seems a foregone conclusion I would like this CD. The thing is, unless something purely amazing comes out in the next few months, this is my favorite disc for 2007 – yes, it’s that good.
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Jon Anderson - 3 Ships Review by Gary Hill This Christmas disc by Yesman Jon Anderson features some traditional and some original holiday music. The songs vary from fairly traditional (but modernized) to quite modern.
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If ever there was a perfect dream team then it would have to be the bassist with one of the legendary bands joining forces with the guitarist from another of the bands in the prog pantheon, namely Yes and Genesis.
(this is a bit of an experiment here, a poem by Wendy Vig as her interpretation of Jon Anderson`s ballet---let me know if you like this and would like to see more things in this vein.)
Rick Wakeman - Almost Live In Europe Review by Gary Hill While you can debate as to what music should or should not have been included to make this a better disc, there’s one thing you probably won’t quibble about. That’s the sound quality of the recording.
Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus Review by Gary Hill Before the Union album, Jon Anderson, frustrated with the musical direction of the Rabin era Yes, left the group and reunited with former classic Yes-mates Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford. Although, they were four fifths of the same lineup that brought such albums as Fragile and Close To The Edge to life, Chris Squire owned the rights to the name "Yes", and wasn't interested in letting them use it.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus Review by Gary Hill Voiceprint has just reissued this live set from the classic Yes spin off band. For those looking for the history of this release, please check out the review I did of the earlier version of the set.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus DVD Review by Gary Hill As someone who saw this tour live (twice, I believe) and owned the VHS of this for years, it’s a pleasure to finally have it on DVD. For those who don’t remember, Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe spun off of Yes during the Trevor Rabin era (between the Big Generator and Union albums).
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Asia - Aqua Review by Gary Hill I’d consider this to be a middle of the road Asia album. More...
Asia - Archiva 1 Review by Gary Hill This album really is a very pop oriented album. It is included in the progressive section of the reviews because both Geoff Downes and Steve Howe are on the album.
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Asia - Arena Review by Gary Hill This is not your father’s Asia. In it’s beginnings Asia was a band that was arguably the first progressive rock supergroup -- well, OK, ELP probably has that title, but for various reasons, the crown was placed on Asia’s head at the beginning of their career.
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The Syn - Armistice Day Review by Gary Hill This disc is composed of two new tracks from the Syn along with acoustic versions (recorded live at XM Studios) of some of their earlier tracks. In my estimation this is the strongest disc from the band to date.
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Asia - Asia Review by Gary Hill When this group rose from the ashes of a dying Yes it seemed like a dream come true for progressive rock fans. Take two parts Yes (OK – one and a half maybe since Geoff Downes was only on one Yes album) in the persons of Geoff Downes and Steve Howe, one third of Emerson Lake and Palmer (Carl Palmer) and add in John Wetton (King Crimson, UK) and make a band.
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Rick Wakeman - Aspirant Sunrise Review by Gary Hill There was a time when a lot of musicians were jumping on the “new age” bandwagon. As this recently reissued release from Rick Wakeman shows, he was definitely one of them. In fact, this was the first of a trilogy of new age albums.
Rick Wakeman - Aspirant Sunset Review by Gary Hill This is one of a series of three discs Rick Wakeman did in 1990 as a restful relaxing type of experience. Remember, this was the era of New Age music.
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Rick Wakeman - Aspirant Sunshadows Review by Gary Hill The third CD in a trilogy of “new age” discs from Rick Wakeman, this might be the best of the bunch.
Asia - Astra Review by Gary Hill This album has all of the original lineup of Asia except Steve Howe. The music, however, is much different than what we heard on their debut disc.
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Billy Sherwood - At the Speed of Life... Review by Gary Hill Billy Sherwood has released this solo album and it is truly a solo work. He wrote all the songs and performs every bit of music on the disc. Much of this album reminds me of Open Your Eyes by Yes (an album on which Sherwood was a member of the band).
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Various Artists - Back Against the Wall Review by Gary Hill There are few people who haven't at least heard of Pink Floyd's The Wall. I would hazard to say that those who have never heard the album are in the minority as well.
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King Crimson - Beat Review by Gary Hill Of the trio of studio albums originally released by this version of King Crimson, this was the middle child. It was also a little less adventurous than either of the other two.
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Steve Howe - Beginnings Review by Gary Hill Steve Howe’s first solo release, this is a strong album that’s not perfect. More...
Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Bill Bruford's Earthworks Review by Gary Hill The first disc by Bill Bruford's Earthworks project, this one might be a bit different for fans of his prog rock works, but it is also very solid. Bruford had always had strong jazz leanings, and made that quite clear over the years.
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Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Bill Bruford's Earthworks Review by Gary Hill The first disc by Bill Bruford's Earthworks project, this one might be a bit different for fans of his prog rock works, but it is also very solid. Bruford had always had strong jazz leanings, and made that quite clear over the years.
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Bruford Levin Upper Extremities - BLUE Nights Review by Gary Hill This recording chronicles the live performances of Bruford Levin Upper Extremities from 1998. The disc showcases the band's unique blend of jazzy modes with Crimsonesque textures and, occassionally, just plain weirdness.
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Bruford Levin Upper Extremities - Bruford Levin Upper Extremities Review by Gary Hill The musicians on this disc are Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson), Tony Levin (King Crimson; Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe; Bozzio, Levin, Stevens; Liquid Tension Experiment), David Torn (Mark Isham, Bill Bruford), and Chris Botti(Paul Simon, Blue Nile).
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Steve Howe - Classic Rock Legends DVD Review by Bruce Stringer Classic Rock Legends has released a series of 1980-90's concerts on video (and now DVD) for fans to enjoy over and over again. Some of their catalogue simply smells like old rockers trying to cash in on reunion gigs, yet thankfully there have been a few notable quality releases.
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Glass Hammer - Culture of Ascent Review by Gary Hill Let me just say that this is pretty much without question one of the best progressive rock releases of the year. It’s not perfect, but comes pretty close
King Crimson - Discipline Review by Steve Alspach These were interesting times for Robert Fripp, ye olde scholastic of the progressive rock scene. In 1978 he had released Exposure, an album that he described as "A Day in the Life" for that period.
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Various Artists - Drum Nation Vol. 2 Review by Gary Hill The concept is simple but unique: put together a number of tracks from various artists showcasing influential and potent drummers. This was the concept for Magna Carta's first drum nation CD, and they continue it here - why mess up a good thing?
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Jon Anderson - Earth Mother Earth Ballet by Jon Anderson Review by Anne Corbin The Center for Performing Arts in SLO is very pretty - it reminds me of the one in San Jose. Our seats were in the Orchestra 4th row (which was actually about 10th or 11th row). We looked around the audience for familiar faces, but saw none. Most of the attendees must have been local people.
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Steve Howe's Remedy - Elements Review by Steve Alspach After all these years Steve Howe is still exploring new territories or, at least, foraging in styles that interest him. Needless to say, this covers a lot of ground, but Steve, along with sons Virgil on keyboards and Dylan on drums, and with Gilad Atzmon on woodwinds and Derrick Taylor on bass, have joined together for a formidable ensemble that are willing to tackle any style that comes their way.
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Steve Thorne - Emotional Creatures - Part One Review by Gary Hill What a pleasant surprise this album is! I had never really heard of Steve Thorne before, but you can bet after this one I'll be keeping track on him.
Various Artists - Encores, Legends and Paradoxes Review by Gary Hill With a cast of players that reads like a prog "who`s who", this ELP tribute takes the classics and makes them fresh and new again. The result is an incredibly listenable piece of music that really entertains.
World Trade - Euphoria Review by Gary Hill There are many who claim that Billy Sherwood is nearly solely responsible for the song writing and arrangements on Yes' Open Your Eyes album. Listening to this album from him with his band World Trade, there are reasons to buy into this argument.
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Asia - Fantasia – Live In Tokyo Review by Gary Hill Yes fanatic and general prog head that I’ve always been, when Asia released their debut disc, I was all over it. They were the progressive rock supergroup of the time and they delivered with a killer disc.
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Asia - Fantasia - Live in Tokyo DVD Review by Gary Hill Asia fans rejoice, the reunion tour is now presented in DVD. I covered the CD release in detail, so you might want to check that out for the specifics about the music. Let’s just say that we get treated to a killer performance of Asia classics, King Crimson, ELP and Yes songs.
Rick Wakeman - Fields of Green Review by Gary Hill Another in the series of Rick Wakeman reissues, this disc originally came out in 1997. It opens with a couple of intriguing pieces that, by themselves, make this a must have for Wakeman fans
Chris Squire - Fish Out Of Water Review by Gary Hill When Yes all took a temporary hiatus to focus on solo works in the early 1970's, Chris Squire put out this masterpiece.
Chris Squire - Fish Out Of Water Deluxe Expanded Edition Review by Bruce Stringer Quite possibly the most satisfying of Yes-related solo efforts, Fish Out Of Water has many of the elements of greatness that were hallmarks of the early ‘70s Yes output. Although the album was a product of the end of the Relayer-era Yes lineup, it is a grand opus with an orchestra and lengthy compositional passages that allowed Patrick Moraz the ability to work his magic in a subtler musical arena.
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Flash - Flash Review by Gary Hill This was the first studio album from Peter Banks’ post Yes band Flash.
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Patrick Moraz - Future Memories I and II Review by Gary Hill Patrick Moraz might not be the household name that Rick Wakeman is, but he definitely has plenty of prog rock cred built up. Stints in Yes and the Moody Blues will do that for you.
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Rick Wakeman - G’olé Soundtrack Review by Gary Hill Originally recorded and released for a documentary film on the 1982 World Cup, this has been out of print for years and is seen here in its first ever release on CD. I’d have to say that this one is considerably stronger than the Burning soundtrack – also just now reissued – and has a lot wider ranging appeal.
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One World Project - Grief Never Grows Old Review by Josh Turner Out of all the progressive rock relief projects, this one features the biggest names: Barry and Robin Gibb (The Bee Gees), Paul Von Merten, Randell Kirsch and Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Boy George (Culture Club), Steve Winwood (Traffic), Rick Wakeman & Jon Anderson (Yes), Dewey Bunnell & Gerald Beckley (America), and a handful of others.
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Flash - In The Can Review by Gary Hill The second album from Peter Banks’ first post Yes band, this one finds the group producing some of the best material. More...
Jon Anderson - In the City of Angels Review by Gary Hill I don’t know what it is but I’ve always loved this CD. Sure, a lot of the music here really borders on pop – OK, maybe more than borders on it.
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Moraz / Bruford - In Tokyo Review by Gary Hill This live recording of Moraz and Bruford dates to 1985 and it finds both musicians in top form. More...
Bruford and Borstlap - In Two Minds Review by Gary Hill This collaboration between drum and percussion legend Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson) and piano player Michiel Borstlap presents some intriguing jazz that seems to strive to exist without borders or preconceptions.
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There is certainly something to be said for truth in advertising. Looking at the group name and the album title, really sets the stage for the music within.
Rick Wakeman - Live at Hammersmith Review by Gary Hill This live album from 1985 captures Rick Wakeman and his band performing tracks from his Six Wives of Henry the VIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur albums. The live sound here is solid, but I have always felt that those particular studio albums felt a bit flat.
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Circa: - Live at RoSfest 2008 Review by Josh Turner Circa was way too loud and believe it or not; much too redundant. They had a nice sound – a lot like Yes - but only to those who had ear plugs in and sat more than a few rows back.
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Jon Anderson - Live From La La Land Review by Gary Hill When Jon Anderson embarked on his fully solo tour in 2005 it was presented as the DVD Tour of the Universe. It was also recorded and produced as this CD that, until now, was available only at live shows. More...
UK - Live In Boston Review by Bruce Stringer As one of the hardest working live acts in its day, it comes as no surprise that there were a number of radio show broadcasts made during UK’s short-lived existence. Besides featuring a stellar line-up of some of the best progressive rock musicians of the day (including ex-King Crimson and Yes members), the dominance of multitasking musical prodigy Eddie Jobson advanced the group into creative areas that pushed the envelope years ahead of its late ‘70s contemporaries.
Refugee - Live in Concert: Newcastle City Hall 1974 Review by Gary Hill This was originally a bootleg. With the wizardry of modern recording the sound quality of this has been taken from poor to adequate – or perhaps a bit better.
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Rick Wakeman - Live in Nottingham, UK, 2003 Review by Bruce Stringer I was very excited when I heard that Rick Wakeman was to be appearing at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham and, being my first time ever seeing any member of Yes perform live, I didn't know quite what to expect. Originally, I had tried to arrange a brief interview with Rick however that fell through at the last minute.
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Jon Anderson - Live in Sheffield 1980 Review by Gary Hill This is part of a series of Jon Anderson releases that originated as bootlegs or forgotten demos, outtakes and the like. In this instance, the first half (OK, actually a bit more) of the set is a bootleg live show from 1980. As bootlegs go, once it gets past the first track, the sound is not bad. You won’t find yourself wondering if it’s a boot, but on the other hand, you won’t be tempted to shut it off because of the poor recording.
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Asia - Live Koln Review by Gary Hill This double disc set is a very strong chronicle of a live performance by Asia. The repertoire includes material from every phase of their career, and they do a great job of performing it.
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King Crimson - Lizard Review by Bill Knispel Lizard is one of two “lost” King Crimson albums. Generally overlooked in favor of either the megalithic debut release or the embryonic prog metal that made up the band’s mid-1970’s output, Lizard shows the band moving more toward Robert Fripp’s musical ideals and concepts.
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King Crimson - Lizard – 40th Anniversary Series Review by Gary Hill The third King Crimson album, this version is part of the 40th Anniversary series of reissues. It is presented here in a few ways.
In the 1980’s the Moody Blues took on a more electronic sound. I know that sound didn’t sit well with a lot of fans. For them this was probably the last great Moody Blues album – at least for a while.
Various Artists - Modern Drummer Presents Drum Nation Volume One Review by Steve Alspach If you want to know what the state of drumming is circa 2004, you would do well to check this CD out. These drummers are all at the top of the game, and the CD explores a rather wide range of styles and moods.
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Steve Howe - Mothballs Review by Gary Hill This disc is included in the progressive rock section because of it being Steve Howe – not because the music fits that category. More...
Moraz / Bruford - Music For Piano and Drum Review by Gary Hill While many might think that Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz first played together in Yes, that's not true. They never played in Yes together.
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Steve Howe - Not Necessarily Acoustic Review by Gary Hill This album was recorded on Howe`s first solo tour, and is, not necessarily acoustic, but strictly acoustic, nonetheless. The performances show the many sides of this Yes guitarist, and just how much variety can be found in acoustic guitar music when it comes from the right source.
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Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow Review by Gary Hill When the members of Yes all went off to do solo albums after Relayer, Jon Anderson delivered Olias of Sunhillow. In so many ways it was the most ambitious of the discs.
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Now this is more like it!I enjoyed the Payne fronted version of Asia also but if you are a purist, then Omega will certainly satisfy those cravings for original Asia material.
Bruford - One of A Kind Review by Steve Alspach I remember buying this album in 1979 and the woman who sold me this album said, "Oh, you'll love this album. It is so much fun!" I had heard albums described in a number of ways, but "fun"?
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The Syn - Original Syn 1965-2004 Review by Gary Hill This compilation is a bit of a mixed bag. The first CD is composed of songs from the first era of The Syn, while the second disc are tracks created by the 21st century rendition of the group.
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Flash - Out of Our Hands Review by Gary Hill The final studio disc from Flash, this is probably the least consistent of their albums.
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Rick Wakeman - Out of the Blue Review by Gary Hill This live album from the most recent incarnation of Wakeman’s band – The New English Rock Ensemble is a killer. While the sound might possibly be just below that of Almost Live in Europe – and that’s iffy – I’d have to say that I like the setlist here better.
Rick Wakeman - Out There Review by Bruce Stringer The first thing I noticed about this CD is the bizarre spaceship on the front red-coloured cover booklet, which looks like a weird marriage between V8 engine and mechanical fish with a protruding golf putter to add to its other-worldly imagery.
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Various Artists - Pete York's Super Drumming, Vol. 3 Review by Gary Hill This is quite a cool DVD. While much of the music is pure jazz I've included it in the progressive rock section because Bill Bruford, Simon Phillips and Cozy Powell all appear here and have worked in prog rock.
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Asia - Phoenix Review by Gary Hill Unless you’ve been living in the proverbial cave for the last few years you probably know that the original lineup of Asia (Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton has reunited). This is their first studio CD of the 21st Century.
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Mike Portnoy - Prime Cuts Review by Gary Hill Mike Portnoy now has his own entry in the Magna Carta Prime Cuts collection. This disc, as the rest of the series, features selected tracks from albums that the artist has contributed to, presented here as sort of a slice of some of the best of the work from him.
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Billy Sheehan - Prime Cuts Review by Steve Alspach Ever play a bass guitar? "Strings" are a misnomer - they use great big, fat, wires. You have to work up some muscle in your fingers to aptly play a bass.
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Flash - Psychosync Review by Gary Hill When Peter Banks left Yes, he formed the band Flash. The group, rightly so, sounded quite a bit like early Yes.
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Steve Howe - Pulling Strings Review by Gary Hill Without a doubt one of Steve Howe's biggest claims to fame is as the guitarist on the majority of Yes' albums. He has also had an intriguing solo career.
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Steve Howe - Quantum Guitar Review by Gary Hill Steve Howe`s solo albums seem to hold a wide variety of music within. Generally, one can find acoustic guitar solos, progressive rock compositions, country tinged songs and more.
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Asia - Rare Review by Gary Hill This disc is a bit of a paradox. Although it was released under the moniker of Asia, the material here was actually recorded by just Geoff Downes and David Payne.
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For me Red has always been King Crimson’s ultimate album. I know, there are those who will point to Larks’ Tongues…, but personally I think this one is more cohesive and to the point.
Rick Wakeman - Return To The Centre of The Earth Review by Gary Hill By going back to his past, Rick Wakeman has created an album that is nearly a masterpiece. A sequel to his Journey to the Centre of the Earth disc, Return to the Centre of the Earth is a very potent progressive rock concept album.
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Bruford - Rock Goes To College Review by Gary Hill Bruford’s original lineup only played two shows, both television appearances. The second of those is the recording released here. Bill Bruford is joined here, as on the two studio albums that original presented the material they perform, by keyboardist Dave Steward, guitar god Allan Holdsworth and bassist Jeff Berlin.
Jon Anderson - Searching for the Songs Review by Gary Hill This is a collection of tracks that Anderson never finished. As he explains in the liner notes these were from a period where he was working hard at writing pop music. The thing is, this is still quite a powerful disc.
Paul Sutin - Seraphim Review by Gary Hill This disc is a new age album that has a lot of keyboards and atmospheric textures. It’s quite pretty and relaxing. More...
Asia - Silent Nation Review by Gary Hill I remember when Asia's first album was released thinking that it was an intriguing combination of sounds, still basically prog rock, but packaged in very accessible cuts that really rocked. After a while Asia seemed to lose their sense of direction, and I often lost interest.
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Rick Wakeman - Sixty Minutes with Rick Wakeman Review by Gary Hill This new compilation of songs from Rick Wakeman includes a nice cross section of his solo career. It’s really hard to encapsulate what he’s done over the years into one CD minute set, so certainly fans will come up with something they think is missing.
Steve Howe - Skyline Review by Gary Hill Skyline is a different sort of album for Steve Howe. The disc shares far more with his new age type performances in conjunction with Paul Sutin than it does with any of the rest of his catalog.
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Jon Anderson - Song of Seven Review by Gary Hill There was a time when this album from Yes man Jon Anderson was my all time favorite disc by anyone. Mind you times have changed somewhat.
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I am a big fan of pretty much anything Billy Sherwood is involved with and I love Supertramp, so when I heard Sherwood was in charge of assembling an all star tribute to Supertramp, I was excited.
Steve Howe - Spectrum Review by Gary Hill Steve Howe never seems to be content to stay with one style or another for his solo albums. That means that every disc he does represents a bit of a surprise.
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King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black Review by Gary Hill King Crimson have always been one of the most creative and innovative bands out there. When you expect them to jab they dodge and when you think they are going to dodge you’d better duck.
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Various Artists - Steinway To Heaven Review by Gary Hill It seems like a rather novel, but still somewhat obvious concept. Take various keyboardists, mostly from the world of progressive rock and have them record various classical piano pieces.
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Various Artists - Supper`s Ready Review by Gary Hill A tribute album devoted to the music of Genesis, Supper`s Ready is a strong work. The renditions here stay more true to the original performances than on some similar albums, but this does not take away from the relevance of the CD.
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This album, featuring collaborations Jon Anderson made with various independent musicians, was originally released last year, in a very limited release.
The Syn - Syndestructible Review by Gary Hill This is a reunion album from the band called "Syn." Haven't heard of them? Well, you probably will be familiar with their bass guitarist.
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Various Artists - Tales From Yesterday Review by Gary Hill A tribute to the music of Yes, Tales From Yesterday, features some very fine renditions of Yessongs performed by a variety of artists (including several past and present members of Yes). This is a mixed bag. Some of the tracks are quite faithful to the original, while others represent major reworkings.
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Rick Wakeman - The Burning Review by Gary Hill Long out of print, this soundtrack album is now available on CD. With all the music written and performed by Rick Wakeman, it’s a foregone conclusion that Wakeman fanatics will be all over this.
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Jon And Vangelis - The Friends of Mr. Cairo Review by Gary Hill Jon Anderson and Vangelis released several albums over the years. Their merging of musical styles and ideas has always worked quite well from my point of view.
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Whenever a live album (or any album from that matter) comes out featuring two of the most charismatic and popular former members of a band like Yes comparisons to that group are obvious.
Various Artists - The Moon Revisited Review by Gary Hill Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was more than likely not only the best selling prog album of all time, but definitely the album, of all albums (not just prog) to stay on the charts the longest. From that point of view this tribute disc makes sense.
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Jon Anderson - The Mother's Day Concert Review by Gary Hill Originally available only as a bootleg, VoicePrint has teamed up with Jon Anderson to bring this magical event to the general public. It should be said that since it was a bootleg, the sound quality is not what you might expect from a Jon Anderson release.
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Various Artists - The Show That Never Ends Review by Gary Hill This album is a compilation of various progressive rock performances that were presented on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show. All of the outings are quite good, and the selection of artists is also.
King Crimson - Three Of A Perfect Pair Review by Gary Hill When King Crimson reformed in the 1980’s to create the Discipline album the sound they presented was quite different from the classic Crimson of the 1970’s. While I liked all of the discs from this Belew, Bruford, Fripp and Levin lineup, I still preferred the “old school” stuff.
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Jon Anderson - Toltec Review by Gary Hill Based on Carlos Castenada’s work, this album has a mellow motif. It’s far from the most hard rocking thing we’ve ever gotten from Jon Anderson, but it’s quite deep from a philosophical point of view and quite beautiful from a musical one.
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Saxlife - Total Sax Retain Saxlife Plays Yes Review by Gary Hill Saxlife is Jamison Smeltz performing as a saxophone quartet of one. Here he has compiled a collection of his arrangements of Yes songs.
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Jon Anderson - Tour of the Universe DVD Review by Lorraine Kay Released simultaneously with the CD single "State of Independence," the debut solo DVD from legendary "Yes" lead singer and songwriter, Jon Anderson, Tour of the Universe is a musical passage through life, time and the world beyond, featuring many new songs as well as classic hits from his work with Yes and collaborations with Vangelis.
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Spiraling - Transmitter Review by Josh Turner You may be wondering how Spiraling fits into the music scene. That's simple.
Trevor Rabin’s first solo album (after leaving Rabbit and well before joining Yes), this is really (with one or two exceptions) not a progressive rock album.
Rick Wakeman - Tribute Review by Gary Hill Keyboard great Rick Wakeman turns his attention on this disc to the music of The Beatles. It has to be said that for musicians of a certain generation (and Wakeman is certainly in that group) The Beatles were a groundbreaking influence.
Peter Banks - Two Sides of Peter Banks Review by Steve Alspach The initial string-slinger in Yes, Peter Banks appears to have been overlooked in progressive rock annals in favor of his successor, but his work in Flash has stood up quite well to the years. On this album, Peter assembles an extremely strong group of progressive rock musicians, and the CD explores a wide range of musical styles.
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Rick Wakeman - Two Sides of Yes, Vol. 2 Review by Gary Hill I've read where people have been disappointed by this album because it was not full Yes versions of these songs. All I have to say is, if you want the original version, buy the original disc.
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King Crimson - USA Review by Steve Alspach Robert Fripp's decision to knock King Crimson on the head may have been a shock to some, but it seemed like the right thing to do at that time.
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Steve Hackett - Watcher of the Skies Review by Gary Hill Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has assembled a wide variety of musicians to rework many classic Genesis songs. The end result is quite interesting.
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Jon Anderson - Watching The Flags That Fly Review by Gary Hill Another disc of demos from Jon Anderson, these songs were originally written to be used on the second Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe album. Most of them wound up shelved, but have now been released on Watching The Flags That Fly.
White - White Review by Gary Hill While Alan White released one solo album in the 1970's, this is his first project that could be considered "solo" since then. Much like Steve Howe did with Remedy, rather than create a totally solitary work with guest musicians, White has chosen instead to put together a band to record his music.
Rick Wakeman - White Rock II Review by Gary Hill If anyone out there remembers White Rock (the first disc), you’ll know that it was music that Wakeman composed for the Olympics film. Well, when they set about to redo some of the film footage they wanted some additional music and White Rock II ensued.
Patrick Moraz - Windows of Time Review by Gary Hill Patrick Moraz is every bit the keyboard powerhouse that Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman are, but he never seems to get the kind of respect they do. That’s a shame.
Tony Levin - World Diary Review by Gary Hill Featuring a large number of diverse musicians, this album is a considerably varied work. Released in 1995, jazz, art rock, and world textures dominate in this unique and intriguing CD, Tony Levin`s first solo album and the first release on his Papa Bear label.
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Oscar Caraballo - Yesterday Is Tomorrow Review by Gary Hill In the `70`s a Japanese musician named Tomita recorded electronic, keyboard dominated interpretations of various musical pieces. On this album, Oscar Caraballo seems to be giving the same treatment to Yes music.
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Fish - Yin Review by Gary Hill Along with the companion CD "Yang", this album contains many rarities, reworkings ad other items of interest from Fish's career. This one is especially noteable because of the appearance of Steve Howe (Fish's take on "Time and a Word") and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band ("Boston Tea Party").
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