Review:

on 2012-10-24 GWHill Said:

Few groups have the convoluted history (in terms of personnel changes) of Yes. Different members have come and gone over time. Perhaps the oddest change up happened in the late 1980s when Jon Anderson, frustrated with the Trevor Rabin version of the band, formed a spin off group with former Yes members Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford. They released one studio album and did one world tour. This album is a live set from that tour.

There are two versions of this set. Both are double disc sets, but the original version came out in a plastic jewel case. While it was good, it had fairly sparse notes and seemed a bit of a value packaged item. Voice Print UK reissued this in the 21st century, in a digi-pack. The booklet had better documentation on the reissue (particularly in the form of crediting songs) and there were two extra songs added. For those reasons, the remastered version comes with a higher recommendation than the original one did.

As the title suggests, the show featured a lot of classic Yes music, but also included some new songs from that debut ABWH disc. All the musical performances are strong here, and many are delivered faithfully, but there are some notable changes. Most of those show up in the medley that (other than a short orchestral introduction) starts the disc. Its an acoustic treatment of a medley of songs, starting with "Time and A Word" and moving into Owner of a Lonely Heart, the ABWH song Teakbois is also included. The arrangement is just Jon Anderson singing over Steve Howes acoustic guitar until late in the piece when Rick Wakeman joins in with his keyboards.

Overall, this is quite a strong live album and it comes highly recommended to fans of progressive rock in general and Yes in particular. It should be noted that a more recent live album from the same tour is, perhaps, a bit better. For one thing, while this album is flawless in terms of sound (and that one has a few glitches), this release just seems to feel a little sterile in terms of the recording. The other one feels more live. However you look at it, though, this is a must have for Yes fanatics and would serve as a great introduction to this unusual period of the bands history.
Rating: 8/10