Yes - Close to the Edge 5.1 DVD-A/BluRay in October

[ProgRules]

I am with you my friend, ProgRules just said it best...My patience has been tested since they annonced this back in the Spring...
"I want it now", does not even begin to describe my current state. I am very happy for ProgRules that CTTE is his favorite 5.1 and he is getting that now.I want all the YES from 1969 through Drama done by Steven in 5.1. Looks like they put off the release date a few weeks from original announcement, but that happens all the time, ELP 5.1 has been delayed as well.

One major problem with CTTE & Relayer & GFTO & Tales offered to us in 5.1 is:

How much money do we have in the bank to survive on? I am sure our work bosses won't like it that we are now staying home all day and listening to this stuff 24-7.
Does anybody have a wife/partner who makes good money???

I am not sure what is harder:

The wait for YES in 5.1 or Having it & playing it and then having to stop playing it and get back to the real world.

@ProgRules: Did you see YES in Charlottsville last Spring? That amphitheatre looks like it has awesome sound!

@rusinurbe: Is there a URL for that review?

Yes didn't come to Charlottesville- just some pretenders to the name. I'm in the camp of those that feel it can't be Yes w/o JA- esp. after seeing some of the Youtube vids of this band's butchery. I've seen them many times and have a lot of great memories; I prefer not to tarnish those w/ a sub-par concert experience. As much as I love SH and CS, I hate what they've done to the Yes legacy and will not support that. I'd go see them in other shows- e.g. Steve solo (seen 2 of those tours and enjoyed them very much) or CS in Syn, but w/o Jon's voice- even if the band were playing well (and I've heard they've improved quite a bit)- there's something very significant missing. They suckered me into that back in 1980, when they sold tickets to the Drama tour w/o letting anyone know Jon and Rick were gone. Fool me once... It's like taking Jerry out of the Grateful Dead- at least the surviving members had enough integrity to retire that band and tour under other names.

For me, the wait is much harder than having to rejoin the real world after listening; the real world will be so much more tolerable after a trip to the stars...

I've avoided listening to CttE for around 2 months, in anticipation of this release- so it'll be fresher and b/c I know I'll be listening to it a lot soon (oh soon...)

 

[ProgRules]

I am with you my friend, ProgRules just said it best...My patience has been tested since they annonced this back in the Spring...
"I want it now", does not even begin to describe my current state. I am very happy for ProgRules that CTTE is his favorite 5.1 and he is getting that now.I want all the YES from 1969 through Drama done by Steven in 5.1. Looks like they put off the release date a few weeks from original announcement, but that happens all the time, ELP 5.1 has been delayed as well.

One major problem with CTTE & Relayer & GFTO & Tales offered to us in 5.1 is:

How much money do we have in the bank to survive on? I am sure our work bosses won't like it that we are now staying home all day and listening to this stuff 24-7.
Does anybody have a wife/partner who makes good money???

I am not sure what is harder:

The wait for YES in 5.1 or Having it & playing it and then having to stop playing it and get back to the real world.

@ProgRules: Did you see YES in Charlottsville last Spring? That amphitheatre looks like it has awesome sound!

@rusinurbe: Is there a URL for that review?

Yes didn't come to Charlottesville- just some pretenders to the name. I'm in the camp of those that feel it can't be Yes w/o JA- esp. after seeing some of the Youtube vids of this band's butchery. I've seen them many times and have a lot of great memories; I prefer not to tarnish those w/ a sub-par concert experience. As much as I love SH and CS, I hate what they've done to the Yes legacy and will not support that. I'd go see them in other shows- e.g. Steve solo (seen 2 of those tours and enjoyed them very much) or CS in Syn, but w/o Jon's voice- even if the band were playing well (and I've heard they've improved quite a bit)- there's something very significant missing. They suckered me into that back in 1980, when they sold tickets to the Drama tour w/o letting anyone know Jon and Rick were gone. Fool me once... It's like taking Jerry out of the Grateful Dead- at least the surviving members had enough integrity to retire that band and tour under other names.

For me, the wait is much harder than having to rejoin the real world after listening; the real world will be so much more tolerable after a trip to the stars...

I've avoided listening to CttE for around 2 months, in anticipation of this release- so it'll be fresher and b/c I know I'll be listening to it a lot soon (oh soon...)

 

[Perp]

Some of you guys are sooooo excited, you're Posting twice. :banana:

btw, I can live without RW but it's the voice of JA that's hard to live without. Okay, I lived without it on "Drama" but other than that.....

Many either like more Yes "East" or Yes "West." I've always liked Yes "East" the best but for the past decade or so, I've really come to enjoy "90125", "Big Generator" and, for the most part, "Talk". I listen to "Big Generator" quite often but yesterday, I haven't played "90125" in quite some time and was sitting here thinking was a masterpiece it turned out to be and sounds just as fresh today, as it did back in 1983. I really like the tunes on "BG" and enjoy the hard snap of that drum kit. It really is well recorded. What sticks out on "90125" is the vocal layering. I would welcome both these albums in surround sound and would pay up to $50.00 per disc just to have them.

 

[DennisMoore Jr.]

Yes didn't come to Charlottesville- just some pretenders to the name. I'm in the camp of those that feel it can't be Yes w/o JA- esp. after seeing some of the Youtube vids of this band's butchery. I've seen them many times and have a lot of great memories; I prefer not to tarnish those w/ a sub-par concert experience. As much as I love SH and CS, I hate what they've done to the Yes legacy and will not support that. I'd go see them in other shows- e.g. Steve solo (seen 2 of those tours and enjoyed them very much) or CS in Syn, but w/o Jon's voice- even if the band were playing well (and I've heard they've improved quite a bit)- there's something very significant missing. They suckered me into that back in 1980, when they sold tickets to the Drama tour w/o letting anyone know Jon and Rick were gone. Fool me once... It's like taking Jerry out of the Grateful Dead- at least the surviving members had enough integrity to retire that band and tour under other names.

Ok, I understand where you are coming from. Being YES fans we have always had to adust to change. Back in 1976 I thought that Patrick Moraz absolutely butchered all the YES songs that weren't on Relayer, especially And You And I. YES has always meant change. For me, the low point was 1987 when Tony Kaye couldn't play some of Siberian so they just had Chris do the bass! And then in 1991 when Trevor Rabin thought he was such a great piano player he would play the AYAI guitar parts on piano. @: Having seen them at San Louis Obispo with the fab 5 in 1996 it was another adjustment to see Rick leave and Igor play all those classic keys. Not to mention seeing the stage soiled by the Evil Billy a few years later.

I went begrudgingly to the first Chris & Steve show with Benoit David(saw it twice it was so good). Jon always refused to play Drama so it was fantastic to hear Machine Messiah & Tempus Fugit

Side note: I was surprised to learn that it was Steve Howe who wrote the lyric "close to the edge, down by a river" part in CTTE, I love Jon too, but all his 90's & 21st century stuff is like "save mother earth"... All 5 guys seem to have lost the magic that made a song like Starship Trooper or Awaken.

Actually my first YES LP was "Yeterdays" and I really dug Peter Bank's guitar work & harmonies, then I had to adjust to all that two-step country pickin Steve Howe brought.

 

[colsky]

I too miss JA's voice with the band. I saw him recently solo at a small club in London and he was excellent, warm, entertaining, with that voice still crystal clear and heart warming as ever. However I do believe that CS, SH and AW get too much bad press about this. Its not as if they sacked JA. They just wanted to carry the band on when JA sadly felt that he could no longer do it, for health reasons. Its a difficult subject I know. My own opinion is that CS, SH and AW did themselves no favours with the Fly From Here album. Good album, not great, but I don't know why their songwriting on that album took a back seat to Trevor Horn's.

I would much rather listen to Drama than Talk or Union. However any Yes album that comes out in 5.1 will immediately be welcomed into my home with grateful open arms!!

Back to the subject in hand - a fresh, reinvigorated CTTE - the day cometh - HURRY UP!!!

 

[Perp]

...I love Jon too, but all his 90's & 21st century stuff is like "save mother earth"... All 5 guys seem to have lost the magic that made a song like Starship Trooper or Awaken.

What, you don't meditate?!

 

[ProgRules]

Some of you guys are sooooo excited, you're Posting twice. :banana:

btw, I can live without RW but it's the voice of JA that's hard to live without. Okay, I lived without it on "Drama" but other than that.....

Many either like more Yes "East" or Yes "West." I've always liked Yes "East" the best but for the past decade or so, I've really come to enjoy "90125", "Big Generator" and, for the most part, "Talk". I listen to "Big Generator" quite often but yesterday, I haven't played "90125" in quite some time and was sitting here thinking was a masterpiece it turned out to be and sounds just as fresh today, as it did back in 1983. I really like the tunes on "BG" and enjoy the hard snap of that drum kit. It really is well recorded. What sticks out on "90125" is the vocal layering. I would welcome both these albums in surround sound and would pay up to $50.00 per disc just to have them.

LOL sorry about the double post, but for some reason, this website doesn't cooperate w/ my laptop; it often gets hung up. The 1st time I posted this it didn't go through- or at least seemed not to, but...

I sometimes don't post here just b/c it's so hard, though at other times it works OK- mostly late at night it seems- maybe has something to do w/ the traffic? IDK, but it can be frustrating...

I prefer RW, but can also live w/o him; thought Igor was the best replacement, but he apparently couldn't hold his vodka... (BTW, that incident happened after a show I attended in No. VA)

I much prefer the "real" Yes to Yeswest; for me, JA, CS and SH are crucial components to the Yes sound. I preferred ABWH to Yeswest- even though there was no CS, they don't get much better than Tony Levin (who is a huge part of Gabriel's success, imo, as much as I love PG). Just a real shame that the 1 video we have of ABWH is missing TL.

I would enjoy Yeswest in surround, but not nearly as much as the main sequence. I'd rather get The Ladder and Keys than those (Homeworld in 5.1 is great on "House of Yes," even if it's only in DD).

 

[ProgRules]

Ok, I understand where you are coming from. Being YES fans we have always had to adust to change. Back in 1976 I thought that Patrick Moraz absolutely butchered all the YES songs that weren't on Relayer, especially And You And I. YES has always meant change. For me, the low point was 1987 when Tony Kaye couldn't play some of Siberian so they just had Chris do the bass! And then in 1991 when Trevor Rabin thought he was such a great piano player he would play the AYAI guitar parts on piano. @: Having seen them at San Louis Obispo with the fab 5 in 1996 it was another adjustment to see Rick leave and Igor play all those classic keys. Not to mention seeing the stage soiled by the Evil Billy a few years later.

I went begrudgingly to the first Chris & Steve show with Benoit David(saw it twice it was so good). Jon always refused to play Drama so it was fantastic to hear Machine Messiah & Tempus Fugit

Side note: I was surprised to learn that it was Steve Howe who wrote the lyric "close to the edge, down by a river" part in CTTE, I love Jon too, but all his 90's & 21st century stuff is like "save mother earth"... All 5 guys seem to have lost the magic that made a song like Starship Trooper or Awaken.

Actually my first YES LP was "Yeterdays" and I really dug Peter Bank's guitar work & harmonies, then I had to adjust to all that two-step country pickin Steve Howe brought.

I've never had to adjust as much; my 1st Yesshow was Wakey's welcome back in '77, so I never saw Moraz w/ them (but he sure sounds wonky on a lot of the QPR video, much of which was ruined by having him so far up in the mix). PB had long been history by the time I got into Yes and I didn't delve into the 1st 2 albums until years later. Wish I could have seen SLO- that must have been great. I saw them after when they toured w/ Igor and thought he did a great job. I saw Yeswest twice, but broke my string of seeing Yes every tour when I didn't go the the BG tour. I know Yes has been a revolving door, but for me it still comes down to the core 3: JA;CS; and SH. You talk about the "magic," that only happens when those 3 are present, imo. Not that Yeswest didn't make some good music, but it didn't have that magic.

As for JA's lyrics, he has gotten a bit too new-agey, but I think the main problem is that his writing has become so much more concrete; at his best, he was abstract and downright poetic.

 

[ProgRules]

I too miss JA's voice with the band. I saw him recently solo at a small club in London and he was excellent, warm, entertaining, with that voice still crystal clear and heart warming as ever. However I do believe that CS, SH and AW get too much bad press about this. Its not as if they sacked JA. They just wanted to carry the band on when JA sadly felt that he could no longer do it, for health reasons. Its a difficult subject I know. My own opinion is that CS, SH and AW did themselves no favours with the Fly From Here album. Good album, not great, but I don't know why their songwriting on that album took a back seat to Trevor Horn's.

I would much rather listen to Drama than Talk or Union. However any Yes album that comes out in 5.1 will immediately be welcomed into my home with grateful open arms!!

Back to the subject in hand - a fresh, reinvigorated CTTE - the day cometh - HURRY UP!!!

My understanding is that JA was physically unable to tour- he ended up in the hospital and almost died (while his bandmates never even bothered to check up on him)- and the band decided they wouldn't wait for him, likely b/c they needed the money. Once he was better and able to tour, they never invited him back. A main sticking point is the schedule they keep- they tour mercilessly w/ very few days off. JA tours at a leisurely pace and takes time to enjoy the travels, not just slogging from one nameless town to another. For JA to return, SHW would have to agree to a more reasonable schedule, but that cuts into the bottom line. That is my main complaint w/ them these days; it used to be about the music, but now it seems it's about getting paid.

As much as I love JA, the times I've seen him solo have been somewhat disappointing. Not that I didn't enjoy the shows, but when he does Yessongs, they're a pale imitation of the real thing. Some of his solo stuff just doesn't move me as much, while other great JA songs still would benefit from the fuller sound of a real band. Personally, I'd prefer he get a kick-ass band to tour w/. It's a nice intimate evening w/ an old friend, but musically, it's a little underwhelming- even w/ his magical voice. I've enjoyed SH solo shows more- even if I have to listen to him singing. At least he kept that to a minimum.

As much as I am anxiously awaiting SW's treatment of CttE, I'm also eager to hear what's coming next. I think Tales will be awesome in surround, but I also can't wait to see what SW can do w/ Relayer- if he can soften up that hard edge it's always possessed (the SQ, not the hard edge of the music itself). To me, Relayer was the last "progressive" album Yes did. Anything from the main sequence will be great, though I hope they save Fragile until the end, since we already have that in surround (even if slightly flawed). The worst job on that album is the bonus America, where SH's added noodling really hurts- so glad we'll be getting a proper version of it w/ CttE.

 

[kap'n krunch]

the main reason is that Jon wanted more money than the rest, which, to me, is a real dealbreaker....sorry...I'd agree with the rest of the band...

 

[ProgRules]

the main reason is that Jon wanted more money than the rest, which, to me, is a real dealbreaker....sorry...I'd agree with the rest of the band...

I've never heard this; if true, that would certainly put a different spin on things. You have a source?

 

[Perp]

I'd say that all this talk about who said who is hearsay. Only the band (all involved) know the real reason(s). Years ago, I read off of Jon's Website that, after he became ill, the band moved on without him, never to ask him to rejoin.

 

[jaypfunk]

I listened to a recent YES show and they are terrible!! All the songs are slow and sound forced with zero energy. Just stop already!! It's embarrassing at this point.

 

[colsky]

I listened to a recent YES show and they are terrible!! All the songs are slow and sound forced with zero energy. Just stop already!! It's embarrassing at this point.

I have a ticket to see Yes doing the 3 album tour next year at Royal Albert Hall. As far as I'm concerned, if I get a chance to see CS and SH performing 3 of my favourite albums at one of my favourite venues, under whatever band name, I would jump at it! Its mine and many other peoples' dream to see JA back with Yes again. Unfortunately I believe that JA has said that his health problems would make it difficult for him to front a loud band again, so I can't see it happening. We therefore have to take what we can get - an 'under strength' Yes still touring, and a still in fine voice JA doing the occasional warm, entertaining, slightly twee solo show.

I'm also going to see Steve Hackett doing his Genesis show in a couple of weeks at the Royal Albert Hall. I'm not going to give this a miss because he hasn't got Peter Gabriel with him!

I too was trying to give CTTE a wide berth until the upcoming release. I gave in today though. It was such a horrible rainy day, i stayed in and watched the QPR 1975 dvd! Its a shame Steven Wilson can't get his hands on this one, to turn up SH, and turn down PM (although his organ work on this is superb) and also turn down JA's 'rythm' guitar!!

 

[ProgRules]

I have a ticket to see Yes doing the 3 album tour next year at Royal Albert Hall. As far as I'm concerned, if I get a chance to see CS and SH performing 3 of my favourite albums at one of my favourite venues, under whatever band name, I would jump at it! Its mine and many other peoples' dream to see JA back with Yes again. Unfortunately I believe that JA has said that his health problems would make it difficult for him to front a loud band again, so I can't see it happening. We therefore have to take what we can get - an 'under strength' Yes still touring, and a still in fine voice JA doing the occasional warm, entertaining, slightly twee solo show.

I'm also going to see Steve Hackett doing his Genesis show in a couple of weeks at the Royal Albert Hall. I'm not going to give this a miss because he hasn't got Peter Gabriel with him!

I too was trying to give CTTE a wide berth until the upcoming release. I gave in today though. It was such a horrible rainy day, i stayed in and watched the QPR 1975 dvd! Its a shame Steven Wilson can't get his hands on this one, to turn up SH, and turn down PM (although his organ work on this is superb) and also turn down JA's 'rythm' guitar!!

Do you have a source for the bolded comment above? I've read interviews where JA said he'd be willing to rejoin Yes, but hasn't been asked. I've also read that the sticking point is the hectic touring schedule that HSW keep.

As for QPR, I was under the impression that they didn't have the master tapes. I got the Laserdiscs of that show way back in the day and was soooooo disappointed. If they could have improved the mix, surely they would have done so for the DVD releases?

As for steering clear of CttE, it's been so very hard. But the wait is almost over; I'm hanging on... 3 more weeks (hopefully no more delays)

 

[colsky]

Do you have a source for the bolded comment above? I've read interviews where JA said he'd be willing to rejoin Yes, but hasn't been asked. I've also read that the sticking point is the hectic touring schedule that HSW keep.

As for QPR, I was under the impression that they didn't have the master tapes. I got the Laserdiscs of that show way back in the day and was soooooo disappointed. If they could have improved the mix, surely they would have done so for the DVD releases?

As for steering clear of CttE, it's been so very hard. But the wait is almost over; I'm hanging on... 3 more weeks (hopefully no more delays)

I can't remember the source I'm afraid, but I've read it more than once. Somewhere I'd read that it would also be difficult for JA's health issues to cope with the atmospherics of larger venues. There have been a fair few contradictory comments on this subject, so as someone has said it is only the people concerned who really know the truth.

QPR - agreed the quality is slightly disappointing, but they are still a great watch.

CTTE - 3 weeks? I thought the release date was currently in 2 weeks, on 28 October?

 

[ProgRules]

I can't remember the source I'm afraid, but I've read it more than once. Somewhere I'd read that it would also be difficult for JA's health issues to cope with the atmospherics of larger venues. There have been a fair few contradictory comments on this subject, so as someone has said it is only the people concerned who really know the truth.

QPR - agreed the quality is slightly disappointing, but they are still a great watch.

CTTE - 3 weeks? I thought the release date was currently in 2 weeks, on 28 October?

Well, I can't watch the songs where the mix is so wonky- it drives me nuts that that there are songs I love so much (that aren't on video elsewhere) that are ruined by the mix- esp. the Relayer songs. The only one I have watched in a while is Ritual- great version of that w/ the Crab Nebula coming alive.

I got my CttE dvd-a from Amazon: est deliv date 11/4, so I get a few days of reading you guys raving about it before mine will come.

 

[DennisMoore Jr.]

Well, I can't watch the songs where the mix is so wonky- it drives me nuts that that there are songs I love so much (that aren't on video elsewhere) that are ruined by the mix- esp. the Relayer songs. The only one I have watched in a while is Ritual- great version of that w/ the Crab Nebula coming alive.

I got my CttE dvd-a from Amazon: est deliv date 11/4, so I get a few days of reading you guys raving about it before mine will come.

Yes, Relayer may be the best "worst sounding" record of all time. TYA - Fragile - CTTE & Tales all have remarkable clarity in their various releases. Relayer - GFTO - Tormato all sound pretty horrible. I am going to step out on a long tree branch and say that if done by SW/NW from the multi-track tapes they will be redefining in their clarity and sound quality. I can't wait doesn't even begin to describe my excitement. For some reason YES got the good sound quality back with Drama, FWIW...

Steven Wilson is so keen on fine sound quality, I'd have to believe that he would want to address Relayer - GFTO - Tormato, first, that would be the place for him to impact the biggest change.

Just sayin dept: YESWORLD still has October 21st as the release date for DVD-A & BluRay.

 

[ProgRules]

Yes, Relayer may be the best "worst sounding" record of all time. TYA - Fragile - CTTE & Tales all have remarkable clarity in their various releases. Relayer - GFTO - Tormato all sound pretty horrible. I am going to step out on a long tree branch and say that if done by SW/NW from the multi-track tapes they will be redefining in their clarity and sound quality. I can't wait doesn't even begin to describe my excitement. For some reason YES got the good sound quality back with Drama, FWIW...

Steven Wilson is so keen on fine sound quality, I'd have to believe that he would want to address Relayer - GFTO - Tormato, first, that would be the place for him to impact the biggest change.

Just sayin dept: YESWORLD still has October 21st as the release date for DVD-A & BluRay.

We were actually talking about the QPR video- not the Relayer album- where the mix is totally off for some of the songs, esp. the Relayer songs. I definitely agree that the SQ of Relayer album is not great, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it the worst ever. IIRC, that album was recorded at Squire's then-new home studio, which has been blamed for the lackluster sound. Hopefully SW will have enough to work w/ to make this album shine, but it's possible that the SQ of the multi's are sub-par. That being said, I still look forward to whatever he can accomplish w/ Relayer and hope it is among the next ones done. But my vote for the next would be Tales- I think that could be awesome in surround, for many of the same reasons CttE would be (and appears to be, from Jon's review). But given the divisive nature of that album, I fear it may be closer to the end...

Just sayin part 2: Yesworld has not been known for the most accurate/timely info...

 

[ccm0114]

Amazon just told me that my CTTE Blu-ray won't be delivered until 12/2-12/5.