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

[inkubuzz]

Well, for me for example, that was born in 1980, there was no chance to listen to them ever, and they came to Chile and performed the three albums (two of them I like and are on my favorite albums list) and not to mention they finished with their most classic tune and I was thrilled with the whole concert!

For guys like us, that never had a chance, this is as close that it can get. For me and some friends that went to the concert it was very very cool. The new vocalist is very close to JA IMHO, and OK, Wakeman was better than the new guy, but the rest was almost flawless... People! CS and JH are not getting any younger and of course they can make some minor mistakes in a live concert! they sure did in the 70s, but with all those (hmmm...how to say this nicely), "mind blowing cigarretts and candy", a lot of the people listening didnt notice those mistakes!

I say, "ENJOY THE MUSIC! ENJOY THE SHOW! STOP COMPLAINING! ITS BETTER THAN TAKING YOUR LITTLE GIRL TO A JUSTIN BIEBER CONCERT!"

 

[DennisMoore Jr.]

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...

I, personally would like Tales next by SW/NW since it is layered so deeply and is recorded so well to begin with. It would be pure heaven in 5.1. Plus I love the music of Tales, but like you said, Tales isn't universally accepted like most other classic YES. Actually I don't want to get my hopes up with Tales at all coming to 5.1. So I'd be happy if it came out at the end. As long as it comes out. GENESIS did ALL of their stuff so perhaps that lends hope to having all the classic YES remixed into 5.1.

Relayer as an album is extraordinary, the sound is truly bad and actually sounds worse the better the stereo it is played on. Even if some of the problems persist on the 1st gen multi's(thanks Neil for the correct terms.) there is still plenty of magical fix-it power that could be done digitally to each individual track, so it really could be made so much better. I think YES-QPR was all done in mono.@: I paid big bucks for both Japanese laser discs to find it still had that crappy sound...

Just sayin part 3: I was just typing that to pass the time - waiting sucks - it does look like it has been delayed. I wonder if YES will disclose the second or even third reissue at the release time.

@inkubuzz: Well said. I will add to your thoughts by saying that Steve/Chris/Alan are not getting younger and their final days of touring are not far ahead. Once they stop, they will be gone forever from touring. That will be a sad day. Some fans have really insulted Steve's playing, but as a guitarist, I see his current playing as more precise. Sure, he doesn't play at supersonic speed like on Yessongs, he seems to be more faithful to the speed on the record. Squire is still unearthly good. Funny point about generations you make. My wife can't stand Jon Anderson's voice so she went with me to see YES w/Benoit David under protest. Turns out she LOVED Benoit David's voice and enjoyed YES so much she forced me to drive to the next stop on the tour the next day to see YES again! She never would have experienced that if the people who sentence YES to oblivion got their way. We had a wonderful time and the magic of YES was passed on to another. High the memory indeed!

 

[GaryG]

I've been trying to keep my cool since this was announced- what a hard wait. But I've got a lil longer wait than a lot of folks here- I got mine from Amazon: est. arrival date 11-4. My experience w/ Amazon they usually come a day or two before the EAD, so I'm looking for mine on 11-2, which is my b'day! Best B'day present ever! I'm trying not to think about it, w/ not much success... My most wished for surround disc since I bought my 1st one (Fragile).

I placed my pre-order through Amazon on 10-13. The email I got said est. delivery date is 12-4. Release date is 10-29, WTF? Do they really have that many pre-orders? I'm hoping it's a typo and it will be here on 11-4.

 

[inkubuzz]

Burning Shed still says :"Pre-order for 21st October release."

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Amazon UK is still showing delivery 30/10 to 4/11.

 

[ProgRules]

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

???? My Amazon order (dvd-a) still says est deliv date 11/4-6; when I look at the BR, it still says 10/29 release date. I've received no email from them. Wonder what's up?

 

[ProgRules]

Well, for me for example, that was born in 1980, there was no chance to listen to them ever, and they came to Chile and performed the three albums (two of them I like and are on my favorite albums list) and not to mention they finished with their most classic tune and I was thrilled with the whole concert!

For guys like us, that never had a chance, this is as close that it can get. For me and some friends that went to the concert it was very very cool. The new vocalist is very close to JA IMHO, and OK, Wakeman was better than the new guy, but the rest was almost flawless... People! CS and JH are not getting any younger and of course they can make some minor mistakes in a live concert! they sure did in the 70s, but with all those (hmmm...how to say this nicely), "mind blowing cigarretts and candy", a lot of the people listening didnt notice those mistakes!

I say, "ENJOY THE MUSIC! ENJOY THE SHOW! STOP COMPLAINING! ITS BETTER THAN TAKING YOUR LITTLE GIRL TO A JUSTIN BIEBER CONCERT!"

I'm really glad you got a chance to see them and that it was so enjoyable. If I were in your position, I'd feel the same way. However, I've seen them 20+ times and each (save one) has been a magical, transportive experience. I apologize if I came off as complaining- I am definitely somewhat bitter about what I perceive as a slight to JA (who imo is the heart and soul of Yes, w/ CS the guts and SH the sinew). I also have bad memories of the one time the magic was missing- the Drama tour, where most fans, myself included, were unaware that JA (and RW) were gone. I just don't expect the magic to be there w/o Jon (confirmed from some youtube vids I saw) and I have enough Yesshows that I feel OK missing them now. I don't want to tarnish my wonderful memories by having the last time(s) I see them be sub-par. But I should tone down my comments and keep my negative thoughts to myself, so as not to diminish other's enjoyment of what is still a fine group. I'd definitely go to see them if they weren't calling themselves Yes (and if they got a decent keyboardist- bring back Tom Brislin!). I do love SH and CS. But for me, Yes w/o JA is akin to the Grateful Dead w/o Jerry; at least they stopped touring under that name once he was gone. I sometimes focus on what's missing and miss what's still there, I guess.

I, personally would like Tales next by SW/NW since it is layered so deeply and is recorded so well to begin with. It would be pure heaven in 5.1. Plus I love the music of Tales, but like you said, Tales isn't universally accepted like most other classic YES. Actually I don't want to get my hopes up with Tales at all coming to 5.1. So I'd be happy if it came out at the end. As long as it comes out. GENESIS did ALL of their stuff so perhaps that lends hope to having all the classic YES remixed into 5.1.

Relayer as an album is extraordinary, the sound is truly bad and actually sounds worse the better the stereo it is played on. Even if some of the problems persist on the 1st gen multi's(thanks Neil for the correct terms.) there is still plenty of magical fix-it power that could be done digitally to each individual track, so it really could be made so much better. I think YES-QPR was all done in mono.@: I paid big bucks for both Japanese laser discs to find it still had that crappy sound...

Just sayin part 3: I was just typing that to pass the time - waiting sucks - it does look like it has been delayed. I wonder if YES will disclose the second or even third reissue at the release time.

@inkubuzz: Well said. I will add to your thoughts by saying that Steve/Chris/Alan are not getting younger and their final days of touring are not far ahead. Once they stop, they will be gone forever from touring. That will be a sad day. Some fans have really insulted Steve's playing, but as a guitarist, I see his current playing as more precise. Sure, he doesn't play at supersonic speed like on Yessongs, he seems to be more faithful to the speed on the record. Squire is still unearthly good. Funny point about generations you make. My wife can't stand Jon Anderson's voice so she went with me to see YES w/Benoit David under protest. Turns out she LOVED Benoit David's voice and enjoyed YES so much she forced me to drive to the next stop on the tour the next day to see YES again! She never would have experienced that if the people who sentence YES to oblivion got their way. We had a wonderful time and the magic of YES was passed on to another. High the memory indeed!

I'm glad you and the wife had such a great time at the show- and you made a new convert! Congrats. Glad you still felt the magic; I have my doubts that I would, but that's my issue.

I also bought the $100+ LD of QPR- and then bought a LD player! I was dying to be able to see a good version of CttE, which was the main reason I got that; I was sorely disappointed. I've often bemoaned the fact that there is no quality video from Yes' early years; esp. when I see other bands of that era coming out w/ good stuff. Was there just too much magic for that early technology to capture? The performances on Yessongs are amazing, but the sound is awful. But that video is great compared to Live in Philly. The good parts of QPR are excellent, but the songs I wanted most (save Ritual) were all ruined. The earliest quality video record we have of great Yessongs is ABWH- but even that is less than it could have been: the one night they're recording that tour, and Tony Levin is sick! Berlin did a passable job and I enjoy the video, but still really miss the punch and dynamism that TL added.

I read somewhere recently that QPR, which was done for BBC TV, was never meant for release; it was only an hour show on TV and the parts where the mix is poor were not on the show- hence the poor mix. They were never expecting those songs to be seen; Yes never wanted QPR released.

I hope Ctte isn't delayed any further- the post above worries me; I'm having a hard enough time waiting as it is. Luckily, I've had Gabriel in Athens BR to help pass the time. I do hope we get some news about subsequent releases soon. Neil probably knows and I'm sure once he gets the OK to pass it on, we'll be the 1st to know, just like w/ CttE.

 

[DennisMoore Jr.]

I'm glad you and the wife had such a great time at the show- and you made a new convert! Congrats. Glad you still felt the magic; I have my doubts that I would, but that's my issue.

I also bought the $100+ LD of QPR- and then bought a LD player! I was dying to be able to see a good version of CttE, which was the main reason I got that; I was sorely disappointed. I've often bemoaned the fact that there is no quality video from Yes' early years; esp. when I see other bands of that era coming out w/ good stuff. Was there just too much magic for that early technology to capture? The performances on Yessongs are amazing, but the sound is awful. But that video is great compared to Live in Philly. The good parts of QPR are excellent, but the songs I wanted most (save Ritual) were all ruined. The earliest quality video record we have of great Yessongs is ABWH- but even that is less than it could have been: the one night they're recording that tour, and Tony Levin is sick! Berlin did a passable job and I enjoy the video, but still really miss the punch and dynamism that TL added.

I read somewhere recently that QPR, which was done for BBC TV, was never meant for release; it was only an hour show on TV and the parts where the mix is poor were not on the show- hence the poor mix. They were never expecting those songs to be seen; Yes never wanted QPR released.

I hope Ctte isn't delayed any further- the post above worries me; I'm having a hard enough time waiting as it is. Luckily, I've had Gabriel in Athens BR to help pass the time. I do hope we get some news about subsequent releases soon. Neil probably knows and I'm sure once he gets the OK to pass it on, we'll be the 1st to know, just like w/ CttE.

LOL we could be brothers, as I think the same way you do about all the YES stuff(cept the Jon-less thing...) I saw Jeff Berlin twice in concert and he is an unbelievably talented master musician, its just his bass sound had no power or "balls" to lack a better term in that ABW&H show. And he read from that stupid chart like he was called to play 2 minutes before they walked on stage! That show was kinda a downer without Chris, though it was great to hear CTTE played in full. The poor sound quality of the classic YES shows makes me really appreciate the older YES like YES-Symphonic or Tsongas, etc.... Great sound!

About Jon not being at the shows I saw. Make no mistake, I was not excited about that, but a surprise dynamic happened. Steve was much more animated and a bigger part of the show and Chris' vocals were MUCH louder in the mix and he could be heard much better than all the times I saw YES post - S.L.O. Plus, way back... I had GREAT tickets to the Drama tour(1980) but then I found myself in Boot Camp and missed the show, so I always wanted to see Machine Messiah live: that was fantastic.

But I do believe Jon will join Chris & Steve & Alan for at least a few more shows before they are done.

Yes, waiting is very difficult, so it would be nice if YES/label would announce that they are doing all the classic stuff. Then the waiting would be easier. I think GENESIS announced they were doing the whole catalog, but in a series of box sets... So it made the wait better, knowing we were going to get it all.

 

[ProgRules]

LOL we could be brothers, as I think the same way you do about all the YES stuff(cept the Jon-less thing...) I saw Jeff Berlin twice in concert and he is an unbelievably talented master musician, its just his bass sound had no power or "balls" to lack a better term in that ABW&H show. And he read from that stupid chart like he was called to play 2 minutes before they walked on stage! That show was kinda a downer without Chris, though it was great to hear CTTE played in full. The poor sound quality of the classic YES shows makes me really appreciate the older YES like YES-Symphonic or Tsongas, etc.... Great sound!

About Jon not being at the shows I saw. Make no mistake, I was not excited about that, but a surprise dynamic happened. Steve was much more animated and a bigger part of the show and Chris' vocals were MUCH louder in the mix and he could be heard much better than all the times I saw YES post - S.L.O. Plus, way back... I had GREAT tickets to the Drama tour(1980) but then I found myself in Boot Camp and missed the show, so I always wanted to see Machine Messiah live: that was fantastic.

But I do believe Jon will join Chris & Steve & Alan for at least a few more shows before they are done.

Yes, waiting is very difficult, so it would be nice if YES/label would announce that they are doing all the classic stuff. Then the waiting would be easier. I think GENESIS announced they were doing the whole catalog, but in a series of box sets... So it made the wait better, knowing we were going to get it all.

Well, to be fair, JB was called upon in the last minute, not literally, but pretty close... He did a fine job under the circumstances, it's just that the circumstances sucked. I think CS is a crucial element of the Yes sound, but I loved the ABWH tour; if anyone can stand in for Chris, it's Tony. They are 2 of my favorite bass players and while I give CS a slight edge, that's likely just my bias as a Yes fanatic of decades. But what a melding of Yes w/ the rhythm section from King Crimson! Have you seen the "In the Big Dream" video? That was very enjoyable- still have that on LD.

MM- all the Drama stuff I saw in '80 was great- but as soon as they did any other Yes, Trevor Horn was a real liability. I'm no big fan of Geoff Downes either. I think I would have enjoyed that show more had they bothered to tell peole that Jon and Rick were gone- quite an unpleasant surprise to show up and find that out.

I hope you're right about JA coming back, so they can go out together w/ the proper band. But they better hurry- I'm surprised CS is still around, what w/ all his "bad habits." He and Keith Richards must have the same (meta?) Physician.

A more specific announcement about the releases would be nice, but didn't SW already indicate he'd be doing all the 70's albums? Wish they'd release them 2 at a time like ELP, but hope they come quicker than those. I don't know how SW does it; all these awesome re-masters on top of what he does w/ his own music. I just hope Yes is smarter w/ their releases than Genesis was- they did them backwards IIRC: the best box last (and the only box I got; I got Trick and W&W separately- they lost me when Hackett left). I'd have loved a boxset for Yes: TYA thru Tormato (or Drama). But I wouldn't have wanted to wait for it.

I'm surprised that CS' vocals were that strong and that good; from what I've read, his voice was going. Glad to hear it's coming back.

 

[kap'n krunch]

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.

As an avid Yes fan, starting with "The Yes Album", I have had THREE copies of "Relayer" (US, UK and Spain) and none sound bad at all-probably the Spain one because they did their own mastering and the EQ is off, but
I have a 1st "Porky" UK pressing that sounds excellent!!!!
Indeed, the stuff that Eddie Offord is not involved with , DOES suffer , but is not bad at all, just...flat!
GFTO and Tormato are great examples.
I spun them the other day and you can hear EVERYTHING, but tit does not have the "sheen" of the others.

One special case that still sounds good , but to me is the "least clear" is YESSHOWS; but that was because it was a rough mix Chris Squire submitted and all of a sudden was released (or so he says).
Now, for sheer "shiny" production, 90125, BG and Talk win hands down...

 

[ProgRules]

As an avid Yes fan, starting with "The Yes Album", I have had THREE copies of "Relayer" (US, UK and Spain) and none sound bad at all-probably the Spain one because they did their own mastering and the EQ is off, but
I have a 1st "Porky" UK pressing that sounds excellent!!!!
Indeed, the stuff that Eddie Offord is not involved with , DOES suffer , but is not bad at all, just...flat!
GFTO and Tormato are great examples.
I spun them the other day and you can hear EVERYTHING, but tit does not have the "sheen" of the others.

One special case that still sounds good , but to me is the "least clear" is YESSHOWS; but that was because it was a rough mix Chris Squire submitted and all of a sudden was released (or so he says).
Now, for sheer "shiny" production, 90125, BG and Talk win hands down...

Yes, Eddy was a genius and a large part of the Yes sound. He was a big element in what was achieved in CttE; the band knew this and have given him credit. Great that they included his picture on the back of the album- the sixth Yesman, ala George Martin. Too bad his involvement had to end; I believe he had some personal problems?

I had Yesshows long before it was released (you're right it was not meant to be released); the legendary DJ and Yes proponent Ed Schiaky was given a copy, which he aired on his Philly radio show and I taped. I remember when radio was relevant there used to be a lot of tape-worthy segments: complete concerts; classic albums that were played in their entirety; artist retrospectives w/ interviews and complete songs; etc. The 70's were a golden age in so many ways...

 

[colsky]

I had Yesshows long before it was released (you're right it was not meant to be released); the legendary DJ and Yes proponent Ed Schiaky was given a copy, which he aired on his Philly radio show and I taped. I remember when radio was relevant there used to be a lot of tape-worthy segments: complete concerts; classic albums that were played in their entirety; artist retrospectives w/ interviews and complete songs; etc. The 70's were a golden age in so many ways...

I've always loved Yesshows and I prefer it to Yessongs. The versions of Gates and Ritual on there are, in my opinion (and ignoring sound quality aspects), better than the studio versions. I remember when it came out RW was annoyed, not because he didn't want it released, but because CS had too much involvement in the production and because he thought the plan was for it to be a triple album, to include Awaken and the Big Medley.

I've just noticed that Yes have been included in the list of 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. Not that I think anyone who is actually serious about music is remotely interested in this, but still, its about time :yikes!

 

[DennisMoore Jr.]

I've just noticed that Yes have been included in the list of 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. Not that I think anyone who is actually serious about music is remotely interested in this, but still, its about time :yikes!

Well said Good Sir Colsky! My opinion of YES aside, those clowns in Cleveland will have to let them in(some time) due to YES' popularity & lasting power, just like they couldn't ignore RUSH forever, although God knows they tried. Other item: YesWorld reported some years ago that 1st gen live multi-tracks were found & delivered to the band from either a 1973 or 1974 concert(there seems to be some debate), so hopefully one day that live music can be mixed and released! For me, Steve's raw/fast/precise guitar shredding on Yessongs has no equal.. But the more live YES I get, the better!

@Kap'n & ProgRules: I was thinking of the sound quality of Relayer/GFTO/Tormato as it compares to earlier YES, and especially if you compare Relayer to other recordings of the time, like ELP -BSS or Pink Floyd or even Genesis - The Lamb, it really comes up short. I have crazy-big faith that SW&NW will do a miracle rehab job on that!

@Kap'n: No YES - Yesterdays? That has the best of the 1st two YES records plus a few goodies, yeah it was recorded with lower fidelity machinery but the songs & harmonies are classic!
For some reason TYA seems MILES ahead, HiFi wise, the band obviously graduated to a much better multi-track tape machine.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Well said Good Sir Colsky! My opinion of YES aside, those clowns in Cleveland will have to let them in(some time) due to YES' popularity & lasting power, just like they couldn't ignore RUSH forever, although God knows they tried. Other item: YesWorld reported some years ago that 1st gen live multi-tracks were found & delivered to the band from either a 1973 or 1974 concert(there seems to be some debate), so hopefully one day that live music can be mixed and released! For me, Steve's raw/fast/precise guitar shredding on Yessongs has no equal.. But the more live YES I get, the better!

@Kap'n & ProgRules: I was thinking of the sound quality of Relayer/GFTO/Tormato as it compares to earlier YES, and especially if you compare Relayer to other recordings of the time, like ELP -BSS or Pink Floyd or even Genesis - The Lamb, it really comes up short. I have crazy-big faith that SW&NW will do a miracle rehab job on that!

@Kap'n: No YES - Yesterdays? That has the best of the 1st two YES records plus a few goodies, yeah it was recorded with lower fidelity machinery but the songs & harmonies are classic!
For some reason TYA seems MILES ahead, HiFi wise, the band obviously graduated to a much better multi-track tape machine.

Well, as I've stated before, my Ortofon OM20 cart is quite bright, but if you want, PM me and I can send you a ..well not here...
Cheers..

 

[ProgRules]

For those who haven't seen it, here's some good reading to help tide us over until those magical discs arrive in our mailboxes:

JA discussing CttE track by track.

http://www.yesworld.com/2012/12/jon-anderson-talks-yes-close-to-the-edge-track-by-track/

 

[kap'n krunch]

For those who haven't seen it, here's some good reading to help tide us over until those magical discs arrive in our mailboxes:

JA discussing CttE track by track.

http://www.yesworld.com/2012/12/jon-anderson-talks-yes-close-to-the-edge-track-by-track/

Thanks for this...WOW, so hard to believe Chris Squire was SO skinny then...he went from a fish to a ...WHALE!!!

 

[colsky]

Thanks for this...WOW, so hard to believe Chris Squire was SO skinny then...he went from a fish to a ...WHALE!!!

And he looked so good in a blouse too! I was always told the CS weight gain (after 90125, if I remember correctly) was a nose powder issue, not sure if that's true or not. Some great pictures in that article.

 

[cupboy]

Wow. I need to check my nose for powder. I've been putting on a few lbs.

 

[ProgRules]

Thanks for this...WOW, so hard to believe Chris Squire was SO skinny then...he went from a fish to a ...WHALE!!!

LMAO. Can't believe I never thought of this.

And he looked so good in a blouse too! I was always told the CS weight gain (after 90125, if I remember correctly) was a nose powder issue, not sure if that's true or not. Some great pictures in that article.

I know he's had a lot of drug issues, including blow (and reportedly even heroin), but I would think that would have the opposite effect on weight. My guess would be that once he stopped snorting, he used food as a substitute.

Yes, those pics are great. Brings back a lot of memories. I think some were from the Yessongs era (CttE tour) and others were from the GftO tour- that stage (and RW's short hair) looks like that tour, though when I saw them CS wore a black/white striped suit. But they were missing a pic of Eddie O.- should have had him due to his big contribution to that album.

 

[neil wilkes]

Wow. I need to check my nose for powder. I've been putting on a few lbs.

marching powder has the opposite effect to weight gain.........or so I have heard, anyway @: