Yessongs Quad?

[etzeppy]

Here is that "quad" Yessongs LP set on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130328063312

Note that the description says "...YESSONGS IN A QUAD GATEFOLD COVER", whatever that means. The description also includes "ATLANTIC RECORDS # SP 3-100 STEREO 1973". The seller never actually states that the music is presented in a quad format and he does specifically state that it is stereo. Interesting listing.

 

[Lucanu]

I think he refers to the "four pieces" gatefold

 

[etzeppy]

I think he refers to the "four pieces" gatefold

I think you are right. I just wonder about anyone selling records and using the term "QUAD" like that. I can't help but think he is trying to imply something.

 

[Larry Geller]

I think you are right. I just wonder about anyone selling records and using the term "QUAD" like that. I can't help but think we is trying to imply something.

Doubtful. 99.9% of the world has no idea what quad is. Just an honest mistake.

 

[solaris]

As I vaguely remember some songs in the movie are different from the record, as in a different performance. Is this really true

 

[solaris]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070940/

 

[ssully]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070940/

I'm the one who submitted the current 'trivia' for that; what was there before was atrocious.

 

[jimfisheye]

Has there been anything new on this one? Anyone dig up a 35mm print yet? Yes-camp find the quad master?

This isn't quite my 'holy grail recording' for Yes like Pompeii was for Floyd - especially with the SW 5.1 remixes coming out for the albums now. (That's just impossible to top!) I'd still really like to hear this one some day. Even if a better SW 5.1 mix is made for this, I'd still be curious about the original.

 

[ssully]

I posted this on another thread back in December...I think it belongs on this thread , too (with some text corrected/updated)
//

Here's some new info from an old promotional packet for the UK theatrical premiere circa mid/late 1975 ( the film's worldwide premiere was earlier, either Feb or Mar 12, in ...Madison, Wisconsin!, according to an article in Melody Maker then ). , reprinted in David Watkinson's book Perpetual Change

The text at top reads:
//

'U' Certificate 75 minutes, colour.
Available in 35mm 4-track
magnetic stereophonic sound with
a standby optical track, 35 mm optical
monaural soundtrack, 16mm magnetic soundtrack or 16mm
optical soundtrack. Registration no: br/E 38555/25/4/81

...


further down, after listing the songs, it says

An A10K Pictures Production Produced by David Speechley
Directed by Peter Neal. Title artwork by Roger Dean World
Copyright owned by Yes Music Limited Agents for sales
Rita Jarvis Limited.

Supporting films available from Rita Jarvis Limited including solo
shorts by members of Yes

For further information please contact Rita Jarvis Limited.

Distributed by
FAIR ENTERPRISES LTD
5 Park Village West
London N.W. 1
Telephone 01-387-3230

 

[atrocity]

'U' Certificate 75 minutes, colour.

If anyone cares and doesn't already know, "U" was the BBFC's equivalent of the MPAA's "G", i.e., no age restrictions.

Available in 35mm 4-track
magnetic stereophonic sound with
a standby optical track, 35 mm optical
monaural soundtrack, 16mm magnetic soundtrack or 16mm
optical soundtrack.

I'm really, really intrigued by this! I never knew 16mm magnetic was used for commercial exhibition! Literally the only thing I've ever seen it used for was news footage in the days before video took over. Just tried to Google for more information but came up empty.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Here's a pic of the film's advert .

Crawdaddy magazine May 75 .

 

[DuncanS]

Here's a pic of the film's advert .

Crawdaddy magazine May 75 .

You've got an incredible library!

 

[wheeler98]

There is this
https://www.amazon.ca/Yessongs-Special-Yes/dp/B00AG67GOG

 

[humprof]

There is this
https://www.amazon.ca/Yessongs-Special-Yes/dp/B00AG67GOG

Interesting. Have any QQ members heard or seen this? Many of the Amazon reviews complain about the poor sound; one concedes that it's okay for what it is, but whatever it is, it's probably not a soundboard recording. And while the product description mentions that the original theatrical release had a quad soundtrack, there's no explanation of where this alleged 5.1 mix came from.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Interesting. Have any QQ members heard or seen this? Many of the Amazon reviews complain about the poor sound; one concedes that it's okay for what it is, but whatever it is, it's probably not a soundboard recording. And while the product description mentions that the original theatrical release had a quad soundtrack, there's no explanation of where this alleged 5.1 mix came from.

From info garnered from the rear of the DVD, this was up converted from the 16mm negative [where's the 35mm 4 track Magnetic version?] and the 5.1 was obviously an extract of the 16mm MONO mix. Couple that with DVD's 480p quality....a recipe for disaster! IMO, ONLY for the most diehard YESFANS!

 

[DuncanS]

I have the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray edition of it & I can't remember what it sounds like! It was that inspiring

 

[zimmy]

I also have the 40th Blu ray edition. The audio is what you get from filming when not bothering so much about the audio quality. It is far from being as good as the album. It is comparable to concerts sent on TV in the seventies. The only positive thing is that the surround audio is more listenable than the original sound.
I agree that this is mostly for diehard fans unfortunately except for the extra features. There is an 60min film with interviews with Roger Dean and Chris Squire which is really interesting among other things.. If the disc is available to an reasonable price i could actually recommend it if you accept that the concert part is only for seeing what happened on stage without getting any HD sound.

 

[ssully]

There is this
https://www.amazon.ca/Yessongs-Special-Yes/dp/B00AG67GOG

This appears to be the same as the BluRay edition I have (which IIRC came from Australia). Same 'extras'. (Some of the buyer reviews also seem to be for the Bluray)

If it is, I can report, the picture is fine, the audio is still crappy, regardless of channel number. The 'surround' version actually sounds worse than the mono, to my ears.

And btw, the 'restored' Steve Howe clip can actually be found in better quality on Youtube these days:



and even better, all the Howe clips, in excellent video quality:

 

[fizzywiggs41]

You've got an incredible library!

Yes , thanks Duncan .
It comes in handy sometimes . :》

 

[jimfisheye]

Yeah, that 5.1 mix on the bluray sounds like an upmix from the mono mix. EQ'd to favor the vocals in the center vs instruments on the sides (sort of) and reverb added to make the rear channels. I'll speculate that they must not have had the multitrack recordings in sync with the video. The sound is of a mono audience recording at least somewhat close to the stage (I don't know that specifically but that's what it sounds like). The mix is credited to Eddy Offord (who mixed the live sound at these shows in addition to being their studio engineer). The mix balances sound on point (overall fidelity aside). This must be a mono audience recording of his live mix. This is absolutely NOT one of those crude film crew mixes like happened on so many of these films back in the day. (You would see a 2nd set of mics on everything too if that was the case.)

CTTE is the same version from the album for one thing and they obviously had multitracks for the album mixes. So they must not have had the multitrack in sync with the film and thus used the mono audience reference for the audio.

I'm really curious to hear the quad mix (which seems unlikely at this stage... but so did Live at Pompeii before 2012). I'm sure it has absolutely disastrous problems! Most eye(ear)witness reports say it sounded horrendous in the theater. Much like earwitness reports of Pompeii. Pompeii had some really glaring offset issues even between channels and distortion issues that meant that really no one heard it properly in the theaters at the time. But the tattered remains cleaned up to be stunningly better than the official bootleggy sounding releases of the poor thing. If someone could unearth a cinema print even, there could be gold! It would be an early era surround mix and all (possibly somewhat like Pompeii) but an interesting relic if mixed from the multitracks. Or... an absolutely dreadful sounding upmix from the same mono audience mic but done in 1972. Pompeii could have been the standout 'ahead of its time' mix out of all these concert films. Real good chance for that to be the case with evidence suggesting the multitracks were not sync'd to the film.

Are ALL the multitracks from this tour lost now? With today's technology, you could sync the multitracks up to the film in about 3 - 5 hours of work. Really truly and with perfect accuracy!
They didn't! Does that mean someone was lazy or that the multitracks were lost or damaged beyond repair? Probably the latter.
More evidence of sadness in those live stereo CD releases they did a year or so ago form the tour. Somebody had really high expectations and did this long writeup for the packaging about how the sound was restored to better than anything that could be done for the original live album. Went on at length about how you would hear these concerts like never before. And it never happened! They were released as stereo CD's only and the mixes were shocking poor fidelity compared to the originals. The original album mixes were night and day much higher fidelity. Those multitracks must have had almost no sound left on them. Awkward that those write ups stayed in the packaging and ads.