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Mark shares news about the forthcoming Yes album, Aurora, and runs down his own top 5 Yes live albums. Tune in and compare your own favourites!
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21 replies on “Aurora News and my Top 5 Yes Live Albums – 716”
Great topic, Mark. Choosing a top 5 for live Yes albums is difficult for me as I have them all, and narrowing them down is not an easy chore! But here’s my top 5.
1-Yessongs
2-Yesshows
3-Symphonic Live
4-House of Yes
5-Topographic Drama
There is something quite beautiful about the song Aurora and the video together….I have watched the video probably 11 or 12 times now and cried every time at the end …maybe I am an emotional idiot.
Honestly it’s a great track , I assume the album is going to be great !!
Hi Gary,
Thank you for your comment. Aurora is a great song…I’ve only listened to it about 4 times…but I really do feel it’s a strong song. I’m looking forward to the rest of the album..I have a feeling it’s going to be strong.
Mark Anthony K
Greetings Doug,
Thank you for your kind words and comment. It’s great to see that we have similar picks. I do enjoy Yesshows…but I’m not a fan of live albums that have fade outs between songs…it kills the feel…in my opinion.
Take care,
Mark Anthony K
Hi Mark ! I enjoyed your show today, and figured I’d pass along my top five Yes albums. Of course, I’ll throw a bit of a monkey wrench into the mix, but we do agree on some of them. Here goes:
1) Yessongs
2) An Evening Of Yes Music Plus…. ABWH !
3) House Of Yes, Live From The House Of Blues
4) Symphonic Live
5) Live From Lyon
Yeah, I’ve added thr ABWH show. It’s always been a favourite of mine, despite the somewhat grating sounds of Bruford’s electronic drums ( His playing is fine though )
I’ll also give honourable mention to The Word is Live box set, and the ARW Live At The Apollo. Shame about the added audience enthusiasm on the Apollo discs, but the performance is still great, and it’s nice to have a proper complete live album with Trevor Rabin.
I’ve also listened to the new “Aurora” track, and it’s encouraging. One of the best Yes songs so far wth Jon Davison up front, and compared with the last album, we seem to have Geoff Downes back contributing more prominently. This was much needed to restore more of the balanced “Yes” sound that I found was lacking a bit recently. Gotta have showy keyboards on some tracks to up their game, ha ha. Cheers, and a welcome back for Kevin next week. Make sure he has a nice “donut” cushion to sit on for the next few shows 😉
Hi Steve,,
Thank you for your kind words and comment. I must admit..I never thought of An Evening of Yes Music Plus for my list. While I do enjoy that concert..very much…I do feel that it is a more enjoyable “watch” then listen. The way the show begins…with the acoustic Jon Anderson songs…followed by the acoustic playing of Steve…and then more soloing by Rick….well….i enjoy watching that.
As for the new Yes song “Aurora”…I like it a lot. Jon D’s singing is fantastic as is Billy’s bass playing. It’s nice to have more of Geoff on the mix…Hopefully it isn’t just this song. And it seems that my early guess on what the song would be about…lyrically speaking…was pretty accurate…it’s both a space theme and about a girl..
Take care,
Mark Anthony K
Mark long time listener and life long YES fan I’ll turn 60 next month. This was a great episode especially since I’m usually dismissive of most live albums. My usual routine is I put your podcast on during my 4:45 AM walk each week then listen to a corresponding album associated with the show as you usually peak my curiosity about some song or album. This morning after I completed the podcast I picked Topographic Drama since Drama is a top 5 YES album for me. I was blown away by the album!! This may have been one of the best live albums I’ve ever heard. During my walk when Heart of the Sunrise came on it was ironically sunrise at my location. Absolutely surreal to hear that as the sun was just beneath the horizon. As soon as I got home I went on Discogs and ordered the triple vinyl of the album as this is by far my favorite medium to listen to YES and all my heavy metal albums. Yes I’m a big metal head that also enjoys progressive music. I tried to enclose a copy of my sunrise for reference. Keep up the amazing work. I can’t wait for the release of Aurora and can’t wait for your perspective.
Excellent topic! Can’t argue with most of your picks but I do have a couple of variances …
Yessongs
Montreux
Symphonic Live
Live From Lyon
Yes Bowl 71
I dearly wish there was something from the Kaye / Bruford / Banks era that qualifies but sadly not. If the BBC session comp from the 90s (which IIRC Banks self released) then that would replace Lyon
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your comment. I must admit that I really enjoy that Yale Bowl 71….in fact that show was the very first proper soundboard I acquired…I still can’t believe a guy just walked up with a 2 track reel to reel tape machine….asked to get a feed from the mixer and got a fantastic sounding show. I guess it didn’t make my list because it was a fair short show.
Thanks again for your support.
Mark Anthony K
Hi Shawn,
Great to hear from you. Thank you very much for your kind words and comments.
Wow…4:45 am walk!! I admire you…I don’t think I could get myself out of bed at that time…let alone out the door for a walk. But I’m so glad that this episode has connected you to a great live album. I really believe that people overlook how good Topographic Drama is….the fact that you went after and bought the 3 LP vinyl version afterwards …speaks volumes. You won’t be disappointed…I bought the CD and the vinyl version when it first came out. The vinyl sounds great. It’s also nice to know that there is another Metalhead who loves Prog Rock in the YMP community.
Thanks again for the comment and the photo.
Take care,
Mark Anthony K
Thanks Mark the vinyl was already shipped should have it by Tuesday. I’ll tell them you deserve a commission. Can’t wait for next weeks episode
Thanks, Mark, for another great podcast. I’m not so familiar with most of the recent Yes live albums, so my list is from the ‘classic’ lineup days:
1) Yessongs: I will always love this album and still play it often. I think your comments were excellent. It is ragged even sloppy at times, but the rawness and energy of it is fantastic. I heard the CTTE songs on Yessongs before hearing the studio versions so I am partial to them in some ways. Rick’s solo continues to blow me away and was my intro to his solo work.
2) Yesshows: Having seen all the tours from 1975 through 1979, I was so jazzed to have a live album covering those years. It’s the only live album that Moraz appears on (in addition to Wakeman) so I think it’s important for that reason alone. I also think the production is fantastic and there were no repeat songs from Yessongs Including Roundabout and I’ve Seen All Good People which is a good thing because I’d rather near new live tracks.
3) Songs from Tsongas: Again, having attended the 35th anniversary tour, this is near to my heart. It’s the only live album with Mind Drive and an acoustic set. Plus they went back to the first album with Every Little Thing. I’ve always loved their cover of that.
4) Live from the House of Blues: So glad to have this album because I missed that tour and love The Ladder. Outstanding arrangements and performances, as you mentioned.
5} Live at Montreaux: Great performances and included the Magnification tracks, We Have Heaven (had they ever done that live before this tour?) and Steve’s version of To Be Over.
Hi Al,
Thank you for your comment. Some great choices…I understand….some people don’t collect every live release…in the last 10 years or so…Yes have released a LOT of live albums.
The only one from your list that I’m not a big fan of is…Songs from Tsongas.
While I think that the inclusion of Mind Drive was great….I’m not a fan of the acoustic set….it seemed so cliche… every band you can think of were doing acoustic sets as part of their live shows…and Yes we’re pretty late to the party. For me…Yes are an electric band ..not acoustic.
Thanks again Al,
Mark Anthony K
Oh, forgot to mention and you’ve probably figured out by now that the similar name to the Aurora track is Elton’s Love Lies Bleeding. And Dylan had a song called Watching the River Flow.
I think AURORA is a nice song, and I’m amazed that they’ve shelled out money on a 7 minutes long animated video! I think the chorus is catchy and sticks with you. My suggestion is to do a 3:30 radio edit where the chorus is repeated several more times.
As for live albums, I’ve stopped paying attention to them. There are so many, and I’m not a huge fan of live albums. They either sound like bad bootleg recordings or studio versions with audience noise mixed in.
But my favourite Yes live album is House of Yes, Live at the House of Blues. That was a great version of Yes, and they play the songs so well. The version of Disgrace is fantastic.
I’m also a big fan of An Evening of Yes Music Plus from ABWH. Jon is on strong form there, and the entire band is cooking.
My biggest wish is that someone can find a decent recording from the 9012 Live tour (was that the name of the tour, btw?) and do an audio mix of it and release it as an album. That concert video was the first one I got as a new fan of Yes, and I played it over and over and over. I especially love the versions of Starship Trooper, It Can Happen and City of Love.
I never cared much for Yessongs, the sound isn’t very good and I don’t think the band were at their best in those recordings. I do understand why it has such a classic status as it has. The first live album I bought of Yes was Yesshows, it was among my first albums with them, and it was my introduction to Gates of Delerium. The first time I got to the Soon section I was mesmerized. It’s a cool album, but let down by the mixing.
All in all, if I listen to a Yes live album, it will be HoB. Sometimes the Montreux album.
As I did for “The Quest” and “Mirror to the Sky,” I ordered “Aurora” twice: I always like the U.S. artbook edition for the big booklet, but I love the Japanese slipcased version (3–discs in a fat jewel-case), which is ideal for taking its place in my standard CD rack.
My top 5 live albums are:
1. Yesshows (Friday Music version with the extra live tracks from “Classic Yes”)
2. ABWH: Live at the NEC (with Tony Levin!)
3. Songs from Tsongas
4. Topographic Drama
5. Union Live (2011 Japanese edition from Ward Records with Roger Dean painting on the cover)
Honorable Mention: In the Present
Mark, I agree with everything you said about Yessongs. I’m one of those who hold it in a special place in my heart. My first album purchase was Close to the Edge followed by Yessongs. So Yessongs was my gateway to the Yes album and more.
Similar journey in that I went from Fragile first to Yessongs. Wanted Yessongs first as it was their new release at the time but I couldn’t afford it. I was going through a (just) pre teen phase of getting into Brian Aldiss and those covers totally spoke to me. Tales came next and then the debut & the Yes Album (bought on the market the same day) followed by Relayer and Yesterdays as they were released. Oddly I didn’t own CTTE until after Rick’s 2nd departure but then I already had it all on Yessongs.
Really enjoyed the topic and all of the preceding comments. Mark, I agree with your assessment of the HOB show, Igor’s contribution and most notably a lovely version of Awaken (the best live version up until then, but then eclipsed by versions in 2002-2004). I saw them on the Ladder tour in NYC and I believe confetti came down toward the end of Awaken. Don’t remember if that’s in the video as I haven’t watched the video is awhile, but it must be… but just a very cool moment during the emotional crescendo of arguably the best Yes song ever… another great live Yes moment! Amazing to be there and I remember the overwhelming applause (and the chills) as it was all happening! Thanks again Mark!
Gotta totally agree with you on HOUSE OF YES (YIND perhaps the best ever live version) and MONTREUX (you’re right about Awaken as well, Mark)…though I have a soft spot in my heart for TSONGAS from that same period cause I saw that tour in Hartford & the “classic” lineup was indeed firing on all cylinders, and I LOVE the video.
I’m also a big fan of YesShows due to Moraz and the selections from Relayer, Tales & GFTO…but when I look at individual songs and my fav live versions I am consistently drawn to SYMPHONIC LIVE. The orchestrations on CTTE, Gates and Ritual are breathtaking. Alan and Chris are klling it, Jon’s in good voice (unlike Rob Halford on that JP live LOL), Steve is rocking it, and Tom Brislin!!!! What can I say? He’s up there with Igor & Rick IMHO. Also, the Magnification songs here are some of my fav YES epics. Thanks for keeping the YMP going, and here’s a welcome-back to Kevin in advance!
Here are my Top 5:
#5 – Union Live case — So many great shows. However the original promotions included a Philadelphia show at the Spectrum, which I attended, that was criminally replaced without notice and absent from the case.
#4 – Yes Acoustic — Guaranteed No Hiss! – a very intimate and much-too-short concert featuring the classic lineup. Rick really shines on South Side of the Sky. It is a fun video to watch and people who never got into Yes that much or at all really seem to enjoy watching it.
#3 – Symphonic Live — I attended three concerts that tour including the last show which was at Radio City Music Hall on September 8, 2001. This show and the rest of that night are the last memories I have of a semi-sane world.
#2 – Progeny — It is refreshing to hear complete shows that are unedited and include all of the various pops and screeches and howls, equipment breakdowns and malfunctions, and interesting narration by Jon Anderson (where he clearly states more than once, for instance, that And You And I is a protest song).
#1 – Yesshows – No repeats from Yessongs. The 1978 versions of Roundabout and I’ve Seen All Good People (from the bonus single from Classic Yes) included with the deluxe edition are so much different from the Yessongs (Progeny) versions that their inclusion is not a distraction. This version of The Gates of Delirium with Patrick Moraz by itself makes Yesshows my #1!!
Great topic. You carried the torch very well for Kevin while he has been healing by bringing us some interesting topics.