Categories
Episodes

Yes Guess Who III – 708

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius

This week, Mark and I had a lot of fun on one of our Yes Guess Who quizzes. Also, as you’ll hear, we veered a little off-topic in both the answer section of the quiz and in a two pence segment that was supposed to be about Yes and Yes-related Record Store Day releases, but we enjoyed a little bit of less serious chat a couple of times there.

In the quiz, we each had five quotations from Yes men to try and fox each other with and, this time, I think they were quite a bit more difficult than the previous two outings of this game. Like last time, there were two points for attributing the quotation correctly and one for guessing the decade in which it was said. (That’s really the least reliable part of the quiz and just there to add a little extra spice, or whatever.) I also had a bonus point available for Mark on one question, so listen out for that.

  • Who said what?
  • When did they say it?
  • Who won the competition?

Do add your own scores to the comments below and tell us what you thought of the questions this time.

Who is featured in the quiz this time?

Barry Plummer 2026 Calendar is still available!

ORDER HERE

YMP Listener discount code – KVKBKC8Z

Enrich your Prog year with iconic images of Yes in the 1970s, taken by the legendary rock photographer, Barry Plummer.

Enjoy 12 beautiful colour and black and white photographs of Yes in the studio and live, capturing the essence of the world’s greatest progressive rock band. With this limited-edition calendar on your wall throughout 2026, you’ll agree that Barry Plummer is, indeed, the Master of Images!

(A flat shipping fee will be added at checkout depending on your location.)

ORDER HERE


Yes – The Tormato Story & Tales from Topographic Oceans – Yes Album Listening Guide

Available now!

YesMusicBooks.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Become a Patron!

Categories
Episodes

Yes – Big in Japan with Glenn Williams – 707

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius

This week, we had a great conversation with Glenn Williams, a rock writer based in Japan who I found via YMP Patron Paul Hailes. We picked Genn’s brains about the music scene in Japan today and over the decades to try and find out what makes the country ‘tick’ and why they seem to receive special treatment from record companies. I have several Yes records and CDs in Japanese import versions, as you probably do and they are always impressive.

We also discussed the conditions for live music in Japan and how different genres are viewed. Glenn shared some great insights.

Glenn (not always clowning about, I understand)
  • How have music listening trends changed in Japan over the decades?
  • Why has it always been seen as a great place to record live albums?
  • How popular is progressive rock nowadays?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

www.writerinjapan.com
Guest house:
www.mendipstachikawa.com

Japanese items from Doug Curran:
A gift from Mishiru many years ago:

Barry Plummer 2026 Calendar is still available!

ORDER HERE

YMP Listener discount code – KVKBKC8Z

Enrich your Prog year with iconic images of Yes in the 1970s, taken by the legendary rock photographer, Barry Plummer.

Enjoy 12 beautiful colour and black and white photographs of Yes in the studio and live, capturing the essence of the world’s greatest progressive rock band. With this limited-edition calendar on your wall throughout 2026, you’ll agree that Barry Plummer is, indeed, the Master of Images!

(A flat shipping fee will be added at checkout depending on your location.)

ORDER HERE


Yes – The Tormato Story & Tales from Topographic Oceans – Yes Album Listening Guide

Available now!

YesMusicBooks.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Become a Patron!
Categories
Episodes

Solo songs that could have been Yes songs – Part 2 – Jon Anderson – 706

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius

This week, Mark and I continue our mini series about solo songs that could have been Yes songs and this time it’s Jon Anderson’s turn. As we did last week with Steve Howe, we listened to Jon’s first three solo albums – Olias of Sunhillow, Song of Seven and Animation. We chose just one song from each record that we think could have worked on a Yes album and discussed our reasons. It was very interesting, once again, to note the dramatic differences in approach that Jon went through from 1976 to 1982. In some ways, I think Anderson went the opposite direction to Howe, as you’ll hear.

  • How does Jon Anderson’s solo approach change over the years?
  • How easy is it to spot songs that could have been on yes albums?
  • Who collaborated with Jon on these three records?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The episode featuring Jeremy North that we mention contains recollections of seeing Jon Anderson and the New Life Band in 1980

From the Discogs page for the 2006 double CD, Jon Anderson With The New Life Band – Live In Sheffield 1980:

  • Barry De Souza
  • Christopher Rainbow
  • Dick Morrissey
  • Joe Partridge
  • John Giblin
  • Lee Davidson
  • Morris Pert
  • Ronnie Leahy

Barry Plummer 2026 Calendar is still available!

ORDER HERE

YMP Listener discount code – KVKBKC8Z

Enrich your Prog year with iconic images of Yes in the 1970s, taken by the legendary rock photographer, Barry Plummer.

Enjoy 12 beautiful colour and black and white photographs of Yes in the studio and live, capturing the essence of the world’s greatest progressive rock band. With this limited-edition calendar on your wall throughout 2026, you’ll agree that Barry Plummer is, indeed, the Master of Images!

(A flat shipping fee will be added at checkout depending on your location.)

ORDER HERE


Yes – The Tormato Story & Tales from Topographic Oceans – Yes Album Listening Guide

Available now!

YesMusicBooks.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Become a Patron!
Categories
Episodes

Solo songs that could have been Yes songs – Part 1 – Steve Howe – 705

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius

This week Mark and I began a mini series on songs that appear on Yes members’ solo albums but could have been re-worked as effective Yes songs. It was interesting to listen to our first subject, Steve Howe’s first 3 solo albums, Beginnings, The Steve Howe Album and Turbulence back-to-back. There are plenty of differences to enjoy, plus some singing from Steve.

We compared notes on several songs and also assigned what we called a ‘Yesability score’ to each song. All will be revealed in our conversation.

  • Which Howe solo songs did we choose?
  • Is it easy to tell what could have been Yes songs instead of solo numbers?
  • How does Steve’s music change over the years?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.


Barry Plummer 2026 Calendar is still available!

ORDER HERE

YMP Listener discount code – KVKBKC8Z

Enrich your Prog year with iconic images of Yes in the 1970s, taken by the legendary rock photographer, Barry Plummer.

Enjoy 12 beautiful colour and black and white photographs of Yes in the studio and live, capturing the essence of the world’s greatest progressive rock band. With this limited-edition calendar on your wall throughout 2026, you’ll agree that Barry Plummer is, indeed, the Master of Images!

(A flat shipping fee will be added at checkout depending on your location.)

ORDER HERE


Yes – The Tormato Story & Tales from Topographic Oceans – Yes Album Listening Guide

Available now!

YesMusicBooks.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Become a Patron!
Categories
Episodes

Yes Indeed – Yes without Jon Anderson – with author, Preston Frazier – 704

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius
Preston Frazier
Preston Frazier

This week Mark and I welcomed our longstanding friend, Preston Frazier, onto the show to talk about his (relatively) new book, ‘Yes Indeed – Yes without Jon Anderson’. It’s a fascinating and very different kind of Yes book, as you’ll discover. As always, Preston was full of fun, even when we posed him some of the most difficult questions we have ever asked on the YMP. He took these in his stride, of course and I’m sure you will enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

  • Why did Preston write this book?
  • What was his approach?
  • Is this book similar to any other books about Yes?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

In “Yes Indeed: Tales from Yes Without Jon Anderson,” music journalist Preston M. Frazier delves into the transformative eras of the legendary progressive rock band Yes during the times when their iconic frontman, Jon Anderson, was absent.

Through meticulous research and insightful analysis, Frazier chronicles the band’s resilience and evolution, shedding light on the albums, tours, and lineup changes that defined these pivotal periods. This compelling narrative offers readers a deeper understanding of Yes’s enduring legacy and their ability to innovate beyond expectations.

Amazon UK – https://amzn.eu/d/3JAepSr

Amazon US – https://a.co/d/8pQIRP9


Barry Plummer 2026 Calendar is still available!

ORDER HERE

YMP Listener discount code – KVKBKC8Z

Enrich your Prog year with iconic images of Yes in the 1970s, taken by the legendary rock photographer, Barry Plummer.

Enjoy 12 beautiful colour and black and white photographs of Yes in the studio and live, capturing the essence of the world’s greatest progressive rock band. With this limited-edition calendar on your wall throughout 2026, you’ll agree that Barry Plummer is, indeed, the Master of Images!

(A flat shipping fee will be added at checkout depending on your location.)

ORDER HERE


Yes – The Tormato Story & Tales from Topographic Oceans – Yes Album Listening Guide

Available now!

YesMusicBooks.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Become a Patron!