Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
In Production:
Tales from Topographic Oceans
Listening guide
Last week was the 80th birthday of the legendary Yes co-founder Jon Anderson. To mark this important milestone, Mark and I chose just 3 of our favourite Anderson moments – solo (or collaborations), with Yes on record and with Yes live.
Clearly, we both had to do a lot of thinking and leave out countless items we could have included. However, we did come up with 6 interesting and iconic items to celebrate Jon’s birthday. It’s remarkable that he is still so active and has created such an amazing collection of musical wonders over more than 6 decades.
- What makes Jon Anderson a special musician?
- What collaborations or solo albums are our favourites?
- What are our choices of the best Jon live moments?
Let us know if you agree with us!
There are only 100 of these packs available, so buy yours now! (Opens in a new window)
Check out the progress on my other podcast – https://anthem52.com/
Yes – The Tormato Story
Available now!
YMP Patrons:
Producers:
- Joseph Cottrell
- Wayne Hall
- Ken Fuller
- Jeffrey Crecelius
Patrons:
| Jim Morrison | Jon Pickles | Declan Logue |
| Gary Betts | Aaron Steelman | Michael Handerhan |
| Barry Gorsky | Steve Perry | Doug Curran |
| Martin Kjellberg | Todd Dudley | Rachel Hadaway |
| Lind | Paul Hailes | Craig Estenes |
| Mark James Lang | Steve Rode | David |
| Bob Martilotta | John Holden | Stephen Lambe |
| Dem | Fred Barringer | Scott Colombo |
| Chris Bandini | David Heyden | John Thomson |
| Mark Baggs | John Cowan | John Parry |
| Dave Owen | Simon Barrow | Steve Scott |
| Terence Sadler | Steve Dill | Robert Nasir |
| Fergus Cubbage | William Hayes | Geoff Bailie |
| Steven Roehr | Lobate Scarp | Geoffrey Mason |
| David Watkinson | Tim Stannard | Robert Vandiver |
| Brian Sullivan | David Pannell | Jamie McQuinn |
| Miguel Falcão | Paul Tomei | Michael O’Connor |
| Brian Harris | Hogne Bø Pettersen | Guy DeRome |
| Mark Slater |
Our Facebook YMP Discussion Group is open to anyone to join. One of the advantages of the new format is that all members of the group have the same ability to post content, so it’s a bit more egalitarian, or somesuch. Please do search for the group and join in.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3216603008606331/
Please follow/subscribe!
If you are still listening to the podcast on the website, please consider subscribing so you don’t risk missing anything:
Theme music
The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert
8 replies on “Happy 80th Birthday Jon Anderson! – 647”
Good choices, hard to disagree about any of them!
Hi Kevin and Mark
Hope you, your families and canine companions are all well. I am relatively new to your podcast but have really enjoyed listening to your discussions and analyses of the music of Yes. I discovered your podcast about two months ago and since then have selectively listened to about a hundred and fifty podcasts in your archive.
I live together with my wife and ‘Boy’ (German Shepherd) in the Northern Territory Wilderness of Australia and enjoy listening to your discussions while do tasks around the property or on my long daily foot patrols with The Boy.
I must say while I enjoy your cheerful discussions and insightful analyses I often disagree with what you say and the conclusions you reach. But I really appreciate you having the debate at all, and the amiable way in which you conduct it. Well done, much appreciated!
Like many of your listeners I have a long history as a fan and student of Yes. I think I first heard ‘Close to the Edge’ in about 1980. That was the album that inspired my life long ( so far!) exploration of the bands music. The first newly released album I bought was Drama, ( was that about 1980 or 1981?). By the time of 90125, I was firmly in the school of ‘classic Yes’ devotees, bemoaning the new style.
But I have subsequently reappraised that view…. So I’m definitely in your 5% .
I was a very active fan through the 1980’s, exploring the bands catalogue, and being inspired by them in my own music. But at the end of that decade my life took me in a different direction and I didn’t really hear music again until about 2015. The last Yes show I saw before leaving was the AWBH tour, although I did also manage to catch the 35 Anniversary Tour in about 2003.
Apologies for that long rambling introduction!
Jon Anderson. 80 years! Astonishing. His voice and music remains outstanding to this day. I wish Jon and his family the very best on this occasion and hope he will continue producing his uniquely spiritual and innovative music for many years to come.
While some people laud Jon for his voice and vocal stylings, I believe his influence on the music we love has been it has been much greater than that. I believe Jon’s spirituality and creative vision has been at the heart of Yes music and has catalysed the peerless performances of the outstanding musicians around him.
There have many great progressive rock bands, but the spiritual and uplifting themes of Yes music elevates it above the masterful musicianship of bands like Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson or Genesis.
Look at Jons unique lyrical style to see his influence across the classic Yes catalogue. I believe that without Jon we would have none of that music.
I have heard said Jon himself isn’t much of a musician. His guitar chord fingerings for many yes songs are at best radically simplified or at worst just wrong…. And indeed, he probably sticks to ‘the white notes’ on his keyboard. But he had the extraordinary musical vision and skill to give us Olias in 1976, a recording that was way ahead of its time, influenced future generations of musicians and perfectly summated what was great and unique about Yes.
But of course, with Jon it is hit and miss, and for every masterpiece we have one or two efforts that go over the head of even the most ardent fan… That’s all part of his charm and his erratic genius. Bless him!
Jon may not be a musical virtuoso like his former band mates, but I will always consider him to be the spirit and soul of classic Yes. I was really pleased and deeply moved to hear him resurrect that style on his most recent recording with some supremely talented young American musicians who were able to deliver it expertly and give us an unexpected classic Yes music treat in 2024.
So on his birthday l think it is right that you recognise the man’s incredible musical legacy, not only with Yes but with Vangelis, Tangerine Dream and many other collaborators who have shaped the musical landscape we live in today.
Kevin and Mark, great work with the podcast. Really enjoying it and can appreciate the efforts and hard work that goes into keeping YMP towers in business.
Like many of
Hello Alan,
Great to hear from you. I’m not sure but you might be our first supporter from The Northern Territory Wilderness of Australia. I’m happy that our podcast has provided you hours of listening enjoyment during you daily tasks.
I’m glad you enjoy our discussions and our differences of opinions, I believe, is what makes our podcast interesting. We hear many views and opinions from our listeners and learn constantly from it.
It is a big milestone (Jon’s 80th birthday) so it was important to celebrate it on the podcast. I’m a fan of Jon’s vocal style and contributions to Yes and music in general…with that said it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Jon Davison and the current Yes lineup…in fact I think each line up had something fantastic to offer the music.
Thanks again for your comment. And I hope you enjoy the rest of our catalog as well as our new episodes.
Mark Anthony K
The Yes Music podcast
Thanks for the response Mark.
Hope all is well in the ‘Great White North’.
Apologies for the lamentable writing style and grammar in my original message. It was typed on a small phone while distracted by another task…
I would be pleased to be your first listener from the Northern Territory 🙂 Admittedly, Yes have yet to make their major ‘breakthrough’ to a wider audience here.
Until about a month ago I had heard nothing recorded by Yes since ‘Union’. But wishing to keep an open mind, I have listened to podcasts and album reviews of later works and selected a number of albums and tracks to listen to, based on your and Kevins’ recommendations.
I’m also hoping to listen to your own music Mark, when I have a moment.
Best wishes
Alan
Thanks for your response Mark.
Hope all is well in the ‘Great White North!’
I always enjoy hearing your weather updates and about the current disposition of your dog (although I realise those reports may be up to six years old). Apologies for the lamentable written style of my original message. I was typing in a small phone distracted by another task. I’m glad you now have a listener in the Territory. Sadly, Yes has yet to break through to a wider audience in this particular jurisdiction. My preference is for classic yes music, and until six weeks ago had only heard recorded output up to the Union album, but your podcast, album reviews and insightful recommendations have led me to seek out some later recordings. I am also looking forward to view some amateur footage of recent concerts in Japan that I found online.
Great choices! Although “I’ve Seen All Good People” was my first introduction to YES, “Heart of the Sunrise” was certainly the YES song that first made me realize there was no other group like them and no other singer like Jon Anderson.
Jon obviously agrees with the choice of “Awaken,” as it has been a staple of his set lists with The Band Geeks over the last two years and they performed it as recently as a handful of weeks ago.
Excellent discussion. I was surprised that Olias was not in any of your choices though given only three each and with the limitations of the categories, understandable.
I was pleased that you spoke about Mr Cairo and Change we Must, which are two of my favourite albums.
This may seem a bit cheesy but I did interact with Jon when at his Song of Seven concert in Newcastle in 1980. I’m a Beatles fan and at that time particularly into John Lennon’s solo work. Stunned by Lennon’s murder I made myself a black arm band on which with tippex I wrote RIP Lennon. It was only a few days afterwards that I was at Jon’s gig sporting it. I was sitting only a couple of rows away so when Jon mentioned the tragedy, I went to the stage and handed up to him my armband. He was gracious and put it on his music stand.
I love his positivity which comes out in his lyrics. Their sometimes impenetrable nature is fascinating, however the ‘vibe’ is what counts.
Another “Soon” and “Leaves of Green” type of song is on his first collaboration with Vangelis, Heaven and Hell. A beautiful piece, So Long Ago So Clear. Magical. Does buying that LP when it was released put me in the 5% bracket?
Great choices! I love to compare live YES versions of songs and will be looking up the 9012Live City of Love into Starship Trooper as well as the Montreux Awaken…I’ve been looking for a definitive live version of Awaken, the versions from Keys to Ascension & Tsongas are good but have a couple of mistakes in the keyboard parts. Igor’s version is flawless but he’s not Rick (and I don’t have the same emotional attachment to him) ….however that tour with Igor contains the best live YIND for me.
BTW saw Rick’s solo show a couple of weeks ago in Houston, he was wonderful!