Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius
This week we spoke to Paul K Joyce who has contributed orchestrations to the new Yes album, Aurora. This is the third Yes album he has been involved with after helping the band create the wonderful aural landscapes of The Quest and Mirror to the Sky. He tells us about how the decisions came about, how many of the songs on Aurora feature orchestra and how the Czech National Symphony Orchestra went about recording the tracks, with him in the recording booth. As always, it was a fascinating conversation with someone who is both intimately connected with the newest Yes music and is also a huge Yes fan himself.
There is also time for Mark to give us some great feedback on the Record Store Day release of Tales From Topographic Tours.
How many songs on the forthcoming album have orchestral augmentation?
Who made the decisions on what to put where?
What was it like working with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra?
Paul at home recording demos of his new songsThe Czech National Symphony Orchestra recording Paul’s orchestrations for AuroraPaul featured at the 2026 Composers’ Summit
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.)
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius
Kevin is back! He and Mark bang on at length about the recent Oliver Wakeman concert with his band at Worcester, the remastered and expanded From A Page album and the first single from the new Yes album, Aurora.
My thanks to everyone who has wished me well, including Brian Breen, Chris Berry and Gary Betts and his wife and most importantly Mark, who has kept the wheels turning at YMP Towers brilliantly.
There are also some thoughts from Daniel and Amanda about the new From A Page, especially the inclusion of the song, Aliens and do check out the show notes for a video of our own Geoff Bailie discussing the new Yes single with his Prog Report compatriots.
How was the Oliver Wakeman band?
What’s new about the expanded From A Page?
What do we think of the new Yes single?
The back entrance to the venueFront entranceMerchandise stall being set upThe view from the soundboardOliver’s keyboard rigDrums ready to rockOliver sighted before the showOliver in preparation modeHayley GriffithsOliver entertaining with storiesA raconteur – chip off the old blockThe set listl-r Scott Higham, Dan Nelson, Oliver Day, Hayley Griffiths, Oliver Wakeman and Arthur WakemanOliver signing items for fans
YES announce 24th studio album
‘Aurora’;
launch video for title track
10th April 2026: YES, who is Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are proud to announce their 24th studio album ‘Aurora’ will be released on the 12th June 2026 via InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. As Howe explains: “Making this record was joyful, a chance to play, explore and give everything to the music. It’s always been about collaboration, somebody can write a song, but until everybody puts their contribution in it isn’t really a Yes song. We’re not trying to echo the past; we’re carrying the spirit of Yes forward and turning it into something new”.
The band are also launching the first single from the album, and you can watch the beautiful animated video for the title track, created by Matt Hutchings (Greg Lake, Oasis, Iron Maiden), here: https://youtu.be/ETEGJTM6plw
‘Aurora’ will be available as a Limited Deluxe 180g Light Green 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook & Poster, as well as a Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, both featuring the stunning artwork of Roger Dean and Freya Dean, as well as a bonus disc of instrumentals, and a blu-ray featuring Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & 24bit stereo mixes (by Curtis Schwartz). The album is also available as a Gatefold 180g 2LP + LP-booklet, Special Edition CD Digipak & as Digital Album.
When Yes first began sketching out ideas for what would become ‘Aurora’, the process was loose and exploratory. There was no preconceived concept at the start, just a collection of musical fragments that gradually began to find one another and take form. Among these early sketches was a piece titled “Aurora,” and it quickly became clear that the name carried certain gravity. It suggested light, emergence, and a sense of vastness, qualities that resonated deeply with the band. Jon Davison remembers how “the title immediately resonated with Steve Howe and sparked visual inspiration for artist Roger Dean, setting a conceptual tone that would guide the project.”
Work on ‘Aurora’ began almost as soon as the ‘Classic Tales of Yes’ tour ended in 2024. The idea of a new album surfaced quickly and with the label’s encouragement, the band had the time to develop material organically. Rather than gathering in a single studio for months, they embraced a modern workflow; ideas were born in home studios, shaped independently, and then woven together through constant collaboration. Downes and Howe often acted as the central creative axis, with Howe, as producer, serving as the point through which all ideas eventually flowed.
Across ‘Aurora’, each track carries its own character. Some echo the classic Yes approach, others push into new territory, but together they form a cohesive whole that honours the band’s heritage while embracing forward motion. With their 24th studio album, Yes demonstrate not just longevity, but a sustained curiosity, a desire to keep exploring, keep refining and keep discovering their capacity to create.
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.)
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius
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!
YES-Topographic DramaMagnification Live on CD9012Live on CDChristmas @yesofficial haul part 3 Union Live #prog #progrock #yesthebandI wonder if Progeny will be as good as this fantastic collection of @yesofficial live rarities… #progrock #progCD set purchased 2014
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.)
