Tag: Jon Anderson

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Producers:

Joseph Cottrell
Wayne Hall
Jeffrey Crecelius
Doug Curran

Patrons:

Aaron Steelman	Steve Luzietti	Lind
Al Dell’Angelo	Terence Sadler	Lobate Scarp
Barry Gorsky	John Thomson	Mark Baggs
Bill Whittaker	Steve Perry	Mark James Lang
Bob Martilotta	Thomas DeVries	Mark Slater
Brian Harris	John Viola	Martin Kjellberg
Brian Sullivan	Steve Rode	Michael Handerhan
Chris Bandini	Tim Stannard	Michael O’Connor
Craig Estenes	Steve Scott	Miguel Falcão
Dave Owen	Chip Palmer	Paul Hailes
David	Guy DeRome	Paul Tomei
David Heyden	Steve Moss	Rachel Hadaway
David Pannell	Geoffrey Mason	Robert Nasir
David Watkinson	Henrik Antonsson	Robert Vandiver
Declan Logue	Hogne Bø Pettersen	Ronnie Neeley
Dem	Steven Roehr	Scott Colombo
Brian	Todd Dudley	Simon Barrow
Fergus Cubbage	John Holden	Stephen Lambe
Fred Barringer	Douglas Caldwell	Steve Dill
Gary Betts	John Cowan	Jamie McQuinn
Geoff Bailie	Ray Riethmeier	Ken Fuller

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Tags Band Geeks, Chris Clark, Jon Anderson

Episodes

Who did a better Yes Medley? – 731

Post author By Kevin
Post date July 24, 2026
14 Comments on Who did a better Yes Medley? – 731

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Doug Curran and Jeffrey Crecelius

This week Mark and I listened to 2 medleys – the Big Medley from the The Word Is Live box set, recorded on 5th October 1978 at The Forum, Inglewood and a recording of Jon Anderson and The New Life Band playing their Yes medley in 1980 at The Royal Albert Hall from a BBC recording broadcast the same year.

It was a very entertaining process and, as you’ll hear, Mark has a particularly interesting reaction to the rather different style of the New Life Band’s interpretations, on a tour that Jon Anderson arranged to promote his recently-released second solo album, Song of Seven. Having just left Yes for the first time, he ended up being out on tour at the same time as the Yeggles version of Yes, who boasted Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn as part of their (fairly hastily assembled) lineup. For his part, Anderson collected together brilliant musicians but with a rather different instrumentation to the classic rock band arrangement.

The Big Medley wasn’t played on The Drama Tour (unfortunately, some would say) so we can’t compare these two performances directly, but they are very close in time.

What songs were included in each medley?
How does the New Life Band instrumentation work?
Which ends up being a better Yes medley (and do we even make a decision on that)?

Do take a listen to the recordings I have embedded into the show notes for this week and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Mark Lang’s photos:

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

Available now!

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

Joseph Cottrell
Wayne Hall
Jeffrey Crecelius
Doug Curran

Patrons:

Aaron Steelman	Steve Luzietti	Lind
Al Dell’Angelo	Terence Sadler	Lobate Scarp
Barry Gorsky	John Thomson	Mark Baggs
Bill Whittaker	Steve Perry	Mark James Lang
Bob Martilotta	Thomas DeVries	Mark Slater
Brian Harris	John Viola	Martin Kjellberg
Brian Sullivan	Steve Rode	Michael Handerhan
Chris Bandini	Tim Stannard	Michael O’Connor
Craig Estenes	Steve Scott	Miguel Falcão
Dave Owen	Chip Palmer	Paul Hailes
David	Guy DeRome	Paul Tomei
David Heyden	Steve Moss	Rachel Hadaway
David Pannell	Geoffrey Mason	Robert Nasir
David Watkinson	Henrik Antonsson	Robert Vandiver
Declan Logue	Hogne Bø Pettersen	Ronnie Neeley
Dem	Steven Roehr	Scott Colombo
Brian	Todd Dudley	Simon Barrow
Fergus Cubbage	John Holden	Stephen Lambe
Fred Barringer	Douglas Caldwell	Steve Dill
Gary Betts	John Cowan	Jamie McQuinn
Geoff Bailie	Ray Riethmeier	Ken Fuller

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Tags Jon Anderson, Medley, Song Of Seven, The Big Medley, The New Life Band

Episodes

Olias of Sunhillow 50th Anniversary with Dave Watkinson – 730

Post author By Kevin
Post date July 17, 2026
11 Comments on Olias of Sunhillow 50th Anniversary with Dave Watkinson – 730

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Doug Curran and Jeffrey Crecelius

It’s the 50th Anniversary of Jon Anderson’s masterpiece, Olias of Sunhillow this month, so it was highly appropriate that we spoke to the album’s biggest fan, David Watkinson, this week. Dave helps us plot the musical development of Yes’ co-founder to the point at which he felt able to create his first solo album – entirely on his own. We also discuss the amazing packaging and the album’s influence on Anderson and Yes.

Do watch Dave’s interview with artist, Jeff Cummins, which is embedded into the show notes below and check out the photos of my copies of the album and a small selection of Dave’s memorabilia collection.

Was Jon Anderson ready to create Olias?
Did he play everything on the record?
Why isn’t Roger Dean the artist?

Please do add your own comments below.

Kevin’s LP and CD

Some items from Dave’s Olias collection

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

Available now!

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

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

Joseph Cottrell
Wayne Hall
Jeffrey Crecelius
Doug Curran

Patrons:

Aaron Steelman	Steve Luzietti	Lind
Al Dell’Angelo	Terence Sadler	Lobate Scarp
Barry Gorsky	John Thomson	Mark Baggs
Bill Whittaker	Steve Perry	Mark James Lang
Bob Martilotta	Thomas DeVries	Mark Slater
Brian Harris	John Viola	Martin Kjellberg
Brian Sullivan	Steve Rode	Michael Handerhan
Chris Bandini	Tim Stannard	Michael O’Connor
Craig Estenes	Steve Scott	Miguel Falcão
Dave Owen	Chip Palmer	Paul Hailes
David	Guy DeRome	Paul Tomei
David Heyden	Steve Moss	Rachel Hadaway
David Pannell	Geoffrey Mason	Robert Nasir
David Watkinson	Henrik Antonsson	Robert Vandiver
Declan Logue	Hogne Bø Pettersen	Ronnie Neeley
Dem	Steven Roehr	Scott Colombo
Brian	Todd Dudley	Simon Barrow
Fergus Cubbage	John Holden	Stephen Lambe
Fred Barringer	Douglas Caldwell	Steve Dill
Gary Betts	John Cowan	Jamie McQuinn
Geoff Bailie	Ray Riethmeier	Ken Fuller

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Tags Dave Watkinson, Jon Anderson, Olias of Sunhillow

Episodes

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

Post author By Kevin
Post date January 30, 2026
6 Comments on 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.

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!

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.)

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

Available now!

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

Joseph Cottrell
Wayne Hall
Ken Fuller
Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Aaron Steelman	Lind
Al Dell’Angelo	Lobate Scarp
Barry Gorsky	Mark Baggs
Bill Whittaker	Mark James Lang
Bob Martilotta	Mark Slater
Brian Harris	Martin Kjellberg
Brian Sullivan	Michael Handerhan
Chris Bandini	Michael O’Connor
Craig Estenes	Miguel Falcão
Dave Owen	Paul Hailes
David	Paul Tomei
David Heyden	Rachel Hadaway
David Pannell	Robert Nasir
David Watkinson	Robert Vandiver
Declan Logue	Ronnie Neeley
Dem	Scott Colombo
Doug Curran	Simon Barrow
Fergus Cubbage	Stephen Lambe
Fred Barringer	Steve Dill
Gary Betts	Steve Luzietti
Geoff Bailie	Steve Perry
Geoffrey Mason	Steve Rode
Guy DeRome	Steve Scott
Henrik Antonsson	Steven Roehr
Hogne Bø Pettersen	Terence Sadler
Todd Dudley	Thomas DeVries
John Cowan	John Thomson
John Holden	John Viola
Jamie McQuinn	Tim Stannard
Douglas Caldwell

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tags Jon Anderson

Episodes

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

Post author By Kevin
Post date January 16, 2026
5 Comments on Yes Indeed – Yes without Jon Anderson – with author, Preston Frazier – 704

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

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!

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.

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

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

Available now!

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

Joseph Cottrell
Wayne Hall
Ken Fuller
Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Aaron Steelman	Lind
Al Dell’Angelo	Lobate Scarp
Barry Gorsky	Mark Baggs
Bill Whittaker	Mark James Lang
Bob Martilotta	Mark Slater
Brian Harris	Martin Kjellberg
Brian Sullivan	Michael Handerhan
Chris Bandini	Michael O’Connor
Craig Estenes	Miguel Falcão
Dave Owen	Paul Hailes
David	Paul Tomei
David Heyden	Rachel Hadaway
David Pannell	Robert Nasir
David Watkinson	Robert Vandiver
Declan Logue	Ronnie Neeley
Dem	Scott Colombo
Doug Curran	Simon Barrow
Fergus Cubbage	Stephen Lambe
Fred Barringer	Steve Dill
Gary Betts	Steve Luzietti
Geoff Bailie	Steve Perry
Geoffrey Mason	Steve Rode
Guy DeRome	Steve Scott
Henrik Antonsson	Steven Roehr
Hogne Bø Pettersen	Terence Sadler
Todd Dudley	Thomas DeVries
John Cowan	John Thomson
John Holden	John Viola
Jamie McQuinn	Tim Stannard
Douglas Caldwell