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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
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Producers:
- Joseph Cottrell
- Wayne Hall
- Jeffrey Crecelius
- Doug Curran
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14 replies on “Who did a better Yes Medley? – 731”
I’m a big fan of medleys. Having said that, I’ve never considered the 1979 Big Medley a true medley since most of the songs (Time and Word, Long Distance Runaround, The Fish, Perpetual Change, and Soon) are played essentially in their entirety–they just didn’t pause between songs.
My favourite Yes medley is “Chronological Journey” performed by Circa in 2007 (featuring at the time current yes member White (drums), ex-members Kaye (keyboards) and Sherwood (bass) and Yes collaborator Jimmy Haun (guitar)). Forty minutes of an instrumental journey through time with every studio album from 1969 to 1999 represented. Featured songs are:
Looking Around
Harold Land
Every Little Thing
Survival
No Experience Necessary No Opportunity Needed
Something’s Coming
Yours Is No Disgrace
Heart of the Sunrise
South Side of the Sky
Roundabout
Close to the Edge
And You and I
Ritual
Sound Chaser
Parallels
Arriving UFO
On the Silent Wings of Freedom
Tempus Fugit
Changes
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Cinema
Rhythm of Love
Lift Me Up
Endless Dream (the only song with vocals–provided by Billy Sherwood)
Mind Drive
Open Your Eyes
Lightning Strikes
This to me will always be the ultimate Yes-medley. I encourage those who haven’t seen it to seek it out on Youtube.
I agree. The CIRCA medley is astounding. I saw them perform it at RoSfest in 2008, and as much as I like having a recording of it on DVD, I am far more likely to play the CD version that was released in Japan.
https://www.discogs.com/release/11601662-Circa-Live
I think you are all mistaken. Clearly the best Yes medley is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfLcAPWFkfk , which is Producers playing Sad Night at the Airfield / Soon / Owner of a Lonely Heart.
Nice one, Henry.
On disc 2 of Live in Sheffield, tracks 6-20 are actually tour rehearsals of the songs
Ah. Thank you. That makes sense.
Great topic for discussion and fascinating stuff.
My view has always been that the Big Medley from the Wembley ’78 broadcast is the one against which others should be measured. That show remains my gateway and most played Yes ‘album’ with the definitive Big Medley. And possibly definitive ‘everything’! Hopefully, one day…we’ll get that official release.
I saw Jon’s Manchester Apollo show in 1980 a mere ten days after the Yes double header at the same venue. LOVED his Yes medley, especially taking up bits and pieces which had passed out of the Yes repertoire. To Be Over and chunks of Topographic were stunning and I felt that the New Life Band certainly did them justice. To that end, I would opt for Jon’s medley over the Word Is Live Big Medley (not as keen on the mix tbh…), but both falling at the feet of the might of Wembley ’78.
Incidentally, was there also a Yes medley on Jon’s 1982 tour that sadly never reached the UK. My fading memory recalls a cassette tape of a show, possibly radio broadcast (which is probably now available of a semi official CD). And a particular;y ferocious set with some Mr Cairo music amongst the set too…?
I like medleys too. I preferred Jon’s versions as the recording is better and the songs sounded fresh. Each to his own I guess! Made me buy tickets for the Band Geeks in September!!
Keep up the good work
Food for thought – has Tom Jones ever heard a yes song never mind sung one???
I don’t know about Yes, but Tom Jones did sing with the Moody Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uGQUXneIo
And let’s not forget the Tom Jones song produced by Trevor Horn, which may be the closest he came to Yes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqDEn7uUhFc
Ah yes!! Good point!! I stand corrected!!
I enjoy both the medleys discussed. I saw the Big Medley performed at many US Yes concerts in ’78 & ’79, and appreciated the work it took to piece it together. Since the 80s I’ve had several boots from Jon’s ’80 solo tour that included his medley. Great musicians, interesting choices & segues. As a jazz lover as well as rock, I don’t have an issue with the lighter, jazzier tone.
As Mike mentioned, Jon & his reconfigured band also performed medleys on his ’82 US tour, which I saw in Pittsburgh and near Chicago in Aug. ’82. The 1st medley was Gamelan/CTTE/Heart of the Sunrise/Wonderous Stories/Long Distance Runaround/CTTE reprise. The 2nd medley was Perpetual Change/I’ve Seen All Good People/YIND/Starship Trooper/Awaken. Wonderful stuff. To me, better sung & performed than the ’80 medley.
Great show topic. I’m not a big medley person, but I saw the Big Medley live and agree with some of the others that most songs were pretty much full versions …Time and a Word, Long Distance Ruanaround/Fish were mostlly complete; Perpetual Change, while incomplete, was substantial, and the closing of Gates into Soon was similar to what Yes played on the most recent tour. Nice to see Wakeman play a little of Gates. The New Life Band tour did not come to the US, but I did see Jon on the Animation tour as opener for King Crimson, and the medley he played there had pieces of Close to the Edge in it. Jon also did a little medley on his 1000 Hands tour, with Solid Space from Oilias mixed in with Starship Trooper. A few other medleys I remember seeing live include Rick Wakeman’s Yes Sonata, and the opening of the ABWH tour with Jon doing Time and a Word/Owner/Teakbois then Steve with Clap/Mood for A Day/ Rick with Long Distance Runaorund and Bill with Drums from Heart of the Sunrise. I unfortunately missed the Circa show at Rosfest, as that sounds great too.
I saw JA at a half-full Birmingham Odeon in 1980 and (I must admit) much preferred it to the Drama show, which I also saw, in London. I really enjoyed the medley as it reinvented some of the old material in quite a bold way. The great and much-missed Chris Rainbow was mainly there as a featured backing vocalist, as he was with Camel and the Alan Parsons Project at various times. I also agree that The Big Medley isn’t really a standard one at all – more a bunch of songs played without stopping.
One more comment – the tour wasn’t just promoting Song Of Seven (although that was the main purpose) but also the first album with Vangelis, Short Stories, which hadn’t been out that long, which is why he also played a few songs from it. The main set finished with Song On Seven with its ultra-soft ending, which was quite unusual, and they encored with Every Day, the Buddy Holly song (as opposed to the Steve Hackett one). I remember bassist John Giblin jumping off an amp at one point during it.
I do love the “Big Medley” (great version of “Fish” and cool 20 second interpolation of The Ancient) but I’m a HUGE fan of the Jon A Band 1980 medley. Why? Fabulous musicianship and the quirky takes on the arrangements.
Remember this is not YES, so essentially we are hearing cover versions (with the original singer). OK, it’s definitely got a “musical theatre” vibe. The use of double keyboards (it’s def keyboard-heavy) and a woodwinds player gives it that more “Broadway” sound. “Vegas”-style? That might be a bit strong IMHO LOL!
I thing that the sax solo on Long Distance is thrilling! (Ok the keys on Wondrous Stories are a bit much). But the flute (on the end of the over-keyed Wondrous Stories) & Ritual–brilliant!!
And much of the guitar playing is quite strong-lots of brilliant but tinny-sounding acoustic fills on Wondrous Stories & Your Move, The Prophet has some ripping electric gtr fills, and the rocking slide guitar on All Good People makes me love that much too overplayed of YES songs song again LOL.
And the song programming choices, hello, Jon, we didn’t expect The Prophet, never mind Rejoice (an underrated YES gem, right Kevin? I know you agree, bro) with those killer sax fills (again it’s the sax that gives it new life especially when they dive into Revealing Science of God–again with that slide gtr) then into The Remembering (which was my fav side of Tales as a teenager)! Ok, the keyboards on Sous somme du soleil are a bit cloying, I will admit, but the slide guitar (a David Gilmour vibe?) and flute are gorgeous, and it builds to a spectacular finale.
My point is that this medley is a selection of covers–Jon is in fact covering his own music. When I hear covers I like to hear something different, even innovative. This medley does that for me! I’m ready for the Broadway YES juke-box musical! What would be the plot-ha ha? The creation of heaven? LOL…Hey, Mark, if you really wanna give your ears a stretch, check out the Jean-Luc Ponty/Jon Anderson rendition (2015) of Wondrous Stories, where the keyboard player reharmonizes the chorus with jazz chords–I absolutely love this version! LOL https://youtu.be/bDOgbYQ0S5o?si=qHykMvLfSPWpICUX