Why did Yes want Rick Wakeman…back…again? – Part 2 – 584

I never listen to “Two Sides of Yes,” because I don’t like the jarring shift between the electronic and acoustic tracks. This material is much better as Rick original planned it, with the electronic versions in isolation as originally released on “Rick Wakeman’s Greatest Hits” (1992) and the acoustic piano performances as released on “The Yes Piano Variations” (2002) ten years later. These tracks were not intended to be a single project!

Fragile Records released a 2-disc album called “Rick Wakeman’s Greatest Hits” in 1992, all in the same electronic instrumental style. Disc 1 was the Yes songs discussed in the podcast with Alan Thompson on bass and Tony Fernandez on drums. Disc 2 was new instrumental re-recordings by the same trio that might be considered a “best of” selection from Rick’s solo career.

In 2001 (nearly ten years later), the first CD called “Two Sides of Yes” was released by Legends Records, consisting of a mix of new piano recordings with a few of the tracks from “Rick Wakeman’s Greatest Hits.” Then in 2022, Legend Records released “Two Sides of Yes, Volume 2” with the remaining electronic tunes from “Greatest Hits” and more piano recordings.

Later in 2002, Legend Records released “The Yes Piano Variations,” which was a compilation of all the piano tracks from Volumes 1 and 2. I suspect that Legend Records decided to take the path of a “money grab” by releasing “Two Sides of Yes” as two volumes before then giving us the all-piano album that I am confident Rick originally planned.

I enjoy the all-piano disc the most, but I do occasionally play the “Greatest Hits” disc, too. But I never mix them together, and the record label would have been well advised not to do so, either.

Kevin has pretty much nailed it here; most of the solo piano work is gorgeous and often inventive; the band tracks sound like supermarket music, the drums might a well be programmed drum machine, and as Mark says, Rick has the uncanny ability to pick out the worst digital keyboard presets (the prefab synth flute on Madrigal, the annoying square wave patch replicating Steve’s solos on Don’t Kill the Whale). Starship Trooper sounds like a TV Sports theme from the ’80’s. The only 2 exceptions to this are the end of Roundabout which is done creatively, and Siberian Khatru, which contains some compelling moog solo work. I would compare SK favorably to The Steve Howe Trio version on The Haunted Melody. The rest is unlistenable.

However, I really enjoyed the piano solos. Your Move was incredibly beautiful, as were Long Distance, Awaken & Close to the Edge. I’d like to put these tracks on a playlist and bring them to the beach this summer. Mark’s objections to Rick’s playing around with the arrangements and chords reminds me of what I imagine Steve H’s reaction would be LOL. Kevin, you need to school Mark in classical piano music, introduce him to the theme & variation form; start with some easy-listening Satie & perhaps Mozart’s K. 331, then on to Bach’s Goldberg variations, and to see the inspiration for Rick’s embellishments, get him into some Chopin & Rachmaninoff.