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Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius
This week, we had a great conversation with Glenn Williams, a rock writer based in Japan who I found via YMP Patron Paul Hailes. We picked Genn’s brains about the music scene in Japan today and over the decades to try and find out what makes the country ‘tick’ and why they seem to receive special treatment from record companies. I have several Yes records and CDs in Japanese import versions, as you probably do and they are always impressive.
We also discussed the conditions for live music in Japan and how different genres are viewed. Glenn shared some great insights.
- How have music listening trends changed in Japan over the decades?
- Why has it always been seen as a great place to record live albums?
- How popular is progressive rock nowadays?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
www.writerinjapan.com
Guest house:
www.mendipstachikawa.com
Japanese items from Doug Curran:
A gift from Mishiru many years ago:
Barry Plummer 2026 Calendar is still available!
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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 |
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2 replies on “Yes – Big in Japan with Glenn Williams – 707”
One of the least Yes related podcasts, but to coin one of Kevin’s frequent phrases, “Absolutely fascinating”. Well worth chatting to Glenn and I look forward to some further insights of his into the problems of touring in Japan in the past, present and future.
During the episode, Kevin mentioned hearing that “Yes” might mean something like “God” or “Jesus” in Japanese. Glenn didn’t fully address that point, so I wanted to share the linguistic reason behind that. When transcribed into Japanese phonetics, Yes is rendered as “Yesu”. Incidentally, Jesus is also rendered in Japanese as “Yesu.” So, strictly speaking, the words sound identical! Usually, the context makes it obvious which one you are talking about. However, when you start discussing the pseudo-religious themes Tales from Topographic Oceans and other Yes works, that distinction might get a little blurry, which arguably adds a fun extra layer of intrigue for Japanese listeners! Thanks for the great insights on the Japanese music scene.