Yes - 'Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome' CD Review (Frontiers Records)

The latest album from Yes, Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome, was recorded this past May during the band’s “triple header” tour where the band played 1971's The Yes Album, 1972's Close to the Edge and 1977's Going For the One front to back during its shows. I have mixed feeling about this new live album as it comes right on the heels of 2011’s In the Present – Live from Lyon where the band played three of the six songs from The Yes Album and this recording only includes The Yes Album and Going for the One sets.

Before getting into the album, I should note that I never got around to listening to Yes’ latest studio album Heaven & Earth so this live show was my first exposure to vocalist Jon Davison and, vocally, he is more of a dead ringer for Jon Anderson than Benoit David was. Now for the show – the mix on this recording is extremely crisp and the contributions from all the members of Yes are clearly captured. Across the disc, Steve Howe’s guitar work and Davison’s vocals, along with some strong keyboard and piano flourishes from Geoff Downes, drives all of the songs.

When describing the impetus behind the ‘triple header’ tour, Steve Howe told Billboard: "We wanted an easy time and a hard time -- in other words, we wanted some challenges to rise to make the three-album concept work…So 'The Yes Album' is kind of the easy stuff because we've played a lot of it pretty regularly. And the challenges were bringing back 'Close to the Edge, which wasn't too tricky, and then doing 'Going For the One' really did give us some challenges because 'Turn of the Century,' 'Going For the One' (the song), 'Parallels,' those are formidable arrangements and (songs) we haven't done for a long time. We seem to have radically upped the game."

The positive side of this disc is that only a small handful of tracks from Going for the One have been included on previous live albums so it was great to hear this album performed live. Some of the highlights from this set are Howe’s flamingo guitar work on “Turn of the Century” and Downes’ piano/keyboards on “Awaken”. The negative side of this disc is that most of the tracks from The Yes Album have been on numerous other live discs from Yes and the ‘definitive’ live versions of these songs can be found on 1973’s YesSongs. Also, now that there is a well-established expectation for what these songs should sound like live, sluggish tempos on some of The Yes Album songs on this new live recording make these versions sound somewhat disconcerting (i.e. the transition as “Your Moves” shifts into “All Good People”). On a positive note, slower paced numbers like “Perpetual Change” sound brilliant with Davison’s soaring vocals and Howe and Downes put down some great jazzy licks on “A Venture”.



The Bristol Post covered this show live and here is a link to their review: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Review-Yes-Bristol-Hippodrome-9-10-Michael/story-21084469-detail/story.html

Links:
Yes

Asia Plays B.B. King's (Times Square) on Sept. 20th / 'Gravitas' CD Review (Frontiers Records)

As much as I'm not a fan of going to Times Square for any reason, I might have to break down and go see Asia at B.B. King's Blue Club on September 20th. General admission tickets are $42.50 Advance / $47 Day of Show and VIP Reserved Floor Seating is $75.

I was a bit nervous when Steve Howe checked out of Asia and was replaced by guitar shredder Sam Coulson (holy shades of Astra, Batman). This concern was without merit though as Asia’s new disc, Gravitas, continues in the spirit of the last few reunion albums with all the tracks written by Wetton/Downes. In comparison to Astra, Gravitas is a better album as there are more stand-out tracks but there are similarities between these two discs as both have tracks that are just ‘ok’ and even a few that don’t stand up well to repeated listening. In comparison to the most recent reunion albums, Gravitas is much more textured and layered and seems like a noticeable attempt to capture past glories from the 80’s. The most relevant point of comparison to would be to compare Gravitas to Alpha.

The disc starts with "Valkyrie" and it is everything that you would expect from the 80’s lineup of Asia. The song is layered and atmospheric, with big vocals and harmonies, strings (from Sam Coulson) and a clean guitar solo. This track sets the tone for the rest of the disc as this is clearly the Wetton/Downes show.  Across the disc, Coulson's presence isn't always noticeable and Carl Palmer’s contributions are minimal.

 The next track, “Gravitas”, clearly highlights the difference between these songs and those from Asia’s first album. This eight minute track starts with a huge synth build before the song kicks into full speed. The pulsing back-beat sets the expectation of the exploding choruses and urgency of the first disc but Wetton and Downes are never able to turn this corner. The songs “Nyctophobia” and “Heaven Help Me” are the highlights of the disc and both of these songs come the closest to capturing the sonic force of the first album. “Nyctophobia” is a mid-tempo rocker with a multi-layered sound and big backing vocals. “Heaven Help Me Now” is a solid rocker with a driving beat and huge Queen-like backing vocals. This later song is also one of the few times that Coulson’s guitar work surfaces.

“The Closer I Get”, “Russian Dolls” and “Joe DiMaggio’s Glove” are the mellow and introspective numbers on the disc and these tracks are in 'soft middle' in what could have been an extremely solid outing. All three songs are tales of lost love and broken hearts but, unfortunately, Wetton’s schmaltzy lyrics get annoying fairly quickly. “The Closer I Get” is a piano ballad that is carried by Wetton’s vocals, “Russian Dolls” is a mellow and melancholy number that meanders a bit before finally picking up the pace and “Joe DiMaggio’s Glove” sounds a bit too much like Bon Jovi in the beginning for me to be comfortable (and lyrics like ”how did my heart become so soft as Joe DiMaggio’s glove” make me queasy).

In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Carl Palmer said the following about Gravitas: “We wanted some younger blood in there and we wanted to sound a little bit heavier. It is classic rock and it is more in that Van Halen sort of area, or whatever you want to call it. We have been softer in the recent past, so we wanted to rock it up a bit. “ Check out the video below and see what you think.



Links:
Asia

Steve Howe Leaves Asia (band) / Newcomer Sam Coulson Named as Replacement

Guitarist Steve Howe has announced his departure from Asia and he will be replaced by Sam Coulson (who has the reputation as a shredder, so I'm not sure I see the fit). Remembering back to something that Geoff Downes had posted circa 1999 - 2000, one of the reasons he pulled out of the then Asia reunion was that Steve Howe wasn't invited to participate. I had always heard that Howe didn't get along with John Wetton so Steve's departure doesn't come as a shock but...the Asia lineups with Mandy Meyer and Pat Thrall replacing Howe always seemed to be missing 'something' as Howe's playing is a prominent part of Asia's sound.

Here is Steve Howe's quote: "I have left Asia to concentrate on Yes, my solo work & my Trio. I've enjoyed the 6 years of touring and recording with Asia, but now it's time to focus more on the above mentioned formations. —Steve"

Here is the quote from the remaining members of Asia: "John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer are delighted to announce that not only do they have an incredible talent in place to step into Steve Howe’s shoes, but also that their first international show with newcomer Sam Coulson will be a high profile performance at Sweden Rock 2013. Sam is a wonderful player, world-renowned amongst guitar virtuosos. Additionally, a new studio album, to be entitled ‘Valkyrie’, will be recorded for Frontiers Records during 2013 continuing the band’s relationship with the label.

John Wetton said, “ASIA is ready to take its next steps along this remarkable road. We cannot wait to perform again for the fans and also to unveil some of the new material, of which we are very proud”. Geoff Downes said, “We look forward to writing another chapter in Asia’s history”. Carl Palmer commented, “We’re all looking forward to the next decade of great ASIA music”."

Check out Sam Coulson's playing and see what you think...





Links:
Asia

Yes (band) Will Play Three Complete Albums At Show At Beacon Theatre on April 9th

I have such the aversion to 'tribute bands' that I cringed when Yes replaced vocalist Benoît David (who fronted the Yes tribute band Close to the Edge) with Jon Davison (who fronted the Yes tribute band Roundabout). It equally seems like a bad idea that Yes is going out next year and playing three albums back-to-back that 2/5 - 3/5 of the current lineup played on. I would have loved to have seen Yes do something adventurous like play through albums like Time and a Word, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Drama or Open Your Eyes but, unfortunately, it looks like Yes wants to play it safe but...this moves the band somewhere between Moody Blues (who last released an album in 2003) and tribute band territory.

Legendary progressive rock band, Yes, today announced its upcoming North American tour, kicking off March 2013 in West Wendover, NV and wrapping up May 2013 in Detroit, MI. On this tour, fans can look forward to a totally new and unique Yes experience; the band, for the first time in its storied history, will perform three of its most popular albums in their entireties, The Yes Album, Close to the Edge, and Going for the One. Due to performance time limits in several venues, Yes will perform two albums, The Yes Album and Close to the Edge, in their entireties.

Performing three of rock’s most renowned albums will see Yes members, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, and Jon Davison, playing Yes staples that have dramatically influenced rock music over the last four decades. Fans will enjoy long time favorites, including "Yours is No Disgrace," "I’ve Seen All Good People," "Starship Trooper," "Close to the Edge," "And You And I," "Going for the One," "Wondrous Stories," "Awaken," and more, in a completely unique format. Moreover, Yes will perform all tracks in the order they appear on their corresponding studio albums.

"These albums we all easily agreed on—they are complete works in themselves. And several of the songs have rarely been performed live," says Yes guitarist, Steve Howe. "I believe the one song we’ve never performed in concert is ‘A Venture’ from The Yes Album," states Yes co-founder and bassist, Chris Squire. Yes drummer, Alan White goes on to say, "This is a great opportunity to show the growth of Yes throughout different eras, and to once again enjoy the great memories of those times, as well as create brand new ones. We’re looking forward to performing these albums. It’s going to be fun for us, and we think our fans will love it as well."

Tickets for the Beacon Theatre go on sale Dec. 14th and ticket prices range from $39.50 - $125 (or $53.25 - $143.60 after TicketMaster fees). (Update: I was curious to see what sort of tickets were left and the Beacon/TicketMaster website shows no tickets available, at any price - I'd be shocked if the show sold out that quickly so I'm wondering if it was canceled).

For anyone who wants to see what the current lineup looks like - here is a live video from a tour stop over the summer.



Links:
Yes

Asia - "XXX" CD Review (Frontiers Records)

DOWNLOAD/STREAM: Asia - "Face on the Bridge" (Radio Edit)
(Note: Track hosted on Frontiers.it)

Two years ago, I reviewed Asia’s then current release, Omega, and my comment was “While the urgency/intensity and arena rock sound of the early releases is gone, this is a mature release that doesn’t detract from the band’s legacy and it should strike a chord with long-time Asia fans.” At the time of its release, John Wetton had compared Omega to Alpha and said that “musically and conceptually, the two albums share commonality.” With the release of XXX, Asia sounds re-engerized and this disc is the closest that the band has come to recreating the sound of their first album.

This disc is very much the Wetton/Downes show with the focal point of most of the songs being Geoff Downes’ piano and keyboard and John Wetton’s spot-on vocals. The music has a sense of urgency and immediacy that was missing from Omega and John Wetton hasn’t sounded this energized in years. Steve Howe’s guitar work is stellar when it surfaces from beneath Downes’ textured keys but…Carl Palmer’s contributions are fairly inconsequential. Seven of the disc’s nine tracks were written by Wetton/Downes, with Steve Howe sharing the writing credits on the remaining two songs. Most of the songs run close to or just over the five minute mark which gives them a chance to build and only one or two songs sag a bit when the band drifts too far into AOR territory.

The disc starts out strong with “Tomorrow the World” which opens with Downes on the piano and quickly builds up to the melodic and vocal hooks of the classic Asia sound. “Bury Me in Willow” is equally strong and includes the big melodic choruses which Asia is known for. “No Religion” (one of the numbers co-written by Howe) has a driving pace and more aggressive guitar work than typically found on an Asia album and Howe’s guitar work also shines on the other piece that he co-wrote – “Judas”. The disc’s first single “Face on the Bridge” leads in with Wetton’s bass work and features some of his strongest vocals and Wetton and the band’s strong vocal harmonies are also highlighted on “Al Gatto Nero”. The only dud on the album is “I Known How You Feel”, which isn’t horrid but sinks under its AOR weight.



The originally lineup of Asia seemed to run out of gas with their second album Alpha and collapsed shortly thereafter but XXX is a strong third release from the reunited band and shows that this lineup still has plenty of life left in them.

Links:
Asia

Yes - "Fly from Here" CD Review (Frontiers Records)

It is starting to feel like 1979/1980 all over again, [Jon] Anderson and [Oliver] Wakeman both leave Yes, Yes regroups with vocalist Benoit David (a Trevor Horn sound-alike) and keyboardist Geoff Downes, Roger Dean does his first Yes album cover in years and the material focuses around songs brought to the group by keyboardist Geoff Downes and producer Trevor Horn.

The disc starts off with the twenty-four minute / five–part epic “Fly from Here” which was originally brought to the band as “We Can Fly from Here” by Downes and Horn in 1980 but ultimately left off of the Drama album. This new re-working of the song includes the original song plus “Sad Night at the Airfield” (a demo from The Buggles’ 1981 album Adventures in Modern Recording session), another previously unreleased Buggles demo “Madman at the Screens” and a new jittery composition by Steve Howe entitled “Bumpy Ride” that borders on Talking Heads' style funk. Continuing to leverage the some of the Buggles’ previously unreleased recordings, Chris Squire has said that "Life on a Film Set" is based on "Riding a Tide" (also released as a bonus track on Adventures in Modern Recording).



Of the remaining tracks, Steve Howe and Chris Squire both contributed separate pieces. The only song written by the full band (including Oliver Wakeman, prior to his departure) was “Into the Storm”, which sounds like something out of the 90125 era. Howe’s contributions are “Hour of Need”, where David sounds like a dead-ringer for Jon Anderson and the guitar instrumental "Solitaire", which is Howe's 'update' to "Mood for a Day".

Collectors Note: A significantly longer version of “Hour of Need” (6:45m) is included as a bonus track on the Japanese issue of Fly from Here.

Chris Squire takes lead vocals on his contribution, “The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be", which has an early-Yes/Syn vibe. This song was written last decade for an aborted solo project and it was co-written by Gerard Johnson (who played with Squire in The Syn) and Simon Sessler.

Fly from Here is fairly mellow and nowhere near as edgy as Drama but it is a solid and mature performance from a band that had seemed to be running out of gas. As to be expected, the same “you can’t have Yes without Jon Anderson” drama is flaring up on the internet. Most interesting was a “sour grapes” comment from Jon Anderson who told Rolling Stone “I wasn't really convinced…The new singer is singing good, but it sounded a bit dated to me. Also, the production wasn't as good as I expected. They've got a great producer with Trevor Horn, so what the hell are you doing?" The nay-sayers should keep in mind that, while this disc doesn’t break any new ground, it is head and shoulders above some of the band’s releases in the 90’s (specifically Talk and Open Your Eyes).

Yes is currently touring the summer sheds on a co-headlining bill with Styx and the set list includes "Fly From Here" from the new disc and "Tempus Fugit" from Drama. In other Yes-related news, Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman will be playing a string North American shows in the fall.

Links:
Yes

Asia - Omega CD Review (Frontiers Records)

DOWNLOAD: Asia – “Finger on the Trigger” (hosted on AOL Radio Blog)

It was probably a mistake to listen to King Crimson Live in Guildford 1972 (King Crimson Collectors’ Club) prior to listening to the newest album from Asia. After listening to John Wetton, Robert Fripp, Jamie Muir, David Cross and Bill Bruford seamlessly flow from “Book of Saturday” into a 20+ minute free-form improv jam (“All That Glitters Is Not Nail Polish”), I was somewhat disappointed with the straightforward AOR sound of Asia’s second post-reunion studio album Omega.

John Wetton is quoted on the band’s MySpace page as having said “The title 'Omega', as any fan of the band will tell you, is 'very Asia' (as is the album, by the way). It no more means 'final' than 'Alpha' means 'the first' (which it wasn't). It's a great sounding/looking word, and a bookend to 'Alpha'. In many ways, musically and conceptually, the two albums share commonality.” I couldn’t have said this better in that Alpha (1983) is probably the best point of comparison. Omega isn’t a bad disc but it shows no signs of the individual members prog-rock pasts and it is also missing the pop hooks that made the band’s debut album so memorable.

The twelve tracks on Omega (the track “Emily” is included as a bonus on the first pressing) are all mid-tempo rockers and power ballads that are driven by John Wetton’s voice, Steve Howe’s fluid guitar work and Geoff Downes’ keyboards. Carl Palmer’s contribution seems minimal and Wetton’s bass just isn’t in the mix. "Finger on the Trigger" (which is a hold-over from Wetton/Downes’ ICON project) kicks off the disc and is one of the few tracks on this disc that has the ‘classic Asia’ sound.



There are a couple of other strong tracks on the disc like “Holy War” and “Ever Yours” (which seems like an update to “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”). What is notable is that as the band’s sound has matured, the band’s vocals harmonies and melodies have become almost Beatle-ish (check out “I’m Still The Same”). While the urgency/intensity and arena rock sound of the early releases is gone, this is a mature release that doesn’t detract from the band’s legacy and it should strike a chord with long-time Asia fans.

Asia is playing some shows in the NYC area in August:
Aug 6th - Theatre at Westbury, Westbury NY
Aug 7th - Showboat. Atlantic City NJ
Aug 8th - Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield CT
Aug 10th - Bergen PAC, Englewood, NJ

Here is what the current set list looks like:

Asia - Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, Yokohama, Japan
May 15 2010

01-Intro
02-I Believe
03-Only Time Will Tell
04-Holy War
05-Never Again
06-Through My Veins
07-Don't Cry (John & Geoff)
08-Steve Howe Solo
09-Sketches In The Sun
10-The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
11-Open Your Eyes
12-Finger On The Trigger
13-Time Again
14-An Extraordinary Life
15-End Of The World
16-The Heats Goes On
17-Carl Palmer Solo
18-Sole Survivor
19-encore break
20-Go
21-Heat Of The Moment

Links:
Asia

Some Days I Can't Figure Out the Logic in Concert Ticket Pricing

I always get a kick out of looking through the upcoming concert listings in TimeOutNY to see the wide range of concert ticket prices.

I actually saw Asia a couple years ago at Borders Books in somewhere in central New Jersey. It was a free show and I got a chance to talk with Geoff Downes and John Payne after the show who were really nice guys. Now that the original band is back together -- tickets are $65. I'll be shocked if the band gets a strong turn-out. If Ticketmaster ends up selling last minute $5.00 tickets for this show like they did for The Doors at Noika a few weeks ago, I might consider going.

I generally won't pay more than $15 for a show (some of the 'Save CBGB' shows were an exception) unless I am a major fan. Here are some of the crazier ticket prices:

Violent Femmes @ Warsaw June 22-23, $25- I didn't know the band was still around...and playing two nights at Warsaw no less. I would be afraid of going as I would suspect the audience would be full of drunks waiting to sing along with Blister In the Sun.

The Police @ MSG Aug. 1 & 3, Top ticket $254.50 - The sad thing is that the $250 tickets will probably sell out first. You have to love Ticketmaster -- the ticket isn't $250 or $255, it is $254.50. I am sure there is some psychological study that jutifies these oddly priced tickets.

Squeeze @ Noika Theatre Aug. 2, $50 and $65 - When I was growing up in Baltimore in the 80's, Squeeze played the local college and the movie theatre (and any place that would let them in the door). I had heard that attendance had fallen each tour and I think(?) the (then) final lineup of Squeeze played the Mercury Lounge in the late 90s. Does being gone 7 or so years really get you a $50 ticket at Noika or a up-to-$100 ticket at the Beacon?