Yesathon I...

Playlist

Yes - Yes

Yes - Time And A Word

Yes - The Yes Album

Yes - Fragile

Yes - Close To The Edge

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans

Yes - Relayer

Yes - Going For The One

Yes - Tomrato

Yes - Drama

Yes - 90125

And so, September and the first three quarters of what has been another strange year comes to an end...

Up and listening, not to my LP, which will be out tomorrow but to one which will be out, later, at some point...

Checking on an old recording that forms part of the new recording re writing the notes for tomorrow's release...

...the beast was about its business...

Uploading its music into the world...

After breakfast, to accompany today's WFH, with the release tomorrow of the latest Yes album, I decided to undertake a "Yesathon" and listen to each of the previous albums, starting with "Yes" from 1969...

Here we go...

Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, Tony Kaye and Peter Banks...

Then, "Time and A Word" from 1970 - of which I have two copies - this...

 ...and the US version with a cover pic featuring a future version of the group...

 Over the years, the band has had almost 30 different line ups (including disputed formations)...

Then, the initial breakthrough record, "The Yes Album" from 1971 - on which Steve Howe replaced Peter Banks...

...of which I also have a second copy...

...followed by, also from 1971, my first Yes LP, "Fragile" - with Rick Wakeman replacing Tony Kaye...

Again, I have two copies...

The masterpiece from 1972, "Close to the Edge" - the second by the then current line up - no formation of the band has recorded more than two consecutive albums...

With Alan White replacing a departing for King Crimson Bill Bruford, the controversial double LP (just one track on each of the four sides) "Tales From Topographic Oceans"...

Then, in 1974, with Wakeman leaving to pursue a successful solo career, Patrick Moraz, arguably the most gifted keyboard player to have been in the band, joined for "Relayer" - in places even further far out than its predecessor...

A three year hiatus followed, during which five solo LPs were released before the band reconvened to record "Going For the One".  Moraz was on the original sessions but, in a management staged coup, was ousted to allow for the return of Wakeman...

The triple-fold sleeved single LP was a triumphant return, entering the charts, at the height of punk rock, at number one... 

Then, new earbuds arrived - so hard to get good ones at a reasonable price but these fit the bill - let's see how long they last...

Onwards with, after "Going For the One", the relative disappointment of "Tormato" - although, on this listening, I was pleasantly surprised that it was much better than my memory had set me up for it to be...

The third LP by Anderson Squire Howe Wakeman and White...

But, when they got back together in Paris in 1979 to record the follow up, it just didn't work out and both Anderson and Wakeman left...

It would seem Yes were finished...

But, no, in another masterstroke from their management, long time Yes fans and successful pop duo, The Buggles, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, were drafted in, having initially merely written a couple of songs to be submitted to the band, they were surprised to be asked to join...

The resultant LP was a dramatic, if you excuse the pun, return to form - harking back to the earlier days as it did...

...but the accompanying tour, which had been booked and tickets sold on the basis of the previous line up, was not so successful and, at the end of it, the group seemed dead once more, down to a core of just Squire and White, with Howe and Downes going off to form Asia with John Wetton of King Crimson and Carl Palmer of ELP and Trevor Horn going back to very successful production duties...

The remaining duo were partnered with South African maestro Trevor Rabin and started work on new material for a band to be known as Cinema....

Squire met up with Anderson and played him the tapes and the latter was keen to sing with Squire again - before we knew it, Cinema became Yes...

Tony Kaye returned to the fold on keyboards (Eddie Jobson of Roxy Music having appeared briefly in publicity shots)...

And so, the group's most successful album, including the US Number One Single, "Owner of a Lonely Heart", produced by ex-member, Trevor Horn, was released in 1983...

The band were at its zenith, commercially speaking...

At this point, it was time for a night out to celebrate 10 years of The Man and a good time was had...

..."90125" soundtracking the not worse for wear bus journey home...

Because, tomorrow, the EP is off to that London with sister in law Jane and your correspondent is on early morning taxi duty...

Highlight of the Day : Yesathon...