Search - Yes :: Essential Yes

More repackaged stuff

njrobbo | Bayonne, NJ | 02/14/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"but if you don't have any of it, sure.. get it & if you do, burn me & everyone else who has the other discs a copy so that we don't have to shell out the $$ for it. I don't think the 4 albums aren't their best work (I thought Magnification was the best of them), but they are accessible. It took me some time & effort to finally get them. Check out CDUNIVERSE--this might be cheaper on their site."

What's in a word?

eurocrank | Ketchikan, Alaska | 03/29/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"YES is any band Chris Squire decides to call as such. He owns the name. Without Squire, there is no YES--ergo ANDERSON BRUFORD WAKEMAN HOWE, a band that includes two of the band's original members (Jon Anderson and Bill Bruford, or "Blufrog" as he is affectionately known in the jazz community) and two members that most people consider part of the classic lineup (Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman). In fact, it would be a classic lineup if Squire had participated instead of Tony Levin and Jeff Berlin. Despite being the lead singer for all of the band's many albums but one ("Drama"), Anderson has no rights to the name, so that one album is still a YES album.



"Essential" doesn't mean "necessary" or even "good"; it just means that the name is officially sanctioned, like a trademark.



For the record, the band members consistently on these five albums are Squire, Anderson, and Alan White, White having been with the group since the tour that produced "Yessongs."



There is no mention whatsoever of anything being remastered in this box. As an earlier reviewer noted, the packaging is spartan: you get a hard box (roughly 5" x 5") and the discs in glossy single-LP-style sleeves. That's it--no notes, no recording information, nothing else. It's as if you get only the CD booklet cover and the backside of the tray for each of the disks.



The version of "Talk" does include an eighth track, the 8:08 "special version" of 'The Calling.' Trevor Rabin may not have been involved with or even OK'd the release of this additional track, but I like it though the song didn't need to be extended. To my ears, it can stand tall with 'Roundabout,' 'Owner of a Lonely Heart,' and 'Lift Me Up' as the best of their singles.



The Montreux set has since been released with more tracks as a two-disk set. Either way, the sound and performance are excellent and, to my ears, livelier and more authentic than anything since "Yessongs" (1973)--I suspect there was little to no overdubbing. While "Live at Montreux 2003" may lack the mythic power of that originally-three-record set, it certainly was better recorded and may be more appealing to younger or more recent listeners.



By the way, I have yet to hear a poor release in the Montreux series. The DEEP PURPLE and JETHRO TULL sets are also among their best live releases. They were mixed by David Richards (QUEEN) and mastered by Ray Staff, both of them pros."

Don't Buy!

Bangsmith | Cumberland, RI | 04/11/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"If you want any or all of the albums in this set, buy them separately. This set has no notes, while the individual releases have liner notes and lyrics in some cases. The only one that is relatively hard to find cheap is "Open Your Eyes", but that is their worst release ever, so it is easy to sacrifice. This version of "Montreaux" is only ONE disc, whereas the separate release is TWO CDs. If you pick up the other four albums (including the two-disc Montreaux) separately, using third-party sellers, you will pay about the same, maybe marginally more than you would for this rip-off of a box set! The single star is for the box presentation, the music itself averages three-and-a-half or four stars."