This page last updated: 15 May 2008
 

YES and projects with several Yesmen	Jon Anderson	Chris Squire	Steve Howe	Alan White
Rick Wakeman	Bill Bruford	Tony Kaye	Peter Banks	Patrick Moraz
Trevor Horn	Geoff Downes	Trevor Rabin	Billy Sherwood	Igor Khoroshev
Anderson & Wakeman	Asia	CIRCA: (with White, Kaye & Sherwood)	Oliver Wakeman	Others associated with the band

On this page—Yes: Touring in 2008 - New line-up - Set list - New music possible - Animated film - The Director's Cut DVD - Documentaries & books - Fandom

Projects involving multiple Yes men: Asia (Howe, Downes) - Anderson & Wakeman - CIRCA: (Sherwood, White, Kaye) - Psy-op (Sherwood, Downes, Kaye) - Billy Sherwood's tribute albums (with Howe, White, Wakeman, Bruford, Banks, Kaye, Downes, Levin) - Jon Anderson with Trevor Rabin, and with Peter Banks

Celebrating their 40th anniversary, 25 dates for the "Close to the Edge and Back" tour have been announced on YesWorld from 12 Jul-22 Aug in Canada and the US. Full band rehearsals are expected to begin in London in Jun, and Howe and O. Wakeman already had rehearsals together before Howe's tour with Asia. Many tickets are on sale and YesWorld have details of further pre-sales. The tour begins at the 41e Festival d'été de Québec (Summer Festival of Quebec City), Quebec, Canada, with CG3+2—i.e. the California Guitar Trio (worked with Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Tony Levin) joined by Tony Levin (King Crimson, ex-ABWH, ex-Peter Gabriel, ex-Steve Howe) and Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson)—planned as the opening act.

YesWorld describes the band as planning a "world tour", but the first leg is confined to North America. Further touring in 2008 appears unlikely (at a mid-Feb 2008 solo show, Howe expressed disappointment that the band probably will not be coming to Europe in 2008, in part due to other band members' other commitments), but the band have plans for 2009/2010, including the UK and the rest of Europe. On tour in Nov 2007, Anderson said the band will be coming to Europe in 2009. A report from Dave Ling (see 2 Apr entry) on a conversation with R. Wakeman describes a "two-year run" of touring, while in his Spring RWCC newsletter, R. Wakeman talks of Yes "embarking on a minimum of two years worth of heavy touring , beginning [...] with a first American leg" and he alludes to a UK leg in 2009. Oliver Wakeman in Apr confirmed touring plans for 2009. In a late Mar 2008 interview, Anderson said the band would be touring South America, then North America in 2010.

A Jun 2007 Billboard interview with Howe, about Asia, says that he "expects to be busy again with Yes [...] Plans are afoot for touring and possibly recording, but Howe is confident both groups [Yes and Asia] can co-exist." Howe goes on to say, "There's no issue of moving Asia out of the way so I can do Yes[.] The other guys in Asia feel it is right Yes should come back. But we're certainly utilizing the time when Yes is dormant to our advantage." Note Asia dates have been announced for late Apr 2009.

The new line-up: Rick replaced by Oliver
The band will be Anderson, Squire, Howe and White, but not Rick Wakeman. Oliver Wakeman, Rick's eldest son, is "sitting in" on keys, to use the phrasing given at YesWorld. While Rick is not touring (and his latest comments seem to rule out even doing the 2009 UK leg with the band), the possibility of his future involvement with Yes in some manner remains very open, with the possibility of some live appearances hinted. Relations between Rick and the rest of the band remain good.

R. Wakeman's absence is for a number of reasons, with the stresses of touring on his health being central. Anderson said in a Mar radio interview, "Unfortunately Rick is in a quandary because he can't tour because of... Well, he won't tell many people, but he hasn't been too well." In an early-Feb interview with Notes from the Edge, Anderson said, "Oliver Wakeman will be playing in the band, because Rick can't tour anymore. His doctors have told him that you can't do it. He can do small tours, but he can't do the big work, you know. He's excited that his son's playing." In a 17 Mar interview, he said, "I saw Oliver again last week. He's just as good as his father. And to think, I remember him at 14, with his bass guitar, having difficulty seeing through his long hair." The key point of contention seems to have been the length of the tour. Chatting with fans after a solo show in early Nov, R. Wakeman confirmed he had been in discussions with the others about touring in 2008 and that he wanted to do a tour, but that they could not agree on what form the tour should take. He explained that he is limiting himself to 25 shows a year, but that the others want to do a tour of over 100 dates. He was quoted as saying, "They're mad—Jon's voice would never stand up to it." R. Wakeman has semi-retired from touring. The limits of what that means have not always been clear: he has explained that he has given up solo touring, but not all live work and has explicitly said that he will tour with Yes. Even in a solo capacity, he has since done some short series of dates. However, health issues appear to remain a break on R. Wakeman's involvement in longer tours and he has previously argued that Yes should play fewer, larger dates rather than longer tours. It can also be noted that Anderson has previously had voice problems during touring, with Yes in 2004 (see discussion on Anderson's page). A Feb announcement on RWCC.com by Wakeman did not mention Yes but describes his 24 date Grumpy Old Picture Show tour in Apr/May, saying it "almost takes up my self allotted quota of shows for each year in one fell swoop", which is consistent with the earlier report that he is limited himself to 25 shows a year.

On 14 Mar 2008, R. Wakeman made an announcement about the situation on his website, abbreviated here:

Reporting on an Apr 2008 conversation (see 2 Apr entry) with R. Wakeman, journalist Dave Ling said, "Though Rick hasn't ruled out appearing during the trek's intended two-year run in some shape or form, his son Oliver will be tickling the ivories when Yes kick off in Quebec City on July 12. Seems that the last suicidally long bout of roadwork nearly killed the legendary keyboard player and, according to Rick, almost cost Jon Anderson his voice. He also felt they should have had some new material to promote, which sadly won't be the case." In a 3 Apr 2008 interview, asked whether Wakeman was out of the band, White replied, "Well, he's not really out of the band—he'll never really be out of the band. He just doesn't want to push himself. He's got a bunch of things going on and he doesn't feel like touring. The travelling really wears you out and it really wears at you." In an interview circa Apr, Oliver said Rick was not out of the band, although it is unclear in what sense he meant that.

Trevor has for a number of weeks been contacted by YES members and their new management inviting him to tour with the band this year. “I appreciate the invite and miss the excitement of playing live. Unfortunately, my schedule just does not allow for it this year,” Trevor acknowledged.

In a May 2008 article, Anderson talks about touring YesWest material with Rabin—see below. Squire was on Danny Baker's BBC radio show in Aug 2007. Peter Banks rang in and the following exchange occured:

Banks: What's happening with the 40th anniversary tour, and am I on it?

Squire: [...] It's all under discussion. I don't know […] I can't say anything definite. […] We have to find out which people are available.

Banks: I don't know if [Squire] knows [...] I'm currently writing songs with Jon Anderson

Set list, "Your Move with Yes", opening act and other show details
Set design will be by Roger Dean.

"VH1 Classic Presents: Your Move with Yes" on VH1 Classic (presumably just in North America) is a talent contest where participants upload a 2-5 minute video of themselves performing an original piece of music. Entries must be uploaded by 9 May. A judging panel from VH1 Classic plus Anderson will select three finalists, who will be voted on by people at VH1Classic.com (see press release for more). The winner will get to perform [SPOILERS—highlight to read] "Give Love Each Day" with Anderson on stage. I presume this is just at one show.

Multiple reports say "Close to the Edge" and "Awaken" are in the set, while new music is also mooted. On 3 Mar, in an interview on Michael Smerconish's radio show, Anderson said he had recently sent Oliver the set list and he was learning the songs now. Anderson also said that the Paul Green's School of Rock All-Stars would open for Yes and that they would join Yes on stage to perform "Close to the Edge" and "Awaken" (see below). My best guess is that this is not now happening, but this remains unclear, as does the details of any such arrangement. The All-Stars have played regularly with Jon Anderson in recent years and toured with Anderson in Mar/Apr 2008. In the early Feb NftE interview, Anderson said:

New music
New Yes music is planned: details are unclear, but some reports suggest new material is planned both to be played on the tour and for studio recording. A May 2008 article reports, "Anderson says the [band] are preparing four new songs of the "opus" variety -- lengthy, multi-movement compositions along the lines of "Close to the Edge" and "Tales From Topographic Oceans."" It quotes Anderson: "They're very, very different. It'll be interesting when we perform them, because we know that we want to try and perform them in a unique fashion." However, he goes on to suggest that recording an album has yet to be decided upon: "Putting together an album really isn't logical anymore. Putting together a large piece of music or something that is really a jump in a musical direction takes a lot of commitment from everybody.... But maybe during the tour we will discuss making some new music." A Mar 2008 article describes Anderson as, among various solo projects, also "writing songs for an upcoming Yes album and tour." In another Mar article, Anderson said, "We've still got plenty of ideas in the can [...] [On tour] We'll do [...] some new music we're writing." In a Mar interview, Anderson said the set would include some new music. In the NftE interview, Mike Tiano asked Anderson about new music. He replied, "Well I've been writing new music for the band, and I'm working with Trevor on a couple of songs." (Anderson and Rabin have been writing together since early 2006—see below.)

White has also talked about new material, but in more cautious terms. In conversation with a fan in early May, he said there were "some ideas floating around" for new music. In a Jan 2008 interview, asked about new recordings, White said, "We're looking towards recording some material to go with the tour and all that kind of stuff". In his Apr 2008 interview, White said, "we're definitely—well, we're thinking about new material. Jon's got a couple ideas and things are being passed around, but nothing concrete yet. I guess we are working on some—some—new material to go with the tour." A Dec 2007 report described above quoted White as saying he will be spending some pre-rehearsal/writing time with Anderson in Jan 2008 (around the NAMM show) and that Anderson has put together five new pieces in outline form that may be played live in 2008 and may form the basis for a new album. However, a report from Dave Ling (see 2 Apr entry) on a conversation with Wakeman has him saying the band has no new material to promote. If Yes are working on new material, it seems relevant to note that Steve Howe is very busy between now and Jul with tours with Asia and the Steve Howe Trio. Then again, there are indications that the band members have been working on new music to an extent for some years: see older comments about new music below.

In an interview with German magazine Eclipsed circa Nov 2007, Anderson said, "Und spätestens 2009 sehen wir wieder ein Studio von innen, um eine Platte einzuspielen. Diese dann im Yes-Stil, das sind wir unseren Fans schuldig! Denn ich will kein Spielverderber sein. Mir ist sehr wohl klar, was ich dieser Institution mit dem Namen Yes zu verdanken habe." This roughly translates as, "And in 2009 at the latest we'll be seeing the inside of a studio to record in Yes-style—we owe it to our fans. I don't want to be a spoil sport and I'm well aware of all for which I have to thank the institution that we call Yes."

In a late 2007 interview, Squire said:

In an interview for the May/Jun 2007 issue of Bass Guitar (UK magazine), Squire says, "we'd like to do some recording for the future." In a Jul 2007 BBC Radio Kent interview, Squire says there will be a 40th anniversary tour in 2008/9 and a new album, probably after the tour.

On Sirius (US radio), broadcast late May 2007 but seemingly recorded early Apr, Anderson said the band "should come together for the music", specifically new music. Rumours suggest that Anderson's agreement to the band re-grouping is dependent on his feeling that they can do something fresh and exciting for themselves and the fans. In an interview in Oct 2005's Classic Rock, Howe said, "for Yes to continue we've got to record and tour, it can't be one of the other."

Older news on Yes re-grouping
In the "Classic Rock Presents Prog Rock" magazine special (released Jun 2007, see below for details), the band members talked about the future of the band. Howe said:

We did manage to get back to Yes's traditional ingredients with The Ladder, but we threw them all out again with Magnification [...] for me, the period of Open Your Eyes, The Ladder and Magnification was a bit of a bumpy road[.] We're wary that whatever we do next has to be very special. I look at The Yes Album, Fragile and Close to the Edge, and my god, we were hot back then. I like a lot of the band's other records, but those three were the Holy Grail of Yes. We may well make another record, but the stars will have to line up.

We agreed to take 2005 off, which ended up being stretched into 2006. At least three of us felt it was ludicrous to extend that into 2007[.] Fucking hell, was I getting the rest of my life off? My love of Yes music is such that I'll happily be quoted about that. Give me 50 shows now, watch me knock them down.

Sometimes I find some of Jon's decision making a little disappointing. After so long together there have inevitably been a few bumps in the road [...]

I'd have liked Yes to have gone back to work this year [2007], and I think Alan White feels the same[.] But Jon and I had a coffee last year and we've discussed doing something in 2008.

There's no question they are still capable of doing it. But they need the right vehicle [...] It could be something like a soundtrack album

[...] right now I think Chris and Alan White are starting to get quite irritable [...] they want to go out on the road again. Steve is ready to do it too. Jon and Rick are taking their time at the moment. For Jon it will be hard to sing to his standards every night. There are other bands out there where the vocals have gone and they're getting away with it, but Yes can certainly still do it once they decide to.

Veertig jaar Yes moet natuurlijk worden gevierd en in stijl. Vandaar dat we onze vaste ontwerper Roger Dean al aan het werk hebben gezet voor de visuele omlijsting. Muzikaal moeten we alles nog gaan bepalen. Maar als er wordt getoerd, al zal dat met mate gebeuren. Maandenlang op reis? Daar voel ik niets meer voor. [Forty years of Yes must be celebrated, of course, and in style. Therefore we have already put our regular designer Roger Dean to work on the visual background. Musically speaking we have still to determine everything. But if we're going to tour, it will be in moderation. Being on the road for months? I feel nothing for that any more.]

There have been some band discussion about recording a new album, or at least new material, prior to a tour. In a Feb 2005 interview, Anderson had said he would like to play new material on their next tour. Anderson spoke about Yes's plans in a number of radio interviews in Feb 2007. In one, he spoke of people's desire to see Yes again, but said the band needed a "good reason" to re-group, with the 40th anniversary next year being just that. He anticipates that the band will record new music and a tour beginning Spring or Summer, and also said that Roger Dean is creating visual "projections" for the show. In Jan 2007, White commented on Yes's situation in an interview about his new project, CIRCA:—see quote below. One source suggests that Anderson remains keen on novel approaches to releasing new music (see further discussion below), while Squire wants to use an established producer on any new recordings, but both have previously indicated Yes should be making new music prior to any more touring. Both also appear very dissatisfied with recent Yes albums' commercial performance and acknowledge the importance of getting airplay.

There was [...] no record company back-up. [...] We wanted to really break into a bigger audience again and I thought that album was perfect for breaking into a newer audience. But, unfortunately there wasn't the pop song, the radio song that everybody wanted. [...] [I] wish we'd've thought about maybe making a more accessible song in the commercial sense. [...] Because that's what it needs, it always just needs one song to get people interested in the whole album. [...] The last time we really tried to make a hit album [...] The Ladder. That wasn't a commercial success either [...] So you think, 'Hey, this is not what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to be a band of musicians that stay the course, stick to a musical principle and hope that, eventually, we reach more people down the line.'

I think we're just on hold at the moment [...] We're not quite sure what's going to bring it together, is it a musical thing, a musical energy, a musical idea, I hope. And that's the only way it should be. It's got to be something we are committed to and there's got to be that strength in harmony to want to do it. [...] Yes has got a life of its own. When it happens, it will happen. And I can't foretell when it's gonna happen. [...] When it [Yes] stops, we're never quite sure how, why it happened... well, we all understand why it happened, but we don't understand why it had to happen. Then you realise it was important to happen this way, and it was important to slow down a little bit and catch our breaths. [...] Rick had been in the band for four years and we hadn't made an album with him. That's wrong, we've got to make musical steps. I think that's one of the things we never actually talked about until after. [...] [W]e actually went on tour [...] but we never really got together as a band and made an impression on ourselves about what we should musically do next. And that's why we had to say, 'Let's have a break.'

The plan was always to tour but not to rush into an album. There were areas outside pushing us really hard to go back into the studio quick [...] Jon and I have about 6 songs from the last two tours, which we put together with some basic ideas and [...] you look at all these ideas and things and think well this could happen [...] this is my personal view, the next thing that Yes should do is a studio album, but Jon thought a DVD or something more visual [...] in order to do that, its got to go back to the grassroots way of working together again. Its no good making an album by committee anymore, or you go do your bit, and you go and read your bit and you go do your bit.

Q: Dirais-tu qu'aujourd'hui Yes n'est plus qu'un terrain de jeu pour vous éclater à jouer des anciens morceaux ou est-ce qu'il est encore possible que vous écriviez de la bonne musique? [Would you say that today Yes is only a place for you to play the old songs or is it still possible for you all to write good new music?]

Steve Howe: Il semble évident que le groupe tourne beaucoup pour faire plaisir aux fans et jouer les classiques ainsi que des morceaux plus obscurs. Nous aimerions énormément retourner en studio pour faire un grand album comme à la belle époque mais nous n'avons pas les bonnes cartes en mains. Nous n'avons pas de compositions suffisamment fortes qui nous permettraient d'aller en studio totalement confiants. Or, lorsque nous avions fait Fragile ou Close To The Edge nous étions très confiants. Nous étions en plus très productifs puisque nous étions capables d'écrire, d'arranger et de jouer deux nouveaux albums par an. Notre collaboration était à son top. [We would like enormously to come back to the recording studio and make a big record like in the good old times, but we do not have all the things we need to do it. We do not have material good enough that could make us feel totally confident about it. When we made Fragile or Close to the Edge we were very totally confident. On the top of that, we were very productive since we were capable of writing, arranging and playing new records each year. Our collaboration was at its peak.]

[...]

Q: Tu me disais espérer que les membres de Yes soient plus ouverts à tes idées à l'avenir. Avez-vous actuellement quelque chose de concret qui pourrait servir de base à un album? Si oui, tes idées y sont-elles mieux représentées? [You mentioned your hopes for the other members of the group to be more open to your ideas in the future. Do you have, currently, some concrete material that could eventually be the base for a new album? If yes, have you presented your ideas to the group?]

Steve Howe: Aussi incoyrable que cela puisse paraître, nous n'avons pas parlé de faire un album depuis que le classic line-up s'est reformé il y a trois ans. Cela est dû au fait que nous ne l'envisageons pas de la même façon. Pour les premiers albums, tous les membres étaient d'accord sur la majorité des points. Nous attendons de nous retrouver dans une bonne situation pour sortir un nouveau disque. Il serait déjà bien que nous habitions tous dans le même pays! La complexité pour tous nous rassembler au même endroit au même moment n'arrange en rien les choses... [Although it could seem difficult to believe, we have not talked about making a new album since the classic line up reformed three years ago. Probably because none of us envision it in the same way. In the old times, when we made our albums, all the members of the group would agreed on most of the subjects and then we would wait for us to get together and just make it. It will be already great that everyone would live in the same country! The complexity for all of us of getting together in the same place at the same moment is not helping too much...]

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Howe's rather coy comments in the May 2005 interview are perhaps illuminating. The interviewer asked him whether he has "a real desire at this point to [..] try to make that one great studio album with Yes... again?" Howe: "One doesn't stop having that feeling. One can get disheartened to find that it gets very hard to get to that reality. And at times, people will build walls and fences around themselves, so when you think about it, it gets harder to see how you ever could. But we should be able to do it, we might be able to do it, but I think [...] we'll need [an outside producer] who is in control of the sound. [...] We need a producer to keep the ship running because I don't much like the way it conducts itself when you don't have somebody like that."

In a Jun 2004 interview with Aftenposten, White had said the band were going into the studio in Feb 2005 and that all the band members have been writing material, saying they were working on longer pieces rather than trying for a hit. That, of course, didn't happened. Plans for a new album produced by Trevor Horn appear to have been developed by Squire/Howe/White. A Sep 2003 article in The Boston Phoenix reports Squire talking about the possibility of having Horn produce a new album. In early Nov 2004, a correspondent reported hearing that the plan was for Squire, Howe and White to join Horn for writing and recording sessions in London beginning mid-Mar 2005, with Horn contributing to the writing as well as producing and with the intent that Anderson would join in at some point. This, of course, never came about.

That's the point where Anderson begs to differ.

"This is going to be an incredible bone of contention, because I don't want to make another album. I want to do a series of events that are totally different from the norm. I've just got this feeling that there's no point in making an album that in three months might be forgotten. Why don't we do something over a period of three years - like a double trilogy! I've already spoken to the guys, and they stand there like they don't know what I'm talking about, because they don't know that you can do something different"

In a Sep 2004 article talking to Howe, in the Rocky Mountain News, he was asked when a new album is coming. The article then reads:

"We've been putting it off for a couple of reasons. We don't actually talk about it like this, but we've got to be on the same page. We have to agree on the level of pre-production, writing, rehearsing, then choosing the material, all that before you even set foot in the studio.

[...] Howe (and other members of the band, he alludes) are not big fans of Yes' biggest '80s hits, such as "Owner of a Lonely Heart." It could cause a schism in the band.

"Some of the band are desperate for Yes to have this raging success again," he said.

"That's an area the band hasn't fully agreed on. If we're looking for those kinds of hits, some of us don't want to do that, really don't want to do that. We don't want to sell Yes down the river for a cheap hit."

Oh Jesus don’t talk to me about that. We are scheduled to do one and we owe it to ourselves. I’m not ever gonna let YES get into the ELP syndrome where we go out and play the twelve songs. Which is what GREG [Lake] told me one day. “I go out and I play twelve songs. My life is twelve songs.”

the question is, do these guys [the others in Yes] still know what’s going on in the music industry do they still have the creativity? Probably not! Do we still need a producer to tell us if what we’re playing is great? I’m one of these guys who seems to be abreast of what people like. It’s because, I know what I like. Just like LINKIN PARK. They’ve moved into an area where they’re huge and I know why. And I have that connection. JON ANDERSON, RICK WAKEMAN and STEVE HOWE will have no idea bout that.

[...]

Over all this period of time I’ve learnt how to be a lead singer [too] though. But I know JON doesn’t really dig that.

Jon and I spent a lot of time in the car on the last tour just driving around and we've talked a lot about what we can do and what we should do. I'm very much going to be pushing for a lot of the music coming from how we used to write—I'm not trying to suggest we produce a 70's kind of album, but certainly getting great things together, building pieces around thematic things, which Yes are really good at.

I struck a good friendship with the conductor in Europe [on the YesSymphonic tour], Wilhelm Keitel, so we agreed to do things together in the future. One of the things we (Yes) hope to do, and you're the first to know about this, is record a concept album based around the life of an important classical composer. So we would take on [a] composer, choose some of his work and build something completely new around it—kind of a tribute to his life, if you want. [...] I told you too much already so don't try and twist my arm in order to find out just who it is!

What I want to do, however, is go for different set-ups which can be only choir on one track, an intimate ensemble on another track, only cello, only violin, a symphony on the other, etc. Personally, I love flute sonatas whether by Bach, Mozart, or Vivaldi.

Howe has talked more about the Yes ethos. In a Feb 2002 interview on Innerviews:

Yes has a duty. Yes has a function. It has a role and a reputation and it doesn’t always quite get there. The reasons aren’t stupid ones, but they’re not impossible to solve. It takes a lot of self-control, sharing and appreciation to make Yes records as integral, highly arranged and exploitive of what we are. [...] underneath it all, we would like to get back to where we were [in the seventies], but not to repeat ourselves. We want to be able to get into the flow and create in the way that we used to. It’s like chasing a childhood dream, because [we] were comparatively childlike then.

I think the main thing we [Yes] haven't done [since the 'classic' line-up reunited] is somehow develop the integrity of those early '70s records, the musicality and the integrity of a certain noncommercial approach to the music.

[...]

I look to the albums we did. There's something, I hesitate to say, magical about them. It's magical insofar as we should know how to do that, but in a way we don't. Our future records have got to be partly a rediscovery of the sort of subtleties and complexities that we added in our music, which I love very much.

I don't know what it is. [laughs] If I did, it would be there... I call it integrity. There's some sort of integrity we had then that was quite marvelous. It made us go the extra mile. It made us write things like 'Turn of the Century,' like 'And You and I'—things that had nothing to do with even thinking vaguely about having a hit record.

strong elements of rock [...] that's one of my leading edges, that's one of the leading things that I like about Yes. I want Yes to be moody and understated as well [...] But I think the style of Yes and the quality would mean that the record from us and the style of writing would have to fit in the story. There is a very big story on Yes. You know, it's been on a lot of curves and deviations and sometimes it's played as radio music and that didn't do the band any long-term good, although in the short term, everybody thought it was great that we had a hit record. But in the long-term, sometimes those things, you can never change the path. After that it's very hard to get back on your original brief and do music that's progressive, un-commercial, sometimes purposely un-commercial.

Hace poco la compañía Universal Pictures se mostró interesada en hacer una película de animación en la que se muestra un poco de nuestra trayectoria musical, desde cuando surgimos, hasta la actualidad, incluyendo obviamente, nuestras canciones más representativas. Lo estamos analizando, todavía hay algunas puntos por precisar, como la historia, de qué trataría y cómo se abordaría, cuáles etapas de la carrera se incluirían, las canciones, pero creo que es muy pronto para hablar del tema, esperemos pronto poder dar más detalles. [...]

Son muchos años, muchas anécdotas que contar, creo que tendríamos que seleccionar muy bien lo que quisiéramos abordar, porque una película, comúnmente tiene una corta duración, cerca de dos horas y es muy poco para contar tanto, ya casi cumplimos cincuenta años de estar juntos.

Previously, there was talk of Yes actively collaborating on the project, but any plans seem to have gone cold, with planning for "Floating Islands" continuing without Yes's input and Yes in discussions with Universal Pictures for what seems to be a separate project. "Floating Islands" is expected to feature music by Yes, but, in Jun 2007, Dean said that Yes are not currently involved with the project beyond authorising the use of their music. A report from around 2005 had that the film is intended to contain 8-12 classic tracks (a re-recorded "Close to the Edge" was mentioned in one rumour) and at least 4-5 new recordings, while a Jun 2006 report still talked of classic and new Yes music. In Jun 2007, Dean confirmed there had previously been discussion of Yes writing new music for the film and that the band had been thinking of "re-recording everything" (presumably meaning re-recording the classic pieces used in the film), but that there hadn't been any discussion of new music recently with Yes being dormant.

Further back, there were more optimistic reports as to Yes contributing to the film. In a Dec 2004 Delicious Agony interview, White described an animated film with Dean and said, "We're starting to write music for it." In his Christmas Newsletter 2004, Wakeman said: "there is only so long I think that a band such as YES can progress without producing new music. The big question is... "What kind of music and on what format"? There are certainly ideas in the offing which include [...] making a film/and/or DVD with Roger Dean involved with all of the visuals which I particularly like, but there is much to be sorted out within the band itself before any decisions are made". Wakeman has indicated that one of their main reasons to prefer the DVD format over CDs is Internet piracy.

The project tied in with ideas Anderson was proposing for the band's future direction in 2004 and Yes members previously talked about new studio recordings married to some sort of visual material from Dean, possibly for DVD release. Earlier reports suggested this could also involve footage of the band performing, possibly both new and old material, as well as Dean's animations. For Yes, the idea to do such a project originates from Anderson (linking in with Dean's longstanding interest in doing an animated work). Anderson has expressed dissatisfaction with traditional modes of releasing new material. He has often talked about new ways of producing and releasing new material both for Yes and in his solo career, focusing on DVDs as a way forward. These ideas appear to be similar to his solo plans (described below), although details have been lacking. He was asked in Mar 2004 whether there will be a new Yes album soon, replying: "I don't think so [...] I don't think Yes is interested in that either, I'm tired of going into the recording studios; making an album takes 5 months and that's too much." In a May 2004 interview, Anderson said Yes may never release another studio album: "None of us feel that's what the business end is all about now. [...] I think DVDs are really the next level. When we started, LPs weren't the big thing. Singles were the big things — and then albums. If you got a hit single, you could make an album. We did the opposite [...] We made albums. We didn't think about singles, because we felt we were a little too old to be pop stars. We're still thinking along the same lines. We're obviously too old to be pop stars, but we're not too old to make great music."

In an Aug 2004 interview with The Post Standard/Herald-Journal, Anderson talked more about DVD plans: "I just got off the phone with Dean. DVDs are good for us, with computer animation and the like. DVDs is where it's at, so you've got to visualize what to do with it." He went on, saying how he saw Yes crafting "a series of ideas over the next two or three years and let them come out one or two at a time on the Internet. Not being tied to 60 minutes of music that takes a long time to create. Rather, two songs a month for, say 24 months. A series." The finished assemblage may still have running themes, like a concept album: "By the time you get all the music, it's like a jigsaw puzzle. By the time you get the final work, you realize what the whole thing is." However, the interview finishes with this caveat from Anderson: "That's what I think. The others in the band? Who knows." In a interview in Feb 2004 for Rockline, Anderson outlined a "vague" idea for a "new way of creating" whereby the band would rehearse/record for a few weeks, take a break of a few months, rehearse/record for a few more weeks and so on. In an interview published in Jan 2004, Anderson was asked, "Is a new Yes album likely?" He replied:

it depends a lot on what we get offered. I would love to do something adventurous, like write a musical with the band or a film score or an opera. Something really different. I've also been working on the idea of creating a video game. [...] But I'm not really excited to make a record because I made one last year and it never really got into the marketplace. It was a beautiful album with Yes called Magnification and it never got to be heard by too many people. And I don't really want to go through that whole experience again.

No one ever quite understands what he means but that comes with the territory. [...] I think that we were looking at doing an album like that and we still are possibly. But it would have to be combined with some kind of a major motion picture or some kind of soundtrack that we could be involved in. We are looking at various options from the various major companies. Universal have shown interest and we are going to be looking at trying to put together a show that maybe then after the film has been made of the same, we can then tour the world with that kind of a look and with that kind of combining the film and the touring aspect. So maybe Jon had this in his mind [...] He is always so far ahead in his thinking, its hard for me to keep up with him.

I think Roger’s floating Islands idea is a very good project. But after Lord of the Rings was made [...] with such good quality, its hard to know quite whether Roger may be a bit late in thinking about that because it has been done so well with the correct amount of money [...] His idea, I fully support it but I am not quite sure where it is going to go. I had a couple of meetings with him to try and figure it out but so far nothing is happening.

[...] I think pretty much [he is looking for funding]. I was talking with Roger about funding [...] Yes is a separate entity really from Roger even though he did our album sleeves. And I have to look out for what’s best for Yes as opposed to Roger. But I think the idea of animated film for a Yes musical project is a good one but there are various options on the table that we are looking at.

You have to go with the flow to a certain extent and just figure out now what you think is best. Of course, I don’t totally run the band. It is just a question of us all having our input and coming up with an idea of how we elect to approach our next creative project.

It will be based on a worthy project. I think that could be the next thing as Jon suggested for Yes, that we will combine our musical input into some kind of film venture and then we will take that out on the road. In terms of putting a date on it, it’s under continual negotiation. And we are trying to figure out the best way to keep Yes’ integrity and also to make money as well which obviously is a real factor in the real world.

Live at Montreux 2003 (Eagle Records) is a 2-disc album of the same material, available as a digital download from emusic.com and out on CD in the US and as a mini-sleeve release (POCE-19006) in Japan.

Essentially Yes (Eagle Records), out in the UK (EAGBX339) and due 14 Nov in North America (ER20097-2), is a 5CD box set of Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, Magnification, Talk (the re-release with extra, extended version of "The Calling") and a fifth CD (dur.: 69:02), 'Live at Montreux 2003', consisting of highlights from the show; tracks: "Siberian Khatru", "Magnification", "Don't Kill the Whale", "In the Presence of", "And You and I", "Awaken", "I've Seen All Good People" (as 2 tracks: "Your Move"/"All Good People"). A 51-minute extract from this show was previously broadcast on TV in France and Switzerland.

Further new DVDs and live releases
Squire, Howe and White were joined by Trevor Rabin, Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn for an appearance at Produced by Trevor Horn, a show in celebration of Horn's career in Nov 2004. The band played "Cinema" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart". White, Howe, Horn and Downes also performed with other acts in the evening. A DVD is out in Japan and due 2 Jun in the UK: details under Horn.

Re-releases, including DVD re-releases
Voiceprint have released ABWH's "An Evening of Yes Music Plus" on DVD (VPDVD26; Region 0, NTSC) in the UK. (No release elsewhere in the world is expected.) A more expensive, 2-disc version (VPDVD27) that additionally includes "In the Big Dream" (a version of the 1989 video release with music videos for "Brother of Mine", "Order of the Universe" and "Quartet (I'm Alive)") plus contemporary interview material was also available in different packaging, but appears to have now sold out. (Compared to the original video release of "In the Big Dream", the version on the DVD omits "Heart of the Sunrise", which was the same performance as on "An Evening of Yes Music Plus" but using some different camera angles, and the end credits with images of the band shown while "Teakbois" is being played.) This was announced as being a limited edition of 2,000 copies, but an additional 1,000 copies were subsequently printed on the back of strong sales. 1,000 of the 2-disc version came at a premium, signed by the four members band (VPDVD27-S), but these have also sold out. The DVD has Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.

Voiceprint have also re-released the 2CD An Evening of Yes Music Plus; tracks: CD1—"Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" (intro), Jon Anderson solo ("Time and a Word/Teakbois/Owner of a Lonely Heart"), Steve Howe solo ("The Clap/Mood for a Day"), Rick Wakeman solo ("Gone But Not Forgotten/Catherine Parr/Merlin the Magician"), "Long Distance Runaround" (including drum solo), "Birthright", "And You and I", "I've Seen All Good People"; CD2—"Close to the Edge", "Themes", "Brother of Mine", "Heart of the Sunrise", "Order of the Universe", "Roundabout", "Starship Trooper". (The original release of this album omitted "Starship Trooper" and "I've Seen All Good People", but the US release added "Starship Trooper". The Voiceprint release adds "I've Seen All Good People" and moves "Starship Trooper" to its correct place in the running order. The DVD release is the entire show as it also includes "The Meeting".)

A limited edition (1500 copies) 2LP release of part of the show is also planned. There was a competition to choose the track listing, the winning entry being: side 1—"Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" (intro), "Close to the Edge"; side 2—Anderson solo, Wakeman solo, "I've Seen All Good People"; side 3—"Brother of Mine", "Heart of the Sunrise"; side 4—Howe solo, "Starship Trooper".

Now out is a DVD re-release of the second part of Yes's QPR concert, entitled "The Gates of QPR, vol. 2" (Quantum Leap; dur. 67 min.s; Regions 1-5). Tracks: "And You and I", "Ritual", "Roundabout", "Sweet Dreams", "Yours is No Disgrace". The DVD is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or stereo, but does not offer any noticeable sonic improvement over previous releases. Volume 1 has since followed in 5.1 stereo (all Regions), but again with the same familiar audio problems known for this recording. Tracks: "Intro/Sound Chaser", "Close to the Edge", "To be Over", "The Gates of Delirium", "I've Seen All Good People", "Long Distance Runaround"/Moraz solo, "The Clap".

Rhino/Warner were reportedly to release the entire Yes catalogue on DVD-Audio albums in the US, although that may just have meant the same albums that received the remastered and expanded treatment and the earlier Magnification DVD-A. Out so far is Fragile. Work began on the Close to the Edge DVD-A (with David Watkinson assisting with liner notes), but as of early 2004 the original master tapes for side 2 had yet to be located, delaying release. Audio Fidelity were reportedly planning a or some Yes SACD releases. Meanwhile, Rhino have re-released Close to the Edge in their Rhino Replica Series with an LP-style sleeve replicating the original vinyl release.

[Support this website by buying "9012Live" and other releases through Amazon (US or UK): go to the Where Are They Now? Amazon listings page.]

Compilations
Rhino (a Warner label) are releasing a series of Yes compilations in the US. They released a 2CD Yes compilation called The Definitive Rock Collection, part of a series of releases under that title; this is just the first two discs of the (US release of) The Ultimate Yes under a new name. Then came Greatest Hits; this is a re-release of 1993's Highlights—The Very Best of Yes. Then, Rhino Flashback released Roundabout & Other Hits; tracks: "Roundabout (single edit)", "Every Little Thing", "Time and a Word", "Your Move (single version)", "Starship Trooper: Life Seeker (single version)", "Long Distance Runaround", "America (single edit)", "Wonderous Stories", "Going for the One", "Don't Kill the Whale".

Covers of Yes songs & other news
Billy Sherwood, Tony Kaye, Alan White, Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman cover "Starship Trooper" on Jim Ladd's Headsets album From Here to Infinity, while there is a re-make of "Universal Garden" by Sherwood on the Headsets album Chapter 1: Alone Out Here—see details under Sherwood. Various early versions of songs later used by Yes/ABWH and live versions of Yes songs are on Jon Anderson's The Lost Tapes archival box set. Anderson has recorded new versions of some Yes songs for his MySpace page—details again under Anderson. The reunited Asia, including Steve Howe and Geoff Downes, have been playing Yes's "Roundabout" in their live set—details below. Paul Green's School of Rock All-Stars have played Yes songs live and did dates with Jon Anderson, playing the music of Yes—details under Anderson. Rick Wakeman generally plays "Starship Trooper" in his solo shows. CIRCA: (with Tony Kaye, Alan White and Billy Sherwood) play a Yes medley and another cover in their live set, while the Steve Howe Trio's forthcoming album The Haunted Melody includes re-interpretations of "Mood for a Day", "Siberian Khatru" and the opening of "Close to the Edge". Tom Brislin's band Spiraling played "Tempus Fugit" at CalProg 07—see under Brislin. Glass Hammer cover "South Side of the Sky" on their album Culture of Ascent, on which Anderson also guests—see under Anderson.

Destroy All Monsters' new Live in Tokyo (17 tracks, 72 min.s), taken from Japanese live shows in 1996, includes a cover of "Clear Days".

Obie Trice's rap song "Short Distance" is based around a sample from "Heart of the Sunrise". The track is expected on Trice's next album, due 2008. Yesterdays' "Ne Felj" (from their album Holdfénykert) quotes "Close to the Edge".

Media, books & documentaries
UK digital radio station Planet Rock broadcast multiple Yes month specials in Mar 2008. The Jon Anderson special was a 1977 interview with him. There was a newly recorded special with Bruford. The centrepiece was "Yesterdays – The Yes Story", broadcast in two parts, featuring Wakeman and Squire discussing the band's history, with guest appearances from Howe and Bruford.

Classic Artists is a series of DVDs and for TV from Impact Film Sales Ltd, under CEO, producer and director Jon Brewer (former Yes, Chris Squire and Asia manager). Each episode is about a rock act, with the first season covering Cream, The Moody Blues, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix and, in episode 3 (originally episode 4), Yes. As "The Classic Artists Series 3: Yes", it was first released on 2-disc DVD by Image Entertainment in the UK. This was followed by a Region 1 release in Canada (see Amazon.ca, for example). US release came in Jan 2008, according to Amazon.com. (I don't know whether the UK release will play on non-UK DVD players and TVs.) Total running time for the DVD release is over 5 hours with the main feature being 3.5 hours; cover by Roger Dean with design work by Martyn Dean. The series will also be broadcast, in an edited form, on VH1 in the US and in Japan and Canada. A trailer is on YouTube.

Chris Welch (author of "Yes—Close to the Edge") wrote the script and conducted all the interviews. The documentary is authorised by the band. There have been interviews with Howe, Anderson, Wakeman, White, Bruford, Banks, Horn and Downes, but there are no interviews with Kaye, Rabin (save for a short archival clip), Sherwood or Moraz. Former manager Roy Flynn declined to be interviewed. Also interviewed were artist Roger Dean, stage designer Martyn Dean, producer/engineer Eddie Offord, engineer Nigel Luby, stage designer Michael Tait, live sound engineer Roy Clair, Marquee manager Jack Barrie, former Atlantic executives Phil Carson and Jerry Greenberg, Keith Emerson (ex-ELP) and Chris Welch. Disc 1 contains the main feature, while disc 2 has extended interviews with Squire, Anderson, Howe, Bruford, White, Wakeman, Banks, Downes, R. Dean, Greenberg and Emerson; three photo galleries; three music videos ("Wonderous Stories", "Tempus Fugit" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart"); and about 23 minutes of raw footage of the band rehearsing in New York in 1996. Squire and White also appear in the Cream episode, now out on DVD. Moraz declined to appear in The Moody Blues episode, also now out. Chris Welch is also beginning work on a revised version of his band biography "Yes—Close to the Edge".

In the UK, there was a Classic Rock magazine special, "Classic Rock Presents Prog Rock". This includeds a documentary DVD (Region 2) about Yes, an edited version of the Classic Artists release, but possibly including some material not in the episode. The magazine has a 6-page article on Yes (with new interview material with at least Anderson, Squire, Howe, White and Wakeman), a 4-page interview with Wakeman, a 3-page article about Yes on film (basically an interview with Jon Brewer), an article on cover artists Storm Thogerson (including a page for Going for the One) and some further mentions of Yes along the way. The magazine also boasted a foreword by Squire.

"Total Rock Review: Yes" is a DVD out in the UK and US, another in the Total Rock Review series. This is a re-release of the unauthorised documentary "Inside Yes 1968-1973" with the addition of bonus material, a Wakeman piano set of around 20 min.s duration ("Awaken", "Long Distance Runaround" and an extract from "Close to the Edge"). Also now out in the UK in the Rock Milestones series is the DVD "Yes: Close to the Edge", a documentary about the album. This is from the same company as "Inside Yes 1968-1973" and has a similar format, being primarily interviews with music journalists, including Phil Sutcliffe and Malcolm Dome. No new interviews with the band have been conducted for this release, although archival interview material with Howe is used and Martyn Adelman (ex-The Syn) is interviewed as the photographer for Close to the Edge.

Garry Freeman (author of "The Bootleg Guide" and the forthcoming "Emerson, Lake and Palmer—A Live Guide 1970-1978") is beginning work on "Yes—A Live Guide 1968-1979" (Helter Skelter Publishing). The book aims to review as many shows as possible from this period, including details on equipment specifications and so on. If you can help with recordings of shows or technical information (what equipment the band used, what was the set list etc.)—especially, at this stage, the early years of 1968-1970—please e-mail Garry.

Shinko Music Entertainment have released a new book about Yes, "Yes File", in Japanese. The band and several Yes-related acts are covered in "The Strawbery Bricks Guide To Progressive Rock" by Charles Snider. Yes's music is also mentioned in Kurt Leland's "Music and the Soul: A Listener's Guide to Achieving Transcendent Musical Experiences". Yes also get a passage in James Innes-Smith's book "Life is a Cabaret" (The Friday Project), out in the UK.

In a Jul 2004 interview, Wakeman said he would be writing a book about Yes: "I am going to do [a book] about Yes. There have been lots of books written about the band and I want to do one from what it's like inside the band. People think we are very serious but it really is a lot of fun." In a Jan 2005 interview, he said he was "seriously thinking about" writing a book about Yes having been asked to do one by a "big publisher". See further details under Wakeman. Squire, Howe and Bruford are all working on autobiographies, which will doubtless cover Yes in some detail.

The Gottlieb brothers are working on a book on Yes collectibles and Bill Martin (author of "Music of Yes—Structure and Vision in Progressive Rock") has been rumoured to be working on a new Yes book.

Bill Bruford and Roger Dean have been interviewed for a section on progressive rock at the British Music Experience, a permanent exhibition due to start Spring 2009 at London's O₂ about popular music in the UK over the last 60 years.

Fandom/Events
There is a petition to get Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Second Attention, the second alt.music.yes compilation (2CD), is now out. In support of the project and the previous album, Cyberian Khatru, a.m.y. mugs and T-shirts are also available. Join the AMYCD mailing list to get involved.

CIRCA: Official website (new); MySpace page; online media kit; official forum
CIRCA: consists of Billy Sherwood (lead vocals, bass, banjo, bass pedals), Alan White (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Tony Kaye (Hammond B3, keys) and Jimmy Haun (worked on Union, Jonathan Elias, ex-Lodgic, ex-Chris Squire Experiment/Conspiracy, ex-Air Supply; electric & acoustic guitars, steel guitar, backing vocals). An album, CIRCA: 2007, is out (see below). The band also have a DVD, "CIRCA: Live" (available here), which includes a lengthy medley of Yes tunes.

The band plan to continue together longer term and to record a second album this summer. In an interview published Mar 2008, Kaye says, "We are all committed to this band. We plan to start recording again this summer. Billy has a great recording studio, so it's a very easy, laid back situation." Sherwood added, "Yes, we plan to work on the album starting in the summer and it will probably take the rest of 2008 to finish it. [...] With what we're doing I think we need the freedom to write long pieces of music." In an Apr 2008 interview, Sherwood talked about the next album some more:

I think it will be faster the next time because now we know what we are. [...]

I think we’ll start with myself, Tony and Jimmy plucking around with some ideas in July when Alan is doing the Yes tour and the plan is [...] in July/August to have some intense writing sessions and then when Alan gets back to pull him into that loop, get his thoughts on the writing and include him a bit on that and then track some drums and then hopefully we are on our way to a new record. I wouldn’t say that it would be done in two months but at least we are focused on what we want to do in those two months.

[...] it will still live in the same neighbourhood [as the first album in terms of style] but it will just be an evolution of what we are thinking musically then. It’s still going to be us [...] and it’s still going to have that flavour that we can’t get away from if we wanted to

[...]

We are still going to continue to distribute it ourselves because it’s been very very good and very easy. [...] The idea for us is it is a long slow journey as opposed to looking for some quick pay off in terms of record sales. We could just sign with a label, I have had a few offers and it just didn’t make enough sense to do. I just kept feeling like we are going to lose that intimacy and direct contact thing. And I think in this modern age with the Internet it can be achieved and I think with what we are doing we don’t need that middle man. We just do it ourselves.

In a late 2007 interview, Sherwood said, "we have already talked about getting together and putting some new material for the new record, hopefully we can get started on that around early next year for the next studio record. Just really, our desire is to play live [...] I speak to everybody in the band and we are all committed to the same thing, ‘let’s stay together and be a band, make music, and make thins thing go forward’ so that’s what we’re doing."

The band have played a number of North American dates this year, beginning with three western US dates in Jan (with Genesis tribute Gabble Ratchet opening on two of those), Mexico City in Feb (sold out show) and the Baja Prog Festival in Mar (sold out). There was a series of north-eastern US gigs in May: a Virginia show (attendance estimated at 40-70; support from Odin's Court and Kinetic Element); headlining at the 2008 RoSfest; and a New York show. A series of European dates (London, UK; Zoetermeer, the Netherlands; St. Goarshausen, Germany) were planned, but the band has had to cancel the mini-tour "[d]ue to scheduling conflicts". They say they "hope to re-schedule something for later in the year". In an Apr 2008 interview, Sherwood explained: "Alan's tour with Yes kind of came up after the fact. We had a sub-drummer lined up to do it but at the end of the day we kind of rethought about things [...] We were looking forward to getting over there but obviously without AW it's a different thing and we wanted to just maintain it. It's a shame; we'll get over to Europe at some point." The set list for their 2008 gigs was the same as last year's debut show (see below). When White was unavailable for the 15 Feb show, Jay Schellen (camera for "CIRCA: Live" DVD; GPS, ex-Conspiracy, ex-Asia, ex-Peter Banks) filled in. The live band is augmented by Scott Walton (ex-Conspiracy; studio tech on CIRCA: 2007) on backing vocals, VSynth and orchestral elements. For at least the 2 May show, Michael Sherwood (Billy's brother; ex-Conspiracy, ex-Lodgic, guested on CIRCA: 2007) filled this role instead. Live mix was expected to be by Tom Fletcher (worked on Keys to Ascension).

In the aforementioned Apr 2008 interview, Sherwood was asked about further live dates and replied: "I didn't want to do anything [about planning dates] until we really see AW's schedule which at the moment it looks like September when he's finished [...] with Yes for a while. So as his tour nears the end we are going to be talking to the agent about booking some things and hope we get things rolling again and just keep the band playing gigs here there and everywhere as best we can."

As for further dates, Sherwood posted to Yesfans.com in Jan 2008 saying, "We are hoping to see 2008 fill up with more shows and reach out to those who have not seen it yet..." On his MySpace blog in May 2007, Kaye said touring would run through into 2008. However, it has proved difficult to obtain bookings. Sherwood posted to AllGoodPeople.net in Sep 2007 about playing in Europe:

CIRCA: are also in line to be the backing band for Sherwood and Jim Ladd's Headsets project when it goes live, something planned for early 2008—