Yes: Live At Montreux

You either have it or you lose it. For most pop rock bands, it becomes very apparent, very quickly, when it's time to hang it up. Like a baseball pitcher, you suddenly can't get anybody out, so you reluctantly hang up your glove.

Well, no one ever convincingly accused Yes of needing to hang it up. In fact, as evidenced on Live At Montreux, the new release of the 2003 appearance they made at the renowned Jazz Festival, Yes, at age 35 were at the height of their legendary prowess.

Reuniting the classic 5-piece line-up of Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman & White to the Swiss city where they recorded some of their strongest statements on Going For the One, this 4-yr old recording sparkles with life of it's own.

Ripping through their back-catalog with tasteful assurance, Yes' set list is probably the most solid it's been in years. Mixing chestnuts like "And You And I" with seldom heard fan requests ("Don't Kill The Whale", "We Have Heaven", "South Side Of The Sky") or fine newer pieces ("Magnification", "In The Presence Of"), this recording is stark evidence of what sets Yes apart from many of their contemporaries or their imitators: the band can play with brutal technical proficiency and feel it at the same time. No small thing: many prog bands--especially younger ones—have chops; seldom to they let the music breathe enough to groove. There's always another measure of 7/16 to throw in with the kitchen sink.

Not so Yes. Listen to the intricacies in "Siberian Khatru"—the differing accents on the bass notes, whether harmonics or pure notes, all the time rock solid in a stealth groove with the drums—while the guitar and keyboard sail off around the world and back again, all supporting a soaring melody and harmony vocal that are, at the same time, both accessible and from another world. This is the essence of classic Yes music, but hearing it exquisitely performed with such clarity in a live setting is all the more right. It's one thing to dig the albums, with all of their groundbreaking experimentation and tape splicing precision (see band and engineer interviews), but another when the music has evolved over decades and is heard in fresh, flowing interpretations.

Check out the fluidity of "Heart Of the Sunrise". Does Alan White just make this his own, or what? Bruford's studio version, for all of it's celebration, is a different animal. Listen to how White opens up the groove for the famous opening riff. How superb is Squire's bass playing? How ageless is Anderson's unique voice—like an instrument in it's own right? These 5 work like they know the other's next move—it's almost a musical telepathy at work. And, after 35 years, it likely is.

Yes has not sat still in the arrangement department, either. Check out "South Side Of The Sky"—I haven't listened side by side with the Fragile version, but I detect that it's a tick slower in tempo, which is a men-from-boys live embellishment (Dire Straits did this a lot to dramatic effect). The trading of solos at the end between Wakeman and Howe is pretty vicious. Pay special attention to Howe's wondrous solo interpretation of "To Be Over". Talk about an arrangement—it's obvious that Howe hears things that many others don't. The result is a stunning interpretation.

Live At Montreux is a welcome addition and a terrific snapshot of a fully confident, mature band that just seems to improve with age.

CD 1
Track Listing
1. Siberian Khartu 10:11
2. Magnification 6:52
3. Don't Kill the Whale 4:29
4. In the Presence of 11:05
5. We Have Heaven 1:34
6. South Side of the Sky 9:35
7. And You and I 11:23
8. To Be Over 4:20
9. Clap 3:48
CD2
1. Show Me 3:44
2. Rick Wakeman Solo 4:42
3. Heart of the Sunrise 11:17
4. The Long Distance Runaround 3:46
5. The Fish 8:53
6. Awaken 19:20
7. I've Seen All Good People 7:10
8. Roundabout 6:43

Added: September 27th 2007
Reviewer: Steve Fleck
Score:
Related Link: Yes World
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Language: english

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