For me, back in the 70's, Tales was THE Yes album. Of course it was wide open to the criticisms it received at the time for being overblown, but for me those voices fell on deaf ears. An incredible work throughout, a journey (before that was a cliche) sweeping the listener along. I was lucky enough to see Ritual performed live back in the late 70's at the old Wembley Empire Pool in North London by the classic line up. I think I forgot to breathe throughout.
Love your closing comments on what this music brings and gives to you. I feel just the same and have done since I heard it for the first time in 1973, 18 years old. I'll be 68 tomorrow but it still gets me. YES is up there, together with the greatest symphonic composers. If Gustav Mahler had been born 90 years later, he would have been in the band. Thanks Doug for a great listen.
I'm a year older, but the same thing with me. I saw them do this when it was released, and still listen to it, especially lately, to see the joy on the reviewer's face, when they hear it for the first time and I can enjoy it vicariously.
I WAS there in person , at age 15 or 16. Live at Meadowlands arena in New Jersey-ran away from home on Long Island to be there. After that, was at every live tour till they dropped Jon. What were they thinking to be YES without Jon?
@@JimReemThe guys a fake. He's not hearing this stuff for the first time. It is staged. Watch his other fake videos - I don't care how tuned someone's ears are: you wouldn't know details (the biggest giveaways are when he sings along to vocal lines - he knows this shit inside out but makes out he's hearing it for the first time and offers his 'first impressions' lol. "Y'all."
It is really amazing indeed! Writting this incredible piece of music being so young...New bands could be called just that, new. But the actual modern and timeless music is the music of Yes and some others, do you agree?
Doug, PLEASE, PLEASE do listen to (and watch) the YES 2001 Symphonic Live video version of Ritual. If you were moved by this Yesshows rendition - which clearly you were - the Symphonic Live rendition, accompanied by the orchestra, will blow your mind. Please, do yourself a huge favor and give it a go (even if just on your own and not on the show). John, Chris, Steve, Alan and Tom Brislin on keyboards.
Remember too at this show there would have be a Dean brothers stage set that had a three headed mechanical crab that held light rigs with lasers and airport landing lights.
It's impressive that they can play such challenging music at all. More impressive that they can do it live, just the five of them, without a lot of studio layering and post-processing. Still more, as you say, that they can do it from memory without any sheet music. But wow, I never realized how FAST they played in this concert! They did all of the above, and cranked up the tempo just to flex their musical muscles. Incredible.
@@timbrown2971Here's a link to the video th-cam.com/video/aeEqWLpcwiY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=dvcrSZtbRbmuhNaS I just watched the section in question. You can see Alan leaning back farther away from his microphone whilst Anderson is pretty close to his. (Must be after 16:45) The first couple of times I heard these live versions I thought that it was Squire, but I also remember reading somewhere that it might have been Alan. I guess you wouldn't expect these deep growls from Anderson, so I never even suspected it was him until I watched the QPR video.
after being a Genesis fan for 35 years I always wondered what it is that draws me to Genesis and I kept listening to other prog rock bands, especially Yes, and especially because apparently they are Doug's favorite. I always thought it's the bit of beauty in Genesis that I miss in yes, But here there is the beauty I missed. What a masterpiece.
There's much, much beauty in Yes - at least to my ears! Songs like To Be Over, And You And I, Awaken, The Remembering, Turn of the Century. I love Genesis as well (my fav bits are probably Guide Vocal, The Lamia and the flute part in Supper's Ready), but I don't find as much beauty of this magnitude there as in these Yes songs
I realised something through Doug's comments at the end about my love of Yes. Often, I'm drawn to music with a dark or melancholy feel to it, but Yes is an exception. Yes' music is joyous. And like Doug, it brings me inner peace.
I remember buying Tales on day of release when I was 15. It instantly became my favourite album and has been ever since. So pleased you have grown to appreciate it so much Doug! It really is very special. Love your analysis! Love your thoughts and sentiments about the music - you have cheered me up too!
It always seems to me that know one I know gets music like this, like I get it. It is life affirming, soul easing, it lifts me beyond myself. I'm so glad when I find a kindred spirit, you Sir are that kindred spirit, and I thank you profusely for sharing. after this listening; I am replete.
Both of my parents are very into Yes. Ever since I learned to put a needle on a vinyl record in 1986, the music of Yes has been pretty much one of the only constants in my life. Their music always makes my soul happy and as someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, it is a true godsend. I have seen them live 13 times in various incarnations and while their studio albums are amazing, I've always thought that they sounded better live and the performances were more powerful.
As a fellow depressive/anxious person I can very much relate! I find few things as calming and regenerative for my soul as lying down, lights off, and putting on Tales on my headphones (or maybe To Be Over or one of the other astonishinly beautiful jams). I feel transported and somewhat healed
So - not far off 50 years old, and the best band in the world is still affecting people; musically still relevant and still so amazingly beautiful! I'm glad you get so much from this band...these albums, Doug - it will all stay with you, as it has with YES fans for more than 50 years. Enjoy what will be some of your fondest musical memories, still ton come!
And experiencing this live several times in the 70s was pure magic. The percussion section was always powerful and you could sense how much fun Chris in particular had playing his timpani!
The growling sounds are those of the 3 headed Crab Nebula stage designed by Roger & Martyn Dean (25:00). Look at any of his books from the 80's ... Magnetic Storm. Great channel Doug from a fellow prog rock fan!
Something that is rarely mentioned..... Having seen yes at least 6 times back in the day, their live sound was amazing, compared to the rest of the bands back the day. Their sound engineer(s) have to get a lot of credit, they allowed the musicianship to show through. Saw the tour 'in the round ' in Noter Dame's basketball arena, best sound I had ever heard back in the day. That says a lot coming from a live sound engineer.
July, 1975...I saw YES in Evansville, IN and they played these three epical pieces. The whole show was fantastic....3 songs were over an hour of the show. I think they played almost 2 1/2 hours. Ace ("How Long has This Been Going On?")was the opening act.
You should check out the version of Ritual at the Baltimore show by Jon Anderson with the Band Geeks earlier this year. They knocked it out of the park! Richie Castellano's bass playing is incredible. Chris was smiling in bass Valhalla.
the 2001 symphonic live version is great, but i personally prefer the raw energy of this yesshows version. richie castellano hinted that a recording of their recent tour with jon would be made available. knowing richie and crew, i can't to hear that version of ritual and others.
When I was younger (late teens) I went through a couple of dark periods when I couldn't see anything positive. Listening to this full album on headphones would leave me feeling drained but optimistic. Jon's lyrics are usually opaque but occasionally a sentence pops out and strikes a nerve, on this track for me it was: "change we must as surely time does, changes call the course". You know you've found the right music when you get goosebumps listening to it. I find it amazing that music can cause physical changes to your body and I'm thankful I found the source.
I really enjoyed listening to this and your reactions. Very joyful. The music of my youth. In fact, my best friends were editors of the Grover Cleveland High School yearbook in 1977. The lyrics to this song were featured in the yearbook. Which may have perplexed some kids but sure was special for us Yes fans! Nous sommes du soleil to you Doug!
I remember writing “Nous Somme Du Soleil” in all my friends yearbooks at the end of 1976. To much confusion from my friends but it was a way of directing them to this album!!
Those for me are Yes' twin peaks. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree on Tales: "I worked on and off for about 3 years on this new mix in my quest to do it justice. I hope it will satisfy the people who agree with me that it may just be Yes’ pre-eminent masterpiece.”
I'm a slow learner it only took me 48 years to fall in love with tails now that's not the way you spell it Siri it is spelled TALES😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ 15:28
Doug, thanks for sharing your thoughts and analysis. It brings me back to my basement gathering place/ 1974 a wide circle of consciousness raising friends would regularly listen to all four sides....talk meaning, share their own illustrated booklets of the album. Despite humanities unavoidable instinct to "relayer" and the call to "fail safe Now!" As you shared, would end with that common peace that elevated my life each time we listen...."Cominnnng Home"❤
Saw them @ Rosevelt Stadium in NJ…1976. What a show. Yes took me on my first and last musical spiritual journey. No matter how many times i listen to this, it never gets old.
Howe on Topographic Oceans: Jon and I had this idea-the band did need some persuasion and a lot of encouragement. And when it came out, everybody was a bit like, everybody was a bit in shock, like, "What kind of album is this?" It got a few slatings, and of course Rick was affected by some of these UK press slatings, because there were all these friends writing about his record! (laughs) ... But a really great thing happened-the bookend of side one and four are really the whole strength of it. But the middle, sides two and three, is really Yes in experimental mode. I was playing lute on side two, and we were playing this really weird stuff we had never played before ... we had never been quite that adventurous before then ... but going back to one and four, they are really very powerful and well-arranged music, but what happened with the reception is that we got out on-stage and played it, and people got to really like it. So we had a new vibe, but it really grew ... Fewer people are critical of it now than, say, when it first came out. It’s become a specialized classic-it’s the only double-album project we ever did of new material, so it does stand out in itself, and it does take a very big nod to what we were fundamentally, which was a progressive rock group ... So I love it, just love it, but mainly one and four. On two, Yes was stepping out of being the group we were before. There were lots more sides on things like "And You And I" that were more in line with new age music, if you like. And three, with its strange sounds and unusual instrumentation, we tidied it all up on side four and made it something solid.
Was lucky to see them for the first time 73 in Chicago Amphitheater two nights in a row.Oh my God they were great. They did all of Topography tales!.Got to talk to Rick Wakemen and got Alan White drum sticks which had paint on them from playing the steel drums on the Ancient. The greatest!!
This was a particularly enjoyable reaction… so perceptive and heartwarming. Thanks, Doug. And I agree with your opinion of Jon Anderson. He has the voice and persona of an angel.
Doug, don't forget : it's just Chris singing from 21:32 to 21:40 AND playing bass at the same time... This track is a masterpiece played live. I heard it when i was17. I'm 54 today and still amazed by this performance
Brilliant performance of a brilliant epic. Love your words about it reflecting on the whole piece. Amazing it is. Yet. You gotta go back another time Doug. The Symphonic live version for me is the all time best rendition. Awesome to see the band, to see Chris on bass ánd timpani, awesome to see the expressions on the faces of the orchestra during the drum ritual, awesome guitar work by Steve. Yeah big recommendation to go back a 3rd time and see the Symphonic Live version! It’s superb.
I got to see them on this tour, Parallels, in De Mountford Hall, Leicester, here in the UK. It was the first big band I ever saw, so had no idea what to expect, and boy, did they blow me away! I can vividly remember them doing Ritual. During the percussion section they had what I can only describe as giant clam shells the suddenly lite up and started to open and close in time to the music. As well as Ritual we got Gates of Delirium, the whole of Close to the Edge, and quite a few off The Yes Album. What is striking listening back to these live recordings is how clear the sound was, no mean feat back in 1976.Very complex music that sounded like the album, played and sung by brilliant musicians that to me, were and still are, the best live band ever to grace the stage.
I saw this tour live in 1976 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I was just 16 years old. Doug, just imagine the incredible light show with lasers that went along with this song. Also they played it very very loud and crystal-clear. It was more of an event than a concert. If you get a chance, someday study the light show that went along with this tour. It's a story in itself. My high school friends and I were totally stunned.
It's easy to imagine how amazing it was to be at this concert in Detroit in 76, because I was at the one in Cleveland 2 or 3 days later... and I also saw them earlier on this tour, July 8, 76 in Cincinatti. Both were amazing indeed.
Your deep reflection at the end is what I did not know how to express with words about how this song, and Yes music, makes me feel. Thanks for this, Doug.
The timeline is Yes weird. The breakup of the classic lineup started in 1979 when Jon started working w Greek keyboard legend Vangelis (they made some good stuff), by Nov ‘79 the band was in Paris to record a new album but the sessions were a disaster; they tried again in London after Xmas, failed and by March 1980 Jon and Rick were gone. Shared management brought Chris in contact with the Buggles, and long story short, the Drama lineup was born. That criminally under rated LP was recorded in 3 months and released in August 1980, three months BEFORE Yesshows was released. In essence Yes was put in a position of competing with itself and with its past. Drama featured a leaner, meaner Yes that still sounded like Yes. It essentially was the germ of two massive early 80s “pop prog” successes - Howe and Downes work in Asia and Yes’ own 90125 rebirth.
If I had a time machine, I think I would skip going back to kill Hitler, and instead, go back to 1976, Cobo Hall, Detroit, to be at this Yes concert. The performance of Gates Of Delirium from the same show is also amazing.
When I finally got to Maui, 15 years ago, we arrived at night. I had a plan. In the morning, the first thing I did was go by myself down to the ocean view at the condo, put on the headphones, sat back, and I took the experience of that beauty all in, while listening to Tales From Topographic Oceans. Yes, Ritual is a special track. Thanks Doug.
Dear Doug - as mentioned by others I BEG you to find the Yes Symphonic Live dvd and watch Ritual. I know you enjoyed the orchestral version of Awaken with Todmobile (which gets me every time) and this is along those lines BUT with the classic Yes line up (with an accomplished keyboard player in place of Wakeman/Moraz). These are musicians at the absolute top of their game - Anderson’s voice as good as ever I’ve heard and Squire, god rest his soul, the genius showman he always was. I saw this tour and spent almost every moment smiling and crying. I know it would be crazy to review the same song three times on your channel - but please watch it and feel your soul and spirits fly !! ❤️
I saw them June 16th 1976 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale NY. My second concert ever following David Bowie. I was 15yrs old and totally blown away. Tix were $5.50.. Believe that one. They had 3 heads that extended over the stage with green lazers for eyes. I was mesmerized from the moment they entered the coliseum. I loved it so much it was like a dream to me. I still have my "YESSHOWS" T-Shirt from the show. My first concert T-Shirt. Needless to say I have seen them countless time. Like you said Jon is like an angel. He radiates spirituality love and peace. Just a wonderful band. Btw.. I saw them in 2000 and 2001.. I'm not sure which show they did "Ritual" but the percussion section was different then this. There was everyone playing and no vocals at all.
Love this version. Chris scatting along to his bass solo/theme and Alan doing the unhinged vocalizing during the drum part. This band was tapping into some otherworldly magic at this time.
I can still remember the little cassette boombox I had... taking this cassette home and listening to it... in the basement. I think it is totally awesome that they are about to play a 28 min. piece of music and they count it in! Doug - thank you. These videos help recapture special moments. I've heard it a million times... but thinking about that first time is really special. Thank you!
Love your video again Doug, its my Bible for the last 50 years, Now it should be about time for the happy sports rock and roller "Going for the One" the title track, a full Band blast with a floating superb Jon Anderson
A fabulous version of a fabulous piece. When Yesshows was released it never left my turntable. Alan is totally outstanding on this......probably the best percussion from any drummer at any time. A masterpiece of skill and musicianship from all.
Alan seems to always be underated when you read best drummers selections, being a number of them out there, and he is nowhere to be found. He in my mind should be in at least every top 20 list. He is truly missed.
@@cmichaelanthonyimages2197 It is easy to argue that Alan was not technically the best drummer, however he was without doubt the best at getting the "feel" of the piece. That's why he was one of the very best, he didn't need to do a Neil Pert or a Thomas Lang. He blended with the room and powered things forward from the back exactly as a great drummer should.
You know, i love to see these reactions of YES, because this is the music i found in my teenager years. Now with 48 i can say still is my music, among other way different, and still find new things and interpretations each time i come back to them. I love the way you discover this music and get fascinated for them, is a way to go back to them as my first time, so so long time ago.
I love Patrick’s fills on this version of Ritual, also this is the only song I know where they used Timpani played by Chris during the drum ritual. When I first listen to the drum ritual it transported me to Australia imagining seeing an aborigine ritual. Alan does an amazing job no just playing the drums but also doing the vocals during the drum ritual
Listen to the symphonic version. Slightly different lineup with Tom Brislin in for RW. On that you'll see all band members bar SH on drums. It's superb
I'm going to see them in October. Steve Howe is my favorite guitarist, so pretty excited :) This is a great performance. Thanks for sharing your Yes journey with us!
Doug, I'm so happy you love "Ritual" as much as I do! Probably the sweetest love song Jon has ever written. Loved your thoughts too on the role of ritual in our lives. 😊
Thanks, Doug. I saw Yes on this tour, in Cincinnati. It was electrifying. Gates of Delirium practically blew me out of my seat. Ritual was the closing selection of the concert, and a more perfect finale they couldn't have picked. The "...don't seem to matter at all, at all..." part, and that glorious end section never fail to give me goose flesh from head to toe. There's a lot of power in this live performance (but the studio version is still the best).
My first,of many, YES concerts, in Boston, Mass. was late summer ‘77 was a solid 3+ hours of musicianship heaven !!! They played 5 sets with everyone playing a solo between sets to allow the 4 other musicians a break. Most AMAZING show I’ve ever seen and heard !!! Almost forgot to mention…the concert was “in the round”. Basically, it was an extremely slow-turning carousel stage. Everyone has a great seat !!!❤❤❤
Doug makes a comment about Steve Howe's guitar tone. How it "blossoms." Steve Howe is known to manipulate his volume attack by way of using a Volume Pedal. When he does use this approach, he picks a note, then ramps up the pedal anywhere form 0 (no sound) to 100 (full sound). The sound smoothly swells into bloom. Sort of like a bowed violin or cello. So that should clear up the mystery. I thought that Doug would appreciate this bit of information.
I had the album and the only downside was the Rital did not fit on one side but was split between two sides. It also included live versions of selections from Going for the One and Tormato. I saw them in 1979, 1980 (I call this the Buggles Yes), 1984 and 1991 on the Union tour. In between, I saw Jon Anderson solo in 1982 during his first break from Yes. They were always great, even the Buggles Yes, and that is why I agree with your syphonic take. Musicians, like the young people Jon toured with last year, could still be presenting Yes music for generations to come. With Chris and Alan gone now, along with Peter Banks who deserves a mention, the Yes I saw no longer exists. Its the next generation that will need to carry it forward.
This and 'The Gates Of Delirium' from the same album were my real gateway drug into Yes in the first year of my degree (someone randomly gave me a copy of 'Yesshows' on vinyl) and I've never looked back. Would've been wonderful to have a full-show live album from the tour that gave us those two performances...
A friend loaned me this 8 track tape back in 1975 I was 14 years old. YES has given us many masterpieces but Tales is very important. When I saw you pull out that pipe I had to hit the subscribe button.
At this concert, they also played "Gates of Delerium," of which the "Soon, Oh Soon..." section was indescribably beautiful. They projected Lazer lights above the heads of the audience, and people were reaching up so that the lazers illuminated their palms. It was among the most transcendental experiences of my life at that time. I close my eyes, and I'm there.
Steve Howe is a true master of all things guitar. His combining of various types of guitars including the pedal steel guitar gives a very special sound to these tracks.
Back in the early 2000s, Yes performed both Gates and Ritual live at the same show, I think as part of their symphonic tour. The various releases of Magnification included live versions of both.
Man, when you said Jon Anderson is an angel and no matter what mood you’re in you feel immediate comfort and love from him, that pretty much sums up Yes for me.
I was lucky enough to catch them for the first time in June of 1976 in Cincinnati, just a couple of months before the Cobo Hall show featured here. It was all festival seating in those days, so my buddy and I parked about four people back from the edge of the stage in front of Chris Squire. They had an outstanding pod, spaceship Roger Dean designed stage set. Encore was The Beatles “I’m Down”- McCartney’s homage to Little Richard. Worth every bit of the $6.50/ticket we paid for general admission! 😊 “Ritual” wraps around in a way that carries ‘nous somme du soleil’ through chaos/exorcism/ritual and brings us back ‘flying home’. Steve’s final solo ties together multiple thematic references and brings the song to a masterful conclusion- nicely tied together in a very gratifying way- a mind blowing connective finality. ✌🏻
Steve Howe's bowing effect is usually plucked (in advance) with his volume pedal pushed to silent, then pedal up to produce the sound without the pick being heard.
I did see the "Masterworks," tour where they performed all their big epic pieces. Saw all of the tours from 1986 on until 2017 (both Yes and ARW). You are right, Jon Anderson's voice is angelic and magical...I think better live also. The only problem with seeing them live so much was that most other bands couldn't even come close in terms of musicianship... It was fun while it lasted though.
Thanks to share this with us, I listened this version when the álbum was edited and I have the same feelings from this date to today. May be you want to check the Ritual version in Yes Symphonic 2000, where you can see the band performing this piece with an little orchestra. And you can appreciate the grate musicianship of all, specially Chris, who plays the bass, sing and also plays the symphonic cymbals during the percussion part. Saludos desde Buenos Aires.
I was fortunate to see YES the first time days before this recording. Of all the times I saw YES from then on, this show/tour has always been something very special. The stage, the sound, (the Bugs Bunny cartoons before they came on!), and the music was uplifting. Gates, Ritual, Sound Chaser, a slow acoustic version of Long Distance Runaround..... This music has consoled and made my life richer. I'm slowly giving my original albums to my youngest daughter who has discovered vinyl, Yessongs and Yesshows are two that I have parted with. She has the understanding that when she puts on a side, the phones go off, the lights turn down as the volume goes up with the album close by. Maybe some day, she'll pass along to the following generation - "here, this is what Grandpa used to listen to, it's pretty cool and makes you feel good."
Any version of Ritual is better than most other music, but the Symphonic version is my favourite ... being played along with a youthful symphony orchestra shows how truely classical YES music really is and deserves to be recognised as such for centuries to come. I was privileged to see, hear, nay, experience Ritual on the Symphonic Tour at Sheffield City Hall ... fantastic, especially Chris's bass solo, which literally almost lifted the roof off the old hall !!
Doug, youve done a great job of summing up what is so great for me about this music as it is for you. You will never have the perspective of someone such as myself (and I wish that you could) who first heard this live in 1973 even before the album was released. The whole album live, Jon introducing and explaing each movement in turn. That was a concert in which the first part had been a complete performance of the Close to the Edge album, beginning with Siberian Khatru after the Firebird opening. Imagine that! Since then I've heard it played by all the line ups who have done so except Masteworks with Igor, only toured in the US. Orher highlights - the 35th anniversary tour with the classic line up and Symphonic on which it was played beautifully with the orchestra, an added joy seeing the young orchestral players so loving it. And, Close to the Edge, Gates and Ritual all in the same concert - another expefrience for you to imagine!
![🔴 ฟุตบอลแชมป์กีฬา 7HD แชมเปียน คัพ 2024 [รอบรองชนะเลิศ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zPm8ClLVhoE/mqdefault.jpg)
Close to the Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer. What a trilogy. Best. Band. Ever.
and then add in Fragile on the one end and GFTO on the other.............an amazing block of music for ~ 6 years (not to mention the solo albums)
Wild to think of the quick back to back releases of The Yes Album and Fragile too.
@@chacob3380 And The Yes Album.
you forgot Awaken and Endless Dream. Two of their greatest masterworks.
They're like buttah...
For me, back in the 70's, Tales was THE Yes album. Of course it was wide open to the criticisms it received at the time for being overblown, but for me those voices fell on deaf ears. An incredible work throughout, a journey (before that was a cliche) sweeping the listener along. I was lucky enough to see Ritual performed live back in the late 70's at the old Wembley Empire Pool in North London by the classic line up. I think I forgot to breathe throughout.
Alan and Chris are incredible in this live performance. Can't believe they are gone. The music of course will live on forever.
Love your closing comments on what this music brings and gives to you. I feel just the same and have done since I heard it for the first time in 1973, 18 years old. I'll be 68 tomorrow but it still gets me. YES is up there, together with the greatest symphonic composers. If Gustav Mahler had been born 90 years later, he would have been in the band. Thanks Doug for a great listen.
I'm a year older, but the same thing with me. I saw them do this when it was released, and still listen to it, especially lately, to see the joy on the reviewer's face, when they hear it for the first time and I can enjoy it vicariously.
@@lesblatnyak5947 Thank you!
Same for me, and I'm 65 since 4 days… 😀
I WAS there in person , at age 15 or 16. Live at Meadowlands arena in New Jersey-ran away from home on Long Island to be there. After that, was at every live tour till they dropped Jon. What were they thinking to be YES without Jon?
@@JimReemThe guys a fake. He's not hearing this stuff for the first time. It is staged. Watch his other fake videos - I don't care how tuned someone's ears are: you wouldn't know details (the biggest giveaways are when he sings along to vocal lines - he knows this shit inside out but makes out he's hearing it for the first time and offers his 'first impressions' lol. "Y'all."
amazing to think this was nearly 50 years ago! How can a modern band ever top these performances?
It is really amazing indeed! Writting this incredible piece of music being so young...New bands could be called just that, new. But the actual modern and timeless music is the music of Yes and some others, do you agree?
Doug, PLEASE, PLEASE do listen to (and watch) the YES 2001 Symphonic Live video version of Ritual. If you were moved by this Yesshows rendition - which clearly you were - the Symphonic Live rendition, accompanied by the orchestra, will blow your mind. Please, do yourself a huge favor and give it a go (even if just on your own and not on the show). John, Chris, Steve, Alan and Tom Brislin on keyboards.
Agree, Alan and Chris utterly owning the whole thing
Remember too at this show there would have be a Dean brothers stage set that had a three headed mechanical crab that held light rigs with lasers and airport landing lights.
My Dad was there the night of this performance. He said it was an unreal experience.
It's impressive that they can play such challenging music at all. More impressive that they can do it live, just the five of them, without a lot of studio layering and post-processing. Still more, as you say, that they can do it from memory without any sheet music. But wow, I never realized how FAST they played in this concert! They did all of the above, and cranked up the tempo just to flex their musical muscles. Incredible.
Steve can't even read music 🤷😊
I believe the growling near the percussion section of the performance is Alan.
@@timbrown2971I believe it's Jon. If you watch the concert footage from QPR in 1975 you can kind of make it out.
@@simonthoben189maybe. I read somewhere years ago that it was Alan. But maybe not.
@@timbrown2971Here's a link to the video th-cam.com/video/aeEqWLpcwiY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=dvcrSZtbRbmuhNaS I just watched the section in question. You can see Alan leaning back farther away from his microphone whilst Anderson is pretty close to his. (Must be after 16:45) The first couple of times I heard these live versions I thought that it was Squire, but I also remember reading somewhere that it might have been Alan. I guess you wouldn't expect these deep growls from Anderson, so I never even suspected it was him until I watched the QPR video.
after being a Genesis fan for 35 years I always wondered what it is that draws me to Genesis and I kept listening to other prog rock bands, especially Yes, and especially because apparently they are Doug's favorite. I always thought it's the bit of beauty in Genesis that I miss in yes, But here there is the beauty I missed. What a masterpiece.
For me the music of the traditional line-up has the secret combination, so the result is bgger than the sum of its Part.
There's much, much beauty in Yes - at least to my ears! Songs like To Be Over, And You And I, Awaken, The Remembering, Turn of the Century. I love Genesis as well (my fav bits are probably Guide Vocal, The Lamia and the flute part in Supper's Ready), but I don't find as much beauty of this magnitude there as in these Yes songs
I realised something through Doug's comments at the end about my love of Yes. Often, I'm drawn to music with a dark or melancholy feel to it, but Yes is an exception. Yes' music is joyous. And like Doug, it brings me inner peace.
If you haven't heard The Ladder, you should give it a listen. It's the most joyous all the way through of all the Yes albums IMHO.
I remember buying Tales on day of release when I was 15. It instantly became my favourite album and has been ever since. So pleased you have grown to appreciate it so much Doug! It really is very special. Love your analysis! Love your thoughts and sentiments about the music - you have cheered me up too!
It always seems to me that know one I know gets music like this, like I get it. It is life affirming, soul easing, it lifts me beyond myself. I'm so glad when I find a kindred spirit, you Sir are that kindred spirit, and I thank you profusely for sharing. after this listening; I am replete.
Both of my parents are very into Yes. Ever since I learned to put a needle on a vinyl record in 1986, the music of Yes has been pretty much one of the only constants in my life. Their music always makes my soul happy and as someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, it is a true godsend. I have seen them live 13 times in various incarnations and while their studio albums are amazing, I've always thought that they sounded better live and the performances were more powerful.
Many Yes song lyrics are about aspects of mindfulness and self care and then there's the incredible music too.
As a fellow depressive/anxious person I can very much relate! I find few things as calming and regenerative for my soul as lying down, lights off, and putting on Tales on my headphones (or maybe To Be Over or one of the other astonishinly beautiful jams). I feel transported and somewhat healed
My mother liked Yes. My dad who is a musician is a bit baffled by them.
So - not far off 50 years old, and the best band in the world is still affecting people; musically still relevant and still so amazingly beautiful! I'm glad you get so much from this band...these albums, Doug - it will all stay with you, as it has with YES fans for more than 50 years. Enjoy what will be some of your fondest musical memories, still ton come!
And experiencing this live several times in the 70s was pure magic. The percussion section was always powerful and you could sense how much fun Chris in particular had playing his timpani!
The growling sounds are those of the 3 headed Crab Nebula stage designed by Roger & Martyn Dean (25:00). Look at any of his books from the 80's ... Magnetic Storm. Great channel Doug from a fellow prog rock fan!
Something that is rarely mentioned..... Having seen yes at least 6 times back in the day, their live sound was amazing, compared to the rest of the bands back the day. Their sound engineer(s) have to get a lot of credit, they allowed the musicianship to show through. Saw the tour 'in the round ' in Noter Dame's basketball arena, best sound I had ever heard back in the day. That says a lot coming from a live sound engineer.
I saw Yes in '75 or '76. They played "Gates of Delirium" and "Ritual" and "Close to the Edge." It was mind-blowing.
July, 1975...I saw YES in Evansville, IN and they played these three epical pieces. The whole show was fantastic....3 songs were over an hour of the show. I think they played almost 2 1/2 hours.
Ace ("How Long has This Been Going On?")was the opening
act.
The Symphonic Yes version is the best live rendition of Ritual. Excellent bass, drums and guitar performance.
Absolutely agree, unfortunately, that came way after Chris made the selection for this reviewed album track
You should check out the version of Ritual at the Baltimore show by Jon Anderson with the Band Geeks earlier this year. They knocked it out of the park! Richie Castellano's bass playing is incredible. Chris was smiling in bass Valhalla.
the 2001 symphonic live version is great, but i personally prefer the raw energy of this yesshows version.
richie castellano hinted that a recording of their recent tour with jon would be made available. knowing richie and crew, i can't to hear that version of ritual and others.
I prefer the Songs from Tsongas better.
When I was younger (late teens) I went through a couple of dark periods when I couldn't see anything positive. Listening to this full album on headphones would leave me feeling drained but optimistic. Jon's lyrics are usually opaque but occasionally a sentence pops out and strikes a nerve, on this track for me it was: "change we must as surely time does, changes call the course". You know you've found the right music when you get goosebumps listening to it. I find it amazing that music can cause physical changes to your body and I'm thankful I found the source.
Gorgeous rendition of this song from Tales, which never fully got its due when released in 1973 (except from the Yes faithful).
I really enjoyed listening to this and your reactions. Very joyful. The music of my youth. In fact, my best friends were editors of the Grover Cleveland High School yearbook in 1977. The lyrics to this song were featured in the yearbook. Which may have perplexed some kids but sure was special for us Yes fans! Nous sommes du soleil to you Doug!
Some scammer is replying to messages here. What a knob.
I remember writing “Nous Somme Du Soleil” in all my friends yearbooks at the end of 1976. To much confusion from my friends but it was a way of directing them to this album!!
That is awesome!
My two favourite Yes albums, Close to the edge and Tales. A lot of folk never got Tales which I always thought their masterpiece.
Took me a bit to get into Tales, but once I did, I completely fell in love with it. Definitely one of my favorites from YES.
Those for me are Yes' twin peaks. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree on Tales: "I worked on and off for about 3 years on this new mix in my quest to do it justice. I hope it will satisfy the people who agree with me that it may just be Yes’ pre-eminent masterpiece.”
I'm a slow learner it only took me 48 years to fall in love with tails now that's not the way you spell it Siri it is spelled TALES😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ 15:28
Doug, thanks for sharing your thoughts and analysis. It brings me back to my basement gathering place/ 1974 a wide circle of consciousness raising friends would regularly listen to all four sides....talk meaning, share their own illustrated booklets of the album. Despite humanities unavoidable instinct to "relayer" and the call to "fail safe Now!" As you shared, would end with that common peace that elevated my life each time we listen...."Cominnnng Home"❤
Saw them @ Rosevelt Stadium in NJ…1976. What a show. Yes took me on my first and last musical spiritual journey. No matter how many times i listen to this, it never gets old.
Doug just discovered your channel and im so pleased I did. Am 34weeks pregnant with twins, your music seems to settle them down. Thank you.
Howe on Topographic Oceans: Jon and I had this idea-the band did need some persuasion and a lot of encouragement. And when it came out, everybody was a bit like, everybody was a bit in shock, like, "What kind of album is this?" It got a few slatings, and of course Rick was affected by some of these UK press slatings, because there were all these friends writing about his record! (laughs) ... But a really great thing happened-the bookend of side one and four are really the whole strength of it. But the middle, sides two and three, is really Yes in experimental mode. I was playing lute on side two, and we were playing this really weird stuff we had never played before ... we had never been quite that adventurous before then ... but going back to one and four, they are really very powerful and well-arranged music, but what happened with the reception is that we got out on-stage and played it, and people got to really like it.
So we had a new vibe, but it really grew ... Fewer people are critical of it now than, say, when it first came out. It’s become a specialized classic-it’s the only double-album project we ever did of new material, so it does stand out in itself, and it does take a very big nod to what we were fundamentally, which was a progressive rock group ... So I love it, just love it, but mainly one and four. On two, Yes was stepping out of being the group we were before. There were lots more sides on things like "And You And I" that were more in line with new age music, if you like. And three, with its strange sounds and unusual instrumentation, we tidied it all up on side four and made it something solid.
Was lucky to see them for the first time 73 in Chicago Amphitheater two nights in a row.Oh my God they were great. They did all of Topography tales!.Got to talk to Rick Wakemen and got Alan White drum sticks which had paint on them from playing the steel drums on the Ancient. The greatest!!
All sides are equally great, in my opinion, Side two in particular
This was a particularly enjoyable reaction… so perceptive and heartwarming. Thanks, Doug.
And I agree with your opinion of Jon Anderson. He has the voice and persona of an angel.
Doug, don't forget : it's just Chris singing from 21:32 to 21:40 AND playing bass at the same time... This track is a masterpiece played live. I heard it when i was17. I'm 54 today and still amazed by this performance
Awesome! Thanks Doug. I'd like to recommend In The Presence Of, from the Magnification album. Beautiful song. I think you'll like it.
Brilliant performance of a brilliant epic. Love your words about it reflecting on the whole piece. Amazing it is. Yet. You gotta go back another time Doug. The Symphonic live version for me is the all time best rendition. Awesome to see the band, to see Chris on bass ánd timpani, awesome to see the expressions on the faces of the orchestra during the drum ritual, awesome guitar work by Steve. Yeah big recommendation to go back a 3rd time and see the Symphonic Live version! It’s superb.
I got to see them on this tour, Parallels, in De Mountford Hall, Leicester, here in the UK. It was the first big band I ever saw, so had no idea what to expect, and boy, did they blow me away! I can vividly remember them doing Ritual. During the percussion section they had what I can only describe as giant clam shells the suddenly lite up and started to open and close in time to the music. As well as Ritual we got Gates of Delirium, the whole of Close to the Edge, and quite a few off The Yes Album.
What is striking listening back to these live recordings is how clear the sound was, no mean feat back in 1976.Very complex music that sounded like the album, played and sung by brilliant musicians that to me, were and still are, the best live band ever to grace the stage.
I saw this tour live in 1976 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I was just 16 years old. Doug, just imagine the incredible light show with lasers that went along with this song. Also they played it very very loud and crystal-clear. It was more of an event than a concert. If you get a chance, someday study the light show that went along with this tour. It's a story in itself. My high school friends and I were totally stunned.
Yes!
Such a great version.
I love the cover art from YesShows!
Wow, you feel exactly like me when you describe this at the end. Magical music
It's easy to imagine how amazing it was to be at this concert in Detroit in 76, because I was at the one in Cleveland 2 or 3 days later... and I also saw them earlier on this tour, July 8, 76 in Cincinatti. Both were amazing indeed.
OMG DEEPLY EMOTIONAL AT EVERY MOMENT on every point! Lush personified!!! No word can describe this Live then at 20
Thanks! The Gates of Delirium on this album is out of this world. Steve Howe is so much higher in the mix on this live album. It really shows!
Thank you, I need to check out The Gates of Delirium from this album. Sounds amazing!
I am thankful for your support, appreciate you, friend.
YES are truly amazing and never cease to amaze..... still after all these years ....
Your deep reflection at the end is what I did not know how to express with words about how this song, and Yes music, makes me feel. Thanks for this, Doug.
The timeline is Yes weird. The breakup of the classic lineup started in 1979 when Jon started working w Greek keyboard legend Vangelis (they made some good stuff), by Nov ‘79 the band was in Paris to record a new album but the sessions were a disaster; they tried again in London after Xmas, failed and by March 1980 Jon and Rick were gone. Shared management brought Chris in contact with the Buggles, and long story short, the Drama lineup was born. That criminally under rated LP was recorded in 3 months and released in August 1980, three months BEFORE Yesshows was released. In essence Yes was put in a position of competing with itself and with its past. Drama featured a leaner, meaner Yes that still sounded like Yes. It essentially was the germ of two massive early 80s “pop prog” successes - Howe and Downes work in Asia and Yes’ own 90125 rebirth.
Sure, Drama is a f****in good album of Yes, the best for the 20 next years after, till "Magnification" or "Fly from here" IMO
@@marcjdt5796 Don't forget The Ladder
If I had a time machine, I think I would skip going back to kill Hitler, and instead, go back to 1976, Cobo Hall, Detroit, to be at this Yes concert. The performance of Gates Of Delirium from the same show is also amazing.
When I finally got to Maui, 15 years ago, we arrived at night. I had a plan. In the morning, the first thing I did was go by myself down to the ocean view at the condo, put on the headphones, sat back, and I took the experience of that beauty all in, while listening to Tales From Topographic Oceans. Yes, Ritual is a special track. Thanks Doug.
Love Chris’ bass solo on this!❤
Dear Doug - as mentioned by others I BEG you to find the Yes Symphonic Live dvd and watch Ritual. I know you enjoyed the orchestral version of Awaken with Todmobile (which gets me every time) and this is along those lines BUT with the classic Yes line up (with an accomplished keyboard player in place of Wakeman/Moraz). These are musicians at the absolute top of their game - Anderson’s voice as good as ever I’ve heard and Squire, god rest his soul, the genius showman he always was. I saw this tour and spent almost every moment smiling and crying. I know it would be crazy to review the same song three times on your channel - but please watch it and feel your soul and spirits fly !! ❤️
I saw them June 16th 1976 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale NY. My second concert ever following David Bowie. I was 15yrs old and totally blown away. Tix were $5.50.. Believe that one. They had 3 heads that extended over the stage with green lazers for eyes. I was mesmerized from the moment they entered the coliseum. I loved it so much it was like a dream to me. I still have my "YESSHOWS" T-Shirt from the show. My first concert T-Shirt. Needless to say I have seen them countless time. Like you said Jon is like an angel. He radiates spirituality love and peace. Just a wonderful band.
Btw.. I saw them in 2000 and 2001.. I'm not sure which show they did "Ritual" but the percussion section was different then this. There was everyone playing and no vocals at all.
Love this version. Chris scatting along to his bass solo/theme and Alan doing the unhinged vocalizing during the drum part. This band was tapping into some otherworldly magic at this time.
Oh yea baby. Great live record.
Doug does get it with his final comments. Art is only art if it makes you feel something. Nous Sommes Du Soliel is a special piece of art.
I have followed YES from the release of The Yes Album. Seen them numerous times Live in Glasgow Scotland..
My gosh that bass sounds like it's emanating from a canyon. Great fantastic review!
I can still remember the little cassette boombox I had... taking this cassette home and listening to it... in the basement. I think it is totally awesome that they are about to play a 28 min. piece of music and they count it in! Doug - thank you. These videos help recapture special moments. I've heard it a million times... but thinking about that first time is really special. Thank you!
I was at this show! Junior year in high school!
Love your video again Doug, its my Bible for the last 50 years, Now it should be about time for the happy sports rock and roller "Going for the One" the title track, a full Band blast with a floating superb Jon Anderson
A fabulous version of a fabulous piece. When Yesshows was released it never left my turntable. Alan is totally outstanding on this......probably the best percussion from any drummer at any time. A masterpiece of skill and musicianship from all.
Alan seems to always be underated when you read best drummers selections, being a number of them out there, and he is nowhere to be found. He in my mind should be in at least every top 20 list. He is truly missed.
@@cmichaelanthonyimages2197 It is easy to argue that Alan was not technically the best drummer, however he was without doubt the best at getting the "feel" of the piece. That's why he was one of the very best, he didn't need to do a Neil Pert or a Thomas Lang. He blended with the room and powered things forward from the back exactly as a great drummer should.
Seeing them do this in person on the Symphonic Tour was absolutely incredible. I still get chills thinking about it. Amazing stuff.
Dough, I'm following you since we were 20.000. This is by far the best analisys I heard, ever. Thank you for what you're doing. ❤👍👏
I was at this show ❣❣ I saw Yes about 15 times thru the years. They were all incomparable musicians!
You know, i love to see these reactions of YES, because this is the music i found in my teenager years. Now with 48 i can say still is my music, among other way different, and still find new things and interpretations each time i come back to them. I love the way you discover this music and get fascinated for them, is a way to go back to them as my first time, so so long time ago.
I love Patrick’s fills on this version of Ritual, also this is the only song I know where they used Timpani played by Chris during the drum ritual. When I first listen to the drum ritual it transported me to Australia imagining seeing an aborigine ritual. Alan does an amazing job no just playing the drums but also doing the vocals during the drum ritual
Listen to the symphonic version. Slightly different lineup with Tom Brislin in for RW. On that you'll see all band members bar SH on drums. It's superb
Glorious band. Saw classuc line up 12 to 15 times.. great performers. Looks like someone is conducting..amazing
There is a great version of Ritual in the Yes Symphonic Live dvd.
I'm going to see them in October. Steve Howe is my favorite guitarist, so pretty excited :) This is a great performance. Thanks for sharing your Yes journey with us!
So glad you are spreading the love for Topographic. It is a great album which I can always listen too. One of the greatest albums ever.
Doug, I'm so happy you love "Ritual" as much as I do! Probably the sweetest love song Jon has ever written. Loved your thoughts too on the role of ritual in our lives. 😊
Thanks, Doug. I saw Yes on this tour, in Cincinnati. It was electrifying. Gates of Delirium practically blew me out of my seat. Ritual was the closing selection of the concert, and a more perfect finale they couldn't have picked. The "...don't seem to matter at all, at all..." part, and that glorious end section never fail to give me goose flesh from head to toe. There's a lot of power in this live performance (but the studio version is still the best).
I believe the growling in the percussion section is Alan.
I’m so glad you’re finally doing this version! Gates Of Delirium is also great on this album.
My first,of many, YES concerts, in Boston, Mass. was late summer ‘77 was a solid 3+ hours of musicianship heaven !!!
They played 5 sets with everyone playing a solo between sets to allow the 4 other musicians a break.
Most AMAZING show I’ve ever seen and heard !!!
Almost forgot to mention…the concert was “in the round”. Basically, it was an extremely slow-turning carousel stage. Everyone has a great seat !!!❤❤❤
The version from YES Symphonic is awesome. Masterpiece
Great reaction, Doug!
From 21:30 to 21:44, it is Chris who is singing. Not only was he a great bass player, he had a great voice.
Doug makes a comment about Steve Howe's guitar tone. How it "blossoms." Steve Howe is known to manipulate his volume attack by way of using a Volume Pedal. When he does use this approach, he picks a note, then ramps up the pedal anywhere form 0 (no sound) to 100 (full sound). The sound smoothly swells into bloom. Sort of like a bowed violin or cello. So that should clear up the mystery. I thought that Doug would appreciate this bit of information.
I had the album and the only downside was the Rital did not fit on one side but was split between two sides. It also included live versions of selections from Going for the One and Tormato. I saw them in 1979, 1980 (I call this the Buggles Yes), 1984 and 1991 on the Union tour. In between, I saw Jon Anderson solo in 1982 during his first break from Yes. They were always great, even the Buggles Yes, and that is why I agree with your syphonic take. Musicians, like the young people Jon toured with last year, could still be presenting Yes music for generations to come. With Chris and Alan gone now, along with Peter Banks who deserves a mention, the Yes I saw no longer exists. Its the next generation that will need to carry it forward.
This and 'The Gates Of Delirium' from the same album were my real gateway drug into Yes in the first year of my degree (someone randomly gave me a copy of 'Yesshows' on vinyl) and I've never looked back. Would've been wonderful to have a full-show live album from the tour that gave us those two performances...
A friend loaned me this 8 track tape back in 1975 I was 14 years old. YES has given us many masterpieces but Tales is very important. When I saw you pull out that pipe I had to hit the subscribe button.
At this concert, they also played "Gates of Delerium," of which the "Soon, Oh Soon..." section was indescribably beautiful. They projected Lazer lights above the heads of the audience, and people were reaching up so that the lazers illuminated their palms. It was among the most transcendental experiences of my life at that time. I close my eyes, and I'm there.
Steve Howe is a true master of all things guitar. His combining of various types of guitars including the pedal steel guitar gives a very special sound to these tracks.
Back in the early 2000s, Yes performed both Gates and Ritual live at the same show, I think as part of their symphonic tour. The various releases of Magnification included live versions of both.
I love the energy as it bolts out of the intro with Alan holding nothing back and Chris in lockstep!
memory lane for me. Like you said, quite remarkable!!
From Tales I also adores side 1, what a adventure to listen
Beatiful thoughts, Doug. Yes...what a miracle..
Wonderful commentary at the end, Doug. It is good for the soul.
Man, when you said Jon Anderson is an angel and no matter what mood you’re in you feel immediate comfort and love from him, that pretty much sums up Yes for me.
I've always loved Yesshows. The gates of delirium was played with so much energy in that detroit concert. One of their best moments ever.
I was lucky enough to catch them for the first time in June of 1976 in Cincinnati, just a couple of months before the Cobo Hall show featured here. It was all festival seating in those days, so my buddy and I parked about four people back from the edge of the stage in front of Chris Squire. They had an outstanding pod, spaceship Roger Dean designed stage set. Encore was The Beatles “I’m Down”- McCartney’s homage to Little Richard. Worth every bit of the $6.50/ticket we paid for general admission! 😊
“Ritual” wraps around in a way that carries ‘nous somme du soleil’ through chaos/exorcism/ritual and brings us back ‘flying home’. Steve’s final solo ties together multiple thematic references and brings the song to a masterful conclusion- nicely tied together in a very gratifying way- a mind blowing connective finality. ✌🏻
Steve Howe's bowing effect is usually plucked (in advance) with his volume pedal pushed to silent, then pedal up to produce the sound without the pick being heard.
Also used by Peter Banks on the first two Yes albums which Steve was a fan of, especially Time and a Word.
I did see the "Masterworks," tour where they performed all their big epic pieces. Saw all of the tours from 1986 on until 2017 (both Yes and ARW). You are right, Jon Anderson's voice is angelic and magical...I think better live also. The only problem with seeing them live so much was that most other bands couldn't even come close in terms of musicianship... It was fun while it lasted though.
Thanks to share this with us, I listened this version when the álbum was edited and I have the same feelings from this date to today. May be you want to check the Ritual version in Yes Symphonic 2000, where you can see the band performing this piece with an little orchestra. And you can appreciate the grate musicianship of all, specially Chris, who plays the bass, sing and also plays the symphonic cymbals during the percussion part. Saludos desde Buenos Aires.
Lovely song and the solo by Steve Howe in the final , it´s spiritual and fantastic.I think you would like ``Future TImes´´ and ``Rejoice´´ by Tormato.
Yesshows is so overlooked in the shadow of Yessongs but it is a straight up banger...
I actually think YesShows is a tad better.
Not to take anything away from YesSongs
Love ‘em equally !!!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Tales has always been my favorite Yes album. There is something very special about it. I think your closing words explained it perfectly!
Wonderful start to a Saturday morning. Smiley Yes face. 😊
This is my favorite version.
I was fortunate to see YES the first time days before this recording. Of all the times I saw YES from then on, this show/tour has always been something very special. The stage, the sound, (the Bugs Bunny cartoons before they came on!), and the music was uplifting. Gates, Ritual, Sound Chaser, a slow acoustic version of Long Distance Runaround..... This music has consoled and made my life richer. I'm slowly giving my original albums to my youngest daughter who has discovered vinyl, Yessongs and Yesshows are two that I have parted with. She has the understanding that when she puts on a side, the phones go off, the lights turn down as the volume goes up with the album close by. Maybe some day, she'll pass along to the following generation - "here, this is what Grandpa used to listen to, it's pretty cool and makes you feel good."
Any version of Ritual is better than most other music, but the Symphonic version is my favourite ... being played along with a youthful symphony orchestra shows how truely classical YES music really is and deserves to be recognised as such for centuries to come.
I was privileged to see, hear, nay, experience Ritual on the Symphonic Tour at Sheffield City Hall ... fantastic, especially Chris's bass solo, which literally almost lifted the roof off the old hall !!
Doug, youve done a great job of summing up what is so great for me about this music as it is for you. You will never have the perspective of someone such as myself (and I wish that you could) who first heard this live in 1973 even before the album was released. The whole album live, Jon introducing and explaing each movement in turn. That was a concert in which the first part had been a complete performance of the Close to the Edge album, beginning with Siberian Khatru after the Firebird opening. Imagine that! Since then I've heard it played by all the line ups who have done so except Masteworks with Igor, only toured in the US. Orher highlights - the 35th anniversary tour with the classic line up and Symphonic on which it was played beautifully with the orchestra, an added joy seeing the young orchestral players so loving it. And, Close to the Edge, Gates and Ritual all in the same concert - another expefrience for you to imagine!
For those wondering, the weird vocals at the 23:00 mark are from Jon
Thanks Doug I'm glad I came upon this right before bedtime I'll sleep easy tonight😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Those bas lines.... omg ❤