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Yes - Yessongs

Yes - Yessongs

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $26.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: For Die-Hard Fans Only
Review: "Yessongs" is basically a very poor film of a great band in a good concert. If you are a Yes fan, you will probably want to view "Yessongs," especially if you never saw the band live. I saw the band live about 5 years after this concert was filmed, and not much had changed. More of a light show, more keyboards for Wakeman, more great tunes, but basically the show was unchanged.

"Yessongs" opens up with (a somewhat slower version than the studio version of) "I've Seen All Good People." It's a good start to the concert, featuring the skills of all of the members. Jon Anderson's unique voice, although not captured as well here as on any of their albums, comes through as well as the sound quality will allow. Chris Squire's bass work and vocals show why he was an integral part of the group. Wakeman has a few good moments, but mostly is hidden behind his huge sequined cape. The show really belongs to Steve Howe and his incredible guitar work. Especially during the first half of the concert, Howe is the primary focus. Here we see one of the most talented and overlooked guitarists of the 1970's. Most of the music itself is very good, except for the "Wives of Henry VIII" which is all Wakeman. Part of what made Yes great was the uniqueness of their sound, the feeling that they were playing music from another world. The sounds were great, but they were ahead of where the video/audio technology was at that time. In the year 2001, we are used to well-produced video, great effects, and digital audio. Unfortunately, none of these elements are present in "Yessongs." I would really like to find out if the band was filmed in their later years with a better video/audio set-up. Until then, the best way to experience Yes is to put on one of their CD's, sit back, and close your eyes...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Grainy quality, but still essential
Review: ...this DVD, however poorly remastered, is still an important classic and vital to the purpose of understanding the Yes canon. It's also a great opportunity to see the band in their prime. For that alone, it's worth having.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome DVD !
Review: A great work of art to be viewed, shared, and placed in a time capsule... oh wait a minute, that won't be necessary as this
concert footage has been restored and archived onto DVD.
Any fan of the old YES, [no offense to the newer 80's YES music]
should get this DVD while they can. Although i have only just recently seen them [Anderson, Wakeman, Howe, Squire, White] in concert, I now have a better grasp of what their live shows were like when that classic music of theirs was still fresh. Great camera work.. it almost qualifies as a guitar lesson with Steve Howe.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't Get Misled....
Review: Although Roger Dean's artwork on the cover of this DVD may evoke some nostalgia in many Yes fans, don't be lured into parting with your money for this one. The quality of the sound is terrible, and the video looks almost like a home-movie. None of the atmosphere of the Rainbow Rooms is captured and the whole experience left me thinking I should have read some reviews before buying! Put on your Yes CD's and close your eyes - trust me, you'll have a better experience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Progressive Gem
Review: Everything in this video is perfect: the songs, the performance of the musicians, the sweet voice of Jon Anderson. If I had the chance to take a trip around the universe to not come back anymore, certainly I'd take Yessongs to listen in my spaceship everyday. A real gem.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: worth it
Review: For those of us who weren't around to see the band in their prime, this is definitely worth it. The quality isn't the best, but I'd rather watch this than most of the cr*p that's out there today.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classic Yes indeed !
Review: Forget about your state-of-the-art DVD & speakers, let the magic of these guys take you somewhere else. This is REALLY classic songs by a classic band. The effect certainly will reduce the poor video & sound quality of this 1972 concert. So, let your hair grown, sit down on the ground, and enjoy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh, Yes! Yessongs
Review: Here we have a relic from the mines of progressive rock; among all the relics and artifacts, this would have to be the crown jewels. The complexity and pure beauty of Yes' music is captured in this VHS tape. A must for Yes fans, and a must try for music fans. END

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Yes as its best
Review: Here we have classic Yes as it best, recorded in 1974. Minus side is poor sound (mono!) and picture quality. But how they play and perform is amazing, especially compared to Symphonick Live in Amsterdam 2001 (please see my review of that concert DVD). In Yessongs band it as its best, playing fiercly, Stewe Howe showing his guitar virtuous and Andertong also very good.
The concert is shorter than is Symphonic Live but that concert included new poor songs and poor Howe guitar solo. Yessong is so much more dynamic concert, band playing like prog classic band should play which is why I allow 4 stars despite poor quality of the music and picture. If they would have played beautiful Gates of Delirium I would have given five stars. That song is the only better song in Symphonic live concert compared to ths very dynamic show. If you want to see Yes as their best, sounding and acting like true prog classic please choose this DVD is steand of dry and boring Symphonic live.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Crucial Time Capsule Piece
Review: I first saw this concert footage movie back in 1979, at a midnight movie. Although I had always enjoyed Yes, this movie moved them to a new status for me. The songs performed include selections from The Yes Album, Close to the Edge, and Fragile, which I feel was their freshest and most inventive period. Although the sound quality is not what we are used to hearing on a DVD (this sounds like analog quality), and the picture is somewhat grainy, it is a pure reflection of the band in the early 70's, and to my knowledge the only performance recorded on video during the early years. This is something every appreciator of the band should own.


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