Yes - YesSpeak


Year of Release: 2004
Label: Classic Pictures
Catalog Number: DVD065X (PAL) / DVD7065XN
Format: DVD
Total Time: 190:00:00

Yes have been together for 35 years - and this DVD celebrates that and Yes' legacy. Rather than a straight concert video, live footage is interspersed with interview footage of Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Alan White and Chris Squire talking about the band - why it works - and themselves. There is a candid casualness to the interviews, showing the members quite relaxed. One feels they are having a conversation with each one over lunch or a beer. Anderson, for the most part, is interviewed sitting on a hammock, swinging gently; Howe sitting back on a couch; White on a boat, that often rocks violently (though but for one instance, White seems unperturbed); Wakeman in an all white room; and Squire in his home (a rocky wall to his right - or left side of the screen - suggests the seaside) ? Because they look comfortable, they feel comfortable. That isn't to suggest the members engage in gossip, but that they feel free to speak, as I said, candidly. One finds that this is a band with a great deal of humour, especially Rick Wakeman. And it humanizes a band that is often seen as something bigger than itself - though in a good way.

The DVD is divided into 10 segments, 5 of them focusing on each member of the band, the other five more general looks at the band. All of this narrated off-screen by Roger Daltrey (vocalist with The Who) - who does a good job, speaking animatedly when appropriate.

The sound quality is very clear, there is no question of being able to hear what each is saying. However, the mix between background music and the interview, at least on this promotional copy, is out of balance. That is, the music often makes what is being said hard to hear - if French, Spanish, Dutch, or Italian is either your native language, or one you can read, there are subtitles (I didn't test to see if closed captioning works). Since neither Keith nor Bobo mention this out-of-balance mix, I will assume it is my copy. When only one audio element is playing, though, the sound is excellent. The picture, too, is perfectly clear and sharp, making the visuals easy to watch.

I'll review the audio-only component separately as an addendum to this review, but I will mention now that it is the entire Yes concert seen in snippets through the main video. It does seem strange, on a DVD, to make this audio only, since one cannot play it on their CD player, which means you are limited to listening to it in one location (barring copying).

If you are interested in seeing deeper into the hearts and minds of the members of Yes, then this is the DVD to get. You gain an understanding of each member, and just why this band - at least in one form or another - has continued to make music for more than 35 years.


Tracklisting:
Siberian Khatru / Magnification / Don't Kill The Whale / In The Presence Of / We Have Heaven / South Side Of The Sky / And You And I / To Be Over - Clap / Show Me / Rick Wakeman Solo / Heart Of The Sunrise / Long Distance Runaround / The Fish / Awaken / I've Seen All Good People / Roundabout / Yours Is No Disgrace / No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed

Chapter selection: Part One : Sacred Ground / Part Two: Full Circle / Part Three: There's Always Been A Yes / Part Four: Spotlight On Chris / Part Five: Spotlight On Jon / Part Six: Spotlight On Steve / Part Seven: Spotlight On Alan / Part Eight : Spotlight On Rick / Part Nine: On The Road / Part Ten: Yes Music

Special features: The entire live set is captured in dynamic 5.1 Dolby stereo

Musicians:
Jon Anderson - vocals, guitars
Steve Howe - guitars, vocals
Chris Squire - bass, vocals
Rick Wakeman - keyboards
Alan White - drums, percussion

Discography:
Yes (1969)
Time And A Word (1970)
The Yes Album (1971)
Fragile (1972)
Close To The Edge (1972)
Yessongs (1973)
Tales From Topographic Oceans (1974)
Relayer (1975)
Going For The One (1977)
Tormato (1978)
Yesshows (1980)
Drama (1980)
Classic Yes (1982)
90125 (1983/2004)
90125 Live - The Solos (1985)
Big Generator (1987)
Union (1989)
Yesyears (1991)
Yesstory (1991)
Highlights: The Very Best Of Yes (1993)
Talk (1994)
Keys To Ascension I (1996)
Keys To Ascension II (1997)
Open Your Eyes (1997)
Yes, Friends And Relatives (1998)
Beyond And Before: BBC Recordings 1969-1970 (1998)
Something's Coming (1998)
Friends & Relatives (1998)
The Ladder (1999)
Millennium Collection (1999)
House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues (2000)
Yes, Friends and Relatives - Volume Two (2001)
YesSymphonic (ep) (2001)
Magnification (2001)
Keystudio (ep) (2001)
3 For 1 Box Set (2001)
Original Members Of Yes (2001)
Extended Versions (2002)
Friends And Relatives: Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 (2002)
Yestoday (2002)
In A Word (2002)
Yes Remixes (2003)
Friends And Relatives: Ultimate Collection, Vol. 2 (2003)
Roundabout: Best Of Yes Live (2003)
The Yes Story Gold (2003)
The Ultimate Yes - 35th Anniverary Collection (2004)
(Re)Union (2004)
Topography: The Yes Anthology (2004)
Inside Yes 1968-1973: A Critical Review (2004)
The Word Is Live (2005)
Live And Solo: The Collection (2006)
Greatest Hits Live (2006)
An Evening Of Yes (2006)
Yesstories: Group & Solo Tales (2006)
Essentially Yes (2006)
The Definitive Rock Collection (2007)
Roundabout & Other Hits (2006)
Live At Montreux 2003 (2007)
Works (2007)
The Best Of Yes: 1970-1987 (2007)
Symphonic Live (2009)
The BBC Recordings 1969-1970 (2009)
Introducing Yes (2009)
Wonderous Stories: The Best Of Yes (2009)
Union Live (2011)
Fly From Here (2011)
In The Present - Live From Lyon (2011)
Heaven & Earth (2014)
Songs From Tsongas (2014)
Like It Is: Yes At The Bristol Hippodrome (2014)
Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two (boxset) (2015)
Like It Is: Yes At The Mesa Arts Center (2015)
Topographic Drama - Live Across America (2017)
Fly From Here - Return Trip (2018)
From A Page - Studio Tracks Plus In The Present Live From Lyon (2019) Yes50 Live (2019)

9012LIve (VHS/DVD) (1985/2005)
Greatest Hits Video (VHS/DVD) (1991/2001)
Yesyears: A Retrospective (VHS/DVD) (1991/2003)
Yes: Live - 1975 At Q.P.R. (VHS) (1993)
Live In Philadelphia 1979 (VHS/DVD) (1996/2003)
Keys To Ascension (VHS/DVD) (1997/2001/2009)
The Union Tour Live (DVD) (1999)
House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues (VHS/DVD) (2000)
The Best Of MusikLaden Live (VHS/DVD) (2000/2003)
Live In Amsterdam (VHS/DVD) (2002)
Symphonic Live (DVD+CD) (2003)
Yes: Special Edition EP (DVD) (2003)
YesSpeak (DVD) (2003)
YesAcoustic (DVD) (2004/2006)
35th Anniversary Concert: Songs From Tsongas (DVD) (2004)
YesSpeak - YesAcoustic - 35th Anniversary Edition (DVD) (2005)
Critical Review 1968-1973 (DVD) (2005)
Greatest Video Hits (DVD) (2005)
Inside Yes Plus Friends And Family (DVD) (2006)
Acoustic Live (DVD) (2006)
Total Rock Review (DVD) (2006)
Close To The Edge: Rock Milestones (DVD) (2007)
Live At Montreux (DVD/BR) (2007)
The Lost Broadcasts (DVD) (2009)
Rock Of The 70s (DVD) (2009)
Union Live (2011)
Live Hemel Hempstead Pavilion October 3rd 1971 (2014)

Genre: Symphonic Prog

Origin UK

Added: February 23rd 2004
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.yesworld.com
Hits: 2080
Language: english

  

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