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| Yes - The Ultimate Yes, 35th Anniverary Collection |
 Released: 2004 Label: Electra/Rhino Cat. No.: R2 78042 Total Time: 179:13 | |
Reviewed by: Tom Karr, April 2004 Wow! The twenty fifth Yes box set, just what we need! Ok, its not the twenty fifth set, I made that up. But there have been an awful lot of Yes box sets in the recent past, and anyway, don’t we have all this stuff already? Yes, and no. You probably don’t need a track listing (that is provided nonetheless) to guess what the majority of the material on this three CD set is made up of. Most of the usual suspects have been rounded up, a good healthy chunk of the Yes Album, Fragile and Close To The Edge, minus the lengthy title track, and a tiny representation of songs from Relayer, Going For The One, Tormato and Drama. Only one song from each of these four later albums is included. Meanwhile, a number of songs from the Trevor Rabin period are included and some representative cuts from The Ladder and their last studio release, Magnification, are put in as well. So why do you or I need this set? Well, there are three things that make this release a good buy. First, Disc #3 is made up of new recordings. Ah! New songs. Sorry, there is no real “new” songs, well, not really. The first three cuts are new in a way. There are new acoustic arrangements of “Roundabout” and “South Side Of The Sky." Both are very good, actually. And one thing is immediately apparent, and with all the times I’ve seen Yes perform recently, it still amazes me. That is, the voices of Anderson and Squire. Howe as well, sorry Steve! They have somehow, magically, resisted the ravages of time. Think of any other band or singer that has been around anywhere near as long as Yes. Do you know of ANYONE who has maintained the same character, the same quality of vocal power and range as these guy? I can’t name anyone else. These two songs and the live staple, ”Show Me," Anderson’s solo showpiece of the last couple of tours are all very, very good. They are followed on this disc by what seem to be a couple of space fillers, Steve’s solo piece “Australia," and Squire’s version of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony." I almost think that the acoustic versions of “Roundabout” and “Southside Of The Sky” are alone worth the price of this set. Almost, but I’m not finished. Second, this set has a good (I think so anyway) selection of work from the Rabin period Yes. I have none of the CDs from that time, and I probably never will. But, this set, disc #2, to be specific, has a number of tunes from this time and, if I am not the only one who has resisted picking up the couple of Yes CDs featuring Trevor, then this will at least make you consider them again. You might even decide that it sense to add that periods work to your collection, and if so, this CD is agood way to find out. Third, this CD set is made up of re-mastered, and in some cases, re-cut tracks, like “Long Distance Runaround," from disc #1, that is cut loose from “The Fish." The tracks are from Rhino’s superb series of re-mastered releases, and this set is worth owning for the quality of sound alone. These re-masters are very well made, and that will probably result in continuing sales of the early Yes albums. This box set also includes a poster that doubles as the liner notes, one side featuring a new artwork by Roger Dean. The liner notes themselves are a great read, and that combined with the first rate cover design and packaging make a quite attractive product. So, there you go. I bought two, and that is a story in itself, but for another time. I think it is the best Yes set I own, and I’ve got a few of ‘em. It has almost all the essentials Yes that any new listener might need, and if you don’t already have a room full of Yes box sets, then make this one your first. Rating: 4.5/5 More about The Ultimate Yes, 35th Anniverary Collection: Track Listing: Disc One: Time And A Word (4:33) / Starship Trooper (9:29) / Yours Is No Disgrace (9:42) / I’ve Seen All Good People (6:56) / Roundabout (8:32) / Long Distance Runaround (3:33) / Heart Of The Sunrise (10:37) / South Side Of The Sky (7:55) / And You And I (10:08) / America-Single Edit (4:11) / Wonderous Stories (3:49) Musicians: Contact: Website: yesworld.com Discography
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