------------------------------------------------------- MARCH 20, 1974 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Los Angeles Times Yes Offers Unique Material at Inglewood Forum By Richard Cromelin Yes' immense popularity is one of the most unlikely in a world dominated by the lascivious likes of Led Zeppelin and brutal thrashers like the Who and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The group's concerns are the dead opposite of the secular and hedonistic, and the sight of a rock audience paying attention to a good hour of musical interpretation of Sanskrit scriptures (as did Monday's Forum crowd) approaches the surreal. Yes is most enjoyable when you take it less seriously than it seems to want you to take it, and the tremendous ovations were surely responses to the music rather than expressions of gratitude for spiritual enlightenment. But Yes projects its role convincingly, with pretense, particularly singer writer Jon Anderson, a pure, innocent, white-clad eye in the midst of the musical storm. Although that gap between what Anderson wants to communicate and what the audience is actually getting is a slightly disorienting factor throughout the show, the sheer power and exalted complexity of the music finally shatters any reservations. Yes' performance on Monday night was virtually flawless, and though it offered little in the way of surprises it managed, miraculously; to avoid dryness and sterility. Abetted by a magnificent sound and lighting setup, Yes played current, middle-period and old (a tantalizing gesture that whetted the appetite for more of the earlier, more pop-oriented songs) material. The new music is a slight refinement of the familiar sound, a gradual, unforced progression. Like all of Yes' music, it features bold shifts, from angelically ethereal to primevally violent, and it functions on a multitude of levels. Although at odds with traditional rock 'n' roll attitudes, Yes has made it work and refreshing, challenging alternative. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com