----------------------------------------------------- OCTOBER 27, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: Reuters (abridging Billboard) http://uk.news.yahoo.com/031027/80/ec8bg.html Classic-rockers Yes look back over 35 years By Craig Rosen NEW YORK (Billboard) - "It's the most positive word in the English language," Yes drummer Alan White says of his band's name. Beyond that, Yes is a classic-rock institution that has thrived for the better part of three decades, since forming in 1968 in Birmingham. As Yes prepares to return to American arenas on the heels of the U.S. release of "The Ultimate Yes -- 35th Anniversary Collection", Billboard caught up with all five members of the group before they converged on a Los Angeles studio to record material for a bonus disc to be included with the American version of the retrospective. A new studio album is planned for next summer. The interviews were conducted on separate occasions while band members were on three continents -- singer Jon Anderson at his home studio in San Luis Obispo, California; guitarist Steve Howe relaxing in Devon; and keyboardist Rick Wakeman, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White on a tour stop in Perth, Australia. In your wildest dreams, did you ever think Yes would celebrate its 35th anniversary? Jon Anderson: Two or three years was the maximum in those days, or two or three minutes, depending on what the day went like. When we started, we really wanted to be as good as a band called Family. They were doing the clubs. That's all we wanted -- to get as big as that, and probably do some university gigs. You never think you're going to have success. It just comes upon you, and that's when you count your blessings, because a lot of people don't get that success. Steve Howe: The '70s were quite an achievement. When that finished and I formed Asia with John Wetton, I really felt that was then, and now I was going to keep doing different things. But by the time I had Asia and GTR Steve Hackett, I started to realise that the Yes music of the '70s was great. Chris Squire: I was 15 when the Beatles came to light around '63. That's kind of what got me interested in the whole profession. At that time, a long career in my eyes was like the Beatles, '63 to '69 -- six years. I thought, "Wow! Wouldn't it be great to be in a band that had a six-year career?" I never ever thought at some point together 35 years, because there was no blueprint for that. Rick Wakeman: In my various ins and outs, I've been around for about a third of the life of Yes. In the '80s, many of the classic bands dismantled themselves or took incredibly long sabbaticals. Yes always continued to work in one form or another, even through the real tough times. Alan White: I wasn't there for the inception, but I joined at a very early time the band was only 3 years old. In joining, I gave the band three months to test our styles out and whether I would enjoy playing with the band and them with me. And here we are about 31 years later. The band's history has been rather soap opera-like, with all the personnel changes. What were the low points? Anderson: We've all had our moments. It's always been a question of, "Are you into where we're going? If you're not, you should leave." We didn't all come from the same town, so we didn't feel like we were bound together with an umbilical cord. Squire: You tend to forget the low points. We've had times of disagreement when I guess the overall feeling of what was going on wasn't clear to everyone at the time. Fortunately, we've escaped having any real tragedies. We've got away fairly lightly in terms of low points. Wakeman: The low points to me were certainly around the "Topographic Oceans" era. I couldn't get into the direction the music was going, and Yes is always a give-and-take. Having to make the decision to leave, that was a low point. If you can't get into the music, you have to ethically say, "Hold on, I can't help the band here, it's time to move on." But there were some great moments on that tour, which ended up "This Is Spinal Tap". We had this huge Roger Dean stage set with all these wonderful pods. Alan played in this giant pod, which open up when the show started. He actually did one complete show when it wouldn't open. There were people with crowbars and everything. What do you consider the highlights of the band's career? Anderson: There are about three or four. The time when we initially became famous in England, and we played with Cream at their final concert at Albert Hall. That was like a dream. We set up our equipment onstage and played our set, and then these three guys came on and blew everyone away. They were unbelievable. Also when we did "Close to the Edge". The scope of doing a piece of music like that and having an audience that would listen to it was a great feeling. Another highlight was when we had a resurgence in the early '80s with "90125"; that was a very big leap into being famous for 10 minutes. We had a number one. We were treated like rock stars. A week into that tour, I went with this young filmmaker, Steve Soderbergh, to see "Spinal Tap". I went in and saw my whole world in front of me. It blew my mind. I never laughed as much in my life. I could never take myself seriously again. Now we come to these days where there's such enjoyment being onstage. In some ways we still have a lot to prove. We still want to hit the big time. Howe: "Close to the Edge" was the invention of the 20-minute Yes, and it stands because of that. We were challenging the idea that we could play 18-plus minutes at a time. Jon and I were so excited to have this sort of symphonic approach to our music. We did "Roundabout", which was quite a long song, and then we sat around with these smirks on our faces as the songs started to expand. I started playing Jon some ideas, and we realised we were going to invent something really big. The next time we hit it was when Rick returned and we did "Going for the One", which for me is a really exuberant, fresh, crystalline sort of record. We were still in this wonderful pre-digital time when there was marvellous warmth. Listening to that guitar at the beginning of "Turn of the Century", I was feeling every moment of it. Wakeman: The highlights to me were certainly the "Fragile"/"Close to the Edge" years -- '71, '72 and early '73 -- because I thought the balance in the music business was perfect. Bands were left alone to create music. Nobody told us what to play, how to play, how to record. We were the musicians, the scientists in the lab. Around us there was the management; their job was to take the finished to the record company, and the record company's job was to present it to the media. Radio stations at that time had DJs who had a certain amount of freedom to play what they liked, they would play tracks of any length and played them to the general public who voiced their verdict. Sadly, very quickly after that, it changed. White: Getting an award for doing the most sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden and playing at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia with so many people, it was like a beehive. Another highlight is this current tour, coming back to Australia to play to these people who haven't seen us in 31 years. To what do you attribute the band's longevity? Squire: I think it's the fact that we took chances that weren't always popular. For example, "Tales From Topographic Oceans" didn't exactly ignite everyone's interest. There are a lot of diehards that love that album, but it was a very risky project to do. ... The fact of the matter is that we took a hit from that. But maybe in the long term, maybe because that happened, we didn't get too big and therefore managed to keep some semblance of the peaks and valleys of the whole roller-coaster ride we've been on. We've managed to stay on the tracks. Wakeman: The band doesn't follow trends. Yes has always been Yes music-driven, as fashion-driven or what outside people think it should be. Yes is an amazingly funny band in relation to the fact that the periods of time that I've not been in it are probably the periods of time that I've felt closest to the band in a lot of respects. Yes is a band, but the truth is, you can't leave. It's like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton with me. Before anyone asks, I'm Richard Burton. How long do you see Yes continuing? Squire: I don't know. When we were in Germany the other month, I saw a poster for the Beach Boys' 40th anniversary, and I thought, "Well, I guess it's possible". At the moment, we're looking forward to making some new music together next year. We're going to do a brand-new studio album, so we'll see where that takes us. White: I'm looking at the way we're playing onstage right now; everyone is very happy with what's going on. We have a sense of camaraderie here. Physically speaking, especially from my point of view as a drummer, I'm ready to keep going. I just can't wait until the next gig. Wakeman: The area that concerns me is health. At the moment, everybody is healthy; we've all got our own hips. But Jon had a bad accident last year. He fell off a ladder and broke his back, and it took six months for him to recover. That was an eye-opener to everyone: Music may be immortal, but people aren't. We're all in our mid- to late 50s. We can only keep going along at the pace we're going along while we have our health. We all look after ourselves in the best possible way, probably more so than we've ever done. I don't think there's any question in anybody's mind that the band has come home to the lineup that the majority of fans really like and we really like. I must admit it wasn't until I went out on that American tour last year that I was genuinely moved to tears at times. I never realised what this particular lineup meant to this many people. We have been the curators of Yes music for the last 35 years, and will be -- whatever is to come. As curators we have sort of a responsibility, and that will carry us through to the end, whatever that end might be. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com