------------------------------------------------------- SEPTEMBER 20, 2003 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: The West (Australia) http://today.thewest.com.au/20030925/music/td-mus-home-sto112954-pic21333.html Yes on Last Laugh Road By Ray Purvis Jon Anderson, the singer with the choirboy voice and lyrical architect of such Yes albums as Fragile, Close To The Edge and Tales From The Topographic Ocean, says that the band's Aussie tour, that arrives in Perth next week, is called the Full Circle Tour because they've finally returned to Australia after an absence of 30 years. If it hadn't been for an unlucky accident at Christmas - when Anderson fell off a ladder while hanging up decorations, breaking his spine in three places - Yes would have been here earlier in the year. It has taken six months for his back to mend and to get the band, who this year celebrate their 35th anniversary, back on the road. Anderson is fronting the recently reformed, classic 70s Yes line-up, comprising Chris Squire (bass), Steve Howe (guitar), Alan White (drums and percussion) and keyboard wiz Rick Wakeman. These are the members who played on the above mentioned albums, as well as on Yessongs (1973), Going For The One (1977) and Tormato (1978). They haven't toured as a group for a long time, despite recording the CD Keys To Ascension in 1997. "Rick hasn't been into touring," says Anderson over the phone from his hotel room in Japan. "He's been laying low for a couple of years doing other things such as movie scores. But because we're all old friends, we said, 'It's about time Rick, come on, get it together'." On stage in Perth, Yes will be performing some of their best loved songs (such as Roundabout and Yours Is No Disgrace) as well as solo efforts, such as Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth. "We always try to make the songs sound as good as on the record, if not better," Anderson says. "We go on stage serious to create good music for ourselves in the hope that the audience will have a great time." It was Yes' early 70s music, tagged "progressive" rock or prog-rock - with it's complex neo-classical structures, Anderson's high-keyed vocal harmonies, abrupt tempo changes and ethereal Tolkien-like lyrics - that sustained a generation. Posters of the band's fantasy landscape album sleeves and distinctive Yes logo, designed by Roger Dean, adorned countless students' bedroom walls. By the end of the 70s, Yes had evolved into a stadium-filling attraction that enjoyed a huge following in America and Europe. They sustained their success into the 80s and 90s despite internal disputes (opposing factions in the band went to court in 1987, fighting over ownership of the band name), frequent line-up changes and the coming and going of different musical fashions - such as disco and punk rock. The way Anderson sees it is that Yes has always been a low-key entity who have never chased after scandal and big publicity. Public relations firms aren't interested in taking them on because the band members are only interested in writing and playing music. There's no sex, drugs and rock'n'roll stories they can sell to the tabloids. A frequent criticism levelled at the band (and prog-rock in general) is that their music tends to be self-indulgent and loaded with affectation. "Oh, there's plenty of that," laughs Anderson. "It's called creative music. Picasso was self-indulgent, Michelangelo was self-indulgent. All musicians tend to be self-indulgent and we're committed to being musicians first and foremost." Despite the sceptics, Yes have ended up having the last laugh. "The idea that a band that does this kind of music can survive for 35 years is an extraordinary feat. A lot is down to the fact that we believed in our music right from the start and that has kept us rolling." Yes perform at the Burswood Theatre next Tuesday. Tickets from BOCS outlets. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com