------------------------------------------------------- APRIL 30, 2002 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: JAM! Showbiz http://jam.canoe.ca/JamMusicArtistsY/yes.html 'Classic' Yes lineup reunites By Paul Cantin The "classic lineup" of '70s prog-rockers Yes has reunited for the band's summer tour -- and possibly more. Wayward keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who was with the group through their '70s heyday, announced at his website that he will join bandmates Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Alan White for this summer's jaunt. "We are very excited to have Rick joining us on this tour; it's been something that the fans have wanted to see for quite some time, and we are happy to be playing with him again," bassist Squire said at Yesworld.com. It's the first time Wakeman has performed with the band in about five years, Wakeman said at his website (www.rwcc.com). "Timing is one of the most important elements of life, and sometimes things just feel right, and this is such a situation," Wakeman said in a message posted at his site. "It feels absolutely right, and I am looking forward to getting together and firing up the new keyboard rig." Prior to his time with Yes, Wakeman was a busy session musician -- his resume included work on David Bowie's "Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust" and "Hunky Dory" -- and he was for a time a member of The Strawbs. He replaced Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye in the fall of 1971. Wakeman's banks of synthesizers and flamboyant stage presence became a signature part of Yes's stage presentation. "Fragile," his first release with the band, included Yes's early hit "Roundabout." He enjoyed an on-again, off-again relationship with Yes, playing on such classic albums as "Close To The Edge" and "Going For The One," and appearing on the late-'90s effort "The Keys To Ascension." But much of his time has been focused on adventurous solo song-cycles such as "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" (1973), "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" (1974), and "Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table" (1975). The major stumbling block to a Yes/Wakeman reunion in recent years has been, ironically, the Internet, Wakeman said via his website. "On so many occasions, I have read an awful lot of junk of unofficial web sites that have made statements from either myself or other members of Yes, which are completely untrue," he said at his website. "A lot of this stuff then finds it way into the press, and then bad feelings start to creep into the scenario." He also dismissed suggestions that his recent divorce (and presumed financial settlement) was behind his warming to the idea of a Yes reunion. In fact, he says, he could make more money on his own than with Yes. "As part of a band, you 'share the spoils,' whilst as a solo artist, you collect the lion's share. I have always been musically driven, and that has been obvious throughout my career," he said. Wakeman said his solo career -- he has scheduled shows in May with his English Rock Ensemble, and is completing a new album entitle "Out There" -- will be interrupted to facilitate Yes's touring schedule. Rehearsals with Yes are to begin at the end of June, with the tour kicking off in July and running through mid-September, although full dates have not been announced. The tour will feature "the band's epic masterpieces, as well as classic Yes tunes," Yesworld.com said. The tour is scheduled to launch July 16 in Seattle. There are no plans for a studio album to coincide with the tour, but Wakeman's site said the tour may produce a live DVD, and "if all goes well, a studio album could follow some time in 2003." "There seems to be a really good feeling about the future. There are no negatives floating about, and that is always a great situation to be in," Wakeman said. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com