----------------------------------------------------- JULY 26, 2002 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer http://www.cleveland.com/music/plaindealer (abbreviated link text) Band members say Yes to touring and other projects  By John Soeder  Did Rick Wakeman hear the one about the new Yes boxed set? It has five CDs - and three songs. "I like it!" Wakeman declares, cracking up. As it turns out, the consummate Yes man has a healthy sense of humor -- hence his habit of registering under ridiculous names when he checks into hotels incognito. The band's publicist has asked us not to divulge Wakeman's current alias, lest rabid groupies hound the keyboard wiz when Yes comes to town for a concert Monday at Blossom Music Center. Let's just say the bad-pun pseudonym ranks right up there with one of Wakeman's all-time favorites. "I was Walter Pistol for quite some time," he says by phone from a tour stop in Kelseyville, Calif. Walter Pistol . . . water pistol . . . get it? This much is no joke: A hefty new Yes anthology from Rhino Records will indeed arrive with a thud in stores Tuesday. "In a Word: Yes (1969- )" is a five-disc retrospective of the groundbreaking, chops-flaunting group's adventures in the love-it-or-hate-it realm of progressive-rock. In addition to "I've Seen All Good People," "Roundabout," "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and other signature songs, the boxed set's 55 tracks include six previously unreleased numbers. "For somebody who has found the band a little later in life or for somebody younger, this is a good way of finding out where the band came from. It's a really good history of the band, with stuff from virtually every album," says Wakeman, 53. Rounding out the latest version of the ever-changing British group are singer Jon Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe, bass player Chris Squire and drummer Alan White. Not counting a brief reunion in the mid-'90s, Wakeman and the other principals haven't played together as a quintet since their 1970s heyday, although they were part of the expanded Yes lineup responsible for 1991's "Union" album. They've been itching to work together again since 1998, when Wakeman was featured on England's version of the television series "This Is Your Life." He was touched by the nice things his estranged bandmates said about him during the program. "In particular, Steve said, 'Hey, Rick, we did some great things together in the past. It would be really nice if we could do it again sometime,' " Wakeman recalls. "Without even thinking, I said, 'Yeah, it really would.' " So far, so good. "The band is playing really well," Wakeman says. "There's an understanding between these particular five people that I've never encountered with anything else I've ever done. It's quite remarkable -- and quite spooky at times. . . . With this particular lineup, the sum of the individuals adds up to a greater total." As usual, Wakeman is surrounded by all sorts of keyboards onstage, including a Mini-Moog. "It's a really unique instrument," he says. He puts the vintage synthesizer through its paces during "Awaken," an epic showstopper originally found in all its 15-minute glory on the 1977 album "Going for the One." "Awaken" is, in Wakeman's words, "way out there," although he considers it a quintessential Yes tune. "If people ask me what prog-rock is all about with regard to Yes -- the symphonic prog-rock type of thing -- I just tell them to listen to 'Awaken,' " he says. Despite having sold 30 million albums worldwide over the course of its career, the band has yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Does Wakeman feel snubbed? In a word: yes. "A couple of years ago, when I wasn't in the band and I was asked a similar question, I said I thought it was disgusting that Yes hadn't been inducted," he says. "It's sad. . . . For its type of music and in terms of influencing musicians over the past 30 years, Yes probably has done as much if not more than any other band. "The band has been through a lot. . . . It has hung on in there when a lot of other bands disappeared." Far be it from the members of Yes to sit around waiting for the rock hall to take notice. "We're actually talking about a three- to five-year plan," Wakeman says. "We're coming back for a second leg of the North American tour in November and December, then we're going to hit Asia and Europe next year. The plan is to do some studio recording, too, then we'll be looking at touring again behind the new studio stuff." Wakeman intends to maintain his long-running solo career between Yes commitments. His sideline band, the English Rock Ensemble, will release a new prog-rock album, "Out There," in November. If you walked down the street wearing a Yes T-shirt in the grunge-loving '90s, you might've been stoned -- in more ways than one. But now, thanks to arty bands like Tool and the Flaming Lips, prog-rock is back in vogue in certain circles -- and Yes along with it. The boxed set's 96-page booklet has ringing endorsements from several famous Yes fans, including journalist-turned-filmmaker Cameron Crowe. He profiled the band for Rolling Stone in the early '70s. "There was an utter seriousness about their quest to be truly great, always combined with a humor that flashed just below the surface," Crowe writes. "There are a lot of new prog-rock bands about," says Wakeman. Or Walter Pistol. Or whatever he's calling himself these days. "For many years, a lot of great young musicians didn't have a form of music where they could show off their talents," he says. "Call it whatever you like -- prog-rock, symphonic rock, classical rock -- it's a great outlet . . . because there are no rules. "Well, that's not strictly true. . . . Prog-rock is all about knowing the rules, then breaking them." Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com