------------------------------------------------------- DECEMBER 1, 2003 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Rock Ahead DVD Reviews http://www.themusicindex.com/rockahead/reviews/yes_dvd7.htm YES: Yesspeak - Classic Pictures DVD 2003 has been an incredible year for Yes and, as well as celebrating the band's thirty-fifth anniversary, it has also seen the band touring the far flung corners of the world playing in front of huge audiences. And in addition to that, the band has seen the upgrading of its back catalogue released back onto the market. And if that wasn't enough, there has also been the release of the excellent compilation Ultimate Yes. Across its two discs it more than justifies the band's existence in their thirty fifth year -- something that also captured the record-buying public's imagination as well, as they bought enough copies of the CD to push it into the album charts. As a fine closer to the year, we now have a double DVD Yesspeak, which will no doubt be as successful as all the releases, and the concerts have been, over the last twelve months. Robert Garofalo filmed this documentary and I have to say that he has done a magnificent job of capturing Yes, not only at work throughout their "Full Circle" World tour. The photography here is just beautiful and the film moves between the stark black and white through to glorious Technicolor. Some of the concert sequences here have to be amongst the best ever filmed and of course the tour saw some of the best performances from the classic Yes line up of Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman. As with all documentaries there is a narration, and whilst some may find the choice of Roger Daltrey a strange one Roger does actually come across as interested and informed and suits the job far better than some faceless voice-over artist. I also agree with a friend of mine that most of the information here will already be known to most Yes fans. However, the last few years has seen a growth in the fan base of Yes and there are now an incredible number of new fans coming to the band for the first time and to them I would imagine the narration will certainly fill in a lot of gaps. For most Yes fans, particularly those who were lucky enough to catch the band this time around, the concert footage will be of paramount importance. For me however the individual interview segments are a fascinating insight into just what it is that makes this band tick. Individually of course all the musicians in Yes are World Class -- it is when they get together as a unit that Yes really excel, and even now I couldn't tell you what it is that makes this particular grouping of musicians such a magical combination. Chris Squire is of the opinion that it is the musical empathy between the members that brings about the magic. Whatever, it is the last few years has seen an increase in the interest in the Progressive music scene and, as many people know, Yes virtually invented the genre thirty-five years ago. This documentary more than adequately proves that Yes still have what it takes, not only as individual musicians but also as a living and breathing cohesive musical unit. The two DVDs are split into a number of individual chapters, each one reflecting a different aspect of the band, the world tour or the individual members of Yes. Finally there is the option to listen to the entire concert in an audio capacity with accompanying stills from the tour. This will certainly be the option most Yes fans will relish and also take the opportunity to try the sound options on their home cinema system, particularly as the tour this year included some amazing material and performances, including the rarely played South Side Of The Sky, which despite coming from the Fragile album over thirty years ago, has, until the Full Circle tour, been rarely performed. There are also some quite wonderful and possibly definitive versions of old favourites such as And You And I, Roundabout and a quite amazing version of Awaken. With the band set to tour the world again next year, the release of a live archive boxed set covering the various periods in Yes history, and the possibility of a new studio album on a major label, things have never looked better for Yes. I would no doubt be preaching to the converted if I urged you to go and purchase tickets for these gigs now while you still can. What I can say is that Yesspeak really is a wonderful tribute to this band who have outlasted many of their contemporaries and are still continuing to produce challenging, exciting and quite breathtaking music to an audience that not only appreciates the music, but an audience that is growing bigger all the time. I'm sure many people have an explanation as to why this is. I personally think it is because Yes, quite simply, have no peers and are in a class all of their own. This DVD is stunning and, as you can imagine, comes highly recommended. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com