------------------------------------------------------- SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: dB Magazine CD Reviews Yes: The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection By Jeremy Reglar What a frighteningly resilient bunch Yes are. They’ve endured despite a vast number of line-up changes, occasional between-member litigation, and a world that has traveled a vast distance from the progressive rock zeitgeist from which they emerged in 1968. That being said, they still tour virtually non-stop in the US, and this record apparently debuted at number 10 in the UK album charts, so someone must care. Those who only know Yes as the band responsible for FM staple Owner Of A Lonely Heart will probably find this collection something of a shock. The song is an anomaly, with most of their material actually best measured in geological time. Entire species can evolve and disappear in the period it takes to play their 1974 opus, ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’. Hence, this record is not for the faint of heart. The running list is loosely chronological and manages to cram in most of the band’s various line-ups over the course of two discs. The bulk is, however, culled from the early to mid-Seventies ‘golden’ period featuring the core line-up of singer, Jon Anderson, bassist, Chris Squire, and guitarist, Steve Howe. I guess that whatever appeal Yes has stems from the fact that open-mindedness and ambition rank high among their musical ideals, combined with formidable musicianship, leading them to try things which sometimes fail spectacularly (eg most of ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’), but sometimes succeed equally spectacularly (eg Roundabout, I’ve Seen All Good People, Siberian Khatru). In short, if you like this kind of approach, you will probably like this collection. Actually, you probably already have a bunch of Yes albums tucked away somewhere that you don’t tell anyone about for fear of being branded ‘Progboy’ or ‘Sir Progsalot’, in which case you don’t need it. A specific gripe about biographer Chris Welch’s hyperbolic, yet uninformative, liner notes. Even if I charitably presume that reference to the band’s “melting pop of influences” is a poor attempt at punnery and not a glaring typographical error, I cannot forgive the appalling suggestion that “The guitar and keyboard solos, the vocal harmonies, the thundering bass and drum patterns all served a purpose – to take the song to the next level and the listener to another plain of consciousness” (my emphasis). I suppose the important thing about Yes is to remember to be nice to them. If you survive the nuclear holocaust, it’s a fair bet that your only company will be them and cockroaches. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com