------------------------------------------------------- JUNE 19, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Express and Star http://www.expressandstar.com/artman/publish/article_60245.php Time for a re-think? It has to be Yes By Aidan Goldstraw In an age where revisionism has almost become a national sport, isn't it high time for a serious re-assessment of Yes? There can't be many bands which could endure 35 years of vilification from the fashionistas of the music press and still effortlessly fill venues like the NEC. The hostility has always centred around singer Jon Anderson's "pretentious" lyrics and the complexity (and length) of the band's songs. As to the words, this inverted snobbery has always missed the point - Anderson uses his words to suggest rather than specify ideas, and while most of the songs bust out of radio-friendly time frames, there is little of the gratuitous noodling found in the recordings of far more revered contemporaries. Or maybe it's the musicianship the critics hate. Plenty of that on show last night, although the complexities of the opening Going For The One were a bit lost in the barn-like acoustic of the NEC. The diehard fans (are there any other sort with Yes?) were rewarded with some relative rarities - a powerful, strutting South Side of the Sky and a Chicago blues take on Roundabout. The band's perennial prodigal, Rick Wakeman, added an edge of showmanship and spontaneity which has been missing in recent live outings and the whole show was delivered with high energy. Pretentiousness never felt so enjoyable. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiries, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com