Continuing along our journey through the post-Jon Anderson Yes catalogue, we now move into the "Juano" era of the band. As mentioned before, soon after the 2011 release of Fly From Here, vocalist Benoit David was sidelined with vocal issues and was subsequently replaced by Glass Hammer vocalist, Jon Davison. His recommendation came to Chris Squire from Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters drummer), who was his childhood friend. Davison has a voice suitable for Yes music - in fact, he was hired by Glass Hammer because they were making a Yes-inspired album. Unlike Benoit David, however, his voice is not a carbon copy of Jon Anderson (or Trevor Horn). His voice is a bit softer and it perfectly suits his persona, which is a pure radiation of positive energy.
Anyway, soon after Davison's arrival to the band, Yes began a series of "Album Tours", where they would perform two of their classic albums, in their entireties. While I was initially dubious of the idea, it is actually really cool to hear these albums, with a different perspective. They are in no way intended to replace, or upstage the originals, but rather to serve as an homage to the music, and to provide a snapshot of how that music sounds when presented by the current band, just like when you recreate a classic photograph or something.
For their first such outing, the band performed 1977's Going For The One, and they really nail it from the get-go, Steve Howe exuberantly shouting "1-2-3-4" as his lap steel kicks off the opening title track. This album comes from an era when Jon Anderson was really pushing the limits of his upper register but Jon Davison holds on tightly and his debut is one hell of a performance.
As I mentioned, Davison's voice has a softer timbre and that really works to his advantage on the mellower songs, such as "Turn Of The Century", which comes next in the set. This is one of the rare Yes songs that never quite grabbed me, despite being extraordinarily beautiful. Perhaps it's the placement on the album, I dunno. Whatever the case, this is a pretty impressive version that is making me rethink my stance.
Chris Squire gets his first sole writing credit on "Parallels", which is a spectacular song, and one that foreshadows the band's work in the 80's. This version is a shade on the side of loose. Everyone is playing well on this track but it is not as tight as it could be. Perhaps it's the mix. It's no big deal, though. Any opportunity to hear Chris Squire sing is worth it.
I have mentioned before that there are a small handful of songs that I have a hard time hearing being sung by others. "Wondrous Stories" is one of those. There is just so much Anderson in that song that it is impossible to properly convey it. No matter how well Davison sings it - and he does a spectacular job - it just sounds a bit off. But it's part of Going For The One so it must be played and the band sounds really good on this track.
And now we have come to the true test - "Awaken". Often referred to as the "quintessential" Yes song, to perform this is a monumental task. Fortunately, this lineup - 3/5 of which was present on the original album - delivers in full. Geoff Downes handles Rick Wakeman's keyboard parts brilliantly, which is no easy task. This is one of those songs that seem custom-built for Jon Davison's voice, who delivers a blockbuster performance. If he hasn't validated his presence by now, this will clinch it.
I just realized that, throughout this project I have yet to comment on Alan White's drumming, or at least not that much. Shame on me. His playing is as on-point as ever. It's easy to take the drummer for granted but this dude has held it down for 49 years (the longest-serving member) and he has been a rock the whole time. He's had some issues as of late and hasn't been able to play as much as before, but he is still a towering presence in this band. And, on this set, he is superb.
For the next act of this show, the band revisits 1971's The Yes Album. This is one of those albums that is iconic, not just in Yes or "prog" circles, but in the history of popular music. To attempt to recreate it is a very tall order. Makes sense though. Most of these songs are in regular rotation anyway.
This set kicks off with "Yours In No Disgrace", which is a song that firmly sits in my Top Five. As much as I hate to admit it, however, there is very little fire in this version. The tempo drags, and there isn't a lot of depth to the performance. I much preferred the version on In The Present. This is still better than most bands could do, and it has Chris Squire on it, so it'll do.
The Yes Album was Steve Howe's first with the band and, after that initial statement of purpose, he is given a solo spot, known as "Clap". The original album version is taken from a concert and this version, performed 42 years later, is note-perfect and sounds great. Some folks like to scream about how "Steve has hijacked the band", when then fail to realize that it was his arrival, in 1970, that elevated the band, artistically and commercially. The number of signature songs that he has written (or co-written) makes him more than eligible to do whatever the hell he wants to with this band.
"Starship Trooper" comes next and is another one of those songs that sits happily in my Top Five. This version is pretty solid. There are a few tempo issues here and there, but there is a nice flow, and Squire's bass really cuts. Davison's acoustic in the "Wurm" section adds a nice texture, and Steve's solo is killer.
The classic, "I've Seen All Good People", comes up next and it is a pretty fantastic take. This is one of the band's most famous songs and is one of those that has been performed consistently since its initial release. It's pretty hard for any version of Yes to blow this one. Davison sounds great on the "Your Move" section, as does Squire, and their voices mesh beautifully. The "All Good People" section is solid, if a bit stately.
The best part of album-performance shows, regardless of the artist, is that you get to hear the deep cuts as well. Those songs that were made for the album but not necessarily ever performed, or intended to be Not that there are many (how can you have a deep cut on a three-song album) but there are some. None more so, in this era, than "A Venture". The only song on the album that hinted at the band's earlier sound, this is a really cool take, that gets a nice slippery groove going, and some exceptional piano work from Geoff Downes. Nice to see this one finally gets its due, even if only two of the musicians present appeared on the original recording.
Wrapping up the Squire/Howe/White/Downes/Davison version of The Yes Album is the epic, "Perpetual Change", which is more or less the recurring theme of this band, and one of their most impressive pieces. While this version lacks the frantic punch of the original, there is a relaxed sway present that gives this a very different mood while still maintaining the premise of the song. As always, Steve Howe's playing on this is pure fire.
Of the two performances here, I would probably give it to Going For The One as the more solid of the two. Both are incredibly noble attempts that honor the music quite well, and I am incredibly grateful that these renditions exist. The one downside of these album shows, however, is the exclusion of all other material. When you have a catalogue as deep as Yes, there are so many songs that are begging to be played. I would almost prefer that they do the album in one set and the next one be a career cross-section, with lots of deep cuts. I am not in charge of the band, however, so I defer to them to do what they will.
This performance finds Jon Davison working to further establish himself as part of this band that he loves so much, while Geoff Downes continues to get reacquainted with the Yes universe . The seven years that have passed since this was recorded has only further cemented their status in the band. There is a wealth of cool releases to come...
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