Poll: What was the best Yes-related album of the second half of 2019? Round 2

As per my last post, a large number of late 2019 releases has necessitated a three-part poll to decide the best one. Here's the Round 2 result from 29 votes:

1. Downes Braide Association: Live in England 76% (22 votes)
2. Rodney Matthews and Jeff Scheetz with Oliver Wakeman: Trinity (w/ Wakeman R & O) 10% (3 votes)
3= various artists: A Prog Rock Christmas (w/ Sherwood, Davison, Moraz, Downes) 7% (2 votes)
3= Rick Wakeman: Christmas Portraits 7% (2 votes)

There were no votes for any of the archival Wakeman releases in this poll (Live at Cropedy Festival Oxfordshire UK 2010 with the English Rock Ensemble, Live on Air, Live in Osaka Japan 21st January 1975, Live in Boston Music Hall, MA, USA October 5th 1974, Live in Vienna Austria 1976 with Vienna Ensemble).

So a very clear win for Live in England, with Trinity just scraping through to take the runner-up slot.

Poll: What was the best Yes-related album of the second half of 2019? Round 1

There were a lot of Yes-related releases in the second half of 2019, partly because of a slew of Rick Wakeman archival releases, but there were still 15 releases involving everyone other than Rick. Thus, I've split our customary poll into three rounds and a final.

Round 1 had 33 votes and went like this:

1. Refugee: Refugee [2019 re-release] (w/ Moraz): 33% (11 votes)
2. Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders: Get the Money (w/ Davison): 27% (9 votes)
3. Dollar: Ultimate Dollar 1 (w/ Horn) 24% (8 votes)
4. Jon Anderson: The Opus series: 12% (4 votes)
5. David Hasselhoff: Open Your Eyes (w/ Moraz): 3% (1 vote)

There were no votes for Renato Zero's huge-selling Zero il Folle (w/ Horn), Zorbonauts' Tall Tails (w/ Downes), Wally's Martyrs and Cowboys (The Atlantic Recordings 1974-1975) (w/ Wakeman in a production role) or the soundtrack album One Little Finger (Ability in Disability) (w/ Banks).

Refugee (which was eligible because this release includes some previously unreleased live material from the archives) and Get the Money go forward to the final.

The Yes year: looking back to 2019 and forward to 2020

If there's been a race between Yes featuring Anderson Rabin Wakeman and the Yes with Howe, White and Downes to release a new album -- and it's certainly been a marathon rather than a sprint -- then the unexpected winner this year was the Oliver Wakeman/Benoît David line-up. From a Page came out of the blue to positive reviews. A delightful surprise and my highlight of the Yes year.

While From a Page made the biggest splash in Yes fan circles, we should remember that the albums that sell well are often not the ones Yes fans pay attention to. From a Page did do well in sales, particularly given its limited release. It made #23 in the UK Rock chart, but selling better was Rick Wakeman's Christmas Portraits, which made #82 in the main UK top 100. Better than both of those were two Trevor Horn productions (he performs on both too). Renato Zero's Zero il Folle made #1 in Italy and was the 31st best-selling album of the year in the country. But the biggest Yes-related release of the year was You're in My Heart by Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which went #1 in the UK and Ireland, and made the top 40 in Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Portugal too. It was the 10th best-selling album of the year in the UK.

I can't decide my personal favourite album of the year, but I can tell you my favourite Yes-related song. That's “Scavengers” from the first In Continuum album. A great riff, great tune, provocative lyrics and fantastic drumming by Marco Minnemann. Davison guests providing some beautiful backing vocals.

Looking ahead, there is much excitement, and more than a little trepidation, about Yes playing all of Relayer in 2020. There are also indications that the band will record a new album, although there have been similar indications for some years and we're still waiting. ARW were inactive in 2019. While Wakeman talked of touring resuming in 2020, and maybe a new album, that talk has ended and the band appears to be on hold, at best. Finished, at worst.

From a Page brought attention to Wakeman junior's work. If you've enjoyed his work, 2020 begins well as he appears on two albums out shortly: John Holden's sophomore release Rise and Fall; and the David Cross & Peter Banks album Crossover. I've heard previews of both and they're both good. The latter is (sadly) the last album of new material by Peter Banks from his estate, based on an improv session in 2010 by former King Crimson violinist David Cross and Pete on guitar, augmented subsequently by a multitude of Yes (O Wakeman, Sherwood, Kaye, Downes, Schellen, Raine-Reusch) and King Crimson (Mastelotto, Stacey) names.

Poll: Which was your favourite 'new' song from the 2010 sessions?

Between Fly from Here - Return Trip and now From a Page, we've had multiple 'new' songs from the 2010 sessions released. So I asked which was your favourite, and 60 of you replied.


1. "To the Moment" 48% (29 votes)
2. "The Gift of Love" 30% (18 votes)
3. "Words on a Page" 10% (6 votes)
4. "From the Turn of a Card" 8% (5 votes)
5. "Don't Take No for an Answer" 3% (2 votes)

The choice of "To the Moment" for promo for From a Page is justified, with a clear win.

Poll: What are you most looking forward to?

I had asked what Yes activity are you most looking forward to, but events—the surprise release of From a Page—have rather overtaken this poll, so let's look at your answers now (58 responses).

1. Possible new music from Anderson Rabin Wakeman: 38% (22 votes)
2. Possible new music from Yes (Howe, White etc.): 29% (17 votes)
3. Yes tour playing all of Relayer in 2020: 21% (12 votes)
4. Archival early years/BBC sessions release: 10% (6 votes)
5. Possible Anderson Rabin Wakeman tour in 2020/1: 2% (1 vote)

I don't know how representative you are of all Yes fans, but a massive vote (two thirds) for new music. Also surprising that ARW tops the poll when it comes to new music, but much less excitement for a new tour.

Poll: What was the best Yes-related album of the first half of 2019?

58 votes are in and the results were:

1. Jon Anderson: 1000 Hands: Chapter One (w/ Howe, Squire, White): 26 votes, 45%
2. Trevor Horn: Reimagines the Eighties: 11 votes, 19%
3. King Crimson: Live in Newcastle, December 8, 1972 (w/ Bruford): 10 votes, 17%
4. Billy Sherwood: Citizen In the Next Life: 8 votes, 14%
5. In Continuum: Acceleration Theory Part One: AlienA (w/ Davison, writing by Anderson): 2 votes, 3%
6. Trevor Horn: Reimagines the Eighties Instrumentals: 1 vote, 2%
7= Kilty Town: Kilty Town (w/ Wakeman): 0 votes, 0%
7= Deckchair Poets: A Bit of Pottery (w/ Downes): 0 votes, 0%
7= United Progressive Fraternity: Planetary Overload Part 1: Loss (w/ Davison): 0 votes, 0%

I am not surprised that 1000 Hands, Jon Anderson's mix of '90s and recent sessions, won, and with nearly half of the votes. It's a great album and Yes fans have been thrilled to hear Chris Squire and Alan White playing, but mostly by the reunion of Anderson and Howe on the final track, with hopes that this might presage a reunion. (I don't think it will!)

Second, by just one vote, is Reimagines the Eighties, the most high profile release of the period, making #11 in the UK album chart.

There are, at least to my ears, some gems at the bottom end of the chart too. The In Continuum album is the latest project from Dave Kerzner, and his best yet. "Scavengers" is the stand-out track for me. Kilty Town, which had a small release back at the beginning of the year, is worth tracking down: world folk from Nic Cacciapo and friends, including Rick Wakeman guesting on two pieces.

Poll: What was the best Yes-related album of 1990?

What was the best Yes-related album of 1990? I asked and (67 of) you answered:

1. Asia: Then & Now (w/ Downes, Howe): 36 votes, 54%
2. David Torn: Door X (w/ Bruford): 11 votes, 16%
3. National Health: Complete (w/ Bruford): 7 votes, 10%
4. Rick Wakeman: Night Airs: 5 votes, 7%
5. Mike Makhalemele: Mind Games - A Jazz Celebration of John Lennon (w/ Rabin): 4 votes, 6%
6. Rock Aid Armenia: The Earthquake Album (w/ Downes, Squire): 2 votes, 3%
7= Rick Wakeman: In the Beginning: 1 vote, 1%
7= Rick Wakeman: Aspirant Sunrise: 1 vote, 1%
9. Rick Wakeman: Phantom Powers: 0 votes, 0%

... which took me by surprise. I didn't think Then & Now was much loved: 4 new songs constitute the 'Now', with just Wetton and Downes as the core of the band, to 6 hits as the 'Then'. And those new songs are Asia at their most pop, two with outside writers. But then I do like the new songs! So congratulations to this, the last Asia studio material with Wetton until Phoenix in 2008.

Maybe the competition in 1990 wasn't that strong. Complete, which I voted for, was a great release, bringing together everything National Health had released, but Bruford only appears on it courtesy of a sliver of previously unreleased material, so I didn't expect it to win. Wakeman was churning out the solo albums, but it was quantity over quality, with four combined only getting as many votes as Complete.

Mind Games did well given its obscurity: it's still unavailable on CD, although it did get a digital release a year ago: see Amazon UK or Amazon US.