Wednesday 27 February 2013

Poll: Best Yes-related album of 2012, part 2

We had 103 votes for the poll on the best Yes-related album of the second half of 2012. The results were as follows.

1. Rick Wakeman: Journey to the Centre of the Earth - 27 (26%)
2. King Crimson: Larks' Tongues in Aspic [40th anniversary releases] (w/ Bruford) - 18 (17%)
3. Mystery: The World is a Game (w/ David) - 16 (16%)
4. Downes Braide Association: Pictures of You (w/ Downes) - 11 (11%)
5. Glass Hammer: Perilous (w/ Davison) - 8 (8%)
6. Asia: Asia [30th anniversary box] (w/ Downes, Howe) - 5 (5%)
7= The Prog Collective (w/ Sherwood, Wakeman, Kaye, Banks, Squire) - 4 (4%)
7= Dennis Haklar: Lizard's Tale (w/ Anderson) - 4 (4%)
9= Spector: Enjoy It While It Lasts (w/ Horn) - 2 (2%)
9= Edison's Lab: Edison's Lab EP (w/ Sherwood, Kaye) - 2ish (2%)*
9= Other - 2 (2%)
12= Songs of the Century: An All-Star Tribute to Supertramp (w/ Sherwood, Squire, Kaye, Wakeman, Banks, Downes) - 1 (1%)
12= The Fusion Syndicate (w/ Sherwood, Wakeman, Kaye) - 1 (1%)
12= Billy Sherwood: The Art of Survival - 1 (1%)
12= Wave Mechanics Union: Futher to Fly (w/ Anderson) - 1 (1%)

There were 2 votes for 'other', but neither specified what. There were no votes for three tribute albums on Cleopatra Records involving Billy Sherwood, one by Nektar, one for The Who and one for The Black Keys.

Nostalgia rules the roost this period, with a remake of a 1970s album and an anniversary re-issue of another taking over 40% of the vote. Another anniversary re-issue made sixth. Post-Anderson vocalists also did well, with David singing with Mystery in third and Davison singing with Glass Hammer in fifth. Fourth was the Downes Braide Association album. Billy Sherwood led multiple projects in this period, three featuring multiple Yesmen guesting, but only The Prog Collective received more than one vote.

* The Edison's Lab EP received 7 votes, a surprisingly good showing for a less well-known project featuring guest appearances from Sherwood and Kaye. However, it was clear from the voting patterns that this reflected an attempt to distort the results. While I can understand how enthusiasm for music can lead people to want to promote the music they love, it rather undermines the point of a poll like this. So I've excluded 5 votes as misleading.

DPRP Poll 2012

The Dutch Progressive Rock Pages do an annual poll and their 2012 results were recently announced with a total of 723 votes. So I thought I'd review how Yes-related acts performed last year. While Yes etc. did well in 2011, Yes-related acts were less prominent this year, although The World is a Game by Mystery and I am Anonymous by Headspace (Adam Wakeman's new band) did well and there were some positive results by Squackett, Asia and daddy Wakeman.

In the Best Album category, the winner was Big Big Train's English Electric (Part One), with The World is a Game #11 and I am Anonymous, #20. Squackett's A Life Within a Day was the next highest album with a Yes connection at #37. The Flower Kings' "Numbers" won Best Track. Mystery came #23 with "Pride" and #24 with "Another Day". Headspace's "Fall of America" was 53rd equal.

That Flower Kings track is from an album entitled Banks of Eden, which won Best Artwork. Asia's XXX, with its Roger Dean cover, was the highest Yes-related entry at 12th equal, followed by I am Anonymous at #18. The World is a Game was tied with Focus X (another Dean cover) at #22.

Banks of Eden and The Flower Kings reunion also won Biggest Happening. Jon Davison joining Yes was 18th equal in this category, with Rick Wakeman's new Journey to the Centre of the Earth and King Crimson's 40th anniversary releases of Larks' Tongues in Aspic tieing with others at #28.

Steven Wilson's "Get All You Deserve" won Best DVD. King Crimson's "Live In Argentina 1994", with Bruford and Levin, made 20th equal. Asia's "Resonance" made 31st equal.


Best Newcomer was the Morse/Morse/Portnoy supergroup Flying Colors, with Headspace coming 5th and Squackett 14th equal.

The award no-one wants is Biggest Disappointment, which saw a tie this year between Marillion's Sounds That Can't be Made and Rush's Clockwork Angels (albums that were 3rd and 5th in the Best Album category). Squackett's A Life Within a Day came 4th, while 11th equal were Asia's XXX and Yes continuing without Anderson and (R) Wakeman. Indeed, if you combine several critiques of the current Yes, they would move up into 5th.

Finally, there are the best individual performances. Steves Hackett and Rothery tied for Best Guitarist for Genesis Revisited II and Sounds That Can't be Made respectively. Michel St-Père made #11 for The World is a Game and Hackett also made #12, this time for A Life Within a Day. Trevor Rabin was 28th equal for Jacaranda. Neal Morse won Best Keyboardist with his solo album Momentum. Rick Wakeman was #7 for Journey to the Centre of the Earth, while Adam Wakeman (I am Anonymous) and Fred Schendel (Glass Hammer's Perilous) were among those tied at #9.

Steve Hogarth won Best Vocalist for Sounds That Can't be Made. Damian Wilson was at #3 for I am Anonymous (and also at #5 for his work in Threshold). Benoît David made #10 for The World is a Game, while Jon Davison was 40th equal for Perilous. Jon Anderson received no votes, perhaps reflecting that he was only on comparably obscure releases in the eligible period.

Best Drummer was Neil Peart for Clockwork Angels. Nick D'Virgilio made #8 for The World is a Game (having also made #2 for his work in Big Big Train). Carl Palmer's performance on XXX was 23rd equal. There were no votes for White or Bruford, but then neither released any new material in 2012. Matching the Best Drummer category, Best Bassist was Geddy Lee, again for Clockwork Angels. Chris Squire came 5th here for A Life Within a Day, while Lee Pomeroy was 14th equal for I am Anonymous. Billy Sherwood for his solo album The Art Of Survival and John Wetton for XXX were among those tied at #23.