Friday 30 December 2022

Looking ahead to 2023

Steve Howe likes to run a tight ship with Yes: no leaks. But enough has come out to say we expect a new Yes album in 2023, with Howe, Downes, Sherwood and Davison, with White maybe having recorded drum parts before he passed away, with Joyce and the FAMES orchestra back. Rumour has it out in the first half of the year. Presumably they will want it out before or not too long after touring begins on 7 May 2023. This will be the long-awaited, many-times-delayed Relayer tour. European dates from Portugal through to the UK have been announced and the tour is then expected to move to North America and maybe Japan.

Meanwhile, Jon Anderson also has a new album and tour due in 2023. Producer Michael Franklin was planning to finish recording for 1000 Hands: Chapter Two in December 2022; they’re aiming for an April 2023 release in time for Jon’s US tour with the Band Geeks in April/May 2023 playing Yes classics. Album guests are expected to include Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin.

Also due is the new Downes Braide Association album, Celestial Songs. This was finished back in April 2022; a release date of March 2023 is rumoured. Downes also leads Asia, who had a tour planned in late 2022 with Carl Palmer, Billy Sherwood and Marc Bonilla. This was to be with the Alan Parsons Project, but Parsons has had health problems, causing delays. What happens next is unclear, but it appears Asia are keen to tour some time in 2023.

There’s a pattern here. Yes will have a new album, but the tour will focus on an old one, Relayer (1974). Anderson will have a new solo album, but tour focusing on old Yes songs. Promo hasn’t mentioned anything from later than 1977. Downes has a new album with Chris Braide, but plans to tour with Asia, focusing on Asia (1982) and possibly Alpha (1983). That’s the world we live in. Ageing rock musicians make more money touring the old songs than they do from recording new ones. Yes will probably play a song or two from their new album and Anderson might include something new, but audiences want the classic tunes. Rick Wakeman’s new album, A Gallery of the Imagination, has already been on sale on his Christmas tour dates; it receives a full release in 2023. But, likewise, his sets focus on the 1970s.

In just the last few days, we’ve had news about Trevor Rabin’s new solo album, expected some time in 2023 and entitled Rio. He’s talked of a rock album with vocals, so something more in the style of Can’t Look Away than Jacaranda. In terms of former band members releasing solo albums, we also have Oliver Wakeman saying Anam Cara is due this year.

I expect those to be the big events of the year. Most of those are expected earlier rather than later in the year; we will have to wait and see what late 2023 brings. I’m sure there will be plenty more Yes-related releases, but what is less clear.

Trevor Horn has a body of material, strange covers done in collaboration with musicians from Tori Amos to Toyah Willcox, from Rick Astley to Robert Fripp, but it is unclear if he has a record deal or a release date.

Billy Sherwood is always busy. I’m sure we’ll get plenty from him. Both he and ARW’s Lee Pomeroy may be on Dave Kerzner and Fernando Perdomo’s multi-disc Genesis tribute. Jon Davison may be guesting on United Progressive Fraternity’s Planetary Overload Part 2: Hope. Steve Howe will probably give us Homebrew 8.

Schellen has mentioned a possible archival Badfinger release with him and Kaye. Michael Franklin has mentioned a possible archival live Patrick Moraz release. There may be a Jazz Sabbath live release from the 2022 tour, with Adam Wakeman and Dylan Howe in the line-up, plus dad Rick guesting. We should get more archival releases from Rick Wakeman’s Caped Crusader Collector Club.

Cleopatra Records will undoubtedly have some all-star tribute with a couple of Yes members. There should be one or more Zorbonauts releases with Downes. Downes has also produced an album by Gareth Ainsworth and The Cold Blooded Hearts that might be out in 2023.

In the less certain but possible category, we could have a third In Continuum studio album with Davison. Maybe a John Lodge project with Davison and Downes? Maybe the Rick Wakeman/Tim Rice/Alfie Boe project?

What are you looking forward to in 2023?

Monday 8 August 2022

Poll: What was the best Yes-related release of the first half of 2022?

 I asked you what was the best Yes-related album of the first half of 2022 and 104 of you answered. Thanks, all! The result was not close.

1. Asia: Asia in Asia: Live at the Budokan Arena, 1983 (w/ Downes, Howe) - 87 votes (84%)

2. Oliver Wakeman: Collaborations (w/ Howe) - 14 votes (13%)

3. Prog Collective: Songs We were Taught (w/ Sherwood, Downes, Davison, Moraz) - 2 votes (2%)

4. Lobate Scarp: You Have It All (w/ Sherwood, Davison) - 1 vote (1%)

There were no votes for Clint Bahr's Puzzlebox (using a posthumous Banks guitar part), Clannad's In a Lifetime (The Immersive Collection) (with Horn) or Deckchair Poets' Be My Pillow (with Downes). I also erred and missed out including Zebras Don't Smoke's Inflatable Noise (with Downes), although I doubt it would have fared much better than the Deckchair Poets release by the same team. I also chose not to include the second Caped Crusader Collector Club release, The Silly Programme, as it was comedy rather than music. I again don't imagine it would've troubled the rankings.

There were not a lot of Yes-related releases in this period. Still, I had expected a bit more competition to the Asia release. But, no, Asia's second line-up swept all before it.

Voters came from 10 countries: most of you voting were in the US, with the UK in second place. Also represented were Germany, Canada, Spain, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Saturday 26 February 2022

Poll: What was the best Yes-related release of the second half of 2021?

I asked you what was the best Yes-related album of the second half of 2021? (As with all in this series of polls, I'm excluding actual Yes releases, so no The Quest.) 60 of you voted, and the results were...

1. Steve Howe: Homebrew 7, 35% (21 votes)

2. various artists: Animals Reimagined – A Tribute to Pink Floyd (w/ Wakeman R, Moraz, Sherwood, Davison), 28% (17 votes)

3. John Lodge: The Royal Affair and After (w/ Davison), 17% (10 votes)

4. George Harrison: All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary Edition (w/ White), 12% (7 votes)

5= David Minasian: Random Dreams: The Very Best of David Minasian Vol. 1 (w/ Sherwood), 2% (1 vote)

5= Etta James: The Montreux Years (w/ Wakeman R), 2% (1 vote)

5= Jake Shimabukuro: Jake & Friends (w/ Anderson), 2% (1 vote)

5= Robby Steinhardt: Not in Kansas Anymore (w/ Moraz), 2% (1 vote)

5= Rick Wakeman: She - Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, 2% (1 vote)

There were no votes for Anyone's In Humanity (with Davison) or the multi-artist release myndstream Collection, Vol. 1 (with R Wakeman).

A good win for Howe's Homebrew 7, the first Homebrew release to be (mostly) material not otherwise released, rather than the usual alternative and early versions. But a good second place for Animals Reimagined, the latest of many Pink Floyd tribute albums from Cleopatra Records. Maybe the slightly new approach is working for them? I thought the prior release, Still Wish You were Here, was better, but it only came 4th with 5% of the votes in its poll. Maybe Animals Reimagined faced weaker competition?

Sunday 16 January 2022

Poll: Best track on The Quest

 I left this poll up a while and you voted in numbers, 288 of you. And the results were...

1. "The Ice Bridge" - 23%, 66 votes

2. "Sister Sleeping Soul" - 21%, 60 votes

3. "A Living Island" - 11%, 32 votes

4. "Leave Well Alone" - 10%, 29 votes

5. "Dare to Know" - 9%, 26 votes

6. "The Western Edge" - 8%, 22 votes

7. "Minus the Man" - 6%, 17 votes

8. "Music to My Ears" - 4%, 12 votes

9= "Damaged World" - 3%, 9 votes

9= "Mystery Tour" - 3%, 9 votes

11. "Future Memories" - 2%, 6 votes

It seems it was InsideOut who picked "The Ice Bridge" as the first single, so good choice there, but also InsideOut who put "Sister Sleeping Soul" on the second disc, a sort of relegation, yet it came second on this poll. That said, the other "bonus disc" tracks are down at the end.

Poor "Future Memories" - it doesn't deserve to be bottom! I can't remember now, but I think voted for "Leave Well Alone", unless I went for "Dare to Know"... They work as the core of the album for me.