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?
