2023 in review: Yes, solo projects and more

I wanted to look back on 2023, a surprisingly busy year for Yes, its current and past members. But I wanted to do something different, so I thought to review the Yes members/alumni on four dimensions: workload, nostalgia, commercial success, and quality.

Some rules first. I'm just looking at new releases. I'm not considering archival releases here. I'm only considering active Yes members and alumni. Bruford has retired from musical performance. He did play on one song at the John Wetton tribute show, but that's all, so I'm not covering him. Tony Kaye is semi-retired. He is reportedly working on a new Circa album, but he's released nothing this year and done no live shows, so I’ve omitted him. Igor Khoroshev, last we knew, remains active doing sessions, but I’ve not seen anything from him this year, so he’s also excluded.

This is just looking at 2023, a snapshot. A musician may surprise us with their 2024 output, or be resting on their laurels after a successful 2022.

WORKLOAD

For workload or productivity, I'm considering live shows and releases.

Album releases in a year aren’t the best indicator of productivity in a year given the lead times to release. For example, Downes released Celestial Songs this year, but recording was completed in April 2022, with the release delayed. Likewise, Rabin released Rio, but he had been working on that for some years. He did very little work on it in 2023. Others (e.g., Oliver Wakeman, Jon Anderson) have been working on recordings this year that won't be out until later. Nonetheless, releases are the easiest thing to count, so that's what I've counted!

NOSTALGIA

A recurrent discussion around older acts is the tension between playing the old songs and making new music. Thus, I suggest a nostalgia quotient. This is based on two factors. Firstly, did live set lists focus on old songs or new material. Secondly, did the artist release new material, or at least new versions of old material, or nothing at all. 

COMMERCIAL SUCCESS

We sometimes pay little attention to commercial success. It can even be seen as shameful, a distraction from true art! And if you like an album or show, why does it matter how many other people do? Except it does matter. At least, if not enough other people like something, there won't be another album or tour.

I would like to consider album and ticket sales, but those are rarely available. We don't get data on album sales, but we can look at chart statistics, if the album charted. Likewise, we don't see ticket sales data, but we can at least track the size of venues booked.

QUALITY

This is, of course, wholly subjective, but I'm going to give you my opinions. You may have your own, of course. 

OK, everyone clear what we're doing? Then let's start. 

WORKLOAD, approximately from least to most

Patrick Moraz: 1 show, no material released. Moraz played a solo show at ProgStock 2023.

Oliver Wakeman: 1 show, 3 songs released. Oliver organised and played at the Other Coronation Concert with his dad Rick. He appears on 2 tracks of Carrie Martin's Evergreen and the "Lost in the Wild Wood" single by Rodney Matthews and Friends. I don't think this reflects a lack of work ethic on Oliver's part. He has recorded a new album, out in the new year, and I expect his live schedule reflects a lack of opportunity! He is not as well established a musician as others on this list. I suspect he would have been happy to play dozens of shows this year, but he’s not getting those kinds of offers.

Jon Anderson: 24 shows, 2 songs released. Anderson had two tours this year, a US leg with the Band Geeks (12 dates) and a European tour with the Paul Green Rock Academy (11 dates). There was also the Chagall student show, making 24 dates in total, but three different set lists. He had no album releases, but he did share some songs on social media. I think there were two new in the year: "We Are We Are" and "Realization Morning Temple". It appears he has been working on new recordings, on 1000 Hands: Chapter Two earlier in the year and an album with the Geeks later in the year, but I'm not counting chickens that haven't hatched yet.

Rick Wakeman: ~28 shows, 3 songs released. I'm counting A Gallery of the Imagination as a late 2022 release as it was available on a limited scale in 2022, albeit general release only came this year. In terms of 2023 releases, he's just got a few guest appearances: one track each with Ann-Margret, on Meddle Reimagined, and with the Fusion Syndicate. In terms of live work, he played two nights with the English Rock Ensemble (with different sets). He had one-off shows in April, May, July and November, and two in December, and appeared at the John Wetton tribute show. He had a US solo tour with 17 dates + a cruise appearance.

Jay Schellen: 27 shows, 1 album released. Schellen played 26 dates on Yes's tour (excluding the two cancelled shows) and played on Yes's Mirror to the Sky. He also appeared at the John Wetton tribute show.

Trevor Rabin: no shows, ~2 albums and 1 additional song released. Rabin released Rio this year. There was also National Treasure: Edge of History (Original Series Soundtrack) released back in January. That contains 30 tracks: 15 are credited to Rabin and 1 to Rabin and Paul Linford. He also did the theme tune for "Digman" and some string arrangements for a Joe Bonamassa live show in August. You can debate how to weight releases versus live shows in this list. Rabin is top 3 in releases for the year, but at the bottom for live work. One can also account for musician's roles in a project, e.g. Rabin doing almost everything on Rio, versus Schellen just drumming on Mirror to the Sky.

Billy Sherwood: 27 shows, 1 album and an additional 6 songs released. Sherwood's tally tracks Schellen's but with the addition of some guest appearances: 3 tracks on Kurt Michaels' Stones from the Garden, two standalone tracks with Cameron Carpenter, and 1 track on Laughing Stock's Songs for the Future.

Steve Howe: 26 dates, 2 albums released (plus a remix album). As well as his work in Yes, Howe also released Motif, Volume 2. While I'm not including archival releases, Howe did also lead on the Tomorrow release, Permanent Dream, that involved substantial remixing.

Jon Davison: ~61 shows, 1 album and an additional 3 songs released. As well as work with Yes, Davison also toured (33 dates + cruise) and recorded (2 tracks on Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn) with father-in-law John Lodge. He also guested on 1 track of Anyone's Miracles in the Nothingness. So, over twice as many live dates as anyone else yet in our list. You can see why he wrote "Circles of Time" now.

Trevor Horn: ~68 shows, 1 album and a production collection of sounds released. [EDIT: In a Jan 2024 interview, Horn says he did 80 shows in 2023.] Surprisingly, the busiest live player among the Yes members is Trevor Horn, the guy who gave up live performance after being in Yes. He did 28 North American dates as The Buggles opening for Seal and then playing with Seal as musical director and bassist. That was followed by 13 European dates with Seal, but no Buggles. There were also 39 dates with Dire Straits Legacy scattered over the year, which I think were all with Horn, but I'm not 100% certain of that, as the line-up can vary from show to show. (Horn is not on 2024 DSL live shows.) Horn also had a live TV appearance in Sep in Italy. He released Echoes – Ancient & Modern and there was also the 45Gb+ Jupiter production collection from Spitfire Audio.

Geoff Downes: 27 shows, 3 albums + 2 additional songs released. Downes played with Yes and co-organised the John Wetton tribute show. He was on Mirror to the Sky, he had another Downes Braide Association album in Celestial Songs, and he produced The Cold Blooded Hearts' The Cold Light of Day, on which he also performed on all but 3 tracks. He also did a song with Aaron Emerson and 1 track on Meddle Reimagined. So he didn't play as many live shows as Davison or Horn, but given 3 album releases in a year, I am declaring him the busiest Yes member of the year.

In terms of do-we-count-them-as-former-members, a note also for Tom Brislin, who played 52 shows with Kansas this year, although he wasn’t on any releases.

Tony Levin played 22 dates with Peter Gabriel and performed on his new album i/o. He has 5 Levin Brothers shows in Dec. He had 23 dates with Stick Men over the year and they also released a new live album. He was on 1 track of MEMEmusic by Unquiet Music Ltd. There appears to have been session work with various others (Tina Arena, Tania Doko, Marco Machera), but I've not checked the details. So, that's 50 dates and 2+ albums.

NOSTALGIA, approximately from most to least

Patrick Moraz: very nostalgic. I haven't seen a full set list for his one show, but it seems to have been familiar material.

Trevor Horn: very nostalgic. His live work was all old material. His album consists of covers.

Jon Anderson: very nostalgic. His live sets consisted purely of old material, although a few of the Rock Academy arrangements were newer. The Chagall show was a premiere, albeit all of the material dates back a varying number of years.

Rick Wakeman: very nostalgic. His live work mostly consisted of old material, although the US tour included one piece from A Gallery of the Imagination. 2/3 of his recorded work were covers, but he co-wrote a new piece, "IO", for The Fusion Syndicate.

Jon Davison: fairly nostalgic. On the anti-nostalgia side, he's got Mirror to the Sky and a song with Anyone, but the live Yes sets were mostly old material, and his 2023 work with John Lodge, live and studio, was all old material, although there may be new Lodge material coming.

Steve Howe: fairly nostalgic. Yes released a new album, but on most nights only played 1 song from it. Motif, Volume 2 includes 4 new pieces, but the rest of it is re-interpreting older songs, while the Tomorrow release was all remixing old songs.

Jay Schellen: middling. Live Yes (nostalgic) versus new Yes album (anti-nostalgic).

Billy Sherwood: fairly anti-nostalgic. Same as Schellen, except with a few more recorded tracks of new material.

Oliver Wakeman: fairly anti-nostalgic. I haven't seen a full set list for his one show, but I believe it was mostly familiar material. However, he has also been on releases of new material.

Geoff Downes: fairly anti-nostalgic. While his live sets were nostalgic, being involved in three albums of new material puts him high on this list.

Trevor Rabin: very anti-nostalgic. Almost everything Rabin did this year was new material.

COMMERCIAL SUCCESS, approximately from least to most

Based on what chart data I could find, I think the albums go in a decreasing order of sales as follows: Mirror to the Sky > Echoes – Ancient & Modern > Rio > A Gallery of the Imagination > Celestial Songs, and then maybe Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn and Permanent Dream, with others not troubling any charts. In terms of touring, I think Horn's tours with Seal and DSL probably constitute the most ticket sales when combined, then Yes and John Lodge are maybe about equal, followed by Anderson, and then R Wakeman. So, overall, my ranking of commercial success, from lowest to highest, would be…

Moraz, O Wakeman: nothing of note.

Jon Anderson: Both tours were relatively short, which affects total ticket sales. Venues with the Geeks were of moderate size. Those with the kids seemed to have been bigger. But no releases for sale limits his commercial success.

Rick Wakeman: I think Wakeman was playing to smaller audiences than Anderson or Yes in the US. Gallery didn't make the main UK album chart when it received its general release in 2023, but it was #11 on the UK Progressive albums chart, #18 on the indie chart, #37 on the physical albums chart, #39 on the album sales chart, and #97 on the paid download chart. It made #35 on the UK iTunes chart.

Trevor Rabin: Rio made #52 in Switzerland and #90 in Germany. It didn't make the main chart in the UK, but was #7 on the UK Progressive albums chart, #19 on the physical albums chart, #16 on the album sales chart, #52 on the paid download chart, and #5 on the rock & metal chart. It was also on various iTunes charts: US #24, UK #30, Australia #51, Germany #52, Canada #53.

Trevor Horn: Horn was the musical director for a significant tour by Seal, with good audience sizes in Europe and North America. Dire Straits Legacy also play surprisingly big venues. Horn also got an Italian TV appearance. Echoes made #81 in UK. It also made #47 in Germany and #68 in Austria. It was also on various iTunes charts: Brazil #3, Italy #8, UK & Germany #11, Australia #12, US #85. In addition, "Relax" made #81 and "Steppin' Out" #65 on Spanish iTunes, while "Slave to the Rhythm" made #51 in Italy and #63 in Germany.

Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen: Both Sherwood's and Schellen's notable sales were just from Yes. Mirror to the Sky charted around the world: Switzerland #9, Germany #12, Japan #24, UK #30, Hungary #31, Portugal #35, Austria #53, Wallonia (Belgium) #55, Italy #61, Poland #62, Netherlands #84, Flanders (Belgium) #93, France and Spain #99. It did not make the main US chart, but was #4 in rock & metal and #22 in sales. It was also on various iTunes charts: Spain #3, Brazil #7, UK #10, Canada #13, US #17, Germany #18, Italy #19, Australia #23, France #36. Yes played to good audience sizes in the US. 

Jon Davison: As well as his work in Yes, Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn made #42 on Italian iTunes.

Steve Howe: As well as Yes, Tomorrow's Permanent Dream made #16 in the UK independent album breakers chart (albums of the week by an artist who has not yet reached the Top 40). It was also at #55 on French iTunes.

Geoff Downes: As well as Yes, Celestial Songs made #27 on the UK indie chart, #60 on the physical albums chart, #63 on the album sales chart, and #7 on the rock & metal chart. It did not chart on iTunes.

Among not quite Yes alumni, Tony Levin stands out. Peter Gabriel's i/o went #1 in the UK and #99 in the US. It was also top ten in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Switzerland. The tour, meanwhile, was in very large venues. You would think that would win, but, no, former ABWH keyboardist Matt Clifford was the runaway success of the year as he played on The Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds, which made #1 in the UK, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. It made #3 in the US. It has gone Gold in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Austria. It was the best-selling album of the year in Germany.

QUALITY

Of the various projects mentioned above, my favourite was Mirror to the Sky. Was it the best album? Was it consistently good? Maybe not, but it's the album that has stayed with me the most. My next favourite project, as I am always a Trevor Horn fanboy, was Echoes – Ancient & Modern. I'd put Rio third: I think it is a really strong album, possibly in some sense better than the previous two. Horn is 'cheating' because his album is built around a bunch of pre-existing great songs, whereas Rabin wrote his material. But if you asked me which album I'd rather listen to right now, Echoes or Rio, I would choose Echoes.

I am enjoying Celestial Songs: it's not clicked with me in the same way as Halcyon Hymns, but it's still a good one, so I'll put it fourth. Those are my standouts. Of the rest, National Treasure: Edge of History is not bad for a score album. The Cold Light of Day is a surprisingly good rock album, certainly the best album by a football player I've listened to. I like Motif, Volume 2, it does exactly what you would expect, no more, no less. I'll go with Cold Light fifth, Motif 2 sixth and National Treasure seventh.

In terms of the various guest appearances, Miracles in the Nothingness, Songs for the Future etc., nothing really jumped out at me, not that I have heard everything. Maybe "One of These Days" with Downes on Meddle Reimagined is the best of the lot.

I thought A Gallery of the Imagination was terrible, but if I'm counting it as a 2022 album, I can't blame Wakeman for it here! Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn was unimpressive.

In terms of live work, I loved the Jon Anderson + Paul Green Rock Academy show I saw. I was in the wrong country for the Geeks tour, but the recordings I heard were great. Likewise, Yes were playing the wrong continent for me this year, but I enjoyed the boot I heard and loved them last year. I saw the Seal show in the UK and had a great night, and I enjoyed listening to recordings of The Buggles set from the US. I also loved the stream for the John Wetton tribute show.

Put that all together and I think my personal ranking would be: Anderson (best live work), Horn (me = fanboy), Howe (for leading on Mirror to the Sky and Motif 2 is solid), Rabin (great work in Rio and not bad score output), Downes (3 albums and they are all good), Schellen, Sherwood, Davison, R Wakeman. (Insufficient data for Moraz and O Wakeman.)

In all, a great year for Yes-related music. I'm loving this late flowering of Trevor Horn's career. I hope he can get back to new music and not just nostalgia, but it appears he is constrained by record label interest and they want the nostalgia. Jon Anderson's recorded output was disappointing, hopefully 2024 will rectify that, but he has been performing fantastically. I am full of praise for Trevor Rabin's 2023. My highlight is a very enjoyable Yes album, but Downes and Howe deserve praise for so much work beyond that as well.

Rick Wakeman works hard, but it's been a while since he's done much of interest to me. Patrick Moraz does little and it's been a while since he's done much of interest to me. I hope we hear more from Oliver Wakeman and from Khoroshev in 2024.

Possible highlights for 2024? It is both exciting and somewhat worrying that Anderson has several projects that could be released next year: an album with the Geeks, 1000 Hands: Chapter Two, Zamran (or part one, at least). Maybe a bit more focus on finishing projects wouldn't go amiss? I look forward to seeing Yes live. I wonder how work on a new album is getting on? A new Circa album could be interesting. Might we get the new John Lodge project with Davison and Downes? Could the hinted-at Dave Kerzner/Jon Davison project come to fruition? Horn is touring with his band, but also, it appears, with a reunited Producers. Horn has said he's got another solo album recorded. Braide says another DBA album is already written.

Poll: What was the best Yes-related release of the second half of 2022? Round one

There were 20 Yes-related albums released in the second half of 2022, so instead of a single poll, we're going through them in three rounds, with the top 2 from each round going through to the final. Round 1 covered releases by or with Rick Wakeman or Trevor Rabin (but excluding releases also involving other Yes men).

We had 28 votes. I could have let the poll run for longer, but the result was clear!

1. Rick Wakeman: A Gallery of the Imagination - 13 votes, 46%

2. Carly Rae Jepsen: The Loneliest Time (w/ Rabin) - 11 votes, 39%

3. Rick Wakeman: The Missing Hammersmith Recording 1985 - 2 votes, 7%

4= Rick Wakeman and Valentina Blanca: Live from Elche - 1 vote, 4%

4= Rick Wakeman: Unreleased Demos Volume 1 (w/ Rabin) - 1 vote, 4%

6. Rick Wakeman: Rehearsals and Demos (w/ Rabin) - 0 votes, 0%

On to Round 2, which are releases by or with Howe, Davison and Sherwood. You can vote on the news website front page.

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?

What releases have you been looking forward to?

In the run up to the news of Yes's new album, The Quest, I read an online discussion where some people were saying they were looking forward more to certain other projects than to Yes's new album. It makes sense to me that some would: if you're more a fan of Jon Anderson, then you are going to be more excited about a project like Invention of Knowledge 2 than a new album from the Steve Howe-led Yes. But I wanted to get a feel for how many people where excited about what forthcoming projects, so I ran this poll, and 153 of you voted.

Which new album are you most looking forward to?

1. The new Yes album (Howe, Davison, Downes, White, Sherwood): 73% (112 votes)

2. Trevor Rabin's next solo album: 10% (16 votes)

3. Anderson/Stolt 2: 9% (14 votes)

4. Jon Anderson's 1000 Hands: Chapter Two: 4% (6 votes)

5. The new Rick Wakeman and English Rock Ensemble album: 3% (5 votes)

Since the poll began, we finally got the announcement around the new Yes album, plus "The Ice Bridge" as a single, so that makes the new Yes album rather more concrete than some of these projects. However, the results didn't seem to change much after the announcement.

It appears from this poll that The Quest is the main focus for readers of the site. Anderson gets the second most votes across his two different projects, with Rabin close behind. Also since the poll began, we've had an interview where Anderson (not for the first time) says he isn't going to do an album releases any more, so maybe we shouldn't expect Chapter Two or Invention of Knowledge 2? Anderson's plans often go back and forth: I expect he will have new music out in some form. Indeed, also since the poll began, we got the surprise release of Sunlight... albeit followed by the sudden withdrawal of that release (story here)!

Bottom of the list, Wakeman's next album isn't attracting much attention, although The Red Planet got good reviews and fan reaction.

Poll: What was the best Yes-related album of 1989?

83 of you voted in the latest year poll, for the best Yes-related release of 1989. (Of course, ABWH came out that year, but I just count that as Yes! So it wasn't in the poll.) That leaves:

1. Trevor Rabin: Can't Look Away (w/ White): 35 votes, 42%
2. World Trade: World Trade (w/ Sherwood, Squire): 16 votes, 19%
3. Bill Bruford's Earthworks: Dig?: 11 votes, 13%
4. Paul McCartney: Flowers in the Dirt (w/ Horn): 8 votes, 10%
5. Jonathan Elias: Requiem for the Americas—Songs from the Lost World (w/ Anderson): 6 votes, 7%
6= Bonham: The Disregard of Timekeeping (w/ Rabin): 2 votes, 2%
6= Rick Wakeman: Sea Airs: 2 votes, 2%
8. Steve Howe: Guitar Player: 1 vote, 1%

There were 2 'other' votes for ABWH, and no votes for Simple Minds' Street Fighting Years (w/ Horn), The Moody Blues' Greatest Hits (which included new material w/ Moraz), Bunny Brunel's Momentum (w/ Moraz), Kazumi Watanabe's Kilowatt (w/ Moraz) or Rick Wakeman's Zodiaque.

A good result for Trevor Rabin, taking a clear first, plus sixth equal. A bad result for Patrick Moraz, on three albums this year, but none received any votes. I'm surprised World Trade didn't win: I thought it was a fan favourite.

Poll: Best Yes-related album of 1978

Well, that was even more conclusive than Fish Out of Water's win in the 1975 poll or Olias of Sunhillow's in the 1976 poll. There were 67 votes (I could have left the poll open longer, but what was the point?):

1. UK: UK (w/ Bruford): 57 votes (85%)
2. Patrick Moraz: Patrick Moraz III: 5 votes (7%)
3. Trevor Rabin: Trevor Rabin [a.k.a. Beginnings]: 4 votes (6%)
4. Annette Peacock: X-Dreams (w/ Bruford): 1 votes (1%)

There were no votes for Lonnie Donegan's Puttin' on the Style (with Banks), Chromium's Star to Star (The Buggles before The Buggles) or three long out-of-print albums with Rabin, Disco Rock Machine's Time to Love, The Tee Cee's Disco Love Bite or Forbidden Fruit by Hot R.S.

UK fans may be interested in Eddie Jobson's crowdsourced deluxe re-issue plans: see here on the news page.

Interview with Trevor Rabin

This interview was conducted by e-mail in July 2012 and my thanks to Trevor. We focus on Trevor's recent solo release, Jacaranda, later in the interview, but we start with some broader questions, looking across Trevor's long career, from commercial success with Rabbitt in South Africa, to his time in Yes, and writing film scores.

If the questions seem a bit odd(!), I was asked specifically for questions away from the usual, so I took this opportunity to quiz Trevor about a variety of topics from some unusual angles. To improve readability, I have re-arranged the order of questions and done a bit of editing.

Henry: You went from being this huge success with Rabbitt in South Africa to coming to the UK and a less commercially successful solo career, and then back to huge audiences with Yes. What was that journey like for your self-esteem? Do the periods of big success carry you through the other times, or do they just make you more frustrated when every album doesn’t sell as well? Do you think of the fans of different parts of your musical life – Rabbitt, Yes, film scores – as being separate groups, or are you keen to pull them along with you as your work evolves?

Trevor: Without sounding too philosophical, I feel like each different endeavor is like stopping in at an address and then moving on to the next one. Some addresses are nicer than others. But I feel that one cannot plan too much… you have to go with it, and as long as the music is really the focus, I don't think there's much more you can plan.

South Africa has obviously been through substantial change since you left. It has a whole new spirit and approach. Some South Africans who left during apartheid have since moved back to the country. Is that something you considered? Does that new spirit in the country reach to you as an expat?

Yeah, I have family there and it still has a big place in my heart, but I'm an American now and am proud of it.

Rabbitt’s breakthrough was a Jethro Tull cover. Were you aware of the British prog scene at the time? Did you ever listen to Yes, oblivious to the fact you would one day join the band?

"Locomotive Breath" was recommended by the record company. My awareness of YES when I was in RABBITT, was hearing Six Wives of Henry the Eighth which I loved a lot.

 

You did your national service in South Africa in the army’s entertainment division: what was that like, being so young, being politically opposed to apartheid?

It was leave the country (which I was not ready for), go to jail (ugh) or go to the army. I spent a year in the entertainment unit. I played in the big band, had a rock band, and spent the rest of my time practicing the guitar and piano. It was invaluable. So in retrospect, I never shot anybody and improved myself.

You’ve now lived many years in the US, but you also had that period in your life when you lived in the UK. Is there anything you miss about the UK?

I really do miss London, it was a great time for me.

In the late 1970s, you did a tour opening for Steve Hillage, I believe. I wondered what you recalled of that period? Had Hillage chosen you as his opener, or was that something the record company put together?

Not sure who suggested me for the tour. But Steve Hillage was a pure gentleman.

The late 1970s also brought us Disco Rock Machine, your brief foray into disco. [Disco Rock Machine was the band name used for releases in 1978-9, produced, co-written and co-performed by Rabin. Several songs are on YouTube: I like this cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me".]

I had started a record company when I moved to London called Blue Chip Music, and Disco Rock Machine was done to sell. Creatively my solo albums was really my focus. Ironically Disco Rock Machine sold more.

Rick Wakeman tells the story about a planned supergroup Geffen was trying to put together in 1980 with him, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and you. Do you have any memories of this?

I remember this well. Carl Palmer, John Wetton and I had a dinner at Brian Lane’s house with David Geffen, and Rick unfortunately missed his plane. It was an interesting dinner.

It seems to have been a long journey from your original solo demos to the eventual release of 90125 as a Yes album. Several songs got abandoned along the way (e.g., "Make It Easy", "It’s Over", "Time"), there were several line-up changes. Was that a difficult journey or did it feel right? Did you weep over each song that didn’t make it to the final cut, or was that a sensible pruning process? When Jon Anderson joined the band, it became a Yes reunion. You’ve often said you never wanted the Yes name, but do you think you ended up making a better album with Anderson than without? It’s the 30th anniversary of 90125 next year. Any plans for some special re-release with alternate and demo versions, along the lines of the Pink Floyd Experience editions? Between your earliest demos and the Cinema versions, there must be enough for a triple CD at least!

I mentioned on my website that I'm not a fan of compilations. I never liked the idea of 90125 with extra tracks. By all means release the early tracks. I did with 90124 [a collection of demos, mostly related to 90125, put out in 2003: see the Yescography entry], which I thought might be interesting. Actually it was Rob [Ayling] from Voiceprint who came up with the idea. But I feel 90125 should remain as it began. As far as tracks not making the album, one must keep in mind that I was involved in this process, so I agreed on the choices, and all demos that lead to being on albums would change whether it was YES or anyone. Having said this, it was a very creative place. And Chris and I had a great time, followed by Jon’s amazing contribution. Love to see something done for the (wow) 30th anniversary.

Sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s, you are rumoured to have recorded a whole album with Roger Hodgson, with the other Yesmen too. What happened? Will this ever surface?

Roger and I wrote a lot together and we recorded a lot of it, but it never surfaced. We have taken such different roads now, I doubt whether it will see the light of day.

In the late 1980s, you, Chris Squire and the others tried continuing Yes without Jon Anderson, but ultimately there was the Union. Having faced that challenge yourself, what do you think of your old band mates now continuing Yes without Jon?

I love Chris like a brother and wish only the best for him. But I think Jon is such an important part of YES, and it's not just the sound. It's the input and perspective that Jon brings. It sometimes is tough, but it's so worth it.

And, giving you’re working with Jon and Rick, but you’ve also guested with the current Yes, do you find it difficult being caught in the middle of this schism?

I do believe that Jon and Chris are mature about the split, and neither one ever talks ill of the other to me.

Many rock stars lived on the edge: drugs, broken marriages and financial disasters are familiar elements of many rock biographies, and affected even Yes. You seem to have escaped comparatively unscathed: what’s your secret?

I'm not sure why I remained relatively sane... Maybe I'm the crazy one.

You’ve talked about an Anderson-Wakeman-Rabin project. Such a project is going to be seen in the context of Yes, it will be seen as an alternate Yes, any publicity will be all about Yes. Is that a fear? How do you position yourselves?

While Jon, Rick and I are excited about the prospect of doing something together nothing is organized yet and there’s no telling when or how something will be done. We really want to. Time is the enemy at the moment.

When you are working on a film score, you are often working to a tight deadline and various requirements from the filmmakers. Do those constraints fire up your creativity, or does it become a chore? And how does that compare to Jacaranda, where you had complete freedom to do anything you wanted?

I love film partly because of the pressure. You have no choice but to work. I think while Jacaranda was given a long time to evolve, it somehow was benefited by the years of scoring.

Your scoring covers many styles and genres. When you are scoring a film set in some different place (as with "5 Days of War") or time ("American Outlaws", "Flyboys"), do you actively go and research the music of that period or place? Did you investigate, say, Georgian music?

With the help of the producers, who were Georgian, I did explore the music of Georgia prior to getting too deeply involved, and it was inspiring. And yes, I love the fact that I get to go to so many places.

Your film work is heard by millions, but as a film score composer, you are comparatively anonymous compared to the screaming fans of Rabbitt or Yes, underwear being thrown, that sort of thing. How does that difference in the feedback you get from audiences affect you?

I guess to be honest, I would love more people to actively listen to the score work, although I have to say, Varese have done a great job doing the score albums. I also think Sony did a great job on the score album for Armageddon (where I worked with my old friend John Kalodner).

In a time of global austerity, with many politicians looking inward with a nationalist agenda, do you feel you have something to say musically in response? As a lyricist, you often wrote with a political message. As a film score composer, you can't do that, although you have scored several films with a political message, and I recall you being pleased when Obama used "Titans Spirit" after a key speech. Is there a way that you can, as an instrumentalist, respond to the political issues of the day?

I am very proud of some of my lyrics. Sorrow, Can't Look Away, State of Fear ([1973 single by South African band] Freedom's Children) speaking about apartheid, or Miracle of Life, about the human abuse of animals. However, I'm a musician first, and while I care deeply about the social political state of the world, and the needless conflicts, I tend to confine my commentary to lyrics. As far as the global picture, it seems to be cyclical. Deep financial downturns seem to be followed closely by nationalism, racism, and ultimately revolution. I love doing films which I feel have a strong message, although doing fun action films are as valid in an entirely different way.

You have been through many technological changes in how music is made during your career. How often have you adapted your working practices to suit the technology, and how much has the technology adapted to suit your working practices?

I feel technology is something that's always excited me ... I'm always looking to see what's on the horizon. The Talk album was quite tough however. I think I embraced a nonlinear digital format slightly before it was ready. But I think on balance, it was a net benefit.

There have been persistent rumours that not all of the bass and drums on Talk was by Chris Squire and Alan White. Any comment?

It was a totally new experience from a recording point... Alan and Chris had strong input, but I believe it was the most fun Jon and I had together.

I can turn on my computer, start up Spotify and legally listen to most of your Yes albums, numerous score albums etc., and you get paid very little. All of Jacaranda appeared illicitly on YouTube soon after its release. What is it like for a musician working in this modern digital world?

Yeah, I'm disappointed with the current level of "the business of selling music". Outside of a reasonable live environment, which is there for a small percentage of acts ... recorded material is in a disgraceful mess... and I really say this not for myself, I've done OK. But for new, inspired talent, it really, really worries me. I hope it doesn't lead to young talent choosing to do something else because of the near collapse of the record business. I just hope people continue to follow their musical dreams. It's important.

You are supporting Ryan as he launches his career, and you were supported by your father when you started yours. But isn’t rock’n’roll about sex ‘n’ drugs ‘n’ youthful rebellion? Does that fit with dad coming along on tour?

I always was a bit irritated with the shallow chant... “sex, drugs & rock’n’roll”. While that's what does happen on the road, it was never ever why I'm a musician.

In the words of Steve Howe’s drumming son, Dylan, do people come up to Ryan and ask, “How’s your dad?” How does Ryan define himself as being more than “Trevor Rabin’s son”?

I don't think Ryan needs my help. His band, Grouplove, just hit number one on the billboard alternative chart, the band are doing great, and having a wonderful experience. Ryan is definitely not in my shadow, and has never used that.

The titles of the pieces on Jacaranda hark back to growing up in South Africa. Are you nostalgic for that time?

No, not nostalgic, but it does bring inspiration to the table.

I would describe Jacaranda as mostly jazz/fusion, but unlike much jazz, there doesn’t seem to be any improvisation on the album. It's composed through and through. Are you interested in more improvisational work?

Actually a lot of it was improvised and then assembled. I think I love both disciplines equally, improvising and composing. I treat them pretty much different parts of the same family.

I spent quite a while playing with Hennie Becker (one of the most ridiculous musicians I've ever come across) where I really learned to improvise with jazz that involved extremely complicated jazz chord progressions. It was certainly not one-four-five stuff.

Jacaranda made #6 in the US Jazz Chart – congratulations! I wonder how you relate to genre? So, when you were writing a piece like “Anerley Road” or “Zoo Lake”, do you think, “This is a jazz piece, so it will develop in a certain way,” or, “This is a jazz piece, so the listener will expect it to develop in a certain way and I’ll do something different,” or do you just not think about genre at all, that’s for the marketing department and the chart compilers to worry about?

I think the only vague rule was that it would probably be instrumental, that I wouldn't restrict myself by genre, and that I was to challenge myself as a player and writer more so than I had prior... I never expected the album to chart, but I'm delighted where it got to.

One of my favourite tracks on the album is “Killarney 1 & 2”. Did you sit down intending to do a piano piece, or did you have a melody, an idea, and it seemed to fit the piano best?

The piece was written for piano. My chops were a little rusty, so it took some practicing for me to play.

“Through the Tunnel” stands out as one of the rockier tracks on the album, reminiscent of past pieces like “Sludge”. That’s also one of the tracks where you worked with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. How did that collaboration work? Did you have the piece worked out and were fairly clear how you wanted the drum part to go when Colaiuta came in? Or did you develop the piece around what Colaiuta played?

On this track, I talked to Vinnie about the groove and that it was in 20/8. I had written the broad stroke idea, but had not recorded anything. So Vinnie went in and gave me around 6 minutes with certain fills. I then played on top, and later edited his performance. Vinnie did one take. He's ridiculous ... and the nicest guy.

In one interview you did about Jacaranda, you talked about a jazz club back in South Africa you attended when you were young. I wondered how much the particular style of ‘60s and ‘70s jazz in South Africa was still an influence on you today and on Jacaranda. I also came across this long out-of-print album by Mike Makhalemele & Winston Mankunku Ngozi called The Lion and the Bull and featuring Trevor and Rabbitt bandmates in 1976 [see here] – good stuff!

The club was the Branch Office. Hennie Becker was a giant in South Africa regarding jazz, and I often played with him at the club. I learned a lot from him, and guitarist John Fourie who died recently. I worked a lot with Mike Makhalemele. He was a gentle soul and a wonderful player.

Listening to Jacaranda, you have these intricate, fast-moving pieces and then, bam!, “The Rescue”, this complete change of pace. Was that contrast something you deliberately wanted on the album?

Yes, The Rescue was the last addition to the album, and I thought it helped shade the sequencing quite well.

I am curious about the process of composition for Jacaranda. Where did you begin? Did you tend to start just fiddling around on an instrument? Did you write yourself scores while composing Jacaranda or when working out some of the more complex arrangements (like “AnerleyRoad”)? Or do you use technology a lot, recording multiple ideas and manipulating them on the computer to see how different arrangements or passages work?

There wasn't a lot of searching blindly, which can be a useful tool, but while the arrangements sound quite worked out, there was a lot of improvisation. Not a lot of takes on the floor, and a very intentional goal was that everything would be 'humanly' played, warts and all. ...and yes, the album evolved during breaks on film work, and then last year I focused on finishing the album.

I know some musicians go into recording with a clear idea of what they want to do, and then they fill in the pieces. But others work more iteratively, trying something, then changing it, then something else. Which are you? If we took a look at your hard drive, would there be a hundred different versions of each piece on the album, all subtly different?

While there is some modular repetition used, I had a good idea of where I was going, but I always trusted myself to change at any time. There are different versions on the hard drive, but mostly you would find that each version would be a development and a move forward.

On some film scores, you’re the composer and the music is performed by an orchestra. On Jacaranda, of course, you’re largely doing all the performing yourself. When composing a score for an orchestra, you sometimes have to bear in mind what it’s practical to play and adapt to the limitations of the performance, but what do you do when you’re also the performer? Does the composition process drive you to perform better? Or is the composition of an album like Jacaranda so rooted in performance that the distinction is moot?

The distinction is somewhat moot, however, I feel strongly that arranging for orchestra is part of writing, and that to write confidently for orchestra, one should be aware of what the different instruments are capable of. One must also have knowledge or at least a good instinct as to how the various instruments work together as well.

Obviously, in the past, you’ve made albums with a record company breathing down your neck, wanting results. With Jacaranda, you made it in your own time, on your own terms. How do you decide when to stop? How do you get over that inner perfectionist saying, “Let’s just try something else?” I know some artists who like having deadlines because otherwise nothing ever gets finished!

Firstly, thank you for astonishingly relevant and pertinent questions. Yes, I've made many albums with record companies nagging to "end it already". This time we're breathing down the record companies neck. I didn't even think of who or how it would be released until it was all done. I think, I hope I knew when to stop (maybe). I have been in a position where I allowed music to get stale due to not letting go, so it's important to let go at the right time. But on Jacaranda, I seemed to have a good idea when it was complete.

The deadlines on movies are so hurried in so many ways. I have no choice but to be extremely prolific. I did 3-4 albums during 15 years in YES, and an average of 60 minutes a movie on thirty nine films, which is highly technical as far as linking to specific film, constantly catching up to the latest edits, with film editors who don't care that the endless new cuts they make screws the composer up. So in contrast to the amount of inspiration that hit YES in 15 years, I have done 39 movies in 12 years on film, the equivalent of 39 albums. Of course it's a different kind of focus, but no less relevant.

You’ve tantalised us with hints of another solo album, this time with vocals, of a guitar concerto, of working with an orchestra… What is the next step for your non-score work? What does the future hold? Will it be difficult doing solo albums in parallel with film scores – the film scoring work seems very demanding of your time?

I am so motivated by Jacaranda it certainly won’t be 20 years between albums again.

Trevor Rabin's Jacaranda

This is not the album I expected, but it is a testament to Trevor Rabin that he has delivered something not merely good, but also surprising. Highlights on the album like "Anerley Road" and "Market Street" have Rabin departing from his past rock or film score work, turning instead to jazz influences. There is a restless energy to the music, with arrangements and instrumentation rarely staying still for more than a few bars. Pieces that are four or five minutes long feel epic in terms of the ground they've covered. The usual jazz approach would be a statement of the melody, various solos based on that melody, before a final re-statement. Being close to a one-man band (he plays nearly everything save drums -- full details are on Where Are They Now?), Rabin instead varies instrumentation and arrangements as he explores the core theme of each piece, producing some of the best work of his career.

There is also an eclecticism to the album. There are slower tempo numbers: for example, penultimate track "Zoo Lake" is like an old-time jazz ballad. The short "Spider Boogie" opener does bluegrass. Album finisher "Gazania" is typical of the album's variety: a classical guitar skeleton, with bluegrass interludes and strong piano sections.

Expectant fans have been looking back to Can't Look Away, Rabin's last solo album, or Talk, his last significant non-score project, as possible reference points. The closest we get to those is "Through the Tunnel" and "Me and My Boy", where a heavier rock sound echoes pieces like "Sludge" or "Cinema". Yet we're 18 years from Talk; 23 years from Can't Look Away. 18 years before Talk, Rabin was still in Rabbitt, and given the change from Rabbitt to Talk, we shouldn't be wary of as much change again. Ironically, tracks like "Storks Bill Geranium Waltz" or "Anerley Road" may appeal to fans of the Steve Howe Trio or Time more than fans of Talk or 90125.

What we have heard from Rabin in recent years is a vast amount of film score work, which you could be forgiven for forgetting about. Until, that is, the album completely changes direction with track 6 and the cinematic "Rescue", based on his work for the film "The Guardian". The next track, "Killarney 1 & 2", brings us back towards the style of the rest of the album in its arrangement, if not its instrumentation for this is mostly a solo piano piece on what is mostly a guitarist's album. It is worth noting that the keyboards throughout the album are strong.

Trevor Rabin's Jacaranda has been some time coming, with Rabin busy with film scoring and supporting his son Ryan as his career gets going. Ryan drums on two tracks here, including, as the name suggests, "Me and My Boy". The cover art is by Hannah Hooper, who plays keys in Ryan's band Grouplove. But with the album almost here, Rabin has made some positive comments about the possibility of touring. [9 May: correction of Rabin's comments] If this comes off, it will be a show worth catching.

While I'm here... "Sea of Smiles", the single from Squackett, out on limited edition on 21 April. It's a big, joyful, catchy piece of music: I love it. While there is nice instrumental work, this is melodic rock more than prog. And it feels more 'ackett' than 'Squ': this would not have sounded out of place on Hackett's Beyond the Shrouded Horizon, although Squire's bass and singing are more to the fore than there.

What was the best-selling Yes-related album of 2010?

Most albums mentioned on the Where Are They Now? site probably only sell in the thousands and we rarely get to hear any definitive sales figures. I was told Survival & Other Stories sold about 1500 copies on the Anderson Wakeman tour, but that has not yet been available anywhere else. Thus, in the absence of data, it's hard to know which albums have sold better.

However, we can probably say that one of the best-selling of 2010 was Asia's Omega. That's because Omega made various national charts: #29 in Japan and the top 60 in Germany, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland, plus #13 on the UK indie chart. It also did well on the Amazon (US and Canada) and CD Universe sales charts. So, Omega, the best-selling album by a Yesman... well, it would be were it not for Trevor Horn.

Robbie Williams' In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010 includes 3 songs from 2009's Reality Killed the Video Star produced by Horn and two new tracks, one of which, “Shame” with fellow Take That member Gary Barlow, was also produced by Horn and released as a single. "Shame" went #2 in the UK, #1 in Hungary, #4 in Europe, #7 in Italy, #11 in Germany and so on. It was certified Silver in the UK (i.e. 60k). In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010 made #1 in the UK, Germany, Austria and Europe; selling 120k copies in the UK in its first week (the second fastest selling album of 2010 in the UK). It also made the top five in Italy, Spain, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland, Croatia. It was the 40th best selling album of 2010 in Europe. It has now gone Platinum in the UK (300k), and Gold in Austria (10k), Belgium (15k), Germany (100k), Italy (30k) and Portugal (10k). So, that's at least 465,000 certified sales.

That's the highest sales for a project by any Yesman, but not for any project featuring a Yesman. To explain... "In High Places" was a song by Mike Oldfield with Jon Anderson, and a section of Jon singing has now been sampled by Kanye West for his latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. That album made the US #1, selling 496k copies in its first week, and 822.5k in its first five weeks. It made #1 in Canada with first week sales of 29k. It made #16 in the UK, and went Silver. It made #6 in Australia, and went Gold (35k). It also made the top 20 in the Germany, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland and New Zealand. So, that's at least 886,500 sales, 886,500 people hearing Jon sing!

However, if we talk about audience rather than sales, then Trevor Rabin probably wins. He did the music for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". The film has grossed $225,363,077 at cinemas and in DVD sales. I don't know exactly what that means in terms of the number of people seeing the film, but perhaps something of the order of 10 million have heard his score.

ABW... R?

Online fan discussion continues to be dominated by Rick Wakeman's announcement of a project with Trevor Rabin and other ex-Yesmen. Wakeman seems to have confirmed Jon Anderson as the third man, as widely predicted. Now, the March 2010 issue of Classic Rock Presents... Prog claims Bill Bruford will come out of retirement as the fourth member of this group.

I like Prog magazine, but my gut feeling is they're wrong. It would be a dramatic volte face for Bruford, who has so firmly retired and who has so often made clear a complete lack of desire to ever re-join Yes. That said, it wouldn't be the most surprising turn of events in the story of Yes...

[18 Mar update: Bruford has now denied his involvement.]

The possibility of ABWR has seen comparisons drawn to the original ABWH, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, the rival Yes line-up formed in 1989. The pull of the historical parallels is so strong that fans seem almost to presume that the bass player will be Tony Levin (or Jeff Berlin) again, that Bruford will play electronic drums again, that there will be a tour of Yes music plus again and an almost inevitable new Union with the current Yes line-up.

Stop! Do not be taken in by these fantasies. ABWH was 21 years ago. 21 years is as long as the time between Yes's first album, Yes, and ABWH! We're in a completely different context now and there's little reason to expect this to unfold in a similar way. I wouldn't be surprised to see Anderson and R. Wakeman back on stage with Howe/Squire/White at some point - the nostalgia will always exert a powerful gravitational pull - but I expect an ABWR, or AWR, in 2011 to be a very different beast to ABWH in 1989. Let's wait for a new story to unfold rather than trying to force it into the shape of an old one.

Henry

Yesmen together outside Yes

Apparently, on last Saturday’s Rick’s Place (Rick Wakeman’s radio show on Planet Rock), Rick announced that he is working on an album with Trevor Rabin and two, as yet unnamed, other ex-Yesmen. Cue furious speculation at Yesfans.com about what this might be and the identity of the two others. Billy Sherwood posted a non-committal message that would seem to imply he wasn’t involved. If I had to guess, I’d say the other two will be Jon Anderson and Tony Levin (whether you consider him an ex-Yesman or not), but we know so little, it could be almost anyone.

Perhaps more important than who the other two Yesmen might be is the question of what this project is going to be. Is this basically a solo album with guest appearances, or is this a full-blown collaboration? What many want is a rival Yes, a second ABWH. Given Rabin and Wakeman both seem averse to large-scale touring and given both appear to remain committed to their many other works, I get the impression that we’re not looking at the genesis of a rival Yes band.

So, presuming reports are accurate and this project comes to fruition, what might four Yesmen working together sound like? The Yesmen have often worked with each other outside the band: e.g. Asia, The Buggles, CIRCA:, Moraz/Bruford, White, Turbulence, 1984 and so on. Three Yesmen working together is less common, but there are still a fair few examples: Ramshackled, Fish Out of Water, Adventures in Modern Recording, Conspiracy, In the U.K., Criminal Record, All to Bring You Morning, Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Esquire, Jabberwocky and more.

But four or more Yesmen on an album, we’re down to a fairly short list. I can think of 13.

1. ABWH (1989) – of course! I almost didn’t include it here as I just think of it as a Yes album
2. The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Rick Wakeman, 1973) – Wakeman, Squire, Howe and Bruford together on “Catherine of Aragon” plus White on other tracks
3. Beginnings (Steve Howe, 1975) – Howe, White and Moraz together on three tracks, plus Bruford on others
4. The Steve Howe Album (Steve Howe, 1979) – Howe, Bruford and Moraz on “All’s a Chord” plus White on other tracks
5. The Classical Connection II (Rick Wakeman, 1992) – includes a Six Wives era recording called “Farandol” with Squire, Howe and Bruford
6. Tales from Yesterday (various artists, 1995) – Howe, Sherwood, Banks and Moraz appear, but all on separate tracks
7. Pigs & Pyramids—An All Star Lineup Performing the Songs of Pink Floyd (various artists co-organised by Sherwood, 2002) – Sherwood, Squire and White together on “Comfortably Numb” plus Kaye and Levin on other tracks
8. Back Against the Wall (various artists organised by Sherwood, 2005) – recycles “Comfortably Numb” and Kaye’s track from Pigs & Pyramids, plus new appearances from Sherwood, Levin, White, Wakeman, Howe and Downes, but mostly apart (“Hey You” unites Sherwood, Downes and White)
9. Return to the Dark Side of the Moon: A Tribute to Pink Floyd (various artists organised by Sherwood, 2006) –Kaye, White, Wakeman, Howe, Bruford, Banks, Downes and Levin all guest but often separately: “Speak to Me” unites Kaye and White with Sherwood producing; “The Great Gig in the Sky” unites Sherwood, Howe and Wakeman; “Money” unites Sherwood, Bruford and Levin (seemingly recorded entirely separately); “Eclipse” unites Kaye and Banks with Sherwood producing
10. CIRCA: 2007 (2007) – Sherwood, Kaye, White and writing contributions from Rabin
11. From Here to Infinity (Jim Ladd’s Headsets, 2007) – includes a cover of “Starship Trooper” organised by Sherwood with him, Kaye, Wakeman, White and Howe all performing
12. Led Box: The Ultimate Tribute to Led Zeppelin (various artists co-organised by Sherwood, 2008) – Sherwood, White and Kaye are all on “All of My Love”, with Wakeman and Downes appearing on other tracks
13. Abbey Road: A Tribute to The Beatles (various artists co-organised by Sherwood, 2009) – with Sherwood/White/Kaye on “Get Back” and Sherwood/White/Downes on “Let It Be”

Most of these don’t actually have the four Yesmen playing together and there’s no guarantee that this new Wakeman/Rabin project won’t be the same, with just scattered guest appearances. When do we actually get four Yesmen together on the same track? Apart from ABWH, there’s “Catherine of Aragon”, “Farandol”, “Lost Symphony”, “Beginnings”, “Will o’ the Wisp”, “All’s a Chord” and “Starship Trooper” (2007 cover), plus CIRCA:’s “Don’t Let Go” and “Look Inside” if including Rabin’s writing contribution.

I like all those albums (some more than others) as I like most of the albums with three Yesmen, but there’s clearly a huge variation between them. With some, additional Yesmen make guest appearances that amount to little more than curios. Others are good, but just completely different from Yes. And then sometimes, there is something of the Yes magic and an almost-Yes piece emerges. That list of 9 individual pieces with 4+ Yesmen would make a pretty good lost Yes album.

In terms of who’s most collaborative, across the 13 albums listed, White is on 10 (confirming his reputation as being easy to work with), Howe 9, Sherwood 8, Wakeman & Kaye 7 each, Bruford 6, Squire & Downes 4 each, Moraz & Levin 3 each, Banks 2, and Anderson & Rabin 1 each.