The question must be raised: does anyone<\/i><\/b> really need a 14-CD box set covering seven concerts by British prog-rock group Yes, when that time period was fairly well documented by Yessongs<\/i>?<\/p>\n
Leave it to Rhino Records, the undisputed king of the all-inclusive \u201cnever knew ya needed it, but now you want it\u201d box sets for diehard fans of certain groups. They\u2019ve tackled the Grateful Dead on numerous occasions; they recently took on Chicago by releasing the 16-disc set Chicago At Carnegie Hall \u2013 Complete<\/i>. (Warning: that one is also on my horizon.) And, in 2015, thanks to the discovery of the source multi-track reels, they took on the Close To The Edge<\/i> period of Yes\u2019s history with the release of Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two<\/i>.<\/p>\n
One note of warning: do not expect any changes in the set list (aside from reversing \u201cHeart Of The Sunrise\u201d and \u201cMood For A Day\/Clap\u201d in one show). Listening to seven shows in a row featuring the exact same songs might be pushing it, even for the most devoted Yes fan. (And, with no disrespect to Jerry Garcia and crew, this wasn\u2019t the Grateful Dead, who could come up with new sets every single night. The complexity of the music Yes performed undoubtedly prevented a lot of experimentation.)<\/p>\n
The first two discs make up the show from Toronto on October 31st<\/sup>\u2014and if one had to use a word to describe the show, it would be \u201cunfocused.\u201d The opening track \u201cSiberian Khatru\u201d actually is a bit sloppy, as the band struggles at moments to stay in tempo. From then on, it feels like certain drum fills by Alan White are missed, guitar licks by Steve Howe aren\u2019t executed perfectly, and even Jon Anderson\u2019s vocals seem strained at times. Believe it or not, as polished as Yes presents themselves, the members of the band are indeed human. (In fact, Jason addressed such performance flubs\u2014and the apparent studio wizardry done to correct them on Yessongs\u2014<\/i>in his review of the \u201cbest-of\u201d from this collection, Progeny: Highlights From Seventy-Two<\/i>.)<\/p>\n The flaws in the source tapes are clear in this first show\u2014from the occasional crackling of the sound system to the bleed-through of a local radio station during Rick Wakeman\u2019s \u201cExcerpts From The Six Wives Of Henry VIII,\u201d it almost presents a Spinal Tap-like situation (which is one reason why many bands said This Is Spinal Tap<\/i> was more of a documentary than a comedy).<\/p>\n But is the Toronto show enjoyable? Even with all the flubs and flaws, I\u2019d have to say yes, despite it not being the best performance that Yes could have given.<\/p>\n It is on the next night\u2019s performance, in Ottawa, that some insight as to why the Toronto performance might not have been the best\u2014at least in terms of Anderson\u2019s efforts, as he admits to be suffering from the flu. (Interesting to note, then, that Wikipedia reports that this is the show from which \u201cRoundabout\u201d on Yessongs<\/i> was culled.)<\/p>\n Ironically, the evening\u2019s performance is more solid than the first show in the set. Howe actually throws a few ad-libs into \u201cMood For A Day \/ The Clap,\u201d without breaking away from the molds of either song. And the interplay between Anderson and the audience following \u201cClose To The Edge,\u201d while yet another phantom sound interferes with the performance and Wakeman tries to get his keyboards working, is kinda funny to listen to. All in all, it\u2019s a far more solid performance that Yes offers the listener and is a very enjoyable show.<\/p>\n The set now skips ahead 10 days (during which time Yes performed eight additional shows on the Close To The Edge<\/i> tour), and finds them in Durham, North Carolina. This is the first show where significant work to maintain the continuity of the show is noticeable; the source material obviously changes during Howe\u2019s \u201cMood For A Day \/ The Clap\u201d performance. Not that I\u2019m belly-aching about this\u2014hell, the fact that these shows survive even 50 years after they were performed is a miracle in and of itself.<\/p>\n Other than that noticeable instance, the show overall is in much finer form than its predecessors. Gone are the bleed-throughs from local FM radio onto the PA system\u2014a welcome change of pace. Musically, the band sounds tighter this time around, with White\u2019s drums mixed a little higher in the sound than before, and it does sound like both Howe and Wakeman take more chances with some of their performances. Granted, I could be wrong here\u2014when you\u2019re listening to the third version of the exact same show, some things do admittedly get lost in the translation\u2014but it is a way to keep the material somewhat fresh.<\/p>\n Interesting note: Anderson tells the audience that they are recording that evening, but none of the performances made the cut for Yessongs<\/i>. Honestly, I don\u2019t know why.<\/p>\n The next night\u2019s performance, in Greensboro, North Carolina, allegedly did provide material for Yessongs<\/i>\u2014again, per Wikipedia, \u201cHeart Of The Sunrise,\u201d \u201cAnd You And I\u201d and part of \u201cI\u2019ve Seen All Good People.\u201d Aside from a few small technical glitches\u2014the occasional electronic buzz, etc.\u2014this is another show that is not only well recorded but also has White\u2019s drums up a slight bit higher than the previous evenings.<\/p>\n It was around this point of reviewing the set\u2014yes, kids, I listened to every disc, and every single note\u2014that I realized the inherent difficulty of reviewing a product like Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two<\/i>. Namely, that what I\u2019m hearing, aside from various technical glitches or the rare ad-lib, are essentially exactly the same<\/i><\/b>. (This bodes back to my earlier comment about similar sets from The Grateful Dead, where the set lists were somewhat fluid, and you didn\u2019t necessarily get the same show from night to night.)<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re looking for some tremendous insight such as this version of \u201cYours Is No Disgrace\u201d excels for such-and-such reason\u2014well, you\u2019re not gonna get it. Yes being the technical kind of band they were (and still are), there was little to no room for changing around a set list or throwing in lots of improvisational moments (the exceptions being the band\u2019s interactions onstage with the audience). To be blunt, this is the kind of set that was released for the diehard Yes fan\u2014and, for them, this has to be absolute manna from heaven.<\/p>\n All of that said, the Greensboro show proves to be just as good as the previous evening\u2019s outing in Durham. Any glitches that Yes had encountered earlier on the tour (which, at least in terms of playing in North America, had started on September 15) seemed to be ironed out. And it does seem like the band does stretch things out a little bit more on \u201cYours Is No Disgrace,\u201d both in the lead-up to the intro and in Howe\u2019s guitar solo. So, there is a bit of a fresher feel to the show.<\/p>\n Our travels next take us to Athens, Georgia\u2014where things seem to go pretty well until we reach \u201cRoundabout,\u201d and Anderson\u2019s microphone suddenly drops out. It\u2019s an annoyance for the listener (not to mention the band, I\u2019m sure), but Yes plowed through the glitch. I will give the producers of this set credit for not trying to simply hire Anderson back to do a quick overdub to make it seem like nothing ever happened; while it\u2019s a distraction, it is an accurate picture of the show that evening.<\/p>\n Overall, it\u2019s not a bad show\u2014I can\u2019t say there is any one moment that sinks the overall feeling, or a performance glitch that ruins the vibe. But tedium does to set in if you\u2019re listening to this set in its entirety.<\/p>\n The penultimate show in this set, from Knoxville, Tennessee, features the most ad-libbing on stage from Anderson, as he goes into a commentary about a vegan concession stand and how it was better for you than a certain fast-food chain (complete with mild obscenity). Well, at least Anderson is making sure the listener isn\u2019t bored.<\/p>\n With a few more selections from this show allegedly culled for Yessongs<\/i>, it proves to be a solid enough show, if not as exciting as previous evenings. Maybe, had I heard this in the beginning of the box set, my opinion would have been different. It\u2019s just that the overall feeling of the show, while good musically and technically, is more \u201cmeh\u201d than other nights on the tour. (There is a moment, though, during \u201cYours Is No Disgrace,\u201d when it seems like Howe loses the beat, and is out of time with White\u2019s drumming during his solo; the pause without guitar is a little jarring in comparison to everything heard in the set to this point.)<\/p>\n The final two discs of the set bring us to Uniondale, New York\u2019s Nassau Coliseum and the next-to-last date on this North American leg of the Close To The Edge<\/i> tour, per Wikipedia. (Anderson says following \u201cI\u2019ve Seen All Good People\u201d that this was the last night before they went home, however.) This time, not only White\u2019s drums seem to be miked a little hotter, but Chris Squire\u2019s bass is closer to the forefront. (I won\u2019t get into the controversy among Yes fans regarding how low Squire\u2019s bass was for the majority of this set.)<\/p>\n This show will test the listener\u2019s patience in terms of glitches. Anderson\u2019s microphone repeatedly cuts out during \u201cHeart Of The Sunrise,\u201d throwing off his performance when it does decide to work again. In addition, Wakeman\u2019s keyboards seem to have a bit of distortion at times when there shouldn\u2019t be any, though it only seems to affect one particular setup. (Anderson\u2019s frustration is noted at the end, when he says, \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say after that.\u201d) The problems return for \u201cClose To The Edge,\u201d unfortunately, as Anderson\u2019s mic cuts out yet again.<\/p>\n With the technical issues that Yes had this particular evening, it\u2019s somewhat surprising that a couple of songs allegedly made the cut for Yessongs<\/i>. (I keep saying \u201callegedly\u201d because Yessongs<\/i>\u2019s liner notes don\u2019t specify where the performances were recorded.) Overall, it\u2019s just not as crisp of a show\u2014maybe because of all the technical issues, maybe because the band was just tired after a grueling tour of the United States and Canada. Truth is, I don\u2019t know\u2026 and while the show is still listenable (despite the occasional problems), it\u2019s not the best of the set.<\/p>\n So\u201414 CDs, eleven-and-a-half hours later, the question remains: does anyone need such a massive, specialized collection of music? Honestly, the answer is no\u2026 but that doesn\u2019t mean the set isn\u2019t good, or that the drooling Yes fan (hell-o-o-o-o, Jason) wouldn\u2019t want to add this to their collection. (That is, if they can still find it\u2026 some listings I\u2019ve seen for this set have topped $500 as of August 2022.) If anything, this is the kind of set someone can dip into when they want to go past the added polish of Yessongs<\/i> and hear the band in their raw, natural environment. Popping on the occasional disc or two? Sure, that\u2019s totally understandable. Listening to it non-stop (or at least broken up into several sessions) like I did? I don\u2019t recommend it.<\/p>\n Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two<\/i> does accurately capture Yes at the peak of their \u201970s success, and for the ultimate Yes fan, it\u2019s worth the investment, with the caveat that this should be enjoyed in small portions, not all in one sitting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5713],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-46582","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-yes","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=46582"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=46582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}