Yes - Topographic Drama: Live Across America [Nov. 24, Rhino]

In addition to a further expanded reissue of Drama containing as many session outtakes and live tracks from the subsequent tour, I'd love to hear whatever exists in the vaults of the planned follow-up album from before Trevor Horn quit in early 1981... The first two parts of what later became the Fly From Here suite were intended for this, as was Riding A Tide/Life On A Film Set, (Do We Really Have To) Go Through This, Satellite and eventual Buggles track Vermillion Sands. Most of these are circulating in early demo form, with some recorded during the Drama period, though I suspect the release of Fly From Here in 2011 rules out any great demand for these to be released in their original states. On the other hand, weren't there also more recent plans to issue an alternate version of that album with Trevor on lead vocals? Now there's something I'd really love to hear, and I say this as a massive fan of what Benoît David achieved - with the exception of Trevor, I feel he was the only singer who managed to reach the same heights as Jon Anderson (in the studio, at least)!

 

That three songs are from a radio show that has always been available as a bootleg. I have it on CD. It's not the complete concert though and the sound quality isn't that good. I doubt that any multitracks exist from that tour.

 

I haven't listened to it in a long time but if memory serves those Drama tour tracks on "The Word Is Live" boxset were the worst sounding of the whole box. Plus even even if they do have multitracks from that tour which seems unlikely as they definitely didn't use them for that box, I doubt we'd see a full show released, as I'd imagine Horn would decline to authorize the release of the tracks played that were originally sung by Jon and were outside of Horn's proper/comfortable vocal range.

 

I’ll stick with the Yesshows versions of the two Tales songs.

When Yes were still at their peak.

 

No Jon Anderson? Love it! I'll take Tempus Fugit over a song like Holy Lamb (Song For Harmonic blah blah blah) or even anything off of Tormato any day. Point being, not every song with Anderson was good, and some aren't better than stuff without him, IMO.


Drama is still really good live. I'll even give the Topographic Oceans stuff a try. Definitely in for this.

Too bad Trevor didn't come out and sing for a whole Drama performance somewhere. I saw a video where he recently came out for one song and nailed it.

 

I have to agree - the whole band really upped their game when Trevor joined them for this performance of Tempus Fugit last year, and somehow he managed to sound better than ever:

 

Nice cover art!

 

Say what you want about the official version of Yes, but they rarely miss the mark in terms of artwork, thanks to their having exclusive use of Roger Dean's logo and paintings, while ARW (or whatever they're currently being promoted as) don't really have the same brand recognition through such an established visual identity. Ignoring any possible concerns about the musical content, at least this new live album would look the part in my collection...

 

With Tales being my favorite Yes album i should be jumping for joy but i'm Not. I'm looking forward to seeing ARW.

 

Any reviews forthcoming? I am awaiting for my Amazon shipment to arrive today.

 

Only Ritual is on Yesshows and it isn't that great a version. The Tales stuff didn't come off especially great live-- after the loose improvisational playing on the Yessongs era, they had to work way too hard to reproduce Tales live and it showed.

 

Wait till you hear the Ritual with YesO. Billy plays the bass lines in a punchier way than Squire did, and Jon D sounds great. My favorite part is the 4 way drum solo during the interlude, with Alan, Jay, Jon and Billy all ripping away.

 

I never bought into that Drama.

 

Yeah, Word Is Live is cool except for the Drama tracks, which just don't seem to come from high quality sources.

Ritual from Cobo Hall always sounded fine to me. It was great when they played it on the 35th anniversary tour in 2004 too. I don't really hear any dropoff at all in live versions of the Tales material vs. any other '70s Yes. "Awaken" is as difficult as anything on Tales to play and they used to nail it night after night from '77 - '79.

I did. If Jon's able to sing the songs, then he should be the one singing them, hopefully with Steve, Rick, and Alan. But then, if he was, they wouldn't be doing any Drama in concert.

As for this upcoming release, I'll give it a pass. I'm still diving into all that great stuff from '72 that I can't believe came out the way it did.

 

First few impressions:

1) Great sounding recording. Well mixed, not too bright, good bass, very dynamic.
2) Jon's voice in sync throughout.
3) Definitely some post mixing enhancements to the harmonies ;-0
4) High DR Ratio:

Analyzed folder: /Users/XXXX/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Yes/Topographic Drama_ Live Across America
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR12 -0.46 dB -15.69 dB 1-01 Machine Messiah.m4a
DR10 -5.26 dB -19.01 dB 1-02 White Car.m4a
DR13 -0.19 dB -15.60 dB 1-03 Does It Really Happen_.m4a
DR13 -0.74 dB -16.31 dB 1-04 Into The Lens.m4a
DR13 -1.22 dB -16.22 dB 1-05 Run Through The Light.m4a
DR11 -1.54 dB -15.10 dB 1-06 Tempus Fugit.m4a
DR13 -0.99 dB -16.96 dB 1-07 And You And I.m4a
DR13 -0.10 dB -15.59 dB 1-08 Heart Of The Sunrise.m4a
DR13 -1.48 dB -17.49 dB 2-01 The Revealing Science Of God.m4a
DR15 -6.45 dB -25.28 dB 2-02 Leaves Of Green.m4a
DR12 -1.48 dB -16.59 dB 2-03 Ritual.m4a
DR13 -1.21 dB -16.51 dB 2-04 Roundabout.m4a
DR12 -1.35 dB -16.26 dB 2-05 Starship Trooper.m4a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of files: 13
Official DR value: DR13

==============================================================================================

 

i just love the artwork!! Sold!!

 

I’m just pleased to have heard Ritual and RSOG in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

I just wouldn’t be interested now.

 

Disagree, the version on Symphonic Live is absolutely brilliant! Not much wrong with live the live version of TRSoG on Keys to Ascension either!

 

Yeah, I think they got more into it by then-- It was the Tales and Relayer tour versions I was thinking of (In contrast, the Relayer stuff absolutely killed live).

Also agree that without comparing one lineup to another, the current band did a great job with their two TFTO sides. Even without Chris, that tour was the best I saw from the post-Jon Yes.

 

I went to the Topographic show at Winterland with Anderson, Howe, Squire, Wakeman and White in the '70s. I remember mushrooms on the stage and lots of fog.

 

Playing the vinyl of new release. Clean pressings in polylined innersleeve. Decent digital sq. Ritual smokes. Having seen the tour the album sounds as anticipated 7/10

Wish they mentioned which show each track was performed at.

 

Each to their own. The fact they've gone for singers who sound like Anderson shows how bereft they are without him. If they want that sound, then work with the real deal. I'd have had less of a problem if they'd gone with a different type of singer, to be honest. As it is, it comes across as a tribute band.

 

Playing this just now, really good stuff! Interesting to hear how Drama would have sounded if JA had sung on it! An accompanying Bluray/DVD would have been nice!

 

I thought the same thing. Benoit and now Jon do the Drama stuff Justice. With gusto, heart, feeling. Would Anderson have? Debatable.
Jon Anderson has claimed he was open to doing Drama songs live, but the others said no. The other members claimed the opposite. They say Anderson always shot it down. I tend to believe them, but who knows? It's not like he couldn't have done those. Maybe it's better he didn't. The effort might not have been there.