That is what happens when you don't buy when first released and it is now out of print. It was very reasonable when first released but is now a collector's item. You snooze, you lose. The highlight CD and vinyl are still available and not that expensive although the vinyl has doubled in price so it may also be OOP now so I would grab one now if someone was interested before it jumps further in price. If someone is a big Yes fan and love vinyl the highlight LP sounds amazing and after listening to it I can't listen to Yessongs anymore. Unfortunately, no amount of remastering will fix the muddy sound of the Eddie Offord mix due to the Dolby misalignment issue.
You aren't missing anything by not listening to Sherwood mangling the Drama stuff. Does It Really Happen, one of my favorite Squire bass lines, is just destroyed by Sherwood. Did he even listen to the patterns in it???
No Perpetual Change, Long Distance Runaround and The Fish, so its not a complete substitute for me. Also the improvement in clarity is undeniable, but be careful what you wish for as this enhanced clarity does reveal more warts as well. I have the Highlights set only and like it.
I would suggest Progeny (7 complete shows from the '72 tour, all with identical setlists) is the poster boy release "for die hards only".
For any keyboard aficionados I would recommend Progeny just for how much detail and separation there is on Wakeman’s gear, particularly on CTTE. It makes Yessongs sound almost mono.
I mean, the highlights edition, naturally. My bad. Yes, Perpetual Change is nice but I can do without the other Bruford take as I prefer the studio version on Fragile. As for the warts, that's one of the reasons why I like it so much. I don't care for technical perfection, give me the real thing as it is.
Yes, lots of folks want the honest no futzing with live shows and Progeny gives you that -it's an honest representation. Perpetual Change and The Fish are two highlights for me on YesSongs -but I can live without Long Distance Runaround as it sticks pretty close to the studio version.
True, and check out all the detail revealed in the mellotron passages -a very different presentation than on YesSongs.
Yessongs is a gem. Crushing power that the band would largely abandon. The sound is at times a mess and I have never cared. It sounds like a live band. I have never been fond of the more precise, clinical sounding board tape clarity that many seem to favor with live albums. I don’t want live music to sound like studio music. I realize this album goes too far in the other direction for reasons that have since been explained, but I will take it over something like Symphonic Live every day and twice on Sunday. Yesshows is equally essential. What a band. Absolutely incredible. Progeny is really good. A fantastic set. The vinyl release is enough for me but I bought the CD box when it came out and enjoyed it a lot.
Yesshows kind of went out without much notice originally. Saw it as a cutout for many years. Glad folks caught on to it eventually. Wonderful recordings of the next chapter after Yessongs.
In a class of their own: Progeny box/Highlights Yessongs Yesshows Then: The first half to 2/3rds of The Word Is Live Keys To Ascension Songs From Tsongas Basically, if it has Jon & Chris, it's in a whole other league from everything else. Of the post-Jon stuff, what I've heard from Live In Lyon is pretty spirited and ballsy, and of course Chris was a big reason for that. Really good version of Machine Messiah on that set. Outside of that, I think White and Howe have slowed down too much since Chris passed, and Chris' shoes are just way too big for the likes of Billy Sherwood to fill. I think the live ARW set slays anything the current version of Yes has put out over the last several years.
Some select live performances I like from after their golden period: From Keys To Ascension: Onward -easily bests the studio version, both in vocals and Howe's amazing guitar work Starship Trooper -great jam between Rick and Steve make this one essential for me Revealing Science Of God -this has some bits I like more than the studio version -its a bit of a toss-up, but a worthy rendition for sure From Symphonic Live: In The Presence Of -they nail this one live with the orchestra Gates of Delirium -not as great as the version on YesShows, but amazing all the same From Montreux Live 2003: South Side Of The Sky -jaw dropping good (so is the version from Tsongas) In The Presence Of -Rick has a go at this late-period classic and its a nice alternative to the studio and live version on Symphonic To Be Over -Steve's acoustic solo take is wonderful Awaken -not sure this one bests the version on Keys, but it is still excellent Songs From Tsongas (2004): Mind Drive / My Eyes sections -actually a better presentation than the studio version Sweet Dreams -a nice update of this one Every Little Thing -ditto The whole acoustic set Ritual -with giant robo-drums!
I don't think Yessongs sounds all that bad. It has a little haze over it, but it has something mysterious about it as well. There's bona fide heaviness there, along with the blinding speed and precision '70s live Yes had. Progeny is a true gift. I didn't think anything like it would ever be released. It doesn't have that mysterious thing Yessongs has, but that's fine - it serves a different purpose.
No way Progeny beats Yessongs, sorry. Too clinic, sterile, unexciting. Too much separation between instruments, no ambience. I don’t need that cold perfection Yessongs is raw and muddy but has soul and the extra songs are essential.
Could there have been a better purchasing experience then to have walked into the record store, buy Yessongs, go home and unfold it all, study it, admire it, read it, display it, while you listened to it. Probably not.
Guess it just me then but I really enjoy the clarity and instrument separation of Progeny to the muffled unfocused sound of Yessongs. We finally get to actually hear Rick Wakeman clearly as I always thought he was buried in the mix on Yessongs at times. Don't get me wrong I loved Yessongs when released and it was my go-to live Yes until Progeny was released but it is hard for me to go back and listen to it now that we have the concerts that spawned it in such pristine SQ. YMMV
Thanks for mentioning this one. I'm a sucker for anything live by them with Siberian Khatru on it. There are some other good deep tracks there too. ... Didn't know it was the "classic" line up too, cool. And there's a DVD too!
1. Progeny 2. Yessongs 3. Quebec 1979 bootleg 4. Yesshows 5. The Word Is Live All rest are nice as nostalgia pieces if you happened to attend that tour, but inessential, IMHO.
It's so interesting to read how people appreciate music differently. I have Progeny Highlights and listened to it a couple of times and thought it was great, but in the end I keep going back to Yessongs. There is something about the album that really gets me, which Progeny doesn't. For example, the Yessongs version of Yours Is No Disgrace blows my mind every time I hear it. Is that exact performance somewhere on the big Progeny box? One of my theories is that the muddiness of Yessongs adds to the sensation that the band just fires on all cylinders. The playing is frantic. Somehow, I don't get that same impression when listening to Progeny. Yesshows is very good as well. I also enjoy the live parts on Keys.
