YES – Yes 50 Live (2019)

Prog legend YES celebrated the band’s 50th anniversary over the last year with an extensive tour that included shows in Europe, North America and Japan. This year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are back with a new double live album that was recorded during the tour. “Yes 50 Live” will be available as 2 CDs, or 4 LPs.
The cover of YES 50 LIVE was painted by Roger Dean, whose artwork and trademark calligraphy are synonymous with the band’s identity.

“Yes 50 Live” features 13 live performances of key songs that helped make Yes the most enduring, ambitious, and virtuosic progressive band in rock history.
What makes this collection even more relevant is the number of band members who are featured. In fact, much of the album was recorded in Philadelphia, a show where 10 members of Yes were on stage during the encore (current members) Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Alan White, Billy Sherwood and Jon Davison, Jay Schellen, plus (former members) Tony Kaye, Patrick Moraz, Tom Brislin and Trevor Horn.
Patrick Moraz featuring on ‘Soon’, and Tony Kaye on ‘Yours Is No Disgrace’, ‘Roundabout’ and ‘Starship Trooper’.

The live performances on “Yes 50 Live” seamlessly weave together several eras from the band’s past with songs from 10 different studio albums recorded between 1970 and 2011.
Naturally, the collection highlights some of the group’s most important music, including “Starship Trooper,” from The Yes Album (1971), “Roundabout” from Fragile (1971) and the title track from Close to the Edge (1972).
But the new live album also highlights some of Yes’ most adventurous work with an excerpt from “The Ancient,” a track that appeared on 1973’s Tales From Topographic Oceans, and “Soon,” which is the final section in “The Gates Of Delirium” from 1974’s Relayer.

As fractured as the YES line-up has been over the last decades, there’s still enough strong original talent in the official Yes to make a genuine Yes album.
For many, the Howe-led team with Alan White and newer members, is a great experience despite the availability of Rick Wakeman and original lead singer and architect, Jon Anderson.
Differences aside, YES is a top draw live, and it shows here in “Yes 50 Live”, a stupendous pristine recording and featuring superb performances.
Highly Recommended

DISC 1
01. Close To The Edge
(V) “The Solid Time Of Change”
(VI) “Total Mass Retain”
(VII) “I Get Up I Get Down”
(VIII) “Seasons Of Man”
02. Nine Voices (Longwalker)
03. Sweet Dreams
04. Madrigal
05. We Can Fly From Here Pt. 1
06. Soon
07. Awaken

DISC 2
01. Parallels
02. Excerpt From The Ancient
03. Yours Is No Disgrace
04. Excerpt from Georgia’s Song and Mood for a Day
05. Roundabout
06. Starship Trooper
a. “Life Seeker”
b. “Disillusion”
c. “Wurm”

Steve Howe
Geoff Downes
Alan White
Billy Sherwood
Jon Davison
Jay Schellen
Tony Kaye
Patrick Moraz
Tom Brislin
Trevor Horn

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Yes-50-Live-2CD/dp/B07QMB51XH