The organ piece you're thinking of in that carnival-like section is the Toccata from Widor's "Symphony No. 5", the fifth and closing movement. True confessions, I'm an organist. By the way, impressive that you held a position at Westminster, not surprised. The Drama album is a special one in the Yes catalogue. I think you'd love the track "Tempus Fugit" also. On this 2009 tour they played several songs off Drama since original vocalist Jon Anderson refused to do so as he didn't sing on the studio album. It was a thrill to hear those songs live.

@Doug.Helvering

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad I got the composer correct!

@steveb9151

3 жыл бұрын

Good call! Widor's Toccata "rocks"! I think he'd appreciate the nod to him.

@Ken5244

3 жыл бұрын

@@Doug.Helvering That info is on Wikipedia, BTW, in the write-up for this album.

@MatthewHaislip

3 жыл бұрын

The first time I heard this song I jumped up at the Widor organ symphony!! Too cool!!!! Love this song!

@lenpey

3 жыл бұрын

Organist? What do you think of Olivier Messiaen?

This song (and the Drama album in general) demonstrates that Chris Squire's voice was a huge part of the Yes vocal sound. The vocals still sound like Yes even in the absence of Jon Anderson, simply because Chris's voice is so prominent. We might all think that Jon Anderson's heavenly voice is the key to that distinctive Yes vocal sound, and well, it is. But if you have only Jon's voice and not Chris's voice, then something very important is missing.

@andrejz8954

5 ай бұрын

Just like Anthony in VH

@har234908234

4 ай бұрын

Yeah... ABWH doing Yes songs is missing something. That said, if this line up changed it's name to Drama (as example), I think few would think it was Yes, whereas ABWH - "Is this not Yes?" That Drama album might've flown under the radar if it wasn't a Yes album and that would be a shame.

Benoit David and Chris Squire harmonized beautifully. Oliver Wakeman nice keys! This is probably the last time they sounded really polished.

@mattmallecoccio8378

3 жыл бұрын

They should have kept Benoit. I can't stand Jon Davison

@kevinbrown3082

3 жыл бұрын

They really should stop altogether. I’m a massive fan but they should really retire now. Leave us with the memories. On a plus side, although I really hated Drama when it came out. I love it now. Trevor Horn did a decent job on the vocals, the songs really stand up in the catalogue, the production values really took a major leap forward.

@windwardpro

3 жыл бұрын

Not exactly that polished...

@gordonbarranger4168

3 жыл бұрын

@@mattmallecoccio8378 YEP.

@michaeldyas769

2 жыл бұрын

That'll be Rick's genes and tuition methinks....

The Drama album is a special one for me. You should do “into the lens”. You will enjoy it.

@sseltrek1a2b

3 жыл бұрын

the 1st time i heard the bass line that opens it, i had no idea what the rest of the band was going to do when they came in-huge surprise...

@williamsporing1500

2 жыл бұрын

I love the original version by the buggles, and Yes’ version. Just a great song.

@davidiovanisci7607

2 жыл бұрын

Agree but if you want to hear probably Chris Squire’s best bass playing on any YES song is on the DRAMA ALBUM. “ Does it really happen “

@tomdac

Жыл бұрын

Tempus Fugit is another fantastic track from Drama

Excellent!! One of my big favs - The whole album Drama is amazing - thanks Doug love your work

I was showing a much younger friend a Yes concert on DVD years back. “I don’t like solo piano pieces,” he said as Rick Wakeman sat down at a piano. “But I could listen to this all day,” he continued as Wakeman began playing. Turn Of The Century is still one of my all time favourites, with the best handoffs between keyboards and guitar I’ve ever hear.

10:44 Indeed, Steve Howe is simply brilliant. R.I.P. Chris Squire (Bass). Would love to hear your take on "To Be Over" from their album "Relayer".

@pschroeter1

3 жыл бұрын

Gates Of Delirium, Close to the Edge's more aggressive sibling.

@timharrison1158

2 жыл бұрын

Hey, he did this if you don't already know. He's actually done all of Relayer (just not all at once).

When the Buggles replaced Jon Anderson and Wakeman I lost hope that YES would survive but Chris Squire pulled them together and it did sound like YES. The great Anderson melodies were lacking but it still worked. Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn were competent replacements and Squire supplemented vocals and always had great sense of harmony. Love your commentary. In this live version the vocalist was Benoit David from the band Mystery (Canada} and the keyboard looks to be Rick Wakeman's son Oliver.

@barriereid9244

Жыл бұрын

They absolutely died on stage at The Glasgow Apollo. I am afraid they weren't well liked. Then there were three...

@diannkelley3481

10 ай бұрын

I love Chris’s singing on this one. It really stands out.

Cool deep cut. the Drama album is way underrated in Yes' discography.

@craigwillms61

3 жыл бұрын

Drama is the Yes album I'd want if I could have one.

@danieledaroma1446

3 жыл бұрын

@C Hopdog: You are completely right! Sadly, it is underrated by Yes fans themselves: they didn't forgive the band for having taken on board the Buggles guys (Horn & Downes) and left Jon Anderson...During that tournee, their fans, very disappointed, threw all sorts of objects to the stage while the band was playing! It's a crazy story indeed...

@sseltrek1a2b

3 жыл бұрын

yes...one of my favorite albums by them, and of all time...

@BlutoLongneck

3 жыл бұрын

Close to the edge, Fragile, Drama and 90125, all are good forever. No special order except Close to the Edge and Roundabout, my number 2 picks, the rest is just awesome.

@gmnty13

3 жыл бұрын

Tempus Fugit

This live performance is fairly faithful; but the original studio version is *towering* in it's energy and power. Guitarist Steve Howe plays his lines faster and fancier than this version, Bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White were literally on fire. Keyboardist Geoff Downes played a rich layer of sounds. kzread.info/dash/bejne/k5NsypaferjYns4.html

@BrunoniTube

2 жыл бұрын

Well, the studio album came out almost 30 years before this. What did you expect?

@gthobaben

Жыл бұрын

The studio version of this tune brings just about the most energy of any of their recordings.

@ScottFrye000111222

Жыл бұрын

Steve NEEDS some cheeseburgers

Thank you Doug, that was awesome as always. I'm glad you liked it! That live version featured Benoit David on vocals (and tambourine) instead of Trevor Horn, and Oliver Wakeman (Rick's son) on keyboards, but it was a great version for sure.

@nancymjohnson

3 жыл бұрын

Jon Davidson has been the best since Anderson. IMHO

@3ggshe11s

3 жыл бұрын

Davison.

@andrejz8954

5 ай бұрын

Benoit for me@@nancymjohnson

I prefer the studio version over this one, but it's indeed an amazing song!

rip Mr Chris Squire. the man, the myth, the legend. when you hear thunder it's just Chris teaching god how to play bass.....

@38bass

9 ай бұрын

Well met and well put. 🤘🏼 ❤️‍🔥

@wfamdaxj

4 ай бұрын

That's perfect. I saw him play on 2 occasions and he is to this day the best bass player,composer,singer ive ever come across. Music for musicians. ❤❤

@wfamdaxj

22 күн бұрын

I love your comment, whenever I hear thunder now I will say those words. Top man.

I agree: "kick ass song." I love YES, I love DRAMA.

Fucking brilliant song!!! I had not heard it for a long time and had forgotten how great it is. Wonderful!!!

In 2004, I saw Dream Theater open for Yes at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Dream Theater played this song. It was a great tribute! Drama is a monumental Yes album that gets overshadowed.

You should do "Awaken" for the going For the One album. It is their magnum opus. Wakeman used a real pipe organ on it.

@frankalfar

3 жыл бұрын

..and it was played over the phone, true story.....

@marinhrabric6162

2 жыл бұрын

it's a good song. wouldn't go so far to call it magnum opus

From Wikipedia: "(...) When he was composing his keyboard parts for the song, Downes included an arpeggiated segment from the fifth movement of Symphony for Organ No. 5 by Charles-Marie Widor, a piece that he was familiar with from his youth. (...)

@hubbsllc

3 жыл бұрын

Good ear there, Doug!

What a wonderful performance, and likewise, a great reaction. I truly enjoyed your commentary...and super sharp ear for details!

Such an underrated album- love the whole thing!

@wolframreactor74

3 жыл бұрын

As it Tormato

In the studio version, the downswell of the keyboard sounds like an air raid siren winding down. This version has a much warmer, relaxed sound, exactly what you want in a live performance. The studio version is much darker, with a greater punch, exactly what you'd expect of the definitive version. There is an official video of "Into the Lens" on KZread. It is the studio version, but the band is pretending to play it live. You get to see Steve Howe playing two guitars, plus a pedal steel guitar.

Loved hearing about the Gregorian chant parallel.

Awesome suggestion Steve! I got to see this lineup of Yes with Asia as the opening act (and Steve Howe did double duty with both bands).

Nice! This is one of Yes's best "hidden gems", and a seriously underrated song. As an electronic music lover and musician myself, it's one of my favourite Yes pieces. You're first person I've seen react to this song on KZread, and it's great to hear a classical composer's take on it (I'm a fan of classical music). Having said that, as cool as it was seeing a live version, I kind of wish you'd played the album version. Much of the *intensity* of the original was captured in the 2009 concert, but it didn't quite capture the more *eerie* quality of the original. Give it a listen with headphones on, and I think you'll see what I mean.

Someone said that Yes was whoever turned up the rehearsals and there are at least three of the band who recorded this in 1980. I think this song has really stood the test of time. This is a fascinating analysis and is a useful reminder that Yes were influenced by so many styles. Chris Squire was a choirboy and Rick Wakeman would have played church organ. Howe was hugely influenced by jazz. Remember that no Yes equals no Rush. The reference to satanic mills is a reference to Blake's poem Jerusalem which became a famous hymn, practically a second national anthem.

@philf4086

3 жыл бұрын

More great insight!

Thanks for the video. I’m a big Yes fan. I’ve listened to this song so many times over the years. It was cool hearing your insight into the composition that went into it.

Great review and thanks for giving us insight into how these songs are constructed! Yes is always worth a listen, their musicianship is beyond compare.

Oh man, you are awesome, Doug. I've heard this song countless times and never made the connection of that quiet vocal part to ancient religious chants. Brilliant. Thanks for pointing that out. So, if you know Close To The Edge, do you also know The Gates Of Delirium? If not, would love to see your reaction and analysis to it. The live version from the YesShows live album (the most powerful version), or maybe watch them perform it with an orchestra on the Yes Symphonic Live concert video from 2001 (great performance, but just not as powerful as YesShows). Whatever you do, just don't watch the 1975 QPR version, which has awful sound. Thanks again.

Love your analysis, always illuminating, and brought new life and admiration for one of my favourite Yes tracks!

Fascinating video Doug! Thanks for posting!

What would be the best Genesis songs for a classical composer? My suggestions: Can-utility and the Coastliners, the Lamia, Fountain of Salmacis, Mad Man Moon, In that Quiet Earth & Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers (both in one video). Also very common reaction tracks: Dance On A Volcano, Firth of Fifth, the Musical Box.

@jeffjones1143

3 жыл бұрын

I would add "Supper's Ready to that list. Tony Banks is an excellent composer.

@ScottBailey13

3 жыл бұрын

Dance on a Volcano has very interesting meter changes

@sheldonwheaton881

3 жыл бұрын

Blood on the Rooftops, Entangled, Ripples?🗿

@raypolakovic1290

3 жыл бұрын

Firth of Fifth!

@theAsterisk

3 жыл бұрын

One for the Vine

One of my all-time favorite Yes songs Thanks so very much for that 👏

That song is from my favorite Yes album. It's a phenomenal album. Thanks for this great reaction. Loved your explanations about the "old singing". Very interesting. Awesome!!!

"I wanna be that tambourine guy!"...Great Doug, really amazing!😊

I seem to recall bassist Chris Squire (sadly no longer with us) saying his early experience was with English church music, so presumably he just ran with it as second vocalist.

@chrisridley7314

3 жыл бұрын

A former choirboy

As a classical composer myself, this song has always stood out to me from Yes’s catalogue. Close to the Edge is my favorite, but this song is right up there.

I deeply regret not seeing these guys when Squire was still alive. I really like the climbing Bass line at 17:20

@charlesrochfort1228

3 жыл бұрын

I saw them at Wembley in 91. Chris's bass actually made my rib cage vibrate. Awesome concert. Union Tour.

@nancymjohnson

3 жыл бұрын

I'm sorry you missed Chris live. I saw them every tour since 75 until he passed, and every one since. Billy Sherwood was asked by Chris to take his place, and he has done a great job.

@silvertube52

3 жыл бұрын

First saw them in 1971, first tour with the classic line up for the Fragile album. They were the opening act for Emerson Lake and Palmer. Wakeman was clearly trying to upstage Emerson, so during a keyboard solo he smashed a tambourine and threw it into the audience. I caught it. I've seen "Yes" about a dozen times since, but the most recent tour, the Royal something, was a disappointment. I found Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman to be more faithful to Yes than "Yes".

@hubbsllc

3 жыл бұрын

@@silvertube52 From the KZread videos I've seen, the ARW show was the one to catch. It really looked like Rabin and Wakeman were having a ball together.

@donaldanderson6604

3 жыл бұрын

The recent ARW tour was unbelievable. I've lost count of how many times I've seen Yes and although I'm the world's greatest Steve Howe fan, I was knocked out by how tight this band was, especially Lou Molino and Lee Pomeroy on drums and bass. It was like the glory days with Bill Bruford. Unfortunately Rabin added lots of gratuitous audience noise to the live DVD which makes it unlistenable. What could have been one of the greatest live recordings is totally wrecked.

Good stuff! If we're doing old school prog, I'd really like to hear a take on Kansas' Miracles Out of Nowhere (studio version is the best out there I think)

@skrapco

3 жыл бұрын

If just for the "Baroque break" only.

@windwardpro

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah!

You are correct about the choral influence in the harmonies. Chris Squire started singing in church choirs at age six.

A very good one. A very good show too. Your analysis is always very interesting. Thanks Doug. If you’re not sure to react at the old Yes catalogue, let’s make a try at Brother Of Mine of Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe. A great 80’s prog song. It’s almost a Yes song, but without their usual bass player.

Drama is one of my all time favourite Yes albums. ❤️‍🔥

You nailed it! "When he was composing his keyboard parts for the song, Downes included an arpeggiated segment from the fifth movement of Symphony for Organ No. 5 by Charles-Marie Widor, a piece that he was familiar with from his youth."

Wonderful song and a really great analysis alongside!

Really appreciated hearing your take on this! Love the “Drama” album very, very much.

Listen to the Yes song- "Siberian Khatru"

@u.v.s.5583

3 жыл бұрын

He probably knows that one too.

That's prog music the best of rock !! now listen to Close to the Edge "Yes rules" !!

@progperljungman8218

3 жыл бұрын

He told that he has been...

A Yes song!! I'm recovering from a facial surgery and your videos are perfect for relaxing. Thank you for continuing to put up excellent content, sir.

Wow great reaction, cheers. Close to the edge is another amazing song

If you liked Rush you could do 'Cygnus X-1', which has two parts. The first one is in A Farewell to Kings and the second one is in the same record as La Villa Strangiato, Hemispheres. Cheers!

I've been grooving on this tune for 40 years. I'm not tired of hearing it yet.

Lyrically, the "singular eye" is specifically referring to a combination of CCTV surveillance and television (or mass media more generally)- word from the lyricist himself. Trevor Horn was the singer and main lyricist on the Drama album, and he was the singer and lyricist for The Buggles ("Video Killed the Radio Star") before becoming a producer (same keyboardist, too- Geoff Downes). If you listen to the first Buggles album (The Age of Plastic, songs from 1979 to 1981), you'll find it's full of a sort of zeerust-encrusted playful contempt for and criticism of futurism and would-be technological utopianism. "Living in the Plastic Age" is self-explanatory from the title, "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a bittersweet nostalgia for dead media since supplanted by the new, "I Love You (Miss Robot)" mockingly conveys the meaninglessness of casual sex on the road by cyberpunk metaphor of a literal sex robot, "Elstree" is about the gross artificiality of entertainment media as representation of reality as well as the artificiality of the industry itself, "Astroboy (and the Proles on Parade)" depicts a marked class divide with a futuristic jet-setter looking down on the little people below as their cities crumble into rust and dust, and "Johnny on the Monorail" takes an icon of the futurist urban planner- a gleaming chromed monorail- and describes within the train (and below) all the more mundane sights of urban poverty and decline, all while the rider sings in childish joy at riding the monorail- "Oh, my, my! You are *so* sci-fi! Please won't you let me ride?" Both Horn and Downes have said The Buggles were themselves meant to be a gag along largely the same lines- an artificial band, created by a committee of jaded executives, music calculated to chart moderately well and played by machines (Horn would take this bit farther and more literally later with the Art of Noise), existing as a band only in marketing and somewhere in a studio basement on tape, not live. (They were swayed into 'performing' "Video" live once on TV early on, but insisted on lip-syncing it, and on performing it while standing almost robotically still.) Even the name "The Buggles" was conceived as a sort of gross knock-off derivative of "The Beatles", and almost uniformly happy, bouncy music delivers words of abject dissatisfaction and debasement throughout the album. It's eminently reasonable to lyrically interpret "Machine Messiah" along the same lines, as a mocking criticism of one manner or another of technological utopianism. (The "mindless search for a higher controller", and "take me into the fire", as your particular points of apparent interest, could both refer to ideological possession as relates to a dogged dedication to this utopian vision.)

@davidknight4874

3 жыл бұрын

Bravo

@danno5662

2 жыл бұрын

and he was awsome

@artmccartan4911

Жыл бұрын

Are we not living in the the midst of that Utopian nightmare? Prophetic? Maybe the answer(s) to the mess we find ourselves in now can be found in another Yes /Buggles song.

@ConceptJunkie

Жыл бұрын

This is how I always took to the lyrics of this song.

really interesting one there Doug, not one I would have looked for but still pretty special

If you like vocal harmonies, you should check out Moon Safari. They are a prog rock band from Sweden that is a cross between Yes and The Beach Boys. Everyone sings and they have long grandiose songs. An excellent live example would be A Kid Called Panic or Dance Across the Ocean from their Gettysburg Address live album.

@PetroglyphWatch

3 жыл бұрын

Excellent choice! I'd also recommend the song "Lover's End Pt. III: Skellefteå Serenade".

Given all of their personnel changes, Jon Anderson refused to perform any songs that appeared on Drama, which was an album that I really enjoyed. In fact, I saw Yes perform Drama like as a senior in high school, and it was a great concert. I also saw THIS tour as well, and in fact, spent the money for the M&G and had front row center seats, and finally had the opportunity to thank my musical heroes and make a fool of myself in front of Chris Squire. Some other interesting Yes songs to check out might be South Side of the Sky from Fragile, "A Venture" from The Yes Album (if you can, be sure to check out the Steven Wilson extended mix, the original was cut short due to the 33rpm album side limits) and for something more modern, "Homeworld" from The Ladder. All 3 of those songs are not Yes "standards," but they're all excellent songs, and give a slightly different side to Yes.

Dear Daily Doug, I've been absolutely loving your prog rock analysis. I've also been joining you on a drink-per -song situation. It's been fun! Particularly on Gates Of Delirium. I'm really glad you covered this one. In particular the live version, with Beniot David on vocals. His time with Yes was brief but i think he did a brilliant job, considering the shoes he had to fill!!! This is a great version. Here's to more Prognosis! Cheers from Scotland!

Great song from a great album..thanks so much for the analysis.

Hi Doug, I was ready to say; Aw man, wish you would have done the excellent studio version", but this was VERY well done! As people point out, this was the 1st album ("Drama") that Jon Anderson did not appear on, I'm sure it was a HUGE deal to hear about that in 1979-80 from Trade Mags, without the "machine's" we have now. But I was 17 at the time, and only heard the FM Radio tracks from the Anderson years, so when I 1st heard the tracks on radio ("Tempus Fugit"), I thought it was Jon. But the noticeable difference was how _Heavier_ the sound of the music was, and though the keyboards were not as intricate as Rick Wakeman, "Geoff Downes" keyboard sounds were very unique (both Trevor Horn, the vocalist, and Downes were from "The Buggles"). This had me go backwards in their catalogue to rediscover the band and Jon, but I LOVE this album, and the cover art from Roger Dean (the Drama logo is one of my faves from Roger). This track is in my Top 10 Yes songs, and your analysis is right on (and as one of your fans pointed out, apparently bassist Chris Squire had said in 1980; "Its your Television" - "Controller, take me to the fire, and hold me, show me the strength of your singular... eye"). I guess it was a VERY prophetic track, as now people are addicted to their ephemeral devices. This version has some outstanding back-up singing too with Chris Squire and Steve Howe (guitar), but be sure to checkout the _studio_ track on headphones, and the _whole_ Drama album. Its in my Top 5 Yes albums. Btw - "Satanic Mills" comes from the Hymn "Jerusalem", which I gather is about the factories in Birmingham England belching out black smoke from the smoke stacks. The vocalist from this era of Yes was "Benoît David", who had a Yes tribute band called "Gaia", and then was asked to join the Canadian Hard Progressive Rock band "Mystery", which was excellent. I suggest finding tracks "One Among the Living" and "Dear Someone", beautiful gorgeous pieces, that I think you and your viewers would enjoy. Also, I got to see Dream Theater (on their "Train of Thought Tour") open for Yes's 35th Anniversary, and they did an awesome instrumental version of Machine Messiah, and there are 2 different versions here on Yt. You have TONS of Yes tracks to dig into! - Thanks again Doug! And rest in peace Chris Squire.

@stevehartke

3 жыл бұрын

My first entry into YES as well and did not realize it was not Jon Anderson... loved the heaviness of this song, and the energy of Tempis Fugit. Great album, one of my faves in the YES catalog...

@Tedinator01

Жыл бұрын

@@stevehartke Tempus Fugit is easily my favorite song from Drama. R.I.P. Chris Squire

Regarding the ancient religious type vocal section, bassist Chris Squire’s earliest music experience was as a choirboy (starting at age 6). You can hear that influence in almost all of his harmony vocals.

When you figure out Yes, you have become the machine messiah

It's about A.I. becoming self-aware and humans seeing it as an answer to all problems and eventually being absorbed into it's singular consciousness.

DH - Do a reaction to Awaken by Yes. This is a must

@peskypesky

3 жыл бұрын

my favorite Yes song.

@chrisridley7314

3 жыл бұрын

One of the greatest Yes songs

@Ebbywebby

3 жыл бұрын

"Awaken" would suit Doug's analytical style well, but I've never, ever understood why this track is so beloved. Just because it's long doesn't mean it's great. I find it very clunky at various points, and with little "groove." There are probably about 15 Yes tracks that I prefer.

Beniot David was a great singer for YES. If you want to hear him in his more natural singing-voice, he appeared on two or three Mystery albums in which he sounds phenomenal.

@michaeljones9301

3 жыл бұрын

Saw them in 08 with Beniot. They did most of Drama. He was much better than Davison. I simply can not listen to that guy.

When l was 3 years old, l remember sitting next to my beloved Grandad at his big church organ whilst he played, Widor's Toccata. He was an incredible organist/pianist and played twice at The Royal Albert Hall in front of our Queen Elizabeth The II, by Royal command in the 1950s! XXX

Great analysis You could react, too, with the music Into the lens, from this same album. It's another wonderful song from Yes.

@Ken5244

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. "Into the Lens" is epic. Probably my favorite song on this album.

I'm really interrested to hear your analyses of To be Over. A track from their 1974 Relayer album. I think you will be blown away by the structure of the piece.

The original keyboardist on this album Drama was Geoff Downes, who is also the current keyboardist these days. Oliver Wakeman (Rick's son) is playing the part live here. I think the part you recognize also sounds like some of Philip Glass' work.

@frankgrimes1512

3 жыл бұрын

He was also in the Buggles appearing in the very first video MTV played “ Video killed the radio”

@giancork1656

3 жыл бұрын

Glass came to my mind too

@Wizardofgosz

3 жыл бұрын

And Trevor Horn on vocals. My favorite Yes lineup and album.

@becxalxbm7055

3 жыл бұрын

@@Wizardofgosz trevor horns voice on drama was amazing...

@luvyesmusici4886

3 жыл бұрын

I took my wife to a few YES-concerts ( and more YES-related shows ) over the years, so she's not unfamiliar with them. After a concert at Wolftrap, she said "What happened to Rick?" I responded "What do you mean?" She said, "He looks so young now!" She had thought Rick's son Oliver, was actually Rick.

Awesome! - Love the comparison with organum, hadn't noticed that - but think it's been heavily adapted for modern musical ears. PS I'd love to hear a musical analysis of 'Turn it on again' by Genesis of the same year - almost sounds like a straight pop song but there's so much going on in there.

I'd have recommended the studio version.

I remember the first time I heard ‘Machine Messiah’ was around 2001-2002, and I bought it on vinyl (I think from a cut-out bin) I was pretty surprised by this because it’s markedly different than their other releases of the time.

I suggest (or request 😅) Awaken, Close to the Edge & Heart of the Sunrise. Or Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - Brother of Mine.

What's cool about that portamento part near the end is that it's the same old E-F#-G motif only played in leaps of a 9th instead of stepwise.

This is not a popular opinion among Yes fanbois, but I think Drama is their best record.

@varsitycamplife

3 жыл бұрын

Not sure it’s the “best”... Going For the One gets my vote for best, but Drama is massively underrated and a really amazing record!

@bobknight33

3 жыл бұрын

As a life long fan boy.............1 of my favorites.

@lauscho

3 жыл бұрын

I don't know about the record as a whole, but this particular piece and "Tempus Fugit" are SEVERELY underrated pieces in their oeuvre.

@lauscho

3 жыл бұрын

"Close to the Edge" is still their most perfect creation.

@bastidface

3 жыл бұрын

It's a great album. A different, heavier sounding Yes. I think it's way better than its predecessor "Tormato."

Please review the songs "Close to the Edge", "The Gates of Delirium" and "Starship Trooper" all from Yes.

I saw them live on this tour in Detroit and when they played this song, I was just transfixed on Chris Squire... I regard him as the greatest bassist ever to walk this green earth...

The familiar part is an arpeggiated segment from the fifth movement of Symphony for Organ No. 5 by Widor,. Always reminded me of one of the twiddleer parts of something by Elgar, but I'm a barbarian.

Great take, definitely more Yes please

I got to see the Drama tour on a 360 degree revolving stage Dallas Reunion Arena 9/27/80 .

@ralphmarrone3130

3 жыл бұрын

Saw the same tour at the Philly Spectrum!

@pschroeter1

3 жыл бұрын

Always hated the revolving stage, I played guitar and Steve would rotate out of view starting a solo I wanted to watch. I loved Trevor Horn singing the Drama material, but remember him struggling with some higher sections of And You And I.

@ralphmarrone3130

3 жыл бұрын

I wasn’t crazy about the revolving stage either. I enjoyed the show but I also remember Horn struggling with the pre-Drama material.

@becxalxbm7055

3 жыл бұрын

yes i saw them at hammersmith odeon 15/12/80 amazing....

I have always loved this song. When I was 16, the cassette was forever in my car the summer I got my driver's license. All of Drama is so much fun to listen to as it is a pretty big departure from a Yes fronted by Jon Anderson. That said, this is not my favorite performance of this song. This is very good but it just lacks the punch, the enthusiasm, the hurriedness, and the utter craftsmanship of the studio recording. Such an amazing song and a wonderful band! So glad you did this!

@Atom-56

3 жыл бұрын

The punch , the enthusiasm, the hurried ness and utter craftsmanship, that you say is lacking here, must be really difficult to duplicate, 30 years after the original recording. Wouldn’t you think?

Yeah, Gentle Giant for sure. Also Camel, Renaissance (whose singer Annie Haslam covered a Yes song in 2000) King Crimson, Soft Machine, all UK groups (also the band UK who had Yes's first drummer Bill Bruford) and a host of European bands like Banco, Le Orme and PFM of Italy and Ange of France, Kayak and Finch of Holland.

@clansome

3 жыл бұрын

Not forgetting, if one ever could, Emerson, Lake & Palmer (RIP Keith, RIP Greg). Their classical/rock mix would be perfect for you. I would even go as far back as Pictures At an Exhibition.

I think you should do the studio version, simply because it has Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes in it who were instrumental in writing this song. And frankly no other lineup does this one better than the original. Original to this album.

@kilianlee810

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Besides Alan White was arguably at his tightest on Drama while, with all due respect to him, he was well past his prime when this was recorded.

@michelforest6329

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, the tempo is a bit too slow, but that's the problem with Yes since at least 2000...

@stantheman9072

3 жыл бұрын

All these comments are spot on.

@theAsterisk

3 жыл бұрын

@@michelforest6329 Some pieces benefit from that more relaxed pace- makes them more subjectively impactful. ("And You and I" off of the Like It Is live album comes to my mind- YMMV.) For "Machine Messiah", though, I'm in agreement- the studio recording is best, significantly so.

@michelforest6329

3 жыл бұрын

@@theAsterisk It does work on a few song, I agree. But when I listen to Close to the Edge, I always go back to the early performances (1972-1977), because that one got much too sloooow later on. I'm not sure who was behind the idea of playing at slower tempos. Howe? White? Squire?

Oh . Thank you very much for the education

Love it Doug. Proper music.. ..❤

Wow! A cut from the Drama record!?! Great suggestion Steve!

Before I discovered Yes I remember The Buggles joined Yes (Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes).I almost laughed at the absurdity of the whole thing to be honest. A little while later I was given a loan of Drama and I was blown away!. It's a magnificent album and led me to buy Yes albums with the legendary Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman. Suffice to say I loved them,what an incredible band Yes are. Thankfully I saw the classic line up live in Edinburgh around 2002.

Thank you so much for this. Yes had a major freaking line up change on this album. I wanted to dislike it because we were missing the original singer and a kick ass keyboard player but I simply loved this album. I refused to see the tour supporting it but probably burned out a needle listening to it over a year or so. It was the background to many an hour of D&D and just hanging out with friends. Your superb description of the musical strength in MM just made me appreciate it even more if that was possible. Now for Close To The Edge. Thanks again!

Yes, "Turn of the Century". Such a melodic song and story, poetry. Please review that one.

Great choice for a song. This has always been one of my favorites in their catalog. One of those tracks that's hard to pull off live, but this lineup did a decent job. Would be cool to hear your reaction to "Song of Scheherazade" by Renaissance. If you're unfamiliar with the band, they often recorded with an orchestra on many of their 70's tracks, including Scheherazade. Truly amazing group with the best female singer in classic rock IMO. I'd recommend the studio track but the one performed live in 1977 on King Biscuit Flower Hour is good too.

Impressive your reaction on the song “Machine Messiah” by Yes. “Drama” is my favorite Yes album. Greetings from Puerto Rico 😎

At the time of this tour Jon Anderson was havons health problem, a replacement was brought in Benoit David sings on this live take He was the singer of a YES tribute band from Montreal Canada Chris Squire had seen some clips of their performances and invited him to join for that year tour since Jon could not and the rest of the band didn’t wanted to wait for him to get better

Doug, just discovered your channel because the Dance of Eternity react and loved it! I noticed you already covered a lot of interesting progressive songs from bands like Opeth, Symphony, Rush, Yes etc, and if you accept suggestions I think you will may enjoy "A change of seasons" (Dream Theater), "First Light" (Shadow Gallery) and "Still remains" (Fates Warning). By the way, I already subscribed to this amazing channel and will be following it! Congrats from Brazil!

Highly underrated Album: Drama!!! Should be named in one go with Close to the edge and Fragile!

I am new to your channel due to a YES fan posting this video on a Facebook fan page. And I was fascinated by your deconstruction of this underrated gem from the YES catalog. I agree with some of the comments here that you should delve into some of the other tunes from YES - and then I would love to see you talk about Gentle Giant.

About the lyrics: a machine is usually rather mindless. I guess that's what they meant.

Thank you!

"Essa é uma música fascinante". Concordo plenamente. From The 🇧🇷

Nice reaction, thank you.

Hi Doug I recommend that, you listen to ALL-of their album Relayer. And after that Awaken, best version is live at Wembley, 1978. It will be quite a revelation. 😉👍

A kick-ass song indeed. Thanks for the insights.

Do all the Yes. Music degree here as well-Love your perspective!

You should react to Focus - Hocus Pocus Live '73 if you haven't heard it already!

@ericmartin8818

3 жыл бұрын

But NOT the live version!

@stantheman9072

3 жыл бұрын

@@ericmartin8818 the Midnight Special version they played at “ludicrous speed” is a real hoot! Amazing performance really.