Enough with the No Jon/No Yes arguments, already.
Let’s stipulate that you fans kind of have the best of all worlds, with a band called Yes sans Jon Anderson, but also Anderson now working on a new album with Jean-Luc Ponty. That’s to say nothing of the on-going careers of fellow former members like Rick Wakeman, Trevor Rabin, Billy Sherwood, et al. But which one, you hear the unhappy masses crying, is Yes? Who cares? As Jon Anderson, in one of the more memorable Yes solipsisms, sings here on “Your Move/All Good People”: “Don’t surround yourself with yourself.”
Still, if you must, then I guess Songs from Tsongas: The 35th Anniversary Concert (due on September 23, 2014 from Eagle Rock) arrives at the perfect moment, serving as this gust of nostalgic peacekeeping. After all, once more, there are no sides. Each member of the so-called classic-era lineup of Yes is on board (even Wakeman!), setting their differences aside in time for a final 2004 tour — long before certain respiratory illnesses changed things seemingly for good.
The forthcoming release, highlighted by this lithe, sneak peek version of a pair of connected key tracks from 1971’s The Yes Album, includes both the previously released acoustic-leaning Tsongas show as well as 70 minutes of boisterous, never-before-heard highlights from a concert at Lugano, Switzerland, an unheard take on “Ritual,” additional behind-the-scene footage — and an interview with Roger Dean, the album and set designer for Yes.
Of course, the old-school No Jon/No Yes crowd will note that the pre-Wakeman Tony Kaye actually played keyboards on the original sessions for “Your Move/All Good People.” But let’s keep the ceasefire going for another moment, shall we?
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