Subway Walls from Heaven and Earth

[woodyng]

Very Nice,this is only the 2nd track i've heard all the way through,sounds great!

[RickyBubba]

Nice to hear two complete tracks on the Prog review site. Liking better….much better than the last Asia album..it only had one kick'ing song.

[jps]

The whole CD is up.

There's some really great music on this CD, I think most who write scathing reviews are being pretty close minded, expecting the Yes of 40 years ago. IMHO.

I remember a lot of people hated Tales..., and Tormato,and Drama, and a few other albums from these guys when they were released, too.

[Billsbro]

Well spoken!

Expectation is the first step to disappointment!

[jps]

What (I presume) 5 string bass is Chris playing on this album?

By the way, Light Of The Ages has got a great groove to it.

Hey guys (you know who I am talking to), you all did a great job on the album; you spoke of making this when I saw you at the Rock Hall last August, and it is nice to finally hear the final product (I hope it's not your last)!

[woodyng]

I have no real idea,but for the "lower-than-E" notes,Chris seems to have favored using his extended range Tobias bass for the last decade. He had it on a stand in upright position on the FFH tour.
Edit
(Going by past interviews,Chris,like myself,seems to prefer a 4-string format for playing.)

[Billsbro]

I have no real idea,but for the "lower-than-E" notes,Chris seems to have favored using his extended range Tobias bass for the last decade. He had it on a stand in upright position on the FFH tour.
Edit
(Going by past interviews,Chris,like myself,seems to prefer a 4-string format for playing.)

And that "upright" playing of the Tobias in the second part of FFH was one of my favorite moments of that show. That is my favorite part of the Suite; I get chills remembering how I watched his every move through my binocs. If you look up "spiritual" in the dictionary you'll find a pic of Chris and that green machine.

I am sorry if my fan boy nature is showing through a wee bit too strongly. I cannot help it!

[woodyng]

Have had 2 complete run-through listens of the whole album this evening.Fine vocals and melodies throughout,finally getting to hear what Juano can do,other than his fine work recreating classic works from the Yes canon. I think quite a few of these songs are going to take their place among my perennial Yes favorites. I will say even though i like what Chris is playing on bass,the recorded tone of it is pretty subdued,and processed-sounding,which goes with the background sound of Alan's drums. I listened to this on my home theater system,so it was pretty full range. Everything ,vocals,guitars,keys,sounded really well integrated,it just seems the bass and drums are kind of lacking,which i think may be down to the recording/mixing? I bet this material will sound great live. Favorite track:Subway Walls.

[jps]

I don't think of Chris' tone as subdued, to me it is just thicker, fuller sounding, dare I say a more mature bass tone?

[Billsbro]

Well you sure have me anxious to get my copy!

[woodyng]

Stephen,i have my cd on preorder at Amazon,but the whole album is posted on Youtube,which is where i heard it.Come to think of it,that probably partly accounts for the subdued low end sound I'm hearing.

[woodyng]

I don't think of Chris' tone as subdued, to me it is just thicker, fuller sounding, dare I say a more mature bass tone?

With the possible exception of some of the Rabin era albums,the bass sound i'm hearing is less distinct than what i'm used to. It isn't necessarily a bad thing,just an observation. It fits the mood/tone of the album well.

[Billsbro]

Stephen,i have my cd on preorder at Amazon,but the whole album is posted on Youtube,which is where i heard it.Come to think of it,that probably partly accounts for the subdued low end sound I'm hearing.

Thanks, Woody!

I am being peculiar...I like to wait until the CD is in my grubby hands and then I make a bit of a ceremony about the first listen. I wait for the sun to go down, pour a wee dram of Aberlour, sit outside with my Denon headphones, and spin that rascal while the stars track across the sky.

For over a year after FFH came out, every evening that I would sit outside (a few nights a week) I would begin with it and then move on to other gems (Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Crimson, Metheny, Rundgren, Coltrane, Oscar P, Olivia Newton-John, etc. Well, I am kidding about Olivia...)

[woodyng]

You know that Neil Finn line,"my posessions are causing me suspicion,but there's no proof"...? I think my home theatre system sounds great for movies,dvds,concerts,but it seems to make a lot of music sources sound like they are being broadcast out of the Grand Canyon...my impressions posted above are because i listened on that system...SO....


I just had my third listen,this time on my desktop lo-fi Logitech speaker. EVERYTHING comes through equally and beautifully. If it can do that on this little cheapa$$ speaker,then I can't wait to get the cd and listen to it on my car's Bose system on my next roadtrip.

Second favorite track:Light of the Ages.
Another observation...there's a track on this album that would not sound out of place on an Aimee Mann album. I won't say which one,and my saying that is not a slight in the least.....