Fragile: Tony Kaye's presence?

[walker]

I'm referring to the guy that Bruford is talking to. You see him just briefly. Could be Page; could be just some guy with a similar hairstyle.

On the XYZ project, here's a recording of a radio/telephone interview with Chris on the subject. The recording sounds odd because you can't hear the interviewer with the questions - only Chris with his responses. But you can totally follow the story. Interesting the part where he talks about songs from 'XYZ' that ended up on later Yes albums AND on a Firm album.

[jps]

.....When a band has a long history with changing members, bits and pieces from the past are bound to surface and develop later on... perhaps without full credit always being given to the original idea.....

I can certainly attest to that!

[Billsbro]

Very cool info! Thanks for all the thought provoking details!

[just_bassics]

Hey, Stephen, BTW, welcome to the forum! Keep posting, you never know who might be reading your stuff!

[Billsbro]

Hey, Stephen, BTW, welcome to the forum! Keep posting, you never know who might be reading your stuff!

Thank you, Jim! I have read a large portion of the Rick bass Threads and the Squire/Yes Threads and it is clear to me that you have a different kind of forum here; not only is there a large amount of very experienced musicians and music lovers here but the vast majority are also very NICE and very encouraging to others. As well, some of you guys have CONNECTIONS!! I have been around the block forum-wise and I am so pleased to not see so many of the negative elements that so many forums have. It is great to learn alot of facts about your favorite topics from a forum but to feel so welcomed into a friendly enviornment is a real plus.
By the way, have I mentioned how unbelievably wonderful my new 4003 is? Oh, I guess I am preaching to the choir!

But, to stay on topic: Tony Kaye is often over-looked by aficianados. I first saw Yes in 1976 (I could have seen a few tours before that but foolishly passed up the opportunities) but it was when I saw the Big Generator tour that I saw him for the first time and realized how talented he was and how essential he was to the band's early sound. The Union tour also reinforced that. (Sure, the Union CD and the tour took lots of knocks but it WAS a chance to see some amazing guys in a unique environment.) In general, I was a synth-snob back in the late 70's so I often undervalued the mighty organ. But, experience made me realize how the organ deserves its old reputation as "The Queen of Instruments."

(My experience musically is that I am a jack of all trades and master of none! My first love was and is the drum set and all percussion. Then, piano and keys. Guitars, basses, flutes, strings, and various exotic non-western instruments fill my house. I try to play a bit of everything except brass. So even though I am not very good at any particular instrument I enjoy being mediocre at many; I find it gives me a good perspective to understand and enjoy music of all kinds.)

Thanks again for letting me join in!

[walker]

My first love was and is the drum set and all percussion...

Aaah. That would explain your avatar!

[Billsbro]

My first love was and is the drum set and all percussion...

Aaah. That would explain your avatar!

Yeppers! I wanted crotales ever since Alan White mesmorized us with them in Yes (especially "Awaken"). Finally got 'em about 5 years ago. Like so many things in life, once you tune into them, they show up surprizingly often in music. Pat Metheny's drummers have used them quite a bit.

[walker]

I know that Neil Peart had them for a long time, too. Probably still does, I'm guessing.

[Billsbro]

I know that Neil Peart had them for a long time, too. Probably still does, I'm guessing.

Yes, he was always big on the tuned percussion. Nowadays, for live work he uses one MIDI controller (Kat, I think) to trigger glockenspiel, crotales, and assorted other samples. Alan White also no longer uses the real thing live. Samples and MIDI get around the nasty live-miking problems too.
But, "ain't nothing like the real thing, Baby!"

BTW, if you haven't read Peart's books, do yourself a fav and grab them. Only Bruford's writing can top his.

[Dave Scantland]

Until I read this topic, it had never occurred to me that America wasn't all Wakeman. But now I've listened to it several times, and while I think he's playing, I suspect what he's playing is a synthesis (har) of parts written by himself and Kaye.To me, the giveaway is the opening organ riff. Despite the solo in Roundabout, organ was rarely Rick's first choice. Also, given a choice, Wakeman tended to avoid such strictly diatonic phrases.

As long as we're dissecting the song, does anyone know the reason for dropping this verse?

"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery
She read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

I think it's the turning point of the song's story; it's always disappointing to listen to the Yes version, which is otherwise masterful, and trip over the omission.

[seyesbass]

When I first saw Yes on the "Yes Album" tour they included that verse.
There are recordings of the earlier version around including the Crystal Palace Garden Party gig which is on "The Word Is Live" CD.
As I mentioned earlier,Yes played the song for some time what with Jon being a fan of Paul Simons work and the version on record with Rick on keys
is pretty much what Tony K played so they are bound to play in a similar style.
Rick had to approximate all the other Hammond stuff from earlier albums when he joined Yes and being busy writing Fragile and CTTE he probably found no reason to change it.

Its a great sounding track and its got a very live Yes sound and the drums and bass sound really clear.
Its a bit of a pity that we never heard the CTTE album onstage with Bill playing drums (I know they did the ABWH thing but that was years later. Although Bill had a tendency to over play a bit I think with the improvement in PA systems in 72-73 his drumming might have come accross better in the mix.

I wish the current Yes would try and get the kind of sound they had on America again.

[johnallg]

I wish the current Yes would try and get the kind of sound they had on America again.

I hear ya!

[Billsbro]

When I first saw Yes on the "Yes Album" tour they included that verse.
There are recordings of the earlier version around including the Crystal Palace Garden Party gig which is on "The Word Is Live" CD.
As I mentioned earlier,Yes played the song for some time what with Jon being a fan of Paul Simons work and the version on record with Rick on keys
is pretty much what Tony K played so they are bound to play in a similar style.
Rick had to approximate all the other Hammond stuff from earlier albums when he joined Yes and being busy writing Fragile and CTTE he probably found no reason to change it.

Its a great sounding track and its got a very live Yes sound and the drums and bass sound really clear.
Its a bit of a pity that we never heard the CTTE album onstage with Bill playing drums (I know they did the ABWH thing but that was years later. Although Bill had a tendency to over play a bit I think with the improvement in PA systems in 72-73 his drumming might have come accross better in the mix.

I wish the current Yes would try and get the kind of sound they had on America again.

WOW! Thanks for this great perspective!
AMERICA was one of those early YES tracks that just said: 'watch this band...they will be smoking hot for years!'

[Dave Scantland]

The Yes Album tour didn't come to Atlanta, so I didn't see them until the Fragile tour (with ELP -- a great night for prog-rock fans). They must have dropped the song by then, what with another album's worth of original material to draw on. Still, set lists from 1970 consistently include "America."

According to a post on the Forgotten Yesterdays site (scroll past the tour dates), it was commissioned by the Beeb:

http://forgottenyesterdays.com/tour_lis ... asc&navb=4

The poster paraphrases Jon as saying that Yes "weren't keen on releasing music which was not their own." Interesting, given that the first two albums contain four covers (not that I mind; their versions of "Every Little Thing" and "No Opportunity Necessary . . ." are among my favorites).

[johnallg]

AMERICA was one of those early YES tracks that just said: 'watch this band...they will be smoking hot for years!'

For me it was this lineup at its best. Man could they cook. The essence of their sound.