'Yes: 50 Live' Is a Must-Have for EnthusiYests

The newest official release from Yes is a live album from Rhino Records titled Yes: 50 Live. Its general release is August 2, 2019, just a day short of the 51st anniversary of the first Yes gig. However, the live album has been available at live shows during The Royal Affair Tour that Yes, Asia, Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy, and John Lodge of The Moody Blues have just completed. As far as the cover art goes, Roger Dean has done it again, capturing the fantastical and epic feel that Yes music can evoke.

According to YesWorld, some of the audio comes from two live shows that Yes performed at The Fillmore in Philadelphia on July 20 and 21 last year. But one would not know that simply from looking at the back of the CD case or the booklet. And neither specify what other dates and venues the other songs may be from. The booklet does include words from drummer Alan White, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Billy Sherwood, vocalist Jon Davison, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and drummer Jay Schellen (who is listed as a special guest) concerning the 50th anniversary. The only listed guests who are not quoted are keyboardists Tony Kaye and Patrick Moraz. It would have been nice for two more pages to have been included for them, but they are shown in photos. It also would have been nice for the booklet to specify the tracks on which each of the drummers and keyboardists perform. Some Yes fans would be in the know, but more casual fans might not know right away.

Disc one opens strong with "Close to the Edge," which sounds as incredible as it did on the tour. So much so that the lack of a "Firebird Suite" or even a "Young Person's Guide to Orchestra" might go unnoticed by some fans. Immediately, one can hear how superb Billy Sherwood's mixing of the album is. It is almost like actually being at a show.

According to Forgotten Yesterdays, "Nine Voices" was performed by Yes on some of The Ladder tour in 1999, one show in 2002, three shows in 2004, and then six shows in 2015 before it became a regular part of the Yes50 setlist. Now, fans finally have an official release with a live recording of "Nine Voices." We then get another rocking performance of "Sweet Dreams." And then the inclusion of a live version of "Madrigal" on an official release is another first. This iteration is an acoustic duet between Davison and Howe, showcasing their chemistry and how a song can be reinvented. If this recording is from either of the Philadelphia shows, it'd have to be the second one since it was not performed on the first one. But again, there are no concrete details included, so who can say without comparing and contrasting various recordings?

"We Can Fly From Here Pt. 1" is definitely not from either of the Philadelphia shows, where Trevor Horn guested on vocals. It is clearly Jon Davison singing on this version. While he does do a phenomenal job, it would have been nice having the version with Trevor Horn on here. Then again, perhaps the reasoning might have been that fans can get their Trevor Horn fix with Fly From Here: Return Trip, and that it'd be nice to have a Jon Davison-sung version on an official release. Is it not possible to just have it all?

"Soon," however, is definitely from the Philadelphia shows, where Patrick Moraz guested on keyboards. This version begins with notes of "The Gates of Delirium" that preceed the "Soon" section. "Soon" typically clocks in at four to five minutes, but this one is eight minutes long. "Awaken" feels like a natural follow-up and makes for an epic finish to the first disc. There is a bit of a pause before Davison's last time singing "Here we can be" on this song. A bit odd, but the performance overall still works. Certainly one of the better "workings of man."

Disc two begins with another Going for the One track: "Parallels," and it is very lively and full of energy. After this, "Excerpt from The Ancient" starts from the lyrics "So the flowering creativity of life..." and includes the rest of the song from there, going into the "Leaves of Green" section. Including those verses prior to "Leaves of Green" is a refreshing way of pulling from that epic. One can dream of a day when Yes may perform all of "The Ancient" in concert again.

Original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye is featured on "Yours Is No Disgrace," as well as the final two tracks on this. He has such a prominent presence on this track, and Howe has a very energetic guitar solo. Depending on the listener, the next track, "Excerpt from Georgia's Song and Mood for a Day," could either act as a bit of a breather between tracks or sound like it should have preceded "Excerpt from The Ancient" so as to not slow down the momentum of the encore songs. The track titled "Georgia's Theme" on Howe's 1993 solo album The Grand Scheme of Things clocks in at 2:44, but here it's only lasts a little more than half a minute, making it not so memorable when compared to the familiar "Mood for a Day." One might even have preferred for all of "Georgia's Theme" to have been played since the complete track is good in its own right.

As is tradition, "Roundabout" is included. Interestingly, Davison at first sings "I'll spend the day every way" instead of "I'll spend the day your way," though he returns to the traditional words. Even though "Roundabout" is overplayed, there is no denying that it makes crowds roar, as is evident in this recording. And then, of course, the album closes with the ever-powerful "Starship Trooper." In Philadelphia, 10 Yes members and alumni were onstage toward the end, including all the aforementioned musicians and Symphonic Tour Tom Brislin. Even though YesWorld's press release about this live album mentions that aspect of the event, it's possible that this may be from a different concert, seeing as how neither Horn nor Brislin are mentioned anywhere on the product itself as being present. Again, specifics would have been nice.

Disc one contains about 65 minutes of music, and disc two contains about 59 minutes of music. Even though the live album feels full, one cannot help but wonder why the remaining available space on each disc was not utilized. Looking at the set list of just the Philadelphia shows, it appears that Yes performed "Heart of the Sunrise," "Perpetual Change," and "Does It Really Happen?" And yet all of these songs are absent from this release. One might wonder what the reasoning was behind that.

Despite what Yes: 50 Live may lack, it is still an incredible listen. The album is high-quality documentation of the band celebrating the 50th anniversary. It is definitely a must-have for collectors of Yes music.