Yes - House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues

Year of Release: 2000
Label: Beyond Music
Catalog Number: 63985-78084
Format: CD
Total Time: 108:01:00

If you missed the PBS special earlier this year, Yes' latest live offering provides the opportunity to catch up on just what you missed, albeit without the video. For those who caught the special or one of the Ladder tour shows, this set will either be a friendly reminder or a pointless rehash. I missed the special and the tour, so I jumped on House Of Yes to hear how the Ladder-era line-up sounded. After repeated listenings, I am ambivalent.

Bad news first: The production is terrible. The sound is a mid-range mire in which instruments and voices merge to create a flat, grating sonic assault that occasionally hurts the ears. Keys, Sherwood's guitar, background vocals, and even Squire's bass - where is the bottom? - get caught up in the stew, often cancel each other out, giving some songs the appearance of white noise. The only exceptions are Anderson's voice and Howe's guitar, which dominate the mix. No producer is listed, which means - to me, at least - "Produced by Yes," which also means (again, to me) that the production was overseen by Jon Anderson, possibly with the help of Steve Howe. A strong producer would certainly have made House of Yes a more pleasant listening experience. [Though the credits note that Mike Plotnikoff mixed and Biff Dawes engineered it - which doesn't negate David's comments, of course. -ed]

Now the good news: This is Yes, and the excitement of yore occasionally surfaces to remind us just how good Yes can be. Fittingly, the five tracks from The Ladder fare the best, showcasing the chemistry of the expanded line-up. The best moments come during "The Messenger"; the neo-reggae groove versus straight-ahead rock makes this one my favorite of the newer material. The classics are well-represented, with a couple of Rabin-era tracks thrown in for good measure. "Awaken" and "And You And I" are given the epic treatment, with mixed results. "Awaken" falls victim to the uneven production, as Khoroshev's masterful keys disappear into the mix during the climax. Conversely, "And You And I" is stately and powerful, propelled by Khoroshev and Squire's timing (Perfectionist pulsebeat, indeed!). "Your Move/All Good People" kicks out the jams, reminding us that progressive is rock, after all, and sets up a rollicking version of "Cinema," during which Steve Howe apparently leaves the stage! The rest is classic Yes, sure to please dedicated fans the world over. [Word was Howe felt uncomfortable playing Rabin's stuff - or it could be he just refused to - ed.]

In a nutshell, House of Yes nicely documents the group that made The Ladder, and probably will be the only official live set to include the now-departed Billy Sherwood. Definitely worth a listen, if only for the historical value. A re-mix would be nice, though....

Tracklisting:
Disc One: Yours Is No Disgrace (13:03) / Time And A Word (0:58) / Homeworld (The Ladder) (9:44) / Perpetual Change (10:48) / Lightning Strikes (5:07) / The Messenger (6:39) / Ritual - Nous Sommes Du Soliel (0:59) / And You And I (11:22)

Disc Two: It Will Be A Good Day (The River) (6:28) / Face To Face (5:32) / Awaken (17:34) / Your Move/I've Seen All Good People (7:27) / Cinema (1:57) / Owner Of A Lonely Heart (6:03) / Roundabout (7:40)

Musicians:
Jon Anderson - lead vocals
Steve Howe - lead, acoustic and steel guitar, vocals
Billy Sherwood - guitars and vocals
Chris Squire - bass and vocals
Alan White - drums, percussion and vocals
Igor Khoroshev - keyboards and vocals

Discography:
Yes (1969)
Time And A Word (1970)
The Yes Album (1971)
Fragile (1972)
Close To The Edge (1972)
Yessongs (1973)
Tales From Topographic Oceans (1974)
Relayer (1975)
Going For The One (1977)
Tormato (1978)
Yesshows (1980)
Drama (1980)
Classic Yes (1982)
90125 (1983/2004)
90125 Live - The Solos (1985)
Big Generator (1987)
Union (1989)
Yesyears (1991)
Yesstory (1991)
Highlights: The Very Best Of Yes (1993)
Talk (1994)
Keys To Ascension I (1996)
Keys To Ascension II (1997)
Open Your Eyes (1997)
Yes, Friends And Relatives (1998)
Beyond And Before: BBC Recordings 1969-1970 (1998)
Something's Coming (1998)
Friends & Relatives (1998)
The Ladder (1999)
Millennium Collection (1999)
House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues (2000)
Yes, Friends and Relatives - Volume Two (2001)
YesSymphonic (ep) (2001)
Magnification (2001)
Keystudio (ep) (2001)
3 For 1 Box Set (2001)
Original Members Of Yes (2001)
Extended Versions (2002)
Friends And Relatives: Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 (2002)
Yestoday (2002)
In A Word (2002)
Yes Remixes (2003)
Friends And Relatives: Ultimate Collection, Vol. 2 (2003)
Roundabout: Best Of Yes Live (2003)
The Yes Story Gold (2003)
The Ultimate Yes - 35th Anniverary Collection (2004)
(Re)Union (2004)
Topography: The Yes Anthology (2004)
Inside Yes 1968-1973: A Critical Review (2004)
The Word Is Live (2005)
Live And Solo: The Collection (2006)
Greatest Hits Live (2006)
An Evening Of Yes (2006)
Yesstories: Group & Solo Tales (2006)
Essentially Yes (2006)
The Definitive Rock Collection (2007)
Roundabout & Other Hits (2006)
Live At Montreux 2003 (2007)
Works (2007)
The Best Of Yes: 1970-1987 (2007)
Symphonic Live (2009)
The BBC Recordings 1969-1970 (2009)
Introducing Yes (2009)
Wonderous Stories: The Best Of Yes (2009)
Union Live (2011)
Fly From Here (2011)
In The Present - Live From Lyon (2011)
Heaven & Earth (2014)
Songs From Tsongas (2014)
Like It Is: Yes At The Bristol Hippodrome (2014)
Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two (boxset) (2015)
Like It Is: Yes At The Mesa Arts Center (2015)
Topographic Drama - Live Across America (2017)
Fly From Here - Return Trip (2018)
From A Page - Studio Tracks Plus In The Present Live From Lyon (2019) Yes50 Live (2019)

9012LIve (VHS/DVD) (1985/2005)
Greatest Hits Video (VHS/DVD) (1991/2001)
Yesyears: A Retrospective (VHS/DVD) (1991/2003)
Yes: Live - 1975 At Q.P.R. (VHS) (1993)
Live In Philadelphia 1979 (VHS/DVD) (1996/2003)
Keys To Ascension (VHS/DVD) (1997/2001/2009)
The Union Tour Live (DVD) (1999)
House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues (VHS/DVD) (2000)
The Best Of MusikLaden Live (VHS/DVD) (2000/2003)
Live In Amsterdam (VHS/DVD) (2002)
Symphonic Live (DVD+CD) (2003)
Yes: Special Edition EP (DVD) (2003)
YesSpeak (DVD) (2003)
YesAcoustic (DVD) (2004/2006)
35th Anniversary Concert: Songs From Tsongas (DVD) (2004)
YesSpeak - YesAcoustic - 35th Anniversary Edition (DVD) (2005)
Critical Review 1968-1973 (DVD) (2005)
Greatest Video Hits (DVD) (2005)
Inside Yes Plus Friends And Family (DVD) (2006)
Acoustic Live (DVD) (2006)
Total Rock Review (DVD) (2006)
Close To The Edge: Rock Milestones (DVD) (2007)
Live At Montreux (DVD/BR) (2007)
The Lost Broadcasts (DVD) (2009)
Rock Of The 70s (DVD) (2009)
Union Live (2011)
Live Hemel Hempstead Pavilion October 3rd 1971 (2014)

Genre: Symphonic Prog

Origin UK

Added: October 1st 2000
Reviewer: David Cisco

Artist website: yesworld.com
Hits: 3507
Language: english