XM radio and Jon Anderson

[David Polich]

I've just recently hooked up with Jon Anderson of Yes. I went up to his place to meet with him and discuss various projects. Please, don't take this as boasting, I consider it an incredible stroke of good fortune and a privilege and honor.

Jon's very involved with XM radio, he gave me his new DVD of his solo show. I can see why. XM's philosophy is very cool and they are ACTIVELY seeking new music of all kinds. I strongly encourage getting in touch with them if you are an artist and looking for an outlet for your music.

Oh yes, BTW, Jon's a Logic guy, if you're a DP user and want to know.

[James Steele]

That's very cool, David. Do you or anyone else know what XM's current listenership is these days? Are they profitable yet I wonder?

[David Polich]

James, I haven't really checked into much about XM at all. I plan to - perhaps a Google search would turn up a lot more details...

[Jim]

BTW, Jon's a Logic guy, if you're a DP user and want to know.

Yes recorded Talk with Digital Performer. Why do you suppose he switched? Was DP forced on them by Trevor Rabin?

Good for you, David, to be able to associate with such an amazing talent.

[David Polich]

"Yes recorded Talk with Digital Performer. Why do you suppose he switched? Was DP forced on them by Trevor Rabin?"

I don't think it was Jon who engineered that recording. He isn't really a DAW guy, currently he does everything MIDI and uses hardware tone generators (racks and keyboards). I think the reason he's on Logic is that the local college kid he hired to set up his studio is a Logic user.

It was that darn kid that was responsible...

[markwayne]

Was DP forced on them by Trevor Rabin?

In a word . . . Yes. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Trevor was/is a heavyweight DP user. Rabin has said in several interviews that after the huge success of 90125, the keys to Yes were pretty much handed to him as he had done most of the writting on 90125 and, in fact, had already recorded the lead vocals on many of those tracks as he, Chris Squire, and Alan White were shopping the project as a band called Cinema before Anderson entered the picture and they changed the name back to Yes.

I have also heard and can well believe that Rabin was/is a very controlling, anal-retentive producer who polished everything to such a high gloss that Anderson never comfortable enough to fully engage in a creative way.

Wayne

[Jim]

I have also heard and can well believe that Rabin was/is a very controlling, anal-retentive producer who polished everything to such a high gloss ...

Gosh. I hope you're not insinuating that's a bad thing. I thought that Talk was an absolutely wonderful return to form for the band... more "Yes-like" than 90125, The Ladder, Big Generator, etc. Bring on the control!

[mhschmieder]

I'm guessing this connection came about via Keyfax New Media, founded by Julian Colbeck of Anderson/Wakeman/Bruford/Howe?

Congratulations in any event. I continue to find Yes' albums of new material engaging, even if not as memorable as the earlier material (excepting the aforementioned Anderson/Wakeman/Bruford/Howe albums and many of the songs on the unfairly maligned "Union").

Their live albums get more impressive each time, with continuing exploration of the music vs. the usual anal retentiveness associated with many of the more progressive bands of that era.

Ironically it was the "Tales of Topographic Oceans" tour, with Alan White just barely having had time to learn the old material, that kept me away from the rock stage for six to eight years. I saw them while a high school freshman in 1974 at Boston Garden, and it was a horrible concert with terrible sound. It scared me away from non-classical/jazz concerts until my younger sisters needed a chaperone in 1981 for punk shows... which is a whole different story and why I'm now in an 80's cover band .

Jon Anderson has always impressed me as a person of integrity and dedication to positive values (hence the name "Yes"), and even though "Topographic" (which sounded better later on with Patrick Moraz lightening things up a bit) is often cited as the pinnacle of art-rock pomposity and self-importance, I think one would be hard-pressed to find other such examples in the group's oeuvre.

Jon also did a lot of good for the environmental movement and for species protection with the unexpectedly funky and danceable "Don't Kill the Whale" (apparantly a bigger hit in the U.K. than the U.S.).

Apparantly he and/or other members of Yes now live near San Luis Obispo, at least part of the year, after having fallen in love with the area during a low-key reunion tour about a decade back?

[Jim]

I continue to find Yes' albums of new material engaging, even if not as memorable as the earlier material

Magnification was a wonderful release. It sounded to me a lot like music from the Close to the Edge or Tormato period, with the exception of the last cut, which sounded to me like it didn't belong with the rest of the album, but sounded a bit like a Beatles tune.

Their live performances are incredible also, as the band ages. I have Acoustic Yes and Yes at the House of Blues, and they are both marvelous DVDs. I saw them live on the Magnification tour with Rick Wakeman, and it was the best show I'd seen in years.