SYMPHONIC LIVE (DVD)

My copy of this DVD is an import from Hong Kong, bought over eBay. Lovely packaging and very nice and cheap, but anyone looking at buying this international edition should be aware that there are three things missing from it: 1. Any sort of bonus CD or DVD 2. The option to turn the animated bits off 3. "The Gates of Delerium"

This last point is probably the most galling for me, as I quite like the animation and I wasn't expecting a second disc at the price I paid. But even without "Gates", the DVD clocks in at a tremendous 2 hours 20 minutes, and it's 2 hours 20 minutes of the finest solid prog rock. First half is an even mix of classics and material from 'Magnification', second half tends more towards the classics, and here we have a heart-rending orchestral "And You And I", a version of "Ritual" that stretches to an indulgent half- hour, and crowd-pleasers "I've Seen All Good People" and "Roundabout". You can actually tell where "Gates" has been cut out - not visibly, it's very cleanly done and if you didn't know the track was missing you might not even notice, but it goes straight from Jon talking about peace and light overcoming war to "Mr Steve Howe!". Still, the rest of the DVD compensates.

My initial reaction as the concert footage started was mild surprise - I knew they'd look old, but wow! Jon Anderson looks and sounds completely bombed-out on drugs when he does his linking bits! Steve Howe looks like a stick figure! Chris Squire looks lived-in! Add to this the fact that, to my English eyes, Alan White looks rather like Christopher Biggins, and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. But musically, Yes deliver the goods. Keyboardist Tom Brislin only really has to fill in for Wakeman and Kaye, and he does this and more. I felt the absence of Bruford in some of the old songs, but Alan White is a good solid concert drummer, a ticking engine to drive the band. Squire prances about on stage like he's still thirty, bless him, and although Howe looks almost constantly surprised by his own performance, he doesn't falter. And no matter what he sounds like when he's addressing the audience, Anderson still sings as though a day hasn't passed since the Seventies. When "Starship Trooper" gets underway, you can almost believe it yourself. During the bit in "Ritual" where everybody drums, a split- screen effect lets us see the band members drumming in precise unison - that's when it really comes across just how well this line-up has gelled, and that they're entirely in control.

Not too sure what to make of the orchestra larking about (waving their horns, boogieing on the stage), but their playing is wonderful. I find it hard to imagine how Yes ever performed without an orchestra! Shame they couldn't squeeze in a number or two from 'Time And A Word' really, since they've got the horns there and all, but there it is. It's hard for me to decide whether to give this DVD 4 or 5 stars, but I think whoever did the sound editing didn't give us nearly enough keyboard on the first couple of tracks, so 4 stars it is. A fine way to spend an evening.