KEYS TO ASCENSION (DVD)

Yes's 'Keys to Ascension' period yielded this video release in addition to the two live and studio albums. The setting is a small theatre in California, perfectly intimate for a great recording of some classic songs. However, the cameramen rarely get particularly close to the band, the mixing has a lot to be desired (quiet drums = seemingly lazy performance!), and the post-production is some of the most annoying I have ever witnessed. Trivial video footage of trees, rivers and planets are superimposed over the band in some attempt to visualise Jon Anderson's lyrics, resulting in a blurry mess where the stage becomes difficult to find. And I've seen better close-ups of musicians on bootlegs...

Having said that, the music itself is great. All five Yesmen are playing well and adding colour to some songs that haven't been visited in a while. 'The Revealing Science of God' comes across particularly healthily, and the version of 'Starship Trooper' on this dvd is one of the best I have seen. It's therefore a great shame that this release is of such poor production quality. This is preventing me from wanting to play the dvd often, because more recent ones look and sound so much better.

This is non-essential for sure, but if it comes as a part of a 'Keys to Ascension' mega-package (as mine did), then there's no harming in having a look.

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