YESTERDAYS

I am missing those days when prog bands came up with wonderful short songs. It must be harder to tell a story in only 3-4 minutes, but those Wonderous Stories, Dun Ringill days were beautiful.

These Yesterdays tunes were written for a Hungarian songwriting competition, on the 200th anniversary of Petőfi Sándor, who was a famous poet.

The good news is that 3 of the 4 Petőfi songs won a big prize for the band, and there's a bonus track, a previously unreleased song which was composed in the memory of the band's keyboard player Enyedi Zsolt.

Szeretném itthagyni is like a Tears for Fears tune with Chris Squire on bass. So much going on in 3 minutes... 12/8 time signature, half tempo maddness, a fantastic guitar solo and amazing production... And it is worth mentioning: all the instruments were played by Ákos Bogáti-Bokor. Very impressive. The lead vocals of Vanessza Koch is also very beautiful.

Az éj could have been written by Lennon or by Pink Floyd. Such a beautiful ballad with dreamy vocals and a Gilmour- esque slide guitar solo.

Félálomban is a more serious song with great production... A big crescendo. The last chorus is a real ear-worm. Probably my favorite composition on this EP.

Szeptember végén is an early King Crimson inspired tune and there's a vocal intermezzo in it which the vocals are very Yes-like.

The bonus track is A Hold túloldalán. A gentle, calm ending.

I would recommend this EP to any adventurous prog fan who are not afraid of not too stereotipical, shorter songs with amazing vocals and a great production. Hats off mr. Ákos Bogáti-Bokor. Four strong stars.

Review Nº 737

As happened with many Eastern European countries, the countries in the last century that were beyond the so- called Iron Curtain, Romenia wasn't properly known to be a hot bed for the progressive rock scene. Probably the most know and best progressive rock bands that were born in Romania in the golden era of prog, the 70's, were Phoenix and Sfinx. Phoenix, that was founded in Timisoara in 1962, had an interesting career and was responsible for have written some of the best prog pages on three of the best Romanian albums ever. Sfinx, that was founded in Bucharest in 1963, had a shorter live, but the two albums of the 70's are two very good works, especially the second one. But, since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet Union, some new Romanian prog rock bands were born, among them Yesterdays.

Yesterdays is a symphonic progressive rock band that was founded in Cluj Napoca in 2000. The band plays a complex blend of several styles, basically being a classic symphonic prog band with some jazzy and folk atmospheres. As the band explains, the classical music, jazz, fusion and the traditional music are the main ingredients of their sound. The members of the band grew up listening The Beatles, Yes, Gentle Giant and Pink Floyd. They also say that the classical side of the renaissance music is essential for the usage of polyphonic vocals, besides classic composers like Debussy, Ravel, Bartók and Stravinsky. Despite Yesterdys is a Romanian band, they belong to the Hungarian minority of Western Romania. So, the lyrics are in both English and Hungarian. So, Hungarian folk music is also a very important source.

"Colours Caffé" is the second studio album of Yesterdays and that was released in 2010. The line up on "Colours Caffé" is Horváth Linda (lead vocals), Bogáti-Bokor Ákos (vocals, guitars and keyboards), Enyedi Zsolt (keyboards), Kecskeméti Gábor (flute), Kolumbán Zoltán (bass guitar) and Csergő Domokos (drums). "Colours Caffé" had also the participation of Antal Karola, Ercsey Andrea Emese, Stutz Timea and Horváth Hanna (vocals), Mohai Tamás (guitar), Mihai Sorohan (trumpet), Borlai Gergő (drums) and Kósa Dávid (percussion). All these artists are guest musicians.

"Colours Caffé" is an album that contains only strong pieces of music. The album has been rooted very strong in the progressive rock music of the 70's, in the vein of Jethro Tull, Genesis, King Crimson, Renaissance and Yes. These bands had their heydays in that decade and their music revives on "Colours Caffé". This blends of the 70's prog and fusion works very well here and is worthwhile listening to. The band really achieved something special here. Especially the magnificent keyboard and guitar parts lift this album to a high quality level. The electric guitar and synthesizer solos are performed well and are enjoyable to listen to. That also applies to the voice of Horváth Linda that sings very gently.

The opener "Játék" is a cheerful song with a nice vocal refrain and late 70's synth sounds, a hopping rhythm, a good mood and still with a dash of a true progressive atmosphere. "Forog A Tánc" is a dynamic song with catchy chorus in the style of Yes. It has nice flute melodies and the second part of the song has prog instrumental parts with a guitar solo in Holdsworth's style. "Námafilm Szvit" is a suite divided in three parts "Éjszaka", "Némafilm" and "Mélyrepülés". It's a nice twenty minutes epic that can be heard by effortlessly and where the different sections are seamlessly segued by melody rich interludes, delightful and remarkable flute passages, lots of Mellotron string sounds and the versatile beautiful vocals by Horváth Linda. "Tükör" is a good choice after the big suite, a short folk piece with acoustic guitars and nice flute parts. "Bábu" is the most fun track on the album, a jazzy piece with a retro sound. This is a Jethro Tull's inspired track, a tune with a great Moog sound and a flute extravaganza. "Flautoccata" is a mysterious wonderful short track with a synth and a flute duet plus some subtle guitar playing. "Megpihensz" is a melancholic ballad beautifully sung by Horváth Linda with colorful vocals, nice acoustic guitars and with the presence of the Mellotron. "Prelúdium Egy Esőhöz" is a short intro piece for "Zápor". It includes the trumpet of Mihai Sorohan and a crystal clear guitar work. "Zápor" closes the album in a nice way. It's one of the most accessible tracks on the album with catchy melodic lines, pretty harmonies, fine instrumentation and a beautiful vocal line. There's also a short hidden track with a delicate work.

Conclusion: "Colours Caffé" is a feel-good album par excellence. This is a little gem to be discovered with many catchy tunes. The pure joy of playing of the band that comes towards you is contagious. "Colours Caffé" is a great album with a light progressive atmosphere. The music is a good mix of pop, classical, jazz and progressive influences. It's a fine album and one that become more enjoyable with every listen. I like the use of the flute on the album because it gives the album some folksy and classical atmosphere. I also want to mention the tasteful keyboards that we can hear on the album and with Horváth Linda the band has found a good singer. I've no problem the band sings in Hungarian. The atmosphere of the music isn't affected. This is highly recommended for those who like the melodic prog rock style.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

It appears that Yesterdays is making a comeback. Beginning with their concept album "Saint-Exupéry álma" and the unfortunate loss of their keyboard player, the band has now assembled a new live line-up and is set to hit the road in 2024. In homage to their history, they have released a live CD from 2007, a performance where they shared the stage with YES founding guitarist Peter Banks.

Yesterdays' debut, "Holdfénykert," was an intimate and predominantly acoustic album released in 2006. During the tour for that album, the songs truly came to life, and this live CD is a fantastic way to showcase the band's ability to elevate their music, pushing boundaries and improvising new solos. At that time, the band was quite youthful, with most members being new to the prog scene. Only the guitarist and keyboard player were prog enthusiasts, proudly wearing their influences on their sleeves. Ákos demonstrated clear Steve Howe influences, while Zsolt's virtuoso Moog melodies paid direct tribute to Rick Wakeman. They even kicked off the concert with a few chords from YES' "Parallels."

"A Moonlit Night in Budapest" can be considered Yesterdays' Yes(terdays)songs. All the tracks gained power and energy in their live versions. As a fan of their debut album, I found these changes to be truly captivating and intriguing. One of the most fascinating parts, for me, is the crazy "MouthMoog" solo at the end of "Ne félj." Essentially, it involves a microphone plugged directly into a fuzz box with a significant amount of gain and delay, resulting in an unbelievably good sound. Such creativity is refreshing, and I look forward to similar experiments in the future.

"A Moonlit Night in Budapest" stands out as a well-produced live album, serving as a beautiful tribute to Peter Banks and Zsolt Enyedi, capturing a memorable show from 2007. Highly recommended for fans of Yesterdays, and if you appreciate symphonic prog from Hungary, this live CD is a must-listen for you!

Step by step I started discovering the music of Yesterdays, indeed, going back in time. Following their Saint-Exupéry álma CD the first album, "Holdfénykert" followed, as well as the concert version, "A Moonlit Night in Budapest", which although released this year, takes the listener back to 2007.

The MiniProg Festival was hosted by three bands: Yesterdays, Flamborough Head and Peter Banks' Harmony in Diversity. This was one of Peter Banks' last concerts... in Budapest on February 25, 2007.

The charm of Yesterdays' first album was that it was presented to the prog audience with very acoustic, intimate music, while it was delivered live with an electric version. Anyone who is familiar with the studio version is expected to have a lot of exciting surprises, not only are the songs stronger in sound, but there are also structural changes, extra speakers, strange sounds (like the guitarist's "MouthMoog" solo at the end of Ne félj, is something unheard in progressive rock).

In the concert recording we hear a young band, which is also interesting because today Yesterdays has grown into a very mature, strong band. However, it is exciting to see, to hear, where they came from, what their initial musical influences were. The influences by Yes, Genesis, Camel were felt in 2006, 2007, but there were also a lot of folk and jazz elements in their music. Now they are moving on the sophisticated music line of symphonic progressive rock, a bit like hearing Yes using a female singer :).

The highlight of the concert CD - for me - was the epic song Seven. It contained everything that is now so Yesterdays branded: virtuoso analog synthesizer solos, mellotrons, great drumming, Steve Howe-inspired guitar playing and a lot of flute melodies. And in this song's structure there are the many exciting rhythm-changes, polyrhythm, and despite the long song structure, it does not contain empty, boring parts, but immediately grabbing the attention of the listener with melodic vocals, catchy choruses, recurring themes and an ending comparable to Starship Trooper, just like the Würm part, only - of course - in 7/8, which is also indicated by the title of the song.

Fantastic concert album by a talented young band that is at the beginning of their career. I also recommend it to those who only got in touch with the music of Yesterdays' concept album from 2022.

It may have reached me a bit late, but it brought a pleasant surprise. After Solaris, East, You and I, and After Crying, Yesterdays has become my new favorite Hungarian band.

The world of concept albums has always been close to my heart. It feels great to follow a story, especially if it's as beloved as Saint-Exupéry's 'The Little Prince.'

We are dealing with music truly inspired by YES, from somewhere between the 'Fragile' and 'Close To The Edge' albums, yet Yesterdays' music feels very fresh, full of symphonic prog goodness.

'Rajzolj át' feels just like Chris Squire playing bass. Strong chorus, virtuoso solos, a captivating rhythm. The middle part seems like a lost section from 'The Gates of Delirium' all of it with distinctive female vocals. The coda at the end of the song is a real treat for early YES fans.

Once we've warmed up and tuned into the album, the second song truly takes us by surprise, 'Úgy várj majd rám' It's undoubtedly one of the album's strongest points. It has everything we love in this style and it showcases the band's fantastic songwriting skills. They don't get lost in long, dull sections; it's concise, with a dreamy middle section (reminiscent of Harmonium), and a brutally virtuoso solo series. All of this is superbly arranged and produced.

'Estekék' tells the story of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's days after an emergency landing in the desert. The dark moods are emphasized by a strict unison melody: bass guitar, electric guitar, and Moog Taurus.

The longest song on the album follows, 'Esőtánc (Rain Dance)', bringing back the golden age of progressive rock. It has it all: a symphonic intro played on the mellotron with plenty of Moog, piano runs reminiscent of Locanda Delle Fate, Renaissance music-inspired musical sections, a Gentle Giant-inspired vocal fugue, lyrical moments reminiscent of 'Heart of the Sunrise,' a Steve Howe-style acoustic intermezzo, rich background vocals (rare in today's prog music), melodic refrains, and recurring themes. From the recent prog releases, this is my favorite composition. The album's peak.

A Supertramp-inspired song with beautiful harmonies and a guitar-flute duel reminiscent of The Flower Kings follows, evoking the theme of 'Close To The Edge' in a symphonic arrangement.

'Panoptikum' is a delicate piano transition into a meaningful song, 'A Méreg' In this song, we hear the band's former keyboardist, Zsolt Enyedi, for the last time. He passed away at a young age in 2020 due to a tragic stroke. The band dedicated this album to his memory.

The song 'Engedj el' summarizes 'The Little Prince' story, focusing on letting go. Strong influences from YES and Genesis are evident here. This will undoubtedly be a wonderful concert song. If the band can perform at the level I've seen on YouTube, I'm even more excited to experience this music live.

All in all, I can welcome a new favorite into my collection. I wholeheartedly recommend this album to everyone, especially those who, like me, haven't come across Yesterdays' fourth album before. A masterpiece!

A live concert album truly shows how much a band is worth. In the studio, anything can be achieved, but the real measure is the stage performance. I was eagerly anticipating how Yesterdays' first album, 'Holdfénykert,' would sound on this CD, performed live. The studio album's intimate acoustic sound fortunately translates very excitingly in an electric version as well. Apart from the acoustic solo guitar piece, they do not use an acoustic guitar, but the Stratocaster and the 12-string guitar solve the sound with beautiful tones. I really like it!

The first song, 'Napfénykert,' (also the opening tune on the studio album) is a great little instrumental prog rock song with interesting rhythmic patterns, soaring flute, and a virtuoso guitar solo, during which the mellotron sounds wonderfully.

'Várj még' is a long-building lyrical composition with delicate female vocals, soft flute, and, at the end of the song, an energetic MiniMoog solo. In my opinion, this version sounds better than the studio original.

'So Divine' again surpasses the studio version, longer and more exciting, more dynamic. The Moog solo in the middle is crazy and fantastic at the same time!

'Végtelen' showcases Yesterdays' jazzier side, with a playful rhythm that turned out very well.

'Ne félj' is also much stronger here than the studio version was. The interesting thing about this song is that instead of a guitar solo, we hear singing through a microphone plugged into a guitar effect with a lot of distortion, resembling an analog synthesizer sound but even more interesting. I really like this solution, and I would love to see more of it live. Completely crazy!

The next two songs follow the tradition of progressive rock concerts: a guitar solo piece and a piano piece with genuine Yesterdays vibes.

'Hol vagy' is one of my favorites from the 'Holdfénykert' album; the flute sounds even more beautiful here than in the original, and the rhythm that closes the song also sounds more dynamic live.

'Valahol a térben' was the band's first success and hit in Romania and Hungary, occasionally appearing on the radio, and they even made a music video for it.

The concert album ends with 'Seven,' which is still a true Yesterdays classic. They reshaped the beginning, just like Yes did with the 'And You And I' in the 'Yessongs' version... it doesn't start acoustically but borrows chords from the song's chorus and features a lot of Moog. The effect is stunning. In the middle of the song, they brought in 'Yes's 'Time and a Word' (because Peter Banks was present...) which, of course, had to be cut from the official album release for copyright reasons, but the edit was done well, and you can hardly notice. In my opinion, this song is still one of the best Yesterdays creations to this day, a true symphonic prog gem. I always recommend this one to those who are not familiar with Yesterdays.

All in all, this is a very successful live concert album; it well documents the great musical potential that Yesterdays had from the beginning of their career. I enjoy listening to it very much, and I warmly recommend this concert album to everyone. I could also say that this is Yesterdays' 'Yesterdayssongs' album. I rate it a strong four stars.

I am a sucker for Eastern European prog. Here, I said it. I've been following Yesterdays for a few years now so I jumped on their new live CD release.

It's easy to research the background info since the band is very active on social media. The presence of Peter Banks of YES makes this live album even more special, you can even hear Peter's voice at the end. So cool.

A Moonlit Night in Budapest is a well documented live version of the band's debut album Moonlit Garden or Holdfénykert in Hungarian. Always liked this album, it has a unique acoustic atmosphere, lots of acoustic guitars, piano, mellotron, flutes and even some analog synths.

What we are witnessing here is a young band searching for their musical style and I must say, they were on the right path. This live version of their first album got them even closer to their biggest influence: YES!

I suggest starting with their very well written epic called Seven. This tune has everything a prog fan needs. A powerful symphonic prog intro with ultra virtuoso moog solos, calming flute passages, great multiple vocals, polyrhythms, great dynamics. I think this song might be one of the best Yesterdays songs ever!

Várj még is another high point of this live CD with its beautiful minimoog solo at its ending. Beautiful flute and vocal work in this one.

Hol vagy is one of the deeper cuts from the Moonlit Garden album and it really shines in this live version. Intimate, vulnerable and the ending part is beautiful... the piano's crazy rhythm, the jazzy chords, the dreamy, creamy moog melody over it before the ending vocal are stepping in. I love this song.

The to solo numbers are fantastic. Akos Bogati-Bokor is a big fan of Mr. Steve Howe. No surprise here. Zsolt Enyedi played a beautiful piano piece too. So much beauty and sadness in this one.

All in all A Moonlit Night in Budapest is a nice addition to any symphonic prog fan's collection. It plays on repeat in my car for a few days, and now I know all the words of Seven. Highly recommended!

Less than a year after the release of their highly successful concept album, Yesterdays is back, this time with a live concert recording. In a somewhat unconventional fashion, the recording was made during their inaugural tour, featuring material from their debut album, "Moonlit Garden."

Unfortunately, at the time, I was not yet familiar with the band, so this release promised to be a true treat for me, and it did not disappoint. It maintains the high-quality, audiophile sound, and comes in a beautiful digipack package that I've come to expect from them.

What makes this concert special is the presence of Peter Banks, the former guitarist of Yes, who was a special guest for the evening. He performed with his Harmony in Diversity improvisational program. The third act of the evening was Flamborough Head, who had released their Budapest concert album several years prior. Peter Banks surprised Yesterdays at the end of their performance, took the microphone, and spoke very admiringly of them. You can hear this at the end of their YES-inspired song "Seven."

I consider Yesterdays' album "Moonlit Garden" a very strong debut. They stand out as an intriguing Eastern European progressive presence, offering distinctly Hungarian-flavored atmospheres, even though they briefly sing in English on two tracks. The original album has a very acoustic sound, so it's quite interesting that the live recording features hardly any acoustic guitar; instead, a brilliant-sounding Fender Stratocaster and a double-necked guitar enhance the sound.

The beautiful vocals, along with the enchanting flute, make the instrumentation particularly special. Everything falls into place seamlessly, despite this being the fourth concert in the young career of Yesterdays.

The epic-length track "Seven" from the "Moonlit Garden" album is the true highlight of the concert, but I also have a strong fondness for the songs "Hol vagy?" and "Várj még." In comparison to the original version of "So Divine (like Cherrypie)," we get a longer version with a jazzy virtuoso minimoog solo, paying tribute to the band's late keyboardist, Zsolt Enyedi.

Following prog rock traditions, the live concert recording also includes instrumental solo pieces, such as Bogáti- Bokor Ákos's guitar virtuoso performance ("Willow") and Zsolt Enyedi's melancholic and beautiful piano solo ("Memories of Light").

I was delighted to hear the news of Yesterdays releasing this live album, and I'm pleased to see on social media that the band is actively performing again. I hope to have the chance to see Yesterdays live in concert.

I recommend this release to symphonic prog enthusiasts and those who are not deterred by jazzy elements, moods, and even folk-inspired references. A real prog-delight with 4 stars.

My journey with this Hungarian band started with their concept album and now I got my hands on their debut from 2006. Listening to debut albums is always an interesting experience for me, to see, to witness their first steps.

So I did a little research. After You and I disbanded in Budapest, one of the guitarists, Ákos Bogáti-Bokor started recording his material with the help of an indie record company called Rockszerviz. The compositions grew from heavy acoustic roots, so acoustic guitars, flutes and beautifully layered female vocals were the base of this first record. Drummer Domokos Csergő from Romanian band KUMM joined as session musician and the band was ready for the studio work.

Flutes, mellotrons, Minimoog everywhere, clear and shiny female vocals, like the blueprint for the band's style was already there in the beginning, but at first with a bit more jazzy, more folk oriented sound, although there are pretty obvious Yes influences there too.

The big song, Seven is the masterpiece of this album, it's like a Yes song with female lead vocals. I love everything about this composition: its sophisticated rhythm changes, the virtuoso Moog passages, beautiful Mellotron sounds and the fact that it's a great song, not just an overcomplicated prog tune. Highly recommended.

My two other favorites are Hol Vagy and Várj Még, both with a deep melancholy and haunting soundscapes, electric sitar, again, beautiful flutes and Mellotrons... lots of acoustic guitars, which is a perfect fit to the mood of these songs.

Another great highlight is the guitar solo piece If Ever (following the great tradition started by Yes). I haven't heard a strong acoustic solo composition of this level before, especially from a debut album elsewhere. An obvious tribute to Steve Howe. Perfection.

The Holdfénykert album has a distinctive sound to it which can be appealing to lovers of folk oriented prog fans, but of course there are quite a few symphonic prog moments that show the direction the band will go with their next albums.

All in all it's a very strong debut from a band that already had great potential. A 4 star Eastern European gem.

After falling in love with the 4th Yesterdays album Saint-Exupéry álma, I started discovering the band's discography. Their 3rd release Senki madara is a very unique take on ancient Hungarian folk songs, a nice concept building a symphonic prog album around. The Hungarian folk music heritage is one of the richest collention of traditional music in Europe, thanks to Béla BARTÓK (just to name one composer who collected thousands of these songs). Yesterdays took this idea further and built progrock compositions out of these beautiful songs.

Of course we can name their influences, there is YES, GENESIS, PINK FLOYD... but the whole album has a very well defined original sound also filled with musical surprises, the richest vocal performances, tons of flutes, fretless bass too... and all of these things are served with a well recognizable Hungarian taste.

Female voices helped by multi layered backing vocals with great composing skills all over this record. The original traditional songs have that bitter-sweet aftertaste coming from few hundred years old experiences, and the music is following this mood. There are light moments (Szivarvany Havasan), reminding us to And You And I by Yes, but there are really dark things also, like Ne Mondd El where KING CRIMSON influences are shown with a drum solo and backward guitars and heavy usage of mellotron.

Senki madara is a very strong symphonic prog album, highly recommended, especially to fans of Eastern European prog. IMHO this album can be mentioned as one of the best Hungarian prog albums. Four and a half shiny stars.