Was Benoit David the best Yes could do?

First of all, I must say I don't really think Squire, Howe, White should stop calling themselves Yes if they have the legal rights and want to do so, as long as they don't release the album or tour saying Anderson is with them when he actually isn't, which they haven't done. Whether we like what they are doing and how they call themselves is our own problem and we have to deal with it.

     On the other hand, I too have seen Yes with Benoit (and sadly, not with Anderson), and I think they did a good job, and Benoit was OK... however, though he was a very good replacement, he is not Jon Anderson, and lacks that one special touch Anderson has, which makes a huge difference in the end; and he did look somewhat weird, like out of place in the stage with Yes (though certainly he did look like he was having a lot of fun). I'm rather interested in seing what he will do when stamping his personal touch in new songs. Still, I would rather they had looked for some other talented singer without trying to find an Anderson impersonator, because in the end the odds (and the actual result) is that he will be a dissapointment (hardly anyone will ever replace Anderson). The Haslam sugestion would have been a very nice thing to see, though I guess that's just a dream, I bet we will more likeley see Anderson back on Yes than Haslam.

     Also, about 90125, if they wanted to call it Yes that was their choice, and I'm sure commercially it was a very successful choice, first it allowed them to get some attention more easily, and then lot's of people who got to know Yes because of the new songs must have looked for their earlier albums and become a Yes fan, I'm sure more than one person here in PA got to know Yes that way, perhaps even prog in general. So keeping the name Yes for 90125 helped them to sell more of the new album, as well as to sell more of their older albums.
As for the Anderson, Wakeman, Rabin project, I'm at least as excited about it as I am about the actual Yes album (perhaps even more), and I really hope it comes to happen. If they choose to do it as a full prog album, and Wakeman decides to take a more active role in the songwriting than he usually does on Yes albums, I'm sure it could be great; many of Wakeman's albums are just about as good as the best Yes albums, and in the last decade he release 3 brilliant albums (Out there would be the best for me, and both Retro albums had some really good songs included).

     So, in the end, I just hope both Yes, and Anderson, Wakmeman, Rabin release some really great material this year. I'll have to wait to judge.

Dellinger wrote: First of all, I must say I don't really think Squire, Howe, White should stop calling themselves Yes if they have the legal rights and want to do so, as long as they don't release the album or tour saying Anderson is with them when he actually isn't, which they haven't done. Whether we like what they are doing and how they call themselves is our own problem and we have to deal with it.      On the other hand, I too have seen Yes with Benoit (and sadly, not with Anderson), and I think they did a good job, and Benoit was OK... however, though he was a very good replacement, he is not Jon Anderson, and lacks that one special touch Anderson has, which makes a huge difference in the end; and he did look somewhat weird, like out of place in the stage with Yes (though certainly he did look like he was having a lot of fun). I'm rather interested in seing what he will do when stamping his personal touch in new songs. Still, I would rather they had looked for some other talented singer without trying to find an Anderson impersonator, because in the end the odds (and the actual result) is that he will be a dissapointment (hardly anyone will ever replace Anderson). The Haslam sugestion would have been a very nice thing to see, though I guess that's just a dream, I bet we will more likeley see Anderson back on Yes than Haslam.      Also, about 90125, if they wanted to call it Yes that was their choice, and I'm sure commercially it was a very successful choice, first it allowed them to get some attention more easily, and then lot's of people who got to know Yes because of the new songs must have looked for their earlier albums and become a Yes fan, I'm sure more than one person here in PA got to know Yes that way, perhaps even prog in general. So keeping the name Yes for 90125 helped them to sell more of the new album, as well as to sell more of their older albums. As for the Anderson, Wakeman, Rabin project, I'm at least as excited about it as I am about the actual Yes album (perhaps even more), and I really hope it comes to happen. If they choose to do it as a full prog album, and Wakeman decides to take a more active role in the songwriting than he usually does on Yes albums, I'm sure it could be great; many of Wakeman's albums are just about as good as the best Yes albums, and in the last decade he release 3 brilliant albums (Out there would be the best for me, and both Retro albums had some really good songs included).      So, in the end, I just hope both Yes, and Anderson, Wakmeman, Rabin release some really great material this year. I'll have to wait to judge.