Yes: Heaven & Earth (2014)
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=123635
Printed Date: April 27 2024 at 10:52
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Topic: Yes: Heaven & Earth (2014)
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Subject: Yes: Heaven & Earth (2014)
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 05:02
HEAVEN & EARTH: THE YES ALBUM to end all YES albums. HEAVEN & EARTH is the 21st YES studio album (if you don't include the ANDERSON BRUFORD WAKEMAN HOWE album) and is quite possibly the final YES album, after bassist Chris Squire gained the KEYS TO ASCENSION and sadly ascended THE LADDER to prog heaven back in 2015. There is now an asteroid in the heavens officially named 90125 in honour of Chris Squire's memory. The final HEAVEN & EARTH album has been the BIG GENERATOR of almost as much TALK and controversy over the years as the now legendary TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS album. In the constant RELAYER race of YES line-ups, HEAVEN & EARTH was the only album to feature Jon Davison on vocals, with a not dissimilar name and voice to Jon Anderson. The regular YES line-up for this album consisted of a re-UNION of Chris Squire on bass, Steve Howe on guitar, Geoff Downes on keyboards and Alan White on drums. The recording of HEAVEN & EARTH was relatively trouble-free without the DRAMA surrounding earlier YES album recording sessions where FRAGILE egos were at stake and a MAGNIFICATION of tensions were often CLOSE TO THE EDGE of boiling over. Although HEAVEN & EARTH might be regarded as something of a rotten TORMATO by a small minority of die-hard YES fans, TIME & A WORD has it that the album is really rather good if you OPEN YOUR EYES and ears and actually listen to it. HEAVEN & EARTH may not have been aimed at GOING FOR THE ONE spot at the top of the charts, but it still managed to reach No. 20 in the U.K albums chart. There are eight YESSONGS featured on the HEAVEN & EARTH album and I'll post the full album and individual song videos below before I FLY FROM HERE.  All album titles in BLOCK CAPITAL highlights by YES  |
Replies:
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 07:52
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YES: Heaven & Earth - Side One 1. Believe Again 2. The Game 3. Step Beyond 4. To Ascend |
Posted By: AEProgman
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 07:56
I know it has been not the most well received Yes album, but it is a nice, mild, feel good album for when you are in that mood. I'm ok with it....sometimes 
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 08:02
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YES: Heaven & Earth - Side Two 5. In a World of Our Own 6. Light of the Ages 7. It Was All We Knew 8. Subway Walls |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 08:12
I listened to Heaven & Earth for the very first time today, and it's a good solid
 album for me, even by the high standards of Yes. It's also a very good album highpoint for Yes to end their long career on, and a fitting tribute to Chris Squire who's now up there somewhere in prog heaven with his Swiss Choir of angels.  |
AEProgman wrote:Posted By: Chaser
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 08:20
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The best thing about it is the cover art (one of Roger Dean's best) Not so sure about the music. It left me very underwhelmed. ------------- Songs cast a light on you |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 08:31
Heaven & Earth is definitely a better album for me than Tormato or Big Generator, and I even find it to be a lot more listenable than the classic Relayer album.
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Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 08:54
Heaven and Earth? Well according to the fan reception that album belongs in neither of those places ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 09:10
| This is the only Yes studio album I've never bought and never heard. I've heard a track here and there but not the whole thing. Maybe I'll get it eventually but it's not a high priority(especially since it has such a lukewarm reputation). |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 10:01
I'm hoping to improve Heaven & Earth's lukewarm reputation amongst Yes fans by posting this thread.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 10:04
Well, I'm a Yes fan and the album's received a good reception from me, especially bearing in mind I'd never heard the Heaven & Earth album before today.
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Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 10:50
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Oh, oh... Well, considering what I've said elsewhere, you know where I'm going... Yes, together with King Crimson, is my most preferred band, until and including Magnification and the subsequent tour. Beyond that, I think Yes has become a Yes-tribute band. Their "original" studio outings these last 10 years sound very bleak in my ears and not original at all. This includes Heaven and Earth. It just doesn't touch me. ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: FloydianPinkRose
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 10:52
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Psychedelic Paul, you've really outdone yourself, Weaving a tale about Heaven and Earth, Yes's 21st studio album. Chris Squire may be in Prog heaven, but the band Yes will live forever in the memory of its fans. Of which I am one. The three songs I like best, are number 5, World of Our Own, number 8, Subway Walls, and number 6, Light of the Ages. When I watch the videos Psychedelic Paul posted here, these were the thoughts I had when I watch them, using some of the lyrics from the songs. My using the lyrics in this way, is a mini tribute to Psychedelic Paul, and the way he uses album titles to weave a story about bands we all know and love. World of our Own is A NEW REVOLUTION in music. Bands today are under SO MUCH PRESSURE to come up with music that everyone loves. But the beautiful melody from World of our Own, creates a CRAZY WHIRLWIND of musical Joy in my ears. And when the music video is over I was HEADED FOR HEARTBREAK. But then I was listening to Subway Walls. And seeing all that colorful graffiti, I knew this beautiful song and the enjoyment I was feeling listening to it was ALL A STATE OF MIND. And the band members from Yes, HOLD THE SECRET OF IT ALL when they wrote this song. The next song I listened to was Light of the Ages. A FAITHFUL POST-STAR to Prog Rock. When it said that SORROWS A DREAM, it was A BEACON SHINING into my heart. Because it IGNITES THE PATHWAY FOR US, to all the other wonderful songs from Yes. I WILL FOLLOW THE ALL KNOWING Prog Archives, because it holds the POWER TO TRANSCEND our listening experience, even though TRIALS ABOUND, we can HEED THE PRIMAL SOUND A Prog Rock. (Parts of lyrics from the songs mentioned in block caps). Thank you Psychedelic Paul for enlightening us about music and giving us wonderful magically worded reviews about great prog albums. Your number one fan, FloydianPinkRose.  
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Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 13:20
| Some time gone when I have listened this...anyway first album after Big Generator I listened right after it´s release (I even tried to order the first color vinyl version, but Finnish record shop didn´t have it). I think this is their weakest album after Union, but anyway as every Yes album, I like this one too. |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 13:49
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Very well done introduction as usual! Bravo!
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 14:42
Wow! Thank You My Dear. You're so kind. You're as sweet as a Fragile Pink Rose and your warm heart is a Big Generator of love and affection. Heaven & Earth came together in glorious UNION on the day I met you. Your Yessongs lyrics tribute has outshone my Yes albums tribute and ascended The Ladder to gain the Keys to Ascension. You've weaved a Drama tale even more elaborate than the Tales from Topographic Oceans, and I'm not sure whether I could even come Close to the Edge of bettering it before I Fly from Here tonight. I promise I'll Talk later with you around 90125 while I'm eating my cheese and Tormato pizza for supper.
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Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 14:45
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 14:50
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I definitely enjoy Heaven and Earth a lot more than expected. Sure, it doesn’t take off into the cosmos like ‘classic’ Yes, but it doesn’t need to. I like it more than many Yes albums post-Drama, in fact, this one, Magnification and Fly From Here (and the Keys volumes) are my favourites since Drama. I pre-ordered the dbl Aqua blue vinyl and waited with great anticipation for its release / arrival. From the very first listen, I was not disappointed at all. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 15:23
Sorry, you won’t. It excels itself in utter mediocrity. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 15:42
Oh well, I can't win them all.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 15:45
Well, I'm familiar with the Heaven & Earth album now, having listened to it once already.
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Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 15:46
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I think the issue is that Yes is somehow incapable of realizing who their audience is and who they should be trying to appeal to. They just sound really lightweight, poppy and lack any energy or grit, live and in studio. You got Alan white drumming like hes playing along to a metronome, these overly bright and cheesy synth leads from Geoff Downes, Steve Howe (who criticized the album himself) playing all sloppy and probably yelling at someone in the crowd for having their phone out, and then poor Jon Davison who really gets the brunt of the criticism even though he sounds like hes trying much harder than everyone else. Yes fans don't listen to yes to hear this dated bright steady pop music, they wanna hear something out there that's gonna take them to another planet. It may not be the worst thing ever, but its exactly what you'd expect from this shallow imitation that the current incarnation of Yes is, passionless. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 15:55
Thanks! It's always a fun challenge writing these song and album titles tribute threads. It's like putting an open-ended jigsaw together where there's a million and one different ways to "solve it". It's a case of how many times can I use the same group of Yes album titles to tell a different story.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 16:02
That's an interesting point of view. If we all liked the Heaven & Earth album then there wouldn't be much for us to talk about.
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Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 16:46
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Very disappointed when I bought it on release day. Lacked substance and whilst a few tracks are not too bad, several of the others are dire. Left it alone for a while and then returned to it a few months ago in the hope my high expectations affected my judgement unduly and it was actually okay. Wrong..... it really is poor. Such a shame it seems likely to be their last new studio release (as it was Squire's unfortunately) unless Howe and the crew have one last attempt to leave on a high! ------------- “Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.” |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 17:05
My thumbs up for Heaven & Earth appears to be outnumbered by a general thumbs down at the moment. The album had me hooked right from the first listen today, although it doesn't quite reach the heights of The Ladder album for me.
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 21:51
Well after 620 ratings it ended up at 2.34....what did you expect? I only own their LP's up to and including Drama. If you take the best tracks from the next 11 albums you'd end up with a decent LP but still not as good as the earlier ones. People must buy these later albums from once great prog bands to be 'completists'. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 23:12
The Ladder album is on the top rung of The Ladder for me when it comes to Yes albums and The Yes Albums from the classic era don't even come Close to the Edge of bettering it in my view, and you know I've never been one to be swayed by the PA ratings of other members when it comes to handing out my own album ratings. Heaven & Earth is a good solid 4-star album for me, even though it only has a lowly PA rating of 2.34.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 23:44
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It's a real shame that there has been such an unnecessary backlash against this album. Personally I like it a lot more than the dreadfully dull Fly From Here , the only remotely recent studio album that it can be compared to. Everything else is nearly 10 years earlier. Quite obviously Jon Davison had to carry the weight of writing pretty much all of it because Squire and Howe were totally clapped out at this point. Admittedly though its not as good as the Jon Davison trilogy in Glass Hammer (If, Cor Cordium and Perilous) . Perhaps it would have been best if he had stayed put rather than trying to resurrect a band that was half way to the grave anyway.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 00:13
It's good to know I'm not the only one here who likes the Heaven & Earth album.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 02:03
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It's okay, but no way is it a four star album nor is it better than Tormato or BG. It might be better than Open Your Eyes but that's about it. Having said that, I might give it a spin later.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 02:12
Well, Heaven & Earth is easily a 4-star album for me, and life would soon get incredibly dull and boring here if we all agreed on everything. This was originally planned to be a Big Generator album tribute thread, until I realised Heaven & Earth was a much better album and decided to feature it instead.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 03:04
Sure, you obviously prefer the "poppier" (for want of a better word) side of Yes judging by your liking of The Ladder and H&E which is fine with me but I suspect you'll be in a minority and H&E would feature near the bottom of most polls on Yes albums.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 03:15
Yes, I think you're right, because I really like the "poppier" sound of the 90125 album too. Maybe I'll put together a Top 7 Yes albums poll, even though I know the Heaven & Earth album won't even be Close to the Edge of making it into the overall Top 7.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 03:31
| Glass Hammer does whip Heaven and Earth, but I still enjoy it. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 03:37
Underwhelmed is how I felt. too. And I did not even expect much from this line-up. 4 stars means essential and H&E is so far from being essential Yes listening for me. Someone mentioned Big Generator. At least BG was entertaining which H&E never was for me. It lacks any kind of oomph, got no punch whatsoever (if I may say so).
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 05:17
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^ Yes, I was that someone who mentioned Big Generator.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 07:50
I think Alan White has health issues but the drumming on H&E is really basic, there are hardly any fills.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 08:02
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Light of the Ages and Subway Walls are quality Yes, no matter what. To Ascend is the ‘lesser’ track for me. And sorry Paul, but Heaven and Earth is above The Ladder for me. Not much talk about Talk either. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 08:20
Yes, naturally you'd ascend The Ladder between Heaven & Earth to gain the Keys to Ascension, so no need to apologise. I haven't listened to the Talk album yet, but I'll Talk about it when I've listened to it.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 08:27
I like Talk, "I Am Waiting" is the best Rabin-era song imo. Blows H&E out of the water.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 08:31
In that case, I'll make the Talk album my next featured Yes album.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 09:55
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Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 10:29
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I HATE "Believe Again". I've thankfully forgotten how any of the other songs sounded as I haven't heard the album since the time of its release and really don't want to refresh my memory; I only remember it being painfully mediocre and seeming twice as long as it actually is (and not in a good way). |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 10:51
The final Yes album moved Heaven & Earth for me, but then again, I'm easily pleased.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 15:03
| Heaven and Earth may not be looked favourably upon by the masses, but I find this album brings a bit of balance into my life. Heck, I expected more from Yes, the Dean artwork suggested something really special, but taken for what it is (a plodding slow-paced sap-fest) I enjoy it regardless. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 15:36
The Heaven & Earth album IS something special for me, and I liked it even more when I listened to the album for only the second time today. I would rank Heaven & Earth as my eighth favourite Yes album, just behind Tales from Topographic Oceans, and just in front of 90125. I really liked the sound of Jon Davison's voice too on the Heaven & Earth album. I think it's fair to say that Yes have left us with a far worthier final album to remember them by than Genesis did with Calling All Stations.
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 01 2020 at 23:22
| I wasn't really able to get into it. It just sounds uninspired, and whenever the songs may seem to start somewhat promising, when the vocals come in they drag the song down. I never liked the idea of the Fly from Here return trip thing, nor did I particularly enjoy what I heard of that one compared to the original... but if Trevor Horn were to give Heaven and Earth the same treatment I do believe he could improve it a fair bit (of course, he wouldn't have a reason to do so, since he had nothing to do with these songs to begin with). |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 01 2020 at 23:25
I actually found Fly from Here much better than this one, and I liked Benoit's singing much better too. Though mostly what I liked from that album were songs actually written 20 years earliear. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 02 2020 at 00:44
| Fly From Here should never have been tampered with. The original is fine as it is. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 17:00
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I listened to Union yesterday and it is a stronger album than Heaven and Earth. But I’ll be there to testify, Saving My Heart is absolute rubbish, one of the worst songs in my collection. Like Nickelback bad 
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 17:05
Still better than anything Nickelback ever did. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 15 2020 at 18:25
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 25 2020 at 14:23
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YES - Heaven & Earth interviews |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 03:01
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^ Thanks for posting this - never knew it existed. It is something new and different, I agree with their sentiments. Of course the band will talk up their latest work, and we need to remember that they aren’t 20-something year olds, their getting on, and what they have given us is a perfectly fine album. No Relayer, but still distinctively Yes, and peff to the naysayers, it is a rather special album to me. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 03:12
I actually prefer the Heaven & Earth album to the Relayer album and the album is a final fitting tribute to Chris Squire and Yes - a band that's now been around six times longer than the Beatles.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 03:20
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^ No, sorry, Relayer is better by light years, doesn’t mean Heaven and Earth is bad by any stretch, but different. And Squire still had it. Great bass, as always. Paul, you need to listen to Squackett ‘A Life within a Day’. Really good album there. Squire and Hackett. We are very lucky projects like this existed. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 03:21
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 03:31
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^ Yes, it's true. Unbelievable as it may seem, Heaven & Earth and Relayer are both 4-stars albums for me, but Heaven & Earth is the album I'd much rather choose to listen to anytime. Relayer isn't even listed in my Top 10 Yes albums, but Heaven & Earth is #8.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 03:32
I posted the Squackett album on my Chris Squire tribute thread, and you're right, it's a really good album.
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Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 03:35
Cheers, Steve! ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 05:56
Well, my one-man crusade to improve its status shall remain, a one-man crusade. Oh, make that two-man crusade coz Paul is with me on this.......You are, aren’t you ?? |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 05:57
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^ Of course I am. Heaven & Earth is my #8 Yes album, way above Relayer, which currently resides at #12. This is my current Top 10 line-up of Yes albums:-1. The Ladder 2. Talk 3. Going for the One 4. Close to the Edge 5. The Yes Album 6. Fly from Here 7. Magnification 8. Heaven & Earth 9. Tales from Topographic Oceans 10. 90125
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:00
One of the most ridiculous lists I've ever seen around here. There, I said it.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:02
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^ You have the right to respectfully disagree, and I'm sure I would find your Yes Top 10 to be equally "ridiculous" too.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:04
Please have a look at it and tell me what's ridiculous about it. here it is, I posted this in your Yes top 7 thread The Yes Album
self-titled debut Time & a Word TFTO Close to the Edge Drama 90125 |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:09
That looks like a perfectly sensible list to me, and not ridiculous at all.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:13
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^ Both lists are personal choices, and both look fine to me. And remember, regarding The Doors - I rate Other Voices very highly. Yet I’ve never met anyone, not a soul, who rates post-Jim Doors with anything but scorn. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:16
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When I think of you two I often think of The Odd Couple (or an old married couple who often bicker). It's actually quite endearing in a way. To each his or her own tastes. "In matters of taste, there can be no disputes".
I have noticed that people say things like "You have the right to respectfully disagree" but I don't hear people saying "You have the right to disrespectfully agree." I'm sure it's been said, I just haven't heard anyone but myself say it. I've also heard "You have the right to be wrong" but not "You have the wrong to be right" or "You have the right to be left and the left to be right." ------------- Just a fanboy passin' through. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:18
I like Full Circle, I listened to it more than Other Voices. No scorn. I even find two albums with Morrison rather weak, but still listenable - The Soft Parade and Waiting for the Sun. Story goes, for both albums, material the band came with was rejected. The famous example is Celebration of the Lizard, which, ironically, was a crowd favorite when played live.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:21
I wouldn't say I regard The Doors Other Voices album with scorn, but when I watched the 1972 Beat Club performance last night to support the album, I fell asleep.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:24
Oh, and yet another (non) victory to me for derailing the Yes thread 
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:26
Cristi & I are indeed an odd couple, and you've made me wonder now if it's really possible to disrespectfully *agree* with someone.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:32
you brought up the Doors all Doors albums are listenable, some are just more interesting than others. Some of the rejected songs from the albums mentioned above were released posthumously. Other rejected ideas ended up on An American Prayer. Some were played live. Some were released as bonus tracks on remastered versions. For Example Who Scared You which was supposed to be on The Soft parade. Superb song IMO.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:36
It's clearly ridiculous to rank the debut above TFTO and CTTE.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:37
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^ Maybe we should talk about Yes on The Doors tribute thread to balance things out.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:37
at least I'm not ranking albums from the 90s ahead of albums from the 70s.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:44
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If you wonder why I like Heaven & Earth much more than the classic Relayer album, I just find Heaven & Earth to be more melodic and easy to listen to than Relayer.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:46
is that it? I've heard cheesy AOR more interesting than H&E.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:55
Well, that's "Your Prerogative", and you'll be relieved to see I haven't posted the Britney Spears video again.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 06:57
Do you want me to write a 1000 word essay on why I love the Heaven & Earth album?
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 07:02
that's your argument? BTW, I don't find Relayer to be a difficult listen.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 07:04
No thanks. There's only way to settle this - FIGHT!!! Seriously, Relayer is probably Yes' most challenging album, particularly Soundchaser. Paul obviously prefers the "poppier" side of Yes as evidenced on The Ladder, Fly From Here and HaE. That's perfectly fine but he's always going to be in a minority as far as Yes albums are concerned. I suspect in a poll of Yes fans, HaE is going to be battling with Open Your Eyes for the wooden spoon. Personally I don't dislike HaE, I just find it uninspired and lifeless compared to the 70s classics. Each to his own.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 07:08
You still have not done it with one sentence.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 07:16
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Chopper has summed up my thoughts on Yes perfectly:- Relayer for me is challenging and difficult to listen to, whereas Heaven & Earth is "poppier" and much more approachable and easy to listen to. I'm sorry it's not a 1000 word dissertation on the subject, but that sums up my thoughts on the two opposing Yes albums in a nutshell.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 07:40
he also said the album is "uninspired and lifeless". You forgot about that...
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 07:46
Yes, Chopper said "I just find it uninspired and lifeless" which is his own personal view of Heaven & Earth, which is fair enough, but I have a different view.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 07:48
you twisted his words as to make his comments positive. Not cool, man, not cool.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 08:29
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^ That makes no sense whatsoever. I haven't "twisted" Chopper's words at all because I copied and pasted them straight from his text.
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 08:36
No he didn't really, I was trying to explain why Paul prefers HaE to Relayer and he has quoted that. Now it so happens that my opinion differs and I think it's kind of a shame that he prefers the insipid HaE to the wondrousness of Relayer but it's his opinion and I respect that.It might be better if you did the same so you two can stop arguing.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 08:43
He sometimes brings out the worst of me He picks on me, I pick on him, sometimes I just can't help it. (Especially when he says recent albums from Yes are better than classic Yes.)
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 08:55
Well I'm with you on the classic Yes but we can't all like the same thing.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 09:00
^ I'm not picking on you at all. I don't know why you can't just accept that I prefer most of the recent albums by Yes to the classic Relayer album?  As Chopper says, we all have our own differing opinions when It comes to the multifaceted world of prog. I generally find people who agree with me to be very agreeable, but ironically, I also find people who disagree with me to be very agreeable too, and that includes you. I don't know whether you've noticed, but I always thank you for your posts every time, even when you disagree with me, which is most of the time.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 09:06
Its not that I don't accept your opinion, but it feels like you're trying to impose your point of view on me, you said it yourself you want to change people's opinion on new Yes.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 26 2020 at 09:12
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^ It's not about trying to impose a point of view. The whole point of an album tribute thread like this one is to share a favourite album with other PA members and hope that they'll like the album too, but if they don't like the album, then that's okay too.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: August 27 2020 at 00:41
| Yes were heavily influenced by the fusion scene when they made Relayer and the reason that Wakeman jumped ship was that he wasn't into it. For me Gates Of Delirium is in the top 3 prog tracks of all time along with Suppers Ready and Karn Evil 9. The problem for me is Sound Chaser . I just find this boring while To Be Over is just very uninspired . GoD still puts it in my top 5 Yes albums. H&E is okay but then as I said before I have a lot of respect for Jon Davison and it took Glass Hammer a long time to get over his departure (which they have finally done with their brilliant latest album) . I would still have Davison in any current Yes line up because he can write good stuff. Check out If and Cor Cordium for great examples. He is capable of bringing creativity and ideas to Yes. |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: August 29 2020 at 01:15
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Man, if only this current version of Yes could aspire to write material half as good as Glass Hammer, then it would be worth it. Perilous, baby !! What Yes should sound like. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: August 29 2020 at 17:30
I could actually do without Relayer, because I don't really like Sound Chaser nor To Be Over either, and even though Gates of Delirium is indeed one of the best songs I can think of, I much prefer the live version on Symphonic Live... the band really blends beautifully with the orchestra, and they both really complement each other, unlike some other orchestrated songs that just sound like the band on one side and the orchestra on the other. Sound Chaser actually sounds better of the live versions I have heard, but I still can't get past those cha cha cha's. And To Be Over is one of the most frustrating songs I can think of, because the main melody is actually a really wonderful and special one, but the way they brought about the song just didn't work for me... too long, I think, and perhaps Moraz's keyboards weren't the best to bring that melody to life... I much prefer the instrumental acoustic versions Howe has played... I actually really wish they had played this one with the whole band on the acoustic sets they did in the 00's. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: August 31 2020 at 01:05
yep that Symphonic version with the orchestra is brilliant , probably one of my favourite DVD's. The version on YESSHOWS is also really good.
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Posted By: gudbuytjane
Date Posted: August 31 2020 at 11:13
| Although I've made a project of giving the Benoit and Jon D. years another listen, on their own merits, I'm not a fan of HaE (or either flavour of Fly From Here, either). |