YESYEARS (DVD)

The time of the Union tour, when the Yes line-up of the 80's featuring Chris Squire, Alan White, Tony Kaye, and Trevor Rabin joined forces with Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, and Steve Howe (who had just made an album together that was a Yes album in all but name), was the pefect time to look back and document the history of the band so far. Having all those people under the same roof at the same time provided the makers of this documentary ("rockumenary") with the optimal conditions to create this film.

Covering the history of the band from the beginning in 1968, through the 70's and 80's, and up to the Union tour in the early 90's when the film was made, this film is interesting, well-made, and provides a valuable insight into the evolution of the band. There are no detailed analyses of each album, tour, single, etc. but the important line-up changes and transformations of the band up to that point are documented, for example when Steve Howe replaced Peter Banks, when Rick Wakeman replaced Tony Kaye, when Alan White replaced Bill Bruford, when Kaye returned and Trevor Rabin joined. Lots of interesting footage is shown throughout.

Unlike many other band documentaries I've seen this one bears multiple viewings and I've watched it several times. It is hard to rate a release like this one as it is after all a documentary film and as such is impossible to compare to music albums and live concert films and the like. On the one hand, taken for what it is, it is an excellent documentary an as such deserves a high rating. But on the other hand it is a documentary and as such may be of interest only for fans of the band. Given this I think three stars is an appropriate rating.

A four CD box set of the same name was released at the time and these two releases belong together. Indeed, this film could easily have been included in the box set Yesyears.

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