TWO SIDES OF YES

Rick Wakeman's Two Sides of Yes does exactly what it says on the tin: it offers Rick giving an instrumental runthrough of a bunch of classic Yes songs. The exercise is charming in execution but ultimately rather pointless: these stripped-down renditions don't really add an interesting new aesthetic perspective to the songs, they just sound like rehearsals for proper full-band performances. Those who are already Yes fans will find themselves craving the original songs so much that the CD will be out of their player and on will go a favourite classic- era Yes album before you can say "A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace". Those who are not already Yes fans will find the original renditions of these songs far richer and more interesting than these castrated versions.