HOUSE OF YES: LIVE FROM HOUSE OF BLUES

Yes have released many live albums during their times, some of them regarded as the highest live achievements by progressive bands such as the incredibly acclaimed Yesshows. This is not Yesshows, but it still makes for a satisfying package. This particular live album was released in 2000 after the release of their 1999 album The Ladder which met with both praise and criticism. This show, as the name would suggest, took place in The House Of Blues, a good venue and somewhat of a ''go to'' place as is, say, Montreux, and Yes even pays tribute to it at the tail end of the concert by throwing out a house of Blues jam.

The track listing here is pretty good. We have a mix of tunes throughout Yes's career including classics like (a 13 minute version of) Yours Is No Disgrace, Perpetual Change, And You And I, I've Seen All Good People, the obligatory Roundabout and the excellently performed (full version of) Awaken. There's also a couple of tunes for the people more in touch with the Rabin era of the band including and extended version of the hit single Owner Of A Lonely Heart and the superb instrumental (even if you don't like 90125 this can't be denied) Cinema. There's also very short snippets of some of the band's more controversial (although in the prog community, cherished works like Time And A Word and Ritual. Other than that a large portion of the double disc is taken care of by material from The Ladder which is actually a nice addition considering the time of release of the album. What is a shame is that a lot of Yes's better material from their later career has been overlooked. There's no sign of material from the studio tracks of either Keys To Ascension album, nor any of the better material from the Talk album.

Still, what's presented is done in a great way. The band still clearly knows what they're doing as they shred through the songs and extend them sometimes by several minutes. Jon sometimes stops for a moment to talk to the audience to explain the inspiration of a piece or simply thanks everyone for being there. It's actually quite nice to hear the front man talking to the audience since it's something a lot of bands don't always do.

All in all a very good live album that's simply one of the man to pick from when it comes to Yes. Fans will want to make sure they have this album and anyone who doesn't love the band already could probably miss out on this one since it won't turn them into believers. 3.5 stars! A very good live offering from a very good live band - but if you're looking for the essential Yes albums, this isn't one of them. Other live albums from the band closer to their classic period capture the band better than this one, but this one is quite worth the time and won't let down.

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