My first BD Concert - Yes - Live at Montreaux

Ron Temple

For Xmas my kid bought me a couple of BDs. I put the concert in last night and let her rip...first at reasonably loud volume, but as I got into it, I really cranked it .

This is the first concert BD I've tried and I did switch back and forth from standard DTS to lossless DTS MA and there's quite a difference. It's a 5.1 recording, but the surrounds are primarily used for crowd noise and depth. PQ was excellent, the camera work and angles good. It was a packed smaller venue in 2003. I wish they had pulled back more often for the front on full band view as you would see it live, but that's a minor complaint.

SQ...well Yes has featured virtuoso musicianship since picking up Steve Howe in 1970, then adding Rick Wakeman in 71. They've always put on one of the best sounding concerts ever. This was no different, but it's the best recording of them I've ever heard...better than Symphonic Live, from 2001 without Wakeman, but with a symphony orchestra. As a young man, I used to partake in various chemical experiments and go to their shows...always a life changing experience (for a few hours). Later in life I found them a tad pretentious, especially after Wakeman left and as time went on lost touch with them. The music for this show was right up my alley and hit me right in the nostalgia button. The entire Fragile album, half of Close to the Edge (SK + AYaI), a couple of Magnification tracks, Awaken (this one is perhaps, more than any other song seems closest to blowing a hole in reality...it totally kicks ****), and the solos. Amazing musicianship...up close and personal for over 2 hours.

You can tell I liked it.

The boys even 5 years ago are showing their age. John Anderson with a blonde die job probably looks the best, followed by Alan White. Squire and Wakeman are ok from a distance...oh well they are all over 60.

If you've got a BD player and like Yes...get this one.

edit: Correction the disk features LPCM, DD, DTS HD. I switched between DTS HD 1.5kps kernel through digital and LPCM via analog. The lossless LCPM was what I was referring to.

dkg999

I've been a Yes, and Rick Wakeman fan for a long time. I'll keep an eye out for this BD!

comfortablycurt

I actually just started getting into Yes recently. I picked up "The Best of Yes" and "Tales from Topographic Oceans". Both of them are pretty good albums. Any standout albums I should be checking out? I'll have to keep my eye out for that DVD too.

I could see them mixing quite well with those chemical experiments you spoke of too :cool:

Fongolio

The first Yes album I ever heard was Fragile and since then I've been hooked. I've got almost all their stuff on LP with a couple of newer omissions. I have a DVD-Audio of Magnification and that is probably my least favorite. I even like the 80's stuff like Big Generator and 90215. Union and Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe were two more recent (late 80' early 90's) fav's. I've spent some pretty good coin collecting their vinyl this last year. Never got to see them live though. I'll have to pick up the Blu-ray.

Ron Temple

If you're going to see them now...do it from a distance. When they were young and at their peak creatively they were a visual feast, good looking band, great visuals...they were something else. Their musical ability is unquestionably superb with any release, but the evolution/revolution started with the Yes Album and continued through Fragile and Close to the Edge. Tales was ok, but I can't listen to that one anymore...full of great music, but it's in four movements each 25-30 mins. long...written at a time when they'd made it and their egos were as large as their audience. Going for the One, was a reunion with Rick Wakeman again and features the song Awaken, the most awe inspiring tune they ever wrote. There is some good stuff that came later, but for me the Fragile/CTTE years were the best prog/rock they ever came up with.

Fongolio

I may be the only Yes fan alive that will openly admit that I actually like Tormato.

Bass_Pedal

Nice, I just found this thread. Another big Yes fan. I must admit, I also enjoy Tormato, being a bass player myself how could you not enjoy all the harmonized bass stuff Chris was doing on that album. Not every track is my cup of tea, but do listen to the album all the way through. Arriving UFO is pretty awesome!

Ron Temple

Tormato was the album that changed my attitude about Yes . Since it was Yes, I wore the grooves out on the vinyl until I realized I didn't like it much. I've never wanted to revisit. The BD does include "Don't Kill the Whale" and it sounded good after 25 years. I also have the DVD A of Magnification, which I like very much.