Need an recommendation on Yes DVDs (and Laserdiscs too)

[Demolition Man]

Right now I own the following Yes DVDs:

Live at Montreux (HD-DVD)
Acoustic Live
Live At Philadelphia 79 (which is crap)
Greatest Video Hits (just got, still haven't watched)

I see there are a TON of Yes DVDs out there. I plan on getting "Classic Artists" real soon but besides that which ones should I get to make my Yes DVD collection a bit more complete.

And while at it... which ones are worth seeking out on Laserdisc? I got a feeling that the Philadelphia 79 one is better on Laserdisc since it might be in its intended screen format and with at least the audio in stereo instead of what sounds to me is a bad machine processed 5.1 mix.

Thanks guys... and gals.

[bhazen]

My fave Yes DVD is Symphonic Live, done (as one might expect) with an orchestra. This one is sans big-name keyboard player, so the orchestra fills in somewhat for missing elements like Mellotron (isn't that ironic!) The set list is great, a nice cross-section of the bands' career represented including some challenging stuff like "The Gates Of Delerium" and material from the underrated Magnification album.

[Feisal K]

I have that Symphonic YES :D great sound and picture

[yesstiles]

The must-have's are:

Yessongs
Live at Q.P.R.
Symphonic Yes

Also good are:

Songs from Tsongas
Montreaux Live

[jahndhi]

another nod to Symphonic Yes

[privit1]

No nods for Fragile on DVD-A ?

[Frumious B]

Must have:

Symphonic Live

Definitely consider:

House Of Yes
Songs From Tsongas
QPR (lousy sound quality, but a spectacular complete performance from the Relayer band)
An Evening Of Yes Music Plus (from the ABWH tour)
9012Live (The DVD release gives you the option of watching the show without the dated eighties visuals not counting the band's outfits.)

Avoid:

Yessongs (The visual effects ruin it for me. I'd rather just play the CDs.)
Keys To Ascension (Ditto.)
Yesspeak (Too much Yes speaking and not enough Yes rocking.)

[JohnN]

Definitely consider:
House Of Yes


:agree:


http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=132634

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=3197425&postcount=25

[jdmack]

I have that Symphonic YES :D great sound and picture

Rick Wakeman (who does not play on this one) described the orchestra as looking like "The Spice Girls with Violins."

J. D.

[Feisal K]

LOL!

it was kinda cool to see them rocking; I wondered if any of them had heard any of the Yes songs they had to play

[willy]

9012Live (The DVD release gives you the option of watching the show without the dated eighties visuals not counting the band's outfits.)

If only there was an option so you did not have to watch Chris Squire in thigh-length boots kicking his legs in the air. :laugh:


Another vote for Yes Symphonic Live. 'The Gates of Delirium' in particular is magical.

[Aggie87]

There's a version of Symphonic Live that comes with a live CD as well, if you're gonna get it I'd recommend this edition.

[Scroller]

QPR and Symphonic are both great. QPR might be difficult and expensive to track down. I Like Keys To Ascension though too. If I'm not mistaken, it's the only live concert video where they play Siberian Khatru, Awaken, and The Revealing Science Of God. The downside is the overbearing and totally needless video effects that were thrown in on top of it. Plus I think it just recently went out of print. I'd grab a copy while you still can...

[webbcity]

I agree wholeheartedly on Symphonic Live. That is one GREAT DVD. :righton:
A fantastic performance with orchestra, and Tom Brislin does more than just fill Wakeman's shoes, he blows him right out of the water, IMHO.

My other favorites:
House Of Yes
9012Live
QPR
Yessongs

Songs From Tsongas is good too, but mostly for the set list...I wouldn't say I watch it nearly as often as these others.

YESSPEAK should be avoided like the plague! Not because it's mostly an interview DVD, but because it looks like it was done by somebody who never graduated film school. The production on it is horrendous. Miserable editing and the audio is mixed so poorly it's often hard to hear what the band members are saying...the "background" music overpowers them.

[bhazen]

YESSPEAK should be avoided like the plague! Not because it's mostly an interview DVD, but because it looks like it was done by somebody who never graduated film school. The production on it is horrendous. Miserable editing and the audio is mixed so poorly it's often hard to hear what the band members are saying...the "background" music overpowers them.

I own this one. :sigh:

Not only is it tedious to watch, it takes half the weekend to do so. Roger Daltrey's narration...:confused:

[Paul K]

The new one...Classic Artists presents...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000W8OM22/ref=nosim/obsessedwithm-20

[jdmack]

Here's one *NOT* to get: Rock Milestones: Yes - Close To The Edge.

I rented this one and watched it last night. One hour worth of pompous airbags talking about why "Close to The Edge" is a great album, intercut with scenes from "Yessongs." Some of these people reminded me of Stanley J. Krammerhead III,Jr., the character in The Rutles movie who tries to explain why The Rutles were so great. There were a few interview clips of Steve Howe which were decent, but not decent enough to merit buying this.

J. D.

[Jeff Carney]

Yessongs is by far their best, but until they find a better quality source to transfer to DVD, it's tough to watch.

QPR '75 is essential. One hour of this sounds fantastic and was used for broadcast on the OGWT for the BBC. The rest, unfortunately, has all kinds of sound problems but the entire thing is included.

Other than this, I'd recommend getting the early Beat Club stuff, which has been released under 2-3 different titles, I guess.

I don't like and don't recommend Symphonic Live. Steve Howe's tone on much of this is a big let down. The opening of CttE is so wimpy that it is painful to endure. No bite, at ALL. His clean tone sounds wonderful, but I found that during CttE and GoD his heavy parts were so lacking that I couldn't watch any more. I think I've heard that he takes it up a notch by the time they do 'Ritual,' but why this DVD is so beloved in Yesfan circles continues to elude me.

[Sideshow Dave]

+1 for Yes Symphonic! It's got a great set list and is a lot of fun to watch. I get a kick out of the 2 clarinet girls bopping along to the music. :righton:

Still think it needs Wakeman though. That would be the icing on the cake.

Dave

[prognastycator]

Yessymphonic is my favorite, followed by Tsongas and Montreaux. All three are outstanding and should not be missed.

[webbcity]

I own this one. :sigh:

Not only is it tedious to watch, it takes half the weekend to do so. Roger Daltrey's narration...:confused:
(re: Yesspeak)
I used to own it! ;)
It didn't last very long...went right back to the store in the used bin. I couldn't even watch the whole thing, what a waste! Daltrey's narration is absolutely stunning, and I don't mean that in a good way. I had to pick myself up off the floor.

[webbcity]

I don't like and don't recommend Symphonic Live. Steve Howe's tone on much of this is a big let down. The opening of CttE is so wimpy that it is painful to endure. No bite, at ALL. His clean tone sounds wonderful, but I found that during CttE and GoD his heavy parts were so lacking that I couldn't watch any more. I think I've heard that he takes it up a notch by the time they do 'Ritual,' but why this DVD is so beloved in Yesfan circles continues to elude me.
Interesting...I'll have to watch again and pay closer attention to Steve. Truth be told, in many ways I think he's been a let down for me since the early '90s so I tend to focus more on Jon, Chris, Alan, and in this case Tom, who again, plays his butt off.

Now I'm getting myself into hot water with Wakeman fans AND Howe fans...
:angel:

[Jeff Carney]

Interesting...I'll have to watch again and pay closer attention to Steve. Truth be told, in many ways I think he's been a let down for me since the early '90s so I tend to focus more on Jon, Chris, Alan, and in this case Tom, who again, plays his butt off.


He plays fine. It's just his insistence on avoiding his heavier sound that drives me nuts. When you listen to the guy live in his prime, he uses a sensational heavy fuzz tone one minute and a clean, jazzy tone the next. The contrast was striking.

This element was never more non-existent than when I watched the Symphonic DVD. There may be worse examples, as I haven't followed the band that closely for a long time.

[Aggie87]

That isn't so much an indictment of the DVD as it is a general observation of Howe's sound though, right? If so, that's more an artistic choice than a performance flaw, I'd think.

I think the overall performance on Symphonic is pretty good!

[Jeff Carney]

That isn't so much an indictment of the DVD as it is a general observation of Howe's sound though, right? If so, that's more an artistic choice than a performance flaw, I'd think.

I think the overall performance on Symphonic is pretty good!

Oh, absolutely. The performance was just fine, although I wasn't nuts about some of the orchestral arrangements on Gates, now that I think about it.

But overall, it's good. Kind of Yeslite, I guess, but good. I just can't really enjoy listening to some of those songs performed without any balls to the guitar tone, but that's simply my own preference.

I'd rather watch the Yessongs DVD any day, despite its extreme sonic challenges.