Yes fans will have been salivating indeed at the prospect in 1996 that not only would there be a quadruple (yes, that's quadruple) CD set released the following year, but also that it would feature the 'Classic' Yes line-up of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White and the returning prodigal son Rick Wakeman. This second volume features one whole disc of pieces from several California gigs in March 1996 (compared to one and a half in the first volume). Immediately looking at the track listing one can tell that the Yes boys new exactly which tracks to perform to entice people into buying the record - 'I've Seen All Good People', 'Close To The Edge' and 'And You And I' are indubitably some of their greatest works. However there is a great problem that one finds with disc 1 as a live Yes album, a problem not quite so evident with Volume 1 of Keys To Ascension. The problem is as follows: Yes' studio output 1970-77 was nothing short of stunning - their albums were exquisitely crafted by virtuosic musicians at the top of their game; Thusly when these pieces are performed on stage - here, about 30 years after they were originally recorded - any changes to the arrangements of these familiar tunes often sounds like sacrilege and one feels the sort of frustration one would experience watching a dogged tribute band (probably called 'Yeah' or something) trying their hardest with one of your most beloved Yes pieces that you wore out on your vinyl copy listening to it over and over at Poly in 1972 . . . What I'm getting at here is that the slightly slower pace of 'Close To The Edge' and the tweaked ending and different keyboard sound in 'I've Seen All Good People' jar somewhat on this record and make you yearn for the originals. I KNOW it sounds awful picky, but then I am a Yes fan and just maybe it is continued listening to their (I'm not afraid to use the words again) exquisitely crafted 70s LPs that have made me so. On the other hand 'And You And I' sounds as majestic as it ever did and 'Time And A Word' benefits hugely from Wakeman's involvement on piano. Of the other two tracks - 'Going For The One' and 'Turn Of The Century' - the former is something of a formulaic rocker anyway and I've never felt the latter works particularly well as a live track despite Howe's always excellent introduction. As a matter of fact, 'Turn Of The Century' and 'And You And I' are probably the only two tracks on which Steve really excels on this recording. On other occasions here he does have a tendency to sound as if he is a little out of practice or, worse, bored. This brings us to the studio disc which houses five tracks of varying lengths. It is hard to deny that the opening of disc 2 is reasonably positive. 'Mind Drive' hints at former glories and is at worst interesting and at best very good throughout it's 18 and a half minute length. The other four tracks only occasionally hold one's attention throughout the duration and little deserves to be said of them except that they are mere shadows of the sort of material these chaps were recording in the 70s. The atmospheric Wakeman/Howe penned second part of 'Children Of The Light', 'Lifeline' is engaging but unfortunately the album closer 'Sign Language' also written by Rick and Steve ends up sounding like Tangerine Dream when they had had long since gone off the boil. All in all then, this collection is frustrating yet oddly compelling - neither a disaster nor a triumph. This won't be one of your favourite Yes records but you will dig it out occasionally, listen to the live disc, sing along and then put on disc 2 in the hope that, 'Mind Drive' apart, it sounds better than it did last time you played it - unfortunately it probably won't.
Yes fans will have been salivating indeed at the prospect in 1996 that not only would there be a quadruple (yes, that's quadruple) CD set released the following year, but also that it would feature the 'Classic' Yes line-up of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White and the returning prodigal son Rick Wakeman. This second volume features one whole disc of pieces from several California gigs in March 1996 (compared to one and a half in the first volume). Immediately looking at the track listing one can tell that the Yes boys new exactly which tracks to perform to entice people into buying the record - 'I've Seen All Good People', 'Close To The Edge' and 'And You And I' are indubitably some of their greatest works. However there is a great problem that one finds with disc 1 as a live Yes album, a problem not quite so evident with Volume 1 of Keys To Ascension. The problem is as follows: Yes' studio output 1970-77 was nothing short of stunning - their albums were exquisitely crafted by virtuosic musicians at the top of their game; Thusly when these pieces are performed on stage - here, about 30 years after they were originally recorded - any changes to the arrangements of these familiar tunes often sounds like sacrilege and one feels the sort of frustration one would experience watching a dogged tribute band (probably called 'Yeah' or something) trying their hardest with one of your most beloved Yes pieces that you wore out on your vinyl copy listening to it over and over at Poly in 1972. . . What I'm getting at here is that the slightly slower pace of 'Close To The Edge' and the tweaked ending and different keyboard sound in 'I've Seen All Good People' jar somewhat on this record and make you yearn for the originals. I KNOW it sounds awful picky, but then I am a Yes fan and just maybe it is continued listening to their (I'm not afraid to use the words again) exquisitely crafted 70s LPs that have made me so. On the other hand 'And You And I' sounds as majestic as it ever did and 'Time And A Word' benefits hugely from Wakeman's involvement on piano. Of the other two tracks - 'Going For The One' and 'Turn Of The Century' - the former is something of a formulaic rocker anyway and I've never felt the latter works particularly well as a live track despite Howe's always excellent introduction. As a matter of fact, 'Turn Of The Century' and 'And You And I' are probably the only two tracks on which Steve really excels on this recording. On other occasions here he does have a tendency to sound as if he is a little out of practice or, worse, bored. This brings us to the studio disc which houses five tracks of varying lengths. It is hard to deny that the opening of disc 2 is reasonably positive. 'Mind Drive' hints at former glories and is at worst interesting and at best very good throughout it's 18 and a half minute length. The other four tracks only occasionally hold one's attention throughout the duration and little deserves to be said of them except that they are mere shadows of the sort of material these chaps were recording in the 70s. The atmospheric Wakeman/Howe penned second part of 'Children Of The Light', 'Lifeline' is engaging but unfortunately the album closer 'Sign Language' also written by Rick and Steve ends up sounding like Tangerine Dream when they had had long since gone off the boil. All in all then, this collection is frustrating yet oddly compelling - neither a disaster nor a triumph. This won't be one of your favourite Yes records but you will dig it out occasionally, listen to the live disc, sing along and then put on disc 2 in the hope that, 'Mind Drive' apart, it sounds better than it did last time you played it - unfortunately it probably won't.