| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Siberian Khatru | | | | | |
| 2. The Revealing Science Of God | | | | | |
| 3. America | | | | | |
| 4. Onward | | | | | |
| 5. Awaken | | | | | |
| 6. Roundabout | | | | | |
| 7. Starship Trooper | | | | | |
| 8. Be The One | | | | | |
| (i) The One | | | | ||
| (ii) Humankind | | | | | |
| (iii) Skates | | | | | |
| 9. That That Is | | | | | |
| (i) Togetherness | | | | | |
| (ii) Crossfire | | | | | |
| (iii) The Giving Things | | | | | |
| (iv) That Is | | | | | |
| (v) All In All | | | | | |
| (vi) How Did Heaven Begin | | | | | |
| (vii) Agree To Agree | | | | | |
Although the events surrounding the album may ultimately be even more important than the finished product, Keys To Ascension is nevertheless an extremely important work in the catalogue of Yes releases. This was the album wherein Yes, after a few abortive attempts in earlier years, finally managed to recapture the essence of their 1970s sound, with the intention of preparing themselves for further work of this variety. Although subsequent events have placed this noble ideal in a rather uncertain position, KtA nevertheless stands as a monument of a group revitalized.
The events leading up to the release of KtA are already known to most Yes fans currently on the internet, but a brief summarization of these events may nevertheless be in order. In mid-1995, Yes announced that Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye had departed from the group, to be replaced by Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman. As anyone familiar with Yes politics from 1988-1995 realizes, this change was not merely a switch in personnel, but a substantial shift in direction from an artistic standpoint.
Under Trevor Rabin's increasingly dominant role, Yes had continued to create material for the American AOR market, even despite the fact that this market was in recession. Although it would be unfair to blame Rabin entirely for the low quality of some of the material from the Yeswest years, he was nevertheless responsible for bringing most of this material into being (at the performance and production levels), and his departure suggested that Yes would no longer be saturating this market. Similarly, Steve Howe had long been suggesting that Yes would be better off to return to its 1970s "ethos", at some level; his return was thus greeted by most Yes fans.
The switch from Kaye to Wakeman was also welcomed by most fans, although this was more for reasons of performance capability than for the general philosophical direction which they brought to the band.
The revitalized Yes then entered a period of public inactivity (with band members completing various side-projects) before announcing that their first performances would occur at the San Luis Obispo, from March 4-6, 1996. The specific intent of these performances was to present live performances of the group's 1970s material, thereby announcing that they were restored as a creative force within the progressive rock ethos.
>From an artistic standpoint, the shows were an incredible success. The entire band was on for the duration of the three performances; some mistakes were made, but this made very little difference in the final analysis. Several songs were given their first live performances in almost (or more than) twenty years; "Onward" had never been performed live before these shows; although many of the usual warhorses were played as well, this more than made up for any criticisms which might have otherwise arisen regarding the setlist.
Moreover, it was with these shows that Chris Squire was finally able to show his true performance talents after several years of relative restraint in Yeswest. Rumours that Squire that "washed up" were effectively put to rest with these shows.
Keys To Ascension features seven tracks from these performances, with recordings spliced together from the three different shows. Unofficial reports have stated (and comparisons with unofficial recordings have confirmed) that Jon Anderson's vocals were re-recorded wholesale in the studio after the concerts; it must be admitted that the official secrecy regarding this matter briefly cast somewhat of a shadow over the project. On the other hand, these re-recordings generally did not to diminish the value of the final project; moreover, the other aspects of the shows were generally left untouched afterwards (the aforementioned splicing aside). In addition, two studio tracks recorded by the band after the SLO shows were included on the second disc.
However one might quibble with the backstage decisions in KtA's post-production, few would seriously argue that its track listing wasn't catered to the desires of the average serious Yes fan -- while live recordings of "Siberian Khatru", "Roundabout" and "I've Seen All Good People" were readily available on Yessongs, live performances of the other four tracks were not available from any source. "Awaken", in particular, had long been the subject of various requests from diehard fans for a release in this format.
As per the successes of the live shows, the live recordings on Keys To Ascension are generally very successful performances. The album begins, as did Yessongs, with a performance of "Siberian Khatru" (originally released on Close To The Edge). Despite some complaints about Steve Howe's toning sounding a bit too "clean", his performance here leaves little room for serious quibblings. Similarly, Squire's performance on this piece is extremely powerful, perhaps equal with his performance on the Yessongs version (and with better mixing as well); similarly, his backing vocals are fine throughout the entire show. Alan White's performance is flawless as well, though there are times when his playing style still makes the track seem marginally inferior to the studio version. Jon's post-production recording match with the track perfectly, and, despite the occasional odd synth patch, Wakeman's performance is pretty good as well. In contrast to the Yessongs version, the harpsichord section is reproduced fairly accurately on this recording; Howe's subsequent guitar solo provides the sustained notes which fans of the earlier live album would also come to expect.
After this, the entire performance comes off without a hitch through the "tower", "glider", and chanting sections. Steve Howe's guitar solo at the end of the piece is easily the most unique aspect of this particular version, and should prevent excessive complaining from those who would claim that another live version of "SK" is unnecessary. An excellent beginning to the album.
The album then proceeds to its obvious highpoint, the live performance of "The Revealing Science Of God" (originally on Tales From Topographic Oceans). The audience can be heard applauding Jon's performance on the opening chant, and their response is quite appropriate. Anderson, Howe, and Squire are revealed as capturing the magic of the studio version in this recording -- there are reports that Anderson had originally intended to perform an abbreviated version of this track; if these reports are true, Howe deserves quite a bit of credit for insisting that the track be performed in its entirety. One might regret that the "starlight movement" section lacks the high-pitched keyboard sounds of the original version; still, this is not a substantial complaint. The vocal harmonies on the "getting over overhanging trees" section are nothing short of the incredible, and the Howe solo which follows not long after is easily the most interesting and compelling section of the song. One might also note that Wakeman's keyboard solo towards the end lacks the sonic effects of the original version; still, his performance leaves little room for criticism. Anderson's vocal spotlight at the end concludes the song on an extremely high note. This was, for many, the highlight of the live performances; its position here is quite similar.
The album then shifts to its third consecutive five-star track, a performance of Simon & Garfunkel's "America" (which was never performed live with Wakeman before SLO, and may very well have surprised many casual Yes fans who did not already own Yesterdays). Those who have not yet heard Yes's version should be warned that it bears little resemblance to the Spartan, acoustic guitar-driven original; rather, this is a full-band performance, featuring an extended solo performance from Howe on electric guitar in the middle section. Howe and Wakeman provide some excellent interplay at the beginning, and Squire's quote of the relevant Leonard Bernstein track is, as always, a very nice touch. The vocal sections come off flawlessly, with White providing some good performances; also notable in the bass line during the "spy" section. The guitar style which follows is rather different from the manner in which Howe usually plays with Yes, but is a fair representation of his appreciation of American folk stylings; it's also fairly long without becoming tedious, and very good throughout. The ending section of the song is primarily a reprise of earlier sections, though the percussion bits towards the end merit some attention as well.
Next comes the surprise of the show. "Onward", originally released on Tormato, was an extremely unspectacular track in its initial arrangement -- swathed in banal orchestral accompaniment, leaden vocal developments, and Hallmark-esque lyrics, the song was an extremely unlikely choice for the SLO setlist. Although the actual song still isn't anything terribly special, this version nevertheless maximizes its strong points, and delivers as good of a version of the number as could possibly be expected. Howe's introduction, entitled "Unity", re-arranges the piece for acoustic guitar, gradually arriving at the main melody after an initial acoustic statement which had little to do with the actual track. Squire's reserved bass lines actually have a certain strength when the song arrangement is improved, and Howe's continued acoustic performance throughout the track makes the number more than listenable. One wonders how many other forgotten Yes tracks could be given similarly miraculous treatment.
The first disc concludes with "Awaken" (originally on Going For The One), which begins with an extended solo performance from Wakeman around the opening theme. The more familiar work which eventually emerges elicits a strong response from the crowd, thus perhaps confirming the validity of various "live requests" polls among the faithful. Jon's vocals seem curiously strained at some moments towards the beginning of the song; while one wonders how the process of re-recording could still allow such moments, it should be noted that this is not a major problem as regards the development of the song. Howe plays excellent rhythm parts in the early section of the song, and also provides an equally excellent lead section throughout the "whispered" section before the "star song age less" performance.
As always, the percussion/harp section marks a change in the song's development, with Wakeman quickly taking a more prominent role in the track's development. As per the studio version, Howe and Wakeman trade spotlights towards the end of the track, with Anderson being granted the focal point of attention at certain points, as well. Squire's three-necked bass is utilized well in this section, as always. The work generally comes off in a manner very faithful to the album version, and succeeds accordingly (please note that the four-and-a-half star rating is not a demotion).
Disc Two begins with another live version of "Roundabout" (originally on Fragile). While it must be admitted that this is far from necessary, the performance itself is actually quite good. Unlike the Yessongs version, this performance restores the acoustic introduction of the original; moreover, Squire and Wakeman are extremely effective in their roles (to my ears, Squire almost seems to be attempting to incorporate his "Almost Like Love" riff at one point ... if this is the case, he deserves some credit for clever subtlety in doing so). Although the drumming in the middle section still doesn't match the studio version, the bass performance more than makes up for this. The subsequent acoustic reprise is faithful to the original as well; as always, Wakeman's organ solo contains a certain level of improvisation in contrast to Howe's faithful performance of the original arrangement. This is unquestionably an extremely energetic version of the piece as well. It may not have been necessary to release this track here, but the performance if nevertheless extremely worthwhile.
The final live performance is of "Starship Trooper" (originally from The Yes Album), which shows everyone in the band once again performing at an extremely high level of focus and intensity; Squire is particularly notable in having regained the original power of this piece. Howe's performance in "Disillusion" recaptures the original "shuffle" flavour of the track, and the combination of two guitar lines in the reprise of "Life Seeker" is quite appropriate as well. This version of "Wurm" is a recreation of performances from the late 1970s, wherein Howe and Wakeman would exchange various solos after an extended buildup -- Wakeman's solos are comparatively long at first, and Howe's comparatively short; by the end, the reverse is true. No fan of either musician will likely have anything to complain about with these performances. In this manner, the live performances conclude on a very strong note.
The two studio tracks then follow. The first such track is "Be The One", which has received a fair degree of criticism from various diehard fans; some have referred to it as an unfortunate throwback to the days of Yeswest and Asia, having little role in Yes's current development. This complaint may be somewhat excessive. Although "Be The One" is by no means a masterpiece, it at least reaches the level of a fairly decent Yes recording. That said, it must be admitted that "The One", the first section of the track, is not overly interesting. The initial guitar line is the first clue that something isn't quite right, and suggests that a bit of truth does exist in the Asia comparisons. The first verse actually isn't that bad, on the other hand; the piccolo bass is a nice touch, and Jon's melodic vocals suggest a throwback to one of the better moments of In The City Of Angels more than anything else. The chorus, though, is considerably more banal; Jon's V-chip-induced lyrics go nowhere, and the arrangement falls somewhat flat. Howe's subsequent spotlight improves things bit, but even this is far from his best moment.
The other two sections are more interesting. "Humankind" has a better vocal line, and better lyrics; Howe's part, moreover, is of a much more interesting nature than his earlier performance. White also gets in a few decent moments in this section. Unfortunately, the banal chorus of "The One" then returns at the conclusion of this sub-section.
"Skates" is a brief guitar solo, which reaches the "fairly good, but nothing special" level without too much difficulty. Some might wonder if this section, and its writing credit, are political. In any event, the chorus returns again, and Rick Wakeman (whose input has hitherto been minimal) gets in a slightly more noticeable keyboard line, which sadly does little to improve the piece as a whole. This track isn't completely without merit, but it's hardly the sort of thing that optimizes the potential of the revitalized Yes.
"That That Is" is something entirely different. This seven-part section sounds substantially different from most other material in Yes's canon, and stands on its own as an impressive work (which is not, of course, to say that there isn't room for improvement). "Togetherness", the opening section, begins with an "angelic" introduction (obviously ironic in the context of what follows), which leads to an acoustic solo by Howe. This solo is unusual among Howe acoustic pieces in that it seems to be firmly embedded into the nature of the song, rather than existing as a semi-independent creation (as, for example, the acoustic solo in "The Ancient"). Some excellent melodic passages appear in this introductory section. As per the aforementioned limitation, this doesn't quite rate as highly as Howe's best acoustic pieces; nevertheless, it does fall in the same general range. White's drums enter at an odd rhythm (and in a manner curiously similar to Bruford's performance on King Crimson's "B'Boom") as the next section begins.
"Crossfire" is, from a lyrical standpoint, easily the most atypical item in Yes's catalogue, focusing on the tragic life of a crack addict named Julie as she loses her baby in the midst of urban ganglife struggles. Some have complained that such subject matter has little place in Yes's output, but this criticism can be dismissed as cultural myopia fairly easily. On the other hand, the lyrics are flawed in one particular manner -- by attempting the graft a concrete storyline onto Yes's normal abstract sentence development, some of the narrative becomes obscured in the process. One wonders if Anderson could have surrendered his usual writing style a bit further for this section. From a musical standpoint, this is a fairly good work as well, if not entirely "progressive" in the normal sense of the word; Howe and Wakeman have some interesting interplay, and Squire gives an excellent performance on bass and backing vocals (some of which, in combination with those of Howe, seem to have been deliberately skewed to match the subject matter of the track).
"The Giving Things" features the return of Howe's acoustic section, with some amazing singing from both Anderson and Squire. This is a very brief section, but also a very impressive one (particularly as a "catharsis" from the previous section).
The following sections develop the theme of the song in a more typically abstract Yessian manner. "That Is" features lyrics repeated from the previous section, and also provides some excellent music -- Howe's rhythm parts are quite interesting, and Squire provides some excellent "meaty" hooks as well. "All In All" sees the musicians used extremely well in creating the final product -- Jon's vocal line is quite good, and the shifting of the previous rhythm guitar line to bass reveals a certain strength of arrangement as well. The acoustic guitar line returns again for "How Did Heaven Begin", which features another amazing Anderson vocal (as well as a curious, perhaps even ironic, take on "Julie"'s situation in the entire matter).
The track ends in an extremely strong manner with "Agree To Agree", which features an amazing electric guitar solo from Howe at the beginning of the track; this, rather than "Togetherness", is Howe's true moment of stepping outside the normal boundaries of the song. The bass line is also excellent, a fact which is not hindered by the fact that the instrumental section in general is rather extended. Anderson's vocal return is quite good as well, and the Anderson/Squire vocal duet which follows does, in fact, contain a strong similar to The Police's "Canary In A Coal Mine" (as suggested by Steven Sullivan in an alt.music.yes posting). The final keyboard phrasing could perhaps have been withdrawn; otherwise, this is a very impressive section.
(It may also be worth noting that both sections of this track which mention drug use directly are co-written by Chris Squire, who was rumoured to have undergone various personal problems around the time of Talk. It may be inappropriate to speculate too heavily on this matter, but the possibility that some lyrics were a disguised take on his personal problems must be at least admitted.)
Since the release of KtA, Yesfans have been treated a bewildering roller-coaster ride of internal developments. This started on a high level (the recording of KtA II), sunk to a rather low point in mid-1997 (Wakeman's departure, the delay of KtA II, the cancellation of the summer tour), reached an uncertain plateau (with the addition of Sherwood and Khoroshev and the recording of Open Your Eyes), are currently at a high point (with the current tour), and may soon reach another uncertain level (once the more pop-oriented Open Your Eyes is released). The fact that KtA II has still not been released as of this review is somewhat less than reassuring as well.
Nevertheless, Keys To Ascension remains a recommended purchase for those fans interested in capturing a glimpse of the band at the peak of their original revitalization (though newcomers might be advised to by a few of the earlier studio albums first).
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 4 November 1997)