by Mark Kadzielawa

There is not a band more instrumental in the progressive rock movement than Yes. And even Yes, themselves were not afraid to push their boundaries, and explore new horizons. And explore they did. Yes went from a band who was trying to find their own ground in the 60s to a band with refined style in the 70s, and reinvented themselves in the 80s with the most modern sounding recordings of the decade. All of which accomplished with a never ending list of members who would come and go, and often resume their roles in the band. These changes continue to this day, and certainly make Yes the intriguing band they are today.

Yes formed in the late 60s, but it wasn't until the 70s their style became vital, and widely recognized for its originality. The band would at ease go from a five minute track to complex twenty some minutes musical suites. In either case employing skilled and creative musicianship. The group certainly let their imaginations flow, and they projected this image into the audience. Even their album covers reflected this futuristic mindset.

Yes went through many personnel changes over their years. Their history is quite complicated, as many of the members would leave, and then reappear in the band some years later. The most classic line up from the 70s included Jon Anderson on vocals, Steve Howe on guitar, Chris Squire on bass, Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and Alan White on drums. In that decade, Yes also included Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Kaye and Patrick Moraz on keyboards. The above mentioned line ups were responsible for the bulk of the material from the 1970s. In 1979, Anderson and Wakeman left the band, and Trevor Horn (vocals,) and Geoff Downes (keyboards,) were brought in. The two new members came from a new wave duo called The Buggles. This line up wrote and recorded "Drama" in 1980. A highly controversial, yet incredibly original record. After the tour, the band broke up for good. In 1982, Chris squire, Alan White, Tony Kaye, and newcomer Trevor Rabin (guitar and vocals,) were about to launch a new band named Cinema. In no time, Jon Anderson was involved, adding his vocals to the music, and name Yes was revived. The album in question was "90125," produced by Trevor Horn, proved to be an absolute smash in terms of hits, musicianship, and production. It was one of the defining records for the 1980s, and the band rode the wave of success. As it always was with Yes more changes and tribulations followed. By 1991, the band was touring and recording as an eight piece band, including just about every former and current member there was. Then it, was the return to the "90125" line up for one more album, and Trevor Rabin exited the band for good. At that point, Yes took a few years off, and came back with its most classic 1970s line up. Currently, the band includes the core members Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Alan White. Joining the original trio are Oliver Wakeman who took over for his father on keyboards, and vocalist Benoit David replacing Jon Anderson. The current incarnation of Yes is writing and recording new music with Trevor Horn producing.

Drummer, Alan White, talks about the recent changes in transitions in the Yes camp.

You were supposed to do a 40th anniversary tour in 2008, and then Jon Anderson fell ill, what really happened?
Alan White: Jon got sick, and he couldn't go on tour. We didn't really know what to do. Everything was ready to go, and then it all came to a stop.
Was there a big dilemma in the band whether to continue with the tour or not?
Yes, there was. We really didn't know what to do. We didn't know how long Jon's recovery will take. Some of the guys in the band were eager to go out and play. We heard that Jon would not be able to handle long tours anymore. And that's the whole thing kind of change itself around.
How did you find Benoit David, who filled in for Jon Anderson, and is now a permanent singer?
He was found by Chris (Squire.) Someone sent him a video from YouTube, and Chris saw him, he sent the video to me, and I sent it to Steve Howe. We saw it, and I was impressed how close to Jon he sounded. We've decided to give him a try to see what it's like. He's been in the band for almost two years now.
Were there any doubts that it would, or would not work out with Benoit?
No, not really. We just played it by ear, and it seemed fine from the word "go." It was fine, he knew a lot of the material from the band. It was a little bit of an easier process than we thought.
There was rumor going around you approached Trevor Rabin to join Yes for the tour, is it true?
No, we didn't.
But he did play with the band at one of the shows, right?
He just came and joined us on stage in Los Angeles at the Greek Theater where we played. He came and we performed "Owner Of The Lonely Heart," and he played alongside Steve.
Another new inclusion in Yes is Oliver Wakeman, who is Rick Wakeman's son. How did he acclimate in the band?
He is good too, and now he is the youngest guy in the band. I used to be the youngest guy in the band. He plays just like his father, and he basically is very similar to his father in a lot of ways. He looks kind of like him. His hair is longer, and his mannerisms are very similar. It's very much like having Rick on the road, except Rick is doing his own thing. So this is the next best thing.
And Oliver is probably happy to be alive after nearly losing his head to Chris's bass in Chicago, back in 2008.
Oh yeah, I remember that. Chris actually hit me one time with his bass like that on stage. He hit my nose. I was taking a bow at the end of the show, and I'm bleeding all over the stage.
So basically, Chris's bass means business.
Yeah, it's dangerous at the end of the tour.
Having seen the new incarnation of Yes on stage, I was very impressed how happy the band seemed. And the selection of songs you chose to play were interesting too. The addition of the "Drama" material was long overdue. How did you feel tackling those tracks again?
I love playing all of the "Drama" material. It's exciting to play on stage. I think "Drama" was a very underestimated album at the end of the day. And it was something people wanted to hear again. We are having a lot of fun playing it too. I think that's maybe why it seems like we appear to be happy. We're playing songs we haven't played for quite a while.
Are you surprised how well the "Drama" material aged?
Yes I am. For me, it's one of my favorite albums I ever did.
It's like a silent classic in the Yes circles, isn't it?
Yeah, absolutely. There is definitely a lot of life left in those songs.
When did you realize this current incarnation of the band was capable of making a record?
Actually, everyone in the band is really talented in what they are doing, and we haven't had a record out in quite some time. So we thought, why not? Let's just go ahead and see what comes out. We're still in the process of making it. We're doing a lot of backing tracks right now, and the vocals are being done as we speak. It's all in progress.
What shape are the new songs taking? What direction is it moving into?
It's very hard to explain. It's something different, but very Yes-like. It's very different this time because Yes always came up with a new album that sounded a little bit different than the ones prior. It's taking its own shape.
When I did see the band, you've performed a new song, I believed it was titled "Aliens." Was that an indication of what the new songs will be like?
Yeah, we did play a song like that. It won't be on the album. It's a song Chris actually wrote quite a while ago, and we only did it on a certain amounts of shows, but not all of them. I guess we must've done it in Chicago.
I found the track very impressive, and it certainly stuck in my head.
Well, who knows? We may play it again on the next tour.
Keeping in mind how well you did with "Drama" material on stage, did that style of writing rub off in any way on the new songs?
Quite a bit I think. There are certain different things here and there. It's very hard to kind of put a point on that. It's a very good question, but the new songs are like a combination of a lot of different influences from a lot of past Yes records. It's not just one album, it could be few albums that had an influence on the record.
So, the upcoming album will be a very multi-dimensional affair, right?
Quite, I would think. There are things you probably haven't heard before from us, but as you know Trevor Horn is producing the record. Trevor is working really hard and achieving an album that sounds very fair for 2011.
Also, in the meantime, Jon Anderson appeared to have recovered. He is playing solo shows again. Was there a chance of him returning to his post?
Currently we are staying as is. But, who's to know what's gonna happen in the future? If everybody is in the right mood, and it's the right occasion, and the right show. That may happen down the line.
Your fan base appears to be very dedicated. How are the fans reacting to all of those changes taking place in the last few years?
(laughter) Well, they are all confused as to who is in the band. Some of them are still catching up I think. They seem to be fine. I met with people, and they stay pretty current, and understand what the band is actually doing.
Will you be trying any of the new material during the upcoming tour?
No, not the tour that's coming up right now. The album is still not mixed, and not finished yet. If we do that kind of thing, it will be on the new tour after the album is released, and people know the songs. We're very careful about that.
There was an archival live recording released recently from the Union tour, that's available through your website. It was a big undertaking back in 1991 when Yes toured as an eight member band. What memories do you have from this special time?
It was just a lot of fun. It was great to play with Bill Bruford. Chris and Jon were the only people there wasn't two of. We had to be very careful to figure out who plays what, and how the pieces will fit together, and organize them. It seemed to work out great.
As enjoyable as that tour was, I was surprised that version of the band never did anything else.
Yeah, it was just a matter of everyone having the time, and being in the right place at the right time. Who knows, we may do it in the next few years. It's very hard to put a finger on it.
Steve Howe is doing a double duty as a guitar player for Yes, and Asia. How is he handling it?
It's fine. Steve is doing some really good guitar playing on the upcoming album, and everything is as good as it was before. He's fine.
As electric as the band is looking and playing lately, where is this renewed energy coming from?
Well, it's because we play music not to many people can play. You get clone bands who try to play our type of material, but there is not that many people who can pull off the music we play. The music we play is difficult to play.
When you look at the body of work Yes came up with in the 70s, and the 80s, how do you view all of the changes and turns the band took along the way?
I view it as a movement forward, which is what we are still doing today. We always look for new styles of expressing our music, and new music to incorporate into what Yes is. We're always looking over the horizon, and you have to do that when you're trying to create new things. We're still currently doing that.
This bring me to another question, what really is Yes? I mean look at "Fragile," "Tales From The Topographic Oceans," "Drama," "90215," or "Talk." All of those albums are so removed from each other, yet released under Yes banner.
I did play on all of those records, and I had to work very hard to be able to change. It's sort of like a chameleon that changes colors all the time, but at the end of the day it's the same chameleon.

Links:
www.yesworld.com