Yes: Their Definitive Fully Authorized Story (DVD)
I was very excited to review this DVD. I find Yes to be one of the supreme talents in rock history. Their sound has and always will be revolutionary, and albums like Fragile and Close to the Edge define progressive rock. This DVD is a two disc set which is packed with interviews, music videos, rehearsals and more.
The first disc is a lengthy biography chronicling the history of Yes. The interviews and stories are interesting but even as a big Yes fan it seemed a bit drawn out. I found myself losing interest fast in the biography. Despite its length the information is interesting, especially if you are a Yes fan. The best option would probably to watch this in two sittings opposed to one. The interviews range from the band members themselves (former and current) to people who had an association with the band. It was fascinating hearing the stories going behind what led to their unique sound, which came from the members styles, and influences from bands such as the prog giant King Crimson. The biography gives insight behind each album and all the moments of turmoil within the band. Yes doesn’t necessarily have the perfect story, their history wasn’t filled with excess and outrageous events which can make this a tougher watch for an outsider, but if you are interested in hearing about the music then this will probably be worth your while. One of the overriding issues however, is that there is a lot of information to sift through but not enough music. It would have been very nice to throw in some performances of songs throughout the biography but more or less it is just like watching a straight up interview.
The second disc has three music videos and informal recordings of rehearsals which are a nice little extra. On this disc there are also more interviews that didn’t make the first disc along with a grouping of still images. The music videos are for "Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Wondrous Stories" and "Tempus Fugit".
Considering this DVD is under $20, I would recommend it to fans of Yes but if anyone is just searching for a good rockumentary, this probably isn’t what you were looking for. There is a lot of information about the band, and PLENTY of interviews but it would be nice to see some more footage of live performances and anything where I can see Yes performing their music.
Grade: B-
posted by Jeff at 4:21 PM
8 Comments:
The memories....
I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way.
I completely agree about the lack of music. There was some interesting stuff in the interviews and I thought they were pretty candid, but it was hard to feel the whole thing was about music when there was so little of it in the DVD.
"Tempus Fugit" was an odd inclusion considering that few people are very attached to Drama.
Layla - Very nice.
Bob - I think considering it is about Yes there should be a lot of music since their music really speaks for itself. Not saying that other bands don't have music that is as important, but Yes' music is so unique and complex I feel like it's a must for it to be all over this DVD.
Did they get into the Drama era of the band much? I'm one of the few who chooses THAT as a favorite Yes album.
I LOVE Tempus Fugit and also of course Machine Messiah... I love that whole album but those 2 songs really stand out.
Perplexio - They did get into it quite a bit along with the Buggles members joining the band. I don't exactly love the "Drama" era but I don't think it's as bad as a lot of Yes fans think.
I never even knew Tempus Fugit had a video! One of my favorites from the post-classic Yes. I oddly love Drama, I first heard it during an odd art rock period where I even enjoyed ELP. The latter faded.
-- david
I always felt Drama was a pleasant surprise after Going for the One and Tormato, but I never suspected it had real fans. I guess I misjudged when I questioned its inclusion on this DVD.
Bob, in all honesty I love Drama so much because I'm more an Asia fan than Yes fan and you can really hear the seeds of what would become Asia on that album. I love the musical chemistry between Geoff Downes and Steve Howe... perhaps even moreso on Drama than I do on their Asia material.
Post a Comment
<< Home