pop culture

Are the members of this 34-year-old progressive rock band quotable? For the most part, yes -- especially when you consult about a hundred sources. That's what author and fan Tim Morse did for the first bui (of sorts) in 15 years of a group that created such rock classics as Owner Of A Lonely Heart and Roundabout.

Of course, while all this was happening the band went through enough members (12 by the time this was published, two more since then) to fill a bus. And it was the pretentious, convoluted sound of groups like Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer that spawned the punk rock movement. But never mind that. Yes is still together and now fans can find out what members thought of successful albums like Fragile and 90125, as well a such stinkers as Union and Tormato.

To his credit, Morse managed to interview all but four members as well as long-time producer Eddie Offord. Magazines, videos, radio shows and the Internet filled in for the rest. And he's conveniently organized the book by album, adding chapters of quotes about life on the road as well as members assessing each other. This makes it easy to skip around and read small chunks at a time.

You'll find yourself gravitating toward the Morse interviews rather than earlier quotes, since by 1996 (when Yesstories was published) members had the gift of hindsight and weren't so interested in promoting their albums or each other. Indeed, that's how we find out that drummer Bill Bruford was glad he didn't have to work with bassist Christ Squire on the 1989 Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe project, and actually hated the 1991 Union album.

Then there's the fun of members contradicting each other. For example, the classic Roundabout is credited to vocalist Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe. But in a Morse interview, ousted guitarist Peter Banks claimed to be responsible for the song's main riff.

There are some truly banal quotes in Yesstories too, but you'll find so much good stuff you'll barely notice them. Buy this and Chris Welch's Close To The Edge: The Story of Yes and you pretty much have the band's history covered.

The title of Tim Morse's _Yesstories: Yes In Their Own Words_ says it all - this is a collection of quotes and accounts from band members and associates detailing every phase of Yes' career up until SLO. There's not much to say about this book other than the fact that it is ESSENTIAL for any fan of Yes that is interested about how certain songs came about, how band members met one another, what band members think about each other, and many other insights into what it means to be Yes. I have several books about Yes, and this is by far the most enjoyable to read. Five years after I first read it, I often find myself going back to it. Fan of Yes? Then buy it. Now.

First of all, I would like to say that I haven't read the book, so my five star rating is just giving the book the benefit of the doubt. This rating system is unreliable anyway, because the only people making ratings are people who are fans of the music, book, or whatever it is that is being rated.
I was prompted to write this by something Mr. King said in his review. He referred to the album Tormato being a stinker. It is not. It is one of Yes' finest works. Union is not a stinker either, though not great. Talk and Big Generator are the stinkers in the Yes discography. Did anyone find this review helpful?