HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

I'm not a big admirer of Jon Anderson. Purely my own personal taste here.

I'll give 'Tormato' a fresh listen, perhaps it has aged well.

Yes are a band who do tend to polarise the opinions of their fans, partly because of the various line-up changes and variance in styles over the last 50+ (!) years. This, however, does also mean that you can repeatedly come back to their music and every time find something new to appreciate.

I seem to be in a mood for their 'rockier' output from the later years where Trevor Rabin and Billy Sherwood played a major role in the writing and production process. 'Open Your Eyes' is an album I long regarded as shallow and uninteresting - now I see it as a masterpiece. 'Talk' is also a powerful release that sank without trace and new LP 'The Quest' gets better on repeated listens.

'Tales from Topographic Oceans' is one I still find difficult to like, and I had a quick listen to 'Tormato' again - it has its moments but does sound to me like a band that is going through the motions in search of a new direction (there are bits that are precursors to 'Drama').

It is also the move back to vinyl that has changed things a lot for me. Despite the decades of exclusively CD/Digital playback, there is a lot I have missed from albums that I really like. The long struggle to build up my streaming network players to the best that is (financially) achievable yielded excellent results but was blown out of the water when I resurrected my forgotten turntable and found a vintage high-end cartridge to put in it. The emotive impact and resolution that an LP offers is driving me to rediscover a lot of records that I had previously overlooked, having only been exposed to them on CD.

Looks like my listening habits have shifted to using the digital players (multiple, around the house) more for convenience / background purposes and 'serious' listening is more and more reliant on vinyl. Resulting in me desperately trying to get hold of LP copies of the things I want/need/long to hear (again).

Terminal music-addict, there's no hope for me...

It took me a while to get into Yes. I bought Close to the edge on second hand vinyl and it left me a bit cold. I came round after taping the rest of their albums from a friend, with the exception of Topographic Oceans which he had skipped. Going for the one was my favourite followed by Relayer. I think the quality of their albums is quite consistent, but I have not come round to Topographic Oceans. Think it was a case of Anderson and Howe being over ambitious, pissing off Wakeman in the process. An album I rate is Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford, Howe.

Vinyl and digital have their pros and cons. To these ears upsampling combines the benefits of both without the cons. The convenience is also a big factor, having more or less anything I want to listen to at my finger tips and controlled by a phone where ever I am.

Every so often I hace a look around to see if there is news about the American band Midlake, who recorded several wonderful albums in the early 2000's. After a 6-year breakup and 9 years since 'Antiphon' there is a new release on the way:
'For the Sake of Bethel Woods'.

Preceeded by the intriguing single 'Meanwhile...'

Can't wait.

Rick Wakeman - The six wives of Henry viii

Patrick Campbell-Lyons - Me And My Friend

McDonald & Giles - Mcdonald & Giles
Syd Barrett - The madcap laughs
The Gathering - Nighttime Birds
King Crimson - Discipline

Hey I've got 'Nighttime Birds' on as well!

The Gathering 'How to Measure a Planet?' (1998)



Where 'Nighttime Birds' and 'Mandylion' were both the obvious products of a metal band, the next record 'How to Measure a Planet' is a very different beast indeed. Opening with a sound akin to Elbow (of which singer Anneke van Giersbergen was a big fan) and moving into territory you would compare to 'Kid A'-era Radiohead.
The mood is murky and introspective with only the occasional blast of grunge-powerchord riffing.
Not that this is a bad album, quite the opposite as it is an addictive late-night-lights-out trip through an intensely psychedelic universe.

Stunning (if you're in the mood).

The Ultimate Bee Gees
Rick Wakeman - Journey to the centre of the eartn