Yes 9012 Live
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Movie Reviews of Yes 9012 Live
Movie Review: Great show, good DVD, poor audio mastering
Summary: 4 Stars
It goes without saying that this is a virtually priceless treasure for any true Yes fan as it is, to my knowledge, the only professional grade video/audio recording from this tour available. The inclusion of the documentary and interview footage makes this all the more valuable. Not to be overlooked is the companion CD "9012Live The Solos" (sold separately), which includes solo segments from this tour not included in this video, as well as better-quality reproductions of the same performances of "Hold On" and "Changes".
The following technical complaints about the audio may seem redundant with other reviews, but I have endeavored to provide a little bit more detail and context to try to explain the nature of the problem, and speculate as to how it came to be this way.
Just to clear up some possible misunderstanding: the "5.1 mix" or "5.1 upmix" is simply a stereo mix encoded as 5.1 with audio existing only in the front left and right channels, the four remaining channels containing only silence. The other audio option is a mono mix encoded as dual stereo, with the same mix in both L and R channels.
The "5.1" mix doesn't even split off the low end to the subwoofer channel, which would have been an easy thing to do in the reportedly "careful" remastering. As a result, on some home theater systems which have poor low end response in the front mains, this may sound a bit lacking in bass, unless there is some feature in the system to split it off to the subwoofer for you.
To make matters worse, the stereo mix is mastered at an extremely low volume level (unbalanced, with L channel peaks below -21db and R channel peaks below -24db), and since ac3 5.1 uses a "lossy" compression algorithm you are effectively getting only a fraction of the fidelity possible. Cranking this up loud enough for enjoyable listening will amplify the inherent noise in every stage of your home theater system, as well as quantization noise and artifacts of the lossy compression inherent to the source encoding.
Presumably, the low volume levels found here, as on many multi-channel encoded DVDs, is a hedge against possible clipping in playback situations where the equipment at hand performs a very simple summing of multiple channels when downmixing to stereo or mono. Clearly, this was not as valid a concern when 4 out of 6 channels contain silence. This leaves me to suspect that the engineer performing the "upmix" and mastering from the available stereo source was lacking in either tools or knowledge, or just didn't care enough to adjust anything from preset defaults.
The dual mono ac3 audio track has the lone redeeming characteristic of being mastered at a higher volume level, making better use of the available headroom/resolution of the medium. Too bad it's mono.
I understand the limitations of working from the 2nd generation video master, but little ingenuity or care was expended on giving the available source the best possible presentation on this format. By far, the best solution would have been to encode this as uncompressed linear stereo PCM, utilizing the full headroom available. There would probably be ample space on a double-layer disc to include this audio format if the other two formats were excluded, as well as the completely unnecessary 2nd complete copy of the "Charlex" version which is inexplicably included on this disc (which I found using "mplayer", for a total of three complete copies of the concert on this one disc). As it is, the sound on my original VHS HiFi release (which is FM encoded stereo) is superior to this DVD. Presumably, the original LD release had even better sound, but this is a very hard item to find.
Even with all of these audio complaints, I am thankful that there was no attempt made to fake a full 5.1 mix from the stereo source.
Nonetheless, this is a worthwhile purchase for the documentary and interview material alone, as well as the alternate cut, especially if you do not have an older copy on another format with better sound in good condition.
Musically, this lineup was best when playing their own material, of course. If only they had enough of their own material on this tour to fill out the set, as their renditions of "classic" yes songs are interesting curiosities, but come off as sub-standard "cover" versions, rather than authentic performances of the band.
I wish there were a widely commercially available recording of the "Union" tour, as this was the only time when music from both major lineups were given true justice, and new life, in a single concert. Even then, you would still treasure 9012Live for the great Rabin-era songs which were not performed on the Union tour.
Movie Review: Great moments from Rabin-Era YES
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to admit a couple of things first. I am probably one of six or seven YES fans who appreciate both Trevor Rabin and Steve Howe as YES guitarists. This is primarily because my introduction to YES was backwards compared to most. As a guitarist myself, I became familiar with YES during the hey day of MTV when this video was originally released. At the time I thought this was the most incredible music ever produced and Trevor Rabin became an instant guitar hero. Over the years I became familiar with the Classic YES lineup and I will now confess that I do sort of understand the disapproval of the Howe fans. Still I defend Trevor Rabin because he did not set out to join YES and replace Steve Howe. He joined up with Chris Squire and Alan White when is appeared YES was NO more -- a regular event in YES's impressive history. When Tony Kaye and Jon Anderson joined up the band became a new incarnation of YES, and different or not, they did stay around until the mid 90's and produced some pretty good stuff of their own along the way. And since they kept throwing in new versions of Classic YES standards, they managed to introduce a whole new generation to the vintage material.
So trying to put my personal feelings aside, this DVD holds up pretty well on its own. While not as crisp as the newer YES shows, the video is still clean and the audio is not bad. There seems to be a lot of people out there really liking the straight concert footage without the graphics. To me one's just as good as the other. I think I prefer the graphics left in. After all, this was a 1984 concert/movie made back when, as that new song out there says, when there were videos on MTV, so there is nothing wrong with it looking "so 80's."
The concert is a bit on the short side, especially for a YES concert which can typically run for well over 2 hours. When this DVD was delayed so many times I was hoping that they were going to add the instrument solo footage from the "9012-LIVE The Solos" album that was released in 1984. I think that the songs from 90125 come off between pretty well and excellent, except for Leave It. An earlier reviewer observed that it consists mostly of tracks from the album and that is correct. Makes for a C- concert song. Still with all the overdubbing they did on the original song, what else could they have done?
"Hold On", "Changes", "All Good People", and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" are probably the best songs of the show. "City of Love" works pretty well. "It Can Happen" is OK, but sounds a little off in a few places. Again, "Leave It" is mostly tracked. "Cinema" gets things off in the beginning and its a pretty good start. Sadly, "Starship Trooper" at the end is probably the weakest songs. It starts off sounding OK but frequently sounds hollow in places. While I have always loved Trevor as a guitarist it seems that he is struggling with covering some of Howe's parts. The solo at the end is way too cluttered and over the top. I much preferred his playing on "All Good People" where, even though he took some liberties, he contained himself within the song and stayed true to its spirit.
Finally, the extras -- Quite good and plenty of them. I very much enjoyed the before and after backstage moments. Gives one a true since of life out there on the road. The band member interview were great although they left me a feeling a bit odd. All the band members then are younger that I am now -- but when I saw this film they were considered to be an "older band", ahh!! The cut of Roundabout is not all that great and answers all questions regarding why it was left off of the final version of the film.
So the final vote -- 4 out of 5 stars. Good clean cut from the 80's, several well done cuts (although they really should have included the solos), and some great memories from the better MTV years.
Movie Review: Return with us now to those bygone days of big hair.....
Summary: 4 Stars
The folks at Image Entertainment and the Yes organization did a very nice job on this long-awaited DVD. "9012Live" is definitely a memento of the 80's, as the music, stage clothes and special effects prove. I must admit that I always enjoyed the Trevor Rabin-era Yes line-up, as well as the (now dated) Charlex effects employed by director Stephen Soderbergh. But I have read on various Yes websites and publications that many fans had been hoping for a "Charlex-free" print of the film. It's nice to know that the powers-that-be actually listened to the fans and included an effects-free director's cut of the film in addition to the original, giving the viewer a choice.
The other extras included here are a backstage documentary entitled "Access All Areas", and a half-hour's worth of period interviews with the band members. These segments are especially interesting when viewed in the context of the band's history, both before and after this period in their career. Also, "Roundabout", which was filmed but never included in the finished product, is here as an added bonus. Overall, the picture is crisp and vivid...a marked improvement over the Brazilian disc issued some years back.
My one complaint, and the reason I'm only giving it four stars, is with the audio choices. I'm one of those fossils who haven't yet acquired a 5.1 surround system. On virtually all of the other Yes DVD's (the exception being "Philadelphia 1979"), one may choose between 5.1 surround or a (usually) pretty good stereo mix. Interestingly, the audio options offered on the on-screen menu of this DVD are 5.1 surround or Dolby 2.0. However, on the DVD case (in very tiny letters on the back) are the choices - surround 5.1 or mono 1.0. If the technology exists for a good 5.1 mix to be extracted from the stereo masters, I have to believe that a good stereo remix could have easily been created for this disc. Listening through headphones or speakers, the "Dolby 2.0" option is very obviously mono.
Other than that gripe, I'd have to say that this is a disc worth owning whether you are a long-time Yes fanatic, or a casual fan. It is an interesting document of a time when Yes became more of a "pop" band than a "prog" band, and pulled it off with great aplomb.
Movie Review: This DVD is redeemed by the Director's Cut
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a casual Yes fan and I really enjoyed the live performances of 90125 (one of my favorite Yes albums on audio CD) which marked a great revival for the band during the mid-80's. Although some Yes purists prefer Steve Howe to Trevor Rabin, I really liked Rabin -- he shows a lot more enthusiasm & enjoyment in his guitar playing than Howe and he plays all the older Yes numbers with great skill. When Howe plays, he seems very morose and he rarely ever smiles, even though he is a great musician.
I really liked the "Director's Cut" because it features the entire live concert performance without the annoying visual effects, which really disrupted the flow with its nonsensical imagery of the 50's family in the living room and the other weird effects. My favorite songs that were performed on this DVD are the 90125 numbers, "Owner of a Lonely Heart," "It Can Happen," "Changes," and "Leave It". Trevor Rabin also does a commendable job on the Steve Howe Yes songs "Roundabout" (which he plays on electric guitar), "I've Seen All Good People" (which is done on a faster tempo than Howe's version) and "Starship Trooper". I wished the band could have played more classic Yes pieces.
The bonus features include an interesting interview with the band members and the song "Roundabout". It is interesting that this DVD was made by Steven Soderbergh before his work on the big screen. I deleted one star for this DVD because of the annoying visual effects which marred the feature film, and the mediocre sound quality of the DVD. However, this is the only live performance of Yes during the Rabin era, and the 90125 numbers bring back good memories of the past.
If you like the Trevor Rabin era of Yes, you'd really enjoy this DVD. Watch the Director's cut.
Movie Review: I've seen this video - it looks and sounds very, very good
Summary: 4 Stars
Hey guys,
The video and audio are excellent. Only one "bonus" song, though, "Roundabout," which was cut for some reason from the original video version. Equally (or even more so) interesting is director Steven Soderbergh's backstage documentary that follows the members - keyboardist Tony Kaye is a prankster and, at that very moment in time, is "glad" he isn't Rick Wakeman because he's the one on the tour. Also interesting is Trevor Rabin complaining about his own "heavy metal"-like soloing on some songs, saying that one guitar passage is too long. It's an interesting twist for those fans who hate Rabin and love "classic" Yes six-stringer Steve Howe. Jon Anderson is his usual, spacey-kind of a person, and then there's the great Chris Squire, who seems to be holding a drinking cup on all Yes vidoes when he isn't clutching a bass guitar or one of his children/grandchildren. Squire is one of the kings of the bass , no questions asked!
All of the guys are interviewed by Soderbergh during the tour, and Chris seems to almost zone out here and there, offering serious statements that contrast his humorous, jumping-around persona while under the spotlight.
Also, Alan White is solid on the drums, although he doesn't sound as "on fire" as he did on their 1980 LP "Drama." White also offers his view on the band's "reunion" following their underappreciated LP and tour with Buggles members Travor Horn and Geoff Downes. (Is it me, or does White almost have NO british accent at all? Must be all that time spent living in Seattle.)
Definitely worth owning if you're a Yes fan, even for us fans who prefer the Steve Howe years, it's still a solid video for a cheap selling price.
Enjoy!