Yes - Keys to Ascension
by Steve Mitchell
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Zang AngelfireDirector: Steve Mitchell
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 137 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-01-02
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product features:
- Yes
- Fremont Theatre
- San Luis Obispo
- Jon Anderson
- Rick Wakeman
Movie Reviews of Yes - Keys to Ascension
Movie Review: For True Yes Fans - Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
I was disturbed by some of the comments regarding this film. Let's start at the beginning. I heard a rumour at the time that Wakeman had re-joined YES and were preparing new material along the lines of Topographic Oceans. My friend then played me a new 2-CD set he bought called Keys To Ascension (KTA). I noted that it had Wakeman, and that there were a number of live tracks and a few new studio tracks. I was stunned by the fantastic production of the live tracks, and also had heard a few snips of the new material on the net, but there were several songs missing.
Meanwhile I attended an exhibition where I purchased a 2nd generation VHS copy of a laser-disc "KTA Live". This turned out to be the live material from the CD, presented in full. I was stunned at the performances, they were near-perfect. So perfect I suspected that the musicians had possibly over-dubbed some parts. Still, having seen Yes many times beginning with 1979's triumphant 10th anniversary (Tormato) tour, I knew they could sound so good. I can also say I've played guitar for 35 years, and studied Howe's work. I re-watched and I still cannot tell if it's live all the way through, but it does seem to be live more than not. Perhaps they just did such a great job of recording the music that it lent itself to being nicely mixed. I will say that if it's true that they mixed in shots from other concerts for variety, I have no problem with that and it makes perfect sense then why I may have thought they were over-dubbing. This would at least mean the excellent performances are intact.
A little later saw the release of "Keystudio", which I purchased immediately, and turned out to be all of the studio cuts recorded with Wakeman but not released together, only mixed up over KTA 1 or 2. Now Keystudio is a great post-classic Yes album, their best since Going For The One. There are songs like Mind Drive, over 20 minutes, and while it's not Close To The Edge, it's definetly in the tradition of the longer classic Yes tunes, and has excellent solos by Howe and Wakeman sprinkled liberally. Do yourself a favour, if you enjoyed classic Yes but are lukewarm to their newer incarnations, pick up Keystudio.
Now someone said Alan White is the premier drummer...etc. Let's remember one thing: The drummer on ALL the classic Yes albums up to Close To The Edge was Bill Bruford. He was an essential part of the early Yes sound. Alan White's first album with Yes (not counting Yessongs) was the challenging Tales From Topographic Oceans. Alan White came from playing with guys like John Lennon (Plastic Ono) and his style is good, technical, but the sound is rock, wheras Bruford was jazz and fusion, with that trademark rimshot. Also, Bruford's style was such that the producer Eddy Offord could get a really tight mix. White is a more physical player, so lots of reverb and ambience started to colour Yes's sound in later albums. I think White's greatest acheivment with Yes was Relayer, especially Sound Chaser (wicked track). They never play any Relayer now, mainly cause Patrick Moraz was a fluke in that band. You wouldn't get Wakeman trying to emulate PM keys, wheras PM playing Wakeman is acceptable...
Therefore any classic Yes with Bruford we hear with White drumming will always (to my ears) fall short of the Bruford originals. Bluntly: Alan White is no Bruford. Bruford is one of the best ever. However White has been the drummer for so long he IS the YES drummer, ABWH aside.
So, the DVD version of this, unless they changed it from the version I saw, is bound to be excellent, tight, with great solos by Wakeman and Howe, solos that are new, not the same as the albums (I always liked this about live Yes), and in some parts so good you cannot tell the difference from the originals. They really went to a lot of effort to represent their older material. These concerts were held to honour some classic music, and I am happy to have this because it is the only visual record I have of this band performing live. I do have the Live In Philadelphia 1979, which was recorded on the same tour I saw, but the sound quality is disappointing. I am glad I got to see the same line up last year in Toronto. They amazed me by playing Revealing Science of God, and thanked the audience for making it possible for them to still be able to perform their longer cuts. They were excellent that night, and played "South Side Of The Sky" which I'd never seen them perform in the 25 years since 1979.
The concert: There's nothing wrong with the visuals, there was a lot of imagery in their music. The images are used sparingly and in my opinion are not too distracting. Yes, all live concerts suffer from the filmakers not knowing who is soloing. Just look at the "Goodbye Cream" farewell concert, most of the footage is extreme close-ups of Jack Bruce's facial boils. Hey he's the singer....who cares about that skinny guy with the guitar - Eric Claptrap, Clipboard? whatever. But it's not that bad in Keys To Ascention. Worth the cheap orice it seems to be selling for, so I guess I'll have to upgrade my VHS copy.
Summary of Yes - Keys to Ascension
Recorded live in March 1996 at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo, California with Rick Wakeman on keyboards. Mint condition cover and disc. Region 1 (USA & CANADA)Similar DVD Movies
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