Yesstories: Yes in Their Own Words

Tim Morse provides a good structure of history here, coordinated with interview material collected from the past. Good insight into the song creation process etc. I enjoyed reading Steve Howe, and Bill Bruford's accounts. Both are very honest with their answers. I've often wondered if Steve Howe or any other bandmember or former band member would write an account specifically for their own biography of YES apart from Rick Wakemans book which was more of an autobiography just on himself. It would be nice to know more just how each member contributed ideas, difficulties, and of post production. Some of this was covered in Chris Welch's biography of Yes, but seen through his own experience with some bits of interview material. Jon could write a book on his lyrics of Yes. Steve could write a detailed studio account of the recording accounts from being in Yes. Chris Squire could write on the different musical infulences that changed with the members who had left or re-joined Yes etc. Many Possibilities here. Yes had almost reached some incredible musical complexity but they still have much to deliver.Dave Carlin, Philadelphia

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.

This is probably the best book written about a rock band. It's a very enjoyable and entertaining read, but it's also veryinformative. The book goes through every track from every album,with comments from different band members. One also gets a verygood insight into each band member's personality; it does it sowell that by the end of the book you feel like you know everyband member. Peter Banks, not surprisingly, comments on most ofthe songs from YES and TIME AND A WORD, and comes across, alsonot surprisingly, as very angry and resentful.Tony Kaye has verylittle to say and his ex-band members have little to say about him. Alan White comes across as a very personable and likabledown to earth guy, not being afraid to point out his contribu-tions to the songs. Bill Bruford probably has the best quotes ofall the band members, especially in his detailing of all the frustrations in making CLOSE TO THE EDGE and his putdowns of theUNION album. Rick Wakeman comes across as the joker of the bunch. I also like what the band members say about each other, particu-larly when Wakeman quotes Jon Anderson's description of himself.I enjoyed hearing about how the albums were made and how the bandcame up with and made the songs,especially Anderson's account ofhow he wrote the lyrics for Roundabout. It's fun hearing about the stories of Chris Squire's ongoing tardiness. THERE IS SO MUCH TO LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK! No YES fan should bewithout this!

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.

What a great idea - allowing the band members to tell their own story without the author getting in the way! Tim is to be commended both for his maturity in allowing his own ideas to step back and allow the band to speak, and for his excellent interviewing technique - a technique that resulted in some remarkable statements from band members.This is without a doubt the best book on Yes since Dan Hedges' excellent YES (1979). It belongs in your collection.