Short Reviews [Various Artists - 2018 - "Yesterday and Today: A 50th Anniversary Tribute To Yes"]

It has been years since I last heard a Yes tribute album, and then two come along at once. This one has a more varied line-up, although producers Dave Kerzner and Fernando Perdomo are involved a great deal, as Billy Sherwood. Ah, that was the first thing that annoyed me, Billy is a great musician, but how can he be involved with a Yes tribute if he is a current member of the band? Oh look, there’s Geoff Downes, isn’t he a current member? And Jon Davidson, while Tony Kaye may often be overlooked due to the man with long hair and a cape, but was with the band for two very important periods of their career. Some of the songs are very close indeed to the original arrangements, while others are varied, and it is to the latter I found myself reaching most often. David Bainbridge and Sally Minnear have a wonderful musical relationship, and their approach to “Turn of the Century” is simply wonderful. Rediscovering Robert Berry over the last couple of years has been a real delight, and even though in many ways it is close to the original, I love his vocal approach to “Changes”, while any album featuring both Steve Hackett and Francis Dunnery is going to get a lot of attention from progheads. Only real Yes fans would want both of these albums, but I must confess for the most part it just made me want to go back and play the originals. Fun and enjoyable, but just not the same as the real thing.