Yes Revisit Three Classic Albums in L.A.

Yes performs at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

"It's strange, you know," former Yes drummer Bill Bruford once told me. "Songs like 'Siberian Khatru' sound really hip these days."

Bruford was right. The six studio albums that British quintet Yes released between 1971 and 1977 have aged well, standing today as a paradigm of progressive rock and its infinite ambition: the desire to stretch the concept of rock & roll to the limit, incorporating elements of jazz, classical music, sweet psychedelia, noisy dissonance and Eastern mysticism. 

Decades after prog rock was vilified as a bourgeois disease in need of an antidote (namely, the Sex Pistols), albums like Fragile and Relayer surprise with their edgy sensibility, an almost compulsive need for experimentation and, most importantly, the relentless beauty of their soundscapes.

100 Greatest Guitarists, Fricke's Picks: Steve Howe

Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, the current incarnation of Yes embarked on one of its most ambitious projects to date: performing three of those classic albums – Close to the Edge, Going for the One and The Yes Album – in their entirety, following the original song sequence.  For studious fans of the band, it was a sumptuous treat.

Yes performs at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

But was this really Yes? In 2007, when original vocalist Jon Anderson faced serious health issues and a lengthy recovery, the remaining bandmembers – in a decision of Spinal Tap-like genius – enlisted Canadian singer Benoit David from a Yes tribute band. When David experienced health problems of his own last year, Jon Davison from neo-prog outfit Glass Hammer was brought in.

Interestingly, this incarnation doesn't quite feel like Yes with a new vocalist. Instead, it sounds like a Yes tribute band with some of the original instrumentalists as guests. (When Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, the remaining members briefly considered turning the band into an instrumental act. Such is the staying power of a charismatic lead singer.)

As the concert progressed at the Orpheum, you could feel your brain scrambling to block Davison's singing and focus, sometimes desperately, on the vocal harmonies by bassist Chris Squire and the virtuoso guitar lines of Steve Howe. Not surprisingly, the brief instrumental passages performed by Squire, Howe and drummer Alan White were the highlight of the evening. Howe was the protagonist throughout, using an arsenal of stringed instruments to conjure up the ghosts of bluegrass, flamenco, jazz fusion and primal rock & roll. 

Davison sounded alternately goofy (the 20-minute epic "Close to the Edge"), raucous (bravely attempting the breathless dynamics of "Going for the One") and genuinely affecting (a fine job evoking the delicate pastoral mood of the underrated gem "Turn of the Century"). Putting any of the blame on him would be cruel. The original vocal lines by Anderson are just too specific and richly textured to be emulated, and in retrospect, Anderson had a strong presence as an MC, even with his occasional New Age musings. By contrast, Davison chose not to address the crowd between songs.

Yes performs at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

Keyboardist Geoff Downes added more problems to the mix. A founding member of the Buggles and Asia, he excels at the intersection where prog rock meets early Eighties new wave. Downes programmed the keyboard menu lovingly, playing basically the same notes but adding subtle variations of sound.  When the songs required chunky organ chords heavy on the bass, everything was fine. But when it came to playing the baroque, spidery lines originally performed by resident genius Rick Wakeman, they sounded frantic and sloppy.

It is debatable whether Yes is tarnishing its legacy by continuing to tour with a lineup that is still able to generate excitement, perhaps, but is imperfect in so many ways. In interviews, Anderson has expressed his disappointment at having been cast aside. Since he is currently touring the world as a solo act, he could theoretically rejoin the band and perform a select number of shows.

Yes was once known for its spirit of inclusiveness (remember that 1991 tour with eight dudes on a revolving stage?), so it wouldn't be out of the question keeping both vocalists on the fold. In the spirit of good old fashioned prog rock integrity, perhaps it's time to take a deep breath and pick up the phone.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Yes Revisit Three Classic Albums in L.A.

Yes performs at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

"It's strange, you know," former Yes drummer Bill Bruford once told me. "Songs like 'Siberian Khatru' sound really hip these days."

Bruford was right. The six studio albums that British quintet Yes released between 1971 and 1977 have aged well, standing today as a paradigm of progressive rock and its infinite ambition: the desire to stretch the concept of rock & roll to the limit, incorporating elements of jazz, classical music, sweet psychedelia, noisy dissonance and Eastern mysticism. 

Decades after prog rock was vilified as a bourgeois disease in need of an antidote (namely, the Sex Pistols), albums like Fragile and Relayer surprise with their edgy sensibility, an almost compulsive need for experimentation and, most importantly, the relentless beauty of their soundscapes.

100 Greatest Guitarists, Fricke's Picks: Steve Howe

Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, the current incarnation of Yes embarked on one of its most ambitious projects to date: performing three of those classic albums – Close to the Edge, Going for the One and The Yes Album – in their entirety, following the original song sequence.  For studious fans of the band, it was a sumptuous treat.

Yes performs at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

But was this really Yes? In 2007, when original vocalist Jon Anderson faced serious health issues and a lengthy recovery, the remaining bandmembers – in a decision of Spinal Tap-like genius – enlisted Canadian singer Benoit David from a Yes tribute band. When David experienced health problems of his own last year, Jon Davison from neo-prog outfit Glass Hammer was brought in.

Interestingly, this incarnation doesn't quite feel like Yes with a new vocalist. Instead, it sounds like a Yes tribute band with some of the original instrumentalists as guests. (When Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, the remaining members briefly considered turning the band into an instrumental act. Such is the staying power of a charismatic lead singer.)

As the concert progressed at the Orpheum, you could feel your brain scrambling to block Davison's singing and focus, sometimes desperately, on the vocal harmonies by bassist Chris Squire and the virtuoso guitar lines of Steve Howe. Not surprisingly, the brief instrumental passages performed by Squire, Howe and drummer Alan White were the highlight of the evening. Howe was the protagonist throughout, using an arsenal of stringed instruments to conjure up the ghosts of bluegrass, flamenco, jazz fusion and primal rock & roll. 

Davison sounded alternately goofy (the 20-minute epic "Close to the Edge"), raucous (bravely attempting the breathless dynamics of "Going for the One") and genuinely affecting (a fine job evoking the delicate pastoral mood of the underrated gem "Turn of the Century"). Putting any of the blame on him would be cruel. The original vocal lines by Anderson are just too specific and richly textured to be emulated, and in retrospect, Anderson had a strong presence as an MC, even with his occasional New Age musings. By contrast, Davison chose not to address the crowd between songs.

Yes performs at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

Keyboardist Geoff Downes added more problems to the mix. A founding member of the Buggles and Asia, he excels at the intersection where prog rock meets early Eighties new wave. Downes programmed the keyboard menu lovingly, playing basically the same notes but adding subtle variations of sound.  When the songs required chunky organ chords heavy on the bass, everything was fine. But when it came to playing the baroque, spidery lines originally performed by resident genius Rick Wakeman, they sounded frantic and sloppy.

It is debatable whether Yes is tarnishing its legacy by continuing to tour with a lineup that is still able to generate excitement, perhaps, but is imperfect in so many ways. In interviews, Anderson has expressed his disappointment at having been cast aside. Since he is currently touring the world as a solo act, he could theoretically rejoin the band and perform a select number of shows.

Yes was once known for its spirit of inclusiveness (remember that 1991 tour with eight dudes on a revolving stage?), so it wouldn't be out of the question keeping both vocalists on the fold. In the spirit of good old fashioned prog rock integrity, perhaps it's time to take a deep breath and pick up the phone.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Chuck D on Public Enemy's Two New Albums: 'They Will Talk to Each Other'

Chuck D talks new Public Enemy albums.

This is shaping up to be an extremely fruitful year for Public Enemy: the veteran hip-hop group will release two albums, Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp in June and The Evil Empire of Everything in September.

"They're totally separate albums," Chuck D tells Rolling Stone. "But 25 years ago, it probably would have been called a double album. And maybe 25 years ago, it would have been called an extended A-side or extended B-side. But now, in today's digital space, we thought it's very important to be able to slow the listener down. The fact that you work on something, and a reviewer or a listener listens to it on their iPod or their file in about 15 or 20 seconds, it's like, 'Wait a minute. Slow down.'"

Chuck D describes the albums as "fraternal twins. Unidentical. And these records will talk to each other." Both albums will feature numerous guests, including Brother Ali, Henry Rollins, Tom Morello, Z-Trip, Large Professor, Bumpy Knuckles and Gerald Albright.

As for confirmed song titles, Chuck D says, "One song title just emerged. It's still the same song, but it talks about so many things that are pertinent to the issue, and it's called 'Beyond Trayvon.' Another title is 'Catch the Thrown.'" But don't expect the tunes to reflect a specific Public Enemy era of the past. "Public Enemy has never made two albums alike," he says. "This is all its own ilk."

Public Enemy are aiming to tour heavily behind the releases – beginning in May, the band plans on touring Australia, Europe and Brazil. After that, they will launch the "Hip Hop Gods" tour of the United States in the fall, which will see Public Enemy joined by other classic hip-hop artists. "People like EPMD, Naughty by Nature," notes Chuck D. "We want to be able to show rap artists who ask us, 'How do we do what you guys do?' Keep going 25 years in a row, releasing what we want when we want, playing whatever we want when we want – that type of thing. Just like classic rock, we want to do the same thing in hip-hop. It's that time."

But first up for Chuck D, he will induct his friends the Beastie Boys into the Roll and Roll Hall of Fame. "It came about because they requested, and definitely it's an honor to do so. The third hip-hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a very important juncture of rap and hip-hop."

Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys first crossed paths in 1987. "We were on the License to Ill tour. That was our first tour, and it was very influential in Public Enemy developing a stage show. It was '(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)', with the big phallus popping out of the stage. It was just ridiculous – it was a mind-blowing show. The beer cans… it was just like, 'What the fuck?'"

Finally, how did Chuck D's unexpected guest appearance on Meat Loaf's latest release, Hell in a Handbasket, come about? "Meat Loaf is [Anthrax guitarist and former Public Enemy collaborator] Scott Ian's father-in-law. I think he was looking for something on his album that answered to a dynamic that he didn't want to do himself. So he reached out to Scott, Scott reached out to me, and I said sure."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Chuck D on Public Enemy's Two New Albums: 'They Will Talk to Each Other'

Chuck D talks new Public Enemy albums.

This is shaping up to be an extremely fruitful year for Public Enemy: the veteran hip-hop group will release two albums, Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp in June and The Evil Empire of Everything in September.

"They're totally separate albums," Chuck D tells Rolling Stone. "But 25 years ago, it probably would have been called a double album. And maybe 25 years ago, it would have been called an extended A-side or extended B-side. But now, in today's digital space, we thought it's very important to be able to slow the listener down. The fact that you work on something, and a reviewer or a listener listens to it on their iPod or their file in about 15 or 20 seconds, it's like, 'Wait a minute. Slow down.'"

Chuck D describes the albums as "fraternal twins. Unidentical. And these records will talk to each other." Both albums will feature numerous guests, including Brother Ali, Henry Rollins, Tom Morello, Z-Trip, Large Professor, Bumpy Knuckles and Gerald Albright.

As for confirmed song titles, Chuck D says, "One song title just emerged. It's still the same song, but it talks about so many things that are pertinent to the issue, and it's called 'Beyond Trayvon.' Another title is 'Catch the Thrown.'" But don't expect the tunes to reflect a specific Public Enemy era of the past. "Public Enemy has never made two albums alike," he says. "This is all its own ilk."

Public Enemy are aiming to tour heavily behind the releases – beginning in May, the band plans on touring Australia, Europe and Brazil. After that, they will launch the "Hip Hop Gods" tour of the United States in the fall, which will see Public Enemy joined by other classic hip-hop artists. "People like EPMD, Naughty by Nature," notes Chuck D. "We want to be able to show rap artists who ask us, 'How do we do what you guys do?' Keep going 25 years in a row, releasing what we want when we want, playing whatever we want when we want – that type of thing. Just like classic rock, we want to do the same thing in hip-hop. It's that time."

But first up for Chuck D, he will induct his friends the Beastie Boys into the Roll and Roll Hall of Fame. "It came about because they requested, and definitely it's an honor to do so. The third hip-hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a very important juncture of rap and hip-hop."

Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys first crossed paths in 1987. "We were on the License to Ill tour. That was our first tour, and it was very influential in Public Enemy developing a stage show. It was '(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)', with the big phallus popping out of the stage. It was just ridiculous – it was a mind-blowing show. The beer cans… it was just like, 'What the fuck?'"

Finally, how did Chuck D's unexpected guest appearance on Meat Loaf's latest release, Hell in a Handbasket, come about? "Meat Loaf is [Anthrax guitarist and former Public Enemy collaborator] Scott Ian's father-in-law. I think he was looking for something on his album that answered to a dynamic that he didn't want to do himself. So he reached out to Scott, Scott reached out to me, and I said sure."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Beyonce Begins Work on Two New Albums

Beyonce performs at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.

Beyoncé may have given birth to her first child last month, but the singer is already planning two new projects to write and record in 2012. Ryan Tedder, OneRepublic frontman and co-writer of Beyoncé tunes such as "Halo" and "I Was Here," says that he and other producers are cooking up raw material that the singer will have the option to complete in the studio. "All I can say is, you kind of feed her the best that you have and she's this phenomenal filter and she takes it all in," Tedder told the BoomBox at the Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday.

"The conversations about her next album literally just started and there [are] two projects happening," says Tedder. The songwriter did not divulge the nature of the projects, though he did mention that he is submitting songs about motherhood and that the singer is not planning to chase current trends in pop music. "She's not interested in 2012, she's interested in what's [going to sound good for] 2013."

It is likely that one of the two projects will be music for the soundtrack to Clint Eastwood's forthcoming remake of A Star Is Born, which will feature the R&B star as the female lead.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Read more »

Beyonce Begins Work on Two New Albums

Beyonce performs at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.

Beyoncé may have given birth to her first child last month, but the singer is already planning two new projects to write and record in 2012. Ryan Tedder, OneRepublic frontman and co-writer of Beyoncé tunes such as "Halo" and "I Was Here," says that he and other producers are cooking up raw material that the singer will have the option to complete in the studio. "All I can say is, you kind of feed her the best that you have and she's this phenomenal filter and she takes it all in," Tedder told the BoomBox at the Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday.

"The conversations about her next album literally just started and there [are] two projects happening," says Tedder. The songwriter did not divulge the nature of the projects, though he did mention that he is submitting songs about motherhood and that the singer is not planning to chase current trends in pop music. "She's not interested in 2012, she's interested in what's [going to sound good for] 2013."

It is likely that one of the two projects will be music for the soundtrack to Clint Eastwood's forthcoming remake of A Star Is Born, which will feature the R&B star as the female lead.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Timbaland and Missy Elliott to Release New Albums in June

John Shearer/WireImage for MTV.com

Timbaland has promised new solo albums from both himself and longtime collaborator Missy Elliott in June. "Right now, we're just preparing to get both our videos, our first singles, shot kinda at the same time," the rapper and producer told MTV News. "We want to do it as a movement and spontaneously. I just don't want to move too ahead of her, and she doesn't wanna move too ahead of me." The two last teamed up on "Take Ur Clothes Off," a track that was released for free last January.

This new album will be Elliott's first full-length release since she put out The Cookbook in 2005. The rapper has been mostly silent in that time, but has appeared on a handful of remixes for songs by artists such as Katy Perry and J. Cole. She also released "Best, Best" in 2008 as a teaser single for an album called Block Party, but that set never materialized. As of yet, it's unclear whether this new Elliott disc will be a version of the Block Party album.

Photos: Random Notes
Timbaland's previous album, Shock Value II, was released in 2009. The producer released "Pass At Me," a single in advance of a Shock Value III album featuring contributions from Pitbull and David Guetta, in September.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Read more »

Timbaland and Missy Elliott to Release New Albums in June

John Shearer/WireImage for MTV.com

Timbaland has promised new solo albums from both himself and longtime collaborator Missy Elliott in June. "Right now, we're just preparing to get both our videos, our first singles, shot kinda at the same time," the rapper and producer told MTV News. "We want to do it as a movement and spontaneously. I just don't want to move too ahead of her, and she doesn't wanna move too ahead of me." The two last teamed up on "Take Ur Clothes Off," a track that was released for free last January.

This new album will be Elliott's first full-length release since she put out The Cookbook in 2005. The rapper has been mostly silent in that time, but has appeared on a handful of remixes for songs by artists such as Katy Perry and J. Cole. She also released "Best, Best" in 2008 as a teaser single for an album called Block Party, but that set never materialized. As of yet, it's unclear whether this new Elliott disc will be a version of the Block Party album.

Photos: Random Notes
Timbaland's previous album, Shock Value II, was released in 2009. The producer released "Pass At Me," a single in advance of a Shock Value III album featuring contributions from Pitbull and David Guetta, in September.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »