Yes Music Podcast

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Doug Curran and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, we return to our occasional series on YesKit, this time featuring the instrument Tony Kaye used, briefly, in 1968 before he upgraded to a Hammond M100. It was the 1960s iconic keyboard, the British-made Vox Continental. The story of this revolutionary instrument is fascinating and we are indebted to the undisputed expert in the field, Chris Dale, for a great overview I read out at the end of the episode. It was huge fun to both research and then chat about the Vox Continental and I'm sure you will enjoy Mark's demonstrations as much as I did. How did it become the most iconic keyboard of the 1960s? What was the keyboard Tony Kaye had when he joined Yes? Why did he disguise it? Please do add your own comments in the show notes for this week's episode.

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Doug Curran and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, I have been researching one of the sets of photos that will be in the Barry Plummer book - Master of Images. It was labelled 'Roundhouse' but, as you will hear, that wasn't as straightforward a venue as I thought it was going to be. Once I get it all sorted out, I was delighted to discover that there is a crowd recording of the concert available over at: https://forgotten-yesterdays.com/downloads.asp?ftype=1&qsectionid=2&qdownloadid=37 After I told the story about what I found out, Mark and I compared notes on this early outing for songs from The Yes Album. It's a fascinating concert to listen to and we both spotted some great features. How many Roundhouses were there? Which one is this? How does Steve Howe fit into his new-ish band role?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius It's time to post our full review of the latest Yes album, Aurora. Mark and I spoke - quite a lot - about the record and our reactions to it. As you will hear, we both like it a lot and we go into depth about why. There are a couple of aspects I'm not so keen on and there is even a [Shock! Horror!] minor disagreement between your two favourite podcast co-hosts! However, we agree that Aurora has some wonderful features and it's a hugely enjoyable record. What are the best features of this new album? Does it feel like a Yes album? Are there any less enjoyable aspects? Please do add your own comments to the show notes for this week's show.

It's been a week of huge contrasts. Aurora was released and Mark and I chat about the physical copies later in the episode but I also had the news from CLive Ayer that Yes' first manager, Roy Flynn died this week. Clive kindly agreed to come and share his recollections of Roy but before that, here are two tributes, the first from Yes' current management team and the second from Dave Watkinson: All of us at QEDG are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Roy Flynn, Yes's very first manager, there at the beginning, "beyond and before," when everything was still forming, still becoming. Roy believed in the band at a time when the path was uncertain, when the music was still finding its voice. He gave not just guidance, but energy, faith, and his own resources, helping to spark something that would grow far beyond those early days. In those first steps, from small stages to a recording contract, he helped set the course, quietly shaping the direction of a journey that would travel many roads.  He saw the light in it, the possibility, the dream… and helped carry that "astral traveller" out into the world. His time with Yes was only a moment in the greater story, but like all true beginnings, it mattered, deeply and permanently. The echoes of that belief remain, still moving, still reaching. We send our love and condolences to his family and friends. And with gratitude, we remember Roy.   One of those who stood at the dawn, when the music first turned and began to flow, when "love makes the world go round," and the journey of Yes first found its wings. Martin Darvill Chairman, QEDG Management _________________________________ We are all very thankful for his dedication, money, foresight, and for unknowingly helping start such an important band.    We look back fondly to those early days, so fresh and new, with big dreams and relentless energy.    Thank you, Roy.    David Watkinson  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Mark and I are looking forward to talking about the new Yes album, Aurora, next week but this time, we have gone right back to the first ever Yes compilation album, Yesterdays, because we mentioned the first song on the record a couple of weeks ago, in the context of The New Age of Atlantic album. We enjoyed listening to the 1975 release again, particularly the first and last songs. There is a bit of audio geekery and lots of enthusing about this great collection from us both. Please do let us know what you think of Yesterdays and what's in your deadwax, of course. Why was this album released when it was? Are there any undiscovered songs on here? Who is actually on the record?

This week we welcomed bass maestro Miguel Falcão back onto the YMP, this time to talk about the bass that appears in Barry Plummer's photo set from Redan Recorders in February 1980. Chris shows off his new instrument to the camera so we have a great insight into his feelings, shortly after he received his customised Electra MPC bass. He seems rather pleased with it, as you can see in the photos I have included, appropriately watermarked, in the show notes for this week. I kick off the conversation by explaining what Yes were doing in Redan Recorders and why Barry Plummer's visit was fortuitous, at least for those of us interested in the history of the world's greatest progressive rock band. Miguel then takes us through all the details of the Electra bass, delving deeply into the weeds in the way we enjoy very much on the YMP. What was special about this bass guitar? Where and how did Chris use it? What happened to the instrument in the end?

This week, Mark and I had a very interesting chat about collecting Yes music - different pressings, different versions, different formats. I had come up with several categories of Yes collectors and here they are: Musical completist Artist/Band Supporter Band historian Audiophile History fanatic Tactile fanatic Emotional collector So which category do you think you fit into - or perhaps you consider yourself in several, all or none. Please do let us know in the show notes for this week. This topic came up because I have just received several new (to me) Yes and Yes-related items. I have put some photos in the show notes for this week.  

I have been away on holiday this week but Mark and I managed to pre-record this episode all about Yes Rapture - although we may stray into a 'rupture' moment as well... We each chose 3 moments that take us to a different dimension. There are many of these in Yes music, of course, but see if you can guess what we have chosen - I was certainly very surprised by more than one of Mark's choices! Of course, we would be delighted to hear your choices for Yes Rapture moments - or even your rupture moments! - so please do add them to the show notes for this week's episode.

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius What songs spring to mind when you think about Yes Positivity? Possibly the most positive band in history, there are plenty of obvious examples of songs but which would you choose? Mark and I had a great time choosing three songs each that encapsulate that essential Yes trait. You might be surprised that our choices came from all sorts of eras of the band. Perhaps this means the basis of the band has been maintained throughout the decades. Please do add your own choices to the comments here - and let us know why the songs you choose are imbued with such positivity for you. Are our choices obvious or a bit more unexpected? What is it about these songs that makes them come over as positive? How do these songs make you feel?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, I was delighted to be able to speak to Yes' lead singer, Jon Davison, in detail about the new Yes album, Aurora. I learned many fascinating things about the record and how it was put together. Unfortunately, Mark was unable to join me for the interview but, as you will hear, we had a great conversation in response to Jon's answers to my questions. Thank you to Jon for being so open and friendly and for answering my questions in great detail and to Sharon for allowing us to hear the new album early. How did this album come together? Is it the same as Mirror to the Sky? How much of it will we hear live?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, we start a new series of episodes in preparation for the forthcoming book Master of Images - Barry Plummer's Yes Legacy. One of the most intriguing sets of photos shared with me by Barry shows some kind of an event in 1981 with Rick Wakeman, shortly after he left Yes. I've added a couple of the shots (heavily watermarked) into the show notes for this week's episode but the whole set will be available in what is shaping up to be a very interesting book. Mark and I discuss the photos as well as the associated album. Let us know what you think of it via the comments on YesMusicPodcast.com

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week we spoke to Paul K Joyce who has contributed orchestrations to the new Yes album, Aurora. This is the third Yes album he has been involved with after helping the band create the wonderful aural landscapes of The Quest and Mirror to the Sky. He tells us about how the decisions came about, how many of the songs on Aurora feature orchestra and how the Czech National Symphony Orchestra went about recording the tracks, with him in the recording booth. As always, it was a fascinating conversation with someone who is both intimately connected with the newest Yes music and is also a huge Yes fan himself. There is also time for Mark to give us some great feedback on the Record Store Day release of Tales From Topographic Tours. How many songs on the forthcoming album have orchestral augmentation? Who made the decisions on what to put where? What was it like working with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Kevin is back! He and Mark bang on at length about the recent Oliver Wakeman concert with his band at Worcester, the remastered and expanded From A Page album and the first single from the new Yes album, Aurora. My thanks to everyone who has wished me well, including Brian Breen, Chris Berry and Gary Betts and his wife and most importantly Mark, who has kept the wheels turning at YMP Towers brilliantly. There are also some thoughts from Daniel and Amanda about the new From A Page, especially the inclusion of the song, Aliens and do check out the show notes for a video of our own Geoff Bailie discussing the new Yes single with his Prog Report compatriots. How was the Oliver Wakeman band? What's new about the expanded From A Page? What do we think of the new Yes single?  

Mark shares news about the forthcoming Yes album, Aurora, and runs down his own top 5 Yes live albums. Tune in and compare your own favourites!

Another stellar (how topical) episode from Mark in Kevin's absence! This week, he covers a wide variety of topics including the weather(!), his own latest Projekt Gemineye release, Jon Davison and the new Yes album and the main topic - the record pressings you must have if you count yourself as a fanatical Yes collector! https://projektgemineye.bandcamp.com/album/the-dark-days-of-yesterday Mark recorded this episode shortly before the news broke that the Yes Fragile Tour has had to be postponed due to Steve Howe requiring an operation. Get well soon, Steve!

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Continuing his sterling work in Kevin's absense, Mark considers his picks for the Top 5 Yes albums since 1980. I wonder how his list will compare with yours. Let us know in the comments, as always. What post-1980 album comes out top for Mark? How does his top 5 compare with yours? Do any of his picks seem odd to you?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Mark considers the new version of Yes Symphonic Live, from the amazing combination of Anderson, White, Squire, Howe, Brislin and orchestra. Is the new version significantly different to the original? What are the added ingredients? Is it worth the purchase price?  

Mark continues his solo episodes in Kevin's absence. This week, he thinks about his memories associated with three Yes albums. There's also time to reflect on the recent announcement of the deluxe and expanded version of the Oliver Wakeman-led Yes album, From a Page.

In his second solo episode, Mark talks about a very small section of his extensive Rick Wakeman collection.

A Vinyl Collector compares and analyzes Time and a Word.

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week we were delighted to welcome Yes drummer Jay Schellen back on the YMP. Just like last time, we had a lovely conversation and Jay shared his thoughts about the forthcoming UK and European Fragile Tour as well as the new Yes album that is now being prepared for release in July (hopefully). It's clear from our interview that Jay is totally committed to the future development of the band and believes that the new album will be warmly received. We look forward to that, of course. What unexpected item does Jay take with him on tour? How does his kit differ from Alan White's Has Jay been more involved in the writing of the forthcoming album than his previous Yes records? Let us know your thoughts in the sahow notes for this week.

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, Mark and I had a lot of fun on one of our Yes Guess Who quizzes. Also, as you'll hear, we veered a little off-topic in both the answer section of the quiz and in a two pence segment that was supposed to be about Yes and Yes-related Record Store Day releases, but we enjoyed a little bit of less serious chat a couple of times there. In the quiz, we each had five quotations from Yes men to try and fox each other with and, this time, I think they were quite a bit more difficult than the previous two outings of this game. Like last time, there were two points for attributing the quotation correctly and one for guessing the decade in which it was said. (That's really the least reliable part of the quiz and just there to add a little extra spice, or whatever.) I also had a bonus point available for Mark on one question, so listen out for that. Who said what? When did they say it? Who won the competition?  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, we had a great conversation with Glenn Williams, a rock writer based in Japan who I found via YMP Patron Paul Hailes. We picked Genn's brains about the music scene in Japan today and over the decades to try and find out what makes the country 'tick' and why they seem to receive special treatment from record companies. I have several Yes records and CDs in Japanese import versions, as you probably do and they are always impressive. We also discussed the conditions for live music in Japan and how different genres are viewed. Glenn shared some great insights. How have music listening trends changed in Japan over the decades? Why has it always been seen as a great place to record live albums? How popular is progressive rock nowadays? Let us know what you think in the comments on the show notes for this week.  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, Mark and I continue our mini series about solo songs that could have been Yes songs and this time it's Jon Anderson's turn. As we did last week with Steve Howe, we listened to Jon's first three solo albums - Olias of Sunhillow, Song of Seven and Animation. We chose just one song from each record that we think could have worked on a Yes album and discussed our reasons. It was very interesting, once again, to note the dramatic differences in approach that Jon went through from 1976 to 1982. In some ways, I think Anderson went the opposite direction to Howe, as you'll hear. How does Jon Anderson's solo approach change over the years? How easy is it to spot songs that could have been on yes albums? Who collaborated with Jon on these three records? Let us know what you think in the comments on the show notes for this week.

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week Mark and I began a mini series on songs that appear on Yes members' solo albums but could have been re-worked as effective Yes songs. It was interesting to listen to our first subject, Steve Howe's first 3 solo albums, Beginnings, The Steve Howe Album and Turbulence back-to-back. There are plenty of differences to enjoy, plus some singing from Steve. We compared notes on several songs and also assigned what we called a 'Yesability score' to each song. All will be revealed in our conversation. Which Howe solo songs did we choose? Is it easy to tell what could have been Yes songs instead of solo numbers? How does Steve's music change over the years? Let us know what you think in the comments on the show notes for this week.

Established in 2011 and produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I welcomed our longstanding friend, Preston Frazier, onto the show to talk about his (relatively) new book, 'Yes Indeed - Yes without Jon Anderson'. It's a fascinating and very different kind of Yes book, as you'll discover. As always, Preston was full of fun, even when we posed him some of the most difficult questions we have ever asked on the YMP. He took these in his stride, of course and I'm sure you will enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Why did Preston write this book? What was his approach? Is this book similar to any other books about Yes?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Mark and I return for the first time in the 15th year of the YMP this week to discuss some of what we believe are the most important aspects of the classic Chris Squire solo album, Fish Out Of Water. I do mention that it's 50 years since its release but, as you probably know, we are a bit late to the party. The official release date was November 1975 but that doesn't affect any of the points we make in our conversation. As we didn't celebrate the real 50th anniversary, we are making up for that today. Do let us know what your thoughts are on this amazing record by leaving a comment in the show notes for this week. What makes this album so good? Is it the best Yes member solo album? Who else was involved? Let us know what you think in the comments over at YesMusicPodcast.com  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Here is a short selection of Yuletide messages and other pieces of audio to finish off 2025. Many thanks to Michael Handerhan for his review of the (fairly) recent Yes show he attended and to Stephen Lambe for his audio feedback on last week's quiz. Thank you to everyone who has listened and/or been in touch in any way this year including all patrons for their support and producers. We are very much looking forward to 2026 and the fifteenth anniversary of the YMP. Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, I hope you have a great time. Here are Michael, Stephen and, finally, Mark to finish off the year.  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week Mark and I recorded what turned into a Christmas quiz. As you will hear, we even diverted into other aspects of the holiday season at the end, so look out for that. As a dedicated Yes fan, you'll want to take part in the quiz yourself by keeping track of your own answers and scores and then adding them to the show notes for this week. Does Kevin or Mark win the quiz? How did you do? What is the Christmas diversion at the end of the show?  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Well, here we are - 14 years and 700 episodes of the Yes Music Podcast. Thank you to Miguel Falcão who has created the new jingles for 700 episodes and thank you to everyone who has sent messages of congratulation. I've inserted the audio ones fairly randomly throughout the show but I'll start with a few written ones. Over on Twitter or X, Oliver Wakeman said, "A fantastic achievement. I've been fortunate to be a guest on a number of occasions. Congratulations!" Thank you Oliver. Julio Scissors (@captainjellico) said, "Congrats!  Love your show!" and Jon Anderson pic of the day (@JonAndersonpic1) also said, "Congrats!" Thank you both. As you'll hear, Mark and I had an enjoyable conversation about a particular Yes 700 topic and then there's some actual music from Steve Howe. Stay tuned for that! What Yes '700' topic have we come up with? Who has sent messages of congratulation? What Steve Howe music do we play?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius The Yes-a-verse went into meltdown this week over a new release of the Wembley BBC concert recording. As you will hear, it's a bit of a twisted tale so I was grateful to have Mark to help me wade through the marshy world of bootlegs. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this release, the BBC concert recording from 1978 or anything else to do with Yes bootlegs. Please leave your comments on the show notes for this week's episode. What is this new release? Is it official? What was the original broadcast like? Next week is our 700th episode. I can't believe it - can you? If you would like to have your voice in that celebratory episode, please send a sound file to [email protected] or use the Speakpipe button on the website. If you manage to get something to me by Thursday 4th December, I'll do my best to include it. Thank you.

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, Mark and I had a lovely time trying to outwit each other with another round of the Yes Guess Who game. I simplified the rules, as you'll hear, and it went rather more smoothly as a result. What fun we had. Do play along yourself and let us know how you did in the comments on this week's show notes. Who did we choose? Were the questions too easy or too hard? Who won?  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius From a tiny idea I had about Jon Anderson's use of instruments live with Yes, Mark and I managed to bang on for ages again this week. Hopefully, you will find the discussion as interesting as we did, particularly as I noticed some definite links between the band's sonic changes over the decades, Jon's development as a musician and the instruments he used. In order to create some kind of helpful structure to the conversation, I managed to find the earliest examples of each kind of instrument Jon uses live in the photos on the amazing Forgotten Yesterdays website and I have embedded them into the show notes for this week's episode - do take a look at those and add a comment if you can think of any other Yeskit Jon used live with the band - or add a comment even if you can't. What are all the instruments Jon used live with Yes? When did he start playing tuned instruments? What can we glean about the band amd about Jon from his choice of instruments?  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius As you will hear, I was looking at one of the amazing photos in the Barry Plummer Calendar (available now from YesMusicBooks.com) recently, when I noticed something peculiar about Chris Squire. I think what Barry has captured is a unique moment in Yes concert history. I don't think Chris ever did this in any other situation than the shows on the 1975 Relayer tour - and maybe not all of those performances. I have watched the QPR video many times but I hadn't realised exactly what was going on until I saw this photo and then re-watched the QPR performance. After watching that QPR version, Mark and I also took a careful look at a much later version, from the Yes Acoustic video. It's very different. I've included a heavily watermarked version of the Squire photo in the show notes for this episode but if you want to enjoy the full-quality version, you know what to do. Order the calendar now while there's still time to receive it before the New Year. So, what do you think I'm on about? Stay tuned for the full rabbit hole exploration with Mark. What's unique about the QPR live situation? What is that guitar? Which is the 'better' version?  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius In last week's episode about Chris Squire's Star Licks video, I was intrigued to notice that Trevor Rabin had also produced one and I had never watched it. Now that we are blessed with YouTube and the efforts of dedicated fans like, in this case, @YesSource, we can all enjoy watching Trevor in all his 1992 glory as he discusses not only his guitars but also his technique, studio practices, soloing approaches, songwriting and lots more. It's almost an hour of Yes goodness and Mark and I very much enjoyed watching and discussing this week, as you'll hear.  Once again, as you can imagine, we get deep into the weeds, particularly as Mark is an expert on studio kit and instruments and I'm, well, I'm along for the ride at least. I did, however learn a great deal I didn't know about the great Mr. Rabin's musicianship and kit, which is nice. You'll find the video we talk about in the show notes. What secrets does Trevor share? What kit does he show off? What do we learn about Yes music from this video?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week Mark and I took a careful look at the iconic Chris Squire Star Licks video from 1990. Chris is at his relaxed and chatty best and shows off his skills, his guitars and his pedal board. It's a wonderful time capsule of Yes goodness and Mark and I hugely enjoyed chatting about our reactions to it. The conversation goes down a couple of unexpected routes and we venture, predictably, into the weeds of both kit and musical theory! I promise it's not tedious though - how could it be with your two favourite podcast hosts in tandem? You'll find the videos we talk about at YesMusicPodcast.com What secrets does Chris share? What kit does he show off? What do we learn about Yes music from his bass lines here? See if you agree with us and then leave a comment.  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius After the emergence online of another Drama Tour video - with sound - by James Ferrani on YouTube, Mark and I took a careful look at his 2 videos from consecutive days on the 1980 Drama Tour that featured Buggles men Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes. There are at least 2 revelations contained in the videos that I don't believe any Yes fans except those who attended the concerts in North America have experienced in the intervening 45 years. I knew they had happened but seeing them is quite remarkable. Stay tuned for our discussion, watch the videos in the show notes for this episode over at YesMusicPodcast.com and leave us a comment while you are there. What are the unique aspects of these videos? Was Chris Squire a bit 'under the weather'? Who looked more comfortable - Downes or Horn?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Following a suggestion from the latest member of the Patreon YMP group, Thomas DeVries, Mark and I delved into Yes sporting links this week. It was great fun to learn about all the ways in which music and sport have collided over the decades and we were helped out by several kind contributors Dave Watkinson, Henry Potts, Geoff Bailie and Jon Pickles. If you have any other examples of sporting Yes links, please do add them to the show notes for this week. Also, just in case it doesn't come across in the conversation later, I am aware that Brentford football club are now in the English Premier League. When Rick Wakeman was involved with them, they were rather more of a struggling club. What sports feature in Yes' history? Which Yes member had more than one financial run-in with sports teams? What was Yes United? See if you agree with us and then leave a comment on the show notes for this week.  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Jeffrey Crecelius, and Ken Fuller This week it was a pleasure to welcome Billy Sherwood to the YMP once again. We spoke to him just before a rehearsal at Mickey's Black Box rehearsal facility as the band prepared for the 2025 Fragile Tour of the US. Since that conversation, Yes have played 2 concerts. We spoke to Billy about the tour, his gear and the new Yes album. He was as gracious and open as usual - a great conversation that I know you will enjoy. Following the first concert on the tour, Mark and I got back together again to discuss the setlist. Clearly, if you don't like spoilers, you'll want to press stop on your device after the Billy interview to avoid hearing the specifics of what the band will be playing.

This week, Mark and I spoke to the redoubtable David Watkinson who has published another fabulous Yessay (see what he did there?) on Forgotten-Yesterdays.com. This time, it's about a subject that might appear a bit dry - the band's accounts books from 1969-1970. In fact, there is a huge amount that can be gleaned from the documents as you will hear in a few minutes' time. Can you guess what are the largest - and the most bizarre - expenses the band incurred at this time? Prepare to be amazed, as they say. Yes were into Coke!?! Which member of the band was an official Director of the first ever Yes limited company? Why was there a separate charge for taking a bath? You might - or might not - want to read Dave's Yessay before listening to us banging on about it. If you do, you can find the link on the show notes for this episode over at YesMusicPodcast.com.

In a different kind of time travel this week, Mark and I welcomed Henry Potts back onto the show to talk about his recollections of the first Yes online discussions he was involved with in the early 1990s. After I posted some photos of the Yes fanzines I have in my collection on the Patreon group, Simon Barrow suggested we speak to Henry who has always been at the vanguard of Yes fans on the internet. He shared some fascinating insights into exactly how the first systems worked and how the 'scene' morphed and developed over the decades. Of course, we'd love to hear about your own earliest online experiences of Yes fandom so please do add your comments to the show notes for this week over at YesMusicPodcast.com.   When did the concept of online discussion begin? What were the first websites and fan forums? How has it all changed?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, Mark and I considered what makes Talk from 1994 a great Yes album. The final Yes record featuring Trevor Rabin was a tour-de-force of progressive rock in many ways but what do you think Mark and I chose as our reasons to focus on? Perhaps we chose the same aspects as you would, perhaps not. In any case, do please add your thoughts on Talk to the show notes for this week's episode over at YesMusicPodcast.com Is this actually a great Yes album? Does it sound like Yes? Which musicians keep the Yes flame alive?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Jeffrey Crecelius, and Ken Fuller Mark and I spent some time this week searching through both our memory banks and our shelves of Yes-related records. We wanted to uncover and promote some lesser-known deep cuts on albums that Yes men have been involved with outside the main group. We each came up with 3 songs you may not have heard or you may have forgotten about. We hope you enjoy revisiting them or discovering a little more of the breadth and depth of what Yes musicians have been involved with over the decades. Of course, we would be delighted to have your own suggestions of what other deep cuts we can all benefit from hearing - leave your suggestions on the show notes for this week's episode over at YesMusicPodcast.com

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius In a truly epic episode this week, I had a lovely conversation with Steve Howe about the re-release of two of his solo albums, Portraits of Bob Dylan and Natural Timbre. Then, Mark and I enjoyed goofing around asking each other to guess the Yes men being referred to in various quotations. Do play along with that yourself after listening to my great chat with Steve. Why is Steve re-releasing these two albums now? How do they differ in approach? How important is Bob Dylan to music generally and to Steve?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius It was great to think a little about what might make up Yes' authenticity this week. Is it possible to define what makes the output of a band - or any kind of artistic endeavour 'authentic'? Rather than try and come up with a definition of authenticity (which is probably a loftier aim than we had time for this week), Mark and I discussed what the rather nebulous concept means to us, in the context of Yes music. We each came up with examples of what we consider to be authentic aspects in the 50+ year history of the band and how they support our ideas of what 'authentic Yes' is. As always, we would be fascinated to hear what you think of this concept - please leave your ideas in the comments below. How can you tell if a band like Yes is 'being authentic'? Is authenticity more than simply 'sounding like the same band'? Beyond music, are there any other aspects that might contribute to a feeling of authenticity?

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Jeffrey Crecelius, and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I set off once again in our YMP Yes Time Machines, this time to visit Yes concerts that also featured fascinating support bands, or bands on the same bill that we would loved to have seen. According to the essential Forgotten Yesterdays website, there have been 599 bands who have either supported or played alongside Yes since 1968 so there was plenty of choice for Mark and me. Before we begin, have a think which shows you didn't manage to attend and would like to go back to in a time machine to experience for yourself. I wonder if you will pick any of the occasions Mark and I did. Let us know in the comments in the show notes for this week.

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, Mark and I discussed the 'solo' songs on Fragile. Each band member contributed an individual project, some with more success than others. The style and approaches used by Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe and Squire are very different and they certainly prompted an interesting discussion as you'll hear. With Yes soon to embark on playing the whole of Fragile live for the third time, we also touched on how these songs come over live - and if it's even a good idea to include them alongside the 4 'proper' songs. Which of the solo songs is the best? How do they differ in approach? Should they be played live?

This week Mark and I had all sorts of fun thinking about whether there are any short Yes epics - or if this idea is even possible. We set ourselves the restriction of only choosing Yes songs less than 6mins in duration so can you guess what we came up with and how we justified our choices? It was sad to hear that Ozzy Osbourne died this week, only a few weeks after performing his last ever concert with his Black Sabbath bandmates. I can't say I was a dedicated fan of Ozzy or Sabbath but my introduction to heavy metal was when a friend of mine took me up to his room in a slightly creepy Victorian mansion and played me the self-titled album by the Birmingham band. How appropriate the setting was. I also learned to play Paranoid on the drums when I was a teenager and my younger son taught my daughter, when she was a toddler, to sing the alphabet to the riff from War Pigs. My elder son was a true fan so he was upset when we heard the news.  As you know if you've read the new Tales book or get your information from many other sources like Matthew Paine on Facebook, Rick Wakeman was a huge fan of Ozzy who he met at Morgan Studios while Yes were recording Tales. He ended up playing keys on 2 songs on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath which was being recorded over the road in another Morgan studio at the time. Eventually, Ozzy returned the favour by singing on Rick's "The Return to the Center of the Earth", as pointed out by Paul Graf also on Facebook. Our own Doug Curran interviewed Ozzy for his radio show in 1981 so do make a point of reading his reflections on that on the YMP Facebook discussion group. Rest in Peace Ozzy.  

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Jeffrey Crecelius, and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I returned to the show to talk about the Yes classic album, 90125 from 1983. It is clearly, we believe, a great album but what makes it a great Yes album? It wasn't originally going to be a Yes album at all and only became one at the last possible moment when Jon Anderson arrived on the scene. The band Cinema, consisting of Tony Kaye, Alan White, Trevor Rabin and Chris Squire had basically finished the record with Trevor Horn but, as you can read in full detail in Stephen Lambe's excellent book about the album, there were several reasons that band was ultimately replaced by the name and the aura of Yes. What do you think Mark and I came up with for our 6 reasons and would you have chosen the same features? Let us know in the show notes for this week's episode. Is this a real Yes album? What makes it great? Who makes it great?

This week I'd like to celebrate the release of my second book, Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes Album Listening Guide - a title almost as lengthy as the record itself. It's been a very long and sometimes challenging process to prepare the book for publication - much like the record itself. However, it's finally here and you can buy it from all the usual places. If you haven't yet ordered your copy, you live outside the UK and you would like to help me out, please visit YesMusicBooks.com and order from there. There are print on demand links in the store on the site which will allow you to order copies of the book and its full colour supplement, printed at a location near where you live, avoiding shipping costs and the associated environmental impact. I also get to keep more of the proceeds from the order, rather than giving it to the big corporations. Shipping time may be a little bit longer than the online stores but the choice is up to you. If you are in the UK please order directly from BurningShed.com and if you normally get your books from a local independent bookstore, then that is also a great option wherever you are in the world. The book ended up being 336 pages long which is rather a surprise to me. The initial idea was to produce something shorter and simpler than the Tormato Story book - more of an actual guide, rather than an in-depth study. However, as soon as I started, it became obvious that I could resist travelling down just as many fascinating rabbit holes as last time. I did manage to uncover some previously hidden information and it was a lot of fun researching as many different aspects of this epic work of progressive rock as I could. As Prog Magazine put it in their review, "The most rewarding way to experience Tales is to dive in and become immersed. This book is the very definition of that."