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 cam...
Aug 15, 2025•38 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius 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 thi...
Aug 08, 2025•44 min
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. Drama and Fragile Live! With Yes soon to embark on playing the whole of Fragile live for the third time, we als...
Aug 01, 2025•43 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius 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 ba...
Jul 25, 2025•39 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius 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 ...
Jul 18, 2025•36 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius 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 ...
Jul 04, 2025•22 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, Mark and I enjoyed coming up with 6 reasons why the band’s third record, The Yes Album, is a great Yes album. As I’m sure you know, this was Steve Howe’s first album with Yes and also Tony Kaye’s last. It is correctly viewed by many fans, critics and Steve Howe himself as the first Yes masterpiece. Clearly, we could have found dozens of reasons why this is a great Yes album but that would have left less room for...
Jun 27, 2025•42 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius R.I.P. Johnny Bruhns https://www.youtube.com/live/QkQRiUdVUag?si=-VMIOIbSdCzLqNYU https://johnnybruhns.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-the-kingdom https://www.youtube.com/live/1wOQPyQMbE4?si=4rzlFs59JGG5RAsX This week, Mark and I considered the Yes music of the new Millennium - 25 years after it began. In this time, the band have produced just 5 studio albums and 1 EP: Magnification Fly From Here From a Page (EP) Heaven and ...
Jun 20, 2025•37 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week, Mark and I returned to our occasional series on Yes concepts. This time we considered Yes audacity - those times when the band has done something few others would have attempted. We both came up with 3 examples and it proved to be a very enjoyable conversation, albeit with quite a bit of shameless self-promotion from me. In the world of progressive rock, perhaps the most audacious genre of all, what do you think...
Jun 13, 2025•39 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius This week we have a bumper, epic episode where Simon Barrow, Mark and I discuss AI and its impact, in the context of Yes music, of course. My daughter, Charlotte, also gives us her thoughts on the subject so many thanks to her. This topic was suggested by the appearance on YouTube of an album entitled 'YEP - On The Waterline (70's Prog Rock / Progressive Rock)' as spotted by Charlie Nolan. Should AI be used in music? What ...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius It’s already been 3 years since Alan White died. To mark the sad anniversary, Mark and I discussed the iconic drummer’s adaptability this week. We each chose 3 different examples of his playing to highlight different aspects of his musical character. In addition, 4 YMP Patrons gave us comments to read out - Jon Pickles, Ronnie Neeley, Doug Curran, and Fred Barringer. It was very enjoyable to think about Alan but also, of c...
May 30, 2025•47 min
Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius Unbelievably, it’s already 10 years since we lost Chris Squire. Tempus Fugit, but this time not in a good way. To mark this sad milestone, Prog Magazine has included 2 large articles about Chris in the latest issue, number 160. The person charged with writing the main piece was friend of the YMP, Stephen Lambe. Mark and I spoke to him this week about the greatest bassist the world has ever seen, the irreplaceable Christoph...
May 23, 2025•33 min
Mark and I really enjoyed discussing what Yes virtuosity means to us with the help of YMP Patrons Brian Harris, Michael OConnor, HB Pettersen, Jon Pickles, Dave Owen, Gary Betts, Mark Slater and Ronnie Neeley this week. Can you guess what we all chose for our examples of Yes virtuosity? You might be surprised, as Mark and I were. There were some common themes that emerged which is always encouraging because it means we are not on our own in our thoughts about the band. So thank you to all those ...
May 16, 2025•54 min
This week Mark and I enjoyed thinking about what Billy Sherwood has contributed on bass to the last two Yes albums, The Quest and Mirror to the Sky. We each chose three examples of songs from those two records to talk about and shared our thoughts on whether Billy has continued the tradition of Chris Squire bass playing or gone his own way - or a combination of the two. Is Billy channelling Chris? What do we want from a 'new' bass player? How does Billy's multi-instrumentalist pedigree affect hi...
May 09, 2025•40 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I are trying out a new concept - it’s a game called Yes connections. There will be chances to laugh at my ineptitude as well as chances to get involved yourself with a special Yes connections round for listeners - with a prize for the more creative - or maybe funny entry sent into the show. Hang onto your hat and test your Yes knowledge in a few minutes’ time. What are the connections? Why doesn't Kevin...
May 02, 2025•37 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I were joined by Jon Pickles to talk about the latest (greatest?) Yes Record Store Day offering - Live at the Rainbow London, England 12/16/1972 - a catchy title if there ever was one. I haven't forked out the considerable amount of money for a copy - yet - but both Jon and Mark have, so at least they are speaking from a position of knowledge. No change there then. Have you managed to get a copy of this...
Apr 18, 2025•52 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I had a think about the Yes songs we like that include contrasts - one of my favourite aspects of progressive rock - and Yes music. We both chose 2 songs to talk about in depth but also went on a bit about other songs that also fit this category. It was another very interesting conversation - at least I thought so. What songs do we choose? What do we mean by contrast? Do our selections cover a wide rang...
Apr 11, 2025•41 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Mark and I always enjoy ‘getting into the weeds’ and ‘geeking out’ about Yes kit so here is another perfect example of this. This week we both chose 3 pieces of YesKit that took our fancy and went on about them for a long time. If you don’t consider yourself a 5%er who loves hearing about the minutiae of music tech as used by Yes, then feel free to skip this episode. If you do, though, I feel I should point out that you’ll...
Apr 04, 2025•58 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I have been listening to the great live album by Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks - Live Perpetual Change. Listen out for our comments in a few minutes and do let us know if you agree or disagree with us by leaving a comment on the show notes for this week. How does Jon Anderson sound these days? Is this a cover band? What are the epics like? Let us know if you agree with us! https://youtu.be/nTGt2rr0o74?...
Mar 28, 2025•37 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Unfortunately, Mark has been unwell this week so best wishes to him for a speedy recovery. As we couldn't record an episode, I've been delving into the archive to uncover the first Yes Tracks Through Time episode I ever did. That was back in April 2013. Wow. Here are the show notes from way back then: Episode 200 with a new logo! The seventy-ninth episode of the Yes Music Podcast featuring the first in a series of Yes Trac...
Mar 21, 2025•17 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller In a bumper double-feature episode (or something like that), Mark and I compare the Empire featuring Peter Banks version of Something’s Coming with the Yes studio version and we also indulge in a little bit of speculation about the forthcoming Yes album - and who doesn’t enjoy these kinds of guessing games? Well if you don’t, feel free to use the fast forward button. Anyway, it was a lot of fun listening to some very early...
Mar 14, 2025•49 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I return to one of our favourite pastimes - listening to Yes tracks through time. We each chose 3 different live recordings of Awaken to listen to and then discuss. So it’s time to put your Roger Dean thinking caps on and see if you would have chosen the same versions as us. Which versions did we choose? Why did we chose those ones? Who does it best? Let us know if you agree with us! Going for the One C...
Mar 07, 2025•46 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I enjoyed discovering the many delights of the Blu-ray version of the Steven Wilson remix set of Tales from Topographic Oceans. It’s packed full of obscure and unusual versions of the songs on the album - a delight for all Yes nerds fans everywhere. Do you have a copy of the Blu-ray version? If not, you might want to find one as explained in our chat in a few minutes' time. What is included on the Blu-ra...
Feb 28, 2025•41 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I consider 6 songs that were performed live really well by lineups of Yes that didn’t record them. With the revolving door policy of the band over the decades, there was a lot to choose from so see if we came up with anything you would have chosen yourself. Of course, as usual, we’d love to hear from you some of your own suggestions, so please do add those to the show notes for this week over at yesmusic...
Feb 21, 2025•41 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week I’m feeding back on my trip to Trading Boundaries to see what Dave Watkinson has put on display alongside the permanent Roger Dean exhibition there. I made a video of Dave showing me around and we both enthuse about all the amazing items. I then had a chance to chat with Mark about what he noticed on the video - of course it’s embedded into the show notes below. What was on display? Where and what is Trading Boun...
Feb 14, 2025•45 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller After an important update on last week's episode, Mark and I choose 3 interesting cover versions each. They all feature Yes men past or present. If you'd like to listen to the songs before listening to us banging on about them, they are all embedded below with the original versions as well. Which covers did we choose? Who is represented from Yes? How do they stand up against the originals? Let us know if you agree with us!...
Feb 07, 2025•36 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller I received an interesting email from a listener this week. She asked if anyone was aware of the connections between a song by the Italian prog group PFM and Yes’ Gates of Delirium. I’ll explain more when I go through the email with Mark a little later on. Many thanks to the Patrons who gave their feedback on the topic and before you listen to Mark and my take, you may want to listen to the music involved. I’ve embedded the...
Jan 31, 2025•36 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Mark was back this week and we welcomed YMP listener and Patron Jon Pickles onto the show to talk about the time he was a 'tea boy' at Trident Studios in London. You'll need to listen to the interview to hear all about it but Trident was the world-renowned studio where, amongst unnumbered highlights of rock music, Yes recorded overdubs for their first album, Queen recorded their first two albums and The Beatles recorded Le...
Jan 24, 2025•46 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Unfortunately, Mark was unwell this week so we wish him a speedy recovery. I'm sure he will be back with us next week. I did manage to speak to the Yes expert Henry Potts, however, about his recent blog post. Called 'What does 2025 hold for Yes fans?' it contains, in Henry's usual style, a huge amount of detail about all sorts of live and recorded Yes and Yes-related activity that may or may not see the light of day in 202...
Jan 17, 2025•46 min
Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller It’s 2025 and Mark and I are back for another year of the Yes Music Podcast. According to an online tool, it’s 13 years 3 months 2 weeks and 6 days since I published episode 1. Wow. This episode focuses on Drama from 1980 - released 44 years 4 months 2 weeks and 5 days ago. Despite the shock of the dramatic lineup changes (Buggles Horn and Downes replacing Anderson and Wakeman) and the resulting initial dismissal of the al...
Jan 10, 2025•35 min
