I was 13 years old when I heard Awaken for the first time from GFTO. This isthe best song they ever wrote. I was and have been a Yes fan ever since. 33 years later, Steve Howe signed the cover.
@leodragonfire Very cool Leo ! Alan lives near here (Seattle area) and have met him many times. (Have a few videos of him... (type in Synergia Benefit)... have loved YES since I was 13... first saw in '75. Amazing.
@KERDEVAN Lol! the first time i heard the gates of delirium i almost cried. When it got to the part where he says, "Listen! should we fight forever? Knowing as we do know..." It sounded so beautiful and creative and i felt sad that i wasnt born back in the day to be around when their music came out. And because so few people can really understand Yes, its depressing to think that people listen to the 1 hit wonders on the radio and believe that is as good as it gets.
@TrevorsaurusRex I heard "Gates..." the first time in a concert at The Seattle Center Colosseum around the time "Relayer" was released - after the final notes in "Soon" died away the packed stadium drew a breath, and then exploded. I touched my face & it was wet with tears. It still makes me a little bit teary 30-some years later.
@KLezlie Seattle ! OH me was there !!! Every year since '75 up till the white fur stage in '80 ? And what was the tour with the Roger Dean designed stage ? With the "vertebrae" lighting trusses ? They looked like spines and raised and lowered. Was that '78 ? Things are a bit blurry. ;-)
I do feel The Gates Of Delirium is the single most amazing piece of music Yes ever composed. It is everything progressive music should be; complex, moving, epic, and yes, breath taking. I was only eight years old when Relayer was released, so sadly I missed out on seeing them tour for that album, but man am I ever jealous of you!
Also, many thanks to the OP for posting this, because Awaken is one of my absolute favorite Yes tunes, along with Turn of the Century and Parallels.
Hey look everyone is playing instruments to create "new" music..go figure. Awesome vid. Yes is such an amazing creative band. I hope progressive rock makes a come back. Music today is so not creative and bland.
These guys captured my soul when I was 15 years old in 1983. I can never seem to leave them. Whatever instrument I have played, I have always seen them as the source of inspiration in rock composition let alone improvisation. I love my jazz studies, but Yes are so foundational to me it continually floors me throughout the decades of my life.
This is for me, YES' greatest piece and to see it in the creative process is positively wonderful...
I particularly (I'm a guitar player...this should be no surprise) enjoyed watching Steve Howe play his Rickenbacker electric 12 string like no one else ever has, and he still hadn't found the final take yet !
thanx! 4 this, i always loved this one and i play drums, so you can really hear how its done! this take was for the basics and the solos where overdubbed, and some other production details! again Thank You! Tom the Drummer from Boston!
@BrainDeadBritain Likewise my friend. This have been IT for me since it was released and nothing has yet to touch it. Seeing it here, like this, is fucking magic every time I look at it.
Thank you so much for posting this. It is different from the album version, even the drum track. He does a fill in there that is not on the album. How big are those hi-hat cymbals?! They look like 16" wow! It amazes me that every time I hear a Yes song, they play it differently. Quite a refreshing change from Rush where _every_ performance is exact and precise, even live. I love them too, but uh, yawn? So interesting! I thougth WoM & MoI were the same, but the triplet feel makes both unique.
Dunno. One of us could ask in the forums on his site, I suppose. I checked his current equipment setup and the HH's are only 13" quick beats? Maybe he's upgraded since? Cool though, huh? I'll have to listen back to the recording and listen for big hats...
The chord progression for the "Workings of Man" section is identical to the chord progression of the "Master of Images" section.
Wakeman was hired as a session musician for this album... he wasn't made an official member of the band until the tour.
Wakeman's organ for the final version was recorded at a church a few miles from the studio and piped down through phone lines. There's a clip of Jon and Rick jamming on harp and organ at this church on the YesYears documentary.
I agree with sandprof this is the best after CLTTE. I am also a keyboardist and we need different keyboards because each have their own sound. One for Organ another for Strings, Electric Piano, Choir ect. If you notice Wakeman just laid down the basic Organ track, he still needs the church organ, strings, choir and FX. He's like a master painter.
One of my favorite Yes songs ever. Even though I've been a diehard fan and seen all their tours since 1971 when I first heard The Yes Album, I'm ashamed to say I didn't 'discover' this song until the Reunion Tour. Now, of course, I listen to it regularly.
Never has a band worked so hard and realized such utterly amazing gains for having done so. Man, did they work on this stuff. And the result is classic rock par excellence.
Judging from the footage and photos I've seen, I think Squire used the white Rickenbacker 4008 (that was the model designation) on Roundabout onstage on the Topograpic Oceans, Relayer, "solo albums" and Going For The One tours. Not sure if he used it on the Tormato tour.
By the time of the Ten True Summers tour in 79 he had acquired the custom 8 string that you can see on the Philly 79 video. Same instrument he used when playing Changes and Hearts live during the 80's and 90's.
Oh, and Chris also used the 4008 on Going For The One itself on the Going For The One tour. When I saw them in 2004, he was using his custom 8 string on that song.
Steve Howe has a lot of guitars that he uses besides the ES-175. The Telecaster is one of his go to guitars, recurring on various occasions throughout his career. Most of the electric guitar on Relayer was played on it, he used it for part of Awaken, he also used it on Only Time Will Tell on the first Asia album, and various other recordings.
Check out The Steve Howe Guitar Collection, a great book where Steve details some of the guitars he owns and which records he used them on.
For me, it doesn't get any better. This is my favorites band's Magnum Opus. The climax in this setting is mesmerizing; looser than the album yet still majestic and moving... I will never tire of this.
It's real interesting to see and hear how much improvisation happens in these early sessions compared to what actually was put to tape. A lot of what Steve did early on was trimmed down and made more simple for the final take. Very cool stuff.
this is incredible ... thank you so much for posting ! i love jon directing at the end . rick has some great subtle ( moraz like ) stuff going on too .
I bet you they were all high as a kite when they did this then they did the final recording "straight". Jon looked like he was tripping at the end of the video.
hey does anyone know what type of guitar that is steves using it looks like a tele custom but it only has 2 controls its good whatever it is anyway
shredmaster100 2 months ago in playlist More videos from avs002
I was 13 years old when I heard Awaken for the first time from GFTO. This isthe best song they ever wrote. I was and have been a Yes fan ever since. 33 years later, Steve Howe signed the cover.
leodragonfire 6 months ago
@leodragonfire Very cool Leo ! Alan lives near here (Seattle area) and have met him many times. (Have a few videos of him... (type in Synergia Benefit)... have loved YES since I was 13... first saw in '75. Amazing.
TacomaPaul 3 months ago
I do not think this is Yes. It is a band doing a very good cover of Awaken. Just sayin...
mborginis 6 months ago
@KERDEVAN Lol! the first time i heard the gates of delirium i almost cried. When it got to the part where he says, "Listen! should we fight forever? Knowing as we do know..." It sounded so beautiful and creative and i felt sad that i wasnt born back in the day to be around when their music came out. And because so few people can really understand Yes, its depressing to think that people listen to the 1 hit wonders on the radio and believe that is as good as it gets.
TrevorsaurusRex 9 months ago 2
@TrevorsaurusRex I heard "Gates..." the first time in a concert at The Seattle Center Colosseum around the time "Relayer" was released - after the final notes in "Soon" died away the packed stadium drew a breath, and then exploded. I touched my face & it was wet with tears. It still makes me a little bit teary 30-some years later.
KLezlie 9 months ago
@KLezlie Seattle ! OH me was there !!! Every year since '75 up till the white fur stage in '80 ? And what was the tour with the Roger Dean designed stage ? With the "vertebrae" lighting trusses ? They looked like spines and raised and lowered. Was that '78 ? Things are a bit blurry. ;-)
TacomaPaul 3 months ago
@TacomaPaul Hi- It was around '73 I think. "Awaken" was not yet in our minds...
KLezlie 3 months ago
@KLezlie
I do feel The Gates Of Delirium is the single most amazing piece of music Yes ever composed. It is everything progressive music should be; complex, moving, epic, and yes, breath taking. I was only eight years old when Relayer was released, so sadly I missed out on seeing them tour for that album, but man am I ever jealous of you!
Also, many thanks to the OP for posting this, because Awaken is one of my absolute favorite Yes tunes, along with Turn of the Century and Parallels.
H3llRazing 1 month ago
@TrevorsaurusRex Me too dude, wish I was around back then!
MrMusicman456 7 months ago
The best piece of rock music ever written, recorded or played.
soundsmyth 9 months ago 2
Yes kids, there was a time when people made music
muzzleflash7 1 year ago
Hey look everyone is playing instruments to create "new" music..go figure. Awesome vid. Yes is such an amazing creative band. I hope progressive rock makes a come back. Music today is so not creative and bland.
stockjonebills 1 year ago
AWESOME! One of my all-time favorite songs ever!! So cool watching it take shape!Thanks so much!
eennymo 1 year ago
These guys captured my soul when I was 15 years old in 1983. I can never seem to leave them. Whatever instrument I have played, I have always seen them as the source of inspiration in rock composition let alone improvisation. I love my jazz studies, but Yes are so foundational to me it continually floors me throughout the decades of my life.
CTuxford 1 year ago
this is SO sick... I wish I could see CTTE with Bruford
jazzpsalti 1 year ago
Yes, A Celebration 1969-1979 2DVD set available at Tommygun Video, please see our Youtube channel for link, video clips and more info
ClassicRockDVD 1 year ago
I just saw YES live, a few months ago, and I was right in front of Steve Howe.
He and YES are just as good now, as in the 70s.
SeattleLA 1 year ago
ggreat song ,but the video suck
darknessblackened 1 year ago
Great to watch Steve in his prime find his way throught that masterpiece!
wndperry979 1 year ago
This is for me, YES' greatest piece and to see it in the creative process is positively wonderful...
I particularly (I'm a guitar player...this should be no surprise) enjoyed watching Steve Howe play his Rickenbacker electric 12 string like no one else ever has, and he still hadn't found the final take yet !
Amazing tune, amazing band !
Dan.
gtrDan1963 1 year ago
thanx! 4 this, i always loved this one and i play drums, so you can really hear how its done! this take was for the basics and the solos where overdubbed, and some other production details! again Thank You! Tom the Drummer from Boston!
tomtomdrum69 1 year ago
hark through dark ties that tunnel is out of sane existence in challenge as direct, as eyes see young stars assemble.
brazenhubris 1 year ago
Brilliant.
stockjonebills 1 year ago
Perfeitaaaaaaa!!!!
cindysmeny 1 year ago
So does anyone think Benoit (the bozo) could come up with something as amazingly magical as this?
yesiammark 1 year ago
@yesiammark ... He's just a fill-in, certainly not a composer. Poser, not composer ~
pleased9 1 year ago
Always fascinating to see the creative process in progress.
I was very surprised to see Steve using the Tele--especially given that the intonation is probably quite dodgy high up the neck.
NevilleRhysBarnes 2 years ago
My fave track ever of any music genre.
BrainDeadBritain 2 years ago
@BrainDeadBritain Likewise my friend. This have been IT for me since it was released and nothing has yet to touch it. Seeing it here, like this, is fucking magic every time I look at it.
totalitron 1 year ago
closed my eyes . . . saw jesus
weeeendog 2 years ago 4
brilliant edit ~btw :)>
SteveSparx 2 years ago
seeing this live was close to religious
SteveSparx 2 years ago
right on . . . Awaken is far far bigger than christ
weeeendog 2 years ago
@weeeendog Wrong.
seal010101 2 years ago
well i respect verybody can have his opinion with out judgement that instead of just saying "wrong wrong, hideous" i ll say that is a delicate theme
ElFlakoRompanTodo 2 years ago
@SteveSparx
Absolutely. Listening to that song is a mystical experience
frepi 1 year ago
someone should have walked in one day:
'i got a new song, it's got 5 chords and it's in 4/4 time.
Joking!'
pzolsky 2 years ago
steve's in the key of A-noodle minor on a ricky 12 string
pzolsky 2 years ago
"like the time i ran away and turned around and you were standing close to me" one of the best Yes lines
beaverliqour 2 years ago
My kingdom for an abundance of more clear views of Steve Howe's hands.
YES
Northeast USA Tour Winter 2010
pschroeter1 2 years ago
If I had more clear views of Steve's hand . . . well dude . . . you would just have to keep your kingdom . . .
weeeendog 2 years ago
Thank you so much for posting this. It is different from the album version, even the drum track. He does a fill in there that is not on the album. How big are those hi-hat cymbals?! They look like 16" wow! It amazes me that every time I hear a Yes song, they play it differently. Quite a refreshing change from Rush where _every_ performance is exact and precise, even live. I love them too, but uh, yawn? So interesting! I thougth WoM & MoI were the same, but the triplet feel makes both unique.
philsown 2 years ago
@philsown Yeah those hats are huge. Has Alan White ever said anything about them?
drumrnva 2 years ago
Dunno. One of us could ask in the forums on his site, I suppose. I checked his current equipment setup and the HH's are only 13" quick beats? Maybe he's upgraded since? Cool though, huh? I'll have to listen back to the recording and listen for big hats...
philsown 2 years ago
Is this a scratch Track?
Done so AW could record the Drums?
I don't notice any of the instrument recordings being on the finished album although, the drums do sound like what is on the finish product.
Everything else sounds like a scratch track for them to come back later and overdub to the Drum track.
escomments 2 years ago
AUTHOR's NOTE: Why didn't I post the video response before - who knows???
My (condensed) live Yes medley on solo guitar, from 2003 (1 month post-Yes in Australia).
Dig it!
avs002 2 years ago
The chord progression for the "Workings of Man" section is identical to the chord progression of the "Master of Images" section.
Wakeman was hired as a session musician for this album... he wasn't made an official member of the band until the tour.
Wakeman's organ for the final version was recorded at a church a few miles from the studio and piped down through phone lines. There's a clip of Jon and Rick jamming on harp and organ at this church on the YesYears documentary.
Brilliant album.
-
WitWonFilms 2 years ago 2
I agree with sandprof this is the best after CLTTE. I am also a keyboardist and we need different keyboards because each have their own sound. One for Organ another for Strings, Electric Piano, Choir ect. If you notice Wakeman just laid down the basic Organ track, he still needs the church organ, strings, choir and FX. He's like a master painter.
alcatras4 2 years ago
This is great! I wish we had more videos of the guys at work in the studio, so interesting to watch! Such a great song!!!!!!
eennymo 2 years ago
This is a little like looking over Michelangelo's shoulder as he roughed out the outlines of "David."
irishmusicguy 2 years ago 18
@irishmusicguy phenomenal analogy!
cyaud 8 months ago
One of my favorite Yes songs ever. Even though I've been a diehard fan and seen all their tours since 1971 when I first heard The Yes Album, I'm ashamed to say I didn't 'discover' this song until the Reunion Tour. Now, of course, I listen to it regularly.
scifiwriter98 2 years ago
Never has a band worked so hard and realized such utterly amazing gains for having done so. Man, did they work on this stuff. And the result is classic rock par excellence.
JRCrowley 2 years ago 2
amazing footage. i love how spacey it sounds
olias88 2 years ago
I will stick my neck out and say this is the best yes song after anything on CLTE. This is a great post - where did you get it - majestic.
sandprof 2 years ago 8
@sandprof You can keep CLTE - for me it's this and Gate of Delirium. Chaque fois. Each one of them pagan British classics.
dbaytug 1 year ago
Judging from the footage and photos I've seen, I think Squire used the white Rickenbacker 4008 (that was the model designation) on Roundabout onstage on the Topograpic Oceans, Relayer, "solo albums" and Going For The One tours. Not sure if he used it on the Tormato tour.
By the time of the Ten True Summers tour in 79 he had acquired the custom 8 string that you can see on the Philly 79 video. Same instrument he used when playing Changes and Hearts live during the 80's and 90's.
Kohntarkosz 2 years ago
Oh, and Chris also used the 4008 on Going For The One itself on the Going For The One tour. When I saw them in 2004, he was using his custom 8 string on that song.
Kohntarkosz 2 years ago
Howe is using a tele - unusual that - I thought he liked the 175. Why does Wakeman need 9 keyboards? He was the master though - so best to ask :-)
sandprof 2 years ago
Steve Howe has a lot of guitars that he uses besides the ES-175. The Telecaster is one of his go to guitars, recurring on various occasions throughout his career. Most of the electric guitar on Relayer was played on it, he used it for part of Awaken, he also used it on Only Time Will Tell on the first Asia album, and various other recordings.
Check out The Steve Howe Guitar Collection, a great book where Steve details some of the guitars he owns and which records he used them on.
Kohntarkosz 2 years ago
A masterpiece thank you for posting. It is great to see music being made, especially beautiful music. Those guys are all extraordinary!
jbedna41 2 years ago
I LOVE THIS!!!
Timeless music!
mountainwoodnils 3 years ago 2
For me, it doesn't get any better. This is my favorites band's Magnum Opus. The climax in this setting is mesmerizing; looser than the album yet still majestic and moving... I will never tire of this.
totalitron 3 years ago 2
Also interesting to see that Chris used the ric on most of the track (especially the middle b part) where now he plays it on the triple neck.
johnni37 3 years ago
It's real interesting to see and hear how much improvisation happens in these early sessions compared to what actually was put to tape. A lot of what Steve did early on was trimmed down and made more simple for the final take. Very cool stuff.
johnni37 3 years ago
This was Yes at the peak of their powers.
seamus1967 3 years ago
Ahhh, the witnessing of putting together, a true Masterpiece.
nignog87 3 years ago
this is incredible ... thank you so much for posting ! i love jon directing at the end . rick has some great subtle ( moraz like ) stuff going on too .
biotonk 3 years ago 2
STEVE IS AMAZING!
julyvalls 3 years ago 4
What is that Steve is smoking in the beginning, lol.
I knew has was getting high when creating/playing this stuff.
GaryNull 3 years ago
I bet you they were all high as a kite when they did this then they did the final recording "straight". Jon looked like he was tripping at the end of the video.
SiberianMan2u 2 years ago
To think this shit up you need to be a little stoned, lol.
I play guitar and when I smoke I can play stuff I could never straight.
GaryNull 2 years ago 2
I get what you're saying, Gary. Keep it up.
JRCrowley 2 years ago
An all time favorite!Thanx for posting this jewels of prog Rock. PEACE!
subatomicllove 3 years ago 3
Thanks for the rating!
avs002 3 years ago
(no, it's not tobacco)
avs002 3 years ago