Yes solo albums - rank your 10 favs

The Stage Collection
recorded live in 1993 in Buenos Aires before a polite audience, the set opens with a devilishly tantalizing "Lure of the Wild" , followed by my favorite recording of "Catherine Howard" . Included in the set is a mesmerizing 38+ min. band rendition of JTTCOTE that encapsulates what it is I love so much about this particular set and it can best be described in two words : remedial economy.

By comparison, Winterland Ballroom '75 features features an orchestra. This set opens with JTTCOTE which is fascinatingly unique for its assignment choices. This is my second-favorite Journey after the #1 original. Included in this set "Merlin the Magician" is particularly moving here.

 

No problem. Would probably substitute that for the self titled Moraz album in that case.

 

Interesting. Please elaborate.

 

I have it, but it's just OK. Prefer "The Light Program," which I have on vinyl.

 

New album cover on Jon's facebook page.

 

Just in time to meet the Monday deadline. My Top 10:
1. Jon Anderson: Song of Seven
2. Rick Wakeman: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
3. Chris Squire: Fish Out of Water
4. Peter Banks: Two Sides of Peter Banks
5. Steve Howe: The Steve Howe Album
6. Rick Wakeman: Criminal Record
7. Jon & Vangelis: The Friends of Mr. Cairo
8. Steve Howe: Portraits of Bob Dylan
9. Rick Wakeman: The Piano Album
10. Jon & Vangelis: Short Stories

 

White Rock - Rick Wakeman

This is another predominantly instrumental album from Rick's 1970s 'Golden age'. Indeed, the absence of the usual iffy vocals and the proliferation of a wide rvarietyof tasty Moog sounds are the major attraction for me. Although White Rock is dominated by the Moog, there's also some very nice piano playing, plus some Mellotron, church organ and a variety of other keyboards thrown in for good measure. Having been recorded in 1976 - just prior to Rick rejoining Yes for the recording of Going For The One - it doesn't have any of the more questionable keyboard sounds he adopted later in the 70s, such as the Polymoog and the Birotron.

Compared to Six Wives, the tracks are shorter and less expansive, with no other Yes members present. In fact, it's all Rick except for some supporting appearances by a choir and drummer Tony Fernandez. The tracks range from the upbeat Moog-heavy title track to the lovely piano-led 'After The Ball', with an outlier in the 'fairground' sounding 'Montezuma's Revenge'!

The album, which was recorded as a soundtrack to a film about the 1976 Winter Olympics, reached No.14 in the UK charts, whilst the title track (which was apparently released as a single in the US) is representative of the album as a whole.

 

it will be primed to win the worst yes related Album cover art poll when we get to that…

 

1. The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Rick Wakeman
2. One Live Badger - Badger
3. Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record
4. Olias of Sunhillow - Jon Anderson
5. Two Sides of Peter Banks
6. Fish Out of Water - Chris Squire
7. Journey to the Center of the Earth - Rick Wakeman
8. Song of Seven - Jon Anderson
9. The Friends of Mr. Cairo - Jon & Vangelis
10. Zodiaque - Tony Fernandez & Rick Wakeman

I know the OP wanted to avoid live LPs but I'm hoping One Live Badger can count due to it not rehashing studio content.

 

The OP did want the Yes member to be named, or partly named in the artist listing, though.

 

I love One Live Badger, but it’s not a solo album.

 

Uh, duh. I did read that but screwed the pooch there.

 

Today let's do the one-vote-getting albums of Jon Anderson

Live From Sheffield #10 and
Best of Jon & Vangelis #8 for @stillrockin

The Power of Silence #10 for @yesstiles
(A never fully released early version of Toltec

We also have the following new one vote entries

Zodiaque - Tony Fernandez & Rick Wakeman #10 for @tralfaz812

Steve Howe: Portraits of Bob Dylan and
Rick Wakeman: The Piano Album
at # 8 and 9 for @John V

What would you each like to share about these that prompted their inclusion in your list? Feel free to link a track you would like folks to check out.

 

Will extend time slightly and accept lists until 7pm EDT tomorrow

 

Yeah I have been accepting live ones though I didnnot encourage that, but only accepting with the Yes member name as part of the artist name and no more than one other member in name (I may have stretched that in one case)

 

Jon Anderson-Live From Sheffield City Hall.
What prompted me to buy it:
I was at the concert
First time seeing Jon Anderson
Of note is that the CD was part of the planned series of independent releases by Jon but it hit the buffers after only a few releases. The collectors box, though mostly empty is quite rare.
The concert was recorded for radio, as was 'Live at the RAH' from the same tour.

 

Yes, The Power of Silence is in earlier version of Toltec that mercifully doesn’t include those added six minutes of dreadful Longwalker speeches. Dramatic at times instrumentally in the way Olias of Sunhillow is, it’s probably the closest he’s come to that seminal album. Very melodic and meditative as well with some great moments, including one of these high points of Jon’s solo catalog:

 

Is this available on cd?

 

1. Moraz - Story of i
2. Wakeman - No Earthly Connection
3. Moraz - Windows of Time
4. Wakeman - White Rock
5. Wakeman - Rock'n'Roll Prophet
6. Moraz - Out In The Sun
7. Squire - Fish Out Of Water
8 Anderson - Oil of Olaz
9. Wakeman - A Gallery Of The Imagination
10. Wakeman - Aspirant Sunset

 

Toltec is, but The Power of Silence only ever came out as a promo cassette from Geffen. Someone in the industry made a so-so quality dub of that cassette for me on cdr years ago.

 

1. Chris Squire - Fish Out Of Water
2. Rick Wakeman - Criminal Record
3. Steve Howe - Turbulence
4. Steve Howe - The Steve Howe Album
5. Jon Anderson - Change We Must
6. Bill Bruford - Feels Good To Me
7. Patrick Moraz and Bill Bruford - Music For Piano and Drums
8. Peter Banks - Two Sides of Peter Banks
9. Rick Wakeman - The Red Planet
10. Steve Howe - The Grand Scheme Of Things
11. Trevor Rabin - Can't Look Away
12. Jon Anderson - 10,000 Hands
13. Trevor Rabin - Rio
14. Chris Squire and Billy Sherwood - Conspiracy
15. Geoff Downes - The Light Program
16. Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow
17. Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives Of Henry VIII
18. Rick Wakeman - Journey To The Centre Of The Earth
19. Steve Howe - Beginnings
20. Jon Anderson - Toltec

 

I’ve been reading the various posts with great interest.

Every fan will know that Rick has produced a ton of live albums over the years. A right old mix of solo, band, ERE, Rick and Adam etc etc. The reason I put The Legend 2000 Concert on my list is I think it is a superior set of “interpretation” performances by Rick and that takes in to account The Piano Tour and the Classical Connection sets. The single cd edits out the talking but the accompanying dvd has the full show. Rick has also given official boot releases to a number of concert recordings, some better than others in terms of performance, set list, audio quality. The Oscar Concert is a particular favourite of mine. But if one archive performance could be released it would be the concert Rick gave on XM radio in 2003. Rick’s interaction with the small studio audience is hysterically funny and his playing is in great form. One of my absolute top 10 ROIOs by anyone.

I second the comments about the Jon Live In Sheffield release. I was lucky enough to see that tour in another city and it was another of those you had to be there concerts. I remember trading the tape back in the day ( Radio Hallam went through a short-lived spell of broadcasting live gigs) and what a treat it was to obtain an official release.

It might be slightly against the spirit of the original post to go on about live show releases but when the performance is more than a note for note rendition of a studio recording that is where genuine magic can be found.

 

Thanks for sharing - sounds a bit like ELP to me

 

Wasn't sure I would submit a list, as there are too many I haven't heard (especially from Wakeman, from whom I've only heard Six Wives and didn't care much for it). However, when I saw that I had a few minutes to submit, I thought I'd share a quickly assembled list of personal favorites. Fish Out of Water is way ahead of the rest for me (as it's probably ahead of the majority of Yes albums for me as well). By the way, I kind of think Squackett should count based on the solo or duo criteria, as the name really is just a humorous variation on Squire/Hackett, and even though there were other musicians on it, I don't think they thought of themselves as being full members of an actual band called Squackett as opposed to a Squire/Hackett duo project. However, I'll leave it out, since it was explicitly excluded.

Chris Squire - Fish Out of Water
Bruford - Gradually Going Tornado
Moraz/Bruford - Flags
Jon Anderson - Song of Seven
Steve Howe - Beginnings
Squire/Sherwood - Conspiracy
Geoffrey Downes - The Light Program
Anderson/Wakeman - The Living Tree
Jon & Vangelis - Short Stories
Jon Anderson - Animation

 

My list
1. Jon - Olias of Sunhillow
2. Jon - Song of 7
3. Jon & Vangelis - Short Stories
4. Jon - Change We Must
5. Jon & Vangelis - Friends of Mr Cairo
6. Jon - Animation
7. Jon - Toltec
8. Jon & Vangelis - Private Collection
9. Jon - Deseo
10. The Steve Howe Album