House Of Yes – Live
From The House Of Blues (Concert)
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: C Concert: B-
One of the few survivors of the Progressive Rock (often
dubbed “Prog Rock” as if it were so easy to marginalize) is the band Yes. In one form or another, they keep cutting
albums and releasing DVD material. A
2000 concert from The House of Blues used to support The Ladder album, House
Of Yes (not to be confused with the independently produced feature film of
the same name) has been a successful release before and is back on the
market. The songs are:
1) Yours Is
No Disgrace
2) Time
& A Word
3) Homeworld
(The Ladder)
4) Perpetual
Change
5) Lightning
Strikes
6) The
Messenger
7) Ritual-Nous
Sommes Du Soleil
8) And You
& I
9) It Will
Be A Good Day (The River)
10) Face To face
11) Awaken
12) Your Move/I’ve Seen All Good People
13) Cinema
14) Owner Of A Lonely Heart
15) Roundabout
The performances are not bad, but are also too intimate in
a way that cuts into the edge that the better songs are best known for. Lead singer Jon Anderson still has the voice
and sometimes sounds like he is a) trying to go the Frank Sinatra route, b)
talk the lyrics as if to host his equivalent of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood
or c) trying to prove he still has the great voice he obviously has without
trying. Also, the band has pulled back
a bit too much as well, which is a shame.
This is still a decent concert, but does not rank up with their very
best, resulting in something hit and miss that even makes changes within the
songs odd.
The letterboxed 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 image has its limits, but
is somewhat color consistent. I wonder
what this would look like anamorphic, but only true High Definition playback
will give us the full visual detail. As
for the sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo with Pro Logic surround and a better
5.1 remix are here, but no DTS. This
has to sound a little better than either, but is also not bad for what it
is. Even a DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD
of this would only be so much better, as it will not change my issues with some
of the performances. The best way
outside of live to hear the band is still the better mixes on the DVD-Audio
version of Fragile (1972) which Warner music issued a while ago and has
yet to match with any more Yes albums in the format. Extras include a video of Homeworld that boasts an early
Music Video with a 5.1 mix, a still section, weblinks and The Making Of The
Ladder featurette at over three minutes, followed by footage of Homeworld
and If Only You Knew recording sessions, then has brief interview
segments with the individual band members.
Fans will probably find this interesting, but others will also find
something to enjoy in all this. House
Of Yes is not consistent, but is far from a total loss.
- Nicholas Sheffo
