One of the most influential and ground-breaking progressive rock ‘n’ roll bands in history, YES, have debuted the music video for “We Can Fly” the first single from their new album, Fly From Here. The album was released on July 1st in Europe and streets on July 12th in North America through Frontiers Records. This is the both the band’s first music video and studio album release in ten years. The video was directed by award winning filmmaker Ken Horn (won a BAFTA and an Emmy for the BBC series The Street) and features a guest appearance by long-time YES producer and Ken’s brother, Trevor Horn. The video builds upon the existential aeronautic theme developed in the song’s lyrics and can be seen here:

Fly From Here” debuted in several national European charts on

# 14 in Germany
# 30 in the UK
# 31 in Sweden
# 39 in Switzerland
# 43 in the Netherlands

is currently #5 on iTunes Rock Album Charts.

YES is Benoit David on vocals (his first studio recording with YES), Steve Howe on guitars/vocals, founder Chris Squire on bass/vocals, Geoff Downes on keyboards and Alan White on drums. Their long awaited 20th studio album follows 2001′s Magnification and marks the band’s return to working with producer, Trevor Horn, who produced YES’ chart topping album, 90125, in 1983 and also sang for the band on the Drama album in 1980.

The band recently kicked off their summer tour on July 4th in Philadelphia, USA. In support of Fly From Here, YES will be bringing new music as well as their classic hits to their loyal following. The 22-city tour ends August 3rd in Mountain View, CA.

First formed in 1968, YES‘ remarkable career spans over 40 years and the band has time and again redefined the boundaries of rock music. YES has sold nearly 50 million albums worldwide and continues to stretch the boundaries of progressive art-rock with their symphonic use of sound and innovative musical styles.

For more official YES news and information, go to http://www.yesworld.com. The YES EPK discussing “Fly From Here” can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR-DKEcDtt8.

YES & Styx North American Tour 2011

Date City Venue
July 12th Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
July 14th Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 15th Orange Beach, AL Amphitheater at the Wharf
July 16th Nashville, TN Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel
July 18th Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
July 19th Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 20th Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theater
July 22nd Thackerville, OK WinStar Casino
July 23rd Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheater
July 24th Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July 26th Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 28th Eagle, ID Eagle River Pavilion
July 29th Redmond, WA Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
July 30th Goldendale, WA Maryhill Winery
August 2nd Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
August 3rd Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

Oh yes, the masters of progressive rock, YES, are back with a new(ish) single, a new album and a new line-up: Benoit David replaces Jon Anderson and Geoff Downes returns to replace Wakeman junior, but the band has a classic feel to it: Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White completing the lineup.

It’s been a long time since the band put out anything new and even though the single “We Can Fly” is an old Trevor Horn number which dates back more than thirty years to 1980. Chris Squire told Rolling Stone magazine that “We played it live on the 1980 tour…” and represents part of a much longer piece called “Fly from here” which is featured on the new album.

The album, which we will be reviewing shortly, is released on July 12^th and is produced by Trevor Horn. If the single is anything to go by, it will satisfy the hard core YES fans everywhere. David isn’t Jon Anderson, but he brings his own brand of singing to the mix and all the other parts of the sum are vintage. You can listen to the new single on Rolling Stone’s site here:

"No opportunity necessary" from "Time and a Word" Nov 69

“The Lost Broadcasts”, a DVD now available from Voiceprint, contains early television appearances of the Yes band between 1969 and 1971 with the band showcasing tracks from their first three albums. Among the rarities here are unseen takes as well as footage that has not been seen or properly presented since they were filmed around 40 years ago. The DVD consists primarily of live performances in both black & white and color, and provides a fascinating view of the band from their formative stages through their breakthrough with “The Yes Album”.

2008 was an important year for Yes. It was the year in which the band celebrated its fortieth anniversary. The band, still led by founder Chris Squire, toured America with the latest line up to bear the name of this rather special band of musicians. 2008 was also important for another reason, as towards the end of the year, whilst looking for footage for an entirely different project, a researcher unearthed the footage that is now included on this DVD

Yes first came together under the name Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, a name rather in keeping with the previous year’s “Summer of Love” ethos. However, by 1968, the name was beginning to lose its shine. The final line up of Mabel Greer’s Toyshop included Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Peter Banks, Tony Kaye and Bill Bruford. The name change from Mabel Greer’s Toyshop to Yes came in August 1968 when, following a couple of days rehearsing at the Lucky Horseshoe cafe in Shaftsbury Avenue, the band played their first gig as Yes at the Mersea Youth Club in Essex, although the first recorded actual billing of Yes at a gig was a two-show stand at the famous Marquee club some two days later on the 5th of August.

The reason for the name Yes, I hear you ask? Well according to Peter Banks it was instantly recognisable, extremely positive and more importantly looked big on posters advertising the band’s gigs. Between August and the end of December 1968 the band played fifty-five gigs throughout the length and breadth of the country. One special gig, however, on the 26th of November gave Yes a taste of what lay just around the corner for the band, when they were added to the bill of Cream’s farewell performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The band were bottom of the bill under Rory Gallagher’s Taste, John Hiseman’s Colosseum and, of course, Cream. Despite being incredibly nervous, the band acquitted itself well and from here on things moved quickly. The band were invited to record a session for John Peel’s Top Gear show in January 1969, the first of many recorded for the BBC, and shortly after secured a recording contract with the giant Atlantic Records label.

Over the coming months the band recorded their debut album – the epnymously titled “Yes” (not to be confused with ‘The Yes Album’ from two years later). The album featured a mix of covers and original material which was fairly representative of the bands live set at this time and was released in July of 1969. The band by now had started performing gigs overseas and from the fifty five concerts performed by Yes in 1968 the band performed a hectic two hundred and three concerts in 1969 and also managed to fit in a number of TV appearances both in the UK and Europe, including the first appearance featured on this DVD filmed for the German television programme ‘Beat Club’ in November 1969.

The tracks performed here are No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed, Looking Around and Survival. Of the three tracks Looking Around and Survival were from the first Yes album and No Opportunity was a Richie Havens song the band had worked up for live performance and would feature as the opening track on the bands second album Time and A Word which would be released in July 1970. Only No Opportunity would be featured in the actual broadcast from this mini live set and was duly broadcast on the 29th of November 1969. In fact an interesting aside is that this particular edition of ‘Beat Club’ was the penultimate edition to be filmed in black and white. The show would change to colour after the final show of the year on the thirty first of December.

The set performed by Yes on this occasion would have been a cut down version of the bands live set, and Jon Anderson introduced the numbers, although he forgets which camera he is on whilst introducing Looking Around, much to the amusement of the rest of the band. The performance is a tight concise and well disciplined one proving that the live work undertaken by Yes in 1969 had sharpened up their musical skills no end. More importantly in terms of footage available from this period very little has survived making this small but historically important piece of film of the original line up of Yes all the more important.

The next clip featured here is a colour clip of the band performing Time And A Word. The performance is a lip synched performance as was the norm for many television programmes of the time and the band seem to be enjoying themselves performing the title track of their second album. Despite the good natured performance however there was an underlying tension which had arisen during the recording of Time And A Word. Peter Banks is featured here in possibly one of his last TV appearances with the band he helped to form. Just over seven weeks after this performance Peter Banks was sacked from Yes following a gig in Luton on the 18th of April 1970. Time And A Word the final album to feature Peter as a member of Yes was released in July 1970 by which time Peter’s successor Steve Howe was installed as the guitarist in Yes where despite a few periods where he has chosen to play with other bands such as Asia and GTR he has remained ever since

The next section of footage comes from another ‘Beat Club’ appearance filmed on the 19th of April 1971. The two tracks featured on the programme which was aired on the 24th of April were I’ve Seen All Good People and Yours Is No Disgrace however researchers recently found a second take of Yours Is No Disgrace which is slightly faster than the original take. This second take has remained in the vault until now as it was decided to use the first take rather than the slightly faster retake.

Following on from these TV performances Yes would finally break through with their third album, The Yes album and, following more changes in lineup, which saw Rick Wakeman replacing Tony Kaye, the band would go onto even greater success with albums such as Fragile, Close To The Edge & Tales From Topographic Oceans in the seventies through the eighties with albums like 90125 and Big Generator, and then to the bands most recent studio album, Magnification, which was recorded with a full orchestra in 2001

The band, despite short periods of inactivity and a great many changes in personnel (which has seen Chris Squire as the only constant throughout the bands history), have weathered the storms of fashion and commercial whims and released almost twenty studio albums and a number of live albums in the period 1968-2008. Yes have also remained hugely popular in the live arena and are still able to fill some of the largest arenas worldwide to audiences both young and old.

The performances featured on this DVD however are from the very early days of the band. You could say from a time “Before and Beyond” their massive success; but the spark of what made them the massively successful band they became is visible here for all to see and hear.