Yes : Friends and Relatives Volume Two

I bought this because, as a fan, I feel I have to collect every album that they release. However, I hate buying stuff that is obviously released just to take advantage of people like me. There is no reason for Yes to have an album containing various tracks from their own albums along with solo efforts, some with tenuous links. I've got most of these tracks already anyway, those I don't know are rubbish anyway! I bought Volume One and was appalled at the poorly chosen material. This is a little better, but only just.

The first track is "New State of Mind" by Yes from the "Open Your Eyes" album so there's no point talking about that since everyone buying this album will have heard it. I'm sure they will have also heard "New Language", "Homeworld", "From The Balcony" and "Finally", the other Yes tracks scattered around the two CDs.

"Big Girls Don't Cry" by Esquire is the next track. Am I right in thinking this is Chris Squire's ex-wife's band? Poor. What the hell is this doing on a Yes related album? To say it is dull is an understatement.

Next is Steve Howe's treatment of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" from his Bob Dylan album, with Jon Anderson on vocals. Now this is OK if you like that sort of thing, a pleasant little ditty with nice instrumentation and singing. Quite interesting infact. But as with most Bob Dylan, gut wrenchingly dull and tedious. And I've already got it on Howe's "Portraits of Bob Dylan" album.

"Merlin the Magician" is next by Rick Wakeman, taken from the "Classic Tracks" album. Its not a bad version actually (with vocals), good quality but I'm not sure the drums are real. Anyway, this is one of the best tracks on the album.

"Days of Wonder" is next. This is a track from "Conspiracy" by Squire and Sherwood. I've wanted to have a listen to this for a while so hear goes. Its OK but it sounds like a demo. It has an annoying keyboard sound all the way through it which sounds like the theme to "ER" or something. The vocals are typical Chris Squire (i.e. sound like backing vocals) but on the whole very dull. Even the guitar solo sounds like a Rabin derivative. Next please.

Jon Anderson takes the next slot, "Magic Love" from his solo album "The More You Know". This sounds just the same as every Anderson solo track has for the last 15 years, expect this is duller, repetitive and uninspiring but a bit more bassy in an attempt to sound modern! I'd rather listen to "Flight of the Moorglade". Next again.

"Madman Blues" by Adam Wakeman, although its place is swapped on the CD case with the next track. Actually this is quite good because it is not what you would expect and it is performed very well. If you can imaging a bluesey, lounge lizard type piano with matching spiv drums this is what you get. Also thrown in is a laid back BASS and nice acoustic / slide guitar, almost Howeian in its execution. I like this track. Things are looking up.

And things get better. Bill Bruford re-enters the frame from nowhere and blows the rest away. "Footloose & Fancy Free" is from his Earthwork's project and it is completely brilliant. I'm not a lover of saxophone and the like but this is too good not to like. In six and a half minutes you get laid back jazz cool, berserkness, complicated everything, melody and harmony to die for and musicianship hardly ever heard in this day and age. Two words - SHEER CLASS! (and another two SO TIGHT!).

After that come "Night Trade" by Steve Howe. A little electric guitar piece played over a backing track. It's a pleasant little ditty that exhibits everything that he is renowned for. He played this at the recent gig in Leeds so it is nice to hear it again. At least this track is an addition to the collection (the only one on the album we can say that about).

The final track of side one is another Yes album track - "New Language".
All in all disc one is OK, but it definitely starts poorly and gets better as you get to the later tracks.

Disc two starts off with another Yes track from "The Ladder" - "Homeworld". Great track but you probably already know that.

Next comes another Steve Howe track from his Dylan escapade. This one has Annie Haslam on vocals. Great if you can stomach screeching girlie vocals. Not for me thanks but the music is top notch.

Rick Wakeman is next with another track from "Classic Tracks". This time it's "Catherine Howard", one of his more tunesome pieces. Not the best version ever, but very dynamic, if a bit "stiff" courtesy of the dodgy drums. At least it is the original arrangement with the funky middle section. Pretty good actually.

Jon Anderson again enters the frame with another track from his "The More You Know" album. "Faithfully" has great lyrics and classic "JA" singing, but unfortunately the song is boring and repetitive, based as it is over a "modern" sounding rhythm track. I have to say though, I quite like it. Although it wouldn't make me want to buy the album, the obvious reason for this compilation.

Esquire make a return with "Coming Home" and why did they bother. Cliched vocals. Even Chris Squire's great bass playing and backing vocals can't raise this above tripe. I've written better songs and scrapped them. 'Nuff said.

Chris Squire's back again, this time with Billy Sherwood with a selection from their "Conspiracy" album called "Red Light Ahead". This is a bit of a dirge and finally convinces me not to buy "Conspiracy".

"From the Balcony" is a highlight of Yes' "Open Your Eyes" so I'll not need to say anything about it.

Adam Wakeman, who impressed me when he played "Starship Trooper" at the Manchester gig on the "Open Your Eyes" tour, teams up with his old man to give us a complex little ditty. It reminds me of stuff from "Rhapsodies" and is therefore a bit old hat. It might help if they used some better keyboard patches. It's still pretty good though, probably better than most stuff from Rick's "Return to the Centre of the Earth" album. 6/10.

Bruford's back. Another Earthwork's track "Dewey Eyed, Then Dancing". A more laid back piece than the other offering from Earthworks, but no less good because of it. Great jazz drums, sax, piano and double bass. Another highlight.

The last track is "Finally" by Yes. Not the best track from "The Ladder" but OK.

All in all this is very disappointing. If you want my advice, buy "The Ladder" if you haven't already and dig (no pun intended) into the Earthworks back catalogue instead of spending your money on this "record companies making wapping great wads of cash" collection. 3/10.

(Copyright David Hopton - 22 May 2001)

Yes Logos and Cover Artwork Copyright Roger Dean