Product Description

Yes have reformed in their most celebrated line-up--Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White--and this reunion has been greeted with anticipation by millions of fans worldwide. Keys to Ascension was recorded in March 1996 during a series of brilliantly staged live concerts at the Freemont Theatre in San Luis Obispo, California. The band gelled magnificently and "Keys to Ascension" proves that all the magic is still there--great vision, stunning technical ability, incredible improvisational skills and imaginative presentation of ideas...timeless Yes music. Songs: Siberian Khatru, Close to the Edge, I've Seen All Good People, Time and a Word, And You and I, The Revealing Science of God, Going for the One, Turn of the Century, America, Onward, Awaken, Roundabout, Starship Trooper. 147 minutes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70468 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-01-02
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Live, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 137 minutes

Amazon.com
The music of Yes has an almost otherworldy sound that is occasionally hard to reconcile with the sight of five very ordinary blokes standing on a stage. As a result, Yes were arguably always better to listen to than watch. Keys to Ascension attempts to bridge the disparity between the band and their music with cutaway footage of forests and waterfalls and plenty of Roger Dean artwork. Sometimes it works; more often it feels contrived, as in "Turn of the Century," where attention is distracted from Steve Howe's fretwork by a pop video-style presentation of the Pygmalion story as told by the lyrics.

This is the classic Yes lineup of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White, captured in concert in California in 1996 (the same concerts spawned no less than two double-CD albums). In a very generous 150 minutes of music making, they give what amounts to a greatest-hits tour of the classic Yes canon from "Time and a Word" through The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Going for the Once, and Tormato. For enthusiasts, it's a treat to watch Howe swapping from Martin six-string to Gibson semi-acoustic to electric mandolin to 12-string to pedal steel, sometimes all in the same song; or watch Chris Squire's apparently effortless bass technique. Occasionally they drift into Spinal Tap territory (Squire's triple neck in "Awaken"!) and overall there's a polished politeness to proceedings that hints at a band going through the motions, which is hardly surprising given that the latest material here dates from 1978. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews

Hard knocked flaws but major material.
Remember when they released the Keys to Ascension on CD? Did you feel that the sound and performance was so crisp and magnificent? Here we are in the age of wonderful modern technology and Yes is here to participate in it. Rick Wakeman participation is especially gratifying considering his hiatus as a Yesman. Oh how I WISHED they would release it on DVD.

So they did, and I must say the first few minutes I was on the edge of my seat loving it. The sound and video quality was excellent. But then i noticed that the parts of some songs where a Yesman displayed his proficiency of his instrument...was cut off by slow motioned videos of trees swaying, clouds drifting, water falling and other psyhchedlia you can think of. Sometimes these moments fit in quite well, but lets face it, theres overkill. There was also some moments when sound and video were out of sync/unison for sake of "exciting video editing tricks." You notice it towards the end of their opening piece, Siberian Khatru. On the live music track, Alan White is hitting his crash cymbal ONCE and the video shows him hitting a crash FOUR times half a second later. I dont like it when ANY live video does that. Remember video and sound were not in sync in the whole Yessongs video?

The thing that attracts me to this dvd is the rareness of some of these songs. Yes doesn't really perform Starship Trooper, Turn of the Century, Going for the One, America and especially Revealing Science of God on a daily basis, more or less it being on DVD. You do see Steve Howe's assortment of vintage classics. You can also awe of Alan Whites array of percussion and cymbals. Speaking of array, check out Wakemans rig...theres over ten keyboards folks. And good ol Squire who interestingly uses guitar amps in conjunction with bass amps to acheive his awesome sound.

Despite the two blundering aspects which could have made this a gem, the video footage is priceless and worth it, especially if you are a Yes fan. IF anything, you can listen to it as a high quality CD...just put the tv off and save yourself from frustration and high electricty bills. And if you are in the mood to watch it, it will be a good time. I would only hope they would re-release this video re-edited with all the junk cut out. We would be so lucky.

This is the YES concert to own if you loved them in the 70s!
This concert dvd is recorded spectacularly in 5.1 dolby digital. Although I agree with a few Steve Howe fans that this was not his finast performance, keyboardist Rick Wakeman more than makes up for it. This particular line up of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Cris Squire, Rick Wakeman, & Alan White is the same line-up that made YES the spectacular live band they were. The thing I love most about this concert is that they dress basically 70's period, play the songs from that era & do so extremely acurrately. The dynamics on this concert are simply incredible to the point of danger on some notes (particularly Wakemans performance during the song Close To The Edge)The pipe organ simply blends with Cris Squire on the bass pedals & boy oh boy be CAREFULL!
The singing is like Jon Anderson has stepped through a time portal & if anything, sounds even better than he ever did. His mic skills on this recording are amazing.
Over all, it is a must for any YES fan from the 70s!

Come on !! They are better now than then
I have seen YES countless times over the years. this DVD is essential for any YES fan. I cant believe Rick Wakeman, he was never THIS good live. All of them really!!!! Alan White is the premier "rock" drummer today. He has no equal. Chris Squire, Steve Howe....its just amazing how good these guys are. Detractors say they are just going through the motions. Check out an 80's or 90's ELP video or something by Genesis if you want to see a band going through the motions......besides, even Siberia goes through the motions!