For a special end of decade show, we join forces with our friends at the Progressive Palaver and enjoy a Two Pence all about Tormato!

This week, ark and I take a close look at both the XYZ sessions and Run With The Fox - the two things Alan White and Chris Squire did after the breakup of the Drama lineup of the band. See if you agree with our assessments as always and leave your comments on the show notes for this week.

I also need to give my now weekly apologies - this time to Patron Mark Lang. I meant to put his wonderful Trading Boundaries photos in the show notes for last week and then I forgot - sorry Mark - they  are in this week’s notes. I’m particularly fond of the shot of you and Roger for a couple of reasons.

This week Mark and I begin to consider what happened when the band essentially split up a short time after the Drama Tour ended almost exactly 39 years ago in December 1980. So we have the chance to see what each member of the band did next and we’re starting with Alan White and Chris Squire.

This week Mark and I had planned to start looking at the next exodus from the band. Yes had essentially disbanded after the Drama tour had come to an end and so we have the opportunity to examine what each member of the band did next - Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Alan White and Chris Squire. First we were going to listen to the next chapter in Squire and White’s journey - so that’s XYZ with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page - a project which didn’t go anywhere in the end but did produce some demos and, particularly relevant at this time of year, Ru WIth The Fox, the duo’s strangely unsuccessful Christmas single.

Unfortunately, Mark has not been well this week so we’ve decided to shelve this episode until next week. In the meantime, I’ve put together a selection of clips from the Yes authors we have spoken to in 2019’s Patreon group. If you’ve already heard or actually seen these because you are a Patron, then I hope you enjoy hearing some highlights again and if you have been wondering whether to start helping the YMP out financially, maybe this will tip you over the edge - one way or the other!

This week we have the pleasure of listening to Rick Wakeman’s 1980 double album, Rhapsodies, so that’ll be fun and we also have our two pence on the latest box set of Yes albums (yes another one).

This week we speak to YMP stalwart and accomplished author David Watkinson about his new book which is finally available to pre-order on Burning Shed’s website. Jon Anderson and The Warriors - the road to Yes is a remarkable achievement and sheds light on a period of music which was critical to the establishment of Yes and to the creation of the force of music Jon Anderson. Mark and I were delighted to be given the chance to read the book first in the world so do stay tuned for our reactions to it and plenty of detail from Dave himself.

This week Mark and I give our in-depth view of the new Yes album (or EP if you prefer), From A Page.

After our fantastic interview with Oliver Wakeman last week, it was even more interesting to listen carefully to the music he talked so engaging about.

We also have a copy of the CD mini box set to give away, courtesy of Sharon at The Publicity Connection, and the winner is revealed in this episode!

We were delighted to welcome Oliver Wakeman to the show this week to talk about the surprise new Yes album, From A Page.

We also have a copy of the mini box set containing From A Page and In The Present - Live From Lyon.

Here's the question you need to answer:

At which event did Oliver first see his dad playing 'with Yes'? You'll need to listen to the interview for the answer!

Send your answer to show@yesmusicpodcast.com and one winner will be chosen at random.

It’s somewhat of a bumper episode this week. Later on we speak to Dylan Howe about the Steve Howe Trio album, New Frontier and Mark and I also reveal the answers and winners of the Epic Competition but before all that, there is some pretty amazing breaking news which arrived literally minutes before I recorded today. It’s in the form of a press release:

Legendary Prog Rock band YES reveals four previously unreleased 2010 recordings, on the new ‘From A Page’ five piece mini-box set, personally overseen by ex-member Oliver Wakeman. OUT NOW!

This week, Mark and I have really enjoyed listening to the latest album from the Steve Howe Trio, New Frontier. 

As you may have heard, we are keeping the competition open for another week but if you have already sent an entry to show@yesmusicpodcast.com then don’t worry, you will certainly have bagged a decent prize. If you haven’t found the time to send some answers, then please do as soon as possible so that we can give away the many wonderful items we have. We hope to release the answers and the winners’ names on next week’s show.

Don't forget to send your entry to show@yesmusicpodcast.com

The huge news this week is certainly the 2020 UK tour announcement including the fact that the band will be playing the whole of Relayer which is something fans, not least us here on the YMP, have been hoping for for a long time. Mark and I will be talking quite a bit about what this news means in our Two Pence later it the episode.

Well, here we are at episode 400 and as a result we are going to break the structure of the episode for one week only because we have 2 major pieces of content for you - an interview with a certain musician you will certainly recognise and then our epic 400th episode quiz to win a ridiculous number of Yes and Yes related items.

This week Mark and I discuss the next musician to leave the band, Jo Anderson and what he did next. In the first part of our feature, we talk a little about the reasons Jon left in 1980 and the first solo record he released after leaving, Song of Seven. We will return to a more in-depth look at the album itself in a couple of weeks’ time.

We are gearing up for next week’s 400th episode of the show which will feature a great interview with someone you’ll recognise as well as an epic competition to win lots of Yes and Yes related items. You’ll need to have your Yes thinking caps on to stand a chance of winning something. Lots more on that next week.

This week Mark and I re-visit one of our favourite Yes collections, the box set, The Word Is Live. Hear our personal favourite songs and add your own to the show notes for this week.

This week Mark and I are considering what Yes Music might accompany each of the four seasons of the year. It’s an interesting topic so do please add your reflections to the show notes for this week.

This week is the second part of our look at what Patrick Moraz did after leaving Yes. So we’ve been listening to his second solo album, Out in the Sum which is a slightly surprising record.

This week Mark and I are starting our look at what the next musician to leave the group got up to next so we will be discussing Patrick Moraz a little later on.

Also, Jon Anderson has released the first chapter of his memoires this week so Mark and I have a chat about that in our two pence segment.

After the news last week that the 2003 Glastonbury Festival concert is to be released as a CD next year, Mark and I decided to watch the DVD version and see if we thought it will be worth it. It’s a wonderful performance and a very interesting moment in Yes history so have a listen to our views and add your own on the show notes for this week.

Here we are, back with part 2 or (b) of our look at what Rick Wakeman did next after the first time he left Yes. SO we've been listening to The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table!

Also, we take the opportunity to congratulate Yes on listening to episodes of the YMP and following our advice on the new album ;-)

Mark and I are back this week to a more normal episode where we listen to the new Yes live album and give our views on it. YES50 Live was recorded during the historic YES50 tour and features guest keyboardists Tony Kaye and Patrick Moraz.

In a slightly 'bare bones' episode, we start our look at the next man to leave the band, Rick Wakeman. What did he do next?

Also, we were delighted to welcome Dave Watkinson back onto the show to talk about his long-awaited new book about Jon Anderson's time before Yes which also includes the earliest days of the world's greatest progressive rock band. It sounds amazing!

This week we have a slightly different format to the episode. Mark and I enjoyed listening to three different live versions of Gates of Delirium a few weeks ago but we didn’t get around to posting our thoughts - so that’s what you’ll hear first.

Then, we did a great interview with Yes book author, Tim Morse, this week for the Patreon community and I wanted to include some of that here because Tim once collaborated with Jon Anderson and also recently released his third solo album so there’s plenty to learn about him.

So I’ve clipped out a few parts of our conversation to play here and if you want to see the complete video of our chat, complete with various drinking vessels and Tim’s cat, you need to head over to Patreon. If you are already a patron, it’s all there for you and if you have yet to join in, you can do that at the same time.

This week we finally get back to the second part of our look at what Bill Bruford did after leaving Yes. So Mark and I talk individually and then together about King Crimson’s Larks’ Tongues in Aspic.

This week we had a great conversation with Miguel Falcão about his now annual PlayForChris video project and also his own Yes bass covers - a long time listener and several times interviewee we always love speaking to Miguel.

We also have a two pence from Mark which might prove controversial - and that’s of course the whole idea.

It’s a packed programme this week because not only did Mark go to the Toronto Royal Affair tour show but we also welcome Jon Kirkman back onto the show to talk about his brilliant new project.

This week we have the first part of our next what did they do next series and we’re considering Dr Bill Bruford and his unexpected move to King Crimson to record Larks’ Tongues in Aspic.

This week, Mark and I talk about the Royal Affair Setlist - so, obviously, if you don’t like spoilers, don’t listen!

Also, We mention later on that Mark is going to a Yes concert next week which we will them talk about - but it’s actually 2 weeks until that event so there will be something different from us in between.

This week’s episode contains set list spoilers for the upcoming Royal Affair Tour. If you don’t want to hear those, then feel free to come back and listen later.

Mark and I have been listening to One Live Badger tis week so we are ready to share our thoughts with you - listen out for that in a few moments. We also felt it was important to discuss two major pieces of Yes news in our two pence section - an announcement from Yes management and that set list spoiler from Alan White.

This week it's half term for me and the family so there's been no time to record a full episode. Instead, here are three reviews Mark did a long time ago - Flash, In The Can and One Live Badger. We hope to be back with our full episode on One Live Badger next week as usual.

This week we begin our two-part episode on the second musician to leave Yes, Tony Kaye. Mark and I will be set the scene for our exploration of One Live Badger and there's also news from around the crazy world of Yes.

Mark and I had a very enjoyable conversation with Jim Cushing this week about his Yes blog and YouTube channel. He has collected together an amazing collection of rare Yes ephemera for your delectation and he’s a lovely guy as well. Listen to the whole of our interview in a few moments.

This is part two of our exploration of Peter Bank's activities after Yes - and specifically the first Flash album. After starting this last week, we received great input from listeners so thank you for that.

There's also a Two Pence about the forthcoming YES50 Live album.

We are trying out a new approach starting this week. We will be doing 2-part episodes so that listeners can have a better chance of getting involved. First of all, we are looking at the first thing Peter Banks did after leaving Yes - Flash.

This week I’ve been on holiday with the family so this episode will be a quick one. Mark and I have been listening to Asia’s first album on account of the upcoming Royal Affair Tour and more on all that in a few moments.

With Jon Anderson playing two songs from Olias of Sunhillow live on his 1000 Hands Tour, we felt it was time to watch/listen to some recordings of Olias material from through the years. This is music which has not been performed very often - and we think it should have been.

This week we abandoned our original plans because we felt it was important to talk about the news surrounding the Yes Summer 2019 North American trip which is called the Royal Affair Tour. Mark and I give our views on that so this episode is a little bit different in format to usual as a result.

As we approach the 30th anniversary of ABWH, we go back to consider whether it's actually a Jon Anderson solo record, as suggested by Stephen Lambe in his book, YES every album every song.

Also, Mark suggests a 2 pence topic on videos...

This week Mark and I got our hands on 1000 hands - or at least our virtual hands as we received a review download copy. So we have pooled our initial reactions to the music and that’s coming up in a moment.

Also, we have a 2 pence on the Anderson final Yes project rumours so it’s an Anderson rich episode.

This week Mark and I have been listening to the first Yes album to link in with it being released on coloured vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day 50 years after first appearing. We also consider what we would release for Record Store Day if it was up to us.

This week, Geoff Bailie pointed out to me another gaping hole in my knowledge of Yes and the surrounding music. It’s Jon Anderson’s EP or single, depending on your viewpoint, Open from 2011.

Mark and I tackle the question of Awaken this week and consider its importance for Yes. We also chat about the recent Jon Anderson interview where he talks about the upcoming 1000 Hands Part 1 album and tour.

This week I discovered something I didn't know about Yes...wow! So as a result Mark and I listened to 3 different versions of Starship Trooper featuring not 2 but 3 different Wakemen!

Also, we approach a difficult 2 Pence about the quality of Yes performance on the recent Cruise to the Edge.

After seeing Fernando Perdomo's Peter Banks replica Yes guitar, we were inspired to watch some early Yes videos featuring the original guitarist.

We also find time for a quick 2 Pence on a single song we would both like to add to the Cruise to the Edge set list!

This week, Mark and I listened to a bootleg compilation from shows on the Open Your Eyes Tour. Igor, Billy and the rest of the band made a big impression as you’ll hear...

This week, we listen to a little-known album which should be better known to all Yes fans, White by the Alan White-led band, White. We also have time for the return of our two pence segment and we consider whether Jon Anderson should be concentrating on 1000 Hands or ARW...!

This week, Mark and I look through and laugh quite a bit about some of the Yes Yes related items we received around Christmas. I managed to find a couple of highly obscure items I never imagined I would own so I do get a bit excited as you’ll hear…

Mark and I will be back next week with a full episode but in the meantime, here is a brief update and another reminder about the new 2019 Patron activities - get involved!