Keys to Ascension 2

Occupation

Keys to Ascension 2 is a Live-/Studioalbum the progressive rock band Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor of the published presentation in a similar album Keys to Ascension and contains live recordings of concerts like this in March 1996, and new studio recordings.

  • 3.1 CD 1
  • 3.2 CD 2

Formation

Concerts in San Luis Obispo

On the 4th, 5th and 6th of March 1996, the reformed first time since 1979 " classic " Yes lineup ( Anderson, Howe, Squire, Wakeman, White ) in the small Freemont Theater, an Art Deco movie theater in San Luis Obispo, three reunion concerts played. Yes It had played a lot of songs that were not presented live for years. The concerts were still taken for publication in the same year. Of these concerts the live tracks are on CD 1

Since only three concerts were played, from which one could put together for recording a live album, it was deemed necessary to correct errors later in the studio. This happened during the years 1996 and 1997. Having guitarist Steve Howe to the mix of Keys to Ascension had the responsibility alone must bear, we now asked Billy Sherwood, a since about 1990, working in the environment of the band musicians, this task during follow-up album to take over.

Studio tracks

Some song ideas for the new studio tracks already go back to the autumn / winter of 1995, when some Yes - musicians met in different constellations in California to write new music for the first Keys to Ascension project. Other song ideas are even older: Mind Drive, the piece that dominates as Long Track Keys to Ascension 2, goes on a rhythmic idea of drummer Alan White from the 1980s back when he and Squire briefly with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page under the name XYZ ( for eX -Yes- & - Zeppelin) rehearsed together. White the driving 14/8-Rhythmus comes at the beginning of the main part. More music contributed Squire. A Song Jon Anderson was then during the sessions in California part of Mind Drive. Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman, who were not involved to a greater extent in the songwriting, their contributions later took on in the studio.

Children of Light goes back to an idea Jon Anderson from the 1970s. He and keyboardist Vangelis had already repeatedly provided it for Jon & Vangelis albums, and also to Yes and ABWH albums the piece was supposed to already appear. Two other pieces contributed Steve Howe, where then White and Squire co. From Wakeman comes an introduction to Children of Light called Lightning that has been deleted again. Only on the re-release of the key material under the name Keys Studio ( 2001) is to hear them.

The recordings for the Keys to Ascension 2 began shortly after the end of the promotion for the Keys to Ascension in November 1996. Emerged in only about five weeks 45 minutes of music, which were later released on the second CD of the album. The new tracks were mixed as well as the live material from Billy Sherwood.

Initially it was planned to release the new material as a separate studio album titled know. Since a pure studio album, given the disappointing sales of the previous studio album Talk for the small record company CMC seemed too risky because of the necessary advertising expense, but it was decided to publish the rest of the recorded in San Luis Obispo songs along with the new material. This was due to the identical concept of Name Keys to Ascension 2

Difficulties with management and record company

For the summer of 1997 a tour was planned with the Keys to Ascension material under the name know. However, due to poor advance sales (because CMC had barely made ​​advertising for the Keys albums, knew only a few fans that Yes were active again ) and because the tickets had not been discussed with Rick Wakeman, who had planned at this time a solo tour, was the tour completely canceled. Because of this chaotic management ( Wakeman had the contract with Left Bank Management wisely not signed ), but also because they had deleted some of his musical contributions later, Rick Wakeman left the band. He also had other ideas for a tour: While a tour presented by large halls, the other musicians wanted to play concerts in small clubs as a tour represented by large halls in the face of poor sales of recent Yes albums too great a financial risk would. The variant to tour with Emerson, Lake and Palmer, had been rejected by all parties.

Due to the poor sales of Keys to Ascension, the CMC was attributed to the fact that Yes had not gone on tour to promote the album, the record company stopped the planned for March 3, 1997 publication of Keys to Ascension 2 first. Then the band changed again the record company. Your new company, Eagle / Beyond, Yes but did not want to tour without a new album, because she feared half-empty halls. They therefore urged the band as soon as possible to bring out a new studio album. Since Yes had no new material, a begriffenes in the development of the album Squire / Sherwood Project Conspiracy was quickly turned into a Yes album. As of Eagle / Beyond the appearance of this album under the name Open Your Eyes for Spring 1998 and a following tour for October was announced, CMC, Keys to Ascension 2 decided still to be published, in order to benefit from the marketing of competitors. Although Eagle / Beyond 1997 brought forward and the band so enormous set the appearance of Open Your Eyes on November 24, under time pressure, appeared Keys to Ascension 2, three weeks before the competitor's product, November 3, 1997.

Title list

CD 1

  • I. Your Move ( Anderson)
  • II All Good People ( Squire )
  • I. The Solid Time of Change
  • III. I Get Up I Get Down
  • IV Seasons of Man
  • I. Cord of Life
  • Eclipse II ( Anderson / Bruford / Howe )
  • III. The Preacher the Teacher
  • Apocalypse IV

CD 2

  • I. Children of Light ( Anderson / Vangelis / Squire )
  • II Lifeline ( Wakeman / Howe )

Notes:

  • The song order of the live material does not match the actual played song sequence.
  • Mind Drive, footprints, Bring Me to the Power, Children of Light and Sign Language are the new studio tracks that have been published here for the first time.
  • Mind Drive goes back to a song idea that was played by the band XYZ, (Chris Squire, Alan White and Jimmy Page ) already in 1981, and one known as Instrumental #. A similar rhythm pattern had been heard in the Bill Bruford and Alan White on the ' Union' Tour (1991-1992) played drums duet.
  • Children of Light had already been recorded for the album Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, but then not be published. Anderson had already written it in the late 1970s. In the eighties it had been intended for a Jon & Vangelis album, which was, however, not been established. The song first appeared on Keys to Ascension 2 Rick Wakeman Intro Lightning was extinguished shortly before the release and until the re-release of the songs on Keys Studio. (2001) restored. Instead, there is missing the introduction that has the song here.

Cover

The cover to Keys to Ascension 2 was designed by fantasy artist Roger Dean, who already responsible for many of the classic Yes album art recorded in the 1970s. The double album is in a slipcase held in magenta, on the actual album art dominates the color blue.

The two cover show a landscape similar to that of the Keys to Ascension albums, islands, which are connected by natural bridges.

Chart positions

Keys to Ascension 2 (Essential EDF CD 457 ) reached # 62 in the UK charts.

Occupation

  • Jon Anderson - Vocals
  • Steve Howe - guitar, vocals
  • Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
  • Chris Squire - bass, vocals
  • Alan White - drums

Live

The live tracks (all songs on CD 1 and the songs 1 and 2 on CD2) were recorded in San Luis Obispo for three concerts (4th, 5th and 6th March 1996).

On the launched on 17 October 1997, two weeks before the release of Keys to Ascension 2 Open Your Eyes tour, which included 147 concerts in 1998 to 14 October, was played by the Keys to Ascension albums only Children Of Light. Yes concerted mainly to the promotion of her new album Open Your Eyes.

  • Mind Drive, however, was played on the 35th Anniversary Tour in 2004 as part of a medleys and can be heard on Songs From Tsongas
  • Footprints was also played on the 35th Anniversary Tour in 2004 as part of the same medleys and can be heard on Songs From Tsongas
  • Children Of Light was played on the Open Your Eyes Tour 1997/98, a live version can be heard only on The Mother 's Day Concert, a live album by Jon Anderson,

Keys to Ascension 1 and 2

On March 9, published in 1998, CMC subsequently Keys to Ascension 1 and 2 as a 4- CD box. However, for only the already released 4 CDs were compiled into one package. The original order of the Konzertsetlist was not restored.

Sources and links

  • Chambers, Stuart: Yes. An endless dream of '70s, '80s and '90s rock music. An unauthorized interpretative history in three phases. Burns Town, ON, General Store Publishing House, 2002. ISBN 1-894263-47-2.
  • Farley, Alan: The Extraordinary World Of Yes. New York / Lincoln / Shanghai 2004. ISBN 0-595-33133-5.
  • Welch, Chris: Close to the Edge. The story of Yes. London / NY / Sydney 1999. ISBN 0-7119-6930-2
  • Watkinson, David: Perpetual change - 30 years of Yes. London 2001. ISBN 0-85965-297-1
  • "Keys to Ascension 2 " is mentioned in all newer Yes biographies. A comprehensive bibliography of the band can be found on the sides of the Progressive Rock Bibliography ( ), an English-language website.
  • Reviews of Keys to Ascension 2 to the Baby Blue Pages
  • English website with explanations on Yes' album covers

Yes (1969 ) | Time and a Word (1970 ) | The Yes Album ( 1971) | Fragile (1972 ) | Close to the Edge (1972 ) | Tales from Topographic Oceans (1974 ) | Relayer (1974 ) | Going for the One (1977 ) | Tormato (1978 ) | Drama (1980 ) | 90125 (1983 ) | Big generator (1987 ) | Union (1991 ) | Talk ( 1994) | Keys to Ascension (1996 ) | Keys to Ascension 2 (1997 ) | Open Your Eyes (1997 ) | The Ladder (1999 ) | Magnification (2001 ) | Fly from Here (2011)

  • Album ( Progressive Rock )
  • Album 1997
  • Yes album
Yes (Band) Record label Genre Alan White (Yes drummer) Steve Howe (musician) Open Your Eyes (Yes album) San Luis Obispo, California XYZ (UK band) Keystudio Talk (Yes album) Emerson, Lake & Palmer Conspiracy (Band) Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (album) Roger Dean (artist) Yes (Yes album) Fragile (Yes album) Drama (Yes album) Union (Yes album) Magnification (album)
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