YES “Beyond and Before: The BBC Recordings 1969 · 1970”
Purple Pyramid Records. 2CD, 2022
di alessandro nobis
Dal 1997 al 2019 si contano oltre venti ristampe di questo doppio CD: etichette diverse, copertine diverse, titoli diversi, in versione cd ma anche di doppio ellepì (Purple Pyramid,2019, Music on Vinyl, 2011 o Get Back, 2014). Si tratta di registrazioni effettuate tra il 1969 ed il 1970 per la BBC (con due eccezioni) dalla band al tempo formata da Bill Bruford alla batteria, Chris Squire al basso, Jon Anderson alla voce, Peter Banks alla chitarra e Tony Kaye alle tastiere, la prima line·up degli YES quindi a mio avviso un po’ sottovalutata rispetto a quella successiva con la produzione contraddistinta dalla grafica del geniale Roger Dean.
Brani originali e interpretazioni di altri autori si alternano nei due dischi e la qualità audio è a mio avviso più che discreta se paragonata ai bootleg venduti intorno al 1970; di particolare interesse sono il brano che apre il primo CD, ovvero “Something’ Coming” tratto da “West Side Story” di Leonard Bernstein (con il testo di Stephen Sondheim) del quale sottolineo il “drumming” swingante di Bill Bruford così legato a quello di Buddy Rich e l’interessante rilettura del brano beatlesiano “Every Little Girl” con citazione di “Day Tripper” ed un efficace solo “hard” di Peter Banks. Tra i brani originali la versione live di “Then” con l’incipit dell’hammond di Tony Kaye, “Sweet Dreams” e “Dear Father” sono quelli che lasciano più di altri intravedere il sound degli Yes che verrà.
Quindi esistevano eccome gli Yes prima di “Fragile“, eccome se esistevano! “Yes Album” e “Time and a Word” sono due album che vanno riascoltati con attenzione, solitamente poco considerati da critica e pubblico ammaliati dagli Yes con le grafiche di Roger Dean e l’apporto di Steve Howe e Rick Wakeman; nei due citati album ed in queste registrazioni si ascolta una musica a mio parere più essenziale addirittura vicina a certo jazz rock dell’epoca (cito ancora “Every Little Thing” del ’69 per esempio), piuttosto lontana dalla talvolta eccessiva autoreferenzialità della produzione seguente.
Mi chiedo se esista una versione ufficiale di queste preziose registrazioni. Ma non credo esista …
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From 1997 to 2019 there have been over twenty reissues of this double CD: different labels, different covers, different titles, in CD version but also in double LP version (Purple Pyramid, 2019, Music on Vinyl, 2011 or Get Back, 2014). These are recordings made between 1969 and 1970 for the BBC (with two exceptions) by the band at the time formed by Bill Bruford on drums, Chris Squire on bass, Jon Anderson on vocals, Peter Banks on guitar and Tony Kaye on keyboards. the first line · up of YES therefore in my opinion a little underrated compared to the following one with the production characterized by the graphics of the brilliant Roger Dean.
Original songs and interpretations by other authors alternate on the two discs and the audio quality is, in my opinion, more than fair if compared to the bootlegs sold around 1970; of particular interest are the passage that opens the first CD, namely “Something’ Coming” taken from “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein (with text by Stephen Sondheim) of which I underline the swinging “drumming” of Bill Bruford so linked to that of Buddy Rich and the interesting reinterpretation of the Beatles song “Every Little Girl” with a quote from “Day Tripper” and an effective “hard” solo by Peter Banks. Among the original songs the live version of “Then” with Tony Kaye’s hammond incipit, “Sweet Dreams” and “Dear Father” are the ones that more than others let you glimpse the Yes sound to come.
So Yes did exist before “Fragile”, yes they existed! “Yes Album” and “Time and a Word” are two albums that must be listened to carefully, usually little considered by critics and audiences enthralled by Yes with graphics by Roger Dean and the contribution of Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman; in the two aforementioned albums and in these recordings we hear a music that is in my opinion more essential, even close to a certain jazz rock of the time (I’m still quoting “Every Little Thing” from ’69 for example), rather far from the sometimes excessive self-referentiality of the following production .
I wonder if there is an official version of these precious recordings. But I don’t think it exists…
TRACK LIST:
A.1 – SOMETHING’S COMING (BERNSTEIN · SONDHEIM) – Album: YES 1969 (CD ED.NE DE LUXE – Bonus Track) – TOP GEAR 12 · 1 · 69
A.2 – EVERYDAYS (STEPHEN STILLS) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – TOP GEAR 12 · 1 · 69
A.3 – SWEETNESS (ANDERSON·SQUIRE·BAILEY) – ALBUM: YES 1969 – TOP GEAR 12 · 1 · 69
A.4 – DEAR FATHER (ANDERSON·SQUIRE) – ALBUM: YESTERDAYS ANTOLOGIA 1975 – TOP GEAR 12 · 1 · 69
A.5 – EVERY LITTLE THING (LENNON · McCARTNEY) – ALBUM: YES 1969 – TOP GEAR 12 · 1 · 69
A.6 – LOOKING AROUND (ANDERSON · SQUIRE) – ALBUM: YES 1969 – DAVE SYMONDS SHOW 4 · 8 · 69
A.7 – SWEET DREAMS (ANDERSON · FOSTER) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – DAVE TRAVIS SHOW 19 · 1 · 70
A.8 – THEN (ANDERSON) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – GERMAN BROADCAST
A.9 – NO OPPORTUNITY NECESSARY ……. (R. HAVENS) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – LIVE ON SUNDAY SHOW 17 · 3 · 70
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B.1 – ASTRAL TRAVELLER (ANDERSON) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – LIVE ON SUNDAY SHOW 17 · 3 · 70
B.2 – THEN (ANDERSON) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – LIVE ON SUNDAY SHOW 17 · 3 · 70
B.3 – EVERY LITTLE THING (LENNON · McCARTNEY) – ALBUM: YES 1969 – LIVE ON SUNDAY SHOW 17 · 3 · 70
B.4 – EVERYDAYS (STEPHEN STILLS) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – LIVE ON SUNDAY SHOW 17 · 3 · 70
B.5 – FOR EVERYONE (ANDERSON · SQUIRE) – LIVE ON SUNDAY SHOW 17 · 3 · 70
BONUS TRACK
B.6 – (INTRO) SWEETNESS (ANDERSON·SQUIRE·BAILEY) – ALBUM: YES 1969 – JOHNNY WALKER 14 · 6 · 69
B.7 – SOMETHING’S COMING (BERNSTEIN · SONDHEIM) – ALBUM: YES 1969 (Bonus Track) De Luxe Edition – TOP GEAR 23 · 2 · 69
B.8 – SWEET DREAMS (ANDERSON · FOSTER) – ALBUM: TIME AND A WORD 1970 – TOP GEAR 23 · 2 · 69
B.9 – BEYOND & BEFORE (SQUIRE · BAILEY) – ALBUM: YES 1969 – RARE FRENCH BROADCAST
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