TITLE: "The Singular Eye" [henceforth referred to as "B80"]
DATE: 9 September 1980
LOCATION: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
VENUE: Boston Garden
RECORDING TYPE: Audience ["AR"]
NOTES FROM TWO OFFICIAL "BLIND" B80 PROJECT TEST GROUP LISTENERS
"What a treat it is to listen to this lovingly mastered recording of
the Yes DRAMA lineup live. I kept finding myself getting lost in the
performance (which in itself actually says quite a bit about the
sonics). By any DRAMA tour standard of comparison, the sound quality
is nothing short of breathtaking.
The vocals here have an amazingly lifelike presence throughout, often
seeming to leap right out of the speakers or headphones. One of the
most impressive aspects of Lestat's releases is the almost holographic
sense of venue ambience he and Balrog consistently achieve-you really
feel like you are there in the concert hall with the audience.
Finally, he consistently maintains the full dynamic range of the
performance-not just in transitions between louder and quieter parts,
but perhaps just as importantly in the detail with which we can still
hear the quieter nuances in the midst of relatively loud passages.
Overall, the sound here is miles beyond any other live recording of
this Yes lineup that I have ever heard. The DRAMA tracks in the
official THE WORD IS LIVE are barely listenable after hearing this. I
recently heard another recording from the tour that was quite good,
but completely lacking the incredible nuance and sense of presence and
space so abundant in this release.
We are all incredibly lucky that Balrog happened to tape this
performance, that Lestat had the expertise to master it so
beautifully, and that both of them have the generosity to share their
efforts with such a wide community of fans. I have yet to see Gromek's
artwork design, but I suspect that it will be a joy to behold. Many
thanks to the three of them (as well as to the past and present
members of Yes, of course) for allowing me to relive some of the magic
of so many years ago."
- "NorthNYMark"
"The triumvirate is complete-B78, B79 and now B80. This latest show
represents a triumph for Messrs. LESTAT and BALROG. What is presented
for you is not only a stunning capture of a great night on an
underrated tour but the application of unparalleled audio engineering
to bring out the very best the Master tape had to offer. So with that
said, enjoy the very best recording of the Drama Tour!"
- "Jackstraw42"
A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCERS
No matter how you feel about the DRAMA (Buggles) era of Yes, there's
no denying something very exciting and different happened in the album
and tour. To some the departure of Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman from
the lineup and their replacement by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes meant
the band no longer deserved to call itself Yes. But the concert is
still very much Yes music. The old songs may not sound quite right on
first listen, but there are some remarkable moments in the
performances. And keep in mind that Anderson and Wakeman made a real
contribution to Drama before departing. Yes purists ("Troopers" if you
like) would do themselves a favor in giving this one a chance.
Boston Garden was only the ninth show in the tour. Trevor Horn's voice
was still intact enough to sound almost exactly like Jon Anderson much
of the time. The circular sound system was not quite the same as the
one used in the preceding Tormato concerts, but it was still much
better than the stacks used in the GFTO tour. Very few rock concert
sound systems could overcome the notorious Boston Garden mid-bass
"boom" that can be heard in almost all recordings made there. Only
Yes' circular system and Pink Floyd's "quad" system were able to
accomplish it.
LINEUP:
Steve Howe - guitars
Chris Squire - bass
Alan White - percussion
Trevor Horn - vocals
Geoff Downes - keyboards
SETLIST [for 80-minute and 74-minute CDR]:
[Vol. 1]
01V1 - Intro Cue [Young Person's Guide/Close Encounters theme]/Does It Really Happen
02V1 - Yours Is No Disgrace
03V1 - Into the Lens
04V1 - Clap [Howe solo]
05V1 - And You and I
06V1 - Go Through This
07V1 - Man in a White Car Suite [Downes solo]
08V1 - Parallels
09V1 - We Can Fly From Here
[Vol. 2]
01V2 - Tempus Fugit
02V2 - AmazingGrace > The Fish > Amazing Grace [Squire solo]
03V2 - Machine Messiah
04V2 - Starship Trooper
05V2 - Roundabout
y
relaxed. Other than the absence of smoke in the air and the ambience
of the old Boston Garden, it's not much different from being there.
With no equipment to worry about I can let the music carry me to
places I've never been. I sincerely hope it provides the same
enjoyment for you.
- Barry
NOTES FROM GROMEK:
As I was such a young lad when DRAMA came out I can't say much about
that time, but I do remember that it went by unnoticed by me (let's
face it - Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman were not a part of Yes
anymore, so that was that, it was over!) and I went on to explore
other styles of music and of course Jon's Song of Seven album.
I did like The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" song, but Yes
was simply not Yes without two very important members, so there.
Hearing and reading stories about ex-Yes members saying Yes really
should not have done DRAMA, and that it really should not be talked
about, was an extra reason for me to leave it for what it was (without
hearing a second of music from the actual album).
Boy was I wrong!
Some years later I decided to explore the new Yes incarnation with
Trevor Rabin, and although it did not compare to the old sound
remember that I loved the new sound. So then I also had a go at DRAMA,
and was pleasantly surprised by that too! I really liked the album and
after a few listening sessions I decided I loved it, and everyone who
said that it should never have been made was wrong!
Now years and years later DRAMA comes to life again! Lestat has done
wonders with this recording (another excellent one "Recorded by
Balrog") and I was happy to be part of the project too, although my
part is nothing compared to what he and Lestat had to go through to
get it to sound like this!
This time I was inspired by an image created by Barry and the lyrics
from the DRAMA album - mostly Machine Messiah - and the title "The
Singular Eye" derives from that. So after grabbing some images from my
usual sources (all having something to do with eyes and digital
manipulation) I went on to make a collage and manipulated it (using
PSP X2), producing what you see now as a finished cover.
So when you listen to this excellent live performance, try to envision
or look at the art, and combine the two mentally. It should be very
effective.
Well, enough from me, I hope you like what I did, but all praise goes
to Barry and Lestat, as they were the men who provided us with another
gem to be circulated among Yes fans.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/362cay29qg0l/YES.1980-09-09.Boston.rar
