Other Mixes By Pop Kulcher
Cassette
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Theme
Cassette
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Theme
Cassette
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Theme
CD
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Single Artist
CD
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Theme - Narrative
Oh No... It's Yes... Finally, a mix I'm (almost) too mortified to post
| Artist | Song | |
| -----Disc One----- | - | |
| Yes |
Beyond And Before 
|
|
| Yes |
I See You
|
|
| Yes |
Every Little Thing
|
|
| Yes |
Sweet Dreams
|
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| Yes |
Time And A Word
|
|
| Yes |
Yours Is No Disgrace
|
|
| Yes |
Starship Trooper
|
|
| Yes |
I've Seen All Good People
|
|
| Yes |
Roundabout
|
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| Yes |
Long Distance Runaround
|
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| Yes |
The Fish
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| Yes |
Heart Of The Sunrise
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| -----Disc Two----- | - | |
| Yes |
Total Mass Retain
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| Yes |
And You And I
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| Yes |
Siberian Khatru
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| Yes | Ritual: Nous Sommes du Soleil | |
| Yes | The Gates Of Delirium [edited] | |
| Yes |
Sound Chaser
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| Yes |
Going For The One
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| Yes |
Wonderous Stories
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Comment:
Talk about your guilty pleasures. I had no qualms about posting a Monkees mix. I didn't even mind posting a Neil Diamond mix. But Yes? now there's something to feel ashamed of.Like most kids in the 70s, I went through your basic prog phase, spending long afternoons in my room with ponderous, pretentious lp's with goofy cover art and goofier lyrics and long, impenetrable instrumental passages. But like some of those kids (or at least the lucky ones), punk & post-punk came around and kicked me in the ass. Of course, having mellowed over the decades, I do find myself enjoying some of those classics again (Gabriel-era Genesis, King Crimson), while others are pretty much permanently relegated to the dustbin (ELP, Tull).
Yet the one band I could never stomach was Yes. Maybe it was Anderson's vocals, which made me want to tear my eyeballs out. Maybe it was the unicorn-and-dragon lyrical imagery. Maybe it was Tales From Topographic Oceans, the 4-suite, 4-lp-side wankfest that represented the very worst of prog's self-indulgent tendencies. Maybe it was even the kids who scrawled the Yes logo all over their notebooks, as they were even scarier than the kids who scribbled the Led Zeppelin Zoso runes everywhere.
Nonetheless, for some reason I found myself picking up the (amazingly remastered) Yes reissues over the past couple years. And actually enjoying them. Sure, on an intellectual and aesthetic level these guys represent a lot of what I hate about the genre... but damned if there aren't some moments that, jaded as I may be, I nonetheless find compelling. Behind closed doors, at least.
Production note: This mix chronologically culls from the first 8 albums, with nothing post-1977 (sorry, no "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" for me). I had toyed with the idea of editing some of the longer pieces, particularly on disc 2, down to the highlights to accommodate more tracks, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth the effort (though I did cut the last few minutes off "Gates" for space purposes, and went with the single edit of "Total Mass Retain" rathern than the side-long version).
Feedback:
I don't want to spoil the, er, fun, but, erm, isn't it "wondrous"? And where's "Don't Kill the Whale"? ;)
Been there, did it and still like them.
A band I have avoided for decades for the cover art alone. Glad to see you've reconciled with your past.
Is it just a coincidence that AOTM crashed right after you posted this? Me thinks not. But seriously, I was one of those "scary" kids in junior high who decorated their book covers with the Zoso runes. And I was pretty good at drawing the Yes logo, which isn't easy to do. You gotta get the tail of the "Y" to curl through the "E" and form the "S". Of course I was a fan. Yessongs was my first triple album and songs like "All Good People" and "Roundabout" kept me running home from school so I could put on my cheap Realistic headphones and play air guitar along with Steve Howe. Oh how I miss those days. Thanks for reminding me of them.
I get my Yes fix once in a great while and coincidently shocked my kids into grabbing their iPods by putting on the Yessongs CD in the car while driving down to Philly last weekend. I was surprised that my wife actually picked the CD from the case.
you know i think there may be one or two yes songs that i really like. "soon" from what ever album your cover art is from , would make a great theme song for a remake of ridley scott's "legend." or a remake of "howard the duck" for that matter.
Further to Mr. Mohr's observation... Yes, indeed, "wondrous" is properly spelled without an "e." But would this be the same band that stretched the bounds of good taste on so many epic-length suites if they were to feel bound by proper English spelling? Of course not. Or maybe it was just a typo on the original album, but methinks not.
Yes were near the top of my "I just plain hate them" list for most of my life, but in the past few years I've warmed up to a few songs. Enough so that I also picked up a few of the reissues based on recomendations from a few friends, and I was surprised at how many songs I liked. I still haven't pulled the trigger at throwing a Yes tune on a mix (they're just too long!), but I'm no longer a Yes hater. Of course, I can still laugh at them too - I hope that never goes away. They're really funny, even if they don't know it.
Trust me, Pop, this is a lot easier going down than was Neil D. Which, of course why they make choclate AND vanilla AND rocky road ice cream. I can sleep tonight knowing I do not need to do this!
Though cetain many have caught on, I will now fully out myself with the "I'm a big fan of Yes" tag. Though not a child of the 70s generation, I went through a pretty intensive era of Progressive Rock devotion of my own, mostly due to playing bass in a number of bands in high school/early college. Your typical fare: Genesis, Rush and of course, YES!!! And, I still staunchly stand up to firing squad saying I like this band a great deal.Realizing Prog Rock is not for everyone, I certainly don't feel I could sway opinion either way, but I do enjoy lengthier tunes, especially those multi-part highly virtuostic instrumental passages to this day. Whether the occasional Phish opus or such recent offerings by Mars Volta and Tool, music of this ilk will always find a place in my collection and in my rotation of musical choices.Lastly, I will put the final nail in the coffin by stating that Yes' Close to the Edge would most definately make it into my Top 100 (maybe Top 50) albums of all time.Either way, as Yes devotee, let me say, "freakin great job on this mix, dude!" Considering the length of most of their work, having so many highlights in this package is no small feat. I applaud your effort whole-heartedly. Personal faves would include many on here, plus Awaken from Relayer, Perpetual Change for The Yes Album, their cover of America, latter works Be The One, Changes and the only song not represented on your mix fro the aftermentioned album, Close to the Edge.
im not sure ive heard alot of yes in my vacant life, but i can say this is the best feedback on a mix. ever.
oh, they did owner of a lovely heart? i love that song lol ;)
I'm with the gnome - I loved them (LOVED) them in junior high, along with Genesis, Tull and Rush - I'll still stand behind all these bands but Rush. Discovered the Who, Kinks, Costello, Clash, Gang of Four, etc, and left my prog roots behind for a while. Listening to them again recently, I'm surprised at how well they've aged.All of your choices here are great, but I daresay there's not a bum track on any of the first 5 or 6 lps. Personally, I still prefer the first 4, but I'll go up to Drama (which isn't exactly Yes proper, of course). Great stuff. I say "YES" to Yes.
Yes, I was a big Yes fan, too. And very glad that I stopped being one long before Owner of a Lonely Heart. And Yes, it was seeing the Pistols at the Longhorn Ballroom at 18 that made me say no to more Yes. But Close To The Edge for me, as well, is an elpee that would probably make an all time Top 100 list if I could make one. So, Yes, this is fine, just fine with me. However, I take issue with the exclusion of their version of "America," which I consider to be one of the greatest cover tunes ever.
Pop, I find it quite amusing that I did a Yes mix at year end 05 and basically said the same thing as you. I posted it reluctantly and then the Yes fans revealed themselves. Nice work.
here's mine...http://artofthemix.org/FindAMix/getcontents.asp?strMixID=98870
here's mine...http://artofthemix.org/FindAMix/getcontents.asp?strMixID=98870
Have you been reading my mind (again)? This is literally one of my next projects. If you've got the first two albums, "America" and Going for the One on disc, we need to talk (again)...