It was a rainy afternoon in 1984. I was at the house
of one of my best friends. He was getting rid of some cassettes, and he was trying to sell them (we were cheap in those
days...couldn't just give them out, we had to sell them...but, I would've done the same thing back then). He played
one in particular for me that I really liked. It was 90125 by Yes. I had heard Owner of a Lonely Heart on the
radio and really liked it. So I paid my five bucks and took the tape. After playing this tape a few times, I realized
this was some of the best music I'd ever heard...I mean, these guys rocked!
A few months later, I had joined Columbia House, and as I
was going through the selections (12 for a penny, what a deal!), I found one called Classic Yes. Hey, 90125 is great,
so I figured I would check out this album in the catalog. When those tapes arrived and I got to play
Classic Yes, I was completely blown away. I recognized Roundabout from my childhood...I remember my mother singing it
aloud in her old Nova. But then, I heard Starship Trooper and Wonderous Stories... and I realized this is the greatest
group ever formed.
I immediately started buying all their albums. In 1987,
I picked up Going for the One. And I heard the song that will be for me the best piece of music ever recorded...Awaken.
To this day, when I see Yes perform Awaken, I am emotionally overwhelmed. The power and majesty in this song is unparallelled
in modern music. It is a privilege to see it performed live.
That spring, a new album came out...Big Generator...I remember
skipping a last period pep rally at school to take a ride with my friend Aaron (another Yeshead) to go buy the album
in Bristol. That December, they came to the Hartford Civic Center. On that cold night (it was supposed to snow
for the first time that winter) I got to see my first rock concert. There were four of us...Me, Brian, Aaron, and Keith.
We were disappointed at the length of the show (just over 2 hours), but what a show!! It would become a tradition for
me, Aaron and Brian to go to every Yesshow in Connecticut. Unfortunately, Aaron moved away a couple of years ago...he
is missed at these concerts. However, Brian and I keep up the tradition, and we've seen them 18 times to date.
(Well, I have...he missed one in Hartford in '04!!)
The band may have changed over the years, but my love for
their music has not. The cosmic lyrics, the dazzling musicianship, the ability to FEEL...not just hear the music...this
will be with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Jon, Steve, Chris, Alan, Rick, et al. for the greatest music ever
written!
Thanks Dan, for selling me that cassette!!
