Yes Music Podcast

Two fans' exploration of the world's greatest progressive rock band.

Alan White's adaptability - 675 05/30/2025

Alan White's adaptability - 675 Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Wayne Hall, Ken Fuller and Jeffrey Crecelius It’s already been 3 years since Alan White died. To mark the sad anniversary, Mark and I discussed the iconic drummer’s adaptability this week. We each chose 3 different examples of his playing to highlight different aspects of his musical character. In addition, 4 YMP Patrons gave us comments to read out - Jon Pickles, Ronnie Neeley, Doug Curran, and Fred Barringer. It was very enjoyable to think about Alan but also, of course, a somewhat mournful process. Do add your own memories of Alan to the show notes for this week. Which songs did we choose? Was Alan 'just' a drummer? What were Alan's special skills? /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36790620

Chris Squire - 10 years gone with Stephen Lambe - 674 05/23/2025

Chris Squire - 10 years gone with Stephen Lambe - 674 Unbelievably, it’s already 10 years since we lost Chris Squire. Tempus Fugit, but this time not in a good way. To mark this sad milestone, Prog Magazine has included 2 large articles about Chris in the latest issue, number 160. The person charged with writing the main piece was friend of the YMP, Stephen Lambe. Mark and I spoke to him this week about the greatest bassist the world has ever seen, the irreplaceable Christopher Russell Edward Squire (4 March 1948 – 27 June 2015). /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36690515

Yes virtuosity - 673 05/16/2025

Yes virtuosity - 673 Mark and I really enjoyed discussing what Yes virtuosity means to us with the help of YMP Patrons Brian Harris, Michael OConnor, HB Pettersen, Jon Pickles, Dave Owen, Gary Betts, Mark Slater and Ronnie Neeley this week. Can you guess what we all chose for our examples of Yes virtuosity? You might be surprised, as Mark and I were. There were some common themes that emerged which is always encouraging because it means we are not on our own in our thoughts about the band. So thank you to all those Patrons but do have your own say by adding a comment to the show notes for this week. /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36593905

Billy Sherwood's bass - 672 05/09/2025

Billy Sherwood's bass - 672 This week Mark and I enjoyed thinking about what Billy Sherwood has contributed on bass to the last two Yes albums, The Quest and Mirror to the Sky. We each chose three examples of songs from those two records to talk about and shared our thoughts on whether Billy has continued the tradition of Chris Squire bass playing or gone his own way - or a combination of the two. There wasn’t enough time to review the posts on the YMP Facebook discussion group this week but hopefully I’ll be able to get back to that next week. Also, apologies to those who sent in entries to last week’s quiz. I haven’t forgotten and I’ll be announcing the winner next week. /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36508945

Yes Connections - The Game! 671 05/02/2025

Yes Connections - The Game! 671 This week, Mark and I are trying out a new concept - it’s a game called Yes connections. There will be chances to laugh at my ineptitude as well as chances to get involved yourself with a special Yes connections round for listeners - with a prize for the more creative - or maybe funny entry sent into the show. Hang onto your hat and test your Yes knowledge in a few minutes’ time. /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36412135

Reactions to Record Store Day 2025 - 670 04/18/2025

Reactions to Record Store Day 2025 - 670 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I were joined by Jon Pickles to talk about the latest (greatest?) Yes Record Store Day offering - Live at the Rainbow London, England 12/16/1972 - a catchy title if there ever was one. I haven't forked out the considerable amount of money for a copy - yet - but both Jon and Mark have, so at least they are speaking from a position of knowledge. No change there then. Have you managed to get a copy of this new release? What does the music sound like? Is it a good performance? Is the high cost justified? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36218375

Yes songs with great contrasts - 669 04/11/2025

Yes songs with great contrasts - 669 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I had a think about the Yes songs we like that include contrasts - one of my favourite aspects of progressive rock - and Yes music. We both chose 2 songs to talk about in depth but also went on a bit about other songs that also fit this category. It was another very interesting conversation - at least I thought so. What songs do we choose? What do we mean by contrast? Do our selections cover a wide range of eras of the band? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36098235

YesKit Part 3 - 668 04/04/2025

YesKit Part 3 - 668 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Mark and I always enjoy ‘getting into the weeds’ and ‘geeking out’ about Yes kit so here is another perfect example of this. This week we both chose 3 pieces of YesKit that took our fancy and went on about them for a long time. If you don’t consider yourself a 5%er who loves hearing about the minutiae of music tech as used by Yes, then feel free to skip this episode. If you do, though, I feel I should point out that you’ll miss Mark playing actual musical examples and me giving a little bit of a sneak preview of what’s coming up in the Tales book. You have been warned. What bits of YesKit do we choose? Did you know all about these already? What do you think of Mark’s instrumental ‘chops’? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/36003080

Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks - Live Perpetual Change - 667 03/28/2025

Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks - Live Perpetual Change - 667 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I have been listening to the great live album by Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks - Live Perpetual Change. Listen out for our comments in a few minutes and do let us know if you agree or disagree with us by leaving a comment on the show notes for this week. How does Jon Anderson sound these days? Is this a cover band? What are the epics like? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35909000

Delving into the archive for a Yes Tracks Through Time - 666 03/21/2025

Delving into the archive for a Yes Tracks Through Time - 666 Unfortunately, Mark has been unwell this week so best wishes to him for a speedy recovery. As we couldn't record an episode, I've been delving into the archive to uncover the first Yes Tracks Through Time episode I ever did. That was back in April 2013. Wow. Here are the show notes from way back then: The seventy-ninth episode of the Yes Music Podcast featuring the first in a series of Yes Tracks Through Time. After the initial recording, what happened to songs live? How did different line-ups of the band alter the character of tracks – if at all? Listen and then let me know what you think of the different approaches by contacting me via any of the different routes on the right hand side or by leaving a comment below! Which of the three versions of Astral Traveller is the best? Should group members leave tracks alone or add their own character? Does the band’s approach change over time? /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35809220

Something's Coming - Peter Banks and the new Yes album - 665 03/14/2025

Something's Coming - Peter Banks and the new Yes album - 665 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller In a bumper double-feature episode (or something like that), Mark and I compare the Empire featuring Peter Banks version of Something’s Coming with the Yes studio version and we also indulge in a little bit of speculation about the forthcoming Yes album - and who doesn’t enjoy these kinds of guessing games? Well if you don’t, feel free to use the fast forward button. Anyway, it was a lot of fun listening to some very early Yes and what Peter Banks did when he revisited it himself in 1979. Videos of the 2 songs are available below of course. How similar are the 2 versions of Something's Coming? Does Peter Banks play it the same way he did with Yes? What do we have in-store from Yes' forthcoming new album? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35697900

Yes Tracks Through Time - Awaken - 664 03/07/2025

Yes Tracks Through Time - Awaken - 664 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I return to one of our favourite pastimes - listening to Yes tracks through time. We each chose 3 different live recordings of Awaken to listen to and then discuss. So it’s time to put your Roger Dean thinking caps on and see if you would have chosen the same versions as us. Which versions did we choose? Why did we chose those ones? Who does it best? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35575745

Yes Album Listening Guides - Tales from Topographic Oceans - Part 13 - Extras on the Steven Wilson Blu-ray of Tales - 663 02/28/2025

Yes Album Listening Guides - Tales from Topographic Oceans - Part 13 - Extras on the Steven Wilson Blu-ray of Tales - 663 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I enjoyed discovering the many delights of the Blu-ray version of the Steven Wilson remix set of Tales from Topographic Oceans. It’s packed full of obscure and unusual versions of the songs on the album - a delight for all Yes nerds fans everywhere. Do you have a copy of the Blu-ray version? If not, you might want to find one as explained in our chat in a few minutes' time. What is included on the Blu-ray? Does it sound good? Is it worth choosing Blu-ray as an audio format over DVD-A or others? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35482175

You're playing my song! - 662 02/21/2025

You're playing my song! - 662 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I consider 6 songs that were performed live really well by lineups of Yes that didn’t record them. With the revolving door policy of the band over the decades, there was a lot to choose from so see if we came up with anything you would have chosen yourself. Of course, as usual, we’d love to hear from you some of your own suggestions, so please do add those to the show notes for this week over at yesmusicpodcast.com What have we chosen? How do songs from different lineups sound live? Who plays it better? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35378865

David Watkinson, Roger Dean and Trading Boundaries - 661 02/14/2025

David Watkinson, Roger Dean and Trading Boundaries - 661 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week I’m feeding back on my trip to Trading Boundaries to see what Dave Watkinson has put on display alongside the permanent Roger Dean exhibition there. I made a video of Dave showing me around and we both enthuse about all the amazing items. I then had a chance to chat with Mark about what he noticed on the video - of course it’s embedded into the show notes over at YesMusicPodcast.com What was on display? Where and what is Trading Boundaries? What has Paul Graf sent to Kevin? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35285315

Yes men covers - 660 02/07/2025

Yes men covers - 660 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller After an important update on last week's episode, Mark and I choose 3 interesting cover versions each. They all feature Yes men past or present. If you'd like to listen to the songs before listening to us banging on about them, they are all embedded below with the original versions as well. Which covers did we choose? Who is represented from Yes? How do they stand up against the originals? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35192000

Yes stole The Gates of Delirium - 659 01/31/2025

Yes stole The Gates of Delirium - 659 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller I received an interesting email from a listener this week. She asked if anyone was aware of the connections between a song by the Italian prog group PFM and Yes’ Gates of Delirium. I’ll explain more when I go through the email with Mark a little later on. Many thanks to the Patrons who gave their feedback on the topic and before you listen to Mark and my take, you may want to listen to the music involved. I’ve embedded the PFM and the Yes songs in the show notes so head on over to yesmusicpodcast.com and see what you think - then please do add your thoughts to the comments section on the show notes for this week. Did Yes copy the PFM song in Gates? Who are PFM anyway? Are there any connections between the bands? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/35097545

Trident Studios Tales with Jon Pickles - 658 01/24/2025

Trident Studios Tales with Jon Pickles - 658 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Mark was back this week and we welcomed YMP listener and Patron Jon Pickles onto the show to talk about the time he was a 'tea boy' at Trident Studios in London. You'll need to listen to the interview to hear all about it but Trident was the world-renowned studio where, amongst unnumbered highlights of rock music, Yes recorded overdubs for their first album, Queen recorded their first two albums and The Beatles recorded Let It Be and other seminal songs. Listen out for stories about Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford, Trevor Horn and many more! What did Jon have to do as a 'tea boy'? Who did he meet and work with? What was it like being in Soho in those days? /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34994195

Will 2025 be a great year for Yes? - with Henry Potts - 657 01/17/2025

Will 2025 be a great year for Yes? - with Henry Potts - 657 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Unfortunately, Mark was unwell this week so we wish him a speedy recovery. I'm sure he will be back with us next week. I did manage to speak to the Yes expert Henry Potts, however, about . Called 'What does 2025 hold for Yes fans?' it contains, in Henry's usual style, a huge amount of detail about all sorts of live and recorded Yes and Yes-related activity that may or may not see the light of day in 2025. As I say later on, if only half of what we talk about actually appears, it will indeed be a great year for Yes and associated artists. Many thanks to Henry who was as cheerful and generous as always, despite only having 24hrs notice of the recording. Henry's site is a veritable cornucopia of Yes and Yes-related information and is one of the longest-lived sources of Yes information on the internet, having been active since 2018! What is Yes likely to do in 2025? What has already been announced? What are past Yes members up to this year? /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34894410

6 reasons why Drama is a great Yes album - 656 01/10/2025

6 reasons why Drama is a great Yes album - 656 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller It’s 2025 and Mark and I are back for another year of the Yes Music Podcast. According to an online tool, it’s 13 years 3 months 2 weeks and 6 days since I published episode 1. Wow. This episode focuses on Drama from 1980 - released 44 years 4 months 2 weeks and 5 days ago. Despite the shock of the dramatic lineup changes (Buggles Horn and Downes replacing Anderson and Wakeman) and the resulting initial dismissal of the album by some fans, the record is now amongst the most popular of all Yes albums. So why is Drama now regarded as a great Yes album? Mark and I have come up with our 6 reasons as you will hear in a few minutes. See if you agree and let us know in the comments for this episode. Why can we even call this a Yes album? What was the impact of The Buggles? Does it look like a Yes album? /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34804780

Now the season now the question – YMP Christmas Quiz – the answers! 655 12/26/2024

Now the season now the question – YMP Christmas Quiz – the answers! 655 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller It's Boxing Day 2024 and Mark and Kevin are still in a festive mood. This time, they announce the answers to the first ever YMP Christmas Quiz. They are still in that Christmas Market with the pesky tin cans being thrown about for some reason.😉 See if your answers were correct and join in all the fun... What are the answers to the quiz questions? Why was the quiz called that? Are Kevin and Mark really in a Christmas Market? See if you can work it out this time. /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34598175

Now the season now the question - YMP Christmas Quiz - 654 12/20/2024

Now the season now the question - YMP Christmas Quiz - 654 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller In the first ever YMP Christmas Quiz, Mark and Kevin present an episode directly from a Christmas Market ;-) See if you can answer all the 16 (not 20!) questions and send your answers to [email protected] before the next episode is released on Boxing Day (26th December 2024). Remember that you can extra credit, as explained in the episode. What will the questions be? Why is the quiz called that? Are Kevin and Mark really in a Christmas Market? /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34545735

Rick Wakeman - the sublime and the ridiculous - 653 12/13/2024

Rick Wakeman - the sublime and the ridiculous - 653 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week Mark and I consider the conflicting aspects of Rick Wakeman’s musical character. We have both chosen one piece of sublime and one piece of ridiculous Wakeman playing on a Yes record or on a live recording. What will we choose? Listen on to find out and then supply your own examples via the show notes at yesmusicpodcast.com What were Rick Wakeman's best contributions to Yes? What did he do that was more 'questionable'? How should he be rated? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34432550

6 reasons why 'Yes' is a great Yes album - 652 12/06/2024

6 reasons why 'Yes' is a great Yes album - 652 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week we return to our (relatively) new series for 6 reasons why ‘Yes’ is a great Yes album. Mark and I came up with 3 reasons each so listen out and see if we’ve chosen one or more of your own. Then, why not add yours to the comments on the show notes for this week’s episode over at yesmusicpodcast.com? Is the first Yes album any good? What can we tell about the past and future of the band? Does the record stand up well today? /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34316575

Stephen Lambe on his book - Rock Classics - Yes 90125 - 651 11/29/2024

Stephen Lambe on his book - Rock Classics - Yes 90125 - 651 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller We spoke to and Yes author Stephen Lambe this week about his (relatively) recent book Rock Classics - Yes 90125. The book delves deeply into the story of the 1983 album that became Yes’ best selling record of all time and saw the rebirth of the band after the events following the Drama tour. It could all have been very different if Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire, Tony Kaye and Alan White had stuck with their original plans of creating a much more stadium rock orientated band called Cinema. Stephen Lambe helps us to discover the unsung hero of the album’s creation and the man who was responsible for bringing Jon Anderson back into the fold. Listen out for that later on in the episode and get hold of a copy of Stephen’s or your favourite retailer. Who is the unsung hero of 90125? Did the members of Cinema want it to morph into Yes? What are the keys to the longevity of the album? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34203765

6 reasons why Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe is a great Yes album - 650 11/22/2024

6 reasons why Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe is a great Yes album - 650 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I considered what makes 1989’s Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe a great Yes album. You might now be shouting at your podcatcher, “It isn’t a Yes album,” and we address that question as part of our discussion. If you remain unconvinced - or if you are convinced - or you are undecided, please do add your comments to the show notes for this week on /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/34107311

Anum Cara with Oliver Wakeman - 649 11/15/2024

Anum Cara with Oliver Wakeman - 649 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller It was a pleasure once again to welcome Oliver Wakeman onto the YMP. He came along to talk about his new album, Anum Cara, and, as you might expect, I couldn’t help throwing a couple of Yes related questions in as well. Listen carefully towards the end of the conversation and you’ll hear about an abandoned Yes project that Oliver would have been involved in. Head over to the show notes for this episode to see the videos Oliver has created to accompany the album and why not order yourself a copy of the CD rather than streaming the album. Is this a folk album? Who else is playing? Is that really Oliver on guitar? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/33945402

6 reasons why Fly From Here is a great Yes album- 648 11/08/2024

6 reasons why Fly From Here is a great Yes album- 648 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller This week, Mark and I chatted about an album we haven’t mentioned in quite some time - Fly From Here. We’ve been considering what makes it a great Yes Album. Always one to push the envelope, Mark also makes some other comments, as you’ll hear later. This is a conversation you may well want to add to so don’t forget to add your comments and ideas to the show notes below. Is Fly From Here a great Yes album? Does it 'feel' like a Yes album? What could possibly make it better? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/33850207

Happy 80th Birthday Jon Anderson! - 647 11/01/2024

Happy 80th Birthday Jon Anderson! - 647 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller Last week was the 80th birthday of the legendary Yes co-founder Jon Anderson. To mark this important milestone, Mark and I chose just 3 of our favourite Anderson moments - solo (or collaborations), with Yes on record and with Yes live. Clearly, we both had to do a lot of thinking and leave out countless items we could have included. However, we did come up with 6 interesting and iconic items to celebrate Jon's birthday. It's remarkable that he is still so active and has created such an amazing collection of musical wonders over more than 6 decades. What makes Jon Anderson a special musician? What collaborations or solo albums are our favourites? What are our choices of the best Jon live moments? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/33736392

Yeskit part 2 - 646 10/25/2024

Yeskit part 2 - 646 Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller I’m delighted to say that we are back at the helm of the good ship YMP this week. First of all I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has sent their best wishes to me. It is very much appreciated. This week, Mark and I have been thinking about all the different Yeskit that has fascinated us over the years. We have chosen 2 items each to talk about - it could be scenery, musical equipment or anything else you could describe as kit. Listen out for our choices and add your own to the show notes for this episode. What Yeskit did we choose? What was analogue kit like? Who was Mister Bassman? Let us know if you agree with us! /episode/index/show/kevinmulryne/id/33612392

Yes Music Podcast

TOPICS