Aamu-TV {(2005-11-25)} [Region 2]
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![Aamu-TV {(2005-11-25)} [Region 2]](/pictures/Aamu-TV-2005-11-25-a.jpg) |
Features
• Anamorphic
• Full Screen
• NTSC
In Theaters : 1996 |
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Aamu-TV {(2005-11-25)} [Region 2] description
The music of Yes has an almost otherworldy sound that is occasionally hard to reconcile with the sight of five very ordinary blokes standing on a stage. As a result, Yes were arguably always better to listen to than watch. Keys to Ascension attempts to bridge the disparity between the band and their music with cutaway footage of forests and waterfalls and plenty of Roger Dean artwork. Sometimes it works; more often it feels contrived, as in "Turn of the Century," where attention is distracted from Steve Howe's fretwork by a pop video-style presentation of the Pygmalion story as told by the lyrics. This is the classic Yes lineup of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White, captured in concert in California in 1996 (the same concerts spawned no less than two double-CD albums). In a very generous 150 minutes of music making, they give what amounts to a greatest-hits tour of the classic Yes canon from "Time and a Word" through The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Going for the Once, and Tormato. For enthusiasts, it's a treat to watch Howe swapping from Martin six-string to Gibson semi-acoustic to electric mandolin to 12-string to pedal steel, sometimes all in the same song; or watch Chris Squire's apparently effortless bass technique. Occasionally they drift into Spinal Tap territory (Squire's triple neck in "Awaken"!) and overall there's a polished politeness to proceedings that hints at a band going through the motions, which is hardly surprising given that the latest material here dates from 1978. --Mark Walker |
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Aamu-TV {(2005-11-25)} [Region 2] Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Some of the Gods of Progressive Rock have graced the stage, once again
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In 1996, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Alan White, Steve Howe, and Rick Wakeman return to the stage at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo, in California.
Out of all the CD's and DVD's of Yes performing live, this is my favorite line-up of tunes. All three tracks of "Close To The Edge" are here, plus "The Revealing Science of God" (the only track that I truly favored off the "Tales of Topographic Oceans" album), and of course, "Roundabout", "I've Seen All Good People", and their masterpiece from "Going For the One", the track "Awaken". Plus more.
This performance has 13 songs from their better album rock days (the 1970's), and this performance is about 2 and a half hours long. There are some disappointments though about this DVD performance. I really wish that they didn't super-impose their camera-work so much in the film. You'll see a close-up of one performer, plus you'll see all of them filmed about 30 feet from the stage, and maybe you'll see some outside sunset scene or swaying trees. All this overlapping each other on the film at the same time. It kinda creates a psychedelic imagery. But, it's not as bad as all that psychedelic art that they had super-imposed all over Emerson, Lake, and Palmer on their DVD of "Pictures at An Exhibition" (that was a true overkill and was truly disappointing). Plus on this Yes performance, you will see some rapid-pace freeze frame imagery that is an eyesore too. Fast-paced freeze frames that make the whole scene appear choppy.
There wasn't too much interaction with the audience, and there was hardly any applause. The camera breaks away after every performance so who knows what order these songs have played. Who knows if these recordings were all done on the same night. It seemed like this was a small theatre designed for old aging rock group has-beens which might be the case for some artists as old as they are, but I can still image that Yes could have a larger audience and a hugely respectful concert hall audience. Maybe this show wasn't promoted very well, and maybe that theatre could only handle about 300 people. I'll bet the show sold out fast because that audience was not too big.
Anyway, this DVD of Keys to Ascension is a pretty good keeper for any Yes fan.
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Aamu-TV {(2005-11-25)} [Region 2] dvd movie.