If you’re tired of hearing the same old Yes songs, has Rick Wakeman got a surprise for you. Trading in his impressive collection of original recordings for past glories, the band’s on-again, off-again keyboard player kicks off what Legends Records says is the first in a series of new releases on which Wakeman will revisit the music of Yes. Hence, we have Two Sides of Yes, an album of reworked Yes songs — some classic, some not so classic — arranged for piano and (according to the label) "combined with classic instrumental-rock versions from the vaults." I’m not sure exactly what that means …
The problem with this approach is that some of the songs presented here don’t quite work. There’s a reason why "Your Move" was originally recorded with a full band as part of a great epic ("I’ve Seen All Good People") -- not as a stand-alone piano solo. Some passages in "Don’t Kill The Whale" and "Close to the Edge" sound almost unrecognizable, while others sound a bit too clever. The so-called "instrumental rock" version of "Roundabout," for example, grooves with a slightly surreal Muzak vibe until Wakeman’s synths take over. That said, the man’s solo piano interpretation of "Long Distance Runaround" (inexplicably shortened to "Long Distance" on the track listing) will likely bring a smile to your face and a tingle to your ear.
The packaging is a toss-up. On one hand, you get a piece of Roger Dean artwork on the cover (which is reminiscent of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe’s An Evening of Yes Music Plus from 1993), but you also get a boring video of Wakeman at his piano playing "The Meeting." Taken as a collective, Two Sides of Yes is a worthwhile addition to any ardent Yes fan’s library. But if you’re interested in Wakeman’s talent outside of Yes, I suggest Recollections: The Very Best of Rick Wakeman (1973-1979), issued by A&M Records in 2000. As history has shown, Wakeman and Yes don’t need each other. In fact, they’re better off without each other.
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