This page last updated: 13 Jul 2025

YES and projects with several Yesmen	Jon Anderson	Steve Howe	Geoff Downes	Chris Squire Alan White
Billy Sherwood	Jon Davison	Rick Wakeman	Patrick Moraz	Trevor Rabin
Trevor Horn	Tony Kaye	Oliver Wakeman Jay Schellen	Igor Khoroshev	Bill Bruford
Peter Banks Benoît David	Asia	Arc of Life CIRCA:	Yes ft. Anderson Rabin Wakeman	Others associated with the band

On this page—Yes: Mirror to the Sky - On tour - Super Deluxe Editions - Other re-releases - Covers of Yes songs - Documentaries & books

Projects involving multiple Yes men: CIRCA: (Sherwood, Kaye) - Arc of Life (Sherwood, Davison, Schellen)

Yes news YesWorld; official Facebook; official Twitter; official SoundCloud; official MySpace; Yesfans.com
Yes are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen. The band released Mirror to the Sky in May 2023 through InsideOut. They tour regularly, including Europe Apr-Jun 2024, followed by supporting Deep Purple on a North American tour Aug-Sep, and then Japan in Sep. The band continue to play live, with a North American tour Oct/Nov 2025, plus Japanese dates in 2026. The band are recording a new studio album, expected either late 2025 or early 2026.

I used to say I don't think anybody can really lead Yes. I'm in a very prime position where the guys look at me and they will take my advice, but that doesn't mean I go around telling everybody what to do. I've got to find out what they're trying to do and make it work. If there's a tough decision it might come down to me, but that doesn't mean to say I treat them in any way different from equal members, which is what they are.

So, yes, I'm able to convince them that a lot of my ideas are quite good. If I didn't have those ideas and I wasn't progressive, then I wouldn't be as useful to Yes as I am. And I think I'm pretty useful. That said, it wasn't that I would say, 'I don't need you guys. I could do this on my own.' No way. I'm helping steer the band. I’ll take that.

Next album
Yes are working on a new studio album. While an autumn 2024 release had been rumoured, release is now expected late 2025 or early 2026. In an interview dated 9 Mar 2025, published in Japanese, Downes said Yes had started work on a new album, due at the beginning of 2026. He continued that they had started recording keyboard parts in the previous week. Asked what style the album will have, Downes is quoted as saying, "最近の数作と較べるとかなりプログレッシヴなサウンドになるよ。ディテールへのこだわりとミュージシャンシップがある、これこそがイエスだというアルバ ムだ" This can be translated as: "It's a lot more progressive sounding than the last few albums. It's an album with attention to details and musicianship, which is what Yes is all about." (Thanks to yffcyeshead for the translation.) In another Mar 2025 interview for Prog, asked what is going on with Yes, Downes replied, "We've been working on an album for the past six months. Steve [Howe] is at the helm and I think it will be out later in the year."

On 12 Apr 2025, Sherwood posted to Facebook, "Tracking drums for the new YES record with Jay Schellen, great 1st day !!!!" They were recording in Los Angeles, CA. Scott Connor, formerly in CIRCA: and drumming in Sherwood's solo band, visited the sessions. Asked on Facebook if he had heard any of the new material, he replied, "well, a smidge. It's pretty darn good!" In a May 2025 interview, Sherwood was asked about how Yes record, and replied:

It’s kind of a hybrid, and we visit the studio, and we do what we do there, and we go home and, you know, I’ve got my set up and bass rig at home in my flat [...] in London [...] I’ll do my overdubs there where I can really take my time and wake up the next morning [...] and listen to it again [...] We still track live drums. I just tracked live drums with Jay Schellen. [...] I engineered the session.

In an early May 2025 interview with YesShift, Sherwood said that after his solo tour (due to finish 20 May), he will return to London to "work on the new Yes record that we're making" and to "start really rehearsing for the tour that's coming in the fall". He said Howe is producing the album and talked about this Yes line-up being the happiest "with each other personally" that he has experienced: "it's a happy camp of musicians and friends". He continued, saying of the new album, "I think the music reflects the feelings of joy, if you will, for the lack of a better word". Dan Shinder, as one of the interviewers, asked Sherwood to describe what suit this Yes album would be wearing. Sherwood replied, "it's from the same tailor [...] but it's just a different kind of suit, even though it's kind of from the same tailor. It's hard to describe". He continued, talking about how he was a Yes fan before meeting the people in Yes, saying, "I've always loved it all. [...] listening to Close to the Edge and then, the next minute, be listening to Big Generator, and feel that Yes vibe permeating the speakers. [...] I know it when I feel it, because I've been living it so long, and I feel that, and that's the most important thing and I guess the best way I could describe it is is it feels like home to me, you know, I mean like Yes to me. It's in the right space. There's a lot of amazingly gorgeous playing from everybody on there. And, of course, Jay is really, I think, come to the table in his own way, in such a big way on this, but he's also honoured [...] Alan [White]". Sherwood then talked about playing bass in his own style, but remembering Squire. He continued, "Of course you've got Steve Howe playing phenomenal guitar and Geoff playing great keys, and Jon singing and writing some really trippy, you know, lyrics and melodies to dive into. Deep lyrics that, you know, you've got to dig into". Sherwood said to Doug Curran in mid-May 2025 that the album is 85% done and due first quarter 2026. He described it as more adventurous and more progressive. To a fan during his May 2025 solo tour, he said the album was due this year, noting Howe was keen to release a new album every other year.

In a Jul 2025 interview, talking in general terms rather than specifically about recording a new album, Howe said, "The clever bands can morph with their style, and take a new style and even make that work, or they can keep developing their own style, which is more like what Yes do, in my mind, is that we don't want to repeat ourselves, we don't want to sound like we come from the seventies. We want to sound like a band who's developed over the 50 years or so that the band's been going, y'know." Later in the interview, he said, "the group can only be about collaboration, y'know."

Before Mirror to the Sky was released, the band were already looking towards their next studio album. In an Apr 2023 interview for The Prog Report, Davison said, "We're actually working on a third [album, after The Quest and Mirror to the Sky] as well." In a May 2023 interview with Yes Music Podcast, Davison said Schellen could be part of the songwriting in the band going forwards. Later in the interview, talking more broadly about making their next album, Davison said, "We're certainly on this creative roll now. I can feel the momentum happening". In another Apr 2023 interview, Downes said, "This [Mirror to the Sky] is no farewell album, let me tell you. […] We're just beginning". In a May 2023 interview, for Spill, Downes said, "I think we are confident that as long as we are healthy and fresh to go on we will keep it running for as long as we can." In the May 2023 issue of Prog, while Howe was coy about plans, Downes said, "I think we're always looking at" doing more recording, and Sherwood said, "Things seem to be moving at a pace that even I didn't expect, so I wouldn't say no to making another record, that's for sure." In a Jul 2023 interview for Goldmine, Downes said, "we all feel that we've got more in the tank, and putting new music out is very important to us, as much as it is important to the fans, because [...] it keeps the band current. [...] It gives us a lot of joy to be able to go into the studio and still make music together."

In a Feb 2024 interview, Howe said in passing that Davison and him "[a]re working on songs all the time". In a May 2024 interview, asked about the new album, Howe said, "There are elements [of material] going forward, but we're in no hurry. Rushing things doesn't work for any of the team. We'll go there when we're ready." On 10 Apr 2024, Sherwood posted a short clip of himself captioned "Off to YES recording session in the UK 2024". In an interview later that month, he said. "I believe this next record we're working on is moving in the same direction [as Mirror to the Sky]". He implied it would contain a mix of shorter and longer pieces. In another Apr 2024 interview, asked to give an update about the new album, he replied, "Just a lot of interesting music that's being produced. Steve's doing a great job bringing together everyone's ideas that we all contribute and formulating it into an album. And it's really artistic and creative, and really interesting to my ears. I'm quite excited about the direction it's going in [...] it's pushing forward into the Yes, y'know, universe, if you will, in a way that it's its own statement [...] The band is settled in now to this new line-up [...] And it just sounds like that to me on the record, it's quite exciting to listen to so far. We've still got a ways to go [...] but [...] you know if you're feeling that Yes vibe or not." In terms of a release schedule, he said he doesn't "know any of those details", but that "a lot of material is already in the process of being [...] worked on [...] in quite a high percentage state of being completed. So, it's really just a matter of when we slot it in between the things we are doing." He then referred to having the Deep Purple tour come up "out of the blue" for when they had been planning to do some recordings. He continued, "All those things notwithstanding, we're moving at the quickest pace possible [while] also making sure we're doing the right things". In a Jul 2024 interview with the Prog Will Find A Way podcast, Davison said, "We're working on one [a new Yes album] right now. I don't see Steve stopping." He went on to explain:

I think there was a period where he felt... There was some political strife, and it was too much effort to sort of make an album, because it was all this other baggage with it. And then we decided, well, let's commit. And he said, as long as I can produce, let's do this. So we took it all on. And then The Quest happened. He loved it. [...] The next one, and he's, like, let’s keep going, let's make a third. He's on this roll now. 'Cause he feels comfortable, feels comfortable in a creative space.

Howe was interviewed in Jul 2024 too, and when asked about a new Yes album, he replied, "We are writing [...] We're progressing through the planning of getting more music ready, yeah, but that's about all I can say." Likewise, when interviewed by Yes Music Podcast that month, Howe again said "we're writing" for a new album. He then expanded: "We tend not to be idle. [...] We've other things to do though, other projects to do, but certainly seeing the future after Mirror to the Sky is a very, very important thing. Because, like The Yes Album and Fragile, y'know, that was climbing, and similar here, Quest, Mirror to the Sky, we could be ascending. (laughs) But that's a hope. So basically we're trying out some things, and we're looking at it, so, yeah, we're [...] going to get back to it this year [2024], after the touring." In an Aug 2024 podcast, Howe again said the band were writing for a new album. In a Sep 2024 interview (conducted around Jul), asked about his plans, Howe said that after their Japan tour, "Once we get to October, November, December [2024], we [Yes] are free agents." In the Dec 2024 interview with Biff Bam Pop, Howe talked generally about how he writes music and said, "I love that, in my music particularly, what I get a lot of joy from, is when I think of it [a new idea for some music] as this thing, but then, hang on, it turns out to be that [in a different style]. [...] Writing with Jon Davison is very much like that, because we write in a few different ways, and one way is he runs off with something of mine and comes back and says, 'Look what I've done with this.'" He then moved on to say how he doesn't write on tour any more, unlike in the '70s, because the focus of touring is on the touring itself. He also commented, "We [Yes] don't feel like we're trying to copy the seventies. [...] But we love the seventies music [...] but what we're doing now is trying to keep that on a roll and keep developing music that has freshness and [...] it's gotta be real."

Asked in an Oct 2024 interview about what he is working on for the future, Roger Dean replied, among other things, "I had [...] an email from Steve, Steve Howe, to talk about a project". I do not know whether this is Yes-related or not, but that would seem an obvious guess.

In an Apr 2024 Q&A, Sherwood talked about the writing process with Yes: "Geography plays a big role in how we go about the writing. File sharing is something I've grown well accustomed to. We will send ideas around, pieces of music etc… and Steve manages to formulate these ideas into an arrangement and off we go. There's a sense of trust in what each guy does, which makes everything just flow." In his Apr 2024 Q&A, answering the same question, Davison talked about the writing process in Yes in general terms, saying, "We typically start creating lyrics and music on a personal level and then share our ideas to the rest of the band. Once ideas are taken on collectively, they blossom and develop in diverse and unexpected ways that only a fully contributing band can construct." He answered another question on the writing process, saying, "We physically get together whenever possible, which is our preferred method, and from there, share our individual rough ideas with each other. Then hopefully one's idea makes it to the next level, which is where the band fully takes it on and contributes by adding other themes and/or fleshing things out to a full band body of work." The Yes Music Podcast episode 653 said Paul K Joyce is "currently working on the next Yes album".

Mirror to the Sky
The latest Yes album released was Mirror to the Sky, out May 2023 on InsideOut (Sony). It was recorded by the current line-up of Howe, Downes, Sherwood, Davison and Schellen over 2022 in Curtis Schwartz's studio and in the band members' own studios. All of Downes' recordings were in Schwartz's studio. Howe and Davison often recorded there, and Sherwood occasionally did so. Sherwood and Schellen recorded the rhythm tracks together in Los Angeles. Schwartz engineered and mixed (all formats), while Howe produced. In an Apr 2023 interview with Darren Paltrowitz, Howe said they recorded the rhythm parts for the album last, unlike the traditional approach of recording them first. He also praised the increased "productivity" arising from people recording separately. In a May 2023 interview for an Alaskan periodical, Downes said: "we've been able to get more hands on [than with The Quest recorded during the pandemic], we've been able to collaborate together in the studio more. Certainly, Jon, Billy have been spending quite a bit more time over in the UK, so we've had the facility to work together much closer and I think that really shows [...] in terms of the way that the arrangements have been put together is that there's [...] more of a continuity and understanding between all the various elements." In another May 2023 interview, for Musikknyheter, Downes said, "During the pandemic, we were scattered all over the place and we were literally just sending our files back and forth online, and Steve was sitting there with the engineer, collecting all the material that was coming in. [...] Fortunately [...] with this album we had the benefit of a more integrated approach where most of us were in the UK [except for Schellen]." In another May 2023 interview, for Spill, Downes said, "It was a team effort, but the producer had to have the last say and of course, Steve had the last say on everything. He is very accommodating and very understanding if the idea is that everyone else is contributing." In a lengthy May 2023 interview with SOAL Night Live, Howe talked about the importance of the arrangements on the album, saying, "So arrangement is what, I think, Yes listeners don't realise they want, but they want", and that, "It's no good if the song keeps on not surprising."

In an Apr 2023 interview, Downes said they delivered the masters on 11 Dec 2022, having "spent most of last year [2022] on it, on and off." However, in the interview with Paltrowitz, Howe said they thought they could finish the record by Xmas 2022, but they actually finished it in Jan 2023. Mastering was by Simon Heyworth. Multiple formats are available:

• digital (iTunes charts, 19 May: #3 in Spain, #4 in Brazil, #11 in Canada, #12 in Mexico and Switzerland, #13 in the UK, #15 in the US, #17 in France and Germany, #20 in Australia, #76 in Japan)
  
• 1CD (jewel case) with 16-page booklet; no bonus tracks (at least as high #15 in Classic British Rock, #132 overall at Amazon UK, 11 Mar)
  
• limited edition 2CD Digipak (6 panels) with 20-page booklet (at least as high as #1 in Classic British Rock, 14 Mar and 18-9 May, and #3 in Rock and #11 overall, 18 May, at Amazon UK; at least as high as #7 in Rock, 17 May, and #10 overall, 20 May, at Amazon US)
• 2CD in Blu-spec format - in Japan
  
• gatefold 2LP (180g black vinyl) with 8-page booklet and digital download (at least as high #7 in Classic British Rock, #16 in Vinyl, #71 overall at Amazon UK, 11 Mar)
• limited edition (300 copies) 2LP neon purple vinyl - via YesWorld merch store
  
• limited edition (500 copies) 2LP sun yellow vinyl - via InsideOut in Germany and some other European outlets
  
• limited edition (500 copies) 2LP white vinyl - via Century Media store
• limited edition (300 copies) 2LP transparent red vinyl - via JPC.de
• limited edition (500 copies) 2LP custard vinyl at US independent stores
• limited edition (500 copies) 2LP transparent green vinyl bundle at UK independent stores, or additionally with a postcard signed by Howe via Burning Shed
• limited edition (500 copies) 2CD/2LP transparent green vinyl bundle with postcard signed by Howe - via Burning Shed
  
• limited edition 2CD+1Blu-Ray artbook with 36-page, 10 inch hardcover, with liner notes (including interviews with the band members and Joyce), additional Dean art, and photos (at least as high as #44 overall at Amazon UK, 12 Mar)
• limited edition 2CD in Blu-spec format/1Blu-ray, with translation of booklet into Japanese and signed photo card - in Japan
  
• limited edition, deluxe 2LP (transparent electric blue vinyl)/2CD/1Blu-Ray box set with artbook (36 page, 12 inch hardcover) and 90×60cm poster (at least as high #23 in Classic British Rock (14 Mar), #27 in Box sets (11 Mar), #40 in Vinyl, #207 overall at Amazon UK, 13 Mar)

Various items of merchandise are also available. The Blu-Ray has the album as a Dolby Atmos mix, 5.1 Surround Sound, instrumental versions, and 96k/24bit Hi-Res stereo mixes. To coincide with their 2024 European tour, a limited edition 2CD+1Blu-ray Digipak version of the album followed 5 Apr 2024.

The album made #30 in the UK (26 May 2023), after making #6 in the midweek chart (22 May). It was #7 on sales, #7 on physical sales, #11 on vinyl, #14 on downloads and #27 in independent label sales, but outside the top 100 on streaming. It was also #4 in the UK Rock & Metal chart. It was #1 on the May 2023 Progressive Albums chart. It was still at #11 in the Aug 2023 chart, #25 in Oct and back to #14 in the Nov 2023 chart, and then #11 for Jan 2024, #22 for Feb 2024, #24 for Mar 2024 and #25 for Apr 2024. The album fell out of the top 30 Progressive Albums for the first time in the May 2024 chart, but it was back to #27 in the Aug 2024 chart, but then back out by the Sep 2024 chart. In the US, the album failed to make the top 200, but it was #7 in current rock, #9 in Internet albums (i.e., physical sales through online stores), #20 in current album sales, #20 in the Tastemarker chart (sales in selected independent stores and small regional chains), #22 in album sales, #22 in current digital albums and #27 in digital albums. The same week, it also made #9 in Switzerland, #12 in Germany, #24 in Japan (#3 in Rock), #31 in Hungary, #35 in Portugal, #53 in Austria, #61 in Italy, #62 in Poland, #71 in Belgium (#55 in Wallonia, #93 in Flanders), #84 in the Netherlands and #99 in France and Spain. It was also #3 on the Swedish physical sales chart. It was also on various iTunes charts: Spain #3, Brazil #7, UK #10, Canada #13, US #17, Germany #18, Italy #19, Australia #23, France #36. The album came 8th in Prog magazine's 2023 critics' choice, but it came 4th in the readers' poll Biggest Disappointment category. Howe was 9th in the readers' poll Best Guitarist category. In an Apr 2024 Q&A, Davison said, "the album is my favorite of the YES albums I've worked on!"

A first single, "Cut from the Stars", came 10 Mar 2023. My review is here. It is available digitally, including as a Dolby Atmos mix. The full performing credits for "Cut from the Stars" are: Davison on lead vocals, Howe on electric guitar (Fender Stratocaster through analog pedalboard; he described the song as "the most different track guitaristically" in the May 2023 interview with SOAL Night Live), Geoff Downes on organ, Billy Sherwood on bass and vocals, Jay Schellen on drums and percussion, and the F.A.M.E.'S orchestra in Skopje (North Macedonia), conducted by Oleg Kondratenko and orchestrated by Paul K Joyce. On social media (e.g., Twitter), Davison talked about writing the song's lyric to Sherwood's instrumental ideas and re-arranging those ideas. The lyric was primarily inspired by his first visit to a dark sky park, an area of reduced light pollution to facilitate observation of the night sky. Howe took the original idea for a bridge and moved it to the end to make the instrumental outro. The opening string part of the song was a part recorded for later in the track and also brought forward and used as an intro. Sherwood also recorded a piece for social media, describing how the song began with a bass riff he wrote. He continued:

once I had some music together, I sent it over to Jon Davison, who came up with amazing melodies and a beautiful set of lyrics. I did some harmonies and we ended up with this two-part harmony thing in the verses that reminds me of something sort of "Going for the One"/"Parallels" vibe — always cool in my book. And then sent it to Steve, who then produced it up, did amazing guitars, and Geoff's keyboards came out great. Jay Schellen's drums, of course just, charging away.

In an interview conducted Mar 2023 with Aymeric Leroy (author of "Yes" and "King Crimson") for Big Bang, Sherwood said the song wasn't planned as the single when they were writing it. In his Paltrowitz interview, Howe said the song was done "later on [...] in the progress of [recording] the album".

"All Connected" was released as a second single on 26 Apr 2023. A lyric video for "Circles of Time", the third single, was released 24 May 2023. A lyric video for a 7:04 edit of "Mirror to the Sky" was released 23 Feb 2024 to promote the 2024 European tour and the new edition of the album.

Interviewer: Was Alan involved in any part of the process, or was it started after his passing?

Sherwood: It was right after production of the Quest record. Demos were plenty, pencil sketches of ideas etc...

In a May 2023 interview with Yes Music Podcast, Davison said, "Alan was involved in the beginning stages of Mirror to the Sky. [...] He was scheduled to be a part of it [the recording of the album] and it just didn't happen".

The band started work on the album very soon after recording The Quest. (Indeed, this is the shortest interval between Yes studio albums since the odd circumstances where Keys to Ascension 2 and Open Your Eyes came out in the same month, Nov 1997.) Howe explains in the Prog article:

As we were finishing The Quest there were some other musical ideas I was particularly interested in tagging together and working out into some larger pieces. So we started Mirror to the Sky with two 10-minute tracks, which became Luminosity and the [14-minute] title track. [...] it was really encouraging to have those two tracks. All we had to do then was make them grow, and see who had what songs and what collaborations could take place

The press release for the album says, "As they were wrapping up The Quest, YES found themselves with song sketches, structures, and ideas that were demanding attention. YES received unconditional support from InsideOut boss Thomas Waber, who encouraged them to keep going in the studio, months before The Quest would even go on sale. It was like throwing gasoline on their creative fire." In the Apr 2023 Prog Report interview, Davison was asked about the album's change in style from The Quest and replied, "there were several factors contributing factors. One, right off the bat, was that Thomas Weber at InsideOut said let's really do an energetic album that harkens back to more of the 70s era, with snappier tempos and, you know, a rockier album essentially. So that sort of pointed us in a direction. Of course, the band loved doing that. [...] when you think about what the fans have always asked for is this kind of record". In the Apr 2023 interview with Classic Album Review, Davison said, "I think we really have to give credit to Thomas Waber [...] he really took a personal invested interest in suggesting and encouraging that we go for more of a rockier album, with snappier tempos, for example. [...] he gave us the total freedom and support to create the music we wanted to, but he sort of pointed our feet in that direction". He continued, "we, as a band, rose to Thomas's request and I think that we've always wanted to create [...] what we say in progressive rock circles is an epic, something that's more of a full side kind of length piece. And I think we took that to heart so much that we ended up with several longer songs on the new album. [...] in a way, the album is dedicated to all the fans. [...] We've have always sensed this desire from the fans [...] to have us create new music that harkens back to the '70s era Yes and we rose to that challenge [...] in a way, it's dedicated to them, for helping keep the spirit of Yes music alive and well." In the May 2023 Musikknyheter interview, Downes said:

I think that we felt that it was a nice move back in, some ways, or an acknowledgement of some of the Yes albums in the 70s were there were a lot more musical features rather than it being just song after song [...] we've been able to stretch out and make these great musical sections that Yes, is so well known for [...] I think the Yes fans will appreciate that we've been trying to push the musicality of the band forward, both when it comes to musicianship and in the way Jon Davison has been developing. He has really come into his own as a writer.

In another May 2023 interview for Biff Bam Pop!, Downes said, "We dusted ourselves off from the pandemic, and we really wanted to make an album that [...] was instrumentally powerful as much as it was vocally powerful. [...] if you look at the last two albums, they've been quite a lot more song-oriented [...] this was the real opportunity we had to expand the musical side of the band, as Yes did back in the seventies". He continued, "I think it's something that just came about naturally. [...] we were playing around with a lot of different ideas, and quite a lot of those were instrumental." He also said how the band "wanted to be a bit out of control, we didn't want to be restricted by the song per se." To the May 2023 issue of Prog, Downes said, "we felt with this album, we needed some bigger tracks on there. That was the criticism levelled at Heaven & Earth, that there wasn't really any big epics [...] not really very Yes-like. We had a couple of longer tracks on The Quest and this one, we've gone overboard on!"

In a May 2023 interview with Classic Album Review, Howe was asked whether there was a conscious decision to harken back to a '70s Yes style. He replied, "It wasn't a conscious decision. It was maybe a natural decision that we would always retain, y'know, some Yes-ness about us. But, no, we're kind of enjoying this forging ahead with some new material and trying to give it the life that, y'know, we would have done if we recorded it in the seventies, but we're not in a retro thinking mood." The interviewer then asked if he felt the need to move away from what the band had done on the last couple of albums. Howe replied, "Not really, because [...] you might know that a couple of the tracks actually were created during The Quest and then were never played to the label or never completed then, so in a way it's a kind of transition that we're shunting along with the next project". Howe also talked about producing the album: "The role of a producer is just to be the kind of friendly guy who keeps pulling things together by solving all the problems, whether they're technical, musical, financial." In the May 2023 Spill interview, Downes said, "You can't ever try to emulate those [classic] albums, because they were done under different circumstances and different musicians. And at 25 or 26-years-old, you have a completely different outlook on life. [...] there was the whole movement to progressive music, which was very dominant. We never try to say this next album is Close To The Edge or Tales Of Topographic Two. We are not in the business of doing that."

Returning to the press release, it then quotes Howe, "When we delivered everything [for The Quest], and they were just getting the vinyl and everything into production for manufacturing, we were still very much in that creative zone[.] That belief that Thomas had in us really meant a lot". Sherwood adds, "There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadn't done anything in the studio for so long [before The Quest]. Ideas were just copious[.] The pace of it was fast. As soon as we were finished with The Quest, and the mix had come out, we took a couple of little breaks there to catch our breath. But there was still music flowing around in the loop. It was just constantly being looked at and worked on. As we were all home and in that mode, things started progressing quite swiftly. We just went one album into another without really announcing, 'Hey, we're working on a second record right now.' We just continued to work on material. It came about pretty naturally, and then we refined it as the process went on. But the initial bursts — there was a lot of material around!" In a Dec 2024 interview with Biff Bam Pop, Howe talked about how when he writes, he doesn't usually do so with a specific project in mind at first, saying, "Over the years, I've never sat down and said, 'Oh, I'll write something for Yes.' But the only time that's started, funnily enough, was in 2019. And it was partly because I got a new studio set-up that I really liked [...] So I'm sitting there and thinking, 'Well, maybe this time I could design the music for Yes. I've never done it before. [...] Yes want to do a new album.' [...] all six songs I did then where either on The Quest or Mirror to the Sky." He later said all these songs were "constructed" around Nov 2019. In an interview conducted Apr 2023 with Aymeric Leroy (author of "Yes"), Davison explained how the band had come together "to creatively focus" on The Quest, which "was only expedited by the pandemic restrictions on touring, which actually provided the silver lining of our studio efforts doubling up. This was so much true, that by the time The Quest was completed, we already had half of another album in the works. Despite the colossal loss of our beloved Alan [...] we continue to thrive with his blessing and ever present spirit." He continued, "adding Jay [Schellen] [...] granted us the final energetic and creative boost necessary to victoriously reach the finish line of the new album". In the Spill May 2023 interview, Downes said, "We started off pretty much after The Quest[.] We had a short tour in between and then straight into this album. I suppose in some ways it is a continuation of The Quest."

In his Classic Album Review interview, Davison said the album is "not a concept album per se, but [...] when you listen back, to the final product, you begin to see all these thematic sort of links." In the interview with Leroy, Sherwood said, "it's a bit more proggy in [terms of longer tracks], and I think it also has a bit more energy to it in the tempos and a sort of edge on the record. [...] it's just a sort of natural evolution of this process [of making albums], and we are all quite happy with the way it came out, but there certainly was no plan [to make it more proggy], it's just the natural flow of things when you're working in Yes like we do." On the writing of the two Davison/Howe/Sherwood tracks, "I'd sent him a bunch of little motifs that I had written, and Steve [Howe] took the reins there and connected all the dots and put together this arrangement, including some of the bits he wrote, and of course some of the bits Jon [Davison] wrote, and then we just kept throwing them back and forth to develop them [...] I wasn't in the same room, simply because I was in America at the time [...] and they were over in England, Jon and Steve. [...] we've been around each other long enough to know what we are thinking without even discussing it. It makes working on music this way easy for us. Where it might be difficult for others, we seem to get on with it pretty quickly." In his interview with Leroy, Davison talked about his writing contributions, explaining that, apart from "Living Out Their Dream", "and apart from a few small instances, I would say that wherever I'm singing on the 'main' record, I wrote the lyrics and crafted the vocal melodies. I also contributed in terms of musical theme for our title track and took the captain's seat in arranging the order of events for [...] "Cut from the Stars", and along with Steve, [...] "All Connected"." Davison also wrote "Circles of Time". Talking more about the title track, he explained how the song began with a section with a lyric ("dreams of a sky without fire") from Howe. Davison was then on a trip to Brighton with his then fiancée, Emily, and future in-laws Kirsten and John Lodge. Emily remarked that the calm sea was "like a mirror to the sky", which inspired Davison to write another part for the title track on his guitar. In the Apr 2023 Prog Report interview, Davison explained how the song went back further:

we already had some material, some outtakes from the Heaven and Earth album, stuff that Steve and I had put together at his home studio [...] And it never really made the light of day, but we made a firm resolve to one another that we would look at those ideas again. And we were well within the mixing stage for The Quest [...] We were all still reeling from the pandemic. And we didn't want to see the album work finish, because it's what kept us artistically stimulated. If we couldn't tour, we could at least be creative. So Steve looked at me one day, in those final Quest mixing days, and said let's keep it going. And let's look at those earlier ideas from Heaven and Earth. And those are really some signposts or islands that sort of lay out the design of the title track, "Mirror to the Sky".

He also explained, "just like the fans, the band, we've always wanted to do more of a full-length side type of song. And this was the perfect time to do it. We had the time, we had the creative enthusiasm, we had the support from InsideOut. And we actually ended up with more than one long song, we have several long songs, I think, that are [...] aiming to please any hearty prog rock fan." The interview later returned to discussing "Mirror to the Sky":

the orchestrations came a bit later on. What we had to start with was those early ideas that I mentioned […] Like the guitar intro, which is something I remember I loved hearing when Steve played the demo to me [...] and I created some chords underneath it in a bass line and we sort of left it at that. But we knew that was a great start. And it goes into something that he had in his creative archives [...] very sort of rockier instrumental thing that I felt didn't need any vocal [...] there's another more ambient section that later happens that was an instrumental offering of Steve's, again all to flesh out the song and make it longer. But what we had vocally was not much. We had his [...] repeating line “dreams of a sky without fire”. [...] I knew I wanted to create some lyrical vocal sort of islands that would […] help glue those longer instrumental sections together.

He then again tells the story of Emily coming up with "mirror to the sky". He continued, "being so excited with that idea, I came home after that trip to Brighton and picked up the guitar and, along with the other sections that I wrote instrumentally and vocally, I pieced together that kind of [...] chorus [...] that repeats "mirror to the sky". I came up with that then and there."

Davison related a similar story in the Classic Album Review interview about "Mirror to the Sky": "Steve came to me [...] when we were mixing The Quest and he said, you know, let's just keep going. [...] the world was still reeling from the pandemic. We couldn't tour, so let's just stay creative, we thought. [...] he'd taken some earlier demos that him and I, sort of, compiled, more or less, and put in a folder and tucked away... um, earlier stuff, from years past. He put some of that together, combined with [...] He has this great creative archive and he'll suddenly pull out something [...] he had two of the bases of the song, where there's longer instrumental sections, he had those outlined as well. So, we had a great skeletal outline and one of quite great length, but we didn't really have sections that were vocal ready, in any way. So I went away and wrote some music and came back with these various vocal sections that then became [...] the bridging link between all these instrumental islands". Davison continued, saying he generally writes the lyrics, but "Steve had one line, in one of these sections that he provided. He had this great, poignant line, "dreams of a sky without fire", and I thought, 'Oh, that's fantastic, I'm gonna go away and work on that and elaborate on that.' And that was really the lyrical beginnings of the song. […] I think I drew inspiration from all that is sort of bizarre and the unknown in our existence. You know, those inexplicable events that seem to link what we define or believe to be ordinary life and that which is metaphysical or beyond, far beyond the ordinary." He finished by describing the end of the track, a section "where we all drop out and then there's just this feature of Paul [Joyce]'s where he's taking all the various themes that have already occurred in the song and overlapping them and they all crescendo into this big ending". In the SOAL Night Live interview, Howe explained that the "dreams of a sky without fire" section was originally the chorus of a whole song, but that he decided to scrap the rest of the song, which was very "personal". He described "Mirror to the Sky" as a "highly experimental track" and plays Fender Telecaster on it. To the May 2023 issue of Prog, Howe said the song began when Davison was at his studio and he "was just playing some things and he [Davison] said to me, 'This bit's really good.' He put bass and a rhtyhm guitar to mock this idea up. That [...] pushed me forwards and I tied it up with something else that was around, some slightly crazy guitar stuff. There was [also] a small fragment of a song [...] 'dreams of the sky without fire'. I played them to Jon and he said, '[...] this is fantastic.' He went away and wrote the middle [...] We just kept finding more ways of using that opening guitar theme." In the Biff Bam Pop! interview, talking about the song, Downes talked of how they came to "expand it and expand it [...] It took its own natural course [...] By the time we actually put it all together, it was even a little bit longer, so we cut it down a little bit."

In his interview with Darren Paltrowitz, Howe discussed "All Connected" and described how he was playing, in places, guitar parts written by Sherwood. He also described how Sherwood generally came up with his bass parts, but in places he asked Sherwood to stick to the parts Howe had written. In the Apr 2023 interview, Downes was asked whether the band went into the studio with the songs all worked out or whether they just worked out material while recording. He replied, "There's a bit of both, really. I think that we did a lot of preparation with exchanging ideas virtually [...] but I think with this one, we had a bit more chance to get together in the studio and start arranging the stuff more. Not playing live as a band particularly, but more [...] discussing things. [...] I did a lot of stuff with Steve [...] The previous album [The Quest], we were pretty well locked in the pandemic, so no-one was in the same room at all, but this one, it was a bit more [...] together." Talking about instrument choices, later in the same interview, he said, "Yes music's always been a foundation of things like acoustic piano. So, generally speaking, I [...] use the real instruments in the recording, rather than the electronic equivalent. [...] I mean, it's a mixture of the two really". In the Classic Album Review interview, Davison said about "All Connected" that it "started with Billy's brilliant instrumental ideas and lots of them and he had some lyrics and sections where he sang. And I love that, when we can have a dual sort of vocal identity in a song. It adds so much to the storytelling. And I think he had the title "All Connected" already evident in the lyric, and he was approaching it more about how we're all connected in a literal sense, in the physical, and then, of course, I wanted to Yessify it, if you will. [laughs] And I thought, well, we're all connected [...] in a metaphysical way, as well, so there's that dichotomy of our personalities in there [...] Steve supplied the brilliant intro, on his steel, which crescendos beautifully and then takes us into the proper song. [...] the song concludes with Steve's theme, as well. And it's a very complex song with all those interesting proggy twists and turns, but it's amazing how inspired and quickly it came together, really." In his Alaskan May 2023 interview, Downes said:

I really latched on to ["All Connected"] in terms of the arrangement because we were experimenting with a lot of chunks of ideas and it got more and more expanded as a  piece of music. And I think that [...] particularly this album we're looking much more towards... musicality in, you know, instrumental sections, as well as the big vocal sections, which of course has always been a [...] feature of Yes's music going back to the very beginning [...] there's some [...] more dynamic songs [...] Yes music has always had a very dynamic aspect to it [...] I think [...] "All Connected"is a very good example of that.

In the May 2023 Musikknyheter interview, Downes said about both "All Connected" and "Mirror to the Sky" that: "I think that we worked on those following the principle that we weren't trying to make up a five-minute song [...] Our goal was to have something we could expand. So, a lot of these ideas came from people chipping in little bits, here, there and everywhere, and the whole song just kept getting bigger and bigger. [...] The songs just have their own way of developing into something bigger and then you add instrumental sections that are given enough time to develop. And the vocals parts come back, and I think that creates a nice contrast."

In the SOAL Night Live interview, Howe described "Luminosity" as a "highly developed piece of music" in that they worked on it at length. Howe plays on autoharp and steel on the piece. Davison's core idea for the song dates back to the Heaven & Earth sessions.

In the same interview, Howe described "Living Out Their Dream", for which he wrote the lyrics, as "fairly tongue in cheek". The song is about "living out that fantasy dream, that [has] partly been created by social media", with the ending about "how catastrophic" you can make your life. He wrote the music, but "using some of Geoff's [...] tunes that he had [...] for the verses". Howe said the song is "a little bit like the Rolling Stones at the beginning", but that the ending "is meant to surprise you", also describing it as "the twist". In the May 2023 Musikknyheter interview, Downes said, "It's interesting, because historically, I don't think I've written that many songs with Steve. So, it was it was nice to be able to sit down with Steve and put together a couple of ideas that we felt were compatible." Another May 2023 interview with Downes, in Spanish, has him saying this about "Living Out Their Dream": "Bueno, es una canción hecha a partir de antiguas ideas hace bastante tiempo y luego la terminé con Steve Howe. [...] Ciertamente esa canción fue algo que escribí en el pasado [...] Pero "Living Out the Dream" estaba ya muy desarrollada, la tenía prácticamente completa." That is, the song was based on an old idea of his that was practically complete, which he then finished with Howe. In the Classic Album Review interview, Davison described "Living Out Their Dream": "lyrically speaking, [...] there's so much tongue-in-cheek irony in that one. [...] It's just sort of pokes fun at, y'know, how the institution of marriage is so now sort of obsessed with this idea of making it a glitz and glamour sort of ideal, and how you can impress everybody on social sites." He went on, "It's actually Steve and I are singing octaves in unison. [...] Somehow blending my voice with his creates this unique one voice with the two." Asked in the SOAL Night Live interview why Downes does not have more writing credits on the album, Howe replied, "It's really about what people have got", so while Downes brought more ideas for The Quest, "this time there wasn't so much". He continued, "maybe on the next album he will be more forthcoming". In the Alaskan May 2023 interview, Downes said:

this line up has been pretty much together for the last seven years [...] there's a whole thing about maybe we felt that Jon [Davison] would [...] come more to the fore because, you know, his writing previously had been fairly limited. And so I think it was important that certainly Jon's blossomed very much as a writer, and we recognise that and allow him to come through with his ideas [...] his vocal harmonies and [...] his lyrical ideas as well. So it's very much a case of [...] letting things find their own way. And I think with Jon's writing, he's really come on very strong as a writer and he's very, you know, been very dominant, particularly on the last two albums.

He also talked about the lyric writing falling more to Davison, as Davison has to sing the lyrics and "you've really got to believe in what you're singing about". In the Musikknyheter interview of May 2023, Downes was asked about his "main role" on the album, to which he replied: "To come up with new sounds and new ideas for the main sound keyboard wise. It is still heavily geared towards Hammond organ and acoustic piano, with some electric piano and some Mini Moog for the single synth line stuff. And since this is Yes music, you must have Mellotron sounds and that kind of thing. But the same time I like to incorporate some whole new sounds, digital washes and soundscapes". The interviewer then compared his approach to that of Tony Kaye:

Yeah, it's more like Tony. He was much more a supporter of the music, especially on [...] The Yes Album [...] I think that it's the same process that I have used on this album. The material lends itself more to textures rather than just me playing all the flashy stuff. But that has really never been my department anyway. I'm much more of a of a sound guy, creating a big wall of keyboard sound which was a fundamental feature of the band with Tony. I take each album as it comes maybe the next will be a very different kind of album and I'll be all over it. I think that you generally try to do what's appropriate and supportive to the music.

Howe to SOAL Night Live described "Circles of Time" as "our real turn down track" and "really mellow". The band tried a number of versions of the piece, including one with extensive church organ, but they decided on a more "minimal arrangement". The song is mainly performed by Davison on vocals and acoustic guitar, with Howe saying, "I play very little on it", although he did add some pedal steel. Sherwood sings just one line. Davison said he wrote the song when he first fell in love with Emily Lodge and then had to go on tour. Howe said of "Unknown Place", on which he plays acoustic and electric guitar, that "we wanted something mystifying about it". He described the final two bonus tracks as "quite sprightly". He described "One Second is Enough" as being about how "happiness comes and goes, but we don't know why". He plays 12-string guitar on the piece. "Magic Potion" was originally to be called "It's a Good Day to be Had by All". Howe described the song, saying it "harks back to 1967". While Howe generally let Sherwood come up with bass parts, he wrote the bass line for "Magic Potion", describing it as "a tricky little bass line [...] not totally in character [for Yes]". He went on: "it's almost got a little bit of disco in it somewhere, or maybe it's a bit eighties Trevor Horn."

In the liner notes, Downes says, "We didn't want the album to be The Quest, Part Two. We wanted to do something that was more like adding another arrow to the quiver." In the Oct 2021 issue of Prog (#124), Downes said that the band were "already talking about the next" studio album. Recording was reported to be underway in Apr 2022. In a May 2022 interview with the Yesshift podcast, Sherwood confirmed that they are working on an album. In another May 2022 interview, Downes said, "I think that we are working on some stuff at the moment [...] It's been nice to get back working with Steve in the studio again. [...] I think it's some way to go, in some respects. [...] Yes, [...] it's all about experimentation. I think, we often try and do things that are not, you know, expect the unexpected." In a Jun 2022 interview, Downes said, "We'll be doing another Yes album at some point this year [2022]. We're keeping busy with that". It seems that work continued through 2022. Sherwood was in the UK in late Sep 2022, between the Japanese and US legs of touring.

Howe talked about producing the album on social media (e.g., YouTube) in Apr 2023, in which he discussed his collaborative approach. He also talked about the use of orchestra "in places", stressing "this is not an orchestra takeover". He described given the orchestra its own section on "Dare to Know" on The Quest, and then repeating this approach on "Mirror to the Sky", which is partly why it became 14 minutes long.

The press release also has this from Davison: "We truly get along as people[.] I feel like everyone's focused inward to the greater circle, concentric to the core of highest standards that define YES. [...] I believe this reflects vibrantly in the music and the creative input that each one is willing to apply, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the greater whole that is YES." Howe also said in the Prog article that the songs on the album "had to stream in with the others" and that, aside from "Living Out Their Dream", a lot of the "other stories are much more romantic, and interested in our history, our philosophy".

Roger Dean did the cover from a "basic germ of the idea" from Howe, although Dean was initially uncertain about the approach, as Howe explained in the May 2023 SOAL Night Live interview. He posted to Facebook on 19 Jan 2023 about "a recent design for the new YES [...] album, which didn't end up getting used but it was an interesting concept. Steve Howe had been thinking about the Nebra Sky Disc [see Wikipedia], which was discovered in Germany in 1999 [...] I like the way it came out but it didn't actually end up getting used as the colours disappear into the finished painting. I'll be posting about that soon…" On 23 Jan 2023, Dean posted about the actual new album cover, with discussion about its creation, sketches and the final sketch painting before the real thing. 26 Jan, he showed a clip where he was working on the final art. Dean has said the cover was inspired by a story he was told by video game designer Henk Rogers of being on a boat on a lake at night seeing the stars reflected in the water. He also talked about being impressed by images from the James Webb Space Telescope. Howe said Dean "heard a lot of the album" before doing the cover. In his May 2023 interview, Downes said, "[Dean] likes to know what the music's about before he gets going on the painting. So the ideas of some titles and things like that are thrown at Roger and this sort of sparks his creativity [...] it's a constant thing where he provides sketches [...] It's almost in the same way that we develop the music [...] we do it over a period of time and the same with Roger is that [...] we work closely with him." The Gottlieb brothers did the layout and some photos were by Schwartz.

The Quest
The band's previous album was The Quest, released Oct 2021 on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. Due to manufacturing problems, the physical release of most formats in the US and Canada was delayed until 15 Oct, with the standalone vinyl delayed further. Thomas Waber, InsideOut label manager, explained to me that, "the second disc exists for creative reasons only. to separate the main album from the additional tracks. [...] we aren't charging more for the album because of the second disc". An Oct 2021 Oakland Press article had this:

Howe says the two-disc configuration of “The Quest” was also a record company suggestion, “feeling that the bulk of it, the main album, should not go over 45, 50 minutes. So that’s eight songs, and the other three aren’t really bonus tracks in the sense they’re things we would have thrown away. We weren’t scraping the barrel or anything just to fill it out. They’re like high-quality reserve tracks, if you will. But it’s not so much a double album like the White Album by the Beatles. It’s more like there’s a second part of the story.”

The Quest is a strong album with a common theme: posing the great questions of life and finding that we have our destiny within our own hands. My contribution was all written before COVID and by the end of 2019 I'd started showing Jon [Davison] those songs. On the 1st of November [2019] Jon and I put down the basic ideas of [...] Damaged World (Howe) and Future Memories (a Davison love song, asking what the future holds). That was a test to see if working with the engineer, Curtis Schwartz, with me steering, was going to work. We felt it was pretty good and began sharing music between us, with me being able to make decisions about what Jon felt he could develop. If I liked it, then it had a bit of a roll to it.

I think something will be coming out on Warners this year [2018] that will be a historical view of Yes.  That`ll be a nice release for Yes fans.  They generally try to get everything that comes out so we`ll make sure it`s something really special.

I did a compilation for them featuring songs recorded all over the world and picked out all of the best versions of all of the great songs and they turned around and said it was going to cost so much money to get licensing that they wouldn`t be doing it.  I wish they`d told me that a few months ago before I`d done all of the work pulling it all together.  They said they were just going to put another best of album but we already have several of those.  I wanted to do something a bit different but the label just didn`t want to do it which was a shame.

1. "America (Single Version)" [2025 Remaster]
2. "Total Mass Retain (Single Version)" [2025 Remaster]
3. "And You and I (Promo Radio Edit)" [2025 Remaster]
   
4. "Siberia (Studio Run-Through of "Siberian Khatru")" [2025 Remaster]
5. "Close to the Edge (Rough Mix)" [2025 Remaster]
6. "And You and I (Alternate Version)" [2025 Remaster]
7. "America ("Dry" Mix)"
8. "Siberian Khatru (Steven Wilson Edit)", previously unreleased
   
9. "Cord of Life (Steven Wilson Edit)", previously unreleased
10. "Total Mass Retain (Steven Wilson Edit)", previously unreleased
    

1. "Siberian Khatru"
2. "I've Seen All Good People"
3. "Heart of the Sunrise"—this and "And You and I" seem to be the same as the Greensboro recording on Progeny, so not from the Rainbow Theatre
   
4. "And You and I"
   
5. "Close to the Edge"—includes a noticeable glitch

1. "Excerpts from "The Six Wives of Henry VIII""
   
2. "Roundabout"
3. "Yours is No Disgrace"
4. "Starship Trooper"
   

1. "Roundabout (US Single Edit)" [2024 Remaster] (3:27)
   
2. "Long Distance Runaround (US Single Edit)" [2024 Remaster] (3:15)
   
3. "All Fighters Past (Steven Wilson Mix)" (2:33)
   
4. "South Side of the Sky (Early Take)" [2024 Remaster] (6:20), previously unreleased?
5. "Roundabout (Rehearsal Take/Early Mix)" [2024 Remaster] (8:10)
   
6. "Mood for Another Day" (2:59)
   
7. "We have Heaven (Full Version)" [Steven Wilson Mix] (2:20)
   
8. "South Side of the Sky (Early Version)" [Steven Wilson Mix] (5:10)
   
9. "Long Distance Runaround (Steven Wilson Edit)" (3:38), previously unreleased
   
10. "Heart of the Sunrise (Steven Wilson Edit)" (4:06), previously unreleased
11. "America (2024 Remaster)" (10:30)
    
12. "Roundabout (Early Rough Mix)" [2024 Remaster] (8:34)
    
13. "We have Heaven (Acapella)" [Steven Wilson Mix] (1:59)
    

Tracks 3, 5-8 and 13 are from the 2015 Panegyric edition, while 11 and 12 are from the 2003 Rhino expanded edition. 4 is not the same as the track on the 2015 Panegyric CD, but another take of the song that was included on the Panegyric Blu-ray.

CD4 More Rarities & Live:

1. "Five Per Cent for Nothing (Alternate Version)" (0:44)
   
2. "Heart of the Sunrise (Alternate Version)" (10:39)
   
3. "Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" [Alternate Version] (6:02)
   
4. "The Dean" (3:45)
   
5. "America (Instrumental)" [2024 Remaster] (10:31)
   
6. "Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)" (12:35), incomplete (missing the beginning); this and remaining tracks recorded at the Academy of Music, New York, NY, 19 Feb 1972
7. "Perpetual Change" (10:45), incomplete (missing the end)
   
8. "Yours is No Disgrace" (13:37)
   

All of CD4 was previously unreleased. The three Feb 1972 live tracks are the only tracks surviving from that show.

Jason_Rhino on the Steve Hoffman forum (Jason Jones), who oversees the Yes catalogue for Rhino, had said there (17 May) that, "The Dean is a completely unreleased track. Never booted; a work-in-progress if you will." However, there has been a mistake and it is not Yes, as Warner have now acknowledged. The track has been withdrawn from steaming platforms. It is actually a recording of Terry Reid and band playing an early version of "Sabyla" from sessions for his 1973 album The River. Reid began work on that album in 1971-2 with recording sessions in London produced by Eddie Offord, before then largely re-working the album in new sessions produced by Tom Dowd. It seems likely that what is labelled "The Dean" here is from the Offord-produced sessions, which had Alan White on drums, not long before he joined Yes. "Sabyla" never made it to The River, although there is a different track on that album called "Dean". Another version of "Sabyla" was released much later, in 2016, on the archival release The Other Side of the River.

The release came first in the reissues category in Prog magazine's Critics' Choice 2024.

Fragile Outtakes is a limited edition (3000 copies) release for Black Friday Record Store Day on 29 Nov 2024 covering material from, I believe, CD3.

Wilson's remix is also getting a limited edition, emerald green vinyl release from Rhino as part of their Start Your Ear Off Right series for 2025. This was due 24 Jan 2025.

The previous release in the series was The Yes Album (Super Deluxe Edition), on 24 Nov 2023, which followed a very similar format. A digital single, the previously unreleased "I've Seen All Good People: Your Move / All Good People (Early Take) [2023 Remaster]", came to streaming services (e.g. YouTube) in October. This is a 4CD + 1LP + 1Blu-ray box set. CD1 is the original album, newly remastered by Wilson. CD2 has Wilson's remixes plus his instrumental mixes from the 2014 Panegyric re-release series. The came 2nd in the 2023 Prog magazine readers' poll. It also made #28 in the UK Progressive Albums chart.

CD3 Rarities (remastered by Wilson):

1. "Your Move (Single Version)"
2. "Starship Trooper: Life Seeker (Single Version)"
3. "Clap (Studio Version)"
4. "A Venture (Extended Mix)"
   
5. "Yours is No Disgrace (Mono Mix)", this would seem to be a 1971 promo mono mix done by Atlantic
   
6. "The Clap (Mono Mix)"
7. "Starship Trooper (Mono Mix)"
8. "I've Seen All Good People (Mono Mix)"
9. "A Venture (Mono Mix)"
10. "Perpetual Change (Mono Mix)"
    
11. "Starship Trooper: Life Seeker (Alternate Take; instrumental)", previously unreleased
12. "I've Seen All Good People (Early Take)", previously unreleased
13. "Yours is No Disgrace (Alternate Mix)", previously unreleased
    

(Early leaked information included a track "Untitled Instrumental" instead of tracks 12 and 13. It is not known what this was, but maybe it was just confusion over the instrumental alternate "Life Seeker".)

CD4 Live (described as all previously unreleased, although some of the tracks have been released previously):

1. "I've Seen All Good People", first 3 tracks recorded at Konserthuset, Gothenburg, Sweden, 21 Jan 1971, says the promo material, but Gothenburg was actually 24 Jan
2. "Astral Traveller", described as previously unreleased, but was on The Word is Live
3. "Everydays", described as previously unreleased, but was on The Word is Live
4. "Yours is No Disgrace", remaining tracks recorded at the Yale Bowl, New Haven, CT, 24 Jul 1971, which have been released in the UK where, I believe, the recordings are now out of copyright
   
5. "I've Seen All Good People"
6. "Clap/Classical Gas"
7. "Perpetual Change", described as previously unreleased, but was on the 2014 Panegyric Blu-ray

The Blu-ray has Wilson's 2023 Dolby Atmos mix, 5.1 Mix DTS-HD MA, 5.1 Mix LPCM and his 2023 stereo remaster.

The LP is described in promo as being Wilson's 2023 remaster. Jason_Rhino on the Steve Hoffman forum, who co-produced this release with Steve Woolard, said there (4 Oct) that, "The LP in this super deluxe set is a new AAA cut by Bernie Grundman from the original master tapes." There was a premiere of the new surround mix at L-Acoustics in London, UK on 7 Nov 2023: I attended and wrote about the evening in the blog. Bill Bruford was in attendance and took questions afterwards. A similar playback in the US took place in Los Angeles, CA on 30 Nov 2023.

More re-releases
Jon Dee (Rock Aid Armenia) posted to Facebook in Oct 2024 that he is helping with a planned re-release of Magnification for 2025, with the involvement of original cover artist Bob Cesca and orchestrator Larry Groupé, and possibly to include some unreleased material. In a Jul 2024 interview, Howe had said Mercury now have the rights to the album and that he would be interested in a re-release. Dee posted to Facebook Jan 2025 to say:

I have managed to get hold of the original YES no orchestra demos for the ‘Magnification’ album 👍
The rerelease of ‘Magnification’ is going to be really good!!

Dee has also referred to "orchestral out takes" being available. On 17 Jan 2025, he posted:

I’m currently remixing the early demo of ‘Can You Imagine’ for the Magnification rerelease.
The only version I could find was this version where the amazing Larry Groupé had played demo orchestra on top of the YES studio demo.
But there was a loud click track all the way through the song. Now thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I have just managed to get rid of the click track!
This means that I have now have obtained every YES demo for the finished tracks on this album. They’re being remastered as I type 👍

In a Feb 2025 interview, Dee said he was "mixing an album for them [Yes]", but did not specify which project.

Cesca said in a Mar 2025 post to Yesfans.com: "The reissue edition of the Magnification cover is essentially what I wanted in 2001. It's familiar, but has more pop to it. 24 years of experience since the original release and the prevalence of 4K screens inspired me to add more vibrancy and detail. I also created several new illustrations for it. Two of the new illustrations, one in the vinyl edition and one in the CD edition, pay homage to Jon Anderson's Magnification-related short story "The Machine."" ("The Machine" is archived here.) He also described a reissue for Symphonic Live, continuing:

For the cover, I re-imagined the original scene from scratch with, again, more detail and depth. I also created an alternative cover illustration and several other all new pieces, including an epic gatefold illustration for the vinyl edition.

The great Jon Dee can speak to the music content, but in terms of the packaging I worked overtime to create fresh, vibrant illustrations to match the historic brilliance of both albums. It'll hopefully provide that old school experience of listening to the music while examining the artwork, hypothesizing about the meaning of it all. There are a few easter eggs in both sets of illustrations.

Strongly recommend the vinyl editions.

(The in-house art director at Mercury handled the text and layouts, incorporating the pieces I delivered.)

Out 31 May was a 30th anniversary re-release of Talk on Spirit of Unicorn Music, in multiple formats (trailer), remastered by Andy Pearce. The album made #9 in the UK Progressive Albums chart (Jul 2024), falling to #19 in Aug. There is a 1CD version (SOUMCD082) with the original album, a limited edition 2LP white vinyl (SOUMLP082; the original album on 3 sides + "The Calling (Special Version)" on side D), and a 4CD deluxe edition box (SOUMBOX082) with bonus studio material and a previously unreleased live show (Canandaigua, NY, 19 Jun 1994). All versions come with new sleeve notes by Jerry Ewing (Prog editor) with new interviews (including with Jon Anderson and Trevor Rabin). Box set tracks:

CD1 Original album

CD2 Talk versions

1. "The Calling (Special Version)"
2. "The Calling (Single Edit)"
3. "The Calling (Radio Edit)"
4. "Untitled – Trevor Rabin Instrumental"
5. "Endless Dream (Demo)"
6. "Where will You be (Instrumental)"
7. "Walls (Instrumental)"
8. "Endless Dream (Excerpt) (Instrumental)"

Tracks 5-7 must come from the Yes Active CD-ROM. I presume tracks 4 and 8 do too, with track 4 actually being the "State of Play" demo, and track 8 probably just being "Silent Spring" as on the main album. Track 1 is an extended version of "The Calling" previously included on some versions of the album. Tracks 2 and 3 were single edits made available at the time.

CD3 Live Canandaigua, NY 19 Jun 1994

1. "I am Waiting"
2. "The Calling", incomplete (missing the first half)
   
3. "Rhythm of Love"
4. "Hearts", incomplete (missing the intro)
   
5. "Real Love"
6. "Changes"
7. "Heart of the Sunrise", advertised as previously released
   
8. "Roundabout", advertised as previously released

CD4 Live Canandaigua, NY 19 Jun 1994

1. "Cinema"
2. "City of Love"
3. "Make It Easy"
4. "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
5. Trevor Rabin piano solo/"And You and I"
6. "I've Seen All Good People"
7. "Walls"
8. "Endless Dream"
   

The live album is a copy of the bootleg Endless Dream that re-ordered the tracks somewhat. The show on the night went: "Perpetual Change (excerpt)/The Calling", "I am Waiting", "Rhythm of Love", "Hearts", "Real Love", "Changes", "Heart of the Sunrise", "Cinema", "City of Love", "Make It Easy", "Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Where will You be?", Rabin piano solo/"And You and I", "I've Seen All Good People", "Walls", "Endless Dream", "Roundabout".

The release came fourth in the reissues category in Prog magazine's Critics' Choice 2024 and fourth again in their Readers' Poll 2024.

There was talk about me doing “Drama”, an album I really love and that would sound great in 5.1, but not all the members of that line up are keen for the album to be remixed—which is totally understandable—and I wouldn’t want to do something without the band being behind it.

In an Aug 2015 forum post, Wilson said:

I believe that the multitrack tapes for Going for the One are currently [missing]. First 2 Yes albums I would think unlikely, not enough potential sales...etc But never say never.

And then:

I really hope Tales and Drama will eventually be done, they are (perhaps somewhat perversely) my 2 favourite Yes albums

Preliminary work for a Going for the One release was done. In an Apr 2014 interview, Howe was asked whether it is "open-ended that as many of the catalog masters you have in hand" will be included in the series, he answered, "I don't think we should say yea or nay yet, because there could be logistical things or even a question of taste." On this latter point, the interviewer teases out that Howe is referring to Tormato. Howe goes on, "It's not that it's dreadful; it's just that we didn't quite get it right. I don't know if a remix would make it right, but I really can't say because I don't think it could, because if you're going to be true to the original, then you have to base it on the original."

Asked about further archival releases on the 2015 Cruise to the Edge, Howe also said there was plenty more in the vaults.

Cruise to the Edge
Cruise to the Edge (Facebook) is a series of progressive rock cruises that previously featured and were co-organised by Yes, and run by music cruise company On the Blue. However, Yes have not played on the more recent cruises. Howe said in a Jul 2024 interview, "Now we don't play Cruise To The Edge anymore, I can say I don't think it was the best environment for Yes music, but [the customers] have a lot of fun on those trips." The next cruise will be 4-9 Mar 2026, with acts including the Pete Roth Trio ft. Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson/UK Revisited, Stick Men, Steve Hackett, Marillion, Lifesigns, Goblin and Big Big Train, with more to be announced. (Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, and Dave Kerzner's band with Billy Sherwood have all reportedly been invited.)

The 2025 Cruise ran 4-9 Apr 2025, in the Caribbean, with acts including Rick Wakeman, Dave Kerzner and Friends (with Billy Sherwood), Jazz Sabbath (with Adam Wakeman), Steve Hackett, Pure Reason Revolution, Big Big Train, IQ, Moon Safari and The Aristocrats. (Jon Anderson was reportedly invited, but the dates conflicted with planned touring with the Band Geeks.) The 2024 Cruise sold out. Appearing were Dave Kerzner and his All Star Prog Band (including Billy Sherwood again, playing material from Kerzner's solo albums The Traveler and Heart Land Mines Vol 1 & 2; they also played "Don't Look Down" from Arc of Life's second album), Marillion, Steve Hackett, Flying Colors, Big Big Train, Adrian Belew, The Flower Kings, Marin Barre, PFM, Gryphon, Ray Wilson (ex-Genesis) and others. The Cruise came 8th in the 2024 Prog Readers' Poll, in the Event of the Year category.

Relayer has been [...] almost like [...] a heavy weight on our shoulder these difficult years. We've rescheduled that tour three times, I think. So, we've really just dropped the album tour for a while to give us a break and not make us feel that we're only playing Relayer because we've said, for three years, we're gonna play it. [...] that feels a bit of an encumberment. So, we're gonna free off that and dream up a really fantastic set that will have some new music, it'll have a little bit of something to do with Tales. [...] we're looking forward to it because [...] it's not something we've been carrying and wrestling with rescheduling [...] it's going to be something fresh [...] even our approach, not that we're going to change our positions on stage, but the approach that we're going to use in our production is going to be quite different too. [...] we're certainly not having any spaceships or cows floating across the stage [...] it's less of that and more of the bringing the group really tightly together because we find that when we play closely together on stage, without risers, something quite clever happens [...] to us. So, we're looking for that closer connection to the [...] pulse of the music

let's face it, let's be realistic and say we're selling nostalgia. [...] we want to give the fans the music they come to hear. [...] but having said that, I think that the new music is quite conducive to a Yes set. I think we've found, on this last tour [in 2022], [...] I must tell you, the band was so touched by the audience's reactions to the new music, the overwhelming enthusiasm they gave. It was really encouraging [...] so we'll be doing the same with the new materials, a couple of selections.

YES and their management have explored every possible avenue to arrange insurance cover for the tour in the event of COVID-related exemption or Act of War exclusion. The insurance industry has withdrawn all such insurances which made touring possible pre-COVID and before the Ukraine conflict.

There have always been calculated risk assessments to consider when touring and YES has unfailingly paid a premium to cover against terrorism in addition to conventional cancellation risks. With a view to supporting venues and crew, YES toured the UK in 2022 but the band simply cannot undertake such a large-scale tour with so many risks being uninsured.

Insurance cover was promised for events in 2023 but this has now been withdrawn until 2024, with confirmations of normality in ’24 following representations to the insurance industry to reassess its attitudes to COVID and Act of War insurance. Bands at some levels can mitigate against these risks but YES’ touring model creates unjustifiable levels of risk.

We had planned to play all of Relayer when the pandemic struck.

But we felt it was too big an ask to tackle Close to the Edge and Relayer on the same tour.

We want to perform at the level Yes fans expect from us.

I’d say, very tentatively, that Yes has a quest that’s all encompassing. It’s never been a band with limitations. So there’s no reason why it couldn’t include some of this material as well. It’s been dabbled with a little bit along the way. Back in 1976 we each played songs from the solo albums [...] Maybe we could do a very select show where we could incorporate our outside work, much like Asia did, very successfully, when we re-formed. Everybody [in Yes] has things they’ve done outside the band, so it’s something that could be considered.

We’ve become more interested in really looking at the original recordings as much as possible, taking everything we can from them. There are obviously compromises we might make, but that doesn’t really matter. What we’re interested in is giving a sense of realism to it. Without that realism, we might as well not even go and play the right notes. [...] and I think that’s brought together with improvisation.

After all, a solo is a solo, and you can play what you like. [...] There’s got to be some freedom. But again, it’s nice hearing the raw, core tunes that call in that solo.

After bassist Chris Squire’s death in 2015, Howe inherited the job of putting Yes’ concert set list together. “I make a set list generally with two considerations. There’s gotta be some challenges; There’s got to be some things we haven’t been playing in the last two years or so. [...] you’ve got to go do some homework at home. But the other thing is we’ve got to make it possible. [...] our set list is generally a mix of challenging new things -- or new in the context of what we’ve been playing recently -- and then some really familiar stuff, but not the same-old, same-old -- although we can’t do a show without ‘Roundabout.’ [...]”

Downes also talked sets in a Jun 2018 interview:

Interviewer: Are there any songs that you personally would like to retire? [...]

Downes: We approach each tour differently. [...] it’d be nice maybe to look at a couple of 80’s era Yes tracks as well. And maybe even something from the 90’s, you know. Well we do a couple of tracks from the 90’s anyway. [...] there’s so much there [...] you’ve got 22 or 23 studio albums to pick material from, that’s a pretty enormous body of work to tackle. But certainly, I’m game to try anything that’s in the Yes catalog.

Interviewer: [...] is there a song or two you wish you guys could play, specifically?

Downes: I think I’d like to just do one of the big pieces from the album Relayer. We did a little bit of that, but something like either “Sound Chaser” or maybe “Gates of Delirium,” which would be an enormous challenge to actually learn something like that [...] quite a fascinating challenge to do that.

In a Jun 2018 interview of his own, White said, "we tried not playing "Roundabout" for a while. We got so many complaints because we didn't play it, we've been playing it ever since." Asked in the Yes Music Podcast about YesWest material, Downes replied, "that would be something a lot of the fans would appreciate [...] certainly I think Steve's up for doing some of it". Asked about the possibility of performing "The Gates of Delirium", he began by remarking on the challenge of doing so, but continued, "everything's possible […] Whether or not we do it next year [2018], I don't know. We might do it the year after [2019]. We might even at some point attempt the whole of Relayer. That's... that's something that has been put forward. I think in terms of it being the fiftieth anniversary of Yes that the focus is going to be more on a historical view of Yes's music rather than any specific albums". In his Mar 2017 Q&A, White had said, "we plan to play the entire "Relayer' album in the UK next year [2018]", but he backed away from that by this Aug 2017 interview: "I think next year [2018] should be a really good selection of songs from every era. We actually thought about playing the whole "Relayer" album, but I think that would be too much for the kind of show it should be next year [2018] for our 50th anniversary." In the Feb 2018 issue of Eclipsed, Howe also said they wanted to play all of Relayer but described this as challenging to do. In the mid-Mar 2018 interview, asked about whether Relayer is a possibility for summer US dates, Sherwood replied, "You never know. I've been lobbying for that for years now as it's one of my favourites. [...] As of yet it's not been spoken about, so we'll just have to see what happens." Sherwood in a Nov 2017 interview said he would like to play "The Gates of Delirium" and "On the Silent Wings of Freedom". Asked in his matching interview what songs he would like to include, White mentioned "America", "Awaken" and "Mind Drive"; he implied that, with Kaye present, they would do "Yours is No Disgrace". In the #YES50 tour programme, out Mar 2018, Downes said, "I'm excited about taking on the Relayer album". At the Jul 2018 YesFanFest, Howe was asked about doing Relayer in 2019 and replied, "Maybe". In an Aug 2018 interview, asked what songs he would like to do, Davison picked Relayer first, then saying, "I'd like to bring to the stage all of Tormato and Relayer and make the '70s Album Series a complete thing. Beyond that, some of the '80s and '90s material." He then mentions "The More We Live—Let Go" and "Shoot High Aim Low". In a Jul 2019 interview, Sherwood supported the idea of playing "Sound Chaser". Asked how set list decisions come about, he replied:

Steve [Howe] usually does it, and we have suggestions along the way, but Steve's got a really good sense of ebb and flow in the set. If too many songs are in the same key and they’re bundled up together, he can move them around, and based on tempos and all that type of thing. We sort of just wait for Steve to give us the set list. [...] then [...] anyone’s allowed to throw in their opinions but usually it’s pretty spot on, I’ve found.

Relationships with past members
The question of a reunion between Yes and Yes featuring Anderson Rabin Wakeman (which had disbanded by early 2020), or between key past members and Yes, has always refused to go away. It appears unlikely. In a Dec 2017 interview, Todd Rundgren, who had recently toured with Yes, said, "There are actually two versions of Yes. There are conflicts between members of the band." However, Jon Kirkman claimed in a May 2021 edition of the Prog Report that "they're all talking to each other now. There's no arguments. All of the band, all the people who have ever been in Yes are now talking to each other and on good terms." The current Yes line-up have evinced good relations with Bill Bruford, Patrick Moraz and Trevor Horn. Geoff Downes lent Rick Wakeman some rare kit after Wakeman's was stolen.

In a Mar 2023 interview, Wakeman said, "there was talk of another [Yes] reunion, but I said, "absolutely no way." Because we don't have Chris Squire anymore. We don't have Alan White anymore. You just can't do it. You know, let's have a great memory of what we did." It's unclear when (his comments seem to imply that this was since White passed away) or with whom this "talk of another reunion" was. Asked if he is still in contact with Anderson and Howe on episode 6 of his podcast in Apr 2025, Wakeman replied, "[...] no, but that's not because we want to kill each other or anything like that. We would get messages going backwards and forwards, various things. But there is no need, really. I mean, myself and the current Yes management [...] we're all in touch. We all sort of make contact here and there, and I see Martin Darvill, who's their manager, a lot. [...] We don't really, apart from music, have anything in common [...] If Steve walked in here now [...] 'Would you fancy a meal after this?' Absolutely. We'd do that. That would be great." The interviewer followed up, "Everybody's happy with each other? There's no problems, is there?" Wakeman replied, "No."

It appears interviewers of both Steve Howe and Jon Anderson are dissuaded from asking about a possible reunion, although some still do! A Sep 2024 Goldmine interview with Anderson said they were "advised, ahead of time" not to ask if he would ever consider re-joining Yes. In a Mojo magazine interview (published Jan 2024), Anderson was asked, "has communication between yourself and Steve Howe stopped now, too?" He replied, "Yes. We're still friends but we're not connected." The interviewer then asked if Anderson could see himself performing with Yes again. Anderson replied, "I was talking to The Band Geeks [with whom he is working] and said, "Hopefully we can play in London and Steve will get up and do a couple of songs with us, maybe Rick [...] It just means talking. When I'm out there singing on my own I still think I'm part of Yes. They still feel like my songs." Asked about the possibility of a Yes reunion in a May 2024 interview, Anderson replied, "Never." In an Aug 2024 interview, Anderson said he had no interesting in working with Yes, saying, "I really don't need to." In a Sep 2024 interview with Classic Rock, Anderson was asked if his exit from Yes still hurts, to which he replied, "No, because I’ve got the Yes that I wanted." (This is again a reference to working with the Band Geeks.) Asked how he would react if Howe asked him to rejoin Yes, Anderson said he would not be interested: "No. Not right now. I actually contacted him and got very little back, But think of the song Still A Friend Of Mine [from True, his album with the Geeks]. So many people I've met, it didn't quite work out, and eventually you say, 'Okay, I've got to move on, you've got to move on, do your own thing, it's okay. But you're still a friend of mine because we went through so much together at a certain time.'" In a Feb 2024 interview, Howe was asked about Anderson and replied, "we're still in touch". An Apr 2024 interview published in Italian asked Howe why he didn't want to answer questions about Anderson, which is something he appears to say to many interviews. Howe replied, "Voglio molto bene a Jon come essere umano. Molto meno per tante altre cose. Accontentati di questo." Which can be translated: "I love Jon very much as a human being. Much less for many other things. Be satisfied with this."

Asked in an Apr 2024 interview whether there is any possibility of any original members returning to Yes, Sherwood replied that Anderson "is doing his own thing", that Anderson and the band separated before he returned to the band, and that "it is what it is". He then said, "we are a very happy, healthy, functioning unit of friends who play this music, and I've been in Yes enough to know that when the vibe's not good, that line-up's not going to last long [...] so I'm just going with the vibe now". He also said that everyone has their "version of Yes that they want", mentioning fans online, but that "the reality is that only Yes knows what they're going to be, but as long as Yes knows what they're going to be, I'm good with that", and that "we [Yes] know what we are here". He continued, "We actually enjoy each other's company. (giggles) In Yes's history, that's a good thing!"

In comments to Classic Rock magazine, published Jun 2023, Howe dismissed the idea of reunion: "It's something I'm absolutely resistant to, because I remember the fiasco of the Union tour [...] Sometimes I might have thought, 'Well, one day maybe', and one never wants to say never, but basically I can't see it." He also said: "I love Jon [Anderson]. I'm a lot older now, and so is he, and the only terms I work on is that I'm happy working on this. I'm not going to take a sudden load on my back that I either don't need or want. My music’s always guided me, and it’s not telling me to do those things. It's telling me to go forwards."

In an Aug 2023 interview with Anderson (published in Spanish), the interviewer says his manager has warned him not to ask anything Anderson anything about the current Yes. He goes ahead anyway, asking if there's a bad atmosphere between Anderson and Yes. Anderson's reply is given as: "No, realmente no. Simplemente ellos siguen su camino, persiguen su sueño, como cada uno de nosotros. Yo persigo mi propio sueño, tengo otros proyectos, otras ilusiones y tampoco me gustaría que si digo cualquier cosa sobre ellos se manipulase o se malinterpretase." This translates as: "No, not really. They simply follow their path, pursue their dream, like each one of us. I pursue my own dream, I have other projects, other hopes and I would not like it if anything I say about them were to be manipulated or misinterpreted."

In an Apr 2023 interview, asked if he thought the current band under Howe is an "authentic version of Yes", Anderson replied:

It’s Steve’s idea of Yes, I suppose. It’s hard to pinpoint. I’ve listened to a couple of songs, of course, and they’re OK. But I’m still into the voyage of musical Yes. I’m totally into the original idea of it. [...] The energy of the Seventies, musically around the world… It was quite an unbelievable time. Yes was a part of it. I still want to perpetuate it, I suppose.

The interviewer then asked about Anderson's then forthcoming tour with the Band Geeks: "You're playing Yes music on tour with new musicians. Steve is playing Yes music on tour with new people. Can't one argue that what you're doing is just as authentically Yes as what he's doing?" Anderson replied, "Yeah. I've never seen his show though, so I can't tell you. [Laughs.]" The interviewer then said recounted how when he had interviewed Howe, Howe had said a reunion was "completely unthinkable". Anderson responded:

I’m a pessimist… I’m a pessimistic optimist. You never know in this life. And that was just him at that moment in time. I sang with him on my last album, 1,000 Hands. [...] I [...] said, “Would you play some lovely guitar at the end?” And he did. All I could think of when I heard was to sing with it, and I did.

The interviewer continued to push on the question of a reunion between Anderson and Howe, saying they "should be onstage together". Anderson replied, "it's not going to happen as far as I know. I've mentioned a couple of times over the years that I'm very open to giving it a whirl. In these days, though, you never know what's going to happen."

In the Oct 2021 issue of Prog (#124), Howe said, "I like to think we still have contact with Bill Bruford and Tony Kaye, and I'm still friendly with Jon [Anderson] and the other guys who are around". In an interview published online in Jan 2022, Howe said:

Whenever you leave a band, you might stay in touch with somebody, or you might not. The latter says something, in a way: ‘Look, I’ve done that, and we can’t really connect so much anymore.’ It happens.

Sometimes you stay in touch with people that you don’t work with anymore. I never stopped being friendly with Bill, but we’re not working together.

In that interview, he was also asked about Yes featuring Anderson Rabin Wakeman and replied:

That was just a futile thing they did. When they came out with the idea for it, I actually sent three emails to each of them [...] I said to them, ‘Great. You’ve put a band together. Go with it. Good luck.’ I never heard back from them, but basically that was fine. They had their run. There has to be some competition in life, and they appeared to be what might be called competition.

Basically, in their second year they decided to tack Yes on the front, and some promoters used the Yes logo, which they weren’t allowed to do. There was a bit of a pickle, but fortunately people woke up and said, ‘OK, we won’t do that.’

It was a bit of a difficult time, because it was confusing, not only for the audience, but also for promoters. ‘Is this Yes, or is it Yes with ARW?’ It was a bit of a mess for a long time.

In a May 2022 interview, Howe said, "I love Jon Anderson and I believe we have an understanding and an immense respect for each other. But the difficulties of trying to work together are too great."

In a Mar 2023 interview, Wakeman said of the current Yes line-up:

Steve [Howe]’s the only member who was in what people call the classic Yes lineup. None of the others were. But that’s absolutely fine. I don’t have an issue with that. I do think that after Chris died, it might have been time to retire the name. But I don’t have an issue with that, as long as people want to hear the music. They have absolutely every right to exist and play it.

In an interview for Prog published Jan 2023 (issue #137), after talking about how Downes had helped him out after he had had some equipment stolen, Wakeman said, "Some of the rumours you hear about the two camps of Yes being at loggerheads are completely untrue. Steve [Howe] and I have been intending to have lunch for a while but never seem to get around to it. There's a lot of mutual respect between us all." Asked if he would accept an offer from Howe to make a guest appearance with Yes, Wakeman replied, "I probably would, though I'm not sure politically it would be the thing to do. They've got their own setup and I've got mine. But never say never." In a Jan 2022 interview, Wakeman said he hadn't heard The Quest, but that, "I am having lunch with Steve [Howe] in a couple of weeks. That everybody hates each other is a complete myth. There's a lot of mutual respect between us all." In a Feb 2022 interview, asked if we still on good terms with Yes, he replied, "Depends who you mean by 'Yes.' [...] obviously, I am on good terms with Trevor Rabin and Jon Anderson. I haven't seen Steve [Howe] or Alan [White] since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but have the highest respect for both of them." (So, lunch was postponed?) He was then asked if he would consider playing with the band again, and replied, "They already have a line-up."

In an Oct 2021 interview, having previously been critical of Yes for using the name, Wakeman said:

I have tremendous admiration for Steve for keeping the ship afloat, especially after Chris died[.] There are so many bands these days that have got lineups of which, if people came back from the 1970s and could be reincarnated to look at them, they’d go: ‘Who are they?’

But Yes isn’t the only one. There are so many so many bands like it. And I think if it helps to keep the music alive, then I don’t see a problem.

In a Jul 2021 interview, Anderson was asked if there could be a merger between ARW and Yes. He replied, "Oh, yeah. I'm sure, I'm sure it will happen one day." He then talked about witnessing Chris Squire entering heaven in a dream. The interviewer said that Squire would want a re-union to happen, saying, "You gotta do this." Anderson replied, "We will! You've gotta speak to Steve. [laughs]"

In a Feb 2021 interview, asked if there was any possibility of a new Union, Tony Kaye replied, "No." He expanded:

I just don’t see it happening. I think the main reason I can come up with is that this [line-up of the] band actually likes each other. They’re all good friends. Everybody gets along. Jay and Alan are close. As a band, it works.

[...] the band works … it may not “work” for everyone, fans. But it just works together. Jon Davison is such a cool guy. [...] They do great justice to the music — I think they don’t want to lose that. Anderson can be a weird guy. There’s a lot of history. That’s really all I can come up with. The band just loves each other and has a great time together.

He also said, "if the band [Yes] asks me to do something in the future, I think it'll probably happen."

Steve Howe on one side and Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin on the other have voiced the strongest words against the idea. In a Jul 2020 article, commenting on the idea of a reunion, Howe said, "I don't think [fans] should stay up late nights worrying about that[.] There's just too much space out there between people. To be in a band together or even to do another tour like Union is completely unthinkable." He continued, "What I've done with Alan, and Chris until he passed, [...] has been trying to build something much more stable [than Union] and not so haphazardly sensational [...] Yes is about people who love working together and can. That word 'can' carries the whole story. That means compatibility and the same awarenesses about what we want to do." That said, in an interview conducted around Feb 2020, Howe commented on his relationship with Anderson, saying, "Jon and I get on really well now. We have the history and the friendship. But it's probably better that we don't attempt to work all the time together – because of this and that. But nobody knows what the future holds." A Jul 2019 Billboard article quoted Howe as saying that Yes "has had nothing to say" about Yes featuring Anderson Rabin Wakeman using the band name. It went on to quote him: "Anybody can play Yes music; [w]e'd never stop anybody doing what they want to do[.] Basically I say 'Good luck' to them." However, commenting on ARW's hiatus from activity in 2019, Howe also said, "we're not unhappy, so that maybe tells you something."

In an Oct 2019 interview, Wakeman said ARW should not have used the 'Yes' name and that their next tour (to have been in 2020, but which never happened) wouldn't. He said a reunion would not work: "I can't see it happening, although I've learned in rock & roll the word "never" doesn't exist. [...] Let's put it this way, it's highly unlikely. You've got more chance of Donald Trump getting divorced and marrying Hillary Clinton." He argued that neither band should have been called 'Yes' since Squire died: "If you want my real honest answer, the whole Yes thing is a mess since Chris died. It's a total and utter mess for the fans and the people because nobody knows what the hell is going on. Nobody knows who is in what, who is doing what. It's just one hilarious mess." In an Aug 2020 interview, he said, "when Chris passed away, that was it for me. Not the end of Yes music! But the end of the name Yes. Because Chris was the only founding member who remained throughout [...] I felt when Chris passed away, that was the time to retire the name, in his honour and in his memory. No reason why we can't all go off and play Yes music [...] Steve, myself, Jon, whoever — that's fine. But the name Yes, out of reverence and respect for Chris and the music, the name, I think, should've been retired. [...] that's the reason why, when anybody says, 'Is there ever likely to be reunion again?', my answer is, well, you can't have one without Chris." In a Sep 2020 interview, Rabin said, "I heard talk of... an interview somewhere where there was talk of maybe a [Yes] reunion and that's something that will never happen, not with me." He continued, "It's kind of ridiculous. I don't even think there should be a band with the name Yes without Chris Squire in it." He also said that the only "remaining legitimate Yes members" were White, Howe, Anderson, Wakeman and himself, continuing, "Without Chris, [...] it wouldn't be something that would include me."

White has had a different tone when answering questions on this topic. In a Feb 2019 interview from the Cruise to the Edge, asked what he would still like to accomplish with Yes, White said, "Well, it will be good to, maybe, in the future, see some kind of union tour. […] I don't think it's totally out of the question […] we'll see what happens." In a follow-up interview with Sherwood, told about White's comments, Sherwood responded, "Wow... he's the great uniter in the band, y'know. He's always wanting that to happen." Asked about the possibility of a reunion in a Mar 2019 interview, White said, "I'm not going to say definitely no. I'll say there is a possibility, but everybody is getting up there in age now. I don't see it as out of the question in the next few years [...] I definitely won't say "no." It's a "maybe."" In a Jun 2019 interview, asked about "bringing together many members of Yes from the past 50 years", White replied, "I'm not going to say no because anything's a possibility. Maybe one day everybody will just come together and be able to do a big show of everything again, which might be in the future. But as of now, we're just getting on with this Yes." In a Jul 2019 interview, Sherwood was asked about a reunion, and answered, "that question's a little above my pay grade [...] from my perspective I just see us going along this same course right now because we're a really happy unit moving forward [...] I know that the fans are speculating about another union-type scenario, but I don't know. I think it's kind of a long shot, to be honest with you."

It is Anderson who has been most supportive of the idea. A Jul 2020 article reports Anderson as being "keen on a reunion". It quoted him:

It was talked about three years ago, why don't we get Yes back together, it's the 50th anniversary of the band and I said, 'I don't see it, there would be about 15 people onstage, it's too much'[.]

But I had a dream the other week. I was backstage and I realised that's what happens: I'll start the show with my guitar and I'll sing a couple of songs and then Steve[ Howe]'s band will play, then I'll sing a couple more songs and Rick [Wakeman] and Trevor [Rabin] and myself will come on and do something and then all of a sudden we'll all get together and do 'Close To The Edge' and 'Awaken' and Bob's your uncle.

My mantra has always been it'll happen when it happens

In another Jul 2020 article, Anderson was asked about the possibility of a reunion, producing this exchange:

Anderson: Nobody has said, “Let’s do it.” But I think it would be great to get the Yes band back together. Obviously, it’s not going to happen this year [2020] with the coronavirus, but maybe in 2021 or 2022.

Interviewer: How would it work since Howe’s version of Yes features Jon Davison as the singer?

Anderson: We’ll figure it out. I’m not worried about that part. I just can’t wait to sing on a stage again.

In an Aug 2020 interview, Anderson responded to Howe's comment that a reunion is "unthinkable" by saying, "But he knows that I'm very open, but he has his own pocket decision to take". He continued, "I wouldn't go back into that band because I don't think they're that good [...] They're good! But they're not that good." In part 2 of the same interview, asked if he would sing on stage with Davison, Anderson replied, "Yeah, why not? [....] Of course I would. I'd sing with the band, y'know. I had this dream that I had a guitar and I was going to open the show by singing a couple of songs [...] And now Steve Howe and his band... eh... and I'd sit there [...] and sing along with some harmonies or whatever. And they'd come off stage, and then Trevor and Rick, are you ready yet? [...] And then we all did "Close to the Edge" and "Awaken"." In part 9 of the interview (released Oct 2020), Anderson blamed management for the failure to record an ARW album and then said: "I've left Yes twice and got kicked out when I got sick, I can't believe it, but that was the manager, you know? And I always say, 'Managers [...] don't care.' They don't care that audiences have paid a lot of money to see me sing. They'll put Mickey Mouse up." In a Sep 2020 interview, Anderson appeared to comment on that interview, saying, "I misspoke a little bit about the other band, because as far as I'm concerned, I work with really good musicians, and I expect brilliant things to happen [...] So, Steve and his band? I don't mind, they go out and sing songs that I wrote, and me and Steve wrote - which is fantastic – and keep the flag flying [...] They're very good at doing Yes classics, but I've been waiting for some new Yes classics, you know. It's very hard without me."

In the Dec 2020 issue of Prog magazine, in an interview conducted early Oct, he said, "For me, I am Yes. It's never left me." Talking about the current Yes, he said, "I haven't heard anything that hits me and says, '[...] I'm so happy they've evolved.' It's really great to hear them to the classic songs and Jon Davison's singing well". He again talked of his dream for a tour: "I'd love to do it as a final hurrah for the fans and go on a very special tour." He then outlined much the same plan of him opening with an acoustic guitar, the current Yes playing, him returning for two acoustic songs, and then him, Wakeman, Rabin "and all the others [...] There'd be about 20 of us on the stage all playing Close To The Edge."

In a Nov 2020 interview, Anderson was asked, "Do you think that it's possible for everyone [from Yes] to get together to make more music and tour?" Anderson replied:

Yeah, you never know. I’m a little bit like an open book. If they ask me, I will. But I don’t want to change them because I’ve asked them many times to get together and do this and that, and they’ve always been busy. I don’t mind that, you know? We’re like family, and family sometimes are close and tight, and sometimes they’re really not.

Howe guested on Anderson's 1000 Hands (albeit remotely). After discussing this, a Mar 2018 interview with Anderson has this exchange:

Interviewer: Of course, you'll never get the band back together [...]

Anderson: No. No, it's just one of those things. Life isn't... that organised. [chuckles] [...] For some reason, for whatever many reasons, it's not meant to be. That's OK. I've got things to do.

Interviewer: Yeah. Well, you've certainly got good relationships with everyone and you've kept in touch.

Anderson: Yeah, yeah, you keep in touch and, y'know, like anything, you have highs and lows. Like any family. Because we're family people. We're brothers, all musical brothers. Sometimes you love each other, sometimes you don't.

Later in the interview, Anderson was asked about his "next dream" after 1000 Hands, he replied:

I really want to do the final, great Yes album. I've got an idea of what it looks like, what it sounds like, but I'm not sure how to pull it off. [...] it's one of those things. I know what it should be, I know there's a lot of people who would love it to happen and I would love it to happen as well.

In another interview later that same month, talking about Howe's appearance on the album, Anderson said, "I just called him up and he said he'd love to play on it[.] I haven't sang with him in many, many years. It felt really comfortable and cathartic to do that. We're brothers. Sometimes you don't understand or misunderstand your brother and want to do different things. I think that is called a family." The article then raised the question of a reunion:

“I’m very open to it,” says Anderson. “It’s been 50 years now. You think something has got to happen. To me, a great album has to be made. That’s what I think. I don’t know how it’s going to be made, but the final Yes event should happen. I’ve talked to a couple of people about it and they get it. I really want to do this. I’ve even written eight songs for the record that I’m thinking would work with a full orchestra and a choir.”

Is Steve Howe into this idea? “I don’t know,” says Anderson with a sigh. “Maybe he’ll read this article and say ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ I don’t know.”

A Jul 2019 interview with Anderson had this exchange:

So is the recent Anderson/Howe collaboration on “1000 Hands” a harbinger of a real Yes reunion? Anderson doesn’t say no.

“When it happens, it’ll happen,” Anderson said.

In yet another Mar 2019 interview, Anderson said, immediately after talking about ARW, "I've always said it would be nice to do a Yestival and get everybody together on stage, that's like a magic wand to make that happen, but you never know in this life." And, in yet another Mar 2019 interview, asked what is the possibility of a reunion with Howe, Anderson replied, "I don't know [...] If I got the right phone call, I'd be there."

When Howe was asked by Prog magazine (Apr 2019 issue) about prospects of a re-union with Anderson and Wakeman, he replied, "We're happy doing our own parallel things. It's always a challenge to build the time to work with the people you are working with, let alone the people you did work with [...] let's leave it at that for now."

Asked about tensions between the two bands, Downes said in the Nov 2018 issue of Prog, "Any real direct confrontations have hopefully been nipped in the bud. As time has progressed it's become less critical. When they first came out they were pretty gung-ho—they were making a lot of comments in the press which were not very pleasant, calling us The Steve Howe Tribute Band. [...] For the most part, we've attempted to keep the high road and not get involved too much with slagging them off." Later in the same interview, he went on: "they do their thing, they've got their own agenda going on. They're not getting in my face. That's all I'm particularly bothered about." In a late Sep 2018 interview, Howe said any re-union is "completely off the table".

In an early Jun 2018 interview, Howe said this on the two bands situation:

When ABWH went out, Bill, Rick and I basically wanted to carry on being called ABWH. We weren't really interested in being called Yes, but there was a contingent in the band [i.e., Anderson] and the management [i.e., Brian Lane] that very much encouraged us to rejoin Yes. Actually, the three of us ended up with nothing. That lineup didn't continue after Union so we lost everything.

ARW came out and they justified their existence. They're ARW. Nobody can deny them the right to do that. Now there's a bit of game playing going on, adding that particular thing [presumably Howe means here the "Yes featuring..." part of their name]. I don't know if they are going to make things more interestingly confusing by calling it quintessential Yes [a reference to ARW's promotion for their 2018 touring].

It's up to them what they do. They're free, we're free. We're tolerant and they're tolerant. Hopefully, people won't go around saying "We don't like those guys." [Anderson in Mar 2017 said, "We don't like them" about Yes] We never said that. We want to be sharing and positive about everything we can generate, which I think is important.

If the fans have got a choice, now, to see different versions of things, then so be it. I can't see a problem.

In a Mar 2017 interview, Wakeman and Anderson both dismissed any possibility of a reunion. Asked about that in a Dec 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Rabin replied, "Oh, I very much doubt it. It's kind of like, if it's not broke, don't fix it. We've got the ARW thing right now and we're just loving it. That's certainly where we're at right now." In a matching interview, Howe replied to a similar question: "We know the 50-year anniversary is going to be quite colossal. The Union tour was popular with many fans, but it would have to be re-thought if we were considering that. It would need some reinvention. But that's a ways away." When the interviewer returned to the question of repeating the Union tour, Howe continued:

As long as its not trying to put a square peg in a round hole. The Union tour [...] [f]or the fans, it was seen in a particular light. But internally, it was complex. [...] you'd have to think about how it could work in a different way. It's nice seeing people play together, but it's really about the mood and the willingness and the love and the sharing. It just comes down to a lot of other things, unfortunately, like business and technical. Those other parts both help and interfere and destruct. A few people have said to me that although it was great to see us together all night for the Union tour, it was really a lot to try and fill your ears with. But I do appreciate that people are thinking about seeing us together, and that's a very nice sentiment.

Some of that was put to Anderson in his Rolling Stone interview and he was asked whether he thinks anything will happen to commemorate the 50th anniversary. He replied:

I'll call you! You'll be the first person I call [laughs]. Like anything, my idea of Yes is ARW at the moment. That's what I feel is the Yes I always dreamed of coming back together with.

In a late Jan 2017 interview, Howe was asked about the Union tour, and replied, "It's not something that we know we're going to do again. Obviously it would need good planning." White was asked why don't they "go back to Anderson & Wakeman" in his Mar 2017 YesWorld Q&A; he replied:

Well, you know, I’m open to anything in the future. I’m not opposed to the idea of that down the line but I’m part of the YES touring band and it makes more sense to continue with the group of musicians I’m currently working with… we have a great working vibe between us. You asked why we don’t “go back” and that’s really key because I always try to be positive and continue to move forward instead, I want to make progressively new and interesting music and we’re performing great on stage together. I’m happy with the way things are and looking forward to continuing on with the current YES line up.

In his late Mar 2017 Q&A, Howe was asked something similar. He replied:

This topic has gone round the houses a little bit. Before we can take on board ideas, there has to be a good line of communication. And as far as I understand ARW aren’t really interested in doing this and we’re most probably not really interested in doing this either.

Now that sounds like a big shut down, but in another way, one’s gotta understand that things aren’t always what they appear. Reinventing the ‘Union Tour’ is not really a concept that anyone from either of the lineups of YES or ARW have endorsed.

So basically, I would say, it’s not foreseeable. I think there’s ways that we can celebrate YES’s 50th year and most probably they want to as well. I think the complexity is unmeasurable by the fans. Those things aren’t easy. It’s not any one person that’s particularly making it difficult, but people can make it difficult and then it’s gotta be done in the right spirit. I’d say don’t hold your breath.

In a May 2017 interview, White was a little bit more positive: "There's a possibility [of a reunion] way down the line here[.] The next tour is the 50th anniversary of the band, so who knows what will happen then."

Relations between the band have not gotten any better since ARW switched name to "Yes featuring Anderson Rabin Wakeman". Howe was interviewed for an article in the Jul 2017 issue of Prog on the subject, using language described by the magazine as "both damning and colourful", but he subsequently asked for his comments not to be used. However, it is also revealed that:

he [Howe] wrote to them before, their tour, wishing them good luck. "That's my true spirit: that anyone can play Yes."

In the same issue, Downes and Wakeman both professed to be unbothered about the other band, although their language comes across as rather passive aggressive! Downes said: "We're focusing on what we're doing [...] We wish them well. We've got no axe to grind. We hope they succeed. They may have something against us. If they do that's their problem not ours." Wakeman: "I don't care what they do. They're fully entitled to do whatever they live. [...] I have no idea what they're doing [...] It's of no interest to me. [...] They're not a rival band. They're another lot out there playing Yes music, same as we are. We're just doing it our way [...] Good luck to them." Sherwood meanwhile said that he would go see Yes featuring ARW perform if he was free.

Asked how he feels about the other band touring at the same time as them, White said in an Aug 2017 interview, "It's quite funny. Quite frankly, I don't think about it very much. [...] They're doing their thing." In answer to a similar question in this Aug 2017 interview, Sherwood replied:

It’s interesting and strange at the same time. I haven’t really been paying too much attention to it because we keep staying on our track [...] I’m happy to hear as much Yes music in 2017 from the participants thereof and see the music thriving. There’s the obvious political push and pull that goes on in Yes; it’s always been that way and will always be that way. [...] there’s always much chaos and many moments to have it. (laughs) It’s really not surprising that we’re in this current state of affairs, but we go forward as Yes doing what we do.

On Eddie Trunk's radio show broadcasting from the Cruise to the Edge 2018 in early Feb, Sherwood said much the same: "From my perspective, I'm a long-time Yes fan, the more Yes music out there in 2018, the better. Um... obviously there is a lot of politics involved, but that's way above my pay grade. I just want to play the music […] It's all good as far as I'm concerned."

Before hearing they would be inducted, in a Nov 2016 interview, asked about a reunion with Yes if the band get inducted in the Hall of Fame, Wakeman said: "I think there's no chance of us ever reuniting[.] There's not a hope in hell of that happening."

In an Apr 2016 interview, Howe was asked whether it is fair to say that Anderson will never be back in the band. He replied: "I don't think that's fair at all [...] I don't know what the future holds [...] We're just moving ahead as we are. [...] We need certainties, y'know, we need availabilities, we need, y'know, commitments and things like that". He was later asked if the band still has good relationships with R Wakeman: "Well, I hope we try and keep good relations with everybody, y'know [...] people put their foot in it occasionally [laughs] But [...] there are always people from the bands you've been in that you have stayed closer to and other people you haven't and that very much depends on who makes any effort and who's got any time and, y'know, how much you can, so, y'know, it spreads itself evenly across the... so many members of Yes [laughs] that we've had, besides the other bands I hasten to add I've been in. But, y'know, um, it's a lovely thing, y'know, there's a pool of musicians and, y'know, we can reach out to each other when we want to." In a Jul 2016 interview, asked whether they would work with ex-members, Howe focused on the current band's plans and said: "Well, I guess what we're going to do is we're going to try to contain ourselves in our ambition and figure out how to keep these things going. It takes a lot of work and a lot of agreement." Asked in the Dec 2016 interview when he last spoke to Anderson, Howe replied, "I don't know whether I can reveal things like that. It's a little bit personal. We've been working in different bands and different areas for a very long time."

Sherwood was asked in an Aug 2016 interview about the band's future: "Could another merger be on the horizon? Who even owns the Yes name?" The article continues:

“All that stuff is above my pay grade,” Sherwood says with a laugh. “Let’s be honest. Did anyone think Yes could survive Chris Squire not being there? I wasn’t sure, and I was the one being asked to do it. But it seems to be surviving and thriving.” The future is “a hard thing to even discuss, because you just don’t know until you get there.”

Sherwood says he tries not to draw “hard lines” about authenticity. “Life evolves and music evolves and bands change,” he says. “We’re losing guys. That’s sad to say, but it’s true. But the music lives on and it’s a testament to the music.”

In an Aug 2015 interview, Howe was asked whether "Chris' passing make it any more likely we'll see Yes work with former members like Jon Anderson or Rick Wakeman in some capacity, even just for one big concert to celebrate the band's legacy?" He replied:

I'd hate to say no, so I'll say I don't know. [...] From inside it's quite different. We have to try to stay on our course, and if we change something that changes multiple other things, then we don't know where we are. We spent a lot of time in 2008 kind of finding out where we are, with Benoit and Oliver Wakeman and now with Geoff Downes and Jon Davison and now with Billy Sherwood. In other words, we can't open the floodgates without thinking. So sure, we give these things some thought, but until we come to a conclusion, we'd rather do nothing than the wrong thing.

In a Sep 2015 interview (conducted late Aug), Howe talks about several past members of the band, saying how they met with Moraz while on tour. He then says, "We have some contact with Jon Anderson. [...] I think we ought to see this group as sort of an expanded family."

In an interview recorded in Apr 2016, White said, "I talk to Jon [Anderson] [...] on occasion. [...] I call him on his birthday, and that kind of stuff. [...] Rick, I haven't seen him for an awful long time. I'd like to see him again, y'know, because we used to get on very well." Asked if Anderson and Wakeman might ever return to Yes, he said, "I wouldn't rule it out [...] put it that way, but I think Jon doesn't want to do these long, arduous tours any more and if it was, it would be a kind of cameo appearance at some bigger venues like London [...] or Los Angeles". Asked in an early Nov 2016 interview whether, in the context of putting on a united performance should Yes be inducted into the Hall of Fame, there is animosity between the two bands, White replied: "There's a certain amount, y'know. I actually talk to everybody, so... so, it's a matter of other people sorting their opinions out". In the Dec 2016 interview, Howe was asked, "How do you feel about ARW being on tour now? Do you think that's a good idea? Are you cool with it?" He replied:

[Laughs] It's an idea that has every right to exist, as much as ABWH when we were together in the late 1980s. Basically there's room for anybody to play Yes music. We love to hear other people play Yes music. These guys have quite a bit of credibility to do that and they are outstanding musicians, so there's no reason why they shouldn't go out and play. There's not any reason.

Apparently responding to comments by ARW in a number of interviews, Sherwood posted to Facebook in early Oct 2016:

In light of current events...
In my view, anyone who puts on the uniform I.E. served playing with Yes, making records, touring etc... deserves respect for doing so (regardless of era), without ending up under a bus. It's my honor to play under the "YES" flag, of which there is only one flying... I have always been loyal to that flag... even at times when I was under fire for doing so (see OYE lol). I know Chris was loyal, as he was the only member to NEVER leave... I'm humbled and honored to now be back in "YES" [...] especially having been personally asked by my long time friend and musical comrade (inside and out of YES) Squire himself, he asked me to carry on in his position in the "band" and so it shall be done. My heart and soul are in it to win it, every time I play those bass parts I'm thinking of Chris and "YES" and what it all means to have had fate guide my life in this most unexpected manner, Yes was my world growing up as a kid. It became part of my career as an adult, a very surreal destiny indeed. With that I will continue to serve, putting on the uniform of a "YES" man once again, and as I promised Chris, I'll give it my full passion and priority... always remembering my fallen hero.

Asked in a May 2016 interview if he could see himself reuniting with other members of Yes, Anderson replied, "No, just Trevor [Rabin] and Rick [Wakeman]. That's enough." In an Apr 2016 interview, Anderson was asked about the continuing Yes, replying: "It's just business, and it's a group of people going out there and playing music that's very valid. I have a different perspective on what it is, and there are bands out there performing Yes music, called tribute bands[.] That's kind of the feeling of what's going on. That's why me and Trevor [Rabin] say, 'Well, listen if we're going to get together [in Anderson Rabin Wakeman], we've got to reignite Yes[.]'" In another May 2016 interview (presumably conducted in Apr), Anderson was asked whether they would reunite in the near future. He replied, "No, just Trevor and Rick. That's enough." Asked in another Apr 2016 interview how, if he had "a magic wand", he'd like to see Yes wrap up, Anderson replied: "Create some of the greatest music in the next 20 years. I'm still Yes, I'm still part of Yes in my heart and soul. I didn't leave the band, the band went off on their merry way when I wasn't very well. [giggles] [...] I've got it in my DNA".

In yet another May 2016 interview, Anderson said, "My history is intact musically[.] Yes became a brand and a business deal and that is not my idea of what music is. Music needs to touch you spiritually. When it is driven by money, then it takes away the joy of creation." In an interview for the Spring 2016 issue of Progression, Anderson was asked if he "keeps tabs on his former band". He replied: "Not really, no. I know they're on the road. Musicians need to make a living and that's what they're doing. [...] there's only two of them left". And in this Jun 2016 interview, he said: "people ask me, "What do you think of Yes?" I, honestly, never left Yes. Because Yes has been my life. The band itself are doing what they want to do. I can't tell them what to do, because it's not my band. They've got the name, but I've got the state of mind about what true "Yes music" should sound like".

[Squire] would just always call and be in touch, and we never stopped talking. On numerous occasions since I’d left the band and was very busy doing film work, he called a number of times and said, ‘You know, I think it’s time for you to get up from your desk job and get back on the street.’ And you know, I was always a bit reluctant about, if the band’s going to be called Yes, for it to not have Jon in it. It seemed a bit strange to me. But the prime reason was that I was just so busy with what I was doing and really enjoying it.

Oh, boy. I don’t even know if I like talking about that. What can I say? The band evolves and has gone through some incredibly difficult transitions, and here we are. [...] I don’t want to forecast anything on this front, except to say that Steve is super healthy and his spirit is so high and lifted and inspired.

[...] When was the last time Yes made so many albums in a row in such a short period of time? That’s driven by Steve’s inspiration to produce it and to go forward. He enjoys touring. He loves playing this music live.

I believe that the members of Yes historically have always said that Yes music will go on way after we are no longer about. And it’s almost like classical music in a way that it does live on. Our hope is that Yes music will continue to bring enjoyment to people and will continue to be relevant. And so, we aim to continue for as long as we possibly can. I think that it’s something that we built up, and particularly with this lineup, we have built up a great rapport with each other. It would be good if we can continue.

[laughs] Not really. We’ve all been replaced by somebody at one time or another. What I’m concerned about is that if one loses the idea of the adventurousness in this music — the dynamics that we need to play with that make the sensitivity and the crescendos and the lulls and all those things — if we suddenly think that we don’t need to do that, that we just play the songs, hammer them out, that would be a nonsensing of Yes, really. When we play “Five Percent for Nothing” for the first time ever onstage, we will be showing, if not ourselves, we’re showing the audience also that we’re challenging ourselves. If we don’t, then this isn’t Yes [...] That would be a good reason for you to moan all over the Internet, that Yes have lost the flame to be adventurous and to be musical and to be subtle as well as powerful [...] Subtlety is what Yes is.

I really feel that the name should have been retired. I think it was disrespectful to Chris. There were all sorts of stories going around that “Oh, Chris wanted it to continue.” I know for a fact people that spoke to Chris and that isn’t true.

3rd person anonymous “people who talked to Chris” ???
I can only speak to the 1st person conversations Chris and I had about YES future, which were many within the 6 weeks from him telling me he was sick to his passing. He wanted it to continue... for the fans and the music.
People can say what they like... I know first hand what Squires wishes were and to that end it’s 6 years later and we are going forward just as Chris wanted 😇

[Yes's music i]s similar to the way classical music works. Long after those marvelous composers [...] passed, and the centuries moved forward, their music lives on. It’s not so much about the personality anymore. And people have a hard time seeing that now, because obviously the members [of Yes] are still alive, apart from Peter Banks [...] But it’s so easy to associate the music with the personality, and that causes a lot of conflict among fans. But ultimately, it’s about the music, and just taking the music forward. And there will always be a Yes. And I’m a lover of Jon Anderson as much as I’m a lover of Chris Squire, but you can’t fight it. And when something has that power to it, it’s beautiful, and beauty transcends all of that personality, and it’s always gonna belong, you just can’t put a cap on it and say, “Well, the original members aren’t doing this music anymore, so it’s over.” That can never be. It just can’t be.

Someone asked me the other day, “Do you think the band will ever get to the point where there’s no [classic] members?” And I said, perhaps, because it’s the music that makes it all worthwhile. There are a few Yes tribute bands out there, but not as many as other tribute bands because the music is quite hard to play.

Animated film project: Roger Dean's "Floating Islands" film or something else
Yes had had preliminary discussions about possible film ventures, including one being developed by Roger Dean. In an Apr 2007 interview for Mexican newspaper, Reforma, Squire said that the band have been in contact with Universal Pictures about making an animated movie about the band's history from their formation to the present day, including their more representative songs. The article makes a comparison with The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine":

Hace poco la compañía Universal Pictures se mostró interesada en hacer una película de animación en la que se muestra un poco de nuestra trayectoria musical, desde cuando surgimos, hasta la actualidad, incluyendo obviamente, nuestras canciones más representativas. Lo estamos analizando, todavía hay algunas puntos por precisar, como la historia, de qué trataría y cómo se abordaría, cuáles etapas de la carrera se incluirían, las canciones, pero creo que es muy pronto para hablar del tema, esperemos pronto poder dar más detalles. [...]

Son muchos años, muchas anécdotas que contar, creo que tendríamos que seleccionar muy bien lo que quisiéramos abordar, porque una película, comúnmente tiene una corta duración, cerca de dos horas y es muy poco para contar tanto, ya casi cumplimos cincuenta años de estar juntos.

It is unclear how Yes are or were involved with planning for "Floating Islands". The film was expected to feature music by the band. Asked in the Mar 2008 interview about Yes making some music especially for the project, Dean replied: "all members of the band have spoken enthusiastically about doing that. [...] That's definitely what we would like." He goes on to say he would like both existing and new songs, and discusses the options for either existing or new recordings of old songs. He talks about both "Awaken" and "Soon". Back in Jun 2007, Dean had said that Yes are not currently involved with the project beyond authorising the use of their music. A report from around 2005 had that the film was intended to contain 8-12 classic tracks (a re-recorded "Close to the Edge" was mentioned in one rumour) and at least 4-5 new recordings. In Jun 2007, Dean confirmed there had previously been discussion of Yes writing new music for the film and that the band had been thinking of "re-recording everything" (presumably meaning re-recording classic pieces), but that there hadn't been any discussion of new music recently with Yes then being dormant.

Further back, there were more reports from Yes about contributing. In a Dec 2004 Delicious Agony interview, White said, "We're starting to write music for it." In his Christmas Newsletter 2004, Wakeman said: "There are certainly ideas in the offing which include [...] making a film/and/or DVD with Roger Dean involved with all of the visuals which I particularly like, but there is much to be sorted out within the band itself before any decisions". Wakeman indicated that one of their main reasons to prefer the DVD format over CDs is Internet piracy. In an Oct 2005 interview with Squire for YesFANZ, he said:

We are looking at various options from the various major companies. Universal have shown interest and we are going to be looking at trying to put together a show that maybe then after the film has been made of the same, we can then tour the world with that kind of a look and with that kind of combining the film and the touring aspect.

I think Roger’s floating Islands idea is a very good project. But after Lord of the Rings was made [...] with such good quality, it[']s hard to know quite whether Roger may be a bit late in thinking about that because it has been done so well with the correct amount of money [...] His idea, I fully support it but I am not quite sure where it is going to go. I had a couple of meetings with him to try and figure it out but so far nothing is happening.

[...] I think pretty much [he is looking for funding]. [...] Yes is a separate entity really from Roger [...] I have to look out for what’s best for Yes as opposed to Roger. But I think the idea of animated film for a Yes musical project is a good one but there are various options on the table that we are looking at.

YES must have recorded many things beyond 1972, hopefully tapes survive and will turn up in good shape. I have mixed some of their live stuff before, but it was considered (I agreed) too poor to release, with sound issues, keyboard tunings, etc. In particular a 1976 show we found with Patrick could have been amazing (JFK Stadium in Philadelphia maybe?), but the tapes made it clear it was a very sour night.

Broadcasts 1969, out 2 Dec 2022, is a limited edition vinyl release of recordings in 1969; presumably this is the same material as above. Tracks:

Side A:
1. Every Little Thing
2. Something's Coming
3. Looking Around
4. Everydays
5. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed.

Side B:
1. Something's Coming
2. Every Little Thing
3. Looking Around
4. Survival

1. "Something's Coming (Single Mix)"
2. "Sweetness (Mono Edit)"
3. "Looking Around (Single Edit)"
4. "Sweet Dreams (Single Version)"
5. "Going for the One (Single Edit)"; side B begins
   
6. "It Can Happen (Single Edit)"
7. "Rhythm of Love (Single Edit)"
8. "Love will Find a Way (Single Edit)"
9. "Make It Easy (Edit)"
   

Billboard estimates that the Yes catalog generated about $3.2 million in annual revenue over the last three years — from 2020 through 2022 — and further estimates Yes’ royalties at almost $1 million. The band also appears to own master recordings beginning in 1991, but those albums had meager consumption units last year [2022], collectively accumulating less than 2,000 units in the U.S. Consequently, Billboard estimates WMG’s acquisition of Yes master rights and royalty income streams at about $20 million to $25 million.

And people ask me, “What do you think of Yes [today]?” I, honestly, never left Yes. Because Yes has been my life. The band itself are doing what they want to do. I can’t tell them what to do, because it’s not my band. They’ve got the name, but I’ve got the state of mind about what true “Yes music” should sound like

While Jon Anderson has rights to use the name as one of the co-owners of the trademark, Yes' position is that every effort should be made by promoters, ticket agencies and all involved to respect Yes' magnificant and loyal fanbase and minimize confusion regarding the use of Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman.

They`ve been really cool about it.  It`s never been a problem.  I had a conversation with the other guys and just said to them to let people know who`s in the band as I keep getting phone calls about me playing somewhere but I`m not in your band, so please tell people who`s in the band so they don`t expect to see me.

Well, I don’t know. I don’t really think about it much, to tell you the truth. It’s their thing; their version of Yes. We do our version, but really this band is still Yes. There are comments that come from the other camp, but I wouldn’t reply to the comments because I don’t need to.

It’s a lot of business stuff. We own the name. They own the name. Jon Anderson and I own it, but the logo we own, because Steve Howe owns most of the logo.

Interviewer: Who owns the name “Yes” since there are two of them now?

White: Well, there’s not really two of them. This Yes I’m in is the guys with the Yes name and always had it. And so legally, we are still Yes. Even though the other guys were in it for long periods of time at different times, they’ve all done other things. Chris and myself had never done anything else. We just carried on.

Interviewer: But they call themselves “Yes featuring ARW.” How is that legal if you guys own the name?

White: They can legally do that because Jon still has some of the copyright. It’s kind of a legal thing. They [...] can say “Yes Featuring ARW,” but they can’t call themselves “Yes.” We own the logo.

1. "Darkest Hour", with Steve Stevens (works with Billy Idol, worked with Chris Squire; guitars), Sherwood (bass, keys, drums); first digital release (released 22 Feb 2024)
   
2. "Ominous Signs", with Steve Morse (guitars), Sherwood (bass, keys, drums); second digital release (released 29 Feb)
   
3. "At the Gates", with David Cross (ex-King Crimson; violins), Sherwood (bass, keys, drums)
   
4. "Dark Days", with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Asia; guitar, vocals), Patrick Moraz (keys), Omar Hakim (drums), Sherwood (bass); digital release (released 12 Mar 2024)
   
5. "Lonely Landscape", with Kasim Sulton (bass), Sherwood (bass, keys, drums)
6. "The Long Night", with Frank DiMino (vocals), Marco Minnemann (drums), Sherwood (bass, keys, guitars); digital release (released 18 Mar 2024), lyric video
   
7. "The Quasi Effect", with Sherwood (bass, keys, guitars, drums)
8. "The 11th Hour", with John Etheridge (Soft Machine; guitars), Sherwood (bass, keys, drums)
9. "Between Two Worlds", with Steve Hillage (System 7, ex-Gong; guitars), Gregg Bissonette (drums), Sherwood (vocals, bass, keys); digital release (released 26 Mar 2024)
   
10. "Distant Thunder", with Todd Sucherman (Styx; drums), Sherwood (bass, keys, guitars)
11. "Dark Money", with Joe Bouchard (bass), Sherwood (keys, guitars, drums)
12. "For All to See", with Pat Mastelotto (ex-King Crimson; drums), Sherwood (bass, keys, guitars)
13. "Beyond Reason", with Chad Wackerman (drums), Sherwood (bass, keys, guitars)
14. "I Saw the Light" [Todd Rundgren] (bonus track), with Todd Rundgren, Rick Wakeman; a 2020 digital single then included as a bonus track on the 2022 re-release of Todd Rundgren & Friends
    
15. "I'm Not in Love (Instrumental Version)" [Eric Stewart] (bonus track), with Nektar, Rick Wakeman; instrumental version of a song on Nektar's 2012 covers album A Spoonful of Time, re-mastered and re-released as a digital single in 2023

The album was written, produced and recorded by Sherwood, with additional engineering by Scott Walton. The album was mixed and mastered by Jürgen Engler and he also produced the bonus tracks. Release formats include digital (streaming omits the bonus tracks), CD, and red marble vinyl (without the bonus tracks).

1. "A Speedway on Saturn's Rings", with Al Di Meola (electric guitar), Jah Wobble (bass), Chester Thompson (drums), Fernando Perdomo (rhythm guitars, string synth, arpeggiator)
   
2. "Planet 15", with Chris Poland (lead guitar), Wobble (bass), Thompson (drums), Perdomo (rhythm guitar)
   
3. "IO" [Perdomo/Wakeman], with Rick Wakeman (keys), Wobble (bass), Thompson (drums), Perdomo (Moog bass, string synth)
4. "Escape from the Black Hole", with Angelo Moore (sax, Theremin), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Asia; guitar), Wobble (bass), Thompson (drums), Perdomo (guitar, Echoplex, Moog, ARP string synth, percussion)
   
5. "The Bottle" [Gil Scott-Heron], produced by Jürgen Engler, with Bootsy Collins (vocals), Brian Jackson (electric piano, flute), Carmine Appice (drums), Perdomo (guitars, bass)
   
6. "Blasting Off", with Jan Akkerman (worked with Peter Banks; guitar), Wobble (bass), Thompson (drums), Perdomo (rhythm guitar, Hammond B3)
7. "Lunar Rover on Mars", with Didier Malherbe (ex-Gong; flute), Wobble (bass), Thompson (drums), Perdomo (guitar, Rhodes)
8. "Coming Back Home" [Perdomo/Stevens], with Alphonso Johnson (bass), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol, worked with Chris Squire; guitars, synth), Thompson (drums), Perdomo (Rhodes)
9. "Random Acts of Science", from The Fusion Syndicate; with R Wakeman and Sherwood
   
10. "Stone Cold Infusion", from The Fusion Syndicate; with Sherwood
11. "Molecular Breakdown", from The Fusion Syndicate; with Sherwood
12. "Particle Accelerations", from The Fusion Syndicate; with Sherwood

Kerzner was in Arc of Life (see above) with Sherwood, Davison, Jay Schellen and Jimmy Haun. Kerzner and Sherwood have a forthcoming project with Fernando Perdomo, which also incorporates material originally planned for a separate aborted band project with Kerzner, Perdomo and Davison. In an 18 May 2024 Facebook comment, Kerzner said, "3/5 of the band [Arc of Life] is in YES and they're kept pretty busy. But, I will be doing more things with Billy both live and in the studio (when he's not busy with Yes!)." He continued, "As for studio stuff, I'm working on [...] a Yesish offshoot thing (not Arc)". He had previously referred to a mystery non-Arc project with Jon Davison, which we now know was the aborted band with Perdomo. As well as In Continuum and the Yes tribute album (Yesterday and Today: A 50th Anniversary Tribute to Yes), Kerzner had written in Sep 2018 on ProgressiveEars.com that, "I may do some more stuff with both Jon, Billy and Geoff [Downes] (either separately or in combination with each other)." In Aug 2020 on ProgressiveEars.com, he said he had "more than one side project with various musicians from Yes [...] in one band/project the music is co-written by me and in the other it isn't so..." The latter was Arc of Life. Soon after on Facebook he said, "I have yet another original music project that's Yes-related but it's almost completely unannounced apart from me hinting about it. There is a band name and no one but the people involved know what it is. It also involves someone from King Crimson but that's all I can say about that! Haha." Likewise, in Sep 2020 on ProgressiveEars.com, Kerzner posted, "Got a few in the works involving some of the guys mentioned in this thread [about Yes]. One project that I'm co-leader/co-singer of and another where I'm just the keyboard player for a change." (The latter being Arc of Life. The former being one of the bands with Perdomo and Sherwood or Davison presumably.) In a late Dec 2020 Facebook post, after mentioning Arc of Life, Kerzner said, "I'm also working on a new album featuring Jon Davison and other musicians you know for another 2021 album release!" (He confirmed this was separate to In Continuum. It didn't appear in 2021.) He continued, "This other album I mentioned is very Proggy and a bit retro as well." In a Feb 2021 post to ProgressiveEars.com, he said, "I am already co-writing new music with Jon D for another project". In the Feb 2021 Arc of Life interview with SOAL Night Live, after talking about In Continuum, Kerzner said, "I am writing with Jon [Davison] for some other things". In a May 2021 appearance on the Yes Music Podcast, Kerzner said he and Perdomo have some "Yes-ish" track ideas, and they might get Davison or Robin Schell to do vocals, or he could offer them to Arc of Life. In a Nov 2022 post to ProgressiveEars.com, he said, "guitarist Fernando Perdomo and I have been working on a separate Yes-like project that really blends an early 70's Yes influence with King Crimson and Pink Floyd especially in this one particular track. I might ask Billy and Jon to play and sing on it. It's a whole batch of different sounding material that needs a home so we'll probably build a project around it or release under our project called "Squids Out To Sea"." A Nov 2024 interview with YesShift explained most of these references: Kerzner said, "This hasn't really been announced, but I have a kind of different sort of Yes offshoot band of original music. [...] with me singing [...] It's me, Billy [Sherwood] and Fernando. [...] It sounds probably less like Yes than Arc of Life [...] it's more retro than Arc of Life, like more seventies-ish. [...] It's like Yes meets Steely Dan or something. [...] It is prog. It's proggier than Arc of Life actually. And maybe a bit of King Crimson. [...] less commercial, a little more edgy. [...] It's just these songs that we put together. It's a side-project [...] We're not going to tour". He described how he is "ringleading" this band, as compared to Arc of Life that Sherwood led. He continued, "I did these songs that were sort of with Billy. I did these songs with Fernando that were kinda Yes-ish, because we were going to do a band with Jon Davison at one point. And I think he co-wrote one of the songs. So I got this material. What if, guys, we just put them together, like Union! [...] But it's not a hodgepodge [...] It is by nature a little bit of a hodgepodge, but the way those two guys tend to work, where they can play every instrument, it sort of has its own consistency [...] It sounds like a blend of Billy Sherwood and Fernando, with me sprinkling pretty keyboards and glueing it together." He indicated they might have the album out by Apr 2025, although that was not to be. In a May 2025 interview, Kerzner said, "I have another project that's with Billy, Fernando Perdomo and some other people. It's similar to Arc of Life, a bit more retro. Bit more seventies influenced by Prog, Yes and King Crimson, and other influences, maybe a little bit of Genesis. It's a bit more, I wanna say it's a bit more proggy or it's a bit more seventies prog than the eighties that I normally do [...] it's a little more indulgence in the vintage instruments and stuff on my part. I'm producing it."

Sonic Elements Fantasy Interactive Dark Side of the Moon w/ Alan Parsons
Sonic Elements XYZ Fantasy Band Tribute to Rush featuring Neil Peart Drums
Sonic Elements Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Fantasy Soundtrack Tribute to Genesis
Sonic Elements Trifecta (original music with Billy Sherwood and drums from Terry Bozzio, Rod Morgenstein, Neil Peart...)
Sonic Elements TBA fantasy progressive rock project featuring...

... all involving Sherwood in some capacity. In Apr 2012, Kerzner said that there:

will at least be another EP of different [Rush] material (the "keyboard era" stuff) and then eventually a full album and that will have different versions of some of these songs on it as well.

Plus there's going to interactive versions of the songs similar to Jammit except they can work inside products like AmpliTube where you can play guitar through modeled amps and pedals or inside Garageband and play anything you want. That's coming along with Neil Peart's isolated drum tracks. But these interactive versions are more for musicians to interact with.

• "Freewill", with Sherwood (bass), Dunnery (lead guitar), Alastair Greene (Alan Parsons Live Project; rhythm guitar)
  
• "Time Stands Still", with Sherwood (bass)
• "Mission" with Kerzner (keys), Steven Robinson (guitar), Valerie Spinner (bass), John Beagley (vocals)
• "Between the Wheels" with Kerzner (keys), Dorsey
• "One Little Victory" with members of Queensrÿche
• "Losing It"

Dunnery also sang on some of the Rush songs.

The Pink Floyd/Dark Side of the Moon project involves recordings with Nick Mason (ex-Pink Floyd), and then Davis, Dorie Jackson (works with Dunnery, ex-The Syn; vocals), Guy Pratt (worked with Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson; bass), Colin Edwin (ex-Porcupine Tree; bass), Natalie Azerad (vocals), Durga & Lorelei McBroom (vocals). The Sonic Elements Facebook page in Jan 2013 said: "I've assembled a Sonic Elements band in LA this week to work with the McBroom sisters [...] Billy Sherwood, Randy McStine, Fernando Perdomo and myself (with Pink Floyd's rhythm section already recorded/sampled)". An update in Jan 2014 announced The Dark Side of Sonic Elements album for 2014 with Sherwood, Dunnery, McStine, the McBrooms and "utilizing the brand new Sonic Reality 2014 sample library releases from Nick Mason, Guy Pratt, Alan Parsons, the McBroom Sisters and more." This has yet to appear. Various further progressive rock covers have been described. Kerzner's also described doing 3 tracks for an Alan Parsons project with Sherwood. An ELP cover with Keith Emerson (ex-ELP; keys) and Payne (vocals) was planned.

I was just talking with Francis Dunnery about finishing up The Lamb tracks next month [Apr 2018]. The Rush tribute is the closest to finish and I was just holding out to do a track with David Longdon of Big Big Train [...] but it would have to be built from scratch since I don't have the drum track from Neil Peart for that song... and I was going to play it from the keyboard using Neil's drum samples but it's in 5/8 and a little tricky. A fun challenge but I need a bit of time to do it right. Arrrggghhh. Maybe I'll still do it. There's also an original music side to the project too and I have material from Glass Hammer, Billy Sherwood and others for that as well. The Floyd tribute split into two projects, one I did with Alan Parsons participating and the other that's become a female led Floyd tribute sung by the McBroom Sisters and it'll be their album that I'm co-producing which will also have original songs written with various people who played with Floyd like Guy Pratt, Jon Carin and others. Even a tune they wrote with Lemmy from Motorhead will be on that one. Some of the guys from Australian Pink Floyd are helping finish that album because I've gotten a bit too overloaded to do ALL of them at the same time. There is also another Genesis-related Sonic Elements thing that may come out as well but it hasn't been announced publicly so that's probably the lowest priority. Then there's the Yes stuff which I don't know if I have enough to do a full album of Yes music. Might put those on an SE compilation album or something just to get everything I've worked on a home and unless we do any others (might) that will wrap up the tributes. Obviously if they do really well for my distributors there could be more. [...] I'm imposing my own deadline of releasing them all before the end of the year [2018]. Probably around Summer time or at least by the end of the year [2018]

exo-X-xeno
exo-X-xeno (Facebook, Bandcamp) release their debut album, Luminous Voyage, on 19 Jun 2025, in two versions that feature alternate cover art (Flight and Infinity). The band consists of Craig Maher (guitars, lead vocals), Billy Sherwood (bass, backing vocals), Patrick Moraz (keys) and Jay Schellen (drums). Maher wrote all the material and did the artwork. Tracks:

1. "The Event Horizon" (3:42), instrumental with all 4 musicians
   
2. "Vitruvian Man" (6:59)
3. "At the Water's Edge" (2:35), instrumental with just Maher and Moraz
   
4. "Onward, Love" (5:08)
5. "Reaching for Beyond" (5:54)
6. "Into the Night" (5:53)
7. "Live Life" (5:43)
   

In a mid-Oct 2024 update, the band had said on Facebook that the album "is almost ready to set sail, but there's been a slight delay due to the mastering to vinyl process which we want to get right. [...] we will be releasing it as digital downloads and vinyl for the short term". A CD release will follow later.

They previously released a single, "Onward, Love" (YouTube) on 15 Jan 2021. A second song, "Reaching for Beyond" (YouTube), followed 5 Jul 2021. Both songs were mastered by Maor Appelbaum (worked with Yes, Arc of Life).

White Car
Leon Alvarado (worked with Rick Wakeman, Billy Sherwood, Trey Gunn, John Goodsall) had described a forthcoming project called White Car with Billy Sherwood, Jon Davison and Johnny Bruhns (died 2025; ex-CIRCA:, ex-Yoso). Alvarado said on 20 Mar 2020 on Facebook, "This is coming down the pipe but because of the Covid-19 situation we aren't sure as to when it will be completed." However, asked about in a 4 Jul 2020 interview, Sherwood said he "didn't know about that project". In May 2021, Alvarado posted an update to Facebook, saying:

Update on new music. It has been a long time since I have put out any music at all. My circumstances went through a lot of changes with being put out for two years as we fixed our house from massive flood damaged and rebuilt the studio. Finalizing things just to get under the pandemic which delayed things even more. However, during that period I did managed to make some music from time to time but not all of it goes well with each other. I just started to work on unfinished projects and even though there's enough material to fill up a regular album, it is very different sound-wise between one another so they will have to be subdivided into different releases. Some of the work was done with Billy Sherwood, Jon Davison and Johnny Bruhns. Billy and Johnny played on my last record release and this was the first time I worked with Jon but he's such a professional. In the middle of that project I got distracted by another project I was working on prior to that one. [...] To put it into perspective, the work I am doing with the Yes chaps sounds a lot like Yes and so I'll keep it that way. The work I am doing with these other musicians sounds very different from that

1. "Conduit" (6:41), instrumental, with Eric Moore (ex-Suicidal Tendencies) on drums and Ryo Okumoto (Spock's Beard) on keys
   
2. "Nothing Wrong" (6:17), new version of song previously on Spirals and Portals
   
3. "In the Night I" (0:51)
4. "Life-Line" (5:55), with Jimmy Keegan (ex-Spock's Beard) on drums
   
5. "You Have It All" (14:30)
6. "In the Night II" (1:03)
7. "Beautiful Light" (5:46), new version of song previously on Spirals and Portals
8. "Our Test Tube Universe" (7:33)
9. "Flowing Through the Change" (17:20)
1. "Futureflow"
2. "In the Night III"
3. "Dreamflow"
4. "A New Beginning"
5. "Dreams are Coming True"

• "Life on Mars?" (David Bowie): Wakeman (keys)
• "Eleanor Rigby" (The Beatles, but in the style of Prokofiev): Wakeman (keys)
• introduction from Ewing
• introduction from Paul Green
  
• "Easy Money" (originally by King Crimson): Cross (electric violin), PGRA (vocals, electric guitar, additional electric guitar/backing vocals, keys, bass, drums)
  
• "Exiles" (originally by King Crimson): Cross (electric violin), PGRA (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keys, bass, drums)
• "Book of Saturday" (King Crimson): PGRA (vocals, electric guitar × 2, bass, electric cello)
• "Fracture" (King Crimson): PGRA (electric guitar × 2, bass, drums)
• "Fallen Angel" (King Crimson): Collins (alto sax), PGRA (vocals × 2, electric guitar × 2, acoustic guitar, sax, electric cello, keys, bass, drums)
• "Red" (King Crimson): Kilminster (electric guitar), PGRA (electric guitar, electric cello, bass, drums)
• "One More Red Nightmare" (King Crimson): PGRA (vocals, electric guitar × 2, sax, bass, drums)
• Dean talked about doing art for Asia and Wetton
  
• "In the Dead of Night" (UK): Mitchell (vocals), Orford (keys, backing vocals), PGRA (electric guitar, bass, drums)
• "Rendezvous 6:02" (UK): Orford (keys, vocals)
• video messages from Martin Turner (ex-Wishbone Ash) and Carl Palmer (Asia, ex-ELP)
  
• intermission
• "All Along the Watchtower" (Jimi Hendrix): Hackett (electric guitar), Whitley (vocals), PGRA (acoustic guitar, keys, bass, drums)
• "Afterglow" (Genesis): Hackett (electric guitar), PGRA (lead vocals × 2, backing vocals × 4, electric guitar, keys, bass, drums)
• "Woman" (John Wetton): PGRA (lead vocals, backing vocals × 4, electric guitar × 2, keys, bass, drums (Max Makover))
• "Battle Lines" (John Wetton): Mitchell (vocals), Orford (keys, backing vocals)
• messages from Macmillan Caring Locally
• Ewing, with D Wetton and Downes, thanks Sam from QEDG, Sarah Ewing and L Wetton
• "Burlesque" (Family): Chapman (lead vocals), Cregan (electric guitar, backing vocals), Wisefield (electric guitar), PGRA (backing vocals, keys, bass, drums)
• "My Friend the Sun" (Family): Chapman (lead vocals), Cregan (acoustic guitar), Wisefield (acoustic guitar), PGRA (backing vocals × 2, keys/backing vocals, bass, percussion)
• video clip of the Downes Braide Association live playing "The Smile has Left Your Eyes" from the "Live in England" DVD
  
• intermission
• "Let's Stick Together" (Roxy Music): Bruford (drums), Difford (vocals, acoustic guitar), Manzanera (electric guitar, backing vocals), Pratt (bass, backing vocals), PGRA (vocals, sax, keys)
• "Ride Easy" (Asia): PGRA (lead vocals, backing vocals × 4, electric guitar × 2, keys, bass, drums)
• "Voice of America" (Asia): PGRA (lead vocals, backing vocals × 4, electric guitar × 2, keys × 2, bass, drums (Makover))
• intermission
• "In the End" (Icon): Downes (keys), Mitchell (vocals), Schellen (drums), Whitley (additional keys), Orford (flute), Haslam (vocals)
• "Rubicon" (Icon): Downes (keys, backing vocals), Mitchell (guitar), Sherwood (bass), Schellen (drums), Whitley (vocals)
• "Only Time will Tell" (Asia): Downes (keys, backing vocals), Mitchell (guitar, backing vocals), Sherwood (bass), Schellen (drums), Whitley (vocals, additional keys)
• "My Own Time" (Asia): Downes (keys, backing vocals), Mitchell (guitar, backing vocals), Sherwood (bass), Schellen (drums), Whitley (vocals, additional keys)
• "An Extraordinary Life" (Asia): Downes (keys, backing vocals), Mitchell (guitar, backing vocals), Sherwood (bass), Schellen (drums), Whitley (vocals)
• D Wetton speaks
• intermission
• "Starless" (King Crimson): Kilminster (guitar), Cross (electric violin), Collins (alto sax), Jakszyk (vocals, additional guitar), PGRA (keys, bass, drums)
• "Heat of the Moment" (Asia): Downes (keys, backing vocals), Mitchell (guitar, backing vocals), Sherwood (bass), Schellen (drums), Whitley (vocals, additional keys), PGRA (backing vocals × 5)
  

1. "AD 2023" [Wetton/Steve Hackett/Rick Nelson]
   
2. "Raven" [Wetton]
   
3. "Walking on Air" [Wetton/Downes/Bob Marlette]
4. "Straight from the Heart" [Bryan Adams/Eric Kagna]
   
5. "If I was a Country" [Wetton/Marlette]
6. "All Along the Watchtower" [Bob Dylan]
   
7. "Deya" [Wetton]
8. "Tears of Rage" [Wetton]
9. "Marianne" [Wetton/Billy Liesegang], from the Killer Dogs project organised by Trevor Horn, with Wetton, Liesegang and George De Angelis
   
10. "Healer of Shattered Hearts" [Wetton]
11. "I'd Give It All for You" [Wetton/Sue Shifrin]
12. "Ultimate Emotion (unfinished idea)" [Wetton/Jim Vallance]
13. "Wings of Angels" [Wetton]
14. "Wings of an Angel" [Downes/Greg Lake]
15. "All for One" [Tony Franklin/Wetton]
16. "From a Distant Heart" [Wetton/Dick Wagner]
17. "Real World" [Wetton/Richard Starkey], with Ringo Starr, presumably the version from The Studio Recordings Anthology
    
18. "The Greatest Show on Earth (JW Edit)" [various artists, edit by Nelson]
19. "Adagietto" [Wetton], previously released for a Down syndrome fundraising compilation
    
20. "The Water is Wide" [anonymous], previously released live performance
    

1. "Raised in Captivity" [Wetton/Marlette]
2. "The Other Guy (Second Best)" [Wetton/Shifrin]
3. "I Will" [Wetton/Shifrin]
4. "Bad Thing" [Wetton/Shifrin]
5. "Boys of the Diamond City" [Downes/Johnny Warman], a song planned for Downes' Rain project
   
6. K2: "Flesh and Blood" [Wetton/Misha Calvin/Carl Palmer]
   
7. K2: "Burn Your Name in My Heart" [Wetton/Calvin/Palmer]
8. "Sex, Power and Money" [Wetton/Curt Cuomo/Harry Perzigian]
   
9. "Back in Your Lovin' Arms" [Wetton/C Cuomo/Perzigian]
10. "Every Inch of the Way" [Wetton/C Cuomo], duet with Lori Cuomo
11. "I Can't Tell You Why" [Wetton/C Cuomo/Perzigian]
12. "Winner Takes It All (demo)" [Giorgio Moroder]
    
13. "Mind Over Matter (demo)" [Moroder]
14. "Gypsy Soul (demo)" [Moroder]
15. "Wasted Time" [Wetton/Robin George]
    
16. "You Still Got Me" [Wetton]
17. "Halfway to Heaven" [Wetton/Shifrin]
18. "I'll Never Stop Loving You" [Wetton/Shifrin/David Cassidy]
19. "Forever Adagietto" [Wetton/Shifrin], demo with Wetton (lead vocals, keys), Sue Shifrin (backing vocals), Carl Palmer (drums), Alan Murphy (guitars); the song was re-worked as "Prisoner" on David Cassidy's 1990 album David Cassidy
    

1. "Maude Frantic" (6:43), with Sherwood and a Hammond solo by Wakeman
   
2. "A Question of Wait and Matter" (5:36), with Sherwood; lyric video
   
3. "Canvas" (5:37)
   
4. "I'm No One" (7:57)
   
5. "11th Hour" (10:11)
   
6. "Breaking August" (8:28), with Wakeman
   
7. "Sumpin' Ovit" (11:40), with Wakeman, Sherwood
   
8. "Sisters" (6:06), with Wakeman
9. "Boat 5" (12:23)

Wakeman has said he would like to be involved with a follow-up. Dodson is assembling a live band hopefully for late 2025 dates.

Any news, additions or corrections, please e-mail Henry Potts. Thanks.